The Innocent Mage's Spellbinding Nights - Chapter 34
She realized once again what her position in the White Tower truly was. Given her passive nature, if people like Celsia or Hesed chose to keep things from her based on their judgment, she would be as good as blind and deaf.
“The Vice Tower Master visits here every day during lunch to dine with you.”
“…”
“And when the two of you went out recently, someone saw you looking quite affectionate. As your aide, I felt it was necessary to confirm the facts.”
Irina, staring intently at Celsia, slowly began to speak.
“Is it truly as my aide that you’re asking this?”
“…”
“You’re being so grave about this, like a general preparing for war.”
A hollow smile appeared on Irina’s lips.
“Celsia.”
“Yes, Tower Master.”
“Hesed and I are merely senior and junior colleagues working to restore a relationship that had become distant.”
After saying this, Irina watched Celsia’s face. Seeing the hopeful glimmer in her purple eyes made her feel a boiling anger inside.
With the same social smile she wore when anger welled up, Irina added one more thing.
“For now.”
“…!”
“So, as my aide, please clarify the facts to the members of the White Tower. Considering it’s almost lunchtime and someone might soon come by, you may leave now.”
Celsia’s shoulders trembled. Her lips moved several times before she opened the door and left, looking as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
“I suppose I’ll need to change my aide soon.”
Irina muttered, clicking her tongue softly.
She wasn’t sure how many would apply to be the aide to a near-figurehead Tower Master.
Although she disliked unnecessary conflicts, she wasn’t foolish enough to let someone get away with asking such disrespectful questions without saying anything back. After all, she had been in the position of Tower Master for several years, so she had developed a sense of authority.
Having delivered a heavy blow to Celsia, Irina sent a brief message to Hesed through a communication orb.
[There’s an urgent matter I need to handle outside. I won’t be able to join you for lunch today, so please don’t come.]
She didn’t want to face anyone with her current feelings.
With a weary sigh, Irina stood up from her seat. Given her personality, she couldn’t simply brush off what had just happened, nor was she in a position to seek counsel from someone else. She had only one way to cope.
“…Let’s just work hard.”
Gathering the materials related to the disappearance cases, Irina placed them in a dimensional pocket and left her office.
Immersing oneself in work was the best way to dispel troubling thoughts.
*
Skipping lunch, Irina spent the entire afternoon investigating the back alleys of the cities where the disappearances had occurred.
She had changed her eye and hair color and meticulously layered illusion spells.
‘There’s no trace of the magic or dark magic I was worried about.’
The crystal orbs she had installed weren’t particularly broken by the perpetrator. They were merely scratched by rats or stray cats or slightly moved from their original positions. It seemed increasingly likely that this case involved some sort of shamanistic magic or unique techniques passed down by various tribes.
‘Should I contact Ovtatio to find a cooperating shaman quickly?’
Though smaller than the Magic Tower, there was a central organization in the shaman world called ‘Ovtatio.’
‘I should also investigate curse-related techniques.’
Even though she was a mage capable of using teleportation magic, it was no small feat to scour the back alleys within a few hours in the afternoon.
*
Suffering slightly from the heat, Irina returned to the White Tower around 10 p.m. and headed for her office instead of her personal quarters.
‘I should at least look at the documents I didn’t finish.’
Though it wasn’t necessary to do it tonight, she pushed herself due to her overly cluttered mind. She was avoiding going back to her quarters, partly because Hesed might be waiting outside as he had before, and partly because she didn’t want to fall into the habit of lazily resorting to comforting herself.
‘I can use magic to clean myself, and I can catch a nap on the desk if I need to.’
She turned on the lights in the quiet office, changed into more comfortable clothes, and began to sift through the documents she hadn’t been able to address that afternoon.
Rustle, rustle.
Who knows how much time had passed as she silently turned the pages.
Knock, knock.
A formal knock echoed through the room.
“Come in.”
Irina spoke out of habit, then paused, realizing it wasn’t daytime but night. Who could be visiting the Tower Master’s office at this late hour?
As expected, the one who opened the door was Hesed.
“Senior…”
“What brings you here?”
Irina tried to act as nonchalantly as possible. What good would it do to let others know that the White Tower Master was struggling and hurt?
“…Have you had dinner yet?”
Hesed, looking as if he was about to cry, carefully asked, instead of inquiring where she had been or what had happened this afternoon.
“Of course. Do you know what time it is?”
Having eaten nothing but a simple breakfast and drunk only water all day, Irina tried to respond in a calm voice… Or so she intended.
“Senior.”
“Oh…wait. I think something got in my eye.”
Feeling a stinging sensation and then a warm liquid trickling down her cheek, Irina hastily exclaimed. There wasn’t a single sentimental word exchanged between her and Hesed. So why were her tear ducts malfunctioning all of a sudden?
“You don’t have to say anything.”
Hesed swiftly approached, wiping her eyes with his delicate fingers as he whispered.
“May I kiss you?”
