Chapter 17
“In the cafeteria!”
“Let’s be quiet!”
“When eating!”
“Just eat!”
The mages with rainbow-colored hair stood up and sat down repeatedly as they chanted in unison.
Across from them, Kaien Kreutz lounged casually in his chair.
He had been flipping through documents with a bored expression, but then he raised his head slightly and glanced down at the mages.
With just that small movement, the air in the room froze as if suffocating.
“If you’ve done enough of that, even idiots like you—who use the empty space above your necks as mere decorations—should have managed to cram some common sense into those ugly heads by now.”
‘Wow… what harsh words….’
I hurriedly pulled out my notebook and scribbled it down.
It was a bit advanced, but who knows? I might be able to use it someday.
I also widened my eyes to carefully observe Kaien’s cold gaze and the wicked curve of his lips.
I’m going to absorb everything about this man like a sponge!
Just as I was staring at him with burning determination—
Kaien suddenly turned his head, and our eyes met.
“…Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I-I’m sorry!”
Ahh! Was I being too obvious?!
I quickly lowered my gaze.
“…No, hm.”
His voice sounded oddly awkward.
“That wasn’t meant to scold you. Lift your head.”
So he wasn’t upset. What a relief.
When I looked up again, I saw Kaien quickly turning his head away from me. His earlobes seemed to be faintly tinged with the color of candlelight.
Is he feeling warm?
“…?”
“?!”
The mages stared at him with eyes so wide they looked ready to pop out.
As if they had just witnessed something unbelievable.
The next moment—
Kaien twisted his handsome face into a fierce scowl and glared at them.
“What are you looking at? Can’t you keep your damn eyes straight?”
“W-why are you suddenly taking it out on us…!”
“Shut up.”
At his low growl, the mages trembled.
“Get those busted faces out of my sight. I’ll give you three seconds. Anyone still here after that gets thrown out the window personally.”
“Eek!”
The mages swallowed their cries and fled.
Their current 모습 was completely different from the arrogant, sneering attitude they had shown earlier in the cafeteria while mocking me.
‘Serves them right.’
The office fell silent.
“…Hah. Worthless pests.”
After brushing a hand through his hair, Kaien turned toward me.
‘Well, this isn’t really the time to think about it, but…’
He really is handsome.
I used to think Felix was the most attractive man in the world, but compared to the man in front of me, Felix might as well be an ape.
Golden eyes shone mysteriously beneath sharply defined brows.
A perfectly sculpted nose and clean, elegant jawline. He looked like a masterpiece carved by the greatest artisan.
With flawless looks, unmatched skill as the continent’s greatest magic swordsman, and the status of a duke—if it weren’t for his terrible reputation, he would have instantly become the empire’s most desirable groom.
Even at the Academy, he was famous. Aspiring mages and knights would say they’d die happy just seeing Duke Kreutz’s face once.
At the time, I had been too busy taking care of Felix to care about such things.
As I drifted into thought, those perfectly shaped lips opened.
“So, newbie. I hear you volunteered for the night shift?”
“Ah? Y-yes, that’s right!”
“Why?”
Caught off guard by the rapid questions, I answered calmly.
“It was an opportunity to assist the esteemed Duke up close and learn from you. I absolutely couldn’t miss it!”
“An opportunity you couldn’t miss?”
Kaien murmured in his pleasant low voice.
“…You wanted that badly to be by my side.”
Huh?
With a few words missing, that sounded… a little strange.
But it wasn’t exactly wrong, so I nodded.
“Yes! The chance to work overnight with the Duke alone is an opportunity I simply had to seize, so I boldly asked Senior Aaron myself!”
“…That… much?”
Kaien looked slightly flustered and touched the corner of his mouth with his fingers.
‘Why does he look like that?’
His earlobes peeking through his black hair seemed a bit red again.
And the corners of his lips looked faintly curved.
“Um, Duke.”
I spoke nervously.
Tonight’s work was said to be a simulation to distribute the Mage Tower’s magical power for the entire year.
If the calculations went wrong, the entire tower could shut down. It was an extremely important task.
“How should I assist you today?”
“Ah.”
Kaien opened his mouth slightly.
His expression returned to cool indifference as he pointed to a desk on one side of the office.
“Sit there and calculate the formulas I hand over.”
“Yes, sir!”
Fortunately, the formulas Kaien gave me weren’t too difficult.
So I worked hard as his personal calculator.
After some time—
‘My neck feels stiff… how long have I been at this?’
I lifted my head to check the clock—and froze at the sight before me.
‘Wow….’
A brilliant blue magic circle shimmered in the dark air.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Every time Kaien moved his hand, the massive magic array rotated like a set of intricate gears.
The precise control, meticulous calculations, and flawless manipulation of magic unfolding right before my eyes—
I couldn’t help but be awestruck.
I realized once again just how overwhelmingly talented this man was.
Luna had called those rainbow-haired mages geniuses, but compared to him, they were nothing more than fireflies in front of the sun.
‘So all the magic that keeps this massive Mage Tower running is contained within that circle….’
If the tower faltered, countless facilities across the empire would fail.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say the entire empire relied on him.
And yet Kaien handled such an enormous task with a bored expression, as if it were nothing more than tedious homework.
‘Amazing….’
I found myself staring blankly, mouth slightly open.
Suddenly, a childhood memory resurfaced—the old tragedy I never wanted to remember.
If only, back then, I had even one millionth of the magic power this man possessed…
I let out an unconscious sigh.
“Is something wrong, newbie?”
Ah!
Startled, I turned my head to find Kaien looking straight at me.
‘He heard me.’
Trying to stay calm, I smiled.
“N-no. I just feel sorry that since I can’t use magic, solving formulas is the only way I can assist you properly.”
“You can’t use magic? Why?”
There it was.
The innocent yet cruel question of a genius to an ordinary person…!
I gave an awkward smile and answered honestly.
There was no point hiding it.
“My mana circuits are blocked.”
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
Please don’t fire me over this…
‘I-it’ll be fine. If using magic was required, they would have tested me in the interview in the first place!’
Please don’t dismiss me! I still have a future fake temporary husband to support!
“What are you talking about?”
Kaien frowned, as if he’d heard something strange.
Was I really going to get fired here? I froze in anxiety.
“They’re not blocked.”
“…Excuse me?”
I looked up in shock.
“Wh-what did you say?”
“They’re perfectly open.”
What is?
Don’t tell me—my mana circuits?
That couldn’t be true.
Ever since the accident, I’d lost all sensation of the magic I once controlled as easily as my own hands.
Doctors had said it clearly: my mana circuits were blocked due to aftereffects, and there had never been a single case of blocked circuits reopening.
‘In other words, give up.’
Kaien gestured lightly toward me.
“Come here.”
Still stunned, I had no choice but to obey.
As I awkwardly approached, Kaien held out his palm toward me.
