Chapter 9
“Last night, the assistants mishandled the elemental crystals and caused an explosion. As a result, a significant portion of three months’ worth of research data and experiment records has been destroyed.”
“I see…”
I had been about to look at one of the scattered records.
“Hey! What are you touching right now?!”
A wizard shouted irritably.
Startled, I quickly apologized.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Frisia Violet, newly assigned as the Duke’s secretary.”
“Secretary? A woman in the magic tower…”
The wizard openly scanned me from head to toe.
“Sure, magic looks all shiny and beautiful to you, but it’s all mathematics. Mathematics.”
Such blatant dismissiveness.
Even in the conservative empire, the most conservative group of all were the wizards.
‘At the academy, the magic department professors openly marginalized female students too.’
It was familiar enough that it didn’t faze me.
Then, an unexpectedly sharp voice cut through.
“So, all that talent, and you can’t handle a single element without causing this mess? Be glad the Duke is away on business. You’ve just bought yourself another day of life.”
Aaron’s words hit like a whip.
Though outwardly calm, he was clearly the Duke’s closest aide.
‘Ah, that’s why I didn’t see the Duke here—he’s currently away.’
Aaron’s scolding sealed the wizard’s mouth.
Taking advantage of the pause, I examined the data further.
Because of the fire damage, less than half of it was legible.
As I squinted, studying a page carefully, a sudden flash of clarity struck my mind.
‘Huh?’
This might…
[Master! Master! Look at this!]
Pipi leapt around in my pocket. I nodded.
‘Right? There’s a pattern here.’
Glancing at the data, a pattern became faintly visible.
The problem was, the amount of data needed to fully confirm the pattern…
I stared at the charred piles of documents, horrified.
It was far too much.
[Master! This is going to be an incredible slog!]
‘Exactly.’
But who was I?
During six years at the academy, I was no ordinary girl.
‘I was a determined, relentless force.’
Completely focused on ensuring my fiancé would come first.
‘Pulling all-nighters for a single goal? Nothing at all.’
…Well, not exactly something to brag about.
Anyway, I’d give it a try.
Even with Pipi’s help, I couldn’t guarantee the task would be finished before the Duke returned.
But if I tried my hardest, I might at least get a chance to request an advance.
[Poor Master! To go through all this trouble… and your uncle even confiscated your food allowance! That uncle is truly awful!]
‘Pipi, you’ll be working alongside me.’
[Trash of an uncle!]
“Then, Miss Violet, there’s no need to overexert yourself. Take a look around. Since it isn’t your official first day, you may leave without reporting when you’re done.”
Thanks to Aaron saying this outright, I could work through the data without interference.
“What on earth is that woman?”
“I don’t know. She’s a secretary. Who knows what she thinks she knows about numbers…”
“Secretary? Then she should be fetching tea or tending to the Duke… Forget it. She’ll tire herself out eventually.”
Every time I heard whispers about me, my little-citizen heart pounded and I felt self-conscious.
[Master! I’ve finished the calculations!]
Thanks to Pipi constantly keeping me updated, I was able to immerse myself fully in the records.
“Ugh… I feel like I’m going to die. I haven’t eaten all day, and my stomach’s killing me.”
“Same here. Mom said if I entered the magic tower I’d meet plenty of girlfriends and live my best life… What is this? I’m about to die from overwork before even dating!”
“Let’s at least get some food. I can’t do this anymore.”
When I looked up, I realized I was alone in the archive.
From sunset to moonrise and then back to sunset again, the archive lights never went out.
“I have committed a grave sin!”
“We are truly sorry, Duke!”
The wizards bowed incessantly.
“Still, we’ll do our best to recover as much as possible—”
“Recover?”
Cayen’s gaze darkened.
“Instead of wasting precious oxygen, how about we all just jump off the top of the magic tower? That should help with recovery.”
“Eek!”
“Tsk.”
Cayen clicked his tongue harshly.
“Everyone out.”
“D-Duke, we are really doing our best—”
“Didn’t you hear me say out? If your ears are clogged, should I pierce them for you?”
Cayen’s hand moved toward the sword at his waist.
No one could survive seeing that sword drawn—at least, that’s what everyone said. The wizards froze in terror at the sight.
“Ahhh!”
“Sorry! We’ll leave immediately!”
‘Idiots.’
Cayen watched the panicked wizards flee, then slumped heavily into his chair.
He pressed his temples.
Throb. Throb.
The pain felt like a hammer pounding on his skull.
Any ordinary person would have screamed and fainted from such agony.
‘It’s getting worse.’
Cayen clicked his tongue irritably and lit a cigarette.
Fwoosh.
As he exhaled, white smoke filled the air. His previously tense brows relaxed, and his long, sturdy legs stretched lazily over the chair.
If the attending physician saw him, they’d grab the back of their head in horror.
‘Please! Think of your health. Reduce your overwork! Balance work and rest!’
With assistants in such a state, harmony was a joke.
These kids had grown up being sheltered, memorizing only exam content, and couldn’t even serve themselves properly.
Yet the magic tower was packed with them.
“Maybe I should just blow it up?”
Aaron flinched at the muttered words. Seeing the twitching fingers, he turned pale.
“P-Please, Master, give us one more chance!”
“I was joking.”
‘Master, that doesn’t feel like a joke!’
Aaron’s silent scream was met with Cayen’s faint smile as he rose.
“Then, shall we go see what mess my little pets have made?”
“You’re going now? Shouldn’t you do some deep breathing or light meditation first…? N-no, never mind.”
Aaron exhaled silently, watching Cayen’s gaze.
‘If he sees the state of the archives… maybe one or two wizards won’t have heads by the end of the day.’
Adding corpse cleanup to today’s tasks was definitely out of the question.
Aaron silently prayed that the wizards had at least somewhat managed to organize things, and he followed Cayen briskly.
When they reached the archives, chaos reigned.
“Who allowed the records to be handled like this?!”
“Ah, no… the Duke will inspect soon…”
Several wizards were pointing fingers at a single woman in the middle.
She stood with her head bowed, clutching a pile of documents tightly. Aaron’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Miss Violet?”
At that voice, the wizards turned pale.
“G-G-Gh… Duke!”
“Hmmph.”
Cayen looked down at the panicking wizards with detached eyes.
The woman among them was someone he recognized.
Frisia Violet.
The newly hired secretary, finally brought on after a long time.
‘Her official first day is tomorrow… so why is she here?’
Observing the situation, she seemed to have taken action without orders, earning the wizards’ glare.
Whether the new recruit had messed up the data or not, the “pets” likely hadn’t handled anything properly. Cayen’s irritation was the same either way—but the wizards picking on the newcomer grated on him.
Misinterpreting Cayen’s silence, one wizard pointed at Frisia.
“Yesterday, we barely managed to restore 13% of the records, and now this new secretary has messed up the order!”
“What an absolute nuisance… Since the Duke is here, the new secretary should explain herself!”
The atmosphere naturally made Frisia the scapegoat.
Just as Aaron was about to intervene,
“I—I…”
Frisia lifted her head, trembling lips barely forming words.
“I’ve restored everything.”
