Chapter 191
Chapter 191
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: First Day at Work (2)
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"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the Elemental School Tower?"
Oliver finished speaking and mentally checked if he'd done it naturally enough.
His gaze, gestures, tone—everything seemed fine.
It flowed just as smoothly as when he'd practiced with Coco and the rest of the orphanage crew.
Being in official, above-board society made him tense up without realizing it.
The woman with silver curls and thick glasses didn't answer right away. Instead, she eyed him with a flicker of curiosity and suspicion.
It wasn't unpleasant. He was just grateful she'd even engaged.
Besides, he'd been sizing her up too, so it evened out.
'She looks exhausted, but her clothes are wrinkle-free, and her emotions are steady... Feels like the elites I saw in Randa's administrative district.'
Once they'd both finished their observations, she spoke up.
"...Why the Elemental School?"
She asked with a hint of wariness and doubt. Had he slipped up somehow?
"I'm starting work there today."
Oliver pulled his wallet from his pocket and flashed the mage tower employee ID Merlin had given him.
It featured his current leather-masked appearance, along with his employee number and second alias: Xenon Bright.
The first name was Merlin's invention; the surname a slight tweak on Dave's alias. He'd considered just using Dave's outright, but better safe than sorry.
"...A personal employee hired by a professor, huh."
"Yes."
"Which professor? I don't think I've seen you around."
"Professor Kevin Dunbar of the Elemental School."
The woman stared at Oliver's face for a moment, then pointed off in one direction.
It was a cluster of towers linked into one structure—like interlocking gears, systematic yet uniquely designed.
"Right there. Head to the main entrance, and you'll find a building directory to guide you."
"Ah, thank you. Have a good day."
"You too."
Oliver exchanged farewells with the helpful woman and parted ways.
For someone brimming with vast, pure mana, she was surprisingly kind.
"Not late, I see."
Elemental School Tower. Inside the professor's lab.
Kevin Dunbar, hair neatly tied back, checked his watch as he spoke.
He'd always seemed airtight before, but now he was even more so. His suit fit like armor.
"I'll come even earlier from now on."
"No need. That's inefficient. As long as you're not late."
"Understood."
Oliver replied politely.
Merlin had gotten him into the tower, but Kevin was the one taking the risks. So Oliver planned to follow his instructions to the letter while enjoying the perks.
Just getting in here was more consideration than he'd expected.
"Speaking of, you made it on time somehow. Figured you'd be late."
"I almost was, actually. The tower's bigger and more sprawling than I thought—I got lost."
"Yeah, it's map-worthy."
"Is there a map?"
Oliver tilted his head. A map sounded handy, and for a place this size, not surprising.
But why hadn't Merlin given him one?
"Here."
Kevin handed over a map from his desk, detailing the tower's interior layout and buildings.
"Did the old man forget to give it to you?"
"More like he withheld it on purpose. He loves putting his disciples in tricky spots—says it builds caution and quick thinking."
Kevin said it without conviction, but Oliver just nodded like it made sense.
"So who told you this was the Elemental School Tower? The folks here are prickly; they don't usually help strangers."
He was right. The first few people had ignored him completely.
"A woman helped me at the last second."
"Lucky... Brought your quarterstaff?"
Kevin scanned Oliver as he asked.
Oliver shook his head, then pulled a small wooden stick from his pocket.
A quarterstaff shrunken with magic.
A spell he'd picked up from Merlin on the fly. He'd considered stashing it in his magic bag, but kept it handy for emergencies.
"Here it is. You said not to make it obvious."
Kevin read the mana formula around the stick.
"Shrink spell... A hassle to carry."
True enough. It wasn't a one-and-done; he had to keep feeding it mana to maintain.
So Oliver regularly extracted mana into his body or sipped replenishing potions.
"Feels better having it close."
"Fair enough. No enchantments or black magic on it, from what I can tell."
"Even so, it puts my mind at ease."
"...Whatever. Not my business. You know your role?"
"Yes, from the old man. I'm a mage tower employee hired by your noble grace—assisting with your work and providing labor when the tower requests it."
"Close enough. Take these."
Kevin handed over a few booklets. Oliver skimmed the titles.
[Mage Tower Code of Conduct]
[Duties and Benefits of Personal Professor Employees]
[Facility Usage Rules and Methods]
The stiff lettering on the covers hinted at the strictness within.
"Memorize them ASAP. The tower's insular, and the code can be harsh depending. If you break it and get in trouble, I won't help."
In other words, behave. Oliver nodded.
"I'll commit them to memory right away."
"Good. Now go clean the origin room across from the lab. Hasn't been touched in a while—you'll be at it all day."
"Understood. Anything else you'd like to say?"
"What?"
"I'm your employee now, after all. Any advice or requests? I want to do my best."
"...Don't be late, and don't get clever."
"Got it. Anything beyond that?"
"Nope. Don't know you well enough for more."
"Ah... Understood. I'll head out then."
As Oliver bowed and turned to leave, Kevin stopped him.
"Hold on."
"Yes?"
Kevin gathered mana in one hand, inscribed a formula, compressed it, and snapped his fingers.
Snap! The mana dispersed evenly, sealing the lab walls against sound leaks.
No incantation, lightning-fast cast, seamless activation—like breathing.
"One personal question."
"Of course. I'll answer if I can."
"Someone your skill level gets offers everywhere. Why stick to solo fixer work? Seems inefficient to me."
He skirted the core, scratching nearby instead. Oliver sensed caution—Kevin was on guard.
He was hiding it with mana, but not as well as Merlin; Oliver could peek through.
"Hm... There were offers, but I turned them down."
"Why? Joining an organization beats fixer life—more stable, less risky subcontracts."
True on paper. Fixer gigs looked glamorous but were inconsistent and dangerous at heart. Organizations won out, generally speaking.
"Organizations might force me into jobs I hate."
"Like what?"
"You know, kidnapping kids or civilians for handover. I could do it, but... it's not right, is it?"
Oliver thought of the puppeteer's glyph. The first black mage he'd met, crashing with Kent's beggar gang after leaving his world.
He wondered briefly what if he'd accepted that offer and joined the Black Hand.
'I'd have learned a ton about demons... Kinda regrettable?'
"But you're with the tower now. And the old man's your master."
"Ah, that's an exception. We signed a contract—mutual termination if it doesn't work. This tower gig's an extension, so no big issue."
Kevin flashed a hint of surprise. Had he said something wrong?
"I see..."
"Yes... Did I mess up?"
"Nah, no mistake. ...Oh, right. One warning."
"Yes?"
"I'm still new here, so no issues yet. But soon, people will come sniffing around, picking fights, harassing you. Don't cause trouble—just endure quietly."
"Understood... Why, though?"
"Because you're my employee."
Pocketing Kevin's cryptic words, Oliver entered the staff room as instructed.
Dust piles you could kick around, trash, deliberate stains everywhere. Filthy, as promised.
But that was by normal standards.
To Oliver, whose baseline was orphanage and mine life, it was just mildly messy.
He started with the cleaning tools from Kevin, but felt they lacked, so he pulled better ones from his magic bag.
Bought for corpse doll crafting and material cleanup, their quality was proven.
"Now it's starting to look clean."
Oliver muttered as he tidied with his own gear.
Done with cleaning, he skimmed the map, code, duties manual, and facility rules—prioritizing key points.
Snapping out of it, it was already quitting time.
He checked the lab, but Kevin hadn't returned; it was empty.
He'd said to leave if no-show by end of day, but still...
Class observations, library access, even (by Oliver's standards) a huge office and legit pay. Could it really be this easy?
Nothing to do about it, and begging for work would be weird.
"Something'll come up if I stick around."
With that, he prepped to head out.
Then he sensed footsteps approaching.
Kevin's lab was at the tower's far end—not a spot for passersby. This person had business here.
A woman appeared in the hall. Familiar face.
The silver-haired one who'd given directions.
She adjusted her thick glasses and spoke.
"Hello. I came to ask what classes Professor Kevin Dunbar is teaching this semester."