Archmage, Adelheit von Baserloze

North of the imperial capital. The magic tower, a nest for mages ground down day after day like imperial bureaucrats. A place where only groans from excessive workloads could be heard.

"'If you stopped the Ark Gallery for 36 hours, shouldn't you give us something? Is the Moderator all talk?' says..."

But today, a different scene was unfolding than usual.

"Alright. Then let's check the post before that. Read the title."

"Y-yes, understood. The previous post title is..."

A middle-aged man was trembling before a woman who looked much younger than him.

The woman's name was Adelheit von Baserloze, handle BooksAreEdibleToo. At 152 years old, she was the great Archmage in charge of the magic tower.

"Read it quickly! At the speed you were crapping out trash posts every ten minutes!"

"Y-yes..! The previous post title is 'Is the Magic Tower Welfare For Real? Even a Farmer's Stray Dog Lives Better Than This'..."

"Hoo... If you make me raise my voice one more time, you won't leave here with all your limbs intact. Got it?"

Was it because of the Archmage's bellow? The middle-aged mage, thoroughly cowed, could only nod frantically without opening his mouth.

"Fine. And the one before that... Hah, never mind. They're all similar anyway, so we'll stop here."

The sudden end to the questioning. The man felt relief in his heart, but the reprimand wasn't over yet.

"Now, let's hear why you wrote these posts. What's the reason?"

The Archmage's pressure to explain the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reason. He realized that this was worse than just moments ago, but there was no escaping this situation.

"I even used my own salary for you all. The nation is struggling, so pay is low—I did my absolute best to compensate for that a little. You knew that, didn't you?"

The famine that had lasted 50 years. The resulting financial deterioration. In a situation where no one could live satisfactorily, Adelheit had done her utmost to ensure the mages could live a little better.

By providing welfare like one meal a day, guaranteed rest time, improved lodging, and so on.

"..."

Did he have nothing to say? The man kept his mouth shut, head bowed low.

Seeing that, Adelheit continued with a bitter tone.

"Caspar. I've never regretted taking you in as a child when your family fell. It was tough, but still."

The man flinched at Adelheit's words. A child from a family ruined during Valerian's bloody purge. One of the many children she'd taken in despite the criticism.

So she'd thought such complaints were just childish grumbling toward their parents.

Because they were children she'd saved herself, she believed they were family.

But this incident showed it wasn't mere grumbling. He'd criticized the one bestowing favors upon the entire continent for meager rewards.

Was it her failure in education? Or, as Duke Adrian had said, could bloodlines not be deceived?

That even if raised with love, they'd one day turn the blade on you. She hadn't been able to accept those words back then, but now she felt strong doubt.

The behavior of a beast ungrateful for kindness. A child mimicking the parents purged long ago.

In this situation where she had no idea how to educate him, Adelheit sighed.

"Hoo... But today, I do regret it. Tell me the reason, Caspar."

Were her words that shocking? The man lifted his bowed head and looked at Adelheit.

His trembling had stopped, eyes wide. Her heart ached at the sight, but she had no intention of letting it slide.

Perhaps sensing her resolve, Caspar took a deep breath and continued.

"...I felt wronged. Even doing my best, my life wasn't improving."

"Not improving? What exactly do you mean?"

After saving a child on the brink of death, she'd guided him to the path of a mage. She'd stripped away his family's name, tainted by dirty deeds, and given him a new life.

So what was lacking? Adelheit waited for Caspar's words, unable to comprehend.

"As a child, I lacked for nothing. I know it was abundance built on someone's blood. But I miss those days."

"Hah... You know that, yet why..?"

"I could have anything I wanted, eat whatever I craved, beckon people with a gesture to live comfortably. My standard for life has always been those days."

Once the words started flowing, his inner thoughts poured out endlessly. The fallen noble's pent-up feelings exploded before the very benefactor who had saved him.

"So you wrote complaint posts because you missed those days that much?"

"Yes. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It reminded me of my old self. Seeing them enjoy everything at the center of power without a care—it made me envious. I've lost everything and live like this, while they seem happy, so I felt wronged. That's why I wrote ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them."

Caspar's claim that he'd written the criticisms out of envy and resentment. It wasn't justified anger, but she could understand, so Adelheit gathered her thoughts before speaking.

"I see. I understand your feelings. But you know that anger isn't justified, right?"

Did he have nothing to say? Caspar just stared at Adelheit without responding.

Sighing at the sight, Adelheit continued.

"Let's write an apology post together tomorrow. You've had a hard day too, so go rest. I'll come down in the morning—be ready."

He bowed. As soon as Adelheit finished speaking, Caspar greeted her and left the room silently.

Anyone could see he wasn't reflecting. It was very poor behavior, so Adelheit resolved to properly educate him tomorrow.

Since he was a child she'd taken in, she felt the responsibility lay with her.

Adelheit organized tomorrow's tasks in her mind, then turned her gaze to the Ark Gallery screen.

Thanks to the Moderator's ban barrage? The ungrateful posts from the gallery users were gone, replaced by ones similar to her own.

"Yes. This is right. A bit excessive, but..."

The gallery, seemingly gripped by fear. Not ideal, but it would gradually return to normal over time.

Thinking so, Adelheit continued her usual gallery browsing. You never knew when useful info might pop up.

"What is this..."

The Moderator suddenly messaging out of nowhere to offer repayment. An abrupt contact and sudden reward?

Adelheit was flustered by this unfamiliar chat style.

But 152 years weren't achieved by style alone—the gift from the ark's creator would surely be a huge help.

Regaining her composure in an instant, Adelheit recalled her stalled research and continued the conversation.

The claim that he had the results of her ongoing research. And the Moderator was even offering to provide it.

It must have been the fruit of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠arduous research, right? Adelheit couldn't understand the Moderator handing over his achievements so lightly.

"H-he's just giving it away?"

Unable to follow the conversation at all. As if not giving her time to process, a gallery alert soon rang.

The gallery screen sparkling before her eyes. The message that an item had arrived.

Feeling an inexplicable awe, Adelheit pressed YES.

The item the Moderator had provided so casually. That item was gift enough to turn the great Archmage into one of his followers.