Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Canteen Expansion (3)
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A few days had passed since Liv started working at the canteen.
The greatest benefit of hiring her was that I could indirectly experience the quality of life that only mages enjoyed.
How wonderful it was that the counters and shelves, which I used to sweep with a broom every day, could be cleaned spotless with a single spell.
Of course, it was a difficult spell that most people couldn't even dream of attempting with their skill level, but Liv handled it effortlessly.
And, whether it was a side effect or not, the number of customers at the canteen had skyrocketed.
Most of them were guys.
These damn bastards wouldn't show their faces when I was at the counter, but they'd swarm like clouds the moment Liv's shift started.
Some even got her schedule and waited in advance.
On the other hand, did any female students come when I was around?
—Give me some bread.
Don't even get me started.
Anyway, sales were up, so I paid even more attention to Liv than usual.
It was like understanding the feeling of a manager who hires a pretty part-timer at a PC bang.
In truth, even without the sales boost from Liv, I would have shown her some consideration anyway.
I wasn't unaware of her circumstances, after all.
Just small things.
Like telling her it was fine to study when there were no customers.
Or advancing her pay since she didn't have money on hand right away.
Since the hourly wage wasn't high, I extended her working hours as much as possible.
Doesn't that make me a really great employer?
At least I was confident I wouldn't hear any boomer complaints.
"Boss. I've finished sorting the inventory."
A soft, sweet voice calling me as I read the newspaper.
As I already knew, Liv wasn't the bubbly type like Adella at all.
She was more often expressionless or lost in thought than smiling, but it wasn't the cold indifference of a late-night convenience store clerk.
It was like slow swimming in the depths of the ocean.
Every action was deliberate, her resolve straight and true.
When I taught her something, her dark eyes would shine as she tried to learn as quickly as possible.
And whenever she didn't understand, she'd have the habit of putting her finger to her lips.
"Good work, Baroness Liv."
"The baroness part... Just call me Liv, Boss."
And yet, the shy expressions that occasionally broke through her ironclad demeanor—they suddenly set my heart ablaze.
If this woman had been Penheim's princess, I might not have regretted turning down that proposal back then.
"Come sit down. There won't be any customers for a while at this hour."
She bowed her head politely, took a book from her bag, and sat beside me.
So close that I could almost hear her breathing.
The pages rustled softly, but her posture never wavered.
Could a person really keep their back so straight?
I knew she was in the magic department, not knights, but even without a mount, she surely would have shone.
Pretending to read my newspaper, I glanced at the magic book she was reading.
Liv seemed to notice my gaze but didn't react much, since I occasionally showed interest in her books.
Instead, her nose twitched slightly.
She wasn't thinking I smelled or anything, was she?
I quietly shifted my chair to put some distance between us.
"Magidoran" was one way of viewing the world.
It was a saying from Terra Ernisten, whom all mages revered.
Now that she was working at the canteen, Liv felt like she somewhat understood its meaning.
A couple picking out quills at the entrance, a second-year turning toward the canteen at the smell of bread, warm sunlight streaming through the large glass windows.
Sitting at the canteen counter, a place she'd only come to buy things before, made the same space feel entirely different.
So this was how the Boss always saw the students.
She'd also learned a few more things about Louis.
First, contrary to what Karen had said, his head wasn't a mess of fur, and he didn't smell weird.
On the contrary, the way he kept the canteen spotless everywhere showed he was extremely tidy.
And it didn't seem like he had a lover outside the academy he contacted.
When she arrived early in the morning sometimes, he often came down from the second floor looking disheveled.
Another thing: he seemed to like books.
During chats while studying, he surprisingly had deep knowledge of history.
Especially about the Great War—he'd stubbornly insist his version was right even if it differed from the textbook.
But there was something else that truly shocked Liv.
"Boss. How do you read this?"
She asked Louis, who had been glancing at her, about the text in her book.
Ancient magic tomes were often a mix of runes and archaic language, making them hard to interpret.
There was even a required course from second year called "Magic Theory Essential Linguistics."
But Louis just glanced at the word she pointed to and answered casually.
"It means 'shine.' With the previous sentence, it's 'Shine from the tip of the living spear.' It's about the photon magic used by ancient spear mages."
He was like a walking dictionary.
Not even thinking before answering—he read the text right in front of him on sight.
Even Liv, who was usually indifferent to others, especially men, couldn't help asking how he knew.
"Who knows? It's auto-translate, so I've never really thought about it."
His response was utterly incomprehensible.
There were many things she wanted to ask, to learn, and even a few she wanted to share in return.
But Louis's behavior—deliberately keeping distance from her—made it hard for Liv to speak up.
Even now, after a few light questions, he suddenly remembered something and folded his newspaper to stand up.
"I'm here, sir~! Bread, please!"
And what he did wasn't any real work—it was just greeting a first-year who frequented the canteen.
Unlike with her, he was completely casual, pulling her hair or playing with the bread.
'What...'
It was a stark contrast to how he sat at the counter reading while she did the same.
Finally, trying to bow her head and focus on studying again, someone approached Liv.
It was the couple who'd been picking out quills to give each other earlier.
"Excuse me. How much is this?"
"Ah, 12 silver each."
"Then two, please."
"Got it. Take them as is?"
"Yes. Oh, wait..."
After handing over 24 silver, the two exchanged awkward looks.
What was it? As Liv wondered, the girl in the green cape leaned in close.
She glanced around, then whispered in her ear.
'Can you give us a box of condoms too?'
"...!!"
Liv's face flushed bright red in shock.
What should she do? Were there even such things at the canteen?
"Ah, uh... J-just a moment, please...!"
Liv looked for Louis. He was dangling bread on a stick above Adella's head.
She stepped out from the counter with stiff steps and opened the outer door.
Grabbing his clothes, she called him.
"B-B-Boss! Um, th-that..."
"Hm? What's up?"
"Th-there, uh, d-do you have... c-c... inside..."
"Pardon? What?"
Her face burned with embarrassment, but she had to ask him.
Her trembling finger pointed to the couple waiting at the counter.
Standing on tiptoe, she whispered in his ear very softly.
'Do we sell... contraceptives...?'
"Ah."
Louis nodded at her words.
"Of course we do."
Historically, nobles' sex lives had never been chaste.
That law seemed to hold even in this world.
The academy was a gathering place for fresh-faced young adults right before or just after debuting in high society.
Even without family-arranged marriages, casual flings and breakups were common.
"This way."
I led Liv to a secluded corner inside the canteen.
There was a door that required a key to open.
I kindly explained to her, who still couldn't shake her embarrassment.
"Not many people ask for adult products here, so I forgot about it. They usually get them secretly from family servants or buy in Pharenchia city."
"..."
"Baroness?"
"Y-yes..."
She just hung her head, fidgeting—it seemed like a big shock.
Sure, when I first opened the canteen and students asked for condoms or lube, I lamented how bold kids these days were.
But now it was pretty routine.
They usually whispered at the counter late at night or when no one was around, and after three years, I'd get a rough idea of their sex lives.
At least in my memory, Baroness Liv had never asked for any herself, so her reaction wasn't incomprehensible.
"Let me see..."
Click!
The door opened, revealing a bunch of sex toys inside.
Mostly unsold stock from Kano's workshop.
"I arranged them from best-sellers near the entrance, so use that as a guide. Condoms are on this shelf... How many did they want?"
"Ah, uh, um..."
"Baroness?"
"O-one!"
We didn't sell them singly?
Liv, her ebony hair tips flushed red to the roots, covered her face with both hands.
At this rate, would she even get married? But meddling in others' sex lives wasn't my place.
Just in case, I grabbed a box and casually asked her too.
Pure intentions only.
"Need a box yourself, Baroness?"
"I-I don't use that stuff!!"
Wow.
That's bold.
Liv realized her slip and paled even to her lips.
"Ah, aa...! I didn't mean it like that..."
"Hey, it happens. My lips are sealed."
"No! That's not what I meant!!"
This was fun.
Teasing the usually stoic her was surprisingly entertaining.
In the end, her legs gave out, and she half-leaned on me as we went back out.
Adella saw it all from outside the canteen.