Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: The Incompetent Minister Wants to Retire
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"Was that an instance of unnecessary meddling on my part, perhaps?"
"Ah, no! Absolutely not the case! P-Please, continue!"
In response to Celine's frantic words, the Minister silently pried open the lid of the lunchbox and expertly scooped up a portion of food with a fork, bringing it gently to her lips.
As she parted her lips and accepted the offering, Celine felt a surge of supreme, unadulterated happiness wash over her entire being.
'The Minister is actually feeding me with his own hands...!'
The day she had previously thought was cursed with nothing but wretched bad luck was instantly transformed into the absolute best day of her life—one she would never forget.
She even found herself feeling a strange sense of gratitude toward her own injured hand.
But the cascade of happiness did not conclude there.
"What would you like to eat next?"
"Th-the sausage, please..."
The fork continued its rhythmic task, delivering food to her mouth without a moment's pause.
Celine's heart felt as though it might actually burst at the sight of the Minister carefully cupping his other hand beneath her chin to catch any potential spills.
She fervently wished this fleeting moment could endure for all eternity, but the supply of food was finite, and the container soon ran dry.
'Ugh. If I had only known this would happen, I would have packed a far greater quantity.'
Though she smacked her lips in a fit of lingering regret, Celine was purely delighted at having experienced something deemed impossible under normal circumstances. Watching her reaction, the Minister opened his own lunchbox and spoke firmly.
"You should head back home for the remainder of today."
"Pardon me? Ah, no. You truly do not have to go to such lengths for my sake..."
"With both of your hands in that condition, you couldn't possibly work with proper efficiency anyway. Go home and rest in quietude."
Deeply moved by the Minister's impossibly kind and considerate words, Celine simultaneously felt a sudden, sharp twinge of puzzlement.
'Huh, did he say both hands?'
She looked down tentatively at her own two hands.
Gleaming black gloves covered each one entirely.
Only in that singular moment did the full realization strike her.
Even though her left hand was perfectly functional and fine for eating, the Minister had chosen to feed her himself anyway.
The realization, however, did not linger long in her mind.
"...Then, as you command, I shall head out for the day."
Until the moment she stepped out of the Minister's office, she had to deliver the performance of her life, emphatically acting as though both of her hands were in agonizing pain.
After Celine had departed and I finished my own meal, I sat there in a silent daze when Christina suddenly flung the door open and strode inside. I snapped my gaze back to its normal focus.
I was on the verge of telling her to at least attempt a knock next time, but I held my tongue. Given her monstrous strength, the door might not actually survive another such encounter.
"What is the meaning of this intrusion?"
"......"
Having barged in entirely uninvited, Christina just stood there in absolute silence, staring at me with an intense gaze.
Several long minutes passed by in that awkward and heavy state.
I don't know the reason why, but it was starting to get genuinely creepy, so I found myself wishing she would just cut it out.
Then, Christina's mouth finally opened to speak.
"I saw everything that happened."
"And what exactly did you see?"
"I saw you feeding Celine."
How on earth did she even manage to witness that private moment?
And more importantly, from what vantage point? Was she peeking through a crack in the door the whole time?
"So what if I did?"
"...... Balked again."
She lapsed into a brooding silence once more.
Worried that she might be genuinely mad at me, I cautiously gauged her facial expression—only to see her eyes gradually beginning to redden.
What is this? Is she about to awaken some terrifying new power in her grief?
"......You always show such blatant favor toward Celine."
Wait a second, is she actually on the verge of crying?
All I had done was feed a subordinate who had apparently hurt her hands while diligently packing my own lunch.
Is that truly a valid reason to burst into tears?
"Waaahhh!"
She's actually crying now.
She is bawling her eyes out with abandon.
This is the girl who is famous for being able to tear a grown man apart with her bare hands.
She wept so pitifully and loudly that it actually began to tug at my own heartstrings.
"Christina, listen to me."
"Waaahhh!"
Simply calling out her name only seemed to make her wail with even greater volume.
What the hell is going on in this office today?
I had no idea why I felt so flustered watching a subordinate sob through my precious lunch time, but I knew I couldn't just leave the situation like this.
Sensing the area outside growing noisy from the sound of her cries, I... well, now what am I supposed to do?
Should I start crying along with her?
"Waaahhh! Why won't you even hug me while I'm crying like this!"
Hug her? Was that really all it took to fix this?
That seems easy enough to manage.
I stood up, pulled her firmly into my arms, and held her close to me.
I could immediately feel my chest growing damp with the combined flow of her tears and snot.
Honestly, it was a little bit gross.
"Wuuh..."
I don't fully comprehend the underlying mechanics of it, but it seemed to work—Christina's violent sobs gradually began to subside.
Sniffling loudly, her face streaked with tears and her snot soaking through my shirt, she looked up at me with puffy, red eyes.
"......You used to hug me right away whenever I cried in the past."
"That is ancient history now."
Please do not bring those times up. Just the mere thought of those memories tires me out completely.
"Minister."
"What is it now?"
"You don't truly only favor Celine, right?"
"No, I do not."
"If it isn't favoritism, then why exactly did you feed her?"
"She had sustained injuries to her hands."
After hearing my logical explanation, Christina pondered for a silent moment before posing a question of her own.
"If my own arm gets cut off, will you feed me too?"
"Not if you were the one who did it on purpose."
"Tch."
Did you just "Tch" at me? You are truly a crazy kid.
"We are finished here. Get out."
I desperately need to change my clothes. It is a good thing I keep a supply of spare shirts in the office.
"Can we not stay like this just a little while longer?"
"Absolutely not."
"What if I start crying again?"
"Do whatever you feel you must do."
"You are so incredibly cold, Minister."
Suddenly recalling something, Christina tentatively and cautiously broached a new topic.
"Um. I've wanted to ask this for a while... Is the reason you are so cold to all of us because of that...?"
I shifted my gaze back to its normal state and looked at Christina "straight on" with full focus.
"S-Sorry for asking..."
"It is fine. I am not angry at you."
It's just that there are certain things in this world that even I do not wish to talk about.
Things that cause me pain just to remember them.
"You have an afternoon mission, correct? Be careful out there."
"Yeah, I will!"
As I saw Christina off from the office with a much brighter face, I suddenly realized that my lunch time was officially over.
I reset my gaze once again, and with Celine finally gone, I sat back down to zone out for the first time in ages.
Sensing that the atmosphere in the Magic Tower was significantly noisier than usual, Angela grabbed one of her researchers to inquire.
"What has everyone acting like a pack of dogs in heat today? Did something significant happen?"
"Huh? You truly didn't know, Section Chief Barrmut?"
"Know exactly what?"
"The Great Sage! The word is that the Great Sage himself is coming here today!"
The Great Sage, Gideon Arbor.
He was a living legend of this current era, a figure that was impossible for any mage to not know of.
Possessing a severe case of wanderlust, he roamed the world without ever having a fixed home, making even a fleeting glimpse of him a rare occurrence. But he had crossed the borders into the empire specifically to visit his old friend, the Magic Tower Lord.
That explained the festive, excited atmosphere, but Angela's own reaction was one of pure indifference.
"What, is that really all it is?"
"Wh-what do you mean 'is that all it is'! It is the Great Sage we are talking about, Chief!"
"He is still just an old wizard in the end."
"The young lady is quite right. A title like 'Great Sage' is far too grandiose for someone like this one."
The very moment a voice that belonged to neither her nor the researcher spoke, Angela shoved the researcher aside, spun around, and erected a powerful ice barrier.
It was an incredible display of reaction speed, yet inwardly she was utterly stunned.
'He managed to get behind me that easily? Behind me?'
The real shock, however, came next.
The ice she had conjured at her full power was currently being devoured by massive, roaring flames.
Seeing this, Angela instantly summoned magic circles in both of her hands, entering a full combat-ready mode. The suddenly appearing old man scratched his cheek awkwardly and addressed her.
"Ahem. My apologies for that. I didn't mean to startle you so badly—please forgive me."
Seeing the flames die down into nothing in an instant, Angela dropped her combat stance, eyed the old man carefully, then bowed deeply with profound respect.
"I greet the Great Sage. Please forgive this insolent junior's rude words with your boundless and legendary magnanimity."
It had only been a brief, instant clash, but that was more than enough for her.
Angela had absolutely no choice but to acknowledge the power of the old man standing before her.
His magical power, his combat experience, his technique, and his mana control—none of it fell short of her own high standards.
"Ho ho, what a promising and talented young lady. At your young age, with that level of skill, it is rare to so readily concede to an opponent."
"You flatter me too much."
The Great Sage chuckled with amusement at Angela's humble reply, gently stroking his long goatee.
"When Fletcher mentioned he had been crushed head-on, I wondered what kind of girl you were. You are far beyond my expectations."
"Thank you for those kind words. Then, may I ask one thing that has been weighing on my mind?"
"Ah, so we have arrived at the main point."
With a playful and knowing smile, the Great Sage nodded, and Angela fired off her question without a moment's hesitation.
"Just now, I sensed neither your physical presence nor the weight of your gaze. No assassin, no matter how skilled, should be able to do that. Please teach me how such a thing is possible."
In response to the junior mage's earnest and desperate plea, the venerable senior simply pointed upward with a single finger.
"......Did you cast some kind of invisibility spell on the ceiling?"
"No, it was nothing like that. Let me think... where should I begin. Have you ever heard of the concept called 'Sky's Eye,' young lady?"
Angela shook her head slowly.
"Is that the name of the specific technique you just used?"
"It is not quite a technique. The fundamental basis of Sky's Eye is overview—a third-person view of yourself and everything around you, much like a bird's perspective. Anyone can manage that much if they try."
As Angela frowned with skepticism, the Great Sage continued his patient and detailed explanation.
"Sky's Eye simply maximizes that overview. Starting from basic senses like sight and hearing, it builds a complete mental world from all incoming information, as if viewing the scene from the heavens."
In other words, it was a pure product of directed imagination.
"You can actually hide your presence and gaze with mere imagination alone?"
"Haha, loath as I am to say it, it is a functional impossibility for most people."
Chuckling heartily, the Great Sage clarified that it wasn't entirely impossible for everyone.
"If your way of seeing things differs fundamentally, what you directly see might remain unseen—and conversely, you can see without direct sight."
The visible yet unseen.
The unseen yet visible.
"Do you always view the world through that specific perspective, Great Sage?"
"Something along those lines. Immodest as it sounds, a lifetime of training lets me cover an entire capital with my field of view."
She couldn't fully grasp the depth of it yet, but Angela dimly sensed the feeling and expressed genuine admiration.
"To devise such a revolutionary concept yourself—it is truly impressive."
"Hm? No, no. Sky's Eye is not my own creation."
Seeing him wave off the credit, Angela tilted her head in confusion.
"Pardon? Then who was the creator...?"
"It originated from a certain clan's way of viewing the world, a clan now lost to history. I learned it from them a very long time ago."
Apologizing that he couldn't elaborate further on the details, the Great Sage shifted gears, mentioning a request of his own.
"If it is possible, could you arrange a private meeting with your brother, the Minister?"
Before I could clock out for the day, a subordinate informed me that Angela had brought someone looking for me.
The day I had been waiting for had finally come.
After checking my outfit and hair in the mirror for perfect preparation, I stepped out—only to be completely dumbfounded.
Sis, I will respect all your personal tastes, but come on, he is way too old for you!
"Uweeghhh!"
And he literally puked the second he saw my face!
What the hell is wrong with this grandpa!?