Chapter 33
The secretary had obtained the mage's handkerchief. Click-clack.Thud-thud. In the stillness of the late night, two sets of footsteps intertwined and echoed.
"Not teleporting after all...?" Arian glanced sideways at me slyly and said, as if checking to make sure I was still walking beside her. No matter what, I wasn't the type to say I'd see her home and then bolt. Do I really seem that unreliable? The thought made me scratch my head awkwardly.
"What, want me to teleport you home?"
"Oh, no. Sometimes you gotta walk, right?"
For someone saying that, she seemed to walk to and from work every day anyway... Whatever, just let it go. More importantly...
Is she feeling a bit better now?
Truth be told, the real reason I was walking her home was because she hadn't seemed herself earlier. If something was bothering her, I wanted to listen; if there was a problem, I wanted to help. Worries left unchecked just fester and turn into something worse. I'd learned that the hard way after dodging bad ending routes time and again.
And besides, Arian was precious to me, through and through. From my first day at the Magic Tower to now, as its master with her as my secretary—she'd been by my side, helping out nonstop. Sure, we bickered a lot, but that was just playful banter.
Put simply: someone important to me looked troubled. I couldn't just ignore that. I had to look after her.
"Arian."
"Yes?"
She turned to look at me, blinking. I'd noticed it before leaving the social hall, but damn, she had a pretty face. I quietly swallowed that thought and got to the point.
"You seemed off today. What was wrong?"
"Ah... It's nothing. Just... you know."
Arian gave an awkward smile and shifted her gaze to the sky. A round moon shone brightly overhead. Silence settled between us once more.
This is tricky. If she'd just open up, I could listen or fix it—but if she clammed up like this, there was nothing I could do. Of course, she probably had her reasons for not wanting to talk.
I thought we were close enough for this. Her walls made everything feel distant somehow.
And so we walked on in silence. Our footsteps in the quiet strangely synced up again, creating an oddly intimate mood. But it didn't last.
At some point, the rhythm of our steps fell out of sync. Not long after, Arian broke the silence.
"Actually... I was a little upset today."
Her words unclogged the tightness in my chest. Perfect timing—I'd been agonizing over how to broach it. No way was I letting this chance slip.
"Mind if I ask why?"
I chose my words carefully, softening my tone to make it easy for her to speak.
"Well, I put in some effort to dress up, you know? Not sure if you noticed, Tower Master."
"I did. Told you you looked pretty today."
"Right, you did. But then we get to the social hall, and boom—you're off with another woman. You leave her with me and vanish. Then you suddenly show up with the Saintess..."
Arian's voice was laced with sighs, underscoring just how hurt she felt. But I felt wronged too. It wasn't like I'd wanted it that way. I'd have loved to stick by my social hall partner, but circumstances left me no choice.
"No, that was—"
I started to explain, but she cut in.
"Yeah, I get it. Only you could handle it, and it was the right call. Everything worked out in the end. So I couldn't say a word. It was the right thing. I'm the one in the wrong."
"...Arian."
"But you know what hurt even more? The Hero was incredible, the Saintess was sparkling like a star. And then I looked at myself... I felt so pathetic and small for even trying to dress up."
Moisture crept into Arian's voice. Her eyes glistened, on the verge of tears. I couldn't say a thing—just listen quietly. It wasn't a problem words could fix anyway.
"You've been around people like that all this time, so what must you think of me? How inadequate must I seem? Once that hit me, all my excitement felt so stupid..."
In the end, tears spilled from Arian's eyes, trickling down her cheeks. Flustered, I hesitated before sighing and pulling a handkerchief from my pocket.
"Arian, gaining some perspective is good, but beating yourself up isn't. And above all, I don't think you're inadequate at all."
I handed her the handkerchief. She took it and dabbed at her eyes.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"It's fine. Everyone gets upset when things don't go as planned. Don't sweat it—just tell me next time something like this happens. I might not fix much, but I'm a damn good listener."
Arian nodded, her tears drying. Her makeup was smudged, face a mess, but it didn't make me laugh. If anything, it made her seem more pitiable, tugging at my heart.
With that, we resumed walking. The mood had sobered, but my mind felt at ease. Our out-of-sync steps realigned as we went. In the quiet night, only our footsteps softly echoed.
How much time passed? We stopped in front of a modest mansion—Arian's home.
"Arian, good work today."
"You too, Tower Master."
"Alright, I'm off. Get some real rest tonight. You can come in late tomorrow—or take the day if you're wiped."
It'd be tough without her, but we'd hired clerks; things would manage.
"I'll be in on time."
Didn't expect such a firm no. Well, if she insists.
"Suit yourself."
As I turned to leave after our goodbyes, she called out.
"Tower Master."
"Yeah?"
"...I'll wash the handkerchief and return it later."
She hesitated before speaking. I didn't catch the meaning behind it. By the time I'd fully turned and vanished from sight, a soft murmur escaped her lips.
"...I love you."
Of course, I'd never hear those words.
Sniiiif. Arian pressed my handkerchief to her nose and inhaled deeply. Her night was a long one.
How many days had passed since then? Rumors began circulating among the nobility. Duke Istar was a heretic, they said. The Hero, the mage, the Saintess, and Duchess Frigia had thwarted the heretics' plot.
I'd figured it'd spread eventually, but not this fast. Probably the nobles at the social hall bragging about surviving the heretics' scheme. Nobles always treat others' boasts like their own, so yeah.
And rumors like that reach the Emperor fastest of all.
"Tower Master, a letter from the palace."
Arian carefully placed the letter on the desk. Gold wax sealed with a sun emblem—definitely imperial.
What a pain.
No doubt it was summoning me to the palace to spill the full story. The catch? They'd probably pile on extra tasks. Compensation would likely be the now-leaderless Istar Duchy and its title. Not bad, actually. A Tower Master and Ester Lord's lands couldn't be inherited by family. I wouldn't hold the Tower Master seat forever anyway; a successor title was needed.
I fetched a letter opener from the drawer, slit the envelope, and slowly read the contents.
It was just as I'd expected. Wrapped in flowery noble phrasing, but boiled down: get to the palace and report everything.
"Gotta go again?"
"Yeah, His Majesty wants to see me."
"Shall I arrange a carriage?"
"Please. Teleporting to the palace feels off, even for me. Was gonna ride with you on the next one—sorry."
"No, I... the palace isn't exactly my favorite either."
Arian made no secret of her displeasure. Who among the nobility actually wanted to go? It was just a pile of hassles.
How much of a hassle? I'd find out soon enough.
But who could've known it'd be way worse than imagined?
At least, the current me had no clue.