Chapter 1 Part 4: People Are The Enemy

“What would you like to eat?”

“Ah, I…”

I wanted to eat bread with butter at home.

Alone.

But I wasn’t an honest person.

I picked a suitable menu item.

“I’ll have the bacon fried rice.”

Ms. Hilipa closed the menu.

“I’ll have the same.”

The girl nodded and went into the kitchen.

Good.

I hadn’t sighed in relief yet.

Ms. Hilipa was staring intently at me.

What was I supposed to do in a situation like this?

Avoiding her gaze outright would be rude.

Stiffly holding my head up and meeting her eyes was also rude.

It was suffocatingly awkward.

I was just gulping down cold water when,

“It’s burdensome, isn’t it.”

My heart sank.

Ms. Hilipa poured another glass of water into my cup and continued.

“Lady Enencia, I mean.”

Ah, I thought she was asking if this situation was burdensome.

What a relief, I thought she had read my mind.

I quickly composed my voice.

“No, it’s fine.”

“You can speak honestly in front of me.”

No, I don’t think that would be fine.

It was a question from the Archmage’s own assistant, of all people.

Was this some kind of test?

Wait, a test?

My eyes widened.

“She used to call you to her room often, even before.

It would be good if you were more aware of your own position.”

Right, this might be a question asked deliberately to gauge my loyalty to Lady Enencia.

From Ms. Hilipa’s perspective, I must seem suspicious.

To hate the Magic Tower with a passion, only to return after two years.

Especially since I’m from the Neond Empire, famous for coveting the Magic Tower.

Even I looked like a spy to myself, so how must others feel?

What should I do in a situation like this?

Should I emphasize that I got re-employed not because royalty ordered it, but because I had no money?

After pondering, I opened my mouth.

“Still, I was really glad Lady Enencia called me back.

While I was studying, there were so many unexpected expenses.”

“You only studied during that time?”

I recalled my expenses from that period.

When you can’t remember what you did, just think about what you spent money on.

These days, everything costs money.

I counted on my fingers one by one.

“I moved out of my parents’ house, set up a new lab.

And I traveled to other countries from time to time to source materials.”

“Was it enjoyable?”

Without hesitation, I nodded.

It was the happiest time of my life.

I finally understood why people wanted to just do what they loved and coast through life.

The corner of Ms. Hilipa’s mouth lifted.

“You’ve brightened up, it’s good to see.

Before, you looked more like a corpse than a person.”

…That wasn’t a laugh just now, was it?

Ms. Hilipa smiling at me, of all people, not Lady Enencia?

Impossible.

And she said I looked more like a corpse than a person?

That was a bit shocking.

Ms. Hilipa continued.

“I’m just as glad as Lady Enencia that you’ve returned.”

Before I could even process it, a second shock hit.

Surprisingly, Ms. Hilipa didn’t think I was a spy at all.

Rather, she thought well of me.

Ms. Hilipa and I never had any particular interactions, so why?

Countless questions arose, but I couldn’t just stand there blankly without saying anything.

I composed my voice again.

“I didn’t expect you to think that way.

Actually, I was worried sick.

That people wouldn’t welcome me back.”

Ms. Hilipa immediately waved her hand.

“You don’t need to worry about that.

Everyone is happy to see you, even if they don’t show it.”

I was sorry, but I didn’t find that very credible.

Just look at Aslan, he looked ready to kill me.

And there were definitely people who suspected I was a spy.

Just wait, today was the first day so they let it slide, but in a few days, someone would definitely accuse me of being a spy.

Just thinking about it made my feelings complicated.

Then Ms. Hilipa bowed her head.

“I’ll thank you once more.”

…What was up with this person?

This wasn’t like Ms. Hilipa at all.

Startled, I waved my hands, but Ms. Hilipa didn’t move.

“It must have been a difficult decision, so thank you for coming back.”

Anyone would misunderstand this situation perfectly.

Please raise your head quickly…!

Panicking, I started babbling randomly.

“You don’t have to go this far!

I’m the one who should be thanking you.

For assigning me an easy task.”

“Pardon?”

Ms. Hilipa suddenly snapped her head up.

Ah, what a relief.

She raised her head before anyone else saw.

Relieved, I continued.

“Actually, I feel sorry.

The salary is too high for the work I’ll be doing.”

“…”

“Ah, but just because it’s an easy task, I won’t take it lightly.

I’ll do my best, so please don’t worry.

I won’t let my guard down for a single moment…!”

An incomprehensible silence began to flow.

Ms. Hilipa stared at me with her mouth tightly shut.

What was this?

Had I unconsciously made a mistake?

The current atmosphere was exactly like when I messed up.

I cautiously called out to her.

“Um, Ms. Hilipa?”

Her face, which had been softly relaxed, froze coldly.

Honestly, I found this side of her more comfortable, but why the sudden change?

I couldn’t figure out the reason at all and was confused.

Ms. Hilipa pushed up her glasses and spoke.

“Excuse me, but Alice.”

“Yes.”

I straightened my posture and answered sharply.

Ms. Hilipa clenched her fist and continued with difficulty.

“May I ask what Lady Enencia said when she suggested you return to the Magic Tower?”

I traced back my memory.

At that time, Lady Enencia definitely said…

“She said there’s a rare animal she brought for research purposes.

That she needs someone to care for and observe it.”

Ms. Hilipa’s face crumpled in dismay.

My voice also shrank involuntarily.

“She said she’d like to do it herself, but doesn’t have the time…

Why?

What’s wrong?”

Ms. Hilipa grabbed her head and muttered darkly.

“Ha, that person, really…”

“Ms. Hilipa?”

A sinister premonition washed over me.

Surely Lady Enencia hadn’t deceived me?

I didn’t think the administrator of the Magic Tower, of all people, would lie.

I pushed back my chair and stood up.

“Why are you so agitated?

Please tell me the reason.

Did Lady Enencia lie?”

Ms. Hilipa shook her head.

“No.

She didn’t lie.

Lady Enencia only ever speaks the truth.”

“Then why are you reacting like this?”

“Think about it.

Has Lady Enencia ever spoken from anyone’s perspective but her own?”

Without hesitation, I shook my head.

“Of course not.

Lady Enencia is someone who can’t even consider another person’s point of view…”

Uh.

My words cut off abruptly.

It felt like a stone had dropped on my head.

Ms. Hilipa placed her hand on my shoulder.

“You know, don’t you.”

I wished someone would tell me this was a dream.

Why hadn’t I realized that fact sooner?

Why hadn’t I considered that the other party was the Archmage, Lady Enencia, the one born with the most vast magical power in history?

I had heard it somewhere before.

Definitely…

Before my thoughts could even finish, Ms. Hilipa delivered the death sentence.

“That even the mighty dragon behaves meekly before Lady Enencia.”

I needed to go ask if I could quit again.

Taking off the robe Lady Enencia had personally draped over me earlier, I ran out of the restaurant.

Enencia.

A woman born with barely a name, without parents or a family.

Abandoned in the slums at birth, she received only contempt and scorn from people.

No one ever reached out a hand to her, no one ever offered her warmth.

Anyone else might have resented the world, but Lady Enencia did not.

Instead, she grew up to be more beautiful and noble than anyone, as if to spite them.

After ascending to the position of Archmage, Lady Enencia was often compared to a lotus blooming from the mud.

They said she had miraculously bloomed so beautifully without being tainted by the filth.

But that person, that person noble enough to be compared to a lotus,

“Lady Enencia?

Lady Enencia?!”

Had played me for a fool.

I pounded on the door, calling her name desperately.

But no answer came.

Why wasn’t she answering?

She was definitely here earlier.

Half-sobbing, I kept knocking, and Ms. Hilipa, who had followed me belatedly, opened the door.

“Lady Enencia!”

I practically rolled into the room.

It was incredibly rude, but I was in no state to mind my manners.

My stomach health was at stake here.

But again, there was no answer.

My eyes quickly scanned the room.

An empty bed, an empty chair, an empty bathroom.

Lady Enencia was nowhere to be found.

Dismayed, I slumped powerlessly to the floor.

Ms. Hilipa calmly felt the sheets.

“There’s no warmth left.

It seems she’s been gone for a while.”

Ah, Ms. Hilipa clapped her hands lightly.

“Come to think of it, she mentioned this morning that she might have to go out suddenly.”

“Suddenly go out…?”

“Some king kept persistently sending letters asking for a consultation.

It seems she’s probably gone to meet him.”

“So I can’t see her today…?”

Ms. Hilipa nodded.

Aaaargh, another scream tore from my throat.

I shouldn’t have come back.

I must have momentarily lost my mind.

No matter how much I needed money, this wasn’t right.

I should have just become a professor at Merwick’s Academy.

The working conditions were terrible, the salary low, and I’d get insulted left and right by those silver-spoon kids, but it would have been better than this…!

As I kept hitting my head on the floor, blaming myself, Ms. Hilipa hurriedly tried to calm me down.

“Calm down, Alice.

We haven’t even properly started yet.

Don’t worry too much.

If anyone can do it, you can.”

I stopped my actions and looked up at Ms. Hilipa.