Master, I Swear I Didn’t Mean To! - Chapter 32

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Eki froze in place, the laboratory door still half open behind her.

‘What… what is going on?’

The moment she arrived for work, she was met by a stranger she had never seen before. A stunning man with deep navy-blue hair.

“Wh…Who are you?”

“Ah. You must be Miss Eki, right?”

The man spoke as though he already knew her. He rose from the round stool he’d been sitting on and approached her in long, confident strides. But Eki, instead of welcoming the handsome stranger, instinctively stepped back.

“How did you even get in here?”

Even if it looked like an ordinary room, the area around the Thousand Dog Tower was protected by layers of defensive magic circles laid down by Cassius himself. No matter how powerful the mage, no one could come close without his permission. The only ones able to pass freely were the courier mages bearing the Association’s seal.

‘But Babel already came by a few days ago, so there’s no way another courier would show up now.’

And yet this ridiculously handsome man was sitting here all alone in an empty laboratory. Unless he had sneaked in, this shouldn’t even be possible.

Perhaps noticing the suspicion in her eyes, the man waved his hand with an easy smile.

“Don’t worry. I’m not anyone suspicious. My name is Ikelid Lagus.”

“Ikelid… Lagus?!”

Eki jumped and took another step back.

That name belonged to the archmage who had developed more magical potions than anyone else in history. The Head of the Gailard Mage Association himself!

“Uh, uh, um…”

It was her first time seeing his face. The Lagus Association’s chairman was famous for never appearing in public. Rumor had it that excessive use of aging-suppression magic had left him unable to move freely…

‘But he looks completely fine!’

The man with long blue hair tied neatly into a low ponytail had gently slanted eyes, strong brows, and a bright, approachable expression. He was the very image of a charming nobleman. The loose poet’s shirt and satin trousers he wore made him look more like a young aristocrat than a mage, and the sleek leather gloves on his hands accentuated the veins across his well-defined knuckles.

No matter how she looked at him, he was far too good-looking. No, suspiciously good-looking.

Eki swallowed hard and rubbed her eyes, trying to determine whether she was dreaming or not.

She finally came to her senses when something hard bumped against her back.

“Ack. Master?”

Cassius entered the lab looking tired. He glanced down at Eki, who was blocking the doorway, then turned his gaze to the smiling Ikelid. Once he grasped the situation, he sighed.

“Ikelid. I told you to let me know before you came.”

“Haha. And when was I supposed to do that? It’s much faster to just come through the window.”

“W-Wait. You’re really Association Head Lagus?!”

“Yes, I already said so earlier. You didn’t believe me?”

“Well, it’s just… your age…”

He was, after all, the only vestal archmage who had survived the Age of Darkness. He had to be at least four hundred years old.

Eki looked at him in confusion.

“Let’s not talk about age. It makes me sad.”

Pretending to dab at his eyes, Ikelid extended a hand toward her and gave a graceful bow, like a gentleman greeting a lady.

“So. May I finally have a closer look at the precious disciple who Cassius has been hiding away so thoroughly, he hasn’t even shown a single strand of her hair?”

“Hands off.”

Cassius quickly grabbed Eki by the shoulders and pulled her back behind him. She almost stumbled. Scowling at the back of his head, Eki tugged at his robe and whispered.

“Master, what’s going on? Why is the Association Head here?”

“I called him. It’s because of the luck potion. You don’t need to concern yourself.”

“What? The luck potion? …Ah!”

Right, the formula for that ultra-strong luck potion she had spilled all over herself had been developed by Association Head Lagus. Eki’s face lit up in recognition—only to pale immediately as she remembered the humiliating ‘effects’ the potion had caused.

“D-Did you come because of the potion’s effects?”

“Yes. Cassius asked for help, so I came right away.”

“Don’t lie. You just wanted to see the side effects for yourself.”

“Cassius, what side effects? I told you, there’s no way any potion I make could have side effects!”

Come to think of it, the two of them seemed a lot closer than she’d expected.

‘Well, they do share some deep secrets, after all.’

Cassius had hidden his true identity, and Ikelid had covered for him, even giving him the position of Tower Master. It made sense that they’d be on familiar terms. Though Cassius had also been assisting the Association Head’s magical research without pay.

‘Speaking of which, what kind of magic are they working on together?’

With two archmages collaborating, the result must be something extraordinary. Yet there hadn’t been any new magic circles published under Ikelid’s name for decades.

Eki peeked out from behind Cassius, curiosity written all over her face, watching Ikelid as he smiled cheerfully and stepped forward. His sharp eyes gleamed as he studied Cassius’s form closely, as if to confirm something.