Unrequited Love, Lost for the Better - Chapter 12

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※ This work contains depictions of coercive relationships, explicit language, and other graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

Everyone would be busy working at this hour. Sitting on a bench, Collette closed her eyes and felt the artificial breeze brush against her cheeks. She took slow, deep breaths, steadying herself for a while.

“…Senior? Senior Verna!”

A familiar voice called her name. She opened her eyes to find a face she knew well standing before her.

“Somerset.”

“There you are, Senior. I went to the lab, but you weren’t there.”

Meliano, who had come to deliver the reinforced star powder she had requested, quietly sat down beside her.

“Is something wrong? You look troubled.”

“It’s none of your concern.”

“Why not? Sometimes talking about things helps.”

“No. It’s just… personal.”

As Collette seemed to push him away, Meliano rolled his eyes. He wanted to grow closer to his senior, but she wouldn’t let him in. He didn’t know what to do.

I think now is the right time to give this to her.

He pulled a piece of paper from his coat. Unfolding it, he handed it to Collette.

“The higher-ups will soon hold an irregular supplementary recruitment for Labyrinth exploration volunteers. When that happens, use this to apply.”

“What? I haven’t heard anything about that. How did you—what is this?”

Collette took the paper Meliano offered. Folded twice, it was an application form. But it was subtly different from the countless forms she had seen before.

A golden-yellow border was drawn around the space for the applicant’s name. She had never seen an application decorated this way.

Moreover, below the space, instead of the usual safety instructions, there was a list of the applicant’s qualifications.

“Including the Labyrinth Direction-Finder… developed and published research on exploration artifacts, making great contributions to exploration… What? These are all things I developed and published.”

“Direction-Finder” was the original name for the Labyrinth compass she had created. Since it was made in the form of a compass, it eventually came to be called the Labyrinth compass, but still…

In any case, she wondered why such things were written on an application. As Collette tilted her head, Meliano dropped a bombshell.

“It’s a letter of recommendation from the Tower Master.”

“…What?”

“With this, you’ll pass without needing supplementary screening. You just need to prepare protective gear for the Labyrinth.”

“W-Wait. A recommendation? And you obtained the Tower Master’s recommendation?”

“Yes.”

Meliano smiled confidently. He had visited his uncle for the first time since joining the Tower to get this recommendation, but he had no regrets. Watching Collette focus on him with a flustered expression was quite enjoyable.

I’m glad my uncle listened to me.

The Tower Master, who had been wary of Valerian de Wintergreen’s growing influence day by day, eventually agreed to his request—thinking that granting a recommendation would let him showcase the Tower Master’s authority to the Exploration Squad.

The only place the Tower Master, who held all administrative power, could not directly touch was the Exploration Squad.

Unlike other teams, the Exploration Squad carried high personal risk for its mages, so the Tower Master’s influence was limited. Especially after Valerian de Wintergreen took charge of the Exploration Squad—casualties decreased, byproduct collection improved, and the Tower Master’s influence shrank to almost nothing.

In such a situation, if someone recommended by the Tower Master performed well in exploration, it would be harder for the Exploration Squad to dismiss the Tower Master’s opinions as before.

That man didn’t want Senior to join the exploration. So if she uses my recommendation to participate, it’ll be a blow to him.

And he’d earn points with Collette too—two birds with one stone.

Meliano’s eyes curved like crescent moons. His gentle face, which Collette had once compared to a silver poodle, briefly took on a shrewd gleam. But Collette, focused on the recommendation, didn’t notice the change.

How did he get the Tower Master’s recommendation?

The Tower Master’s recommendation could only be obtained for official matters representing the Tower. She couldn’t believe that Meliano Somerset, barely a second-year, had secured it.

“How did you get the Tower Master’s recommendation?”

A sharp tone slipped out without her meaning to. Biting her lip, Collette quickly added.

“Sorry if that sounded rude. But the Tower Master’s recommendation isn’t something easily given.”

Collette glanced at the Tower Master’s signature at the bottom. She couldn’t help but doubt. Surely he hadn’t forged it.