“Haa.”
In the cold hours before dawn, Danil let out a sigh.
To him, the night shift was a time to enjoy the sweetest marshmallow, as well as an efficient nighttime pastime for steadily building human relationships.
But thanks to an unwelcome guest who had started showing up a few days ago, that pleasure had been cut in half.
“Still as diligent as ever today. It’s quite a fine sight, Sir Danil.”
‘Ugh.’
At the familiar voice, Danil turned his head around.
“Welcome, Lord Reiner.”
“Thank you for the warm welcome. The night air feels especially chilly today. Let us warm ourselves a bit over some tea.”
“…Yes. Let’s do that.”
Danil accepted a cup of steaming frost black tea.
Unlike his outward appearance, which wore a businesslike smile, his insides were full of complaints.
‘Could you please do this in moderation? You really are persistent. Are all politicians like this?’
It was always the high and mighty who cut off the motivation of people who worked well.
Once again realizing that immutable truth of the ages, Danil brought the black tea to his lips.
When he had first drunk it, it had been the best tea of his life, but at this moment, it could not have tasted more bitter.
*
At first, he had thought it was just a simple nighttime inspection.
‘Brings back memories of the army. The company commander, the battalion commander—they’d go on night patrol whenever they got bored.’
A one-time event by the higher-ups to tighten discipline or morale. At that point, that was what Danil had thought.
It took less than a day for it to become clear that this judgment had been far too optimistic.
“Working hard, Sir Danil.”
‘No, seriously. Why do you keep coming?’
There had to be a reason for this, didn’t there?
One day, two days, three days—and now, already a full week.
Danil could not understand why this man was doing this.
If the other party had not been the child of one of the most powerful men in the empire, he would have asked him outright.
[What?]
He had gained a hint yesterday evening.
During the regular report.
At the fresh, hot-off-the-press Magic Tower news Titania told him, Danil blinked.
[Is that lie actually true?]
[Our minds are in sync. That’s what I thought when I first heard it too. But it really was true.]
[Wow.]
[What else can they do? If they don’t want to get on the Northern Grand Duke’s bad side, they have to show at least that much sincerity.]
Titania’s sigh flowed out from beyond the crystal ball.
This time, the Magic Tower had been unlucky in more ways than one.
If it had been a complaint from some ordinary noble, they would have just handed over compensation and called it a day, but this time their opponent was the Northern Grand Duke. He was one of the foremost men of power in the empire.
If they fell out of favor with someone like that, then even the Magic Tower—known as the Ivory Tower of the empire—would naturally find all sorts of difficulties blossoming when trying to operate within the empire.
To avoid such a situation, an apology on the level of a full prostration was needed, and the Magic Tower decided to actually perform one.
[If you call it drastic, it is certainly a drastic move. Sending three additional 5th Circle mages, huh.]
[For free, no less.]
The so-called buy-one-get-one agency service!
For the price of one 5th Circle mage, we’ll throw in one more absolutely free!
He had never dreamed that he would see a clearance-sale event, the kind sometimes held by large stores, from the Magic Tower, one of the greatest corporations in the empire.
But as drastic as it was, its effect was tremendous.
After all, the Northern Grand Duke’s full-course thunderous scolding had ended with nothing more than a statement saying, “We express our deep regret.”
Wasn’t that still a serious injury? Hey! As long as they avoided a fatal wound, that was enough! What more were they getting greedy for?
From the Magic Tower’s point of view, simply avoiding the Northern Grand Duke’s wrath was something to be grateful for.
[The other departments are in complete chaos. Just among the people I know, two have been passed over for promotion, and five are on the list for personnel action. Most of them will probably be demoted to dead-end posts.]
[That’s brutal. There must be a lot of people crying.]
[Yes. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t people smiling, you know?]
She smiled brightly.
[I’m one of those people. I’m benefiting like this thanks to having a good subordinate.]
[You flatter me. I merely carried out my duties.]
[Hehe. Still as modest as ever. You have always been like that. That is why you are so reliable.]
She spoke casually.
[When you return, there will be various performance incentives, bonuses, and a special reward. You may look forward to it.]
[May I ask what the special reward entails?]
[Hehe. Let us leave that as a pleasure for that time.]
[Oh my. In that case, I’ll have to finish my work and return to the Magic Tower even a day sooner.]
[Hehe. You should. I, too, will pray that I can see you as soon as possible, Danil.]
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but she looked quite pleased.
‘Well, I suppose it’s only natural. Her rivals must have disappeared in various ways.’
[And one more thing. Be careful of Reiner.]
[You mean the grand duke’s heir?]
[Yes. Although we somehow received the Northern Grand Duke’s forgiveness, the fact remains that the Magic Tower’s image has been damaged by this incident. There is no guarantee that the grand duke’s heir won’t seize on that and nitpick. So absolutely! Be careful of the grand duke’s heir, and then be careful again. Absolutely. Do you understand?]
[Gasp! Yes. I’ll keep it in mind!]
Only then did Danil begin to understand Reiner’s actions.
This man came here to act like a nightmare customer!
He was trying to find a mistake on their side, nitpick it, and get a massive compensation package like the additional mage deployment they gave elsewhere! What a wicked plan!!!
‘It’s true that a buy-one-get-one deal is hard to resist. But isn’t this way too blatant?’
He had heard that politicians were fundamentally greedy, but he had not known they would go this far.
‘That greed is excessive. They say people who have more are worse, and it’s true. Really, wherever people live, it’s all the same.’
He was flustered, but he was not angry.
He was an indefinite-term contract mage belonging to a foreign legion.
Was it only once or twice that he had suffered the employer’s nonsense at an assignment site?
If one reacted to every ridiculous thing an employer did, one’s stomach would be destroyed by stress.
As a reincarnator, Danil knew very well how to handle times like this.
‘Don’t take it to heart. Just respond moderately and let it pass.’
An unreasonable customer was not a person, but a phenomenon.
There was nothing more foolish than pouring emotion into a natural phenomenon like a typhoon or a shower.
It was much easier in many ways to simply accept it as one of those things and move on.
‘Still, he does have some conscience. He’s not nitpicking over nothing, just watching and checking? If it’s only this much, he’s relatively decent.’
Danil, who accepted Reiner’s visits as annoying but unavoidable civil-complaint handling and service overtime, reached a conclusion.
He would respond to Reiner appropriately and keep him in a good mood.
Thinking of it that way made his heart feel much lighter.
“Thank you for the tea, Lord Reiner. But are you certain this is all right?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean coming out every night like this. You must have a great deal of work during the day as well. I worry that it might be a burden on your health.”
“Do not concern yourself. This much is nothing at all.”
Reiner smiled bitterly inwardly.
He had thought they had grown somewhat closer by now, but hearing those words, it seemed they still had a long way to go.
‘He is indirectly saying that I’m a burden. As expected, reducing the distance with just a week’s effort was impossible.’
The result was disappointing for an interim assessment, but Reiner’s determination only burned hotter.
‘Interesting. This is what makes a challenge worthwhile!’
“Haha. I am a man of the North as well. If I said I was tired just from being out in the night wind for a few days, people would mock me as weak. Besides, I find talking with you rather enjoyable.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. In particular, every time I see your magic, I feel as if my eyes have been opened. I never knew that simply adding a technique called magic could make work efficiency so completely different. I regret only meeting a talent like you now.”
“Haha. I’m honored by your praise.”
‘Look at this man. As expected of a politician, his way with words is a work of art.’
If it were an ordinary indefinite-term contract mage, just the fact that Reiner praised him would have made him grin foolishly and think, “Is this my chance at permanent staff?” But to Danil, whose mindset was, “Permanent staff? What’s that? Is it edible?” such things did not work.
Rather, Danil misunderstood it as a cunning move to make him lower his guard, and resolved to be even more wary of Reiner.
‘I’ll indulge in marshmallows in moderation for the time being and stay on my toes. For the sake of my performance bonus and my extra pay!’
The indefinite-term contract mage clenched his fist and steeled his resolve.
Without even dreaming how absurdly mistaken he was.
*
“Cyril. Is this true?”
“Yes. A messenger brought it just a moment ago.”
“Hah. Can such a thing happen?”
On his way back after meeting Danil.
Cyril, who had suddenly appeared, had called him to the office, saying it was urgent.
After checking the letter placed on the desk in the office, Reiner could not hide his surprise.
“They are assigning three additional 5th Circle mages. The Magic Tower has made quite a large move.”
“It is understandable. Indeed, without a move of this scale, it would have been impossible to put out the fire that had fallen at their feet.”
“True.”
Reiner thought of his father.
Grand Duke Edgar von Karta.
The ruler of the North and a political ghost who had survived for decades in the empire’s political world.
What would have happened if the Magic Tower had not taken such an utterly submissive action as this?
‘Most likely, all sorts of problems and difficulties would have arisen for the Magic Tower in operating within the empire for at least the next five years.’
He could guarantee it. And for good reason.
‘If he judged that I lacked the ability to inherit his position, he would take away my status as heir without hesitation.’
Reiner sank into thought.
Certainly, from the empire’s point of view, this matter was surprising news, and from the North’s point of view, it was joyful news.
After all, the result was that the special force of 5th Circle mages who would fight the highland tribes had doubled.
But the reason Reiner fell into contemplation lay elsewhere.
“Father has made quite a tempting proposal.”
Reiner looked again at the contents written at the end of the letter.
“If Kazan also requests it, we may receive an additional mage assignment.”
Reiner set the letter down and tapped his fingers.
One 5th Circle mage would be added to Kazan.
Ordinarily, it was an offer he should accept immediately.
But Reiner did not find this offer appealing at all.
The reason was clear.
“I should refuse this.”
“Will that be all right? It would be a considerable reinforcement of our military strength.”
“That is true. But if the reason to refuse is greater than the reason to accept, then it cannot be helped, can it?”
Cyril could guess why Reiner was acting this way.
“Is it because of Sir Danil?”
“That’s right.”
Reiner nodded.
“If I accept this, Sir Danil may misunderstand. He may think I felt uneasy with only one indefinite-term contract mage and requested the dispatch of a permanent one. That would deeply wound his pride. Danil, the mage-knight of Kazan, would be gone forever.”
Reiner gave a faint smile and asked,
“Securing safety for three months with two mages, or securing safety for a lifetime with one mage-knight. Which would you choose?”
“You surely already know, so must you hear the answer?”
“Hahahaha!”
Laughter rang through the office.
“I shall write the letter of refusal at once. Prepare paper and the seal.”
“As you command.”
Having chosen Danil over the Magic Tower’s free support, Reiner picked up his pen.
In his eyes as he wrote the letter, one could sense his determination to cast Danil without fail and make him his mage-knight.
‘Perhaps tomorrow I should bring some refreshments to go with the frost black tea.’
How much more could he reduce the distance between them tomorrow compared to today? Unable to hide his anticipation, the future lord moved his pen.
Without even dreaming how absurdly mistaken he was.
*
Sometimes, ignorance is medicine.