* * *
I realized that in the future, I wouldn’t need to go to great lengths to pretend to be reading his fortune.
This thought made me a little less burdened about physical contact.
Well, for now… it’d feel wrong to just drop his hand right after taking his energy.
So, as I released his hand, I placed a single dark blue rose – the color of Ian’s eyes – on it.
“A flower? Why?”
Ian’s eyes went wide again, and his innocent expression was actually kind of cute.
“It’s a flower made from magic. It’ll never wither.”
“A precious gift. Thank you.”
Ian gently smiled as he placed the rose in a nearby vase.
Watching his pure, innocent expression almost made me smile… except, hold up!
He thanked me so easily!!
But Baek Yigang would never, not once, say something like “thank you.”
Sure, Ian had just said “thanks,” but it was only a casual kind of gratitude, which is why the system didn’t pop up.
I need a heartfelt, genuine thanks from the bottom of his heart.
The type that’d come out when he realizes that his hopeless life was saved because of me.
So it’s naturally tougher to get that out of someone like Baek Yigang, who probably isn’t the type to feel true gratitude for anyone.
He doesn’t even express simple thanks lightly, so he’ll only become stingier, not less.
Besides, as long as Baek Yigang keeps using dark magic as he does now, he won’t find himself in danger, which means no life-threatening situations for me to save him from…
Ugh, what a complete mess.
“Dowoon?”
“Oh, yes?”
Ian’s gentle smile snapped me out of my thoughts, and I nodded reflexively.
Ugh, I didn’t intend to stick around for tea, but here I am, getting swept up by that face.
Afterward, I continued chatting comfortably with Ian.
“Dowoon, I enjoyed our time together today.”
“See you next time, Ian.”
Eventually, after tea and light refreshments, my morning tasks finally ended.
At first, I thought I’d just kill some time here, but with Ian’s charm, it wasn’t boring at all.
Having filled up on breakfast, replenished my energy, and even had a sweet treat, drowsiness began to creep over me as I walked down the corridor.
I happened to notice the path leading to the Magic Department.
“Oh, right. They mentioned coming by for a magic power assessment?”
Should I go since I’m already here? There was no specific time, so I figure any time would do.
As I changed direction, Anna, who’d been following silently, quickly stepped up beside me.
“Are you heading to the Magic Department?”
“Yes. I was told to have my magic power reassessed.”
“Got it.”
Upon hearing my answer, Anna retreated behind me again.
She’s likely informing Baek Yigang of my destination through the shadows.
As soon as I arrived, I opened the door to the Magic Department and immediately met the eyes of the attendant standing there.
“Oh, Lord Cheong Dowoon! You’re here. I’ll inform Lord Blue right away.”
After a brief wait, Blue appeared, but… something seemed off.
His hair looked a bit dry, and there was a troubled expression on his face, hinting at some sad story.
“Bl—no, Deputy Leader.”
Recalling the instructions from the official, I quickly corrected myself when addressing him.
Yet, for some reason, Blue’s face remained as gloomy as ever.
“You don’t need to call me that anymore. The Leader has returned.”
“He’s back? But I thought he had resigned…?”
From what I’d heard, it sounded like he’d never come back, so it was hard to believe he was reinstated so suddenly.
So that’s why Blue looked so down. Just as I thought, worrying about wizards is never a waste…
“It seems His Highness called him back,” Blue continued calmly, as if he’d grown used to such abrupt situations.
“Huh? His Highness?”
All I had asked for was a brief meeting with Cedric.
But instead, he’s been fully reinstated?
Why is this so extreme?!
Or… was he planning to reinstate him anyway?
If that was the case, why not just give him some time off?
Then again, knowing Baek Yigang’s personality, telling a subordinate to ‘take a break’ doesn’t sound like him… maybe he really did want to fire him. He’s the type who would.
“Where is the Leader now?”
“He’s likely in an audience with His Highness right now. But you’re here to get your magic measured, right?”
“Oh, yes.”
“This way.”
Following Blue inside, I spotted the small orb I’d seen last time.
“Huh? Weren’t they saying the device was broken? Is it fixed now?”
“Broken? It malfunctioned because it couldn’t handle your magic, that’s all. I told you last time to hold back.”
Seeing the orb in working condition, I was startled, but Blue shrugged as if he had expected my reaction.
“So that’s what you meant by ‘holding back’?!”
I thought there was some special reason or something! But to find out he literally just meant ‘take it easy’…!
“Well, as you can see, the machine’s old. If you exceed a certain level, it stops displaying. So, just take it easy.”
What a buzzkill.
Blue noticed my disappointment and gave a slight smile.
“If your score goes too high, you’ll end up as the Ministry’s top pick for deployment. So don’t be greedy.”
“Top pick? And then what?”
Blue’s icy blue eyes glinted sharply, as if daring me to want the truth.
“They’d call you up first, anywhere you’re needed. Lots of magic means lots of places to use you.”
“Oh, I see.”
So that’s the truth. It’s not exactly surprising, but… maybe I’ll play along.
With newfound wisdom, I placed my hand on the orb, smiling.
Why didn’t they tell me all this earlier?
If I’d known, I’d have adjusted my strength ages ago.
“…Hey, do you even have a conscience?”
When Blue saw the number displayed on the orb, he gave me an incredulous glare.
“Yep, no conscience here.”
I smiled shamelessly, quickly skimming the number on the orb.
It read just over a thousand—a four-digit number in clear, unmistakable digits.
“If the result comes out this quickly, it means your magic is pretty weak. Does that make any sense?”
Ah, so that’s why it didn’t show up right away last time, and the official had to inform me later. But now, the number popped up too fast.
“Hmm. But, senior, I really did try my best.”
“What nonsense! The thing that used to show an ‘error’ because it couldn’t measure you now suddenly says you’re at a mere thousand? Even Reggie and I score in the 7,000s! You con artist!!”
Blue started pointing accusingly, demanding I redo the measurement.
Hey! You were just lecturing me about holding back, and now you’re expecting high numbers?!
…Though if I say that out loud, he’d probably hit me, so I’ll keep quiet.
“What’s the max score on this?”
“Ten thousand.”
“Alright, noted.”
After a long bout of nagging from Blue, I ended up matching their scores, registering around 7,000 like him and Reggie. But honestly…
“Even with a high score, I doubt I’ll be deployed anywhere.”
As Baek Yigang once told me, since I’m under his command, the Imperial Court can’t just use me as they please.
So, no matter how high my score is, it’s meaningless.
I’m just a high-scoring wizard they can’t touch—a wizard of ironic usefulness.
“What? Why?”
“I belong to His Highness. Though I’m officially affiliated with the court, I’m essentially His Highness’s Wizard.”
If my score stands out too much, it’ll only draw attention, so I decided to stick to an average score.
Once Blue figured out why I’d been so indifferent, his face twisted in resentment, jealousy filling his usually composed expression.
His intense glare made me step back slightly, feeling the urge to flee.
This feels like… I should probably make a run for it?
“…You’re a ‘nepotism hire,’ aren’t you?”
“Ugh, didn’t we already settle that?”
But Blue, his blue eyes blazing, grabbed the orb in one hand and came after me with a terrifying look.
Wait, is he really… trying to kill me? If he catches me, my head’s definitely getting cracked open. No question about it.
“It’s not settled, you damn golden child! What are you to His Highness, huh? Stop right there! Are you dating him or something?! What’s with all the special treatment?!”
“Ack! What are you talking about?! And put that orb down! That’s practically a weapon!”
Our intense game of tag finally ended only after I dashed all the way to Baek Yigang’s—no, His Highness’s palace, my safest refuge.
* * *
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