Thud.
The door closed behind her.
Ariel slowly raised a hand and pressed it against her chest. Her heart was still beating wildly.
I really thought I was going to die.
She had acted boldly when bringing up the service contract, but in truth, her legs had been shaking like a leaf from the moment she set foot in the room.
"Saintess."
Ariel instantly straightened her posture at the call. Quickly smoothing her expression, she smiled as if nothing had happened.
"Yes?"
"Your companions are waiting in the building across from here."
Having delivered his message, the young-looking servant gave a slight bow and stepped back.
Once the servant disappeared from sight, Ariel slowly caught her breath.
"Phew…"
She had said everything she needed to say. Now, all that was left was to await the grand duke's answer.
It'd be great if he agreed to the contract, but even if he didn't, I am practically his savior—surely he wouldn't just dispose of me.
That thought helped calm her nerves a bit.
Ariel headed toward the spot where Ian and Gion were waiting, as the servant had directed.
Just as she was about to step out of the central hall—
"Hey, you! Wait! Stop!"
An urgent voice called out to Ariel from behind.
When she turned around, a pale man wearing a fluttering white coat came running toward her, stumbling over his feet several times.
"Wait. Huff, huff. Found you. Huff. You… gasp… walk… pant… so fast."
The man's messy, light green hair fluttered wildly in rhythm with his heavy breathing.
"W-Who are you?"
Instead of answering, the man shoved his face right in front of hers. His rough breathing brushed directly against her cheek and lips.
Ariel reflexively pulled her head back.
Behind his glasses, his gray eyes looked as if they were consumed by madness.
W-What? Is he crazy?
Just as she was urgently trying to check her status window, the man grabbed Ariel by both shoulders and shook her violently.
"Earlier! When the mana controller blew up! You were the one who offset that energy, right? Right?!"
"L-Let go of me first—"
"How did you do it? How? Could you use that divine power on me just once? What was the divine power output? Do you know the purification pattern?"
He was shaking her so hard that she could not even process what he was saying, her head spinning and her stomach churning.
Is he actually insane?
It was only natural to be scared of someone like Caelus. After all, he was an SS-rank ability user who even suffered from overloads.
But this man was a different story.
He was the type of person who grabbed passersby and harassed them with a barrage of his own thoughts.
Just a complete lunatic.
"You know the reason, right? Don't you? You can do it, right? Tell me why we failed!"
He demanded answers, yet he was not giving her a chance to speak.
Please stop shaking me. I'm literally going to throw up.
Unable to take it any longer, the look in Ariel's eyes changed.
"Off me, lunatic!"
Ariel planted her feet firmly, straightened her spine, and pressed her thumb directly onto the most sensitive part of the inner wrist holding her shoulder. Then, without a moment's hesitation, she twisted.
"Aaaaaagh!!"
When his hands slipped off her shoulders, Ariel kept her grip on his wrist and yanked his center of gravity forward.
He lurched forward, and she slammed her foot down hard onto his back.
Thud!
With a loud crash, the man slammed face-first into the floor.
Just as she was feeling proud of how useful her past-life self-defense techniques turned out to be—
"Tower Master!"
An urgent voice echoed from the end of the hallway.
"Tower Master! Are you alright?!"
Tower Master? Don't tell me…
The Tower Master of the North was an entity known as a 'mage.'
Mages in this world were not the kind who chanted spells to cast magic like in her past life.
Only a genius who reached the peak of mana stone utilization and established their own unique theory could claim the title of 'mage.'
One of only two such mages in the entire empire was none other than the Tower Master of the North.
Turning pale, Alvin rushed over to the face-down Tower Master.
"Saintess! W-What on earth are you doing?! Is this an assassination attempt?! I knew the Order couldn't be trusted!"
"N-No, it's not…"
Ariel discreetly pulled her foot off his back. She gently released the wrist she had twisted as well.
"I'm sorry. I was just so scared that I…"
After shooting Ariel a fierce glare, Alvin crouched down to examine the Tower Master's condition. Ariel slipped down and crouched beside him too.
"Ughhhhh…"
When the Tower Master suddenly uttered a strange groan, Ariel flinched, but Alvin shook his head slightly.
"Answer me… The output… how did you control the output… tell me… output…"
As the Tower Master reached out his hand, Ariel leaned back to avoid him.
Although the Tower Master was rambling nonsense, he was always like this, so he did not seem severely injured. However, his shoulder looked subtly out of alignment… It seemed Ariel had dislocated his right arm when she grabbed it.
"Keheh… The… the saintess's blood…"
"Sigh, Tower Master!"
Alvin slung the Tower Master's good arm over his shoulder and hauled him to his feet.
"I'm so sorry, I thought he was an attacker…"
"I can pretty much guess what happened."
Alvin let out a heavy sigh.
"The Tower Master must have made a scene first. My apologies. He's a bit obsessed with his research…"
"Alvin, we have to study the saintess's blood. Just a single drop…"
Even while out of his mind, the Tower Master's hand persistently reached toward Ariel.
"Tower Master! Please!"
Alvin yelled, practically on the verge of tears. Judging by his reaction, begging a Tower Master far younger than himself was nothing new.
…They really do say there's a fine line between genius and madness.
Ariel quietly took a step back.
"What is all this noise?"
Ian was approaching before anyone realized it. Seeing him, Alvin's face crumpled as if he had swallowed a bug.
"It's nothing, commander. We were just about to leave, so don't mind us."
As Alvin tried to haul the Tower Master away, the Tower Master, having somehow regained his energy, began resisting with all his might.
"Commander Ian! I'm taking this saintess with me. We need to conduct a thorough examination at the Magic Tower!"
"No."
Ian cut him off firmly, stepping in front of Ariel. His broad back completely shielded her.
"I have no intention of handing the saintess over to be a lab rat."
"A lab rat?! I merely wish to converse further with her as an academic partner!"
"Let's go."
Alvin forcibly dragged away the clueless Tower Master. Relations between the Order and the Magic Tower were bad enough as it was, and making an enemy of Ian here would not do any good.
"Ah, why?! Alvin, let go! I still have a mountain of questions to ask!"
Even as he was dragged away, the Tower Master turned his head and shouted at Ariel.
"Saintess! I am one of only two mages in the empire! Make sure to visit my lab! I will unravel your secrets!"
"That kind of thing won't work on her."
Alvin responded dryly.
"Really? Then… tea! I'll give you premium tea! The kind where only one kilogram is harvested a year in the south! I'll give you delicious food too! Just one experiment! Mmmph!"
Alvin hurriedly muzzled the Tower Master's mouth and dragged him down to the end of the hallway. Even as they receded, the Tower Master's desperate shouting echoed back.
"Money! I'll give you money too! I'll give you research funds!"
"!!!"
Research funds?
Ariel's ears perked up.
"How much?!"
Ariel shouted urgently, but the Tower Master had already disappeared around the corner of the hallway.
"Tch."
She smacked her lips in regret.
Ian slowly turned back to look at Ariel.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"That is a relief, saintess. And…"
Ian hesitated for a moment before carefully adding:
"Please do not get involved with people from the Magic Tower. It will only cause headaches."
"Why?"
"Those Magic Tower bastards don't know where to draw the line."
"Ah, I see what you mean. I'll be careful."
Ariel answered submissively and turned around.
Once out of Ian's sight, a subtle smile spread across her lips.
I should figure out a way to approach him carefully and squeeze some cash out of him.
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