The Imperial Tower was in chaos from the morning.
"Is this… Is this for real?"
"How long has it been since a yellow request was accepted?"
"Accepting it is not the issue! How will we succeed?"
The reason they couldn't stay still for a moment was because of the notice
prominently displayed on the board.
The lawlessness in Luiple has gone too far.
As the auditor of the Imperial Tower, I cannot sit idly by. In a week, I
will set out to identify the cause.
Personnel selection will take place this afternoon, so gather
accordingly.
"…What?!"
Widro, the head of the Theoretical Faction, roared in fury. Nox, the head of
the Practical Faction? He had long since passed out from drunkenness.
Since Widro was the highest-ranking officer among the nearby magicians,
everyone started questioning him.
"Lord Widro, how can we head to Luiple with just a week of preparation? Is
this really okay?"
"Hmm…"
But Widro could only groan in response.
Is it okay? You should ask the auditor that.
Everyone here shared the same concern.
"Currently, Luiple is an infamously dangerous area. Do you think a rookie
magician can grow enough in a week to set foot there?"
"That's right! Even if the auditor is excellent, the rest of us…"
"Furthermore, the opponents are three knights from the Royal Guard.
Winning the bet to open the Royal Treasury would be great, but if we lose,
the consequences…"
"…"
Widro quietly stroked his beard.
…I don't know either. Why are you asking me?
Fortunately, Widro's awkward situation didn't last long. Jaekiel appeared
from the other end of the hallway.
The magicians rushed toward him.
"Auditor!"
"Auditor! We have questions!"
They all looked urgent, but Jaekiel, as if knowing what they were going to
say, spoke first.
"…There will be no changes to this mission. Just follow it."
"…"
His voice was as cold as the ice he created. In the end, no one could
continue their questions.
Step, step.
They could only stare blankly at Jaekiel's back.
In that quiet moment, someone asked Anes.
"Anes, you're his secretary. Haven't you heard anything?"
Then everyone's eyes turned to Anes. They simply assumed that the
personal secretary might have heard something.
"That's right! You're his personal secretary!"
"Anes, haven't you heard anything about this decision?"
"…"
Secretary Anes remained silent for a moment.
It's for the supply of Sun Grass. Should I say that?
"…"
No. Absolutely not.
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't say it.
"He has a reason why he must go to Luiple."
An expression that was significant in many ways.
For now, that was the best Anes could do.
In the afternoon, Jaekiel headed to the auditorium with Anes.
"We will select only one rookie to accompany us."
He mumbled with the Sun Grass in his mouth. Maybe because there wasn't
much left, he chewed it more slowly than usual, as if savoring it.
"One person? Shouldn't we select at least two?"
"It's fine. I've already pre-selected one."
"When did you do that? You just took office, and you haven't interacted
with other magicians."
It was at that moment.
Whoosh.
Before she could realize it, a yellow name tag was attached to the chest of
Anes's shirt. She could only blink silently at the unexpected event.
A yellow name tag.
As far as she knew, it was a marker worn by magicians who undertook
yellow missions before departure.
"…What is this?"
"It's you. The one I've pre-selected."
"I'm not a field worker. I'm an office worker."
"Of course, it's not mandatory. I'll give you a choice."
Jaekiel handed her a paper envelope. Anes took it and found an unsigned
resignation letter inside.
The meaning was clear.
…Either accompany him or resign.
"Oh."
Anes closed her eyes tightly. There was no way she was crazy enough to
quit her position here. Really, no way…
"Why me?"
"Your telekinesis is useful. It means it's too valuable to waste. If you refine
it properly, you could become great later on."
"…"
The woman quietly swept her hair behind her ear.
Anes had always had a strong sense of pride in her telekinesis, and it was
true that she felt good about being recognized by the highly accomplished
Jaekiel.
But there was one thing that weighed heavily on her mind.
The manual.
Anes had lived her life strictly adhering to the set manual. She liked
predictable things and naturally avoided the unpredictable.
Anes looked at Jaekiel quietly.
"…"
…She couldn't predict what he would do, even a second later.
But what could she do? She couldn't resign.
"…Understood for now."
The two finally arrived at the auditorium.
In the spacious area, the rookie magicians stood at regular intervals. Their
faces were full of tension.
Anes broke the silence with an expressionless face.
"There are many people. It seems like it will be a long process."
"Not at all."
Jaekiel answered easily without hesitation.
That was because he had countless times refined and selected raw gems
from among many people.
─Since it's the organization you'll lead, select the personnel yourself.
─What should we name it…? Right, Balance.
─You should also handle the personnel selection for missions yourself.
Who to select to join the organization, who to take on this mission… These
were things Jaekiel had done countless times and were his expertise.
So selecting people was second nature to him now.
'The problem is… '
Was the gem Jaekiel wanted here?
He didn't know.
'There are now less than ten Sun Grass left.'
If Jaekiel became incapacitated due to the lack of Sun Grass, a capable
person would be needed to fill the gap. However, it seemed too burdensome
an expectation for a rookie.
It was then that Anes spoke.
"What will you do? Will you walk around yourself? Or should we call them
one by one?"
"There's no need for that."
Snap.
Jaekiel snapped his fingers.
"Huh?"
"Wow…"
The magicians simultaneously widened their eyes and looked up at the
ceiling. A high ceiling, where a sphere filled with cold air slowly rotated,
scattering snowflakes.
Anes caught a snowflake on her index finger.
"…These don't seem to be ordinary snowflakes."
"That's right. These respond to the caster's mana and stick to them."
It was a mysterious magic whose principles Anes couldn't even guess.
Anyway, thanks to Jaekiel's use of it, they could now easily identify who
was the most outstanding.
In the distance, someone was already turning into a snowman.
Jaekiel exhaled smoke and asked.
"Who is that guy?"
"That's Leo. The top graduate of this class from the academy."
As expected, Leo would be selected, Anes thought.
"I see."
Jaekiel was looking elsewhere, seemingly uninterested.
Anes followed Jaekiel's gaze inadvertently and was greatly surprised.
Oddly, there was a girl around whom the snowflakes were melting.
Jaekiel approached the girl and asked.
"You, who are you?"
"Me… Me?"
The girl with pink hair pointed at herself with her index finger. She looked
very nervous.
What was peculiar was that she was sweating profusely.
So much so that it seemed excessive.
"Ah, hello! I'm Belka…!"
Belka shouted, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve and
taking a swig from the water bottle in her hand.
However, her nervousness wasn't because she wanted to be selected.
Rather, she seemed to be trembling with the hope that she wouldn't be
chosen.
"Y-You absolutely shouldn't take me!"
Belka shouted.
"Explain why."
It was odd. Usually, people explain why they should be taken, trying to
persuade you. But here was someone explaining the opposite, begging not
to be taken.
"I don't know how to handle magic well at all…! All I can do is use scrolls,
and I don't even know how I got into the Imperial Tower in the first place!"
Anes, who had been listening quietly, looked at the documents with her
personal details and nodded.
"She originally should have failed with these scores, but there seemed to be
fewer applicants this year. Even her academy grades are middle to lower
class."
"Yes, yes… That's right…"
Rather than being upset by Anes's words, Belka nodded vigorously in
agreement.
However, Jaekiel noticed something peculiar.
Belka wasn't in the middle to lower class because she consistently
performed at that level, but because the grades she did get were all top-tier
while the rest were failing.
All top-tier or failing, it was quite extreme.
"Moreover, I'm not suited for group activities…"
As Belka continued speaking, she was sweating profusely, so much so that
her robe was completely soaked and clung to her body.
"I… my mana keeps boiling up… It spreads like a mirage and disrupts the
mana flow of the magicians around me. It's serious…"
"Your mana is boiling?"
"Yes, yes. It's true."
Belka extended her hand to the right as if to demonstrate, and the
snowflakes in that area immediately melted.
"…"
Jaekiel took the Sun Grass stem he had been chewing out of his mouth.
He looked at the Sun Grass, then at Belka.
He looked at Belka, then back at the Sun Grass.
"…"
…A Sun Grass sprout was breathing right in front of him.
'She's a living Sun Grass.'
Of course, Belka's condition was still mild. It didn't compare to the heat
output of Sun Grass, but it was worth nurturing. Very much so.
"The rest of you, leave."
The other rookies quickly left the auditorium as if they had been waiting for
it, and within minutes, the space was empty.
Finally, Jaekiel nodded.
"Belka. You're in."
"…What? Yes?"
.
.
.
.
.
Thus, the three-person team for the mission was formed, and Belka visited
Jaekiel daily.
Of course, her purpose was just to plead with him.
"Au-Auditor. I don't know how to do anything…!"
"Do nothing."
"What?"
Meanwhile, the people inside the tower started to wonder about many
things.
Could they really go to Luiple?
And if they went, could they solve the request?
Could they also win the bet?
There were so many topics to talk about that the tower magicians' mouths
never had a moment to rest.
"I can't believe they passed over Leo."
"Belka isn't particularly talented… No, could it be?! Is he confident he can
even nurture a dullard?"
"What's the reason he absolutely has to go to Luiple?"
"For us, we can only wait and see the results."
What kind of changes would Jaekiel bring in a week?
At this moment, it was the biggest concern in the Imperial Tower.
At the same time, anticipation and anxiety enveloped the entire tower.
It was a vast and overwhelming amount.
I faced the day of departure without any training.
'This is the last Sun Grass.'
And one more thing.
"Can we talk?"
Hedera came to see me.