While pretending to cry, Yuri suddenly sniffed and glanced at the coffee, grumbling.

“I’ve never smelled this before. Did you buy coffee beans?”

I almost hid the bagel behind my back but froze at Yuri’s words.

“…Didn’t you bring them?”

“Nope.”

“What?”

Then who had left it in the shop? Only Yuri and I lived in this building.

I murmured, my face pale, “Could I have eaten someone else’s stuff?”

“What are you talking about?”

“It was on the first floor, so I thought you left it and I ate it. What if the owner comes looking for it later?”

What if a stranger suddenly showed up and accused me of being a thief? As I worried and fretted, Yuri chuckled and replied, “We’ll deal with it then. Whether it’s a mistake or not, it’s the person’s fault for leaving it on the first floor, right?”

“Ugh, that makes me feel uneasy.”

What if it contained something dangerous?

Thinking about that made the bread I had been enjoying feel dry… No, the bagel was still tasty. It was a perfect combination.

I looked at the bagel, debating whether to finish it or not, and Yuri propped his chin on his hand, asking, “Could it be a gift from someone?”

“No way. I don’t know anyone in the capital. Oh, I did make one acquaintance.”

“Who?”

“I just got back from being dragged out by Lady Morphe.”

“Lady Morphe? Why all of a sudden?”

Sweat trickled down Yuri’s forehead as his eyes widened. I pulled on my sleeve and pressed it against his forehead.

“She invited me to a tea party hosted by the Morphe Dukedom next week.”

Yuri obediently leaned his head forward like a dog wanting to be dried off. As I gently wiped his sweat, he suddenly brightened and puckered his lips.

“Oh, then you need to buy an outfit for the tea party?”

Ugh, clothes again. I shrugged my shoulders.

“I just came back from buying one. Since she invited me, she even gave me a dress to wear for that day.”

“…It seems like Titi really caught Lady Morphe’s fancy.”

I expected Yuri to praise Rosemary for her generosity, but unexpectedly, he pouted. It was puzzling.

“Why the sulky face?”

“No reason. Do I look sulky?”

I nodded. Yuri’s expression darkened.

“You’re right. I’m not sure either. It’s a feeling I’ve never had before.”

Did I say something wrong? As I cautiously observed him, Yuri snatched the bagel from my hand and put it back in the paper bag.

“Just eating bread will upset your stomach. Wait a moment.”

Yuri’s retreating figure heading upstairs still looked somewhat angry—was it just my imagination?

‘From now on, I should leave a note for Yuri whenever I go somewhere.’

I firmly resolved to do so.

***

Yuri let out a sigh of relief.

‘I almost had a heart attack.’

He couldn’t describe how startled he was when he went to call Titiana for lunch and found the counter empty.

‘I should attach a location marker.’

I planned to give her an artifact that would show her location in real-time. That way, there wouldn’t be any more anxious moments like today.

Yuri knew the most reliable artifact workshop in the empire.

Since Titiana’s flower shop didn’t have much to do after lunch, he figured now was a good time to go. Usually, she would dye rainbow roses for the next day’s sale and then rest, but conveniently, tomorrow was a holiday.

With a rare free afternoon, Yuri headed to none other than the Magic Tower.

“Hey.”

“Gah!”

I casually perched on a windowsill and called out to a passerby. It just so happened that the person I stopped was the mage I had last spoken to through the crystal ball.

“Grand Mage! Why are you only arriving now? You disappeared without a word…!”

The mage, who instinctively rushed over to grab Yuri, spun around.

“No, this isn’t the time for this! I must inform the Tower Master of this joyous news… Ugh!”

The mage, thrilled to see Yuri fully returned, suddenly stiffened as if his limbs had gone numb. Then, against his will, he walked backward, step by step, to Yuri’s side.

Yuri, now uncomfortably close to the mage, whispered in a low voice, “If you tell him, you’ll die.”

“Uh? Yes, yes, sir!”

“If you make noise, you’ll die too.”

“Yes, sir.”

Having heard about Yuri’s notorious reputation, the mage’s voice immediately softened. Satisfied, Yuri released the spell and crossed his arms.

“Do you have any decent artifacts made recently at the Magic Tower? Bring them all out.”

Running the Magic Tower required a lot of money. One way to earn that money was by creating artifacts that allowed non-mages to use magic.

And the most expensive person to produce these was, of course, the Tower Master. Next in line was Yuri, the apprentice…

‘He had run away because he hated mundane and boring tasks, so why was he suddenly interested in artifacts?’

The mage, tilting his head in confusion, quickly drew his own conclusion and smiled brightly.

“Oh, you’re here to inspect them! Everyone will be thrilled to get advice from the Grand Mage!”

“Quiet.”

“Yes, sir.”

Remembering the threat of death if he didn’t stay quiet, the mage turned pale and clamped his hand over his mouth. He quickly left to carry out Yuri’s command.

A little later, the mage returned with the artifacts, and Yuri’s face fell.

“Is this all? Why is there so little?”

“This is really everything.”

Creating an artifact required three things: magic, a magic stone to hold the power, and a mage skilled enough to process the stone without breaking it.

Unfortunately, there was no mage in the Magic Tower who could balance things as finely as Yuri could, so there were hardly any completed artifacts, just a lot of wasted magic stones.

“Tsk, can’t be helped.”

Since obtaining magic stones directly would take time, Yuri had no choice but to pick one from what was available.

Clicking his tongue, Yuri began examining each artifact, grumbling all the while.

“What kind of design is this? Do you think ladies would pay for something like this?”

“But the number of spells embedded in it…”

“It’s the age of design now. Of course, performance should be good, but you also need to consider weight and aesthetics. Do you know what kind of world we live in? With rainbow roses available, is the Magic Tower planning to stick to the dwarves’ path?”

“Oh no, that wouldn’t do.”

Dwarves were renowned for their metal work but paid no attention to aesthetics, making their products unpopular with the general public.

Picking up another artifact, Yuri shook his head.

“And why is it so big?”

Magic stones had good durability but were opaque, making them less valuable as gems.

“How can anyone use such a heavy stone as jewelry? Choose magic stones that can be crafted more beautifully.”

As Yuri continued to criticize, the mage blushed and tried to defend himself.

“But if we reduce the weight, it limits the memorization capacity…”

Yuri responded like a design team leader giving orders to the development department.

“That’s your job to figure out.”

“…”

‘Easy for you to say. You’re a genius, so you can just talk like that. Do you think it’s easy for everyone else?’

Unable to argue back, the mage merely pouted. Of course, Yuri didn’t let even that slide.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh! Yes, yes, I understand. Great idea. I’ll pass it on!”

Feeling his life threatened, the mage rubbed his hands together nervously.

The Magic Tower was a place outside the law, meaning if you committed a crime, you could escape punishment by hiding there. Conversely, it also meant that if you were killed there, it wouldn’t be punishable.

‘Sigh, being weak is a sin. It’s tough living as a weak mage in a place where strength is justice.’

The mage seriously contemplated packing up and returning to his hometown when Yuri picked up a pendant with a transparent magic stone that looked just like a drop of water.

“This one’s not bad.”

The mage’s face immediately brightened.

“This magic stone was newly discovered in the northern mountains. It’s high in purity and has a beautiful color, but it’s scarce, so everyone wants it. It’s as clear and lovely as a glass bead, isn’t it?”

“Hmm.”

It wasn’t overly flashy, but it had a subtle charm.