“What crime did I commit……”

“I only made great contributions to pass on excellent knowledge. Sometimes, fools who can’t keep up open their mouths carelessly.”

Lemerun shook his head. He, who had been constantly saying self-conscious things like his death would be a great loss, suddenly stopped speaking.

“Still, Kiel was somewhat useful. The best among those I raised.”

Lemerun clicked his tongue regretfully as he rubbed his chin. At that familiar name, Serena’s movement slightly stiffened.

“To think the experiment would fail because a war broke out there. If it wasn’t for that, she would have become my only disciple.”

Lemerun let out a deep sigh.

“What are you talking about, you madman. Slay! Go and call for the private soldiers or Father.”

“Yes! But the Marquis is currently out……”

As he was told to bring the knight commander instead, Slay immediately disappeared. Lemerun frowned.

“So where on earth is this place?”

“The capital of the Empire.”

“Empire… you mean Gosteina? Yusdaino?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. No empire with such names exists. Are you insane?”

At Nocturne Lavernia’s fierce words, Lemerun closed his mouth again.

Lemerun pondered for a while and then started muttering softly. His appearance was indeed nothing short of a madman.

“Could it be that the machine I developed didn’t completely fail, but perhaps moved dimensions?”

He shook his head and opened his eyes wide.

“I can’t believe I was such a genius.”

“Professor Lemerun.”

“Ah! So who on earth are you?”

Serena smiled brightly. Even the great Lemerun hesitated at that smile that was full of uneasiness.

“You have nowhere to go, right?”

“Well….. If you’re a Duchess, does that mean you’re rich?”

“I am. Though it’s not my money, but my husband’s.”

“Ahem… how about this. I’m quite a brilliant inventor, you know? If you let me do research, I can do anything for you.”

Serena quietly nodded. It was what she wanted. She even had a specific contract she wanted to give him.

“Alright.”

“Sister!”

“Ah, of course, I’ll have to talk to my husband first. Then for now… since it’s not far, shall we go right away?”

Serena said with a smile. Strike while the iron is hot, they say. She felt she would only be at ease if she got it stamped right away.

‘Colin has been looking a bit overwhelmed lately anyway.’

Besides, if she attached Lemerun to Colin, Colin would be extremely happy.

“If my husband allows, you can stay at the ducal residence.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but… we’ll need you to sign an employment contract first. It would be troublesome if rumors spread that we’re exploiting people at the ducal residence.”

At Serena’s words, spoken with a slight smile, Lemerun made a strange face but soon nodded.

Well, they said they had a lot of money and would even support his research, so what did it matter if the owner was a bit crazy?

“Then can I go for a moment? Nocturne.”

“The two of you?! Absolutely not!”

Nocturne Lavernia shook his head with wide eyes.

Sending the Duchess with a stranger… it was something that shouldn’t be done even to an unfamiliar young lady, let alone his sister.

“That man doesn’t seem to know you either, Sister. I can’t let you go like this.”

“I’m fine though….”

“That’s not possible. If you must go, either go with me or call the Grand Duke here.”

At his firm words, Serena nodded with an awkward expression.

“My, such overprotection. What would I do……”

“You seem to have dangerous powers.”

“Tch, I just used a bit of magic. You dull child.”

“……You dare!”

Meanwhile, the knight commander appeared. He instantly subdued Lemerun.

“Huh…?”

“A knight commander can fight sufficiently even against a mage.”

Nocturne Lavernia added. “Commander, lock him up for now.” After giving the order, Nocturne Lavernia extended his hand to Serena.

“For now, let’s go inside and talk, Sister.”

“Ah… alright.”

Serena glanced at Lemerun and then nodded.

“Wait, young lady! How can you leave like this!”

“Just wait until my husband comes~”

Serena replied with a rather cheerful face and then returned to the mansion with Nocturne Lavernia.

It was that evening when Magnus arrived at the mansion after receiving Serena’s contact.

* * *

“So…… Lemerun, you say?”

Magnus asked. Serena nodded. Yes, it’s Lemerun. As she added, he frowned.

“That guy who exploited you with unpaid labor, didn’t give you proper rest time, and eventually tried to push you into a broken experimental machine to die together?”

“The unpaid part… is true. The other things are… true too.”

But when you say it like that, it sounds a bit strange.

At Serena’s words, Magnus fell silent with his arms crossed.

“It’s not like I want to torment him particularly, I just…… I want him to help Colin with work instead of me.”

Anyway, as a professor, it was clear that Lemerun was superior to Serena.

Not only that, he would also teach Colin Martora well.

She thought that Colin would probably be able to meet even Lemerun’s high standards well.

Of course, in return, he would have to help with her work.

It’s not like Serena had any thoughts of getting revenge for what she had endured.

She would pay him properly too. She just wanted to extract that knowledge.

In conclusion, if we try to understand that damned situation broadly, it was thanks to Professor Lemerun’s actions that Serena was able to return to this world.

So she was thinking of using him for exactly 10 years. No more, no less, exactly 10 years.

Anyway, since Lemerun was a mage, he had a long lifespan, so 10 years would be nothing to him.

“About… 10 years?”

“That’s right.”

Magnus nodded. Unlike his ominous expression, his voice was utterly calm.

“Anyway, if it’s beneficial, it’s beneficial, it won’t be a loss. It’s a bit awkward for me to say, but he’s really smart.”

In other words, his claims of being a once-in-a-century genius weren’t just empty words.

‘I wonder what happened to Professor Kim Chul-soo……’

Come to think of it, that person would clearly become a stress inducer if he came here.

At least Lemerun had skills and abilities, but Kim Chul-soo had nothing but a tendency to act like an old fogey.

Anyway, Serena did learn various things under Lemerun.

After all, what she had been using here was ultimately stolen from Lemerun’s techniques.

“Anyway, if we leave him as is, he’ll have nowhere to go, so I thought it would be better if I kept him. Would it be difficult?”

“No, it’s not difficult. We have plenty of rooms… We can have him stay where Colin Martora is staying.”

Serena nodded.

“Before that, we should make him sign an employment contract.”

“But given his personality, I’m not sure if he’ll cooperate well. As much as he has pride in being a genius, he’s not easy to deal with.”

He’s arrogant too.

At Serena’s additional words, Magnus smirked as if it wasn’t even worth laughing about.

“If we’re talking about geniuses, Serena, there’s one right in front of you.”

“Huh?”

“I’m a genius too.”

“Ah…… uh, yeah. Right.”

At Magnus’s words, Serena somehow felt embarrassed and avoided his gaze, answering half-heartedly.

At her reaction, Magnus’s expression soured. He narrowed his eyes slightly with a displeased look.

“Why that reaction?”

“Hmm? What did I, I didn’t do anything?”

“You just had a look like you saw something terrible. Do you have any complaints?”

“N…o?”

Serena answered glumly.

Magnus stretched out his arm, hugged her tightly, and swiftly lifted her over the table to sit her on his lap.

“Is it hard to believe that I’m a genius?”

“No, it’s just when you say it yourself, it’s a bit……”

“That old professor said it just fine, what’s the problem?”

“Well… I guess I should say my whole body cringes when my husband says such things, or that it’s embarrassing.”

Serena mumbled, avoiding his gaze. Magnus narrowed his eyes, then smirked and suddenly lowered his head.

Chu.

Serena’s eyes widened at the warmth touching her lips.

“Serena.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Serena nodded awkwardly, unable to hide her flustered expression.

Looking at her as she trembled slightly with a bewildered gaze, Magnus laughed softly.

He lightly kissed below Serena’s lips and then kissed her eyelids.