‘……What on earth does he think people are?’

It was fascinating how he acted as if he was about to devour her right away.

Serena shrugged her shoulders at the sight of him trembling, carefully extending both hands, and squeezing his eyes shut.

“Here.”

After briefly contemplating between the sadistic desire to tease him a bit and her instinct telling her she was tired, Serena obediently handed over the documents.

“Th-thank you!”

Thud—!

The man wearing a shabby robe banged his head on the floor.

“……”

“Ughh……”

“……Are you okay?”

“Huuung…… I-I’m fiiine……”

The man said he was fine with a face that looked anything but fine.

‘Is this what all mages are like?’

She thought for a moment, but remembering Lemerun’s picky and irritating personality, Serena shook her head.

That can’t be right.

Mages are all alike — vile, cunning, selfish, individualistic, and willing to sell their conscience for their own curiosity.

Serena thought decisively.

‘He’s a mutant.’

Serena concluded.

This human before her eyes is a mutant born among mages, she thought.

Serena calmly thought, having changed even the species of the person in front of her.

The man gathered up the documents and awkwardly sat on the sofa. It was fascinating how clumsy he was.

“Well……”

As Serena stared blankly, intending to listen to what he had to say, the man started to shed tears again.

Seeing the sadness welling up in his pale gray eyes, Serena rolled her eyes.

‘…What is this.’

It was quite fascinating to her how he displayed all his emotions so openly.

Serena blinked.

“C-c-could you p-p-please t-tell me h-how you m-made that p-prosthetic arm…!”

Colin Martora, with his eyes tightly shut, clenched his fists and blurted out.

‘He must be barely 20 years old.’

Thinking he was a very young child, Serena scratched her cheek.

Actually, it’s not difficult to tell him.

But… it felt a bit uncomfortable to share technology that clearly didn’t belong to this world.

“What if I refuse?”

“I-if you refuse……”

Colin Martora’s neck retracted like a turtle’s.

Serena was taken aback.

She was surprised by the creature in front of her who instantly became discouraged by just one word.

‘……What in the world.’

Colin Martora fumbled through the documents and pulled something out.

“I-I may not be a great person, but if you could teach me even a little bit of your technology, Duchess, I think I could contribute significantly to the world.”

As Serena examined the document, she saw it contained various applications using magical engineering.

In other words, it was a future plan for the absolute majority.

Specific plans on how to save people, how to use it, and how the future would change.

‘It’s impressive, but……’

Serena’s eyes were indifferent.

She calmly opened her mouth.

“…Well, I don’t really like doing things for others’ benefit.”

Serena honestly replied to Colin Martora’s altruistic statement.

In reality, Serena wasn’t the type to be jealous of others’ success, but she also wasn’t kind enough to give away her own things just to see others do well.

At that answer, Colin Martora seemed flustered and rolled his eyes.

“Th-then how about this…!”

Colin Martora rummaged through the documents again and handed another bundle to Serena.

‘Just how many does he have.’

Serena reluctantly took the documents Colin Martora was handing over again.

“Hmm……”

Serena, who was slowly reading the letters, let out a hollow laugh.

Until just now, he had given her documents elaborately talking about world peace, human development, and bringing new happiness to people, but now……

‘This time, what is it?’

Serena’s cheek twitched once.

Because she saw excellent qualities of an assistant in the boy named Colin Martora.

‘Not bad.’

Serena thought with narrowed eyes.

This appearance of immediately adapting and pleasing the other party without any beliefs, just to get what he wants!

That steadfastness of not backing down even while shedding tears after being rejected once!

Even the composure of holding such a large amount of documents in his arms without a care!

‘Excellent.’

Serena, with nn years of experience as an assistant, discovered the potential for an assistant in Colin Martora.

However….

“……I don’t want to become rich. I have enough money as it is.”

“Ah……”

Colin Martora immediately made a disappointed face at Serena’s words, but he didn’t give up.

“Then how about this…!”

Colin Martora handed over a third document.

‘……Even thorough preparedness.’

Most plans usually fall apart midway.

If you make 10 plans, it’s actually considered great if even 1-2 of them work out as planned.

However, the fact that he prepared up to a third option showed that he had the potential to become an assistant in the future.

Serena checked the document again with appraising eyes.

‘……Excellent.’

This time, it was about power, not money or fame.

It was about how to secure a position in the Mage’s Tower, or if not that, then about establishing a type of business that could have a significant impact on the world using this.

The thoroughness of offering A+B combined if neither A nor B works!

Not only that.

The planning of not presenting AB combined from the start, but offering trivial A first to induce disappointment in the other party!

“Alright.”

Serena decided.

To make this young one her assistant.

If she were to take on a disciple, she would say this one pleases her.

‘He’d do an excellent job no matter what I ask.’

Having been rolled around by her masters for quite a long time, Serena had developed an eye for recognizing excellent assistants.

After all, it was her job to recruit new assistants anyway.

“Then this… Huh?”

Colin Martora’s eyes widened at Serena’s words.

He pressed his ears a few times, wondering if he had heard wrong, then made a puzzled expression.

“Duchess, just now……”

“I said I’d teach you if you want. But on the condition that you become my disciple.”

“By disciple, you mean……”

“Exactly what it sounds like, a disciple.”

While Serena didn’t want to live as someone’s assistant, she did have a desire to raise someone as her disciple.

Just like how a child who grew up without love wants to succeed and forcefully fill in what was lacking for their own child……

Serena had such feelings too.

The desire to raise one disciple very well.

But at the same time, there was fear.

The thought of what if she ends up hurting the other person.

Like someone who only knows how to steal because that’s all they’ve seen and learned, because all she’s learned is how to oppress disciples…..

What if she ends up hurting the new disciple she takes in?

That’s why Serena didn’t want a disciple like herself.

She didn’t have confidence in comforting a disciple who doesn’t express themselves, doesn’t speak up, and just endures everything.

So if she were to take on a disciple, she preferred someone a bit more honest like the boy in front of her.

“B-but I’m affiliated with the Mage’s Tower, so……”

“You can quit, can’t you?”

Whatever position he held in the Mage’s Tower.

“I-I’m actually in charge of the p-pillar, the headquarters position of the Mage’s Tower……”

“Pillar? Headquarters position?”

She clearly remembered that there were 5 towers right below the Mage’s Tower, the Tower Master.

Serena’s eyes blinked.

Her head tilted slightly.

By pillar, didn’t he mean the master of each tower?

That is, the masters of the five towers below the Tower Master.

If the Mage’s Tower was the center, then five towers existed below it.

The Red Tower, Blue Tower, Green Tower, Yellow Tower, and Gray Tower.

And in those towers, there were those called pillars, or headquarters chiefs, who managed the towers.

So…..

Excluding the Tower Master, he was referring to one of the top five most skilled individuals.

‘…One of the top 5 in rank excluding the Tower Master?’

Serena’s eyes blinked once.

“……Um, how old are you?”

“I-I turned 38 this year……”

“……I’m sorry, please take care.”

Serena quietly stood up from her seat and bid farewell.