As Kana slowly took a deep breath in front of the guest room door and was about to knock, his voice came out first.

“Miss Kana, don’t stand outside, come in.”

“Yes.”

Kana cautiously entered. The guest room was spacious and tidy. Although there were no fancy decorations, the simple feel was not bad.

Kiriel sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, his arm resting on the armrest. His handsome appearance and the room’s atmosphere combined to create a sophisticated and elegant vibe. He looked like the owner, even though he was a guest.

He carefully observed her, who had changed into comfortable pants.

“You’ve changed your outfit.”

“I can’t wear a dress uncomfortably when going to the mine.”

Especially since they had to go inside the magic stone mine. Kiriel agreed with Kana’s calm response.

“Right. So we’re going to the magic stone mine now?”

“Yes. Are you ready to join us?”

“I’m ready anytime.”

Kiriel stood up and straightened his clothes. Kana led him back to the office of the villa. The mine manager, Popin, and the responsible knight, Colin, were silently waiting.

They were amazed to see the two of them entering together. Colin alternated his gaze between Kana and Kiriel and began to speak.

“Oh, the mage you brought is the Master of the Magic Tower.”

“Yes. With us, we should be able to handle any situation that arises in the mine, right?”

“Of course, Miss.”

Colin clapped his hands. Kana briefly introduced them to Kiriel. True to his nature of not caring about people who didn’t interest him, he nodded indifferently.

Popin, holding the mine documents, cautiously asked Kana.

“Um, you’re going to the magic stone mine right away, right?”

“Yes, Popin. If there are any peculiarities, I’ll report back.”

“Yes, Miss. Then I’ll continue with my work while I wait.”

Popin sat at a desk piled with documents. The three of them left the office, leaving the manager who greeted them behind. When Kana clapped her hands, the two men’s attention turned to her.

“Sir Colin, guide us to the mine.”

“Yes, Miss.”

They traveled to the magic stone mine by carriage. The area near the mine was somewhat desolate. There were a few people working and guards standing watch.

They greeted Kana and her party and stepped aside. As they entered the mine’s entrance, a gloomy atmosphere lingered. A cool breeze brushed against Kana’s cheek.

Kiriel glanced at her calm profile.

“Are you going inside to check?”

“Yes, we should.”

Determination shone in her green eyes. Kana silently summoned a spirit and took out swords from her subspace ring. She firmly fastened a pair of daggers to her waist and held a sword in one hand.

Before Colin could say anything, Kiriel, glancing at her, spoke first.

“Do you think something will happen?”

“Yes.”

She gripped the sword tightly. Kiriel frowned at her resolute appearance. On the other hand, Colin was purely amazed.

“I’ve heard rumors that Miss has contracted a spirit and trained hard in swordsmanship, but it’s true.”

“Don’t worry. I have the ability to protect myself.”

Kana’s response was firm. Colin scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed expression.

“We’ve already dealt with all the monsters that appeared in the mine, but…”

“I know, Sir Colin. It’s not that I don’t trust your words. I’m just preparing for any unforeseen accidents.”

In the quiet, Kana’s calm voice scattered in the wind. The two men, seeing her cautious and serious gaze, closed their mouths.

They entered the magic stone mine. The interior was much wider than it appeared from the outside. The neatly dug passages, walls, floors, and the ceiling had magic stones embedded here and there, shining brilliantly.

Kana meticulously examined her surroundings and led the way deeper into the mine. A chilly, humid air swept over them. Kiriel made a light gesture. The stifling atmosphere quickly dissipated.

“Thank you, Lord Kiriel.”

“You’re welcome. It was a simple task.”

Kiriel nodded. Kana gently asked the wind spirit on her shoulder.

‘Celia, do you sense any monsters?’

[Not yet, but it feels like they might appear soon. With the abundance of magic stones, it’s a prime spot for monsters to drool over. Hmm, this mine seems to attract beings with energy.]

‘Oh dear, if you say so, we really need to be careful.’

Kana’s expression darkened. Kiriel grabbed her sleeve.

“Miss Kana, do you sense something?”

“Tower Master?”

Kiriel nonchalantly explained to the puzzled Colin.

“Ah, generally, spirit summoners have better detection abilities. Spirits are more sensitive to energy than humans.”

“That’s right. So, as I was saying, Celia feels like monsters might appear.”

Kana supported his words by adding her partner’s opinion. A wand suddenly appeared in Kiriel’s hand. He placed his free hand gently on her shoulder.

“Miss Kana, I can handle most monsters alone. So…”

“I don’t need to be afraid, right? I know. I’m glad I brought the esteemed Master of the Magic Tower.”

Her tense lips relaxed. His confident and capable demeanor was very reassuring.

The warm atmosphere was short-lived as the ground subtly trembled. A foul, thick air rushed in from deeper within.

[Kana, it’s inside the ground!]

At Celia’s shout, the gazes of the three people collided as they looked at each other. Kiriel pointed inward.

“It seems to be over there.”

“It’s the ground.”

“Master, Miss! I will lead the way. Everyone, please be careful.”

There was no time for further words after detecting monsters. Colin drew his sword and ran inside first. Kana matched her steps with Kiriel and followed him.

Suddenly, several snake-like monsters sprang up from the ground. Aura enveloped Colin’s sword, spirit energy surrounded Kana’s sword, and mana swirled around Kiriel’s wand.

Colin’s face grew serious.

“They are rock snakes. They aren’t the monsters that appeared last time.”

“Did they appear after the monsters were eradicated? Or were they cleverly hiding on the mine’s floor all along?”

Kana clicked her tongue as she looked at the snake monsters baring their vicious fangs. In any case, it wasn’t surprising that they had grown so large and powerful if they had consumed nearby magic stones.

Kiriel, using ice magic, added his words.

“We just need to take them down before they get stronger from eating magic stones.”

“Yes.”

Kana nodded. The rock snakes froze solid under Kiriel’s magic. A chilling cold enveloped their bodies.

Kana and Colin rushed out and slashed at the frozen rock snakes.

Kiriel snapped his fingers with an indifferent expression. The frozen rock snakes shattered into pieces. Ice particles scattered and faintly sparkled. It was a splendid scene, blending with Kiriel.

‘Indeed, he’s not the Master of the Magic Tower for nothing.’

Kana’s eyes shone as she used her spirit summoning to create a wind whip and break the frozen monsters.

Rock snakes were monsters with quite strong defenses. Most monsters with the name ‘rock’ were like that.

Ordinary magic wouldn’t work well on them, but Kiriel’s abilities were so great that it was easy to deal with them. Colin, thinking similarly to her, swallowed his admiration.

“The current Master of the Magic Tower is revered as a genius even in the Curtis family…”

“He’s truly amazing.”

Kana purely admired the sub male lead’s abilities. Kiriel, who had swiftly dealt with the monsters, looked at the two.

“Is everyone okay?”

“Yes, thanks to you, Lord Kiriel. I think we need to give you more than the promised reward.”

“I won’t refuse.”

At Kana’s casual remark, one corner of Kiriel’s mouth slightly lifted. Perhaps because they had fought the monsters together, the atmosphere eased a bit.

They gathered the byproducts of the rock snakes, which were magic stones, while wrapping up the situation.

After thoroughly inspecting the surroundings, they exited the mine. Kiriel kindly reinforced the barrier he had set up nearby.

“Thank you, Lord Kiriel.”

“It’s nothing. It’s a monster problem.”

Kiriel turned his head. Kana silently watched his golden hair flutter in the wind. As soon as the situation was resolved, Colin bowed deeply and apologized.

“I’m sorry, Miss. It’s my fault that monsters appeared in the mine.”

“It’s okay. Just be more careful next time.”

Kana waved her hand indifferently. Colin’s eyes shook violently.

“But…”

“Raise your head, Sir Colin. We need to report to my parents, so let’s return to the villa first.”

“Yes.”

Colin cautiously raised his head.

* * *

They returned to the villa. It was a minor commotion when Popin and Lena, who heard about the incident at the magic stone mine, jumped up in shock.

Kana, utilizing her experience as an aide, meticulously drafted a report and sent it to her parents.

After wrapping up everything, she went to the guest room to have tea with Kiriel. While both quietly drank their tea, Kiriel spoke first.

“Miss Kana, have you finished your work?”

“Yes. If nothing happens, I was planning to check and then return to the capital, but it seems we need to monitor the mine for a week.”

Kana rubbed her temples. It was standard to monitor the mine for about a week if monsters appeared. Kiriel, knowing this well, slowly nodded.

“That makes sense.”

“Thank you very much for today, Lord Kiriel. Is there anything you want besides the magic stones?”

Kana’s eyes gleamed sharply as she got straight to the point.

No matter how things turned out, his help was immensely significant today. Even if it had been just Colin and her, they could have exterminated the monsters, but it wouldn’t have been smooth.