It was a lie even a child wouldn’t believe. I should have just kept my mouth shut. I bit my lip belatedly, but an unexpected answer followed.

“Do what you want. We can’t do anything today anyway since there are no toys.”

“Really? I have nothing to do?”

“Pretty much.”

Good riddance to those hideous things disappearing from the world. And I couldn’t miss this golden opportunity. I grabbed Master in high spirits.

“Then please help me with my magical research! I absolutely need to produce research results this time.”

“It’s not difficult.”

His blue eyes turned toward me. The gaze was sharper than before.

“What research topic are you thinking of?”

“The correlation between magical power and baldness. I’ve been curious about it for a while.”

“Why?”

“Most professors and great Archmages don’t have hair. Ah, Master is an exception though. If this turns out to be true, all the mages in the Mage Tower might try to go bald!”

Master looked me over with a cold gaze. A flat voice brushed past my ear.

“Then are all the bald people in this world excellent Archmages?”

“Ah… that’s not it.”

“Then are Archmages who aren’t bald weak in magical power?”

“That’s not it either.”

“Your research topic is already full of holes. Start over.”

It was a merciless answer. I thought it would be a fairly interesting research topic, but apparently not.

“Then… how about an inquiry into whether a goat’s cry can summon demons?”

“Already wrong. It’s impossible from the start.”

“Ah, I see…”

Finding a research topic was the first hurdle. But the improvement was that before, I didn’t have anyone to correct me like this. Having Master here meant I could save a lot of unnecessary time.

“Anything else to ask?”

“One last thing, really just one more! The source of magical power is the heart, right? So what about the hypothesis that people with larger hearts than others become stronger mages?”

Master let out a deep sigh. It was a pathetic look, like looking at a rock that couldn’t think at all.

“That hypothesis already has research cases. It’s been proven that magical power and heart size have no correlation at all. You should have learned this level of common knowledge even at the academy.”

“Ah, I didn’t know because I didn’t attend the academy…”

Master really seemed to have forgotten everything about me. There was so much opposition at the Mage Tower because I was a commoner. If this was how it would be, I really couldn’t understand why he took me as a disciple despite that opposition.

Still, he wasn’t completely without conscience—Master let out a low sigh and continued explaining.

“Heart size has nothing to do with it. If it did, crimes targeting human hearts would have been rampant long ago. I heard there was once a crazy mage who ate hearts to increase magical power, but he didn’t get any results either.”

“I see. It’s harder than I thought. I’ll think more about the research topic.”

“Do as you please.”

Master left me and moved his steps. Where he headed was beyond the closed door.

What incredible things might be in there?

I’d been curious for a while. What was in Archmage Haliven’s secret workshop? Of course, where I was now was also a workshop, but I decided to pretend I hadn’t seen this.

No point remembering it—it’s just bad for my mental health.

Finally the door opened and Master entered beyond it. I stood pressed against the door and peeked inside.

The bookshelf on the wall was filled with books, and large tables in the center were scattered with design blueprints. On the blackboards lined up next to them were formulas I didn’t know.

“At least this looks like an Archmage’s secret workshop.”

Master strode over and approached the desk covered with design blueprints. He put on round glasses and checked the blueprints this way and that, and a few strands of hair fell down the side of his face. 

His sharp nose bridge and blue eyes lost in thought were a spectacular sight every moment.

If only it weren’t for the hideous d*ldo drawings on the blueprints, it would have been more perfect.

Fortunately, maybe because I’d seen worse things today, I could overlook that much. I quietly snuck into the room while Master focused on the blueprints.

In one corner of the room, miscellaneous items were piled up in layers like a tree. I glanced at them and turned my gaze to the books on the bookshelf. Books with similar titles were gathered together.

“‘Demon Summoning’? ‘The Price of Contracts’…?”

These were books I couldn’t easily see even in the library. Among the books filling the shelf, the one that looked somewhat different was a book called ‘The Heretic of the Gods, the Plague of the World, Chesi.’

The moment I picked it up, Master, who had been flipping through blueprints, hesitated. He looked at me with tired eyes.

“Better not to take interest carelessly.”

“But… it’s a book in Master’s workshop?”

“That’s exactly why I’m saying this.”

I was curious about the contents since these were books I couldn’t easily see. However, I thought it would be better to listen to Master for now. I obediently put the book I was holding back on the shelf.

“Any other help needed?”

“Not right now. I’d like to receive magic instruction too, but magical research is more urgent for now.”

“As you can see, I hate having people around. It’s quite irritating.”

In other words, I’d asked everything I needed to ask, so please leave now. Master seemed to dislike being with people. I’d heard there were many mages like that, but he seemed particularly severe.

“Actually, I want to go too, but…”

“But?”

“I don’t know how to get there. Magic really… doesn’t listen to me.”

Master’s fine brow furrowed slightly. Was he thinking I was a pathetic disciple who couldn’t even cast basic magic? He stuck his hand into the pile of items stacked like a tree.

A moment later, what emerged in his hand was a golden fountain pen and a small notepad. He scribbled some unknown numbers on the notepad and handed it to me.

“These are the coordinates to my workshop. Memorize them. If you write coordinates on that notepad and tear it off, you can go to that location.”

“Don’t tell me this is… a magic tool?”

“Yes. I put my magical power into it, so you can use it until it’s depleted.”

There were only a few mages in the world who could develop magic tools. First, their magical power had to be strong enough to put into a magic tool, and they also needed the ability to refine it delicately.

With just one magic tool, even mages with weak magical power or ordinary people could implement magic. That’s why they were traded at tremendous prices as a matter of course, and even with money, they were hard to obtain.

“Such a precious thing… can you really give it to me?”

“It’s useless just sitting here anyway.”

Could all those items piled up like junk over there be magic tools? No wonder my gaze kept going there. The dark desire hidden inside me slowly coiled up and raised its head.

If I sell just a few of those, I could get a mansion in the capital…! No, no. What am I thinking right now?

It’s not like I’m repaying kindness with enmity. I quickly shook my head and erased the idle thoughts. Meanwhile, Master was scribbling something on the notepad.

“The coordinates for the women’s dormitory are 346⦁57. Don’t forget this either.”

“…Yes, thank you.”

When I took it, Master walked back to the table with the blueprints. But even after a long time, I couldn’t leave and kept lingering. He, who had been concentrating, let out a low sigh.

“Not leaving?”

“Well… going out looking like this is a bit…”

I was still in my underwear with the semi-transparent April apron. Even though it was the women’s dormitory, I was embarrassed. If I ran into other mages, I’d be mocked endlessly. They were already dying to kick me out as it was.

“My assistant requires a lot of attention.”

Master tossed a cloak that had been hanging on a coat rack. For a mere cloak, the texture in my hands felt extraordinary. When I wrapped it around myself, it was incredibly light and soft like silk. Then I discovered a familiar pattern.

“Don’t tell me this is… a Digrora Magic Shop product?”

“You know it well.”

One of the magic shops representing the Empire was Digrora Magic Shop. The magic tools made there were of such high quality that even the Archmages of the Mage Tower acknowledged them.

While magic tools inevitably faced magical depletion, Digrora line products could self-recover their magical power. Moreover, once set to an owner, it could never be changed no matter who it was.

My lifelong wish was to own a Digrora Magic Shop magic tool!

A cloak of that caliber would naturally block physical and magical attacks, and even if it tore, it would self-repair without issue. However, since the owner was set to Master, it was just an ordinary cloak to me.

“Um… I’m grateful, but… what if I lose it?”

“What do you mean what? You just pay for it.”

Digrora Magic Shop products were hard to obtain even if you sold several mansions in the capital. Thinking about that, suddenly walking around the women’s dormitory in just underwear seemed fine.

Embarrassment is temporary, but poverty is forever.

I’d go bankrupt just paying off debts for generations. I felt like all the blood in my body was cooling. I smiled stiffly and respectfully handed the cloak back to Master.

“I couldn’t dare wear something more precious than my own body.”

His blue eyes touched the cloak and then turned back to me. Master let out a hollow laugh.

“I won’t make you pay even if you lose it. Just wear it.”

“Is that really true?”

“Yes.”

“They say a person’s heart is different when it comes in and goes out—should we get it notarized just in case of an uncomfortable situation…”

“Just wear it already.”

“…Yes.”

Master’s mood soured again in an instant. At times like this, it’s best not to provoke him. I timidly took the cloak.

Still, I should make sure about things like this…

Unable to do otherwise at his angry expression, I wrapped the cloak around myself. It was a cloak light like a feather, yet somehow it felt as heavy as a stone.

“What’s your schedule tomorrow?”

“Nothing much. Wake up, eat breakfast, clean Master’s personal workshop, then eat lunch, clean Master’s personal workshop again, and then eat dinner…”

“I get it, stop!”

The look in his eyes changed with every word. Earlier he looked at me like an extraordinary pervert, but now his face looked like he was watching a parasite that did nothing but waste food.

It stung a bit, but… what could I do? 

Generally, commoners from difficult family circumstances easily missed having magical power. 

Even if they accidentally awakened their abilities like me, becoming an official mage was like plucking stars from the sky.

In that situation, no professor wanted to teach someone like me who hadn’t attended the academy. Moreover, since I was a commoner, they were busy ignoring and turning away from me.

Still, fortunately, the food from the Mage Tower was fair to everyone. First, it was free, and it was delicious. So in this desolate place, the only pleasure I could find was food.

“Come here by 9 tomorrow. Don’t forget the coordinates.”

“Yes, and no matter what happens, I’ll definitely return this cloak to you.”

Master found me bothersome and didn’t even look at me anymore. With his gaze fixed on the blueprints, he just waved his hand slightly.

“Then I’m really going. Take care.”

“Just go already.”

How cold. I tore the paper with the coordinates. Then, in the blink of an eye, I had arrived at the women’s dormitory. I thought anew how nice magic tools were.

First… let’s go back to my room. Today was too exhausting.

As soon as I opened the door, the clothes that had arrived before me greeted me. I let out a hollow laugh at the sense of futility.

“Such ungrateful clothes.”

I wanted to teach them a lesson, but they were just clothes after all. Instead of venting pointlessly, I carefully folded the cloak more precious than my own body and placed it by the window where sunlight gently shone.

Since it was a precious item, I wanted to keep it fresh and fluffy. I’d already taken off the semi-transparent April apron I hated and thrown it on the floor.

Only after completing all this could I comfortably lie on the bed. All that remained was to roll around comfortably and organize today’s tasks.

“First, I can’t skip dinner. Today’s the day they serve roast turkey. And I need to remember to submit my outing application.”

Fledgling mages like me couldn’t leave the Mage Tower as we pleased. Even outings required reporting to superiors and getting approval. On top of that, there was a limit on the number of times for personal errands, so I had to save them as much as possible.

Once the permit came out, I planned to stop by the toy shop where I used to work. The learned pervert older women would surely tell me in detail about how to become a d*ldo master in this area.

“Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen them. I wonder how everyone’s doing.”

I was already looking forward to the long-awaited reunion.