"I'm also an apprentice magician, so please be kind to me"
Andrea spoke in a playful tone, as if acting cute. Then Cain, rising from his seat, scowled at him.
"Don't talk nonsense, kidnapper! Don't dirty the Magic Tower, just get out of here! Hey, Mana vessel, come here. "I'll teach you everything about herbs and poisons!"
"You should refrain from involving yourself, Magic Lord. You need to cultivate eyes that can distinguish and judge for yourself."
Heron stepped in, giving Cain a stern and cold gaze.
"No, but it's his first time, and I should help a bit..."
"All apprentices are beginners. Showing favoritism where others can't see."
"It's not favoritism..."
"Good that it's not favoritism. The Magic Lord must stay with me until the time limit is up. There are lots of test results that the Magic Lord needs to see."
Heron, as if determined not to listen to any more excuses, stood in front of Cain. He turned to Andrea and me, saying,
"Time is running out. Hurry up."
"Yes."
Andrea answered cutely and then he smiled at me.
"Shall we go?"
***
"What should I call you here? Jim? James? Edward?"
All of these were aliases he had used so far. Even though Andrea must have noticed my sarcasm, he just laughed innocently.
"When I do mana inspections, I use the name Darren."
Darren? It wasn't amusing to use ordinary names that seemed familiar.
"But you can call me whatever you want. Andrea, Andy, Leah, whatever you prefer."
"Actually, you're glad to see me, right?"
Andrea asked cheerfully.
"Not at all."
I replied briefly, wondering if I had caught Stockholm syndrome. While he had been kind to me, I hadn't developed any strong emotions of missing or being glad to see him. I was quite composed and indifferent.
The Magic Tower's garden was very large. It was more like an estate than a garden, divided into sections with lush orchards and flowers, a giant maze area, a thorny and magical plant-filled section, and areas where fairies and spirits fluttered about. There were no decorations like fountains or sculptures, but each area was carefully decorated, making it visually pleasing.
The illusion of an hourglass floating in the sky was quite large. With only two hours inside, time was not ample to explore the entire garden. Other apprentice magicians were entering the maze area as if they had made appointments.
Should I go there too? Why are they going there? Heron didn't seem to instruct me on where to go.
The answer came from Andrea.
"The Magic Tower's maze garden is famous for growing all kinds of herbs. Haven't you heard of it?"
He seemed to sense my confusion.
"Oh, right, Del isn't from here."
Andrea whispered as if sharing a secret and smiled mischievously. When I glared at him, he laughed like a puppy that made a mistake.
"You should advertise in newspapers that I'm a possessed foreigner."
"Ah, why waste advertising. Only I need to know. Del is a gentle person."
The real Del Narcissus was far from gentle and docile. When he thought that way, my anger flared up again. Because I'm a gentle person, you can follow me and harass me. But If I fought back, I would only get in trouble again, so I decided to continue on my way.
I followed the direction taken by other apprentice magicians. Entering the maze made of tall bushes, Andrea accompanied me from behind.
"W-what's this!"
Startled as I jumped, he said with a smile.
"I'm afraid you might get lost. I just want to follow Del."
"Let go of this!"
"No, I don't want to."
As Andrea spoke, he wrapped his other arm around my body as well. Like a cicada clinging to me, he lowered his waist and rested his head on my shoulder.
"So many people get lost in the maze garden and end up as skeletons. The magicians here are so cold-hearted, they don't even rescue them. That's why I have to accompany you, Del."
He pouted while making a puppy-like expression. Del was a disciple of Magic Tower, so he would be rescued immediately if something happened. Andrea, on the other hand, claimed he wouldn't enter the maze alone because he was bad with directions and was weak. He said he wanted to stay with me, and if we were separated, he might cry because he'd miss me. A guy who was as big as a mountain got close to me, as he pretended to be weak
Honestly, it didn't feel bad at all. Even if he laughed and made nonsensical remarks, his main occupation was an assassin, the leader of the largest and most dangerous guild in the Empire. Seeing such a powerful person showing a weak side in front of me made me feel a bit good. It seemed like he was aware of me watching him.
Does he realize he's in the wrong?
Suppressing the laughter that naturally appeared on my lips, I said.
"Well, then just follow me quietly. Let's leave this behind."
I calmly lowered my arm. Andrea, despite wearing a glum expression, released the arm that had been wrapped around me and walked behind me.
As we walked through the maze, I plucked the lush grass growing at each intersection. Initially, I compared them to the plant encyclopedia that Heron had given me, but as time passed, everything seemed the same, so I just picked whatever looked good. Andrea said he would take the grass that was pulled, so I could easily gather more with both hands.
While crouching and digging the ground with both hands, Andrea sat down next to me.
"It's not an herb, but It's an edible plant. If you chew it for a long time, it has a mild but sweet taste."
"Really? How do you know?"
Andrea's hands were already full of grass, and the plant encyclopedia was tucked at his side. He seemed to recognize the plants without looking at the book. When I expressed surprise, Andrea chuckled as if it wasn't a big deal.
"I survived by picking and eating grass when I was young. I can tell what's good or bad for the body, even though I don't know their names."
As soon as I heard that, it hit me. He was a man who grew up under the harsh conditions of slavery until the age of twelve without a name. The slave trader wouldn't have been kind enough to provide meals to his slaves. I suddenly became curious about how he survived. How did the young boy eat before escaping from the slave trader? Where did he sleep? Did he ever get beaten?
However, it was just a passing curiosity. I knew that showing interest or affection without genuine care could make people uncomfortable. So, I kept my mouth shut and continued picking the grass.
"You have a thoughtful expression," Andrea laughed.
"I think to myself a lot."
"...It wasn't about your thoughts."
He extended his words like a sulking child.
"I was thinking about Del all the way to Magic Tower."
"Is that because of me? Or because of Del Narcissus?"
A reflex blunt response came out. Both Andrea and I were surprised by the aggressive tone. As we stared at each other with wide eyes, Andrea spoke first.
"Del... I've been feeling a bit uneasy earlier. Are you really angry?"
"No?"
Another straightforward answer.
Am I angry? No, why would I be? I was just annoyed by Andrea, who couldn't trust me and kept trying to keep an eye on me. Sure, there was a surge of anger earlier, but that was just... well...
Oh.
My hand, which had been picking grass, froze.
Am I really angry?
This realization was quite surprising for me. Why was I angry? I slowly started moving my hand again, carefully digging around the grassroots to avoid damaging them while continuing my thoughts.
Was it because Andrea was too nonchalant and playful? Or because he infiltrated Magic Tower without my knowledge, making it seem like he couldn't trust me? However, this uncomfortable irritation has been lingering since yesterday. If the cause of this emotion was anger, then I would have been angry since yesterday, precisely... since Andrea neatly accepted my goodbye and left.
I continued to move my hands, shaping the soil around the grassroots. Andrea, observing my changing expressions, spoke cautiously.
"Of course, I'm genuinely concerned about Del Narcissus's well-being, but I'm also worried about you."
He tilted his head to meet my eyes. Despite accidentally hitting his forehead on the maze wall in the process, he didn't seem bothered. His eyes were solely fixed on my face.
"If I made you angry, I'm sorry. Please don't be mad. Okay?"
I took my eyes away from the grass and faced him. It was only now that I seemed to understand the exact reason for my anger. I was upset because Andrea easily left "me" and returned for 'Del Narcissus." Because......because... I had developed feelings for this man.
"...Fuck."
I really couldn't resist but swear