Episode 44

“There was a time in my very young days when I wanted to die.”

It was the first time I heard about his childhood. 

I nodded my head without interrupting his words.

“…At that time, there was a precious person who saved me when I wanted to die. When that person smiled, it felt like the whole world brightened up.”

“Ah…”

Jealousy started to well up in my chest. 

Why was that? 

Dylan was a good person. So, it should be a good thing for him to have someone important to him. 

Why did my mood keep becoming subtle?

 I tried not to pout my lips as I asked Dylan, “So?”

“About a year and two days ago, I saw you say something to a certain trash and then smile with a sense of satisfaction.”

“…Huh? Did I do that?” 

Even though I had forgotten about it, he remembered the date so meticulously. He must have a good memory.

“Yes. At first, the corners of your mouth were just like the person I knew.”

Who was that precious person? Various curiosities in my mind tangled together.

“Then… maybe the reason why you treat me well is because I resemble someone else you like.” 

As I blurted out those words, the sentence sounded embarrassingly awkward. 

It felt like I was being jealous! 

At that moment, Dylan raised his head roughly. 

“Absolutely, absolutely not!” 

It seemed like he even had an indignant expression on his face.

“That appearance of yours, like a brave puppy, was just a starting point.” 

I was momentarily taken aback by Dylan’s intense expression. 

“Ah, ah… yes!” 

“When you tidy up your weapons and armor, when you look at the world with a determined gaze… just anytime… I began to notice and care about your good qualities, Ishael.”

I don’t really understand. The past me who first met him was always a gloomy person who hunched over and worked alone. 

“Um, really? Are you talking about me?” 

He stared at me with an intense gaze, as if searching deeply into my eyes. 

“Yes, Ishael.” 

He started to talk about my good qualities that even I didn’t know about. 

Me, who quietly and professionally tackled difficult tasks without complaining. 

Me, who tried not to cause harm to others. 

Me, who tried to smile brightly even in difficult times…

 Dylan continuously transformed the past me, whom even I labeled as a pushover, into a good person. 

“When I’m by your side, my heart becomes peaceful.”

He hesitated as he spoke. 

“But impure desires always coexist. I’m speaking to Ishael, whom I dare to admire. Perhaps I…” 

He whispered softly as he brushed my hair aside. 

“I don’t even know if I was originally a corrupt person.” 

Dylan removed his hand and met my wavering gaze. 

“Still, please don’t avoid me.” 

He lightly kissed my forehead. 

“…” 

“The one who promised me a year is Ishael.” 

The mention of a year and his voice evoked a subtle sentiment.

A one-year contract marriage. 

Will I be able to resist temptation during that time?

It hasn’t even been two months since we started living together in the same house. 

But my heart was already pounding.

***

As I walked out in the middle of the night, I entered the mausoleum, stomping my feet aimlessly on the ground. 

“I’m so worried!” 

No, this wasn’t the time for that. It was finally the moment when I broke through everything and entered the mausoleum! 

Moreover, Dylan assured me, saying, “We did the cleaning together, so I’ll take care of the rest of the interior.”

“Oh, Dylan. Are you good at interior design?” 

He said proudly. 

“I’ll decorate it like a newlywed couple. Ishael, feel free to focus on your work outside.” 

Just how amazing was his plan for decoration? 

I left with a strange sense of anticipation. 

I blinked my eyes in front of the majestic mausoleum.

 Yes, this is where I would start my new life. 

At that very moment… Thud! 

Something flew from behind and hit my head.

 I looked at the item that fell to the ground and made an astonished expression. 

“…A straw doll?” 

No, was it a cursed item? 

The doll had red thread tightly tied around it. 

Then, a murmur came from the doll’s mouth. 

[Go away.]

“…?” 

What is this? Then, someone behind me suddenly spoke. 

“It’s not a straw doll; it’s a circle and mana discriminator.” 

I turned around to face the person. 

It was a man wearing a magician’s pointed hat, and he squinted at me. 

“…Huh? Discriminator?” 

The straw doll in my hand spoke.

[That’s right. And it’s a useless circle.] 

“Um, is ‘this’ me by any chance?” 

[No one here has a circle except you.] 

It had a very pitiful and dismissive tone. 

A circle being ignored even by a straw doll. 

I furrowed my eyebrows and dropped the straw doll to the ground. 

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. 

You foolish straw doll. 

The straw doll squeaked on the ground. 

[…Your skills are mediocre, and even your personality is terrible!] 

I ignored the straw doll. 

I slightly nodded my head at the surprised magician. 

“I am Ishael Ode, who is starting my journey in the mausoleum.” 

[Ha… Hey, magician! You’re really getting cheeky! This human Ishael has ridiculously low mana!] 

The magician’s expression turned cold when he saw the straw doll. 

“Ah, is that so?” 

[That’s right!] 

“It was fortunate for you to be saved by the Mausoleum Lord.” 

“Ah, you don’t really like me being a circle?” 

“Well, honesty is a good point. That’s right. The mausoleum is based on skill.” 

As long as you have the skill, it doesn’t matter if you’re a commoner. 

I smiled slyly. 

“Yes, I understand. Then please let me take the entrance test for the mausoleum.” 

In reality, the test I was seeing now was just a formality. 

Thanks to the recommendation of Duke Saboia, my admission to the mausoleum was already confirmed. 

The magician, who was full of pride in the mausoleum, seemed quite bothered by that fact. 

He glared at me with disdain.

 “Duke Saboia may be the Mausoleum Lord, but he has withdrawn from the front lines.” 

“Hmm, so?” 

“If you’re not qualified to enter, I’ll bet my place and treat you like an invisible person.” 

I casually nodded my head. 

“Okay.” 

Whatever. 

* * * 

Even as I entered the mausoleum and walked through the corridor, voices mocking me continued. 

“Have you heard the rumors?” 

“They say the circle who stepped on the straw doll is a worthless and insignificant circle.” 

“Even if you received a noble title, here you’re just a commoner.” 

“But still, they say she is the savior of the Duke.” 

“Have you seen the newspaper? It’s just luck.” 

“It’s driving me crazy. And they even say she has been to prison.” 

Ah, my ears hurt. 

I sincerely missed the sound of the earplugs. 

I entered the examination hall while listening to the muttering voices of eccentric magicians. 

Inside, there were spectators and one stern-looking magician with horn-rimmed glasses. 

“This is Mary, the examiner.” 

“Nice to meet you.” 

“Did you enter the mausoleum based on your appearance?” 

“I am somewhat beautiful, you know.” 

“We’re all about skill-based selection.” 

“I see. I’m also good at skills. I saved the Duke.” 

I casually replied, but a voice that couldn’t be ignored reached my ears. 

“According to the rumors, Dylan and…” 

I quickly turned my head and asked, “What about Dylan?” 

“S-surprising.” 

“It’s what the intern said. He really likes you.”

That damn Emmanuel, seriously.

I shook my head in frustration. 

The examiner glared at me with a rigid expression. 

“You know how to handle magic formulas?” 

“Yes.” 

“Solve it.”

I took the test paper. 

“It’s a mix of easy and difficult magic formulas. You should be able to solve them to some extent.” 

Looking down at the test paper, I twirled my pen. 

The questions were multiple-choice. 

[1. What does ‘img’ in magic formulas represent?] 

It seemed like a question that assumed I wouldn’t be able to answer correctly. 

And as expected, laughter erupted when I just held my pen still. 

“Why are you stupidly frozen?” 

“Hurry up and do something, 1st Circle!” 

It felt like the fact that I was the savior of Duke Saboia’s life was hitting the clear limit of being a 1st Circle magician. 

No, maybe they didn’t want to admit that I was superior to them in the 1st Circle topic. 

The jeering continued, and I stared at the test paper without doing anything. 

The incompetent examiner shouted, “Everyone, be quiet!” 

With that, I put down my pen. 

Tick-tock. 

Time was still ticking away. 

I yawned and quickly began writing down the answers to the questions. 

I heard the sound of pens moving square by square. 

While looking at the magic formulas, I occasionally chuckled. 

It was because the content was as predictable as expected. 

As I rolled my pen, the atmosphere began to change little by little. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Could she be skilled?” 

“Is the 1st Circle hiding her power?” 

What’s up with those magicians? 

It was just a few minutes ago that they were jeering, but now they were buzzing with excitement like this. 

I smiled softly as I looked at the beautifully decorated letters on the test paper. 

“But still, everyone will be surprised when they see my answer sheet.” 

I finished writing down all the answers and put down my pen. 

Ding. 

With a small sound, the test ended.

I submitted the test paper and asked, “Are you going to grade it right away?” 

“Not yet. I plan to grade it together with Claude in his laboratory.” 

* * * 

Inside the grading room after Ishael left. 

Claude, who was in charge of supervising the grading, arrived gracefully. 

Everyone’s gaze was already fixed on the test paper in the examiner’s hand. 

“So, are we going to get graded right away?” 

“How many points did you get?” 

“You saved Duke Saboia, so you must have gotten some points, right?” 

“Maybe around 20 points?” 

“If it’s over 50 points, should I boost it a bit?” 

Despite the frivolous conversation, the examiner carefully examined the test paper. 

His complexion was gradually darkening. 

When he meticulously checked the test paper and confirmed the answers perfectly, the examiner bit his lip. 

“…It’s zero points.” 

“What?” 

People exchanged glances as they looked at the examiner’s complexion. 

The silence was quite suspicious. 

And at that moment. 

The examiner screamed at the top of his lungs. 

“…It’s zero points! Zero points!” 

All the magicians in the room froze and fell silent. Until now, no one had ever received zero points in the mausoleum entrance test. 

Ishael had received the very first zero points. 

“Ha, zero points?” 

“Wow, she really doesn’t fit with the mausoleum, huh?”

“…We can’t take her in our line. Let’s go.” 

“She was lucky to have the 1st Circle save the Duke. She’ll fade away on her own.” 

“Treat her like an invisible person.” 

Everyone completely lost interest in Ishael. 

Of course. 

Zero points, after all.

 It was at a level that couldn’t even be considered as a target for supervision, and she didn’t even have a disciple worth cultivating. 

But it was right at that moment. 

“…It’s not just zero points.” 

“Huh?” 

The examiner, with a trembling voice, once again stared at the test paper and mumbled. “She pointed out errors in all the questions.”