I Will Not Fall For the Villain’s Flirtations - Chapter 46
“……”
The hand cutting the meat suddenly stopped. As I was thinking that the sudden stillness and his frozen expression were unlike his usual demeanor, his lips relaxed into a familiar smile as if it had been an illusion.
“No.”
“…Then?”
“It’s not for such a rational reason.”
He quietly returned the plate, as if he had nothing more to say. His subtly darkened expression suggested that his mood had soured, even if only slightly.
Could it be that he doesn’t get along with the Master?
Or is it because it reflects his own situation?
Suddenly, I became curious. What was the reason this mysterious mage was so determined to ruin the Holy Kingdom?
“What about you, Keene?”
“Pardon?”
“Why do you dislike the Holy Kingdom?”
“……”
His slowly blinking eyes seemed to indicate that he hadn’t expected such a question. After staring at me blankly for a moment, the man smiled softly and answered.
“I don’t dislike them.”
“…What?”
“I just want to confirm something.”
I looked at him in confusion. What exactly did he want to confirm?
“That there really is no god.”
“……”
His eyes, which had softened, once again turned gray and lifeless, staring into the distance. As I blankly gazed at his indifferent violet eyes, he suddenly asked.
“Aren’t you curious, Du?”
“What?”
“If that shitty god really exists or not.”
Thunk. The fork I was holding pierced the steak. Smiling bitterly at the dry texture, I lowered my gaze.
The meat had lost its juices and become dry.
My heart, already knowing the answer, was too parched to be shaken.
“I hoped there wasn’t one, but there is.”
Such a worthless truth, I’d rather not have known.
* * *
After finishing the meal, I refreshed myself with a cool drink and prepared to leave. The meat I hadn’t had in a long time was delicious despite losing some of its juices, and it left me pleasantly full. Just as I was thinking how fortunate it was that I hadn’t been caught while eating among the Magic Tower mages.
“Oh?”
A passing man seemed to trip and stumbled towards me.
As I despaired at the thought of being crushed by his large frame, an invisible force thankfully caught him. However, it couldn’t prevent his large hand from brushing against the table, causing my half-finished lemonade to spill under the table.
“Oh dear, I’m sorry.”
The man, meeting my eyes, hurriedly apologized and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. After diligently wiping the table for a while, he nodded to Keene, who had steadied him with magic.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I thought he would leave quickly, but contrary to his serious appearance, he started making unwelcome small talk.
“By the way, you seem to be mages. Where do you work? I’m from the Defense Magic Research Team 4.”
“Oh, I…”
Why is he asking that?
As my mind went blank and I stammered, Keene quickly answered.
“We’re from the Small Arms Development Team 3.”
…Isn’t that the team that got scolded earlier?
Sure enough, the man’s expression turned sympathetic, and the small talk continued.
“Oh, you must be having a hard time. The Master has quite a temper. I also struggle sometimes dealing with that person’s personality. He can be quite eccentric.”
“Ha ha, yes.”
Not knowing how else to respond, I laughed awkwardly. Then, Keene, who had been silent, spoke up.
“I haven’t heard of Team 4 coming up with anything innovative. Have you met the Master?”
“Ha ha, why are you saying that? Our team is quite well-regarded.”
Although it was Keene who made the remark that sounded like a provocation, the man felt the need to look at me and add a subtle boast.
“I’m also about to be promoted to Level 5, hmm.”
“……”
What does that even mean?
Since I had no idea about the positions within the Magic Tower, I could only muster a soulless smile. The man, whom I wished would leave quickly, then insisted on bringing me a new lemonade, oblivious to the situation.
“I’m really sorry. If you stay right here, I’ll bring it back faster than the speed of light!”
“Really, it’s fine. We’re done eating and about to leave.”
I thought that would settle it, but then he said,
“Oh, I see. Then let’s go to the elevator together.”
“……”
Are people from the Magic Tower always this friendly?
Turning my head away from the man, I made a distressed face at Keene, who chuckled. He shifted his gaze from me to the man and observed him closely.
“We’ll be teleporting, so…”
“Oh, you’re wasting your magic. It’s already draining enough when you use it for work.”
The man openly showed his disappointment and scolded us. His gaze shifted from Keene’s face to Keene’s hand on my shoulder. Come to think of it, I was half-embraced by Keene at some point.
The man glanced between me and Keene and then asked in a suddenly subdued tone,
“Hmm, are you two perhaps… dating?”
“Yes.”
“No!”
I shot a glare at Keene, who calmly lied, and then smiled to correct him.
“We’re not like that.”
“Oh, I see! That’s a relief.”
The man’s face visibly brightened, and he beamed. At that moment, a forgotten instinct kicked in, and my mind cleared.
Could it be that this guy…?
“I’m Jayton. May I ask your name, Mage?”
“Well, it’s, uh, Leila.”
In a moment of panic, I used Leila’s name. Sorry, roommate!
“Leila, what a cute name, ha ha.”
“……”
Oh, I was right.
I never expected to encounter an admirer in the Magic Tower. I hid my goosebumps and averted my eyes. I should have just stuck with Keene earlier.
As I was sinking into self-reproach and regret, a low voice sounded above my head.
“Jayton.”
“Yes?”
“Aren’t you going?”
“……”
Even though his tone was as calm as usual, it felt quite cold without looking at his face. Jayton seemed to have a similar thought, as he awkwardly ruffled his hair.
“Well then, Leila, let’s meet again. Remember, I’m Jayton from Defense Magic Research Team 4!”
Just as he was about to turn away, Keene did something outrageous. He fired an attack spell at Jayton as he headed towards the elevator.
Although Jayton barely managed to block it, his barrier shattered, and his large body was flung far away. As I turned to Keene in shock, he smiled and spoke to Jayton, who was watching.
“I heard the Defense Magic Team has been focusing on faster barrier creation recently. I wanted to test it. I’m not sure if it’s ineffective or if Jayton is below standard.”
“Why are you doing this? Are you crazy?”
Naturally, people’s attention started to focus on us. As I anxiously looked around, Keene nonchalantly spouted nonsense.
“Du, you shouldn’t meet rude and pretentious men.”
“What are you talking about?”
Why bring up rudeness and pretentiousness now? He didn’t seem like someone who fit those descriptions, even if he was a bit overbearing.
“My dear Du’s charm lies in her unpredictable sense.”
“Not all compliments are flattering, you know?”
“Hey!”
As Keene and I engaged in a pointless argument, the man, who had stood up and dusted off his crumpled clothes, pointed at us with glaring eyes and shouted.
“What level are you? Do you think you can just attack people like that? Do you really want to fight?”
“If you’re confident, then by all means.”
Is this guy really insane?
Already anxious to death, I pinched Keene’s arm hard.
“Let’s just apologize and leave, okay?”
I tried to convey a message of apologizing and escaping, but it was useless.
“I can’t stand rudeness.”
“What did he do that was rude? You’re the one being rude!”
“His face is rude.”
“……”
Oh, this guy, seriously.
“What? I may look like this, but I’m an ex-reserve soldier! You’re really gonna die today… mmph!”
In the tense situation where a brawl seemed imminent, a stranger suddenly intervened.
A tall man with black hair effortlessly subdued Jayton, who was twice his width. He mercilessly covered Jayton’s mouth and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Whatever he said made Jayton’s eyes widen in shock.
“Mmph! Mmph?”
Jayton’s anxious gaze turned towards Keene and me, and he began to struggle as if he couldn’t breathe. However, the man didn’t change his stance and continued to restrain him.
Amazingly, Jayton couldn’t move at all against the much smaller man. It was an unbelievable sight, even though I was witnessing it firsthand, and I could only blink in astonishment.
“……”
The man with black hair gave Keene a dry nod. When Keene responded with a slight nod, the man quietly bowed and started dragging the large mage away.