Episode 6
I was so shocked by the words that slipped out of my mouth that I hurriedly covered it with my hand.
But it was probably too late.
Dante, startled as well, looked at me while still holding the experimental tool he hadn’t had time to put down.
Feeling awkward under his gaze, I scratched my cheek for no reason.
“Haha… sorry. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”
Dante stared at me for a moment like I was some kind of weirdo, then slowly turned his head away.
…Did he just click his tongue quietly, or was I imagining it?
When I glanced over his shoulder, the table was still a complete mess.
Before I knew it, Dante had fully gone back to focusing on making potions, as if he’d already forgotten I existed.
At this point, I could disappear and he wouldn’t even notice, right?
Watching his back while he was distracted with his tools, I carefully took a step back.
Quietly—one step.
Then another, holding my breath.
Before I realized it, I was standing right in front of the door.
I tightly gripped the doorknob.
Click—creeeak.
The door must’ve been old. It let out a loud creaking sound, and I instinctively whipped my head around to look at Dante.
Luckily, he still seemed completely absorbed and hadn’t noticed.
Now’s my chance…
I slipped out of the room as quietly as I could.
After leaving Dante’s lab, I climbed up the stairs.
When I reached the first floor—the place where I always used to argue with Kaiden—I started seeing mages here and there.
A mage rushing somewhere with a stack of documents.
A mage wrapped in a robe, walking close to the wall.
A mage wandering the hallway with empty eyes, muttering to himself.
Everyone looked busy, as usual.
“Still… where did Kaiden go? He’s the easiest one to ask for help.”
Kaiden, who always seemed to open the door for me like he’d been waiting, was nowhere to be seen today.
I thought he was a pretty idle guy since he was always at the entrance—but I guess not.
“I can’t just open every room, either…”
In the end, I grabbed a passing mage to ask about Kaiden.
“Um, excuse me—”
“Aaah!”
Crash!
The mage, who’d been walking down the hallway with empty eyes, got startled and dropped the glass bottle he was holding.
It shattered on the floor, and he collapsed down with it.
“Ahhh! My new medicine! I stayed up four days and nights to make that…!”
Four days and nights?!
Did he really just drop something that valuable because of me?
“Uh—are you okay?”
He snapped his head up and glared at me resentfully.
“You can’t just call someone like that all of a sudden—!”
But the resentment didn’t last long.
His eyes suddenly sparkled as he looked at me.
“I’m really sorry. I’m urgently looking for someone.”
“Y-you’re… Dante’s—”
“What should we do about the medicine? Is there anything I can help with?”
“…Huh? N-no! You’re Dante’s precious guest! It’s fine! I can remake a potion like this twice over!”
No, it’s not fine.
You literally said you stayed up four days and nights making it.
And you’re treating it like nothing just because I’m Dante’s guest?
I’d already noticed it with Kaiden, but the mages here really seemed to worship Dante.
Still, being treated specially just because of him didn’t sit right with me.
“I’ll help clean it up, at least.”
“No need! This is easy to take care of. Anyway, you said you were looking for someone. Is it Dante, by any chance? At this hour, Dante would be—”
Looking into his shining eyes, Kaiden suddenly came to mind.
They looked exactly the same whenever Dante was mentioned.
“No, not Dante. I’m looking for Kaiden.”
“…Kaiden?”
Wow.
I’d never seen someone look so disappointed in real time before.
Was it really possible for someone’s soul to leave their body that visibly?
“If it’s Kaiden, he should be in the first room on the left hallway.”
Still unable to hide his disappointment, he snapped his fingers.
The spilled potion and broken glass vanished instantly.
Then, slumping his shoulders, he walked away.
The mage sighed heavily as he left, and soon disappeared from sight.
I headed toward the room he’d pointed out.
“So it’s the room closest to the entrance.”
Is that why only Kaiden ever showed up?
With that pointless thought, I knocked on the door.
“Kaiden. It’s me. Are you inside?”
No answer.
But I could feel someone inside.
Should I knock again?
Knock knock.
“Kaiden, you’re in there, right? Please open the door. I have something to say!”
After a moment—
Creeeak—
The door opened with a loud sound.
“Um… Kaiden?”
“What.”
“Are you really going to talk like that?”
“Yes. Say what you need to say.”
Kaiden opened the door just enough that I could barely see half his face.
His voice and expression were full of irritation.
Wait… is he seriously—
“Kaiden. Are you sulking?”
“…No.”
“You’re upset because I didn’t help you meet Dante, right?”
“Do you think I’m that petty?”
Yes. Very much so.
Otherwise, why would you be looking at me like I betrayed you?
Those words almost escaped my mouth—but I needed a favor from him, so I held back.
“There was nothing I could do. Dante hates people.”
“…Still. You could’ve at least said something for me. How could you kick someone out so coldly?”
Hmm. This doesn’t seem like it’ll resolve easily.
I guess I have no choice.
“Fine. Then next time I meet Dante, I’ll bring you up if the situation allows. Maybe you’ll even get to meet him.”
“I won’t fall for that twice.”
Even as he said that, Kaiden opened the door a little wider.
“I’m serious! I promise.”
“…You’re promising?”
Creeeak.
This time, the door opened about a hand’s width.
I could clearly see his face now.
“Of course! Don’t worry.”
Kaiden pursed his lips, thinking for a moment, then let out a long sigh.
His shoulders drooped—and then suddenly he lifted his head.
The sulky expression from before was gone, replaced by a faint smile.
Oh. He was holding back laughter, wasn’t he?
Kaiden spoke in the calmest voice he could manage.
“So. What do you need help with?”
“Are we done yet?!”
At Kaiden’s shout, I stopped flipping through the ledger and looked at him.
He had his ear pressed to the door, completely on edge.
I raised a finger to my lips and warned him quietly.
“Shh. Someone might hear.”
“Then hurry up already—!”
Kaiden raised his voice without realizing, then hurriedly covered his mouth and checked outside.
I glanced at his tense back, then refocused on the papers in my hands.
“Rachel, the eldest daughter of the McGreena Viscount family, who got married recently, bought twenty stamina recovery potions in two months… and then…”
After convincing Kaiden, we’d come to the Mage Tower’s archive.
The archive stored not only records of everything that happened in the tower, but also ledgers of magical tools and potion transactions.
What I was looking for was the potion sales records.
More specifically, I was looking for traces of the Crown Prince purchasing potions.
The Crown Prince was the second most powerful person in the kingdom, right after the king.
Because of the pressure he lived under, he’d suffered from insomnia since childhood.
Later, he would be saved by the female lead, who had healing powers, and become her supporter.
I planned to help him briefly before the female lead appeared—just enough to use his power.
I wanted to trade a sleep-inducing potion for information on Joseph’s corruption.
Investigating the count’s estate directly would’ve been the fastest way, but since I’d been kicked out of the family, I’d be stopped by guards immediately.
Still, digging through endless records was exhausting.
Considering when the Crown Prince would’ve started taking sleeping medicine, I’d need to look through at least ten years’ worth.
[Graham Bymond — Hair Loss Treatment ×10]
[Dean Buhaen — Confession Potion ×1, Magic Amplifier ×1]
[Rovain Tartoss — Magic Enhancement Potion ×2]
And of course, I kept learning things I really didn’t want to know.
Baron Bymond was bald? He’s still young—what happened…
Stuff like that.
No wonder I was drained.
After checking records from six months ago, I put the ledger down and let out a shallow breath.
Only nobles and above could afford Mage Tower potions, but even then, searching through everything alone was nearly impossible.
“Kaiden.”
“Yes? Are you done? Can we leave now?”
Kaiden snapped his head toward me and urged me in a low voice.
“No. We’re still far from done.”
“Why are you taking your time?! At this rate, we’ll both die!”
“There’s no way I can go through all of this alone.”
“Then we’ll have to stop here. Come on, let’s get out—”
“Help me.”
Kaiden let out a short, exhausted breath and looked completely fed up.
But I ignored that and said it again.
“Help me.”
“No—!”
“I’ll try asking Dante to let you join sometimes when he’s researching me.”
That was my trump card.
Kaiden wavered instantly.
Good. One more push.
“Who knows? He might even take you on as a research assistant.”
In the end, Kaiden gave in.
“…What exactly are we looking for?”
Seriously—how much does he worship Dante to fall for something this ridiculous?
I almost felt sorry for him.
“We need to find someone who repeatedly bought the same potion for the past ten years—or even longer. I don’t know the name, but if it’s been that long, it’ll stand out.”
“Ten years is a long time. What kind of potion?”
“Sleeping pills.”
“Mmm… sleeping pills…”
Muttering to himself, Kaiden picked up one of the ledgers beside me and scanned through it.
Then he suddenly asked,
“But is there a special reason you’re looking for this person?”
“I just need something from them…”
I trailed off.
Kaiden tilted his head, curious.
I smiled softly at him and finished my sentence.
“I’m planning to play the savior.”
