Chapter 63
The scene in front of me was so disastrous that I couldn’t even speak.
Then a city guard snapped sharply:
“A magician attacking a civilian?! Do you realize what you’ve done? This is terrorism!”
What?!
This was the last thing I’d expected.
I’d worked so hard to stop them from doing any dangerous demonstrations—only for them to turn around and attack a customer.
From the looks of it, the culprit who roasted the man into a lump of charcoal was Edwin.
“What happened?” I asked.
The guard glanced suspiciously at the bear-mascot Alperen beside me.
“Step back, miss. Only involved parties are allowed.”
Given how smoothly the event had been going until now, the guards were on edge. With an injury on the field, it was only natural.
At this rate, our weak little club would be forced into disbandment.
I squeezed Alperen’s hand, gathered my courage, and said firmly,
“I am involved. I’m part of this club.”
“Rodelia.”
Sierra appeared, wiping sweat from her forehead. Her face looked ten years older already.
“What happened?” I asked her.
“Looks like Edwin and Glaster misunderstood something,” she said grimly. Then she explained: apparently, they’d attacked a man who was just keeping a magical pet.
“He was a licensed tamer. Probably the golden cameli hid its eggs without his knowledge…”
Golden Cameli—an incredibly tricky magical species, half-chameleon, famous for its mischief.
Especially its transformation magic. Once it started playing hide-and-seek, it could take days to find.
“But it asked for help! It said that guy locked it up against its will!”
Glaster clutched the cage tightly, still fuming.
But the man, now partially healed after chugging a potion, shouted back,
“It wrecked my house! What else was I supposed to do? You think taming is easy?”
“Then why were you asking about the eggs?” Edwin growled.
The man snapped,
“Because the creature hid them so well I couldn’t find them! If I left them like that, they’d die before hatching!”
He looked more frustrated than guilty.
The way it all lined up, Edwin had gone berserk, and Glaster had cheered him on.
‘Glaster, you too…?’
Even Glaster—usually the reliable one—joining in made my head spin.
I stepped up to him and said firmly,
“Give it back to its owner. Now.”
“But, but…”
“And apologize. Properly.”
My sharp tone made Glaster tear up, but he obeyed. He reluctantly moved to hand over the cage—
But just then, the latch popped open.
The golden cameli burst out—
And leapt straight onto my neck.
“Eh?!”
The owner froze in shock.
“It never lets anyone touch it…”
Cold, damp reptilian skin pressed against me—but strangely, the creature looked comfortable.
It even licked my cheek.
“Kyuu, kyuu.”
The cameli, who had been stubbornly silent until now, whined sweetly like a spoiled child.
I tried to pry it off, but it clung tightly. Flustered, I looked at Glaster.
“What is it saying?”
“Uh…” Glaster stared at me, wide-eyed. Finally, he swallowed hard and said,
“[Take me with you… it feels so good!] That’s what it says.”
“What? You’re kidding.”
“I-I’m not! It says you smell nice, and being near you makes it feel totally refreshed.”
…What.
I wasn’t a potion. How did that even make sense?
While I was still baffled, a big fuzzy paw reached out.
Alperen easily pulled the creature off me.
The cameli flailed at first, but then abruptly went still in his grip.
He dropped it back into the cage and handed it politely to the owner.
The man blinked, stunned at the bear mascot’s helpfulness, and accepted it.
“Uh, thank you? But… who are you—”
“Oh.”
Realizing he was still in costume, Alperen pulled off the bear head.
The man’s eyes went wide.
“Y-you’re…!”
Alperen smiled calmly.
“The Tower will compensate you for any damages. But please, let’s consider this whole incident… erased. They didn’t know any better.”
Like a parent apologizing for unruly kids, his tone was respectful and polite.
He even handed over his Tower Master’s business card.
The man stared, dumbstruck.
“Eh?”
For a full minute, he looked between the card and Alperen’s face—
And then screamed:
“WHAT?!”
Sierra, still wrangling with the guards, turned at the noise. Her expression said, What now?
It wasn’t my fault! I hadn’t done anything but try to smooth things over!
And then, of all times, Edwin muttered aloud,
“Huh. Now that I think about it… during that Tower tour, Jelly walked by and flowers bloomed in her wake. Hmmm.”
It was an idle remark, but loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
I wanted to smack him.
And then he clapped his hands and pointed straight at me.
“So it wasn’t a coincidence! Whoa—newbie Jelly, you’ve got some hidden—mmph!”
Alperen stuffed a passing vendor’s steamed bun right into Edwin’s mouth.
Just like that, the attention that had been about to crash down on me shifted toward the Tower Master feeding buns to an idiot.
“Quiet,” Alperen said softly. His tone was sweet, but his eyes were razor-sharp.
At first, I thought he was just irritated at Edwin for causing a scene during clean-up.
But then he added, coldly,
“And it’s Deli. Don’t call her Jelly again.”
…Really? That’s what mattered to him right now?
I’d long since grown used to people mangling my name. I hadn’t expected him to care.
Meanwhile, Edwin chewed happily through the bun, completely unfazed.
“…This is good.”
Unbelievable. He could commit a major crime, get shackled, and still snack without a care in the world.
I gave up trying to understand him. Sierra was right—he was Magia’s biggest liability.
***
Thankfully, with the Tower Master himself stepping in, the golden cameli’s owner calmed down.
Alperen even persuaded the guards to leave without pressing charges.
As he wrapped things up, I whispered to him,
“Sorry. You shouldn’t have had to get involved in all this.”
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for.”
His gaze flicked toward Edwin and Glaster, his eyes briefly cold before he clicked his tongue.
But then, turning back to me, his face softened again into that honey-sweet smile.
“So this is why you wanted to stick close to the fair?”
“Yeah. Just in case.”
I hadn’t expected Glaster, of all people, to join in the madness, though.
Joining this so-called Magical Flora & Fauna Club felt less like raising magical creatures and more like wrangling berserk magicians.
“But thanks to you, it all worked out.”
If not for him, Magia might’ve been disbanded right here—just like in the original story.
The cameli’s owner was clearly wealthy enough to cause serious trouble.
And Edwin had nearly turned him into a corpse.
Just as I thought things had finally been resolved—
“Well, well. Even the mighty Duke of Ainrook solves problems with status instead of principle, huh?”
A drawling, mocking voice cut through the air.
One I really didn’t want to hear.
Cesare.
He puffed out smoke from the cigar between his lips, smirking.
The twin tear-shaped moles under his eyes curled as his grin deepened.
“Tell me, Nanael. Don’t you think this looks like grounds for disciplinary action?”
