Chapter 45 – You’re Cute
“I didn’t want to hear people calling the Mage Tower rotten. And yet, they wanted to elect the next Mage Tower Lord by vote, even though the previous one, someone chosen fairly, turned out to be such a rotten human.”
He blinked very slowly. What was he saying? That he had overpowered him by force?
For a brief moment, I stared at him, confused. Maybe he found my expression amusing, because Sehelus smiled again—brightly, as if his entire face could shine.
So much so that I could barely see his eyes.
“That expression of yours… it’s cuter than I expected.”
“…Excuse me?”
“It’s just that it’s so unexpected. Usually, people are shocked or horrified… but Your Majesty’s expression looks more like, ‘What kind of crazy nonsense is this?’”
…Yes. That was exactly it. How did he read my emotions so clearly?
That was precisely how I felt. In the story, the next Mage Tower Lord should have been elected by vote—but he just ignored everything and overpowered the whole situation by force.
“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”
“Well, it’s fine to think that. Even I admit it was unreasonable.”
It felt like he’d ruined a perfectly fine story. Not that it would impact the story too much…
‘Granted, I did run away with Shasha, met Redello early, and changed things… but this man—what exactly…’
“What are your thoughts?”
“On what? Well… I support the new Mage Tower Lord becoming the Lord. And I know he’s a good person, since he came personally to apologize, even though it wasn’t necessary… but still… I just worry there might be problems later…”
“Ah? No.”
“Excuse me? That’s not it?”
“No. You were thinking about me that way. You… were worried.”
Watching this man show endless fondness for me, I couldn’t help but gape. I felt like I’d rambled on for no reason at all.
“I… I am worried. About the Mage Tower…”
No matter how he tries to assert his power, there are people there with strength of their own. And the Head of the Elders would have influence and their own faction…
‘This man doesn’t seem to have any real faction… Is that really okay?’
He smiled again, as if he was still enjoying himself.
“You seem to be a kind person, Your Majesty.”
“No… well, that is—”
“What I wanted to ask Your Majesty was about someone who was given a chance but failed and caused great harm. How would you handle that?”
“Oh. If they’re human, they should be given a chance… right?”
His expression became serious at my words.
“Hmm… really? I suppose I should have given them a chance.”
“But if that person was the previous Mage Tower Lord, it’s a bit different. Well, yes. They might skim some money behind the scenes; humans are greedy. I can understand taking a lot for themselves. But using children is unacceptable. Such a person doesn’t need forgiveness.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried he might have done something wrong.”
“I’m not in a position to judge or choose… but if it were me, that’s how I’d act.”
“Do you like children?”
The sudden question made me nod unconsciously.
“I see.”
Like someone with so much to ask and say, he continued to ask question after question. I didn’t dislike it, but it was a little overwhelming.
Why was this man being so kind to me?
“Maybe I’m imagining things.”
“Yes.”
“No, that’s not it.”
It must just be my imagination. That he seems especially kind to me… I almost asked why, but stopped myself, worried I was getting carried away.
A short while passed. The tea that Melodin had left had already gone cold. Even with magic, it didn’t seem to have a warming function; it cooled too quickly.
Still, drinking it was better than nothing, so I sipped it slowly, breaking the silence a little.
Sehelus spoke again.
“What I didn’t mention earlier is that in the past, I personally chose Teslo as the Mage Tower Lord.”
“Oh, I see… you chose that old pig… huh?”
“I know it’s rude to say, but… your surprised expression is cute.”
He looked cold, but his smile was so easy.
Earlier, I thought he had difficulty smiling, but that wasn’t it. Genuine smiles weren’t hard for him—public smiles were.
If the Emperor had made this expression, I would have thought he was mocking me—but he didn’t give that impression at all.
“Uh…”
“You laugh like a child when surprised. It’s very cute.”
“Ah, um… well…”
Once again, he called me cute, and I couldn’t hide my embarrassment.
Being called “cute” didn’t suit me. Not the real me, not Isabella.
I had been extremely practical. Otherwise, I couldn’t have survived. At the orphanage, I had to leave when I became an adult, and even after Noah left, there were still children in need of care.
I had to take care of them. After leaving the orphanage, I was busy just living. No one was there to call me cute or even notice it.
Isabella had it similar. Though she had parents and Shasha’s support, she had never been loved.
She simply spoke up to survive. A child who never loved parents didn’t know how to give love—and thus couldn’t be cute.
So hearing “cute” was more cringeworthy than being called pretty or beautiful.
“Then… what did you mean earlier?”
I hurriedly changed the subject. Fortunately, he was very responsive to my words.
He leaned slightly toward the tea table, tilting his head. His black hair shimmered, as if reflecting light.
“What are you referring to?”
“When you said you personally chose Teslo in the past. He’s been Mage Tower Lord for a long time, hasn’t he? He was very old…”
“Oh. You know the story of the Mage Tower? Long ago, a powerful mage ruled the tower. But he went berserk, and from then on, no single mage could rule the tower. So five people were given voting rights to elect the Mage Tower Lord.”
I knew this story—the unfortunate event at the Mage Tower.
“The five of the Mage Tower Elders: the strong, the old, the new, the enlightened, and the one facing death. These five have the votes.”
Although I hadn’t cared much about the Mage Tower before, this intrigued me. Perhaps because that pig was removed from the Tower, or because Sehelus became Mage Tower Lord—I didn’t know.
“Even though I rose by force, I would have won the vote anyway.”
“Really?”
“The strong? That’s Sehelus. The old? Also Sehelus. The new? Merkin, a freshly-minted mage. The enlightened? Roiwick. Facing death? Zelo.”
I blinked slowly.
“The strong and the old were both Sehelus?”
“Yes!”
“Ah…”
I could understand the strong one being Sehelus. But the old? That was unexpected. Usually, “old” refers to age… or perhaps it meant something else, like someone possessing something ancient.
“Roiwick, the enlightened, had many followers as Head of the Elders. He nearly won, but I backed the new mage Merkin, so I still won the vote.”
“I see.”
“Depending on how you interpret ‘new,’ it might differ. But I’m quite reasonable. So I backed someone I knew for the new vote.”
His excitement made him a little cute.
Today, I had many feelings for this man. He seemed like a sexy Doberman—but in reality, more like a giant, playful black Golden Retriever. A big, friendly dog.
“And when Teslo was chosen, I wasn’t interested in the Mage Tower Lord position, so I supported him. I had two votes at the time. The new mage then was being manipulated by Teslo. The freshly-minted mage made a mistake and became his prey.”
“I see.”
“Also, Roiwick supported him, and even Zensling, who was facing death, joined his side. Teslo promised Zensling a way to survive, which didn’t exist, and he died.”
It was quite an entertaining story.
The story explained how Teslo and Sehelus became Mage Tower Lords—but…
“I understand, but how did you even participate in the vote for the previous Mage Tower Lord…?”
Teslo became Mage Tower Lord at a very young age, so Sehelus’ explanation didn’t fully make sense. He seemed aware of that, smiling slightly.
“Why not find out next time we meet?”
Why should I? Why do I have to deal with such a nuisance?
He was handsome, but there was no reason to be this curious. I had just responded to his words, and now here I was.
I watched him silently. Maybe my expression was unexpected, because he adjusted his glasses. Sunlight reflected off the lenses.
“If by chance you find out, I’ll grant Your Majesty’s wish. Anything I can do as a mage.”
“Why would you go that far?”
The words slipped out naturally. Why go to such lengths?
“Well?”
“It just seems like you’re being too kind to me. I don’t understand why.”
Earlier, I had dismissed it, but now it was obvious. This man was too kind to me. Yet Sehelus showed no embarrassment.
“Once you understand me, perhaps you can guess a little.”
Why would the Mage Tower Lord go to such lengths to grant a wish? There seemed to be no motive other than wanting to grant me a wish.
But why this man, whom I met for the first time today?
“Ah…”
“Just think of it as my excuse to see Your Majesty again.”
After he said that… what could I possibly say?
“Excuse me?”
