Chapter : 57
I gave Bellin a glance.
There was no need to cause a fuss where there were guests.
Straightening my posture, I opened and closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh.
“Maybe I overdid it again.”
The dizziness passed quickly, but it was a dangerous signal.
It was a familiar premonition to me.
“Mana deficiency.”
The symptoms I had experienced when replicating the resort building had been gradually appearing again.
Back then, the sudden dizziness appeared sporadically until I eventually collapsed.
“I tried to prevent that situation by calculating carefully…”
Was this my limit now…?
I had sworn never to collapse from mana deficiency again, yet there was only one reason I was pushing myself once more.
“I can’t stop charging the mana core.”
A revolutionary item that could store vast amounts of mana and connect magical tools remotely for management.
However, to use the mana core effectively, I had to accumulate a lot of mana in advance.
“Still, I expected a good response from Tadivna and the resort, so I gathered a very generous amount of mana…”
I never imagined it would be so popular that it would exceed that amount.
Because of that, more mana was being consumed than I had anticipated.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the stored mana ran out completely.
“Since the opening, I’ve been squeezing out mana every day to keep it charged.”
On top of that, since I was the only mage at the resort, checking for magical tool errors was entirely my responsibility.
Given this situation, even my mana, which boasted ocean-like volume and super-fast recovery, seemed to be struggling to keep up.
“I need an assistant mage to help me now.”
The problem was that most of those mages were in the Mage Tower.
And I had already incurred the Tower’s dislike by refusing their investment.
Even if I requested mana charging services from the Tower, they would never agree.
Charging the core together was out of the question.
“Of course, there are independent mages who aren’t affiliated with the Tower.”
There were definitely mages like me, unaffiliated with the Tower.
Their common trait was that the Tower disliked them.
“So they’d be perfect for our resort.”
At the very least, there was little risk of them leaking resort information to the Tower.
The difficult part was that such mages usually lived quietly, hiding their identities.
Even the crow organization, which had excellent intelligence, had little information on independent mages.
“Right now, there’s no way to reach them.”
Independent mages only accepted requests through thoroughly verified connections.
In other words, unless I was introduced through those connections, the likelihood of them rejecting my offer was high.
“Sigh… it’s troublesome to be too popular.”
I had planned to create an in-house mage team for the resort.
But I never thought I’d be worrying about this from the opening day.
I let out a small sigh, and Bellin beside me nodded.
“This explosive popularity is a bit frightening at times. It’s a novel attraction that the Empire hasn’t seen, capturing everyone’s attention, but once it becomes familiar, people might soon seek elsewhere…”
“Oh, Bellin, you’ve thought this far ahead too.”
She had truly developed foresight now that she was the general manager.
I smiled faintly at Bellin.
“So we shouldn’t get complacent; we need to give people a reason to visit continuously~”
“Wise words…! But please don’t overwork yourself to the point of harming your health.”
Bellin looked at me with eyes full of respect, cautiously expressing her concern.
I patted her shoulders lightly in approval.
At that moment, someone came running toward us.
“Eani-nim! Eani-nim!”
“Meno! Don’t run like that, it’s dangerous!”
It was Meno, now heavily pregnant, and the PR manager, Pena.
The two reached me in one sprint and urgently spoke.
“Right now! Someone wants to see Eani-nim in the reception room…!”
“Hmm? I wasn’t informed beforehand that a guest would come to see Elin.”
“They came suddenly and didn’t manage to make an appointment!”
“We apologize, Eani-nim…! Normally we would reschedule, but they were… insistent…!”
“Who on earth is making you all this excited~?”
Even Pena, usually composed, seemed unusually excited.
I tilted my head slightly, and Pena smiled broadly.
“She is the chief perfumer of Quind Hotel! Ah, technically she’s the former chief perfumer now!”
“She’s one of the key figures behind Quind’s success, having developed ‘Quind Amenities’!”
I blinked at their words.
“Former chief perfumer of Quind…?”
A completely unexpected guest.
As expected, starting a business always comes with unforeseen situations popping up here and there~.
Hiding my curiosity, I lightly headed to the reception room.
“Even with such a sudden request… thank you very much for agreeing so readily…”
A woman with an unusually pale complexion bowed her head.
“I am… Mias Agehatov…”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Agehatov~.”
“Please… call me Mias…”
Her surname, she explained, was personally… unappealing aesthetically.
Mias, with her deep blue hair, sipped a cold Radib drink.
I nodded at her with a gentle smile.
“Alright, Miss Mias. How is Count Agehatov doing?”
“He… has told me a lot about Lady Nasel…”
Agehatov.
The owner of the Aleph newspaper, which I’ve been using for resort promotion, belonged to the Agehatov count family.
The newspaper president, Yeldo Agehatov, who had attended my engagement ceremony, was related to this woman.
“Perhaps it runs in the family~.”
I took a sip of tea and spoke.
“So, Miss Mias, what brings you to see me?”
“I’ve heard from my brother… that Lady Nasel… has a considerable desire for talented people…”
“That’s a basic virtue for someone running a business~.”
Mias, who had half-bowed, lifted her head sharply at my reply, her eyes shining.
“Then…! Please hire me…!”
“Excuse me?”
“I…! It’s embarrassing to say it myself…! But I am an excellent talent…! Lady Nasel will not be disappointed…!”
“Oh my~. How passionate you are~.”
She wanted to be scouted?
I kept my smile and asked.
“By the way, I understand you worked as the chief perfumer at Quind and were highly regarded… Why leave there suddenly to come to our resort~?”
Mias Agehatov had long partnered with the Marquis of Quind.
Even though she was talented, I couldn’t hire her blindly without suspicion.
“Could she be a business spy?”
At my question, Mias blinked rapidly, catching her breath, then busily rummaged through her bag and pulled something out.
“This is—”
I naturally took it, a small smile forming.
“Do you want to work at our resort because of this?”
She nodded vigorously!
“Yes…! I…! I fell in love with this island…!”
In truth, what she showed me wasn’t extraordinary.
“This is just a tropical flower easily seen in Tadivna.”
Mias pulled out more items from her bag: white sand in a glass bottle, shells with iridescent colors, and a large palm leaf.
Ordinary, small things, yet filled with the charm of Tadivna.
She laid them out on the table, sniffing them excitedly.
“This island…! It’s a paradise I’ve never seen before…! Emerald-like sea, colorful coral, dazzling white beaches, and swings tied under the palm trees! Ah…! The exotic scenery the advertisement spoke of… with waves singing their song…!”
Her face flushed with excitement.
“So I…! want to create a new fragrance…! One that instantly reminds you of this island’s beauty…! A scent that cannot be experienced in the capital…!”
