Chapter 53

Chapter 53

#53. That Manager, That Secretary’s Situation (2)

After finishing the inspection of the First Factory.

I stepped outside, took a refreshing breath of air, and naturally headed toward the Second Factory.

The Second Factory, which Te Manager and I had just arrived at, was about halfway completed.

“Timber over there! Bricks this way!”

“The witches are using earth spirits to dig! Everyone back up!”

“Seventh Brigade, what are you standing around for?! The work isn’t done yet!”

At the bustling construction site of the Second Factory, soldiers mobilized from High City and witches were fully focused on the construction.

“Are we also paying the mobilized soldiers their wages?”

“Of course. Thanks to that, they’re working without much complaint.”

By the way, the soldiers are separately paid by Arad Company.

In other words, the soldiers currently sweating it out to build the structure are receiving double pay—both their basic salary from High City and an additional one from me.

“Have there been any complaints?”

“How could there be? Not only in the Northern Region, but nowhere in the Arcadia Continent will you find such a workplace. And above all, the food is delicious, right?”

“That’s true.”

Initially, I tried to hire regular adventurers or commoners, but it was rejected due to unforeseen dangers.

And then there’s the added risk of my assassination, apparently?

Instead, materials like timber, lime, bricks, and steel bars for the construction were procured through northern trade guilds.

While we buy them through the trade guilds, the guilds themselves use lower-level adventurers or commoners to deliver the goods.

After touring the construction site of the Second Factory and about to move on, I happened upon a very familiar and close white-haired figure ahead who greeted me.

“Mary!”

“Ah! Boss.”

“Good timing. I had something related to the academy I wanted to ask you.”

As soon as I saw her, I immediately brought up business.

“Yes! Please ask anything.”

“How’s the recruitment going for teachers at the academy?”

“I’ve secured teachers for subjects like literature, math, and history. Retired bureaucrats readily agreed. But we couldn’t find any magicians.”

“Are there no battle mages among adventurers or mercenaries? I heard some operate in the Magic Realm?”

“Actually, there are no trustworthy magicians in the north.”

“Hmm… so that’s how it is. What about the witches?”

“Witches can’t teach unless the student is formally accepted as an apprentice…”

“Tch.”

At Mary’s words, I clicked my tongue slightly.

“There’s nothing to be done. For now, looks like both you and I will have to step up for magic lessons.”

“…Me!? Me?!”

“Yes. Aren’t you quite capable as a magical engineer? Haven’t you been diligently studying the spellbooks I recently wrote? Teach the kids based on that. If you come across something you don’t understand, just ask me.”

Based on my observations so far, she was a witch, but not really a witch.

Even though she’s a bastard child, blue blood still runs through her veins.

Because of this, she seemed relatively free from the restrictions placed on witches.

In fact, she should be seen as a female magician rather than a witch.

“…”

However, upon hearing my words, Mary’s expression turned somewhat gloomy.

“Could it be…?”

Seeing this, my heart sank.

“Surely, it’s not because of some unwritten rule from the Coven making it difficult for you to teach?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Phew… good.”

Out of concern, I checked, and Mary’s response relieved me.

“Great. Very great. I made the right decision appointing Miss Mary as the principal of the academy.”

“…Is that so?”

“I’m certain. Still, why have you looked so down since earlier?”

“Could you reconsider? I prefer my previous role as secretary.”

“Secretary? But haven’t you been skipping out on company duties too often? It’s hard to call you a secretary like that.”

“That… that…!”

Judging from this, the reason Mary’s face was gloomy seems to stem from the recent change in her position.

“I’m sorry, boss. I’ll make sure to come to the company more often.”

Mary looked between me and Te Manager beside me like a drenched stray puppy and said this.

Until just a while ago, what she used to do is now being handled by Te Manager.

‘Hmm… does she feel competitive? This is interesting.’

Seeing Mary’s reaction, I secretly smiled with satisfaction.

Healthy competition among employees is truly positive for the company’s development.

“Hahaha… cough… cough…”

Te Manager gave an awkward smile under Mary’s sorrowful gaze. He kept looking towards the direction of High City, clearly feeling burdened by the situation.

‘So, Lord Roji has talked about Mary?’

It was easy to tell that Theo regarded Mary as difficult to deal with.

To help Te Manager, I suggested something I’d thought of on the way.

“Or would you consider handling both the academy and secretarial work?”

“Both?”

“Yes. Don’t focus solely on one task. Just handle things according to the situation when needed.”

“I agree.”

Mary’s face brightened again.

“By the way, Mary, make sure to keep your evenings free from now on.”

Looking at her brightened face like the moon, I continued.

“Evenings? May I ask why?”

“Why not? We’ll soon start teaching magical engineering together at the academy, so we need to prepare properly, right? Starting tomorrow evening, we’ll begin private tutoring sessions.”

“Tutoring? You mean… like a house tutor?”

“Something like that. From now on, stay after hours at the company and study with me alone.”

“A-Alone?!?”

“Yes, alone.”

“Why…?”

“Because around me, there’s no one else who knows how to read and calculate, understands magic to some extent, has even manual dexterity, and isn’t restricted by educational limitations—other than you, Mary. At least, as far as I know.”

“……!”

The more I explained, the redder Mary’s ears became.

* * *

Arad’s suggestion to study alone in the evening.

“I understand. I will absolutely, absolutely make time!”

With this, Arina, who had shown sadness earlier, spoke with enthusiasm and determination, radiating brightness.

‘Truly impressive! Mary’s passion for learning is exceptional. Truly, the future Great Witch of the Snowfields.’

Watching such Mary, Arad wore a satisfied smile that couldn’t be put into words.

‘Every time I look at her, she seems so precious. If it weren’t for those personal issues, I could utilize… no, value her even more.’

Judging from this, it seemed the reason she didn’t welcome the change in position was because she felt she’d have fewer opportunities to learn from him.

‘But could it be… that Mary likes me romantically or something?’

Then suddenly, Arad had a strange suspicion.

He’d vaguely felt this before but had always ignored it.

However, seeing her unusually joyful demeanor right now made him take it seriously for the first time.

“Hmm…”

Arad first reflected on his feelings towards Mary.

When he sees Mary, his chest tingles. She feels inexplicably familiar and pleasant.

“This isn’t romantic interest. It feels more like the excitement of discovering a remarkable talent. Or maybe it’s like family…”

Strangely enough, Arad didn’t resonate with the idea of sharing romantic feelings with Mary at all.

“And I hardly get the sense or certainty that Mary likes me romantically either.”

On the contrary, it was the same.

For some reason, it was mental.

Like treating family, perhaps.

“Could there be some mind magic in that pendant’s enchantment?”

He roughly guessed why. Probably the necklace hiding Mary’s powers and identity. It seemed like that necklace was the cause.

There appeared to be some protective mental enchantment on it to guard against scandals.

“So Arina entrusted Mary to me with this? Is this another world version of the ‘fence rule’?”

Arad chuckled softly.

He didn’t know. Neither did Isabel, the creator of the transformation necklace.

Mind magic enchantments are extremely tricky and require refined expertise.

Thus, the necklace hanging around Arina’s neck carried unintended errors by the maker.

An unintentional safety device where developing into lovers would be tough without profound love.

* * *

As the day faded and twilight descended.

“Ready, Mary?”

“Of course, Boss.”

After finishing dinner, Arad headed to the First Factory with Mary (Arina).

On the way to the factory, they met employees heading back to their dormitories after finishing their shifts.

The witches were nowhere to be seen. They had left early on their brooms.

“Boss, I’ll head home now!”

“Boss, thank you for today’s meals!”

Though somewhat tired, the employees greeted Arad politely with bright smiles.

“Is Mary not going home and continuing with the boss?”

“You two have a nice evening!”

Along the way, they jokingly teased Mary, who was with Arad.

“…”

Arina, disguised as Mary, felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her, making her cheeks burn.

When they entered the factory with flushed faces, Theo, who had stayed until the end, greeted them.

“Ah! Boss? I was just about to lock up.”

Te Manager curiously asked as Arad and Arina entered the factory.

“Is there something else you need to do?”

“Nope. You can go home now, Te Manager.”

“Is that so? Then why are the two of you here…?”

“To prepare for the upcoming academy, I’ll be teaching Mary magical engineering.”

“Ah…! I see. Cough, cough! Have a wonderful time.”

“…?”

“….”

Too well (?) understanding Arad’s words, Theo quickly left the factory.

Now, only Arad and Arina remained in the vast factory.

‘So, teaching magic was just an excuse, wasn’t it?!’

Meanwhile, Arina was at a loss with the thoughts she had during the walk to the factory.

She unconsciously fiddled with her necklace out of embarrassment.

“Ugh… I did mentally prepare myself, but!”

Already, Arad’s proposal had felt significant.

Adding to that, remembering how the employees looked at her and Arad on the way to the factory, it seemed like something was definitely up.

Even someone as inexperienced in romance as Arina could tell that much.

“Let’s go in.”

At that moment, Arad led Arina into a separate room inside the factory.

“Wha-? Yes!”

She followed Arad’s guidance, trying to calm her thumping heart.

‘If we have a son, let’s name him Ruin; if it’s a daughter, Luna. Our family has always had few descendants, so we need to have many. I should think of a few names beforehand.’

The Renslett Dukedom had traditionally had very few children, but Arina was confident.

‘I am the first female Duke of Renslett!’

Filled with the resolve to break the long-standing tradition of single heirs and short lifespans in her family line, she was determined.

‘With true love, anything is possible!’

In that brief moment before entering the room,

Arina had already finished naming six children and their grandchildren.

A little later…

“…”

Arina fell into a small dilemma.

Repaying kindness and enmity is a must! That’s the creed of northerners.

But now, she wasn’t sure whether to view this situation as kindness or enmity.

“Got it?”

“…”

“It doesn’t seem like you do. Alright. Let me explain again. In this circuit, the magical formula is…”

“….”

Exactly when is this actually happening(?)?