.｡.:✧ Chapter 15 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“…What?”

A nonchalant reply naturally escaped my lips.

Our ancestors who dreamed of the American dream and crossed the Pacific to the distant lands of America could at least earn more money than they would have in their homeland.

Similarly, I had come to the capital with grand dreams, only to be duped by both the princess and my mentor, falling victim to a fraudulent graduate school employment that subjected me to a deadly workload.

Of course I was angry about being scammed, but my response was indeed a bit curt considering Sylphia was offering to help.

Belatedly, I tried to add something to avoid any misunderstandings, but Sylphia’s lips curled into a smile.

“It’s really tough, isn’t it?”

A single question casually posed, as if she completely understood my feelings.

“…Yes. It’s insanely tough here.”

“That’s usually how it is for a mage’s disciple. Even if there’s no physical labor, there are many mentally exhausting tasks.”

As Sylphia spoke, a servant arrived with our meal, and she began setting it up with a familiar air.

“I assure you, after enduring a week, you’ll want to punch our mentor, Rudrick.”

“Actually, I kind of feel that way already, not just after a week.”

Surprised by my cynical response, Sylphia burst into laughter.

Did we really need to wait a whole week?

Although I had never been to the Magic Tower, where our mentor constantly cursed, I couldn’t help but think that perhaps the Magic Tower might be better than this place.

In a way, he had sweet-talked and scammed me into this job, hadn’t he?

I thought I would simply learn magic diligently since he said I had talent, but who would have guessed I’d be dragged into graduate school?

…Hmm, this could be a controversial topic.

“Go ahead and eat first, Rudrick.”

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I usually only have two meals a day.”

The meal menu was simple, consisting only of sandwiches and coffee that could be quickly consumed.

Eat quickly and get back to research—our mentor’s thoughtful consideration made my teeth chatter.

As I chewed on the sandwich, Sylphia gathered an armful of documents from my desk and returned to her seat.

…I was grateful, but her consideration was almost overwhelming.

Come to think of it, she had set the table for me when the food arrived, told me to eat while she took over the work I was supposed to do. Wasn’t that essentially doing my job for me?

With that realization, I momentarily had the illusion of a halo appearing behind Sylphia’s back. Complete with white angel wings.

“…It’s a bit burdensome if you try to take care of me to that extent.”

“It’s because I have the capacity to do so, don’t worry about it. And don’t think about eating quickly just because you feel burdened, take your time.”

Ouch.

She had hit the nail on the head.

Well, I did have a conscience.

With her doing all that, I couldn’t just sit there and enjoy my meal leisurely. I had planned to quickly finish eating, as our mentor intended, and get back to work. The thought crossed my mind that dragons might be capable of mind-reading magic.

To my knowledge, such magic definitely didn’t exist, and it wouldn’t be easy to cast magic on me…

But if it was a dragon, who knew?

After casting a suspicious glance at Sylphia’s back, I decided to let it go for now.

She seemed like a good person, after all… Well…

Calling a dragon a good person might be a bit absurd, but anyway.

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“Hehe.”

Sylphia let out a soft chuckle as she stretched languidly.

Glancing back, she saw that Rudrick had already fallen fast asleep with his head on the table. A quick check of the clock revealed that about three hours had passed.

For her, who had already experienced the past before the regression, this situation felt very familiar. It was a scenario she knew all too well.

“It’s remarkably similar, indeed.”

She draped a blanket she had prepared over him and murmured to herself as she took a short break, sitting in a chair.

Everything had gone according to her expectations.

The fact that Lorenzo, who had stepped out for a bit of fresh air, would not return for a long time, and that Rudrick, who required a lot of sleep, would doze off like this after she took over his work for a while.

It had all unfolded just as Sylphia had anticipated.

“These simple tasks couldn’t possibly be difficult in the first place, and the benefits are adequate. It’s not a bad position, being a human mage’s disciple.”

Sylphia mused quietly as she gazed at Rudrick’s sleeping face.

Although it was well-known among those who knew the reality that becoming a disciple of the Magic Tower or a famous mage was akin to voluntarily enslaving oneself, the mere fact that she could see his face was already sufficient compensation.

Dragon magic was a highly advanced and sophisticated magic system compared to the magic developed by humans.

Moreover, it wasn’t something acquired through research and knowledge, but a kind of authority that dragons could naturally wield from the moment they were born, as easily as breathing.

Therefore, for Sylphia, the field of alchemy that Lorenzo had been focusing on recently was so simple that it hardly deserved to be called research.

The work itself wasn’t difficult. The only flaw was the excessive amount of miscellaneous tasks, but…

“It was a profitable trade.”

The fact that she could take care of Rudrick like this more than made up for that flaw.

They say that when you truly love someone, even if they don’t ask for anything, you want to help them if they’re going through a tough time. Sylphia had thought this didn’t apply to dragons, perhaps the most fiercely selfish species on earth, but in recent years, she had been acutely realizing the truth of those words.

He wasn’t pretentious like a typical noble young master, and while he appeared unassuming, it wasn’t a deliberate façade he put on to impress others.

And even though he might seem brusque and lacking in manners, there was a peculiar way in which he was mindful of others’ feelings, which Sylphia found endearing.

Just a moment ago, how cute was it when he tried to add something to avoid any misunderstanding after his cynical remark?

“…Little moments of happiness, wasn’t it?”

Small yet certain happiness, as they called it.

She recalled the time when she had asked Rudrick what that meant, and upon hearing the explanation, she had chided him, asking what kind of strange abbreviation it was.

But now, she felt she could fully understand the meaning of those words.

“Sorry about that. My short break for fresh air turned out to be longer than expected,” Lorenzo announced as he entered, interrupting Sylphia’s blissful musings. His brazen gaze fell upon Rudrick, who was slumped over the table, fast asleep.

“…Hoho, it seems Rudrick was quite exhausted. To think he’d doze off when there are still many potions to be mixed.”

“I’ve already finished all of that, so don’t worry.”

“You mean you’ve completed everything, Sylphia?”

“I mixed all 102 types, observed the changes, organized the results, and placed them on your desk, mentor. You can review them later.”

“That’s… That’s remarkably fast.”

Lorenzo was so astonished that even he, the one who had assigned the research, was at a loss for words.

Of course, it was only natural, considering Sylphia wasn’t merely an exceptionally talented mage, but a dragon. With an abashed expression, Lorenzo scratched his head and asked cautiously.

“…Then, shall we wake Rudrick up and call it a day?”

“That’s fine with me. I’ll wake Rudrick up.”

“Alright. Then, Sylphia, please wake him and send him up. I need to start preparing for my own research now, so there’s much to get ready.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll leave it to you then.”

With Sylphia’s nod, Lorenzo left those words behind and exited the research lab once more.

On the surface, he might appear like a typical mage who mercilessly exploited his disciples while indulging in leisure himself, the epitome of a wicked mage. However, the position of Imperial Court Mage wasn’t obtained through mere gambling.

In fact, if he were truly like that, Sylphia would have been the first to object.

Sylphia was well aware that for every excessive workload Lorenzo assigned to his disciples, he took on even more himself.

The mere fact that he didn’t shove tedious miscellaneous tasks, such as preparing for his own research, onto his disciples and instead handled them personally already placed him in the top 1% of this era.

As soon as Lorenzo disappeared again, Sylphia, with a playful smile on her lips, gently placed her hand on Rudrick’s shoulder, who had already been in dreamland for over two hours.

“Rudrick, it’s time to wake up now.”

“……”

Naturally, there was no response. Just as Sylphia had anticipated.

Once Rudrick fell into a deep sleep, he wouldn’t notice even if someone carried him on their back.

Shake, shake.

This time, when she shook his shoulder a bit more, there was a reaction. As Rudrick stirred, Sylphia spoke again in a gentle voice.

“It’s time to get up. Our mentor said we can call it a day, so even if you’re sleepy, go to your bed. Sleeping in that position isn’t good for your body.”

“…Ah.”

A drowsy, half-asleep voice.

It was a signal that Rudrick had woken up.

And so, Sylphia began to move with the familiarity of having repeated these actions dozens, hundreds of times before the regression, savoring the preciousness of that daily routine.

Now that Rudrick was awake, she would tidy up the research lab, put away the used equipment, and prepare to leave. By then, Rudrick would get up on his own.

Sure enough, as soon as she started cleaning, Rudrick wobbled to his feet.

The blanket she had draped over him slipped off, and he covered his mouth, letting out a small yawn, heedless of his disheveled appearance.

As Sylphia discreetly observed him from the corner of her eye, a thought occurred to her once more.

‘I’m truly fortunate.’

A contented smile that couldn’t be concealed spread across her lips.

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