Flinch.
I opened my eyes, then closed them, then opened them again.
"... What?"
I felt something strange, and I hurriedly got up.
Wiping the saliva with my wrist, I exhaled heavily in embarrassment.
"Uh huh?"
Bright. The sunlight shining on the desk was bright enough to be hot.
"No way."
An ominous feeling runs through your body. And in most cases, the ominous premonition was the correct answer.
I hurriedly looked at the wall clock, and the hour hand was pointing at two in the afternoon.
Thanks to that, I grabbed my tangled hair and cried out in a low voice.
"Crazy...!"
After staying up all night, I was so sleepy that I woke up briefly at dawn, but when I woke up, it was almost time for the auditor to arrive.
Ruined. It wasn't just messed up; it was really messed up. I couldn't even make a proper report to present to the imperial family, so what if I wake up now?
"You asshole!"
I hit my forehead with the palm of my hand and blamed myself, but there was no way that the situation would improve.
Eventually, having half resigned, I rested my arms on the desk and let out a low sigh.
'What should I tell the auditor?'
I wrote a report for two days without sleeping because I didn't have time, but I wouldn't laugh at the excuse that I couldn't finish writing the report because I forgot to doze off on the last day.
I'm sure the report is done, so he'll ask to see the progress of the artificial rain magic. Then I will hand over the erroneous magic schematics, and I will be laughed at in front of the members of the imperial family.
'The Deharm family is becoming a laughing stock.'
Even though everything else was fine, it bothered me, and I frowned.
'Did Princess Benelia aim for this from the beginning?'
There must have been a reason why he hurriedly found the magic he had declared private research against the support of the imperial family three years ago and urged him to complete it.
Are you trying to make fun of me? No. There was no way the Imperial family cared about the Deharm family.
Princess Benelia only wanted me to tarnish the honor of her countess.
For the imperial family seeking centralized power, the Pelgarin family, which has the same military power as a small country, would be a thorn in the eye.
'When I recognized the talent Count Leoberg recommended, it turned out that he had no substance. Count Leoberg doesn't seem to have eyes for people...'
It was as if the jokes coming out of the princess's mouth could be heard in her ears.
Was she trying to use me as part of a political stripe? She may be delusional, but the possibility continues to rack her nerves.
'No matter what the purpose is, it has already been irreversible.'
The auditor will come, and I have to somehow report the progress of the study.
I looked at the magic paper spread on the desk with a heavy heart, and I was quite taken aback.
'Uh?'
Circuits, symbols, patterns.
The three elements that make up magic were meshing together without any errors.
Apparently, until yesterday, fixing one circuit would break another circuit, and I was going crazy over and over again. How the hell did all the errors get fixed in one day?
Just in case, I touched the magic circle and blew a small amount of mana with my fingertips.
Self-
The spread of mana permeated the entire magic circle without any blockage. Looking at the softly glowing magic circle, it was clear that it was operating normally.
'What... ?'
Do I have sleepwalking? Did he show his genius while sleeping and correct all the errors in the magic circle overnight?
'It can't be.'
From a common sense point of view, it was correct to assume that someone else modified the magic circle while I was sleeping.
By other people, I undoubtedly mean elves. Because the only person in the mansion who excelled in magical knowledge was an elf.
'But why did he help me?'
I don't know, but it seemed like I wouldn't be humiliated thanks to that. With a magic circle that elaborated like this, there was room for extenuating circumstances even if they suffered failure in actual magic implementation.
At least, it means that it won't happen that His Excellency Count will be ignored in the imperial family because of me.
Smart-
An occasional knocking sound. I shook off my tiredness and raised my head.
"Come in."
The door opens, and David enters. It was a bit of a nervous expression.
"My lord. VIPs from Jedo Island have arrived."
"How about a VIP?"
"I am Professor Roylen from the five Imperial Palace Magicians and the Magic Tower of the Imperial University."
Did you send a full professor from the university magic tower as an auditor? It wasn't that surprising, as it was somewhat expected.
"Serve the finest refreshments and serve them in the drawing room. I'll simply wash myself and get down right away. I can't see the people of the imperial family like this."
"Yes. I will do that."
David bowed his head and walked out the door. I couldn't waste time, so I also got up from my seat, gathered the necessary items, and left the office.
*
After dressing up, I went straight down to the drawing room.
When I entered the room with unfinished reports, research journals, and washi paper with magic circles drawn on it, I saw Roylen, a full professor at the university's Mage Tower.
Roilen, dressed in the fashionable attire of the principality (something similar to the tailcoat Harvid always wore, which she usually calls a suit), was sitting at the table and chatting happily with the elf.
For a moment, my heart skipped a beat, wondering if the elf was causing an accident, but seeing the friendly atmosphere, it didn't seem like that.
As I sneaked up, Ellen got up from her seat, and she greeted me with a bright expression. A healthy, middle-aged beauty was felt in her tall face.
"You are Viscount Theorard. I showed up earlier than planned and made a mistake."
"I am really sorry for the late response. Did my slave cause any inconvenience?"
"Inconvenience? Ahaha. You joke too much."
Roylen turned to her elf. Unlike usual, the elf bowed her head out of politeness, and her tidy figure reminded me of a well-educated maid.
"It's embarrassing, but I talked to this slave without realizing the passage of time. The slave said that chanting could be simplified by associating biowaves with magical breathing, but feasibility aside, the idea is very ingenious."
Laughing, Roylen gives me a coy glance. In other words, it was a friendly look.
"It makes me realize how limited my knowledge is. Did you learn magic separately?"
"If you are a slave, maybe..."
"I am not talking about slaves. Humility does that. How would a mere slave discuss the gist of magic? She knows that the master of the slave, Viscount Theorard, has vast knowledge and that this slave is picking up a handful or two and telling me."
There is a lot of misunderstanding.
"I am not as knowledgeable as you say. Compared to Prof. Roylen, my learning is new blood."
"Too much humility is poison. And lower your words. Because I am treated as an aristocrat in the system and not a person who will be treated even in the provinces."
That sounds funny. The title of full professor at the University Magic Tower is a position that can be treated with respect throughout the empire. In order to be appointed as a full professor, you basically need permission from His Majesty the Emperor.
Ignoring the full professor at the University Magic Tower is in line with ignoring His Majesty the Emperor.
Are you looking at me while being in a position that no noble can carelessly do?
I shook my head, feeling a little dissatisfied.
"We can't do that, even for the sake of each other's prestige. Because there are many eyes."
"Ugh. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I understand for now. Rather, can we see a schematic of the 'artificial rain' magic Viscount Theorard is researching?"
"Ah. Prioritize reports and research journals."
"I was talking about schematization. The rest is nothing but vanity."
It's not wrong, but there are rules. Still, the person who came into the role of auditor asks for it, but you can't say no.
I took out the magic paper and held it out to Roylen.
"Here it is."
"Oops. Thank you."
Roilen, holding the magic paper with both hands, took out a luxurious wand from her arms and tapped her paper. Then, the magic flower floats up and spreads out on both sides.
Excluding the last three years, which were sluggish for nearly eight years, the idea that the magic circle, which had been putting in effort for five years, would be evaluated, made my back stiff.
Of course, it went through a huge level of correction through the elf, but it was all about tension. However, on the outside, he did not show any signs and maintained his composure.
"Well? How is this?"
Roylen, who was staring at the magic circle, took out her glasses from her arms and put them on. Then, she examines the magic circle more meticulously.
Roylen, who had been muttering about the connecting parts of the circuit, the power of linking various symbols, and the suitability of the patterns, finally couldn't find any errors and exclaimed in admiration.
"Oh, my God."
As if surprised by her sincerity toward her, Illen clenched her fists, unable to hide her excitement after folding her magic paper. Her face was overheated, like an adventurer who had discovered a new continent.
She said, "I heard that she stopped supporting the imperial family three years ago. Is that correct?"
"Yes. That's right."
"Didn't you start reporting on a regular basis around that time?"
"Yes, but."
"Before I came here, I looked at the records for a while... Such nonsense... Ah. I'm not arguing with the Viscount. That is why there are few cases in which independent research without imperial support has achieved such explosive growth at the speed of research development."
With her excitement on her face, Roylen held her lightly on my shoulder.
"There is no time to be doing this now. Go out right now and try the phenomenon manifestation test with the imperial palace mages. With a magic circle this perfect, there's a chance you'll succeed on your first try! It sounds like a great hit!"
"Professor Roylen. Calm down a little."
"You look so calm now! This is a one-of-a-kind chance to see with your own eyes a magic that may go down in history!"
"No. I understand, so don't pull me."
"Come on! Let me guide you!"
Why are the wizard's hands so strong? Due to an unavoidable relationship, I left the parlor, led by Roylen's grip.
*
The elf laughed at Roylen's fuss.
Is there any chance of success on the first try? Even if you say it, you should do it right away. It is a magic circle that is bound to succeed no matter how small your human magical capacity is, like that of an insect.
'Because I made it that way.'
It is a magic circle that contains the experience and knowledge accumulated over many years. Theorad's magic will succeed, and Roylen, the cheeky, short-lived breed, will have no choice but to acknowledge Theorard.
It wasn't bad if the toy was repaired because of that.
'Shall we take a look?'
It seemed like it would be more fun than sweeping a broom in the mansion.
The moment the elf finished her thoughts and was about to leave the living room, someone grabbed the elf's clothes and pulled them behind her.
Keck! When the elf, who involuntarily backtracked, turned around, Harvey slapped the elf on the head with an angry face.
"This guy! Can't you see the other servants clearing the table beside you? You can't help quickly, but you're only trying to follow the head of the household; are you crazy or not?"
"Under."
A cold, hard face glared at Harvey.
'Shall I kill him?'
The elf began to hate David from the bottom of his heart.