C22- Searching for the Colossus (1)

"Uh. I came here to join your corporation. I want to cure this plague and if possible, make even more medicine."

Noah silently looked at Amy.

"Hmm, indeed, she is a beauty. Hired. Okay Corvin, good job on finding our first employee!"

Noah tried to get a reaction out of Amy, but he didn't know she was under emotion suppression. And of course, she gave no reaction.

"Noah...", Corvin looked at Noah with visible disgust in his face. "I also agree, she is probably the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, but that's not why I agreed to hire her..."

Hearing this, Amy's face got redder.

"The most...", she muttered subconsciously. Even though she didn't make much noise, her mind was very noisy right now.

'What is happening? Is it him? Me? The drugs? When that Noah guy complimented me I felt nothing but when he does, I feel embarrassed and my heart is racing... Why?'

Noticing her reddened face Noah came into a conclusion that his unintentional womanizer friend really did make this poor girl fall for him at first sight. He wasn't right, of course, but he had no way of knowing this. So with his baseless ideas, he decided to assist his friend's love life in the future.

But for now, he wanted to make more jokes.

"So? What can she do other than being your love interest?", said Noah with a confident grin. He was sure he was going to win this duel, but then ominously Corvin also gave the same grin back to him.

"Funny you say that when all the reason you have a third of the company is because you are the love interest of Clair. At least the company has a use for her as an employee."

The grin on Noah's face faded instantly. 

"What!? You saying I am useless?!"

"You aren't?"

"You!"

Right as the two were getting heated, the emotionless voice of Amy stopped their fight.

"Umm... Can we talk about my employement?"

"Huh? Uh, sure. Please sit down."

Noah pulled a chair for her and then sat on his bed again.

"At least put these things to a more sensible place...", said Corvin as he moved the paintings to their usual place and sat next to Noah.

"So, employement, right. Uhh... Pssst.. Corvin.", Noah leaned towards Corvin and whispered.

'How much are we gonna pay?'

'How should I know? We don't make money yet.'

'Then how abo-'

"You can start paying me after you stop the plague, It's no problem."

Noah and Corvin turned their eyes to her, still leaning towards each other. After a second of silence, Corvin gave a fake cough and spoke.

"Cough, Is that okay? You will be working for free, you know?"

"It is okay. I wanted to do this anyway and this could be me proving my skills to you."

She gave a good bussinesswoman smile. Corvin looked at her and fell into thought for a while and spoke again.

"And during that time, you will also be gauging our worth?"

Amy's eyes widened and her lips curled into a slight smile.

"Yes, you don't expect me to work for a random company no one's heard of before, right?"

"Yes, and being paid will put you under a contract, so you don't want that as well, right."

"Yes. I am glad you understood me this easily.", she said while still smiling, maybe a little bit more than before.

Corvin also smiled because he felt a sense of accomplishment at his clever inference.

As Noah was watching this 'freshly blossomming love' in his opinion; in Corvin's eyes, the smile of Amy made him remember the smile of another blonde woman.

Thinking he saw Lily from his dreams for a second, Corvin's heart pumped so hard that it hurt.

"Ugh..", even though it was just a single pump of his heart, it hurt as if his heart was trying to get out of him and Corvin held his chest with a pained expression.

"Woah, woah, Corvin. Are you okay, dude? What happened?"

"No-nothing, you know how sometimes your body hurts for no reason right? It's that. Nothing serious."

"That's not okay at all, idiot! Should she make you a medicine?"

"No, no I am okay."

Even though the physical pain was gone, there was a barely noticable uncomfortable feeling left in the corner of his heart.

"Let's just talk about the terms."

*****

After some days of trying to find a proper time, Clair could finally find some time to talk with her father. He was getting busier day by day because of the plague and the engine, while still not returning to his territory.

"Dad! Look at this!"

She handed Dion a rock with some glass crystals on it.

"Hm? Was this what you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes!"

"Do you want crystals? Jewelry? You don't need to find it on rocks, you know? We will be making a lot more money thanks to your engine. Just ask me anything and I will buy it for you."

"No, dad. That's not a natural crystal!"

"Huh? What are yo- Hmm? Wait...", the more he looked at the shards on the pebble, the more Dion grew suspicious. He started to use his magic to check what the crystals were.

"Huh? This is gla- Clair?"

"Yes, dad?", she had a wide smile on her face, as if she already knew what he wanted to ask but still wanted to hear it.

"Did you make this pebble like this?"

"Yes! I used magic! And the same one as you!"

Dion's face first showed shock. And then happiness. His daughter used to spend more time tinkering with other stuff so she never tried to use magic. He thought she simply didn't have talent and let her try whatever she wanted in the workshops. But to his surprise, his daughter both made a possibly world changing invention that opened the gates to a bunch of different new inventions, and she also could use magic.

And then, after thinking for a bit, a jealous frown appeared on his face.

"Eh? Dad?"

Not expecting a frown from his father, she was surprised. Then her father opened his mouth.

"You never showed interest in magic. The moment that kid leaves the school, you discover your talent."

His frown deepened.

"You tried it because of that Noah kid, didn't you?"

"Huh?", not expecting to suddenly be asked this question, her face got redder. When Dion saw this, he was convinced. Her precious daughter was slipping from his hands.

"No! I don't accept this! Where is that damned Vyolor brat! I challenge him to a duel! You can't take my daughter from me yet! She didn't graduate!"

"Dad!?"

Clair was baffled. And embarrassed. She didn't expect her father to figure her out this easily, especially about something she didn't want to admit.

"Noah Vyolor!! The moment you return here, ohh I will-"

"I didn't! I didn't okay? I was just bored!"

"Really?"

"Yes, dad. I wanted to learn magic from you. Yes, that's why."

She gave her father a half baked lie. He ate it up without a second thought and his frown disappeared as he hugged his daughter with overwhelming father love.

"Oh, why didn't you say it from the start then? I will open up my schedule for your training, of course!"

And thus, her magic training started.