C209: Guest (2)
Rudger was worried when he heard a guest came.
âI donât think thereâs anyone who can come now.â
That made him even more nervous.
âNo. Thereâs no point in thinking about it here. If Iâm not going to run away, I have to face it.â
Rudger, who had finished thinking, opened his mouth.
âI see. Tell the guest Iâll be right there.â
âNo, you donât have to. I came here myself.â
With that said she pushed the employee away and came into his teacherâs office.
Rudger, who was nervous, relaxed his shoulders when he saw her.
âWas the guest you Casey Selmore?â
âWhy do you feel strangely relieved?â
âYou can leave now. Good work.â
The employee his head.
âHmm. Is this your office?â
As the employee closed the door and left, Casey slowly looked around the inside of the teacherâs office with her hands behind her.
Rudger frowned at her.
âWhy donât you tell me what you came for?â
âWhat, do we have to have business between us?â
âBetween you?â
It was Sedina who responded to the remark.
Casey looked at Sedina and greeted her with a gentle smile.
âOh, thatâs right. There was one more person. Hello sweet lady, whatâs your name?â
ââ¦â¦Sedina Rosen.â
âSedina Rosen. Seeing that youâre staying here, I think youâre his assistant, right? Is the teacher nice to you?â
Sedina nodded instead of answering but her gaze towards Casey wasnât friendly and Rudger intervened because he thought there would be a fight at this rate.
âSedina, you wait in the assistant office.â
âBut sir.â
âItâs fine. I have something to talk with the guest.â
When Rudger said so, Sedina was forced to leave for the assistant office. Of course, she didnât forget to stare at Casey once on the way.
âOh, no. I must be hated.â
Casey looked at Sedina leaving and shook her head as if she was disappointed while Rudger stared at her.
âSo what business did you come to me for?â
âAre you already being so cold-hearted? You enjoyed our secret meeting last night.â
Casey winked with a playful smile but there was no way Rudger was ignorant of her intentions so his reaction was cold.
Casey patted her chin.
âThatâs weird. People usually like it when I do this.â
âIf you call closing an eye a beauty, Iâll tell you that youâve been wrong for a long time. Thereâs no fool who would get caught in that in the first place.â
âEveryone liked it when I smiled at them.â
âItâs because theyâre stupid.â
Rudger realized that this detective girl was in many ways different from common sense. Her ability was so outstanding that she lacked empathy and she could not understand other peopleâs feelings.
âItâs funny that you just called it beauty.â
It was just that her natural appearance was outstanding, so she mistakenly thought that what she did worked well with other people.
âAre you trying to get revenge on me for what happened last night? Is this the âI will confess and punish youâ?â
âWhat?! Who confesses to whom?â
âIâm glad to hear that. Youâre not my cup of tea.â
âThatâs funny! Youâre not my type either.â
âI thought you were an obsessive person because you secretly stalked me for three years.â
âOf course not!â
Casey proudly shouted no, but in the eyes of a third party, she was severely obsessed. Only she didnât realize it.
Casey, who had tried to cut Rudger out for no reason, stared at him and found a lunch box on his desk.
âWere you a vegetarian?â
âI thought it would be like that in the future.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âThere is such a thing. Forget it, just answer what I asked you a while ago. Why did you come to see me?â
Rudger got up and walked over to Casey. As the distance between the two grew closer, Casey naturally looked up at Rudger.
âItâs so big.â
Casey didnât avoid Rudgerâs gaze, thinking that the man was tall and broad-shouldered. She felt like she was losing to him.
âAre you asking why? Thereâs no way you donât know.â
âWell. I am Rudger Chelici, a teacher at Theon Academy, and I have no idea what you are talking about.â
âAre you saying that you will thoroughly protect your identity?â
âYouâre a very rude guest.â
âHa. Youâre going to deny it until the end, right?â
It was then that Casey, who had been staring at Rudger, suddenly reached out.
âWhat?â
Rather than reaching out naturally, her movement was somewhat weird.
He didnât know what it was, but he didnât want to deal with her, so Rudger lightly pulled his body back and avoided her touch.
âWhat are you trying to do?â
Casey, who opened her eyes wide, immediately made an excuse.
âYou have dust on your shoulders.â
Rudger shook his head at her lame excuse.
âI donât know why you came to me, but if you try more meaningless tricks, Iâll kick you out with my teacherâs authority.â
âHa, funny. Did you say you donât know?â
âWhat?â
âYou took advantage of me like that.â
Seeing Casey shaking her fists, Rudger felt that she would explode if he left her like that.
Rudger sighed.
ââ¦â¦Sit down for now. Since youâre here as a guest, Iâll treat you to a cup of tea at least.â
Saying so, Rudger took the tea provided inside the office and handed it to Casey. Originally, it was an assistant professorâs job, but he was the one who sent Sedina away.
âDrink.â
âIsnât it poisonous?â
âShould I drink it in front of you?â
ââ¦â¦ No, thatâs enough. I donât think youâre going to use such a dirty trick.â
Casey, who was staring at the teacup in front of the guest table, took a sip of it. She, who intended to criticize as soon as it tasted bad, opened her eyes wide to the scent of soft tea.
âWhat is this? It looks like a luxurious tea.â
She was going to find fault with him, but he gave her a luxury tea. Besides, his methods were perfect, so there were no flaws.
âThis person is good at brewing some kind of tea.â
Casey grumbled inside and slowly savored the aroma. When she controlled her emotions inside, her hot head calmed down.
âWhoo. Yeah. Letâs be calm.â
At first, she tried to calmly draw Rudgerâs true feelings, but something came over her the moment she saw his brazen face greeting her with an expressionless face while doing such a thing yesterday made her angry.
Her pride was so hurt because she thought she was the only one seriously worried.
âYou seem to have calmed down a little.â
When Rudger said so, Casey only glared once with a sharp gaze, but did not argue further.
After finishing the tea, Casey lightly laid down the teacup and stared at Rudger with clearer eyes.
âThereâs something I want to ask. Are you hostile to the Black Dawn Society after all?â
ââ¦â¦.â
âWell, I guess so. The factory in Baltanung was the secret branch of the Black Dawn Society and I tried to get rid of it.â
Rudger held out some papers to Casey Selmore without saying a word.
âWhat is it?â
âRead it.â
Casey, who received the document, quickly scanned it with her eyes.
After a while she took her eyes of the papers and she stared at Rudger with disbelief.
âIs this for real?â
âI brought it myself from there.â
ââ¦â¦â¦Was it related to them, too?â
âLooking at your reaction, you came to Baltanung after the traces of the terrorists who attacked the Kunst auction house.â
âYouâre so quick-wittedâ¦â¦.Yeah, I got their gunpowder and analyzed it. It took time, but I managed to find it.â
Casey, who was nodding with her arms crossed, suddenly felt a strange feeling and raised her head.
âNo, wait. Why am I having such a normal conversation with you?â
âYouâre nitpicking about everything. Anyway, Iâll hand this data over to you. Work it out on your own.â
âWhy are you passing it on to me? Do you think Iâm your subordinate?â
âYou donât have to do it if you donât want to. I was just trying to help you because Iâm investigating the case, but I canât help it if you refuse. I have no choice but to do it.â
Rudger tried to take back the documents but Casey stopped him.
âWhat are you doing? Didnât you say no?â
âNo. I changed my mind. Iâll do it.â
ââ¦â¦.â
Rudger shook his head but understood why Casey was acting like that.
âYou just donât want to do what I tell you.â
Sheâs been called a genius all her life and felt defeated for the first time.
To be used by someone and to move as he wishes was an insult to a self-respecting person. Thatâs why she insisted not to move as Rudger wanted.
âHowever, didnât you come back to square one? After all, you do what I tell you to do.â
Perhaps Casey canât afford to think that far now.
âShe makes excuses, but in the end, she only chooses the side she thinks is right.â
Therefore, even if he handed her the data and made her catch a black Dawn Society, she was going to do it while showing that she didnât like it.
As if she could read his thoughts, Casey was furious.
âI donât know what youâre thinking, but donât get me wrong. Iâm not doing this because you told me to, but purely because I think the Black Dawn Society guys are dangerous. Do you understand?â
âYes.â
âWe have to make sure that this is clear. Never, never, never because you told me to do it.â
âI said yes.â
âHmm. And donât worry. Iâm leaving you alone for now because thereâs no clear evidence, but later, you know? Iâll put you in jail if you let your guard down.â
She had a very unpredictable personality, but Rudger thought he could get used to it a little. Rudger nodded, drawing a soft arc around his mouth.
âIâll look forward to it. Try your best.â
ââ¦Thatâll bring me bad luck.â
âIt was a compliment.â
Casey eventually dropped her shoulders because she felt more miserable than ever. The man in front of her is annoying, but the more important thing right now is to deal with the direct threat of the Black Dawn Society.
It was an inevitable choice but itâs not like she lost anything.
âIf youâre done with your tea, go out now. I have work to do.â
âYour job as a teacher?â
âOf course not.â
âIs the research on increasing the amount of mana emitted also related to your work as a teacher?â
At Caseyâs point, Rudger narrowed his eyes.
âYou peeped quickly in that short time.â
âItâs the fault of the person who left it visible.â
âUsually, you notice everything with just one glance.â
âWhat can I do if Iâm too good? Is that even possible? Increasing the amount of mana emission will not be easy.â
âItâs possible, so we`re recruiting people for tests. We need proof.â
âWhat? Youâre not going to do anything dangerous, are you?â
Casey stared at Rudger with serious eyes that were saying âI wonât forgive you if you do such a thing.â
âDonât talk nonsense. There is nothing dangerous.â
âHow do you prove it?â
âBecause Iâm the living witness.â
âWhat? You?â
âYes, but I canât prove it properly by myself because it is necessary to compare the figures before and after the changes. Thatâs why weâre recruiting applicants.â
ââ¦â¦Is it possible without side effects? Whatâs the way?â
Thereâs no way he would teach her but Rudger suddenly recalled Casey Selmoreâs position. She is a detective by profession but she is also a magician with the title [Colour]. Her fame in the world of magic is enormous.
âWell, if itâs her, maybeâ¦â¦.â
âI canât explain the detailed method, but if I have to summarize itâ¦â¦Itâs a kind of overload.â
âOverload?â
âI will forcefully control the amount of mana released and in that state Iâll try to increase it. To paraphrase, itâs similar to knights wearing sandbags to strengthen their bodies.â
ââ¦â¦How do you control the mana emitted? Are you using magic handcuffs?â
âThe magic handcuffs do not suppress the release of mana, but forcibly cut off the flow of mana so that magic itself cannot be used. What I use is different. Itâs a very old, ancient way.â
âAn ancient way?â
âCasey Selmore, how much do you know about the magic of the ancients?â
âWhat? Compared to now, I heard that the technique has not been established, so it is at a crude level.â
âCertainly, the sharpness and neatness of the current magic would be superior. But there are some areas where people in ancient times were better than the people today.â
That is the amount of mana emitted. In other words, it was the power of the spells used.
âAncient wizards did not neglect training to increase the amount of mana emitted. At that time, the amount of mana was proof of strength. It was as strong as it was crude.â
âSuch a method existed? If there was such a thing, why has it not been known until now?â
âBecause the genealogy has been cut off. To be exact, there is no one left who can interpret the words of that time.â
Rudger got up from his seat and pulled out one of the books stuck in one wall of his study.
âIt is a copy of the âLarsil languageâ that no one has been able to interpret because it has been lost.â
âLarsil is an ancient language that is almost a thousand years old. Why all of a sudden?â
âIt contains the recipe for the drug. Ancient wizards used this training method to increase their mana pool.â
At that, Casey had to grab her thighs tightly with her arms to keep herself from standing up.
âWhat? This man can interpret an ancient language whose genealogy has been cut off?!â