“If we catch the eye of the archmage, Duchess Giselle Kalinos, then our lives will finally turn around too.”
“Oh…”
They thought of Duchess Giselle Kalinos. They, too, were quite familiar with her. The wife of Duke Vientin Kalinos. At the same time, she was the daughter of an archmage, and an archmage in her own right. In fact, hadn’t she made a massive name for herself under the name ‘Wot’?
“T-Then…”
At last, the eyes of the trio, Gold, Silver, and Bronze, gleamed.
“We’d better quickly do as the count ordered.”
Just as the trio exchanged serious glances, Bronze spoke first. “…Guys. First, let’s figure out how to deal with that girl Bella. I don’t like her.”
“Well, sure.”
“…Let’s start.”
“Yeah, let’s.”
Gold snickered. A small pouch slipped out of his pocket. It was the great object that had allowed them to leap from ordinary 1st-circle mages to the highest level among them.
* * *
After finishing my conversation with my roommate, I had simply come to eat after all my classes.
“Oh dear.” I covered my mouth with an exaggerated gesture and blinked.
So… Yeah. What I had witnessed was none other than a scene of school bullying.
All I did was scoop up some soup from the meal tray I’d just picked up. But squirming right there on top of the tomato soup were pill bugs. I propped my chin on my hand with a dumbfounded expression. “What is this supposed to be?” It looked like there were about a hundred pill bugs in this soup.
“Crossing the line, aren’t you?”
I knew all too well who had put the bugs in. Right away, I glared at the trio snickering at the table across from me.
But, you know. Let’s be honest. Before I was reincarnated, I had been through every possible kind of hardship in Korea. Did you know that cockroaches love coffee beans so much that they actually take up residence in cafes? Or that during the summer, people who get hired to catch bugs on ‘Handbook Marketplace’ make a shockingly good hourly rate? I knew those facts all too well. Annoying well, in fact… So clearing away a few little bugs like this was something I could do with my eyes closed. Not that they knew that, of course.
Flashing a bright smile, I took a spoonful of soup. “Ah, it’s really delicious.”
To them, I probably looked like some lunatic chewing up bugs alive. Of course, before eating them, I used magic to send those bugs all back into nature.
I grinned. “Looks like today’s special meal is an insect dish?” I took another spoonful of soup and smiled sweetly. Their expressions turned horrified.
Ah, I like this. My job satisfaction has reached an all-time high lately. I smiled contentedly and winked at the little punks. They glared at me and approached.
“You, w-what the…!”
“It really is a bug, though.”
Yeah, because I cast illusion magic on you guys.
“Oh my, why~?”
I smiled sweetly and showed them the soup, with the bugs floating around in it. They probably didn’t think this through when they were picking up bugs to dump into my soup.
I lightly stomped my foot. “Well then, enjoy your meal.”
“Ha… What an idiot.”
“Does she think she can intimidate us like that?”
“She’s the only one who loses out.”
Yep, nope. Why should I have to eat bugs just to deal with you guys? Eating bugs…
“Well, I’ve finished my meal, so I’ll be going!” I got to my feet. Then I glanced at their trays, where they had only just begun eating. They eat well. But I should take care of the finishing touches, too.
I placed my tray on the return counter and said sweetly, pretending to be concerned, “By the way, Sir Gold, Sir Silver, and Sir Bronze. Is the soup delicious?”
“…”
“What kind of crazy woman is this…?”
How rude. There’s no other sensible person like me around. Even now, look.
“Oh my. Maybe it’s not only my sup that had bugs in it. Check yours, quickly!”
Who else would explain it to them so kindly?
Then I flashed them another deliberately staged, sweet smile. They made faces as if they had literally bitten into a bug.
Bronze, the youngest of the little villain trio, seemed entranced. He spat something out of his mouth. Soon, their eyes widened when they saw what he had spat out.
Yep, there are bugs in your soup. Because I put them there. Not cute little pill bugs, but gigantic cockroaches.
“Uh, uaaargh!” With a loud scream, Bronze’s body collapsed onto the floor. At the same time, Gold and Silver let out ear-piercing shrieks.
Ah, those screams are nice. I stepped outside the door, feeling as though I had just enjoyed a beautiful orchestra. So, how does it feel to eat bugs?
Ah, so refreshing. As expected, this is really fun. Plus, I’d managed to snatch something out of their pockets too. With the ‘steal magic,’ of course. The reason I deliberately provoked them so excessively was to make them focus solely on the bugs in their mouths. I grinned. Petty theft suits my personality pretty well, doesn’t it?
I stared at the magic artifact bearing the words [Count Melandorf Household] and thought. Count Melandorf Household, huh. Found the mastermind.
At the same time, I sent a carrier pigeon to my husband, Duke Kalinos. I asked him to officially visit the magic tower, since this magic tower was about to undergo some cleaning up.
* * *
“A-Are you okay?”
I had merely gone into the bathroom to secretly investigate the magic artifact and then come back out. My roommate, a senior mage, handed me something with a worried expression.
“What is this?”
“A stomach-protecting medicine. You must have vomited.”
I didn’t vomit or anything, though. I had just washed my hands for a somewhat long time.
“I’m worried… Even if you pretend to be strong, I’m sure you have a delicate heart underneath.”
“What?”
“It said in a book that people who pretend to be strong like you actually have more weakness in their hearts.”
What is wrong with this person? She seemed quite kind, but there was also something almost insane about her. If I’m going to be staying here for a long time, I should probably change roommates first.
As I seriously considered this while looking at my roommate, she whispered to me. “You know, you need to be careful. I know you’re amazing, of course.”
“Umm…”
“Y-You were the first person I’ve ever seen who intimidated them by chewing up bugs.” My roommate spoke while trembling. “But there’s a reason we can’t mess with those guys.”
“Well, I suppose so. They’re from a higher circle, after all.”
“That’s not the only reason. Those guys are sponsored by a high-ranking noble.”
Ah, high-ranking noble…
I touched the magic artifact I had stolen from my pocket and looked at the mage. “Count Melandorf?”
“Yes, that’s right! How did you know?”
That count sounded familiar, but I couldn’t remember exactly where I’d heard of him. Who was he again?
My senior interpreted my silence however she pleased and quietly recited, “I heard he has an enormous amount of money because he’s in the banking business.”
Ah, now I remember. Come to think of it, I remembered that count coming to me carrying bundles of gold bars and sucking up to me. I think I kicked him out because he was a nuisance. I stroked my chin and fell into thought. Then, is that b*stard the beginning of the corruption? He was added to the list of people I’d beat the crap out of when I returned.
Perhaps interpreting my silence in her own way again, my roommate spoke seriously. “You’ll be careful, right? It’s just that I don’t want to see a newly arrived mage leave. Every single one of them has left so far.”
“So, is it something like hazing?”
“That’s right. A lot of people have left the magic tower because they couldn’t overcome the hazing…”
The corners of my mouth curled upward as though drawn there. Right, this happened back when I was living as a part-time job machine in Korea too. My eyes gleamed.
“Research would be easier if those guys were gone, too.”
“What kind of research are you doing?”
Her face instantly turned red. “N-Nothing. It’s embarrassing.”
“…?”
“A-And I’m not actually that good at research…”
Self-deprecating remarks began to trail after every sentence my roommate spoke. Is it because she’s been looked down on as merely a 1st-circle mage? Everyone besides my roommate also seemed to have low self-esteem.
I could force them to tell me what kind of research they’re doing… Then again, if I could somehow raise their self-esteem, would they be able to work harder on their research? I stroked my chin and grinned. “Hmm, alright. I’ll help you. Don’t worry.”
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