Chapter 1 I strike hard at my pursuers
Even though Edith Gary was usually low-key, as the protagonist of this promotion celebration banquet, she inevitably became the focus of the crowd. There was an endless stream of people coming to congratulate her, with smiles on their faces and nice words, but their eyes did not fall on her face, but glanced at the chief brooch on her chest that symbolized power.
Edith had long been accustomed to this kind of neglect. She dealt with the last wave of people without a care, lowered her head, and gently pressed the pain in her head caused by drinking.
As a commoner from a poor merchant family, she only had the title of chief researcher that she had just obtained that was worthy of the nobles' covetousness. Compared with this kind of interruption that she could barely deal with, there was another kind of "harassment" that was more troublesome -
"--Miss Gary?"
……here we go again.
After a night of itching to make a move, the baron finally got his chance. While Edith was closing her eyes, he rushed forward and held her arm attentively. "You don't look well. How about I take you to the rooftop to get some fresh air?"
The greed in the other person's eyes was not concealed at all.
Edith lowered her eyes and narrowed them slightly: "I have emphasized many times-"
"ah!!!"
Just as she began to say no, the baron's screams pierced the entire banquet hall and reached Edith's ears. She was awakened by this "ah" without any warning. Her vision focused again, and she raised her head, and what caught her eye was the baron's sleeves embroidered with gold thread - he had raised his arms countless times tonight, pretending to casually lift up his hair, and flaunted the exquisite embroidery on his sleeves.
However, this expensive dress had lost its original shape and was as wrinkled as the baron himself, and was firmly grasped in the palm of a white and slender hand.
The blue veins were particularly noticeable on the pale skin of the hand, and they tightened again under the coverage of his line of sight, causing the Baron to utter another cry of pain.
"Thank you for your kindness, but drinking alcohol can easily lead to illness." The hand owner's cold voice came from the side, "If you still lack basic common sense like this, you can ask your tutor more - or participate in the children's enlightenment class held once a week by the Pharmacy Association."
His tone was calm and no emotion could be heard, but the content of his words was very clear. No matter how dumb the Baron was, he could not fail to hear the sarcasm in the other party's words.
"Who talked to you!" That scream really attracted a lot of people's attention. He couldn't keep his face, so he could only shout louder to cover up his guilty conscience, "Let go! How can there be someone like you who doesn't know etiquette!"
There was still no sign of that hand loosening.
Who is so brave...
His heart was beating fast, and he quietly raised his head and looked up and down at the man who had grabbed him: the suit was only tailored, without any embroidery or jewelry to add value; his black hair was sticking up, and it was obvious that there was no special servant to take care of it. And the color of his eyes... In the circle he was familiar with, no one had such a pair of dark red pupils.
Not a noble...
"Where did the rat come from?" The baron glanced at the researcher badge on the man's chest, and his attitude suddenly became condescending. "The association's recruitment standards have really improved. Even guys from the sewers can be invited to the banquet--"
"That's enough." Edith suddenly interrupted the Baron. "I'm tired. Let's go."
"It's my pleasure, beautiful lady." The baron looked at Edith's hand holding the invitation, and immediately forgot his anger and smiled happily, "I know a great place to stroll -"
"Who spoke to you?" Edith calmly returned the question, pointing at the owner of the hand, "I was calling him."
The man stepped forward the moment she called out, and silently bent down, allowing Edith to reach out and reach his shoulders.
Edith yawned, and in the Baron's incredulous eyes, she hugged the man beside her, tilted her head, and acted very intimately: "Let's go, Shelly."
The young man called Shelly lowered his eyes and said hello.
The banquet was drawing to a close, and the talks about relationships and cooperation had already ended. Those who stayed behind were young men and women who hadn't had enough fun, so it wasn't too much of a hindrance for her, the protagonist, to leave. The host of the banquet hall pretended to stop them twice, and then tactfully sent a carriage to take the two away.
The baron watched Edith walk away and swallowed his saliva. He grabbed his friend who was watching the show and said, "Didn't you say she didn't have a lover?"
How dare you make him look so foolish!
"No, he's her apprentice." The friend grinned and raised his chin towards the two people's backs as they left. "Isn't it obvious that he's not very old? I remember he was only around 20. If your brother really joined the Pharmacy Guild, he might have to work under him."
The words of his friend reminded the baron and helped him get his mind out of the romantic world. He suddenly remembered his original purpose and chased after her with some annoyance, "Miss Gary——"
Edith, who had already reached the door of the banquet hall, tilted her head slightly when she heard this.
Half of her face was immersed in the darkness outside the door, and it looked blurry. The candlelight in the banquet hall fell on the other half of her face, making her green eye particularly bright.
Like a finely cut gem, sparkling under the beam light of the display case.
The Baron was stunned for a moment, and only came to his senses when Edith spoke.
She said, “Remind me.”
Edith slowly turned around, letting the light evenly fall on the half of her face that disappeared into the darkness. The other hidden eye finally appeared and fell into the Baron's sight.
Darkness can blur many things, including the appropriate social smile on a person's face, as well as the charming and lingering banquet dance music that makes people imagine. The eye that was separated from the aristocratic social scene was almost completely black, like a bottomless lake, reflecting the baron's pale and terrified face.
"As far as I know, your brother's application for employment has already been submitted to the association. Although recruiting is not my responsibility, I was deeply moved by your words tonight."
She tilted her head, lowered her eyes, and smiled:
"The association's standards are indeed getting lower and lower. Let's start rectifying it from here."
…
"Apartment 7, South Block."
Edith left the banquet hall and walked towards the carriage not far away. While Shelly was communicating the destination with the coachman, he held Edith from behind with his hands and helped her sit on the seat. He lowered his eyes and pulled his windproof vest closer. Edith leaned on the cushion behind her, and her back, which had been tense all night, had a support point and relaxed instantly.
She closed her eyes lazily and interrupted the student, "I'm not going back to the apartment."
"Shelly, I'll go to your house tonight."
The man's body suddenly froze.
This guy, who usually had a quick mind, was stuck in place for a moment, and it took him a long time to utter a word: "...What?"
Edith didn't notice the other person's pause. She opened her eyes, and with a "swish" she pulled the hems of her skirt outward, making the exquisite dress into a flat trapezoid.
"Look, there's no pocket." She leaned toward Shelly, showing the beautiful and useless design in full view. "I forgot my keys in the cloak pocket, so it makes sense."
Shelly: “…”
He quickly lowered the curtain, looked around to make sure that no one else had seen this scene that was not in line with aristocratic etiquette, and turned back to lift a small corner of the chain. Edith was still chattering, listing the flaws of her clothes, and she stopped talking when she saw Shelly's stiff expression: "Why? Don't you want me to stay?"
"Inn in the inner city is too expensive, and not necessarily clean. You lived in my house for so long in your early years as a student. Now that you're an adult, you're not willing to give me this little bit in return?"
Edith raised an eyebrow.
"...No." After hearing the other party's reason, Shelly sighed softly, turned his head to tell the driver the new address, and sat opposite Edith.
The teacher was obviously tired. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and his breathing became even. With no support, his head tilted to one side and was about to hit the window frame.
Shelly leaned forward urgently, put his hand between the two, and supported Edith's head.
Edith's exquisite bun became messy during the long party, and a few strands of hair broke free from the shape and rubbed against his hands, making him itch slightly. Shelly didn't dare to raise his eyes, and just kept the awkward posture, waiting motionlessly until he reached the destination.
Edith woke up the moment the carriage stopped, and he withdrew his hand in time, pretending that nothing had happened.
"arrive?"
"Um."
Shelly got out of the car first, tipped the driver before Edith did, and helped the teacher to the door of the apartment as the driver thanked him gratefully. He stretched out his hand, and his fingertips hovered on the door lock two fingers wide and turned it around. The lock popped open with a click, revealing a gap in the door.
Shelly pushed open the door and gently placed Edith on the sofa. She half-closed her eyes, looking extremely sleepy, but she kept talking. "You mages are the best." She yawned, "The door lock can directly detect a person's magic fluctuations - this is much more convenient than using keys."
After the magic lock was successfully developed, it quickly became popular throughout the country because of its convenience. In addition, the rulers intended to use it to reduce the crime rate in various places, so the price of this device dropped directly to the bottom, and in some remote towns, it was even provided for free installation. Although there are few people with enough magic power to become a magician, it is still easy to mobilize a little magic power to open a lock - there are very few people like her who have no magic power at all.
Now that keys are gradually becoming obsolete, it's not easy to find someone who can open the door. Her door lock is a high-end one with reinforced defenses, and it may not be opened by a spell... I don't know how I'm going to get back tomorrow.
Edith's head began to hurt again.
"Teacher?" Shelly's voice sounded from the front. Edith blinked, and then she realized that the other party had already made tea and brought it to her without her knowing.
"I remember that you don't like potions, so I didn't mix the wine potion." Seeing that the teacher's eyes lingered on the teacup, the young man explained softly, "The cup is new, it has never been used since I bought it, and it is absolutely clean."
"It's okay, I just drank too much and I'm a little confused." Edith yawned again, which was not in accordance with etiquette, to cover up her dazed behavior, and then reached out to take the teacup. For some reason, at a certain moment just now, she seemed to see a faint blue ripple on the teacup.
Judging from the shape and color, it looked a bit like the magical fluctuations described in books, but she was an ordinary person with no magical powers at all, so she shouldn't be able to see such a thing.
"Is this teacup a magical creation?" She raised her head, wanting to confirm it one last time.
"No." Shelly didn't understand, but still shook his head. "It was originally a handmade product, but I added a heat-insulating spell myself, so it can be considered a magically processed product at most."
Then it's probably normal to have fluctuations in magic power.
Edith was relieved. She was drunk now, and her brain would always become unpredictable under the stimulation of alcohol. Not to mention seeing the fluctuations of magic power, it wouldn't be strange to see a group of dancing people.
She blew on the surface of the tea and drank the contents of the cup in one gulp.
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