“Why are you looking at me like you’re about to X-ray me, Purple Head?”
That kind of gaze is supposed to be directed at the heroine, you know?
“I’ve been watching you for the past few days, and you’re impossible to understand. I want to keep observing you.”
“Huh?”
“Your grades are lower than mine and Crosswell’s, and your magic ability is average.”
“Hey.”
“Yet whenever the three of us were together, you were basically the leader. You say things that don’t sound reasonable, but somehow they end up being right.”
“Are you insulting me to my face right now—”
“That strange ability of yours stimulates my curiosity.”
“Sigh…”
“So I need to observe you from up close.”
What on earth was he talking about?
“Wait a second. I never said I was joining the Black Spoon Department.”
As if he had been waiting for that, the mastermind stepped beside me and whispered:
“This is what the taste of power is like, Miss Lowell.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well then, Miss Crosswell. You must still be tired, so we’ll take our leave.”
“Ah, thank you for coming.”
The heroine hurriedly bowed.
But the moment she looked at me, her beautiful eyes filled with tears.
“Layla.”
“Yuliana, this situation right now…”
It’s a complete disaster.
But we can still fix it. It’s not too late yet!
Before I could say anything, however, she grabbed both of my hands tightly.
“Thank you so much for saving me.”
“Uh…”
“From the very beginning, I’ve only been receiving help from you. I don’t even know how to repay you.”
“No! It’s not like that at all…”
At that moment, someone lightly placed a hand on my shoulder.
It was a reassuringly strong man’s hand, but the instant it touched me, a chill ran down my spine.
It was the male lead.
“Come on, Lowell.”
“Yes…?”
“Let’s go to our department for a moment.”
The look in his eyes felt strangely familiar.
Because I had worn that same expression once.
The look of someone drowning in work who had just captured a new employee to exploit.
As the mastermind and the male lead prepared an employment contract in front of me, I wondered whether this was a dream or reality.
The mountain of paperwork was even higher than the last time I had seen it.
Is this really my life now…?
The absurdity of the situation made my head spin.
No, wait. Didn’t I tell the heroine this myself?
There was no reason to tie yourself to one company.
Was the Imperial Palace the only workplace in the world? Of course not!
Jobs were everywhere.
What era was this, for me to devote my entire life to a single employer?
Sure, I worked hard to become a government official.
But that didn’t mean I wanted to get thrown into the empire’s toughest department.
So...
I’ll resign.
Even if I signed the contract, I could just quit afterward.
It sounded like a perfectly reasonable plan.
While thinking that, I made eye contact with the mastermind.
For some reason, a terrible premonition washed over me.
He was smiling far too smugly.
What is it…? Why does he keep grinning like that?
His looks made the smile seem charming.
If an ordinary person wore that expression, it would be infuriating.
...Or was it just my imagination that the smile was getting bigger and bigger?
“Haha. Well then, Miss Lowell.”
“Yes.”
“First, let me apologize for bringing you here so forcefully.”
“No... it’s fine.”
“But the situation is rather urgent, so I hope you can understand.”
“Yes…”
I answered politely while mentally repeating my conclusion.
Resignation. Fast resignation is the answer.
I quickly skimmed through the employment contract.
Most of it contained standard employment terms.
But when I reached the middle section, my eyes widened.
“Minister Crow.”
“Yes? Is there something you’re curious about?”
“There’s a mandatory employment period written here. What exactly is this?”
When employed by the Black Magic Collection and Suppression Department, a minimum service period of three years from the official start date is required.
Resignation or transfer to another department is prohibited during this period.
Leave of absence may be discussed in cases of disasters, accidents, or physical incapacity.
Unauthorized absence may result in punishment under confidentiality regulations.
The mastermind smiled as if he were delighted that I had noticed.
“Most black magic investigations involve confidential information. Once you join, you’re required to stay for three years.”
“What?!”
“If you sign that contract, you’ll belong to our department for the next three years.”
He smiled pleasantly.
“And remember—unauthorized absence carries serious consequences.”
…I had no memory of this setting in the original novel.
The moment I sign, my quick-resignation plan is dead.
Then the mastermind spoke in a honey-sweet voice.
“But have you looked at the salary section, Miss Lowell? It starts at three times the pay of new recruits in other departments.”
“Ah. Yes.”
“There’s also a performance bonus of one thousand marks every quarter.”
“Uh-huh.”
My response was utterly unenthusiastic.
One thousand marks is basically ten million won.
But I’d like to spend that money with all four limbs intact, thank you very much.
The mastermind softened his tone even further.
“Miss Lowell. I understand why you’re worried.”
“…”
“You must be frightened.”
“…”
“But the ability to see black magic cores is incredibly rare.”
Come to think of it, that ability was strange.
Wasn’t I supposed to be a minor character who only appeared briefly at the beginning?
Why give this kind, quiet classmate of the heroine such an absurd trial?
I pleaded desperately.
“Couldn’t it have just been a coincidence? Sometimes people display superhuman abilities when pushed to the limit. Maybe it was just a one-time thing?”
“Hm. Perhaps.”
The mastermind narrowed his eyes at me.
“Or perhaps you belong to a family that possesses such power.”
Huh?
What family?
Right then, even the male lead joined in.
“Now that she’s here, you should check, Edgar.”
“I suppose so. Ah, if only we’d met her earlier. We should call Lumiere.”
Male lead!
You wouldn’t even comfort the heroine, so why are you doing this to me?!
And what kind of development was this?
My hidden birth secret?
Was it really okay for something like that to be revealed this early?
Three hundred years ago, after the Mad Emperor killed the Saintess,
the decline of the Temple of the God of Time and Purification—and its affiliated families—had been inevitable.
However, House Crow maintained its prestige by overseeing the Central Temple.
So our orphanage was technically funded by the mastermind’s family?
That was certainly a new way of looking at things.
Anyway...
Priest Lumiere, a retainer of the mastermind, looked like a baby chick with bright honey-colored hair and blue eyes.
Dragged into the Black Spoon Department office while thoroughly confused, he...
“You possess divine power!”
“What?”
After touching me several times with glowing hands, he delivered a bloodless death sentence.
Nothing happened for twenty years, and now suddenly this?
The priest looked just as shocked.
“The ability to see cores is also a form of divine power! But how could it awaken so suddenly?”
“I have absolutely no idea…”
“But divine power normally manifests from childhood!”
“Maybe I never had a chance to use it…?”
Had the people who abandoned Layla Lowell at the orphanage known about this?
If they had known, would they still have left her behind?
My feelings grew complicated.
Meanwhile, the chick-like priest flapped excitedly.
“This is incredible! Ahhh! The number of divine power users has been decreasing for years, and now a miracle like this appears!”
“Um…”
“Can this help identify where I came from?”
“It will take time, but it’s certainly possible. Divine power is inherited through bloodlines!”
The priest nodded so vigorously that it looked like his head might spin off.
“You may even be a descendant of a family that no longer exists.”
“Ah…”
“I understand how you feel! It must be overwhelming! Ah, I want to tell the other priests immediately!”
Overwhelming, my foot.
Sure, finding blood relatives would be nice, but I don’t need this kind of power!
For a background character like me to suddenly gain an ability like this?
That was practically a giant flag announcing future trouble.
At that moment, however, the male lead stopped the excited priest.
“Priest Lumiere. This must remain a secret for the time being.”