Although the long time that it was taking the merchant to show up was starting to get on his nerves, it also gave him an opportunity to take care of the brown-haired maid-in-training.

”Tsk… clothes…”

The black-haired boy clicked his tongue when he reached his hand towards the rack where he usually stacked the change of clothes as he went for a bath and realized that he did not remember to do so this time around.

”I will just have to make a run for the closet. I hope it won’t bother her… what do you think?”

Zoemi sighed while affixing the large towel around his waist while using a smaller one to dry his hair.

She looked kind of out of it, I bet she will not even notice.

Ludier’s shadow called out from the depths of Zoemi’s mind, sounding kind of bored and indifferent.

”Yeah, she might have even fallen asleep, pushing oneself past your limit is no joke.”

The black0ahired boy nodded and walked towards the door, unlocking it and re-entering his room.

”Puah…! Sorry it took so long.”

”!!!!”

Zoemi breathed out and took a deep breath of the much cooler air while emerging from the bathroom, briskly walking towards the big closet, opening it, and hiding behind the door.

”How are you fe…?”

He took off the small towel from his head and leaned from behind the closet’s door to check up on the brown-haired girl, but the sight that he witnessed had thrown him for a loop.

It literally took him five seconds to properly take in the sight of the barely-clothed girl waiting for him on the bed wearing only a set of underwear that was doing a poor job of covering anything.

”WHAT IN THE…?!”

When the view finally sunk in and his brain started working again, the black-haired boy let out a loud gasp and jumped back, dropping the small towel as his sudden movement loosened the big one around his waist causing it to slide down.

To make the situation even more ridiculous, as he was landing, his heel ended up folding the carpet by the closet, which resulted in him losing his balance and falling down.

”Sir Zoemi!? Ah…!”

The brown-haired girl let out a panicked cry and get off the bed and approached him, only to gasp and blush with her eyes fixated on a certain lively spot…

”Oww… Huh…? AH!? HUH?!”

Zoemi groaned, massaging his back before he glanced up at the worried girl, blushed seeing her up close, and looked down after realizing where she was staring just to realize that was nothing covering his nether regions – and gasped while grasping the towel that he dropped to cover himself.

”R-Ririe…! What are you doing…?! Did… did you get a fewer and forgot that you aren’t in your own room…?! Why did you undress…?!”

The black-haired boy asked in complete confusion, trying to figure out how did he get into that sort of situation.

Why was it happening at this exact time when there was focusing on keeping an eye on a very important event going on.

|The hell is this supposed to be?! Is she actually someone sent here to mess with us?!|

Zoemi gritted his teeth and attempted to look away from the concerned-looking girl leaning down towards him, intentionally – or not – revealing even more of her voluptuous body.

If she is, then she is succeeding. You keep staring.

|I AM TRYING NOT TO!|

Ludier’s shadow scoffed at him mockingly and the black-haired boy roared back at him in his mind.

Well, I cannot really blame you. The size of those things really boggles my mind, she’s the type that looks smaller in clothes… isn’t that ridiculous? With that volume?

|I CAN SEE THAT! NOW SHUT UP!|

Still, it seemed that even the unique shadow of the ice-mage couldn’t help himself from commenting on the situation, making Zoemi angry.

But in fact, that anger was exactly what the black-haired boy needed to clear his mind even a little bit.

”Sir Zoemi… Am… am I not to your liking…?”

”…?!”

Zoemi started paying attention just in time to see the girl’s trembling chin as she asked, clenching both of her hands and pressing them against her chest in distress.

|Hold up…!|

The black-haired boy shook his head and furrowed his brows.

”Ririe… why did you come to my room today…?”

He asked, getting up and moving back behind the closet’s door where he hurriedly started dressing up.

”Eh…? I… Well… didn’t you call for me to… help you… umm… relieve the pent-up stress…?”

The magicless girl cowered and started stuttering as her face was getting redder and redder from embarrassment with each word she spoke unable to get a certain image out of her mind.

”…Ririe… when did I say that?”

|Did I say anything that could be interpreted in such a way..?|

Not to my knowledge, no.

Zoemi asked out loud while also confirming it with Ludier’s shadow, who affirmed his doubts.

”Well… I… you… wasn’t that what you meant when you asked me if I like lord Reo…?”

”…”

The girl lowered her head and muttered, making Zoemi look up and blink repeatedly while frowning.

|…what…? How in the world did THAT got misinterpreted like that?!|

He thought to himself unable to figure out the logic behind that way of thinking.

I don’t know… I was a very lucky man and my lovely wife was straightforward in her affection so we could just talk openly about those things. But everyone is different, so…

Ludier’s shadow answered him once again, although this time it kind of sounded as if he was boasting…

…and wasn’t helpful at all…

”Ririe… there has been a miscommunication… I really meant it when I said that Reo seems to like you, and I said that I want to be left in peace because I am watching over something important – definitely not because I wanted to force you to do something so…”

”I wasn’t forced…! I…! I will be more than glad to help you out in any way I can, sir Zoemi…”

The black-haired boy breathed out and tried to explain, but the brown-haired girl had cut him off while making a pitiful expression.

It looks that she is serious about you…

|…|

Ludier’s shadow pointed out, causing Zoemi to bite his lips.

”Sir Zoemi, I am not acting rashly, the truth is I have liked you all the way since you helped me out back then…”

The brown-haired girl took a step forward and spoke up, realizing that the reality is completely different from her hopes.

And, when she said that she liked Zoemi from back then, she meant it by the beginning of the school year when he had saved her from Xeonith’s spell after she planted a cracked wind mana stone in the pot, causing the oatmeal eruption in order to ensure that no one will doubt her being a magician.

”…”

But for Zoemi who didn’t know that Ririe was in fact Reo, her words sounded as if she talked about him saving her from the pervert only two weeks ago, making her words sound like something someone naive and innocent would think, mistaking gratitude for love.

”…I think I understand – not everything but at least the gist of it… Ririe. I am sorry. I already have someone that I like in such a way, and it is not you. Please, get dressed.”

”…!”

Zoemi buttoned up his shirt and declared with a serious expression, causing Reo to flinch.

Wow… and I am supposed to be the one in charge of ice…

|Shut up. What, is it better to lead her on? What would your wife say hearing you talk like that?|

…alright, damn – I get it, kid…

Ludier’s shadow gasped but got shot down by Zoemi without even a bit of hesitation.

*sniffle*

”…!”

Then, the sound of sobbing made the black-haired boy flinch and he closed the closet’s door to reveal the brown-haired girl hiding her face in her hands as her shoulders trembled.

”S-sir Zoemi… I… I am sorry…!”

She sniffled, and the next moment she grabbed her clothes and ran out of the room…

*thump*

…or at least she attempted to but she ended up encountering the closed door that she locked herself…

”…!”

The brown-haired girl took a quick breath, doing her best to not straight up burst into crying, and reached for the key…

”I am not in a position to tell you how you should feel, but don’t do anything rash. Maybe take a few days off and think things through. When you make a decision you don’t have to come to me if you don’t wish to see me. You can just talk to Benevirau – or not. If you don’t want to return afterward, it’s also okay.”

”…”

Zoemi looked at the girl and then lowered his head apologetically, causing her to flinch.

”…I… Understand…”

Reo sniffled and nodded.

She even ended up hurriedly putting on her dress to not run through the hallway half-naked and nodded while doing her best to calmly unlock the door.

”…I will take the few days off…”

She added, without looking back at the black-haired boy, and left.

”…”

Zoemi sighed glancing at the door for a few seconds when…

”(Ghost!)”

”(Ghost…!)”

”(Ghost spotted!)”

”!?!?!?!?!??!”

In an instant, three of his sentinels contacted him via the massage spell causing the black-hired boy to switch into battle mode as the wave of hatred crashed against the core of his being washing off any other emotion.

Without a moment of hesitation, he focused in order to connect himself to the sentinels that located the member of a Ghost of Bellcephora and…

”What the **…?!”

Zoemi cursed as he realized that it wasn’t any of the ninety-seven sentinels that he sent out to search for the group of traitors, and instead it was the three whom he sent to watch the bandits’ ambush…!