Ch.212Chapter 212 – Please Hire Me as Your Maid!

Mina Endras.

The spirited girl who dreamed of becoming a magician and entered Glesius Academy was no more.

“Ugh… so tired…”

The person lying in bed now was a working adult worn down by the people she met at her workplace.

“Why are there so many difficult customers…”

After being suspended from the academy, Mina had been working at a high-end restaurant located in the bustling district of Arkenium.

The reason she hadn’t returned to her hometown was because she had been suspended, not expelled.

Due to an accident involving the destruction of a prototype at the magic research laboratory, Mina had to leave the academy for a period of two years.

If Mina had wanted to, she could have given up her academy life and returned to her hometown.

But because she was determined to return as an accomplished magician, she never even considered the option of leaving the academy permanently.

So, since she couldn’t return to the academy during her two-year suspension, she thought she might as well work and save money for her tuition during that time.

“The academy was really manageable after all…”

However, from the moment she started working in society, every day was painful for Mina.

At least in Arkenium, wages were better than in other regions, so she received 40 silver coins, twice the 20 silver coins she used to receive as a stipend.

Since she had to pay five silver coins a month to rent her current lodging, that left her with thirty-five silver coins.

Moreover, since she took care of meals at the restaurant where she worked, she could potentially save at least thirty silver coins if she managed her money well.

Fortunately, she had a bank account created during her academy days, which made saving money easier.

Considering that ordinary restaurant employees received about thirty silver coins as a monthly salary, she was earning quite a lot for someone who had just started working.

—Knock knock

As she was getting out of bed to change her clothes and have dinner with the food packed from the restaurant, someone knocked on her door.

“Mina? Are you in there?”

The person knocking was the one who had rented her the room.

“Auntie? What is it?”

“Oh my, there’s a distinguished guest looking for you. They’re in the living room now, so come out quickly and greet them.”

A distinguished guest?

Mina had never heard the landlady use the term “distinguished guest” before.

And why would such a person be looking for her?

‘Who could be looking for me?’

Mina dragged her tired body and made her way to the living room with difficulty.

This was because her room was on the second floor.

Dragging her exhausted body to the living room, Mina encountered an unexpected figure.

“Count Severio?”

“It’s been a while, Miss Mina.”

It was Pathos who had come to see Mina.

◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈

I’ve now come to find Mina at the lodging where she was staying.

How did I find her location? …I got a little help from Sister Regina.

Apparently, each magician has a unique mana waveform, making it very easy to track them down.

So, with Sister Regina’s help, I confirmed where Mina was staying and went to meet her.

Mina was staying at a multi-lodging facility that also served as a café on the first floor.

The first floor was a café, while the second and third floors were accommodations.

‘I guess she’s staying in a rather modest place due to financial constraints.’

By the way, Karen Blechet? Sister Regina said she would take care of her.

The reason being that it would be much cleaner for the academy’s headmaster to handle it directly rather than me getting involved.

So I put aside my concerns about Karen Blechet and came to find Mina.

“It’s been a while, Miss Mina.”

And so I was able to meet Mina, who had become a working adult worn down by fatigue.

“Count Severio?”

Mina seemed unable to understand why I had come to see her.

Well, at the academy, the reason for her suspension would have been known as her fault, so people probably couldn’t come to see her.

Elena… I haven’t met her so I couldn’t hear her story, but she must have tried to find out in her own way.

Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now, so let’s move on.

“Please have some tea while we talk.”

The building owner brought me a cup of tea.

Being a nobleman, she seemed to be showing me some consideration.

“I heard about your suspension from the academy and came to see you.”

“You too, Count… must think poorly of me for being suspended from the academy…”

Mina, sitting across from me, lowered her head as she spoke.

Her voice was tinged with inexplicable regret and self-loathing.

“Why would you think that?”

“Pardon?”

“Why should I think poorly of you, Miss Mina?”

“That’s… well…”

Mina seemed to think that the situation she was in was entirely her fault.

But that’s far from the truth.

“If you’ve done anything wrong, it would be meeting someone like Karen Blechet.”

“What? What do you mean by that…”

Mina asked me again, seemingly not understanding what I had said.

“Let me tell you one thing for certain: Karen Blechet is no longer a professor at the academy.”

“W-wait a moment. I don’t quite understand what you’re saying, Count.”

“It’s exactly as I said. Evidence of all the wrongdoings Karen Blechet has committed has been discovered, and she can no longer serve as a professor at the academy. Currently, the headmaster has gone to arrest Professor Karen Blechet, and your injustice will soon be resolved.”

I explained to Mina in detail what had happened.

What kind of person Karen Blechet was, what wrongs she had committed.

And that all evidence to prove her charges had been found, and Sister Regina was on her way to arrest her.

“Uu… uuu… uuuh…”

As soon as Mina heard my explanation, her eyes became moist, and she kept wiping them with her hands.

Then, seeming to have calmed down a bit, she raised her head and looked at me.

“Why… why are you doing all this for someone like me, Count?”

Mina, who seemed to have gone through a lot of emotional hardship, asked why I was doing so much for her.

And while there was much I could tell her, what she needed right now was just this one thing.

“Miss Mina, you are a precious friend I made when I came to the academy.”

“…What?”

“When a friend is falsely accused and in trouble, of course I should help. That’s what friends are for.”

“Friend…”

Mina seemed lost in thought after hearing my words.

“Moreover, Miss Mina would never be careless with anything related to magic. Didn’t you run around trying to fix the crystal orb attached to the magic wand your parents bought you? Judging from that, I don’t believe you would carelessly damage a research prototype.”

“…”

“Anyway, your injustice will be resolved soon. In fact, even your dropping of the prototype was entirely Karen Blechet’s fault.”

“Is that true?”

“It is.”

I explained to Mina how hard Karen Blechet had worked to make her drop the vial containing the reagent in order to expel her.

This was all detailed in the plans she had in her possession.

“Professor Karen Blechet will be taken away to pay for the crimes she committed. After that, your suspension will be officially canceled.”

“But what will the other students think of me…”

“I’ve discussed that with the headmaster as well. All of Karen Blechet’s wrongdoings will be publicly disclosed, and the academy will officially compensate those who have been harmed in relation to this. Of course, you will also be fully compensated for the damages you’ve suffered.”

This incident is entirely Karen Blechet’s fault.

Therefore, Mina, who got caught up in her scheme, would be thoroughly treated as a victim.

“And I also have something to say about the damaged reagent.”

“That…”

“I’ve restored the reagent with my abilities. And I’ve also obtained a statement from the research staff confirming that you did nothing wrong, so will you return to the academy?”

“Is it… really okay for me to return?”

“Come back, Miss Mina. Let’s attend the academy together. And when you return, shouldn’t you proudly show your parents that you’ve become a magician?”

Then Mina stood up, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and then…

“Eh?”

Suddenly prostrated herself before me.

“Please, employ me as your maid, Count!”

“Pfft! Ouch, hot!”

And I choked on the tea in front of me, burning the roof of my mouth.

“C-Count! Are you alright?!”

“I-I’m fine! But, a maid…”

I quickly used my ability to heal my burned palate.

“It’s just… there’s no other way for me to repay the kindness you’ve shown me! So please let me serve by your side and repay that debt!”

“Um… well…”

I was at a loss for words.

It seemed like this was an issue I would need to discuss with Sister Regina.