On Official Duty with My Tower Master Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 86

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 86
Two days had passed since returning to the Imperial Capital, yet I couldn’t seem to readjust to this place.
People’s attitudes had shifted so completely that the same space felt foreign to me now.
It was clear that word had spread widely about how I’d accepted apologies from those who’d come seeking me out the moment I returned yesterday.
“Vivian! I heard you’d returned, but I wasn’t sure if I should visit first, so I was torn about it.”
“I heard about Aster. We had no idea that was happening…”
“I’m sorry, Inspector Vivian.”
People who’d ignored me and shown territorial hostility at Aster’s word now apologized the moment they saw me.
When I responded awkwardly, they would invariably follow up with praise as an extension of their apologies.
“You received two Magic Tower Master’s Seals, didn’t you?”
“Vivian’s practically made a great fortune for the empire!”
“Well, I was just doing what I was asked to do.”
It was unexpected that so many people would apologize properly rather than pretend nothing had happened, but it was burdensome all the same.
Of course, there were still those who offered no apologies at all.
“If she hadn’t pushed Aster out, she should speak clearly. We’re not probing people’s intentions here.”
“Either way, the fact that she’s a nepotistic hire doesn’t change. She did get into the Crystal Whale Department on her father’s name, didn’t she?”
“Who knows if she obtained the Magic Tower Master’s Seal through dirty means? And then there’s the matter of the Princess’s engagement ceremony preparation.”
These people rationalized their hostility or displayed their jealousy openly, unwilling to apologize.
Such attitudes were actually more familiar to me, so I wasn’t particularly hurt by them.
‘I don’t particularly want to maintain good relations with people like that just because they apologized.’
What made the Imperial Capital feel truly foreign wasn’t the changed attitudes of people, but the work itself.
The first task upon returning to the Imperial Capital wasn’t a Crystal Whale ecology survey or an illegal capture investigation—it was engagement ceremony preparation.
‘I can’t even tell if I’m a Magical Beast ecology inspector or a party planner.’
I sat in the office, glowering at the documents spread before me.
Small, pretty Magical Beasts suitable for decorating an engagement ceremony—wasn’t that far too subjective and barbaric?
So I’d hastily compiled a list and needed to get it reviewed by the Princess, which was proving to be an incredibly unpleasant task.
‘Is there any way to get through this without tormenting the Magical Beasts? Just being displayed in front of crowds would cause them enormous stress.’
I never thought I’d reach a day when I’d consider the Crystal Whale survey work preferable to this.
I hurled the pen down and rose, trudging toward the adjacent department’s office.
The Winged Monster Department had the second-largest number of inspectors after the Land Beast Department.
This was where I’d find Inspector Rene, one of the few who hadn’t shown me territorial hostility.
I didn’t know what Rene thought of me, but I regarded her quite favorably.
She hadn’t helped me or tried to stop others; she was merely a bystander focused on her own work. But at that time, even someone who simply didn’t speak to me was something to be grateful for.
Yet this same Rene had raised her voice to me for the first time.
“What? You’ve been assigned as the coordinator for decorating the Princess’s engagement ceremony with Magical Beasts? With Magical Beasts? For an engagement ceremony?”
I’d asked which species would cause the least stress since I had to deploy Magical Beasts for the Princess’s engagement ceremony, and received her sharp glare in full.
‘It’s natural, really.’
Unable to respond, I kept my mouth shut, and Rene fired back with an expression of disbelief.
“You agreed to do that so readily? I’m truly disappointed. Don’t you know what kind of person the 3rd Princess is? She’ll set her eyes on a pretty Magical Beast used as mere decoration and keep it locked in a cage for life.”
“…”
“I don’t know you well, Inspector Vivian, but if you’re truly a Magical Beast ecology inspector…! Your father was a Magical Beast protection activist, and how could you…!”
“The 3rd Princess said she’d start firing people from the Investigation Bureau, beginning with the director, if I didn’t take this assignment.”
“…”
“I didn’t ask whether she meant my neck or my position, but it sounded sincere.”
“…”
Rene, who’d been trembling and pouring out words, suddenly fell silent and stood quietly, then pulled a document folder from the bookshelf.
“If you look here, I’ve divided the Winged Beasts by size. When placed together, some are natural predators of others and will fight, so you need to consider that in your placement.”
Rene began explaining the Magical Beasts with an expression of utter disgust.
“We can’t use species that hunt small land beasts. What about species that eat only fruit?”
From my side, I also asked various questions, visibly reluctant.
Just then, several small birdcages covered with cloth were wheeled into the office.
“What Magical Beasts are those?”
I asked when I felt a distinct presence emanating from the beasts in the cages, and Rene clicked her tongue regretfully as she answered.
“They were scheduled for Monster Release today, but it was canceled.”
“Canceled? Something went wrong?”
“They’re not sick, but we gave them a Mana Nutrient Supplement to keep them healthy, and their feathers became so shiny that they’d easily be exposed to their natural predators. We have to wait until the effect wears off.”
It wasn’t uncommon—though it did happen occasionally—for a Magical Beast’s condition to change for various reasons just before release.
“Did they go all the way to the forest and come back?”
“No. These are more like the sparrows of the city Magical Beasts.”
“It’s good that the inspectors managed to get them back to the outskirts of the Imperial Capital at least…!”
As we exchanged words, I suddenly had an exceptionally good idea.
“The next Monster Release date isn’t confirmed in writing, is it?”
“No. Since we don’t know when they’ll return to normal.”
“That’s excellent.”
“What do you mean by excellent…?”
Rene caught on to my thinking as she questioned me, her eyes lighting up as she flipped through the documents rapidly.
“There are other Magical Beasts waiting for release. The timing even matches the engagement ceremony date.”
“Rene. Let’s keep this between us—a secret just for the two of us.”
“Of course, Vivian. Don’t worry.”
If it were these Magical Beasts, they might avoid the misfortune of becoming the permanent fixtures of the Rose Palace, even if they were used to decorate the engagement ceremony.
‘I’m not even talking about taxidermy made from already-dead beasts, but living ones? Of course it’s impossible.’
This task, which had seemed to drag me into misery, suddenly felt like a covert operation, and the unease that had weighed on me lifted considerably.
***
I stepped out of the carriage with a lighter heart than when I’d left work, and Tali came rushing out at once.
“Young Mistress! Welcome home! You have a guest!”
“A guest? But I’m not expecting anyone.”
“She’s a refined young woman, but quite unusual. Apparently you were close with her when you were in Melgote?”
“Oh, she must be my guest.”
Now that the 3rd Princess’s engagement ceremony preparation had begun, there was no way Simona would sit idle.
“She came without sending word, trying to surprise me, I guess.”
I headed to the reception room with anticipation of a warm reunion, but the moment I saw the woman sitting on the sofa, I froze.
“…!”
“Vivian. Have you been well? As it happened, I’ve come without sending notice.”
The exotic manner of speech and jet-black hair.
The Mercenary from the Eastern Continent I’d seen at the Melgote Grand Duke Residence.
I suddenly stopped in my tracks, my body stiffening, and Tali tilted her head in confusion.
“Young Mistress? What’s wrong?”
“…Tali. I have urgent matters to discuss with the guest. Could you excuse us? And please make sure no one comes near the reception room.”
“Yes? Young Mistress. Are you all right? She really is your guest, isn’t she?”
Tali glanced at the Mercenary with suspicion as she questioned me, and I deliberately relaxed my expression.
“It’s fine. We have a mountain of things to discuss, and since some of it involves confidential matters from Melgote, that’s why I’m asking.”
“…I understand. If you need anything, please ring the bell anytime.”
Tali left the reception room with an anxious expression.
Even after the door closed, I could hear the sound of her lingering in the hallway, likely worried she’d made a mistake letting the guest in.
‘Even if I’d refused her visit, she would’ve found a way to break into the residence anyway.’
I vividly remembered how this Mercenary had barged into my guest room at the inn in Melgote with some nonsensical excuse.
She’d ransacked the room while wielding her sword wildly, leaving it in shambles, and there was no guarantee she wouldn’t do the same here.
‘First priority is making sure no one gets hurt.’
I only moved once the sounds from outside the door had finally faded.
I settled into a seat facing away from the servants’ entrance, trying to calm my anxiously racing heart.
“This is quite a sudden visit.”
While hoping nothing would go wrong, this was also the closest seat to the bell I could ring in an emergency.
The Mercenary casually lifted the teacup she’d been holding onto the back of her hand, then twirled it skillfully within her palm.
“Am I not welcome? We have quite a few connections between us, don’t we?”
“I wouldn’t call running into each other once at an inn ‘connections.'”
I answered offhandedly while pouring tea into my empty cup, then flinched.
The color of the water flowing from the teapot differed from the color of the water pooling in the cup.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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