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Chapter 7 …
It was obvious at a glance.
Allison was happily berating the heroine who had been waiting for us outside.
“What is it? Are you trying to go somewhere else after seeing me? Without even greeting me?”
“No, Team Leader. It’s not that I was ignoring you, I really—”
“Trying to become a lady who can live comfortably after marrying well and joining the bureaucracy, acting all innocent like that…”
“Team Leader, I believe that statement is disrespectful.”
At that moment, even the heroine abruptly lifted her head.
“I came to the imperial palace to truly be of help to people. And please don’t say things like that every time you see me.”
I held my breath while listening, almost clapping.
‘Aaaah, good job!’
It was worth teaching her that work isn’t everything!
But Allison only sneered.
“You’re quite good at talking back for something so pathetic. Did your parents teach you that too?”
“……!”
“Oh, right. You and Lowell both don’t have parents, do you? I see—rookies without proper upbringing grouped together.”
It might be one thing for me, but the heroine’s parents had been murdered due to black magic.
Having that wound dug up like that, Allison finally seemed satisfied and turned away.
Hmm. I made up my mind.
‘Let’s report her!’
At this point, I can’t just say, “We won’t see each other anyway, so ignore it with one ear.”
Even if I get targeted early in my trainee period, I should at least contact HR.
But before that, I hurriedly ran to the heroine’s side.
“Yuriana!”
“Oh, Leila……?”
The heroine looked embarrassed at being caught by me, her face turning bright red.
“Are you okay…? Earlier…”
“I-I’m fine.”
She tried to smile while rubbing at her eyes, but the corners of her mouth were trembling.
“It’s just… um… hearing about my parents is a bit painful…”
I nodded silently.
‘I understand.’
The words about “Leila Lowell’s parents” didn’t really hit me emotionally.
‘They left only a note with my name at an orphanage, so what even is that.’
But if someone had spoken about my past life’s parents like that, I would’ve grabbed them by the hair.
‘They passed away in an accident.’
For now, I focused on the heroine’s condition.
I reached out to pat her shoulder, but she suddenly stopped walking.
Her breathing… something was wrong?
“Yuriana?”
“……”
“Why are you—”
“W-wait.”
The heroine staggered backward.
Then she grabbed her left chest and gasped for air.
In an instant, all color drained from her face, turning ghostly pale.
“P-please… stay away from me.”
“Yuriana?”
“Ahk……!”
As she let out a groan and bent forward—
A horrifying cracking sound sliced through the air.
Crackle, crackle…!
It sounded like electricity sparking in the air.
‘Huh?’
A voice like fingernails scraping across a wall came from the heroine’s direction.
“…ril… I’ll….”
At the same time, a shadow rippled violently, and black mist began rising from within it.
The mist instantly split into multiple branches like plant roots.
The thickest strand twisted violently up and down.
“Gah!”
The smooth pavement shattered in an instant!
Before my eyes, everything was swallowed by black mist.
From behind, I heard someone shouting.
“Lowell! Move!”
But even in that life-or-death moment, a thought calmly surfaced in my mind.
‘See? Male lead.’
‘I told you.’
Trials don’t make people stronger.
They just mess up people’s minds.
Black Spoon Department
For the past few days, the Black Spoon Department had been filled only with sighs.
“Haa……”
Carlisle held his head and sighed.
The new recruits who had been assigned to this week’s observation period had already left early.
They had been completely useless anyway.
In fact, they only made small mistakes and increased Carlisle’s workload.
But that wasn’t what was making him feel so down.
‘Why did I make that mistake?’
Wasn’t he supposed to properly persuade Leila Lowell?
That’s why he had been loitering around the diplomacy team building!
He even brought a drink that Lowell seemed to like!
‘But I ended up lecturing her without even realizing it.’
It wasn’t that Allison Capres’s behavior was correct. Ruining talent was not efficient.
‘But you only have to endure a week.’
Trials make people stronger.
‘I’ve always believed… that was right.’
About 300 years ago.
The Duke House of Lupesque was cursed by black magic.
Even with a strong aura, if one could not control intense emotions, they would transform into a black wolf and go berserk.
A monster that couldn’t even recognize the faces of its own family…
“……”
Carlisle frowned at the unwanted memory surfacing.
Blood everywhere, the collapsed ducal family, the territory citizens…
‘That’s why trials must have meaning.’
He wanted to believe misfortune wasn’t random.
But…
[Trials don’t make people stronger.]
[Trials just mess up people’s minds…]
The expression Leila Lowell had given him at that time…
It was similar to the expression Edgar made when he talked nonsense.
‘…I’m doomed.’
At that moment, his infuriating superior and Minister of Black Magic, Edgar Crow, sneered.
“Waaah. Our meticulous future Duke of Lupesque, saying things like that.”
“Be quiet……”
“Rejected by a rookie and came back crying? How pitiful.”
“If you read my thoughts, why ask? And I wasn’t rejected.”
“I just like seeing you embarrassed. And yes, you were rejected, Lupesque.”
Carlisle clenched his fist.
‘That damn sadist, Edgar Crow.’
Silvery clean hair. Deep green eyes.
A man who carried an aristocratic aura from head to toe.
The Crow Ducal House, which had long managed temple affairs, was also one of the empire’s most prestigious families.
But unlike his smiling face, he was completely black inside and casually read other people’s thoughts.
And he hated black magic just as much as Carlisle did.
Carlisle hadn’t intended to fall for the idea of creating the Black Spoon Department and taking revenge together!
At that moment, a faint vibration spread across the floor.
Rumble…
The vibration did not stop once.
Twice. Three times.
Stacks of documents shook and collapsed.
Edgar frowned and muttered urgently.
“An earthquake? But…”
The Arfelt Imperial Palace had ancient magic to prevent disasters from disrupting bureaucratic work.
So a natural earthquake shouldn’t cause shaking like this.
Edgar’s eyes flashed toward the only possibility.
“Then don’t tell me…”
At that moment, the view outside the window began to ripple dangerously.
Black particles shimmered in the air ominously.
And a red magic sigil appeared beside Edgar.
An emergency report from the border patrol unit.
“Minister Crow! Team Leader Lupesque! Emergency situation! Black magic has manifested inside the imperial palace!”
“I’m going. Direction?”
-“The central building and the avenue connected to the plaza! Reinforcements cannot approach…!”
“Any casualties?”
-“It seems the new officials have been caught in it!”
“……!”
-“Seamus Pinley, Yuriana Crosswell, and the remaining one is—”
There was no need to hear the rest of the name.
Carlisle had already dashed out.
