Chapter 10
Franz felt a chill run down his spine as he met Arian's unfocused gaze. For a moment, the image of the Saint he had seen just yesterday overlapped with her.
How much effort had he put into saving the world through the Saint? He had argued with her, slapped her hard enough to knock out a tooth, and even given her life advice at the end. Though the first two seemed a bit off, he decided to gloss over them. After all, they had prevented the world's destruction, so all's well that ends well.
In any case, after twisting himself into knots to save the world, facing the same expression the very next morning was exasperating.
Franz raised his hand and stared at it blankly. He wondered if this would work on Arian too. However, he couldn't bring himself to deliver a purifying slap just yet, as he couldn't definitively label Arian as a villainess. After all, her name wasn't on the notification window's list.
Having witnessed the Saint's actions firsthand yesterday, his trust in the notification window was at 200 percent, if not higher. So, Franz's hand slowly lowered once again.
"What's wrong? Why are you acting like this?" he asked.
"Why... why are you trying to hire another secretary?" Arian questioned, her voice trembling.
"I'm doing it to make things easier for you. If we divide the work among more people, won't it reduce your workload?"
"No, it's fine. If that's the reason, I can handle it alone," Arian said, shaking her head firmly.
Franz couldn't understand her at all. If there was a chance to reduce workload, it should be welcomed with open arms, not rejected. Just yesterday, she had worked late due to a backlog of tasks.
With more people, she could leave work on time every day, something she used to love. He couldn't fathom why she was acting this way.
Suddenly, a word flashed through Franz's mind: salary. Could she be worried that her pay would decrease if more people were hired?
If that was the case, he could understand Arian's refusal. While there are many reasons people work, money is undoubtedly the most significant factor.
"I'll keep your salary the same. No, I'll even give you a raise since you've been working hard lately. How about that? Is that okay?"
"Ha- Do you think I'm doing this for mere salary?"
At that moment, Franz's mind went blank. If it wasn't about money, there was absolutely no reason for her to refuse.
Moreover, "mere salary"? In the 21st century, black-haired Koreans would shed tears trying to earn just 1 million won more per year. It felt like all that effort was being negated.
In truth, Franz was missing a crucial fact: Arian was a noble lady from a duke's family. With mountains of gold and treasures already in her family's possession, it was only natural that she wouldn't care about such a trivial amount as a salary.
Of course, Arian had mentioned her ducal background to Franz before. He just couldn't remember it.
So from Arian's perspective, she was fuming. Was this man deliberately toying with her?
Meanwhile, Franz was equally frustrated. He didn't understand her reasons, but she was adamant about not hiring another secretary. Yet, it seemed impossible for Arian to handle all the work alone.
Franz thought to himself that this situation couldn't continue. A change was necessary. Their conversation had reached a stalemate, with neither side converging.
What is a negotiation, after all? Isn't it about expressing what each party wants and then finding a compromise?
So, he had no choice but to ask what Arian wanted.
"So, what is it that you want?"
"I want you not to have any other secretary besides me."
"Just no other secretary? What about other office workers or something like that? Would that be okay?"
"That... might be alright..."
Arian unconsciously trailed off. She knew that answering too quickly would reveal her attachment to the position of secretary.
Being the Tower Master's secretary meant being the only one who could work directly with him. Clinging to such a position was tantamount to saying she wanted to be alone with him constantly, which was practically a half-confession.
And this was a very shameful thing. In the world Franz and Arian lived in, it was unheard of for a woman to confess first. If a woman liked a man, she was expected to subtly flirt and entice him until he confessed, leading to love.
Unfortunately, this approach was bound to fail with Franz, who held the dating values of the 21st century. If a woman subtly flirted with him, he'd wonder what she was up to. It would take a slap with a tail to make him realize it was love.
So Franz was simply satisfied with Arian's answer. If she was okay with hiring office workers instead of secretaries, that should be fine, right?
And thus, Arian suffered a mysterious defeat.
In fact, though Franz hadn't noticed, there had been quite a few women flirting with him since his days at the Magic Tower. From the head of a magic association to the young ladies of prominent noble families.
Although Franz came from a baron's family, his magical talent far exceeded his status, and his looks were dazzling enough to shine anywhere. It was only natural.
However, those women soon disappeared from Franz's side. Suspiciously, all except one.
Thump-
Arian set down a stack of documents on the desk, raising one corner of her mouth crookedly.
"Well then, Tower Master, work hard today with those slow hands of yours."
Arian was busy moving back and forth, both in front and behind the scenes. The problem was that Franz remained oblivious to it all.
"Ah..."
Franz's heart sank at the sight of the documents placed before him.
It seemed he needed to gather office workers as soon as possible.
* * * * *
A few days later, Franz posted a job advertisement for office workers.
『We're looking for people to work at the Magic Tower like family!
Salary: 1 gold coin (can be increased based on performance)
Employee benefits: Free use of Magic Tower facilities, 30% discount on request fees.
Working hours: Leave as soon as all work is done.
Job description: Processing requests and various suggestions received by the Magic Tower (no physical labor, simple office work)
The Magic Tower hires equally without regard to background. Please apply freely.』
It was an unbelievable offer. Not only the salary but especially the point about hiring without regard to background.
Nobles typically want to expand their influence, but this recruitment notice seemed far removed from such ambitions.
Nevertheless, commoners were hesitant to believe it.
It was obvious that only nobles would be hired anyway.
How many people had made such claims before? The lord of the neighboring town had also said he would recruit knights equally, but they all turned out to be nobles.
So this time too, they thought it was just a ploy to improve his reputation among the commoners.
However, even while thinking this, commoners one by one began to write applications.
The monthly salary was a whole gold coin. If used frugally, one gold coin could sustain a person for five years, making this a life-changing opportunity.
Moreover, even if they weren't hired, there was nothing to lose.
Time passed, and now we arrive at the present.
Franz held his forehead as he looked at the crowd of people gathered in front of the Magic Tower. There seemed to be well over 100 people.
He wondered how so many people had gathered. Although the conditions were exceptional, he never expected this many.
"Didn't I tell you this wouldn't work? You brought this upon yourself, Tower Master, so please take responsibility," Arian said as she quickly scanned the faces in the crowd.
She was looking to weed out pretty women, women who seemed interested in the Tower Master, or just women in general.
Even if they showed no interest at first, they would surely start flirting with Franz eventually. It was best to remove the seeds of discord early.
Soon, the interviews conducted by the Tower Master began.
In truth, the interview wasn't much. It just involved reading, writing, calculation, and answering a few simple questions.
Arian asked with a sharp gaze, "What do you think of the Tower Master?"
"Oh, um, he's admirable... and handsome, and cool..."
"...Rejected."
Arian said in a cold voice. While it felt good to hear the Tower Master being praised, they couldn't let a vixen into the tower.
Franz, the actual Tower Master, was dumbfounded.
Who gave her the right to reject candidates?
"It's fine, please remain seated," Franz said.
The woman in shabby clothes, who was about to stand up, sat back down at his words.
After a long series of interviews, only three people remained: two commoner women and one male magician.
The fact that two commoners were selected caused an uproar among the commoners who had doubted the Tower Master. He was truly hiring equally, just as the job posting had stated.
In reality, Franz had posted the advertisement without any ulterior motives, but it was elevating his reputation nonetheless.
A few more days passed, and the newly hired office workers had started to handle their tasks adequately.
Arian entered the Tower Master's office holding a single document. She handed it to Franz and said, "It's a designated dispatch request for you, Tower Master."
Designated dispatch...?
Such a system did exist in the Magic Tower, but the request fee was so high that no one ever used it.
Franz took the document from Arian with a puzzled expression and slowly read through it.
[Rescue of Elven Slave]
[Designated Magician: Franz Gilbert]
He had only read the first part, but already he had an ominous feeling.
There was only one elf Franz knew.
And sure enough...
[Sender: Hera of the Root Tribe]
Another villainess was looking for him.
Franz's hand slowly rose to his forehead.