Royal Official Building
“I am Yohan Harssen, who will take the special-grade wizard exam. I will be joining the next reconnaissance mission. I look forward to working with you.”
Yohan, who entered after passing through the martial arts training area, bowed politely to greet them.
The military officers preparing for the upcoming cave reconnaissance mission were momentarily at a loss for words.
‘Crazy.’
‘What the heck? A saint?’
‘How can someone look like that?’
His face, with perfectly sculpted proportions, gave an impression of nobility and calmness, as if crafted by a top-tier artist.
His deep and delicate eyes resembled the surface of a crystal-clear lake, with a faint yet sharp intensity that hinted at untold stories within.
He was the kind of person that made it hard for others to look away, possessing an appearance that made one question if he belonged to the same race.
“What is everyone doing? Aren’t you going to greet me?”
At that moment, as everyone froze, a large, muscular man approached Yohan with a friendly smile.
“Welcome, special-grade wizard Harssen. Can I call you Yohan?”
“That’s fine. I appreciate your warm welcome.”
“Haha! A friend who knows how to communicate.”
The muscular man extended a large hand.
Yohan took it without changing his expression.
“I am Tersis Galectico, the second son of the Galectico Marquis family and the deputy head of the Second Office. I look forward to working with you, Yohan.”
“I look forward to working with you as well.”
Satisfied with Yohan’s honest greeting, Tersis smiled and looked around at the frozen crowd.
“Well then, let’s exchange greetings. I have some paperwork that needs my approval.”
“Yes, Deputy Head!”
“Oh, Yohan, the head is at the palace, so make sure to greet him at tonight’s welcome party.”
“Yes.”
Tersis let out a hearty laugh before leaving the office building.
After a while, other military officers approached Yohan to greet him.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kassar.”
“Oh, special-grade wizard Harssen? Welcome!”
“Welcome!”
Despite sensing an aura from Yohan that suggested he was unapproachable, the members of the Second Office welcomed him.
“I appreciate it. I’m at a loss for words with your warm welcome. Thank you.”
At that moment, a knight stepped forward and placed an arm around Yohan’s shoulder.
“Haha! Don’t keep your distance. You were on a first-name basis with Deputy Head Tersis already. Just call me Merdin.”
“I can just call you Yohan.”
As Yohan exchanged greetings with the officers, a woman with red hair approached him with a kind smile.
“Nice to meet you, special-grade wizard Harssen. May I also call you Yohan?”
Upon seeing her face, Yohan’s expression hardened.
It wasn’t unpleasant that a stranger approached him without hesitation.
‘Violet Latalen.’
She was one of the top five people he needed to be cautious of in his future life.
‘I didn’t expect to meet her here.’
The eldest daughter of the Latalen Marquis family and a woman who had feelings for Cassis Renokhonan.
Cassis, who liked Francias, often acted like a nuisance, claiming that she didn’t receive Cassis’s attention.
“Nice to meet you. You can call me Yohan.”
“You’re as good-natured as you are good-looking.”
Violet chuckled softly.
“How about having a meal together? It doesn’t matter when.”
She tilted her head slightly and looked up at Yohan, her red hair cascading down her shoulders.
“A meal… you say?”
“Yes. I’d like to share a glass of wine together.”
Her fox-like smile exuded a seductive aura.
However, Yohan’s gaze remained unshaken.
“If you invite me, I’ll go.”
“Oh, I didn’t expect you to accept.”
Violet covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled again.
Yohan felt a bit uneasy, but he couldn’t refuse her proposal.
Even if she claimed to be a first-grade wizard, he couldn’t ignore her experience in the office.
‘It’s just socializing.’
If he outright refused, it could tarnish his first impression.
It would be better to go along with her initially and then decline later.
Ah, but he had no intention of trying to make a good impression on her.
He was only concerned about how others might perceive him.
“Well then, I look forward to it, okay?”
“I also look forward to it.”
Violet gave him a meaningful smile and gently stroked Yohan’s shoulder.
Her touch felt lewd.
Yohan averted his gaze, watching her as she returned to her seat.
‘Was she in the Second Office? I thought she’d joined the First Office where Cassis was, based on the rumors circulating in society.’
The reason she joined the Office wasn’t for a grand purpose or to protect the Empire.
It was simply because Cassis was there, and she wanted to get closer to him.
‘It seems things haven’t gone as she hoped.’
To enter the First Office, which was said to be the Empire’s greatest strength, a recommendation from the royal family was required.
The reason Crown Prince Fedelian was in charge of the Second Office was also because of this.
‘Once the reconnaissance mission is over, it’s going to be quite troublesome.’
The day the First and Second Offices would meet would be during the cave reconnaissance mission.
At that time, Cassis would likely develop feelings for Francias as soon as he spotted her.
Then Violet would undoubtedly pull some petty tricks.
‘There’s no way to block that in advance.’
He couldn’t simply exclude Francias from the reconnaissance mission, and it was impossible to hide her while keeping her close.
While it might be feasible at first, it would inevitably be discovered eventually.
Of course, there was a possibility that a male lead like Cassis might not fall for Francias.
Given that the variable of Yohan Harssen had been added, the future could change.
But Yohan didn’t think the possibility was very high.
‘The first reason he fell for Francias was her beautiful appearance.’
After that, her unyielding nature was likely what fueled the male leads’ pride.
Usually, this would cause their interest to wane, but like lunatics, they don’t give up easily.
…He would think about that issue later; for now, he needed to greet everyone.
While Yohan exchanged greetings with the other officers one by one, a woman stood frozen, watching him from behind.
‘Yohan? What was that just now?’
It was Francias.
She didn’t reject the unreserved approach of the first-grade wizard, Latalen.
Of course, she could understand.
Since it was her first day, she had to make a good first impression.
But…
‘No…!’
She couldn’t bear the thought of her man receiving another woman’s touch.
‘I need to talk to him later.’
She would need to make it clear to him not to get too close to other women.
Of course, she didn’t think Yohan would abandon her for an affair.
The problem was…
‘What if other women are as determined as I am?’
The problem was the women.
What if they, like her, tried to get Yohan drunk and subtly lead him to their chambers?
Yohan, in a drunken state, would be incredibly dangerous.
With his judgment impaired, he wouldn’t be able to think clearly.
Even when they spent their first night together, he was easily swayed by a little temptation.
She couldn’t rule out the possibility that he would succumb again.
‘Moreover, Yohan can’t hold his liquor.’
He gets drunk after just one glass of wine.
At the party that day, he passed out after four glasses.
It wouldn’t be as simple as just preventing him from drinking, but since there would be a welcome party for the new special-grade wizard, that would be impossible.
If Yohan was a normal person, he would have been able to decline the alcohol given by his seniors.
But he couldn’t refuse.
Francias wouldn’t be able to protect him from the social expectations of the workplace.
As things went on, word about his low tolerance for alcohol would spread, and other women could exploit that just like she intended.
‘That’s when I need to be the most cautious.’
She couldn’t be the kind of mother who would abandon her child by the river.
Francias steeled her heart and vowed to fend off other fox-like women.
Meanwhile, Yohan’s keen senses detected a chilling presence while he was still exchanging greetings.
A cold sensation crept along his neck.
All the hairs on his body stood on end.
…What is this?
Yohan quickly looked around.
He spotted Francias looking at him from behind.
The source of the chill was her.
‘…It’s because I greeted Violet Latalen so amiably.’
Yohan, who had to be perceptive since he was young, understood the reason immediately.
‘Well, Francias would understand this much. It’s a part of socializing.’
At that moment, Francias met his gaze, nodded once, and rolled her eyes in the direction of the door leading outside the office building.
‘Looks like she has something to say.’
Yohan smiled and spoke to the officers.
“Ah, I just remembered I left something outside. I’ll be back shortly.”
“Ah… yes, sure…?”
Yohan flashed another small smile and exited the building.
“…….”
Ludbeckia, the female First-Class Mage who had just exchanged a greeting with him, unconsciously let her mouth hang open.
‘He’s really handsome.’
* * *
Behind the Imperial Civil Officer’s building
Francia, after confirming that no one was around, immediately buried her face into Yohan’s chest.
“…Francia?”
Startled by her sudden contact, Yohan was taken aback but didn’t show it outwardly.
Francia lifted her head to look up at him and smiled awkwardly.
“Haha. It’s been a while since we last met. I wanted to see you alone.”
“Ah, I see.”
If that’s the case, it made sense. After all, it had been a month since they last saw each other. Yohan smiled and gently patted her head.
“Have you been well these past four weeks?”
“Not at all…….”
Francia let out a long sigh, burying her face into his chest again.
“I’ve had so many… annoying things happen. And I missed you so much that it made me sad.”
“Haha.”
Yohan chuckled softly. Her childlike demeanor was simply endearing.
“Well, I’m here now, aren’t I?”
“That’s true. Honestly, I still can’t believe it. How did you master advanced magic in just a month?”
“I worked hard so that I could see you again, Francia.”
He added with a faint smile,
“And to earn the Duke’s recognition, of course.”
If he failed to perform adequately in the upcoming reconnaissance mission, everything would fall apart. Not only would he be unable to stay by Francia’s side, but he might not even survive.
“With you, Yohan, I know you’ll pass the test with ease. After all, you’re you.”
“Thank you for believing in me. I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.”
“Fufu, that’s the spirit.”
As Yohan and Francia gazed into each other’s eyes, the atmosphere grew still. Their eyes gently closed as they moved closer.
Then–crunch, crunch–the sound of footsteps broke the moment.
“Ah.”
Both of them reflexively turned their heads toward the source of the noise. There, holding a cigarette, stood a man watching them.
“Ahem, I wasn’t trying to spy on you or anything. This is just the spot I usually come to for a smoke… Ah, geez. Why is there a branch here?”
The man, clearly flustered by the awkward atmosphere, began rambling in an attempt to explain himself.
“Well, uh, it looks like this is something secret, so I won’t tell anyone. I swear! I’m good at keeping my mouth shut. Oh, and for the record, I also have a fiancée I’m planning to propose to after the next reconnaissance mission. Haha. Burning passion, huh? I get it, I totally do.”
Despite his excuses, Francia and Yohan stood frozen, saying nothing.
“Uh, I’ll get out of your way now. Haha! Smoking, you know, I can do that somewhere else. Keep enjoying your… love!”
And with that, the man silently scurried away at lightning speed.
“Well, we got caught.”
Francia’s expression darkened. Yohan merely shrugged.
“It’s not like it’s a big secret, is it? Nothing to worry about.”
In truth, there was plenty to worry about. If Crown Prince Fedelian found out about this, he would certainly not take it lightly.
But Yohan wasn’t afraid. What could the Crown Prince possibly do to a newly recruited Special-Class Magician? Even that instant-noodle-loving prince knew better than to openly provoke him.
At most, he’d resort to some petty schemes.
Now that Yohan had mastered advanced magic and the Book of Calamity, there wasn’t much he feared. Unless a Master-level knight was sent after him, he could handle nearly anything.
Francia pouted slightly and apologized, her voice small.
“…I’m sorry. I was just being clingy.”
“It’s perfectly understandable. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”
Yohan didn’t mind in the slightest. If anything, he reassured her, stroking her hair gently as he held her even closer.
“By the way, didn’t you have something to tell me?”
“Oh, how did you know?”
“Your eyes earlier… They looked like they were full of things you wanted to say.”
“Ah.”
Francia’s face turned red, and she quickly averted her gaze.
“Well, um… Soon, the members of the Second Civil Officer Corps will be gathering for your welcome party.”
She stiffened her expression and continued.
“You should be careful with alcohol. If the other female officers find out that Yohan’s tolerance is low, they might target you just like I did…”
“Target me?”
“No, no? Hahaha, slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue! Um… Anyway, be careful with the alcohol.”
Yohan felt a moment of doubt at Fransia’s words but didn’t press the issue. She seemed flustered, so a slip of the tongue was understandable.
“I will be careful with alcohol…”
“Even if the deputy commander tells you to do a shot, don’t do it.”
“I know.”
Yohan smiled gently. Fransia, seeing this, seemed relieved and relaxed her stiffened face.
“Good. There’s a lot more I could say, but I’ll save that for later.”
“Good choice. We have plenty of time.”
Yohan and Fransia exchanged a small smile as they returned to the building.
And that night, a party was held at the 2nd Imperial Bureau to welcome Yohan.
The female officers of the 2nd Bureau were quietly setting their sights on him.