Chapter 16

The Next Day

When I arrived at the entrance of the Marine Observation Station, I walked as slowly as possible.

I simply couldn’t bring myself to go inside.

Not that moving slowly did anything to calm my restless mind.

In the end, I couldn’t sleep properly last night either.

My eyes felt dry, and my temples throbbed painfully.

I had been given a day off and still failed to rest.

It felt unfair, but yesterday hadn’t exactly left me in a state where I could relax.

What must he think of me now?

I couldn’t bear the thought of facing Kade.

Not because I had done anything wrong to him, but because showing him that side of myself was humiliating and damaging to my pride.

There had been a time when I swore that if I ever met Kade again, I would proudly show him how well I was doing after our breakup.

It’s all ruined.

How was I supposed to go back to the Magic Tower after this?

And that happened immediately after I snapped at him for no reason…

Even I thought it was pathetic.

Of all times, Aster had to show up then.

I had always felt an unresolved sense of guilt toward Aster.

I hated how people isolated me and spread rumors because I was supposedly a parachute hire, but if possible, I still wanted him to get promoted.

After all, as he kept reminding me, he had lost that opportunity because of me.

Still, what happened yesterday was too much. We weren’t even at the Imperial Palace, and he deliberately humiliated me.

Honestly, it would have been better if he’d just criticized me to my face.

Not that I was in any position to demand that.

Lost in gloomy thoughts, I eventually found myself standing in front of the office.

The employees here already make it hard enough to breathe. Now Aster’s joined them too. I can’t imagine how suffocating this is going to be.

Only after taking a deep breath to ease the pressure in my chest did I finally open the door.

But contrary to my expectations, the office was filled with warmth and laughter.

The moment I stepped inside, I heard cheerful voices and friendly conversation.

It felt so foreign compared to the atmosphere I was used to.

They know how to smile?

Confused, I quietly entered.

Then Administrative Officer Yukel clapped his hands with a smile I’d never seen before.

“Everyone, I’d like to introduce someone who’ll be assisting the station for the next week. This is Aster, a magical-beast empath who volunteered from the Imperial Palace.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you all. My name is Aster. My cousin often spoke about how reliable and kind her coworkers were, so I was really looking forward to coming to Melgot. I hope we can work well together this week.”

Aster gently patted the officer’s hand before greeting everyone with his usual upright and approachable smile.

The clerks responded with applause and warm laughter.

The contrast with my own first day was so stark that I briefly wondered if I’d entered the wrong office.

Awkwardly glancing around, I offered a silent clap.

The administrative officer personally introducing a dispatched employee.

The staff welcoming him with smiles.

It was completely different from what I’d experienced.

And what had Aster just said?

His cousin?

Even close colleagues in the civil service generally avoided such familiar terms.

It had been drilled into us repeatedly during basic training.

Aster’s sociable, but he’s not someone who ignores professional boundaries.

As I stood there confused, the clerk sitting next to me—who was usually ice-cold toward me—beamed and said:

“We’ve heard stories about you from Officer Yukel. Apparently you adapted quickly despite your ability manifesting at such a young age?”

“Haha. Honestly, I think I adapted quickly because it happened when I was young.”

As friendly laughter filled the room, one particular word caught my attention.

Cousin?

The revelation completely blindsided me.

I studied Aster and Officer Yukel more carefully.

They gave off different impressions, but standing side by side, they did look faintly alike.

The realization hit me like lightning, and I barely managed to suppress a bitter laugh.

I had been wondering how rumors about me had spread all the way to distant Melgot from the Imperial Palace.

So Aster is Officer Yukel’s cousin.

After hearing about my transfer to Melgot, he’d probably filled the officer in on everything beforehand.

Only now did I finally understand the administrative officer’s openly hostile attitude toward me.

It always felt too intense to be ordinary territorial behavior.

Meanwhile, Aster was chatting comfortably with the staff.

He already looked like a perfectly integrated member of the team.

When work began and I quietly sat down, my own desk felt strangely unfamiliar.

Almost as if I were sitting in someone else’s seat.

Melgot Marine Observation Station Dispatch & Magic Tower Cooperation Progress Report

The report I needed to submit to the Imperial Palace by noon sat blank before me.

I had no idea what to write.

How am I supposed to report that the Tower Lord seems unwilling to stamp anything because I’m his ex-girlfriend?

Staring blankly at the words Magic Tower, I found myself thinking of Kade.

The mage robes suited him surprisingly well.

Much better than the librarian uniform ever had.

He looked natural among the other mages.

Perhaps the top of the Magic Tower suited him more than the seat beside me ever had.

Kade found where he belongs.

I still have no idea where I belong.

One thing was certain.

This place suited Aster far more than it suited me.

Even if I transfer departments again, will I ever find somewhere that feels like my place?

For a long time, I stared at the blank line at the top of the report.

Affiliation.

***

That afternoon.

Aster’s arrival didn’t reduce my workload in the slightest.

“Investigator Vivian. Finished?”

“Yes. Here.”

After reviewing several of my field reports, Officer Yukel’s attitude had changed somewhat.

Not that she’d become kinder.

And not that the hostility had disappeared.

“Finish this section by today too. We need the data for tomorrow morning’s meeting.”

Instead, she simply gave me an absurd amount of work.

She wasn’t inventing tasks or dumping her own responsibilities on me.

The station genuinely had too much work and too few people.

Which was probably why the director had immediately approved Aster’s volunteer assignment.

Melgot was the coldest region in the Empire.

The weather was unpredictable.

Sea monsters appeared frequently.

And the region was ruled by a notoriously unstable Tower Lord.

Naturally, it wasn’t a popular posting.

I’d heard most civil servants assigned to Melgot either resigned quickly or used connections to transfer elsewhere.

My predecessor probably left that way too.

I was organizing documents when a familiar piece of chocolate landed on my desk.

Thunk.

“The observation station’s no joke, huh? Why put yourself through all this? You should find an easier way to live.”

Of course.

It was Aster.

Here he goes again.

Whenever he publicly embarrassed me, he’d later approach me in private with expensive snacks.

At first, I’d wondered whether he felt guilty afterward.

But after it happened repeatedly, I stopped understanding what his intentions were.

“There aren’t enough people. We don’t really have a choice. Besides, you’re adjusting pretty well yourself.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Aster had developed his magical-beast empathy ability early and became a beast ecology investigator the moment he turned eighteen.

As an eight-year veteran civil servant, he was undoubtedly better at office work than I was.

“I wanted to warn you in advance so you wouldn’t be surprised like yesterday.”

“Warn me about what?”

A sense of dread washed over me.

If he was bringing up yesterday, then it had to involve the Magic Tower.

“Before that, there’s something I want to ask.”

After checking that no one was listening, Aster lowered his voice.

“The Magic Tower sits right by the ocean, doesn’t it? Can you see crystal whales from there?”

“Why are you asking that?”

“Just curious. How often am I ever going to see a crystal whale? Unlike some people, I’m stuck on land.”

Feeling slightly guilty, I muttered that yes, they could be seen.

Immediately, his eyes lit up.

“Does the Magic Tower take a special interest in crystal whales?”

“Do they have magic that can specifically detect them?”

“Have you ever communicated with one?”

“Do you have any reports about them? I’d love to read them.”

I tried giving vague answers, but the barrage of questions never stopped.

Eventually, I grabbed the chocolate and shoved it back into his arms.

“Enough already. If you want to see crystal whales so badly, give the chocolate to Officer Yukel and ask for a sailing assignment.”

Aster laughed as if scolding a child.

“You’re so sensitive. I was just curious. You really need to work on that sharp tongue of yours. Personally, I don’t like that kind of personality.”

“Why should I change my personality to suit you?”

The remark irritated me, and I shot him a glare.

He ignored it completely.

“Anyway, what I wanted to tell you is this. How about I visit the Tower Lord by myself today?”

“What?”

“You know how quickly I get along with people. Who knows? Maybe I’ll become friends with the Tower Lord and get the seal.”

Aster looked utterly confident.

If Kade truly refused to stamp documents simply because I was the one bringing them, then perhaps sending Aster alone would work.

But…

I don’t want that.

I’m the one who’s going to get that seal. Somehow.

I answered as casually as possible.

“If your goal is promotion, then leave me alone and let me get the seal. I already told you that would benefit you too.”

“If the Tower Lord’s really so harmless these days, how can I just sit back while you barely even visit the Magic Tower?”

“You’ve seen it yourself. The observation station has more than enough work—”

I was in the middle of arguing against the ridiculous accusation when—

Something brushed against my senses.

Without thinking, I shot to my feet.

Startled, Aster looked hurt and sighed.

“Vivian? Is me visiting the Magic Tower really something worth getting that upset over?”

“……”

I didn’t answer.

My eyes remained fixed on the entrance.

Aster alternated between looking at me and the door.

Then, at some point, he seemed to sense it too and turned toward the entrance.

The very next moment—

The door burst open.

Senior Investigator Simona strode inside with a grin.

“Looks like there are two beast empaths here just when I need them.”