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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: A Spotless Solution
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‘Alright. I get it. All I have to do is clean, right?’
Then there was no need to wipe the floor with a rag myself.
I lifted my small hand, which still smelled of the musty rag, and snapped my fingers lightly.
I felt the energy around me stir.
It was magic.
* * *
“I went to check on her for a moment, and she was throwing a tantrum. Saying she's a Saintess, so how dare anyone punish her.”
“Hmph...”
At the words of Noah, Duke Elpinade's grandson, Mrs. Jasper's eyebrows shot up fiercely.
Noah was the eldest son of the young Duke Elpinade.
He was a precious child, destined to succeed his father as the young duke, and then the duke, in the distant future.
He was quick-witted and knew how to endear himself to adults, so he had easily won the favor of Mrs. Jasper, whom everyone else found difficult.
Mrs. Jasper was a long-time friend of the late Duchess Elpinade.
She had also been the etiquette tutor for the Elpinade children for decades.
Even Duke Elpinade's two sons, now adults, had been under Mrs. Jasper's tutelage in their childhood.
Even the dogmatic and fearsome Duke Elpinade listened to the assessments of Mrs. Jasper, who had so excellently educated his children.
Noah knew this well.
If he kept provoking Mrs. Jasper, the interloper would find herself in a great deal of trouble.
He even thought she might be kicked out of the family.
Today was the day to cash in on all the groundwork he had laid.
How angry would Mrs. Jasper be when she saw the trashed warehouse?
An angry Mrs. Jasper would tell the Duke that the so-called Saintess was a hopeless case and advise him to send her back to the central church or to another family.
Then the Duke would also seriously consider kicking out the half-witted commoner girl.
Even if he didn't kick her out, considering their relationship with the central church, he would no longer say, ‘She is the Saintess, and your elder, so treat her with respect.’
“Let's have a look.”
As Mrs. Jasper strode forward, filled with anger, Noah grinned and trotted behind her, pretending to try and stop her.
If Mrs. Jasper were to barge in now, that interloper wouldn't be able to make any excuses and would get another scolding.
The mere thought of Lesia, flustered and stammering as she burst into tears, was exhilarating.
The warehouse grew closer.
Without warning, but with a graceful motion befitting an etiquette teacher, Mrs. Jasper flung the door open.
Mrs. Jasper froze at the scene before her, and Noah, who belatedly peeked out from behind her, also widened his eyes in surprise.
A completely unexpected sight unfolded before the two of them.
* * *
The door burst open.
The old woman with a strict and meticulous air, Mrs. Jasper, scanned the warehouse's interior, her eyes darting around, before speaking in a bewildered tone.
“It's very... clean.”
That's right.
The warehouse was very clean.
So clean it was practically sparkling.
Sparkling here, sparkling there.
Even the items my detestable nephew had his servants break had all been restored, leaving no room for criticism.
“W-what is this...”
My nephew, who had personally made a mess of the warehouse, rubbed his eyes in disbelief and looked around.
“B-but it was definitely a mess!”
At his dazed tone, I scoffed inwardly.
‘Hmph. This is magic, you little brat.’
The noble White Mages were interested in elegant and flashy magic, but the magic of Black Mages was extremely practical.
Household spells like cleaning or cooking were a piece of cake.
Besides, Black Mages used external mana to wield their power, so even a reincarnated child could use magic anytime as long as they knew the principles.
Of course, a White Mage, who must accumulate mana in their body through long training, wouldn't even dream of using magic in the body of a child like this.
‘See? This is why you should use external mana.’
Even those White Mage bastards who always complained that external mana was unstable would have to admit that black magic was far more useful in this situation.
Mrs. Jasper, who had been quietly watching my flustered nephew, frowned and let out a deep sigh.
“Master Noah. Did you not say that Lady Lesia complained and made a mess of the warehouse?”
“Yes, yes! I'm sure she did!”
“Where exactly is the mess? If you do not speak clearly, you will have to copy the etiquette book ten times!”
At Mrs. Jasper's stern gaze, my nephew's face turned white as a sheet.
Did he imagine himself copying that thick etiquette book, one that could probably be used as a weapon?
“Th-th-th-that is...”
Just then, as my nephew stammered, his confident expression replaced by a tearful one, a long shadow fell behind him.
“So this is the place.”
The handsome man with brilliant blond hair, who exuded a formidable presence the moment he appeared, was someone both the Black Mage of Despair and the timid Lesia knew well.
“Lord Axel.”
“U-Uncle!”
Axel Elpinade.
The second son of Duke Elpinade.
The hero who defeated the Mad Dragon.
Master of the Magic Tower and a fussy, rigid White Mage.
Mrs. Jasper and my nephew hurriedly paid their respects to him.
Axel had no interest in their greetings.
He merely scanned every corner of the warehouse with blue eyes that looked chillingly cold.
‘Still handsome as ever.’
I observed Axel's face nonchalantly.
His face was a little more mature than when I had last seen him, but it hadn't changed much.
Contrary to the common prejudice that mages were generally feeble bookworms, Axel Elpinade boasted a perfect appearance.
A tall frame with well-defined muscles, and handsome features with blond hair and blue eyes that could only be described as neat.
Thanks to his excellent looks, he was incredibly popular despite his cold and fussy personality.
“What is the matter?”
As Mrs. Jasper asked cautiously at Axel's sudden appearance, he finally bowed his head slightly to greet her.
“A short while ago, there was a fluctuation of mana in this vicinity. It wasn't a dangerous energy, but I came to investigate just in case.”
Perhaps because Mrs. Jasper had once been his etiquette teacher, his attitude was very respectful.
“A fluctuation of mana?”
At the detailed explanation, Mrs. Jasper's eyes widened as if she couldn't believe it.
I flinched and subtly lowered my gaze.
‘This guy's sharp as a tack, I swear.’
Just as expected of someone who had always been good at sensing the flow of mana, perhaps due to his sensitive nature, he seemed to have detected the magic I had just used.
It was only a small household spell, so the fluctuation shouldn't have been that large.
“Could there have been some mistake? Lady Lesia has been in the warehouse the whole time. She was cleaning it as punishment for skipping a week of classes.”
“That girl... you say?”
Even though my head was bowed, I could feel Axel's gaze fixed on me.
‘Perfect timing.’
Hadn't I been thinking I needed to find an excuse to meet with that quack priest or this guy to explain the situation anyway?
Axel showing up before I even had to make a move was like killing two birds with one stone.
‘So there's a day when this guy's sensitivity actually comes in handy.’
Now, I just need to create a situation where I can be alone with Axel.
But even knowing that, the words wouldn't come easily.
The original Lesia had called Axel ‘Lord Axel.’
Even though she was legally his younger sister, their differing statuses made it a normal way to address him.
