บท 120: [27.2] A Royal Magician's Duties
After we finally left, Cyrus stared at me without expression. He kept staring at me until I finally got too irritated and spoke.
"What?"
He looked away awkwardly, "Nothing just… Who was that woman?"
My eyes lit up, "Ah! That's right. You never got to meet my Mummy."
His eyes widened, "The Headmaster met her during your travels?"
Did he really forget who she was?
It hasn't been that long...
Has it?
I forced a smile, "U-Uh… Not necessarily…"
"They aren't married?"
I scratched my cheek, "It's… It's a bit complicated."
How could I explain the situation without getting my Mother into trouble?
Goldilocks is very perceptive so he might figure out the truth...
Cyrus interrupted my thoughts, "Wait! I remember hearing a rumor that the Headmaster had fallen in love with a slave and took her on a honeymoon. Was that actually true? I thought it was just a baseless rumor."
My face twitched.
Rumors can really get out of control.
"No, that was all just a rumor. He needed extra help so he hired her." I looked at him curiously, "But you really don't recognize her?"
He tilted his head, "Recognize her? She does look familiar, but no… I don't think so. Should I know her?"
I guess he was a child when we met the original body's owner…
That woman and my mother's personalities are not only different, but their expressions make them look like different people. Not to mention my mother uses a completely different hairstyle and dresses in a different style. She prefers modest, dull-colored clothes with long hair in a single braid while that woman in red wore sultry clothes and her hair was always down.
Plus it has been many years since then…
I shook my head, "You shouldn't recognize her. She immigrated here from a distant Kingdom. She's a very kind woman. Although she scolds me from time to time, I know she will always be on my side."
He nodded, "As long as she treats you well. You deserve someone like that."
My eyes widened slightly as I stared at him.
He felt my eyes on him and glanced at me anxiously, "W-What?"
I looked away with mixed feelings, "Nothing… I just didn't expect to hear that."
He looked ahead shyly, "It's true…"
We walked together in awkward silence not knowing what to say. Caldwell cleared his throat, "Young Master… Shouldn't you discuss the Royal Magician position with her?"
"Ah! That's right." Cyrus switched to a more professional voice, "Since you've accepted the position, I need to tell you about our duties. After we finish with our classes at the Academy, we have to head into town to receive our assignments from the M.I.B."
My face twitched, "Assignments!?!"
He raised an eyebrow, "What did you think you would do as a Royal Magician?"
I played with my hair, "I thought I would prevent you from being assassinated or assassinate someone for you."
"Assassinate someone?! I-" He took a deep breath and spoke calmly, "How did you ever come to that conclusion?"
"What? Don't all Kings and Queens have someone to do their dirty work for them? Since there was no job description, I assumed that it meant you would need to commit murder, espionage, and other illegal things. I mean, they couldn't just write down 'the King's assassin' on the application."
Cyrus stared ahead with a stiff expression, then changed the subject. "Anyway, your job will be to help me with the assignments from the M.I.B. We will be investigating high-profile crimes and trying to solve them alongside the Royal Guards."
I gaped at him, "We have to solve crimes?!"
He nodded, "It's one of the trials to determine if the competitor can handle the pressures of the throne. As a leader, you need to be able to solve difficult tasks."
I let out a groan, "Whatever… Does it at least pay well?"
Cyrus looked at me with an indifferent expression, "It doesn't pay at all."
My eyebrow twitched, "...I'm sorry. I think I misheard you. For a second, I thought you said we have to do a difficult job without any compensation."
"That's exactly what I said."
"..."
What did I get myself into…
Cyrus cleared his throat, "It's a very respected position. Although we won't receive money during the competition, afterward any of the Royal Magicians can take on a post at the Palace. It's one of the highest paid positions in the Kingdom."
I pursed my lips, "Eh, but I don't really care to be rich or anything."
His eyes widened, "Really?"
"But that doesn't mean I am willing to do free labor."
He let out a sigh, "So you want to quit? I guess I'm not surprised-"
"NO!"
He flinched, "N-No?"
I crossed my arms, "I'm not going to quit. I said I'm going to do it, so I'm going to do it."
Caldwell clapped his hands behind us, "How inspiring! I just knew our little Reika wouldn't let us down!"
Zephyr snickered, "You can only say that now because you haven't seen her do manual labor yet."
Caldwell looked at him with an irritated smile, "I see you are just as annoying as ever, shortie."
"I'M NOT SHORT!"
Caldwell looked around, "Did anyone hear that? I thought I heard a chipmunk."
"A CHIPMUNK!?! YOU OWL BASTARD! I WILL KILL YOU!"
Zephyr tried to attack Caldwell, but because of the height difference, Caldwell was easily able to hold him back with a single arm. Despite Caldwell pushing his head back without trying, Zephyr still swung his fists in a sad attempt to try to hit him.
I ignored their squabble and admired Cyrus's side profile.
I can't believe he's all grown up now…
...And looks so good.
How did that adorable, small, feminine-looking child turn into such a stud?
Is it magic?
Cyrus's face twitched, "...Why are you staring at me so intently?"
I responded absentmindedly, "Ah, sorry. I was appreciating your face. You look so perfect, just like a sculpture."
A faint blush rose to his cheeks, but he quickly coughed to dispel it. He looked ahead as if the compliment didn't flatter him, "Just focus ahead of you before you-"
A rock caught my foot and I fell forward, "AHH!"
Cyrus panicked and quickly reached out to catch me before I fell on my face.
I looked back at him with wide eyes as he held me. I cracked a smile, "I… I think I'm falling for you."
His face stiffened.
I stuck out my tongue, "Haha! Get it? Because I fell? …Eh? What? What is it? Did you think I was serious?"
I was promptly dropped.
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง 
Nekoru
Nekoru I know you are probably thinking: "hOw CaN cYrUS nOt REmEmbEr hEr?"
The smart answer: As a PhD student who has taken many classes on memory, it is not easy to remember faces from years ago. Especially if that memory originates in childhood. Yes, if it is paired with an emotional response (as in Cyrus's case) your memory becomes stronger. It is still hard to remember, this is why many eyewitnesses mistakenly identify criminals.
The dumb answer: Because I said so.
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