The Failed and Useless Noble Lady Will Be Reborn into Overwhelming Love!? - 04_The Supposedly Cold, Antisocial, and Quiet Mage Who Talks a Lot

“No, no, no… Huh? What do you mean?”

Until just moments ago, Lord North had been so nonchalant—but now he looked rather flustered. For the record, I was also thoroughly confused.

He’d spoken so rapidly and intensely that, paradoxically, none of it registered in my ears. …Um, what exactly did he just say to me?

Lord North, who seemed to recover from the confusion a little faster than I did, suddenly started shaking.

“Pff—puhaha… S-Serhi talks that much? Seriously? That was way beyond what I expected. I mean, he was so intense that even the beast backed off!”

Huh? Come to think of it, even the wolf that had been fiercely threatening anyone who approached me earlier was now frozen in place.

W-Well… yeah, the pressure and force he gave off were pretty incredible…

Wait a second—Serhi? Did he just call this person Serhi?

I took a closer look at the man in front of me.

Deep indigo hair, and eyes as clear and pale blue as water—so piercing they could appear cold, depending on the angle. I hadn’t noticed earlier because his brows were furrowed and he looked scary, but now that I really looked, his lashes were long and he had an incredibly beautiful face.

The Mage Tower was a place shrouded in mystery, but the mages who lived there were treated as special by the royal family. The title “Mage of the Tower” itself constituted a unique social status.

Because of that, mages often took on jobs requested by the royal family.

Some of the tower’s mages were quite famous even in noble society.

Even someone like me—who didn’t receive much of an elite education and was pretty out of touch with noble society—had heard of this person many times.

‘Serhi’
Said to be one of the most exceptional mages even within the Mage Tower.

Although he had relinquished most of his authority upon entering the tower, he was originally from a ducal house.

Possessing an unparalleled amount of magical power, able to wield all elemental magics freely—a genius among geniuses who defied all standards.

But if I remembered correctly, he was also supposed to be extremely difficult, neurotic, barely spoke in front of people he wasn’t interested in, and when he did, his words and demeanor were harsh and cold—a known misanthrope.

(…But just now, he was talking an awful lot?)

Or rather than “talking,” more like steamrolling?

Hmm… maybe this really is a dream?

“Ah!”

As I got lost in thought, I flinched at the sudden outburst.

“Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Serhi. I’m one of the mages who lives here in the tower, and I’ve been looking forward to the day I could meet you.”

“Uh, ah, um…”

Serhi’s pale blue eyes sparkled as he looked at me. Now that I noticed, his cheeks and ears were a bit red too.

The Serhi I’d heard of in the rumors—the genius mage whose very gaze was said to be sharp and icy enough to freeze a person in place—was… huh????

“Pfft—seriously, who even is this guy anymore?”

Beside us, Lord North murmured, clearly struggling to contain his laughter again.

“Shut it, North. Silence.”

Serhi shot Lord North a cold glare, then, with a smooth motion, knelt down on the ground and lowered his head.

Huh!? What’s going on!?

He was bowing—to the wolf, the magical beast, who was still clutching me.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Serhi. The person you’re trying so hard to protect is also someone I wish to protect. I swear I will never harm her. This place is safe, and nothing here will endanger her. So, would you please let her go, knowing she’ll be alright?”

He raised his head just slightly and locked eyes with the beast, those pale blue eyes meeting its gaze.

The magical beast stared back at him for a moment, then gave a single “Hmph!”, snorted, pulled back its front paw, and released me, gently rubbing its nose against me.

Ugh… After all that talk from Lord North about me being the beast’s “mama,” now it really felt like it was comforting me—like it was saying “You’re safe now.” Even though that’s obviously ridiculous…

Serhi walked over to me and offered his hand. I took it, and he gently helped me to my feet.

“North, her hands are cold. Go fetch a female mage right away. Also, bring Alvan, the magical beast fanatic, over here.”

“Got it—but when you say ‘female mage,’ there’s really only one option in this case, right? Just call her by name… Grace.”

Upon hearing that, Serhi’s eyes flew wide open in shock.

“Hey! You want me to say another woman’s name in front of Lady Lutzia!? And the way you just said it could totally cause a misunderstanding—stop it!”

I couldn’t keep up with the conversation at all, and found myself blinking rapidly.

Serhi turned to me and gently said:

“There’s nothing for you to worry about, okay?”

Then Lord North muttered softly:

“Wow… this is seriously hilarious… also seriously exhausting…”

It still didn’t feel real. I had no idea what was going on, and I felt so anxious.

But somewhere in my heart, I couldn’t help thinking:

(Maybe it is true what they say… that the mages of the tower are all a bunch of weirdos…)