Chapter 2

One morning, I woke up in the bedroom of my house, which is behind my guild, "Heaven-Given Ore."

As I was getting dressed, a blue-haired woman in a maid's uniform knocked on the door and entered.

"Good morning, Master. I've brought your breakfast."

"Thank you."

She set up a folding table and quickly arranged the dishes.

I was about to start eating when I noticed something.

"What's this cake?"

In addition to the usual menu, there was a homemade-looking shortcake on the plate.

"It seems to have been made by the head chef's child. For Act, who has been so kind to them."

"…I see."

"I'm sorry. Act always decides all the meal menus in advance and eats food with the calories precisely calculated, so I refused the cake, but they really want you to eat it."

"Unnecessary? Don't be ridiculous. Of course, I'll eat it."

"Are you going to eat it? You always say you don't consume unnecessary calories."

"Wouldn't the effort and time that child put into making it be wasted?"

"Indeed, Master, you have a kind nature that doesn't discard the efforts of others."

"Where am I being kind?"

"Even your slightly clueless side is charming."

She said this without changing her expression, so I couldn't quite tell if she was being sincere.

After a while,

I finished my meal and left the house with Frederica.

"What's the plan for today?"

"After checking the morning documents at the guild, there's a meeting with the mayor, followed by a tight schedule. Shouldn't we have a bit more leeway?"

"There's no point in postponing work that's right in front of us. It would be a waste."

We stepped into the guild hall.

"Master Act!"

"Guild Master! Good morning!"

The guild members swarmed around me with smiles.

Frederica stood protectively in front of me and said,

"Everyone, Master has a tight schedule. If you don't have urgent business, please step aside."

Despite her warning, the guild members continued to approach me warmly, saying, "Guild Master! Good morning!" and "You look great today!"

I wasn't doing anything special, so their friendliness was a bit puzzling.

Just as I was about to return to my room,

"Guild Master! I'm glad I found you! Can I talk to you for a moment?"

A young woman in a mage's hood pushed through the crowd and approached me.

"It's been a while. What's wrong?"

"Guild Master… I don't know what to do anymore…!"

She clung to me, her body trembling.

"It's Yoko, right? I remember you were promoted to court mage from our guild. Why are you here?"

Tears streamed down Yoko's cheeks, and it was clear she had a serious problem.

"Master, what should we do? We don't have much time before the meeting with the mayor."

"I'm sorry, but please cancel it. I'll go and apologize later."

"Is that okay?"

"Of course. Yoko is still one of my subordinates."

I took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears.

"Let's talk in my room. What happened?"

★

Yoko and I went to my room.

I had her sit on the sofa and asked Frederica to bring some tea to calm her down.

Yoko was sobbing.

"First, drink the tea and calm down."

She obediently took the teacup and sipped the contents.

"Master, she was indeed a member of our guild until the month before last. She then joined the court mage corps."

"Yes. She was originally a healer, but she had a high aptitude for magic."

I introduced her to a more suitable job two months ago.

"Did the job at the court not suit her? I don't think Master would have misjudged her aptitude."

"…No, I have no complaints about the job. It was my dream. But…"

To summarize her story:

- She was assigned to the magic research department.

- However, she has been subjected to sexual harassment by the department head.

- When she complained, he threatened to fire her, using his noble status to intimidate her.

"I've been touched inappropriately many times… When I talked to my colleagues, they told me to give up… The higher-ups don't believe a commoner like me…"

Yoko's tears fell.

"I… I tried to endure it. I didn't want to cause trouble for the guild master, who introduced me to this job. But… I can't take it anymore."

She bowed her head to me.

"Guild Master, I'm quitting as a court mage. Please let me come back here."

Yoko is a responsible person who wouldn't give up her job unless it was absolutely necessary. She must have been treated terribly by her superior.

"Yoko, look up."

"Yes… What?"

I bowed deeply to her.

"I'm sorry. I should have investigated the situation more thoroughly. It's my fault for introducing you to such a place."

"No, no! It's not the guild master's fault! The perverted department head is to blame!"

I said to her, who was flustered,

"Yoko, I can't accept your request to return."

"But… This is the only place I can go back to."

"Being a court mage was your childhood dream, right? You shouldn't give it up so easily."

"Guild Master… You remember?"

I heard it at a welcome party when she first joined the guild.

"I remember. I remember all the dreams and goals I've heard from my subordinates."

"Of course, Master. Remembering things you've heard once is a talent. Your aversion to waste is admirable."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Of course, you are the leader of our 'Heaven-Given Ore.'"

I looked at Yoko and said,

"I'll take care of it. Don't give up on the job you've always dreamed of. Understand?"

Yoko, though confused, nodded.

"Frederica, set up an appointment at the court."

"Understood. But, Master, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to meet that perverted department head and show him what happens when he touches the ore I've polished with his dirty hands."

[To the Readers]

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