Alexion’s evaluation of the Marquis Palatio inside Alexion’s mind had truly changed a lot up to now, and to be honest, the first impression wasn’t that great.

That was natural.

Alexion hadn’t met the marquis in some ordinary, natural way—Alexion had been forced to meet him.

On top of that, it happened after getting kidnapped.

Even after that, Alexion had never really thought well of the marquis, either.

To begin with, if you really traced it back, the one who forcibly dragged Alexion—who had been living well in Raksas—into the marquis’s household was Radan, but the root cause was still the Marquis Palatio.

Likewise, it was also because of Radan that Alexion ended up working purely without any backroom scheming, but if ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ Alexion traced the origin, it still ended up being the marquis.

If Alexion quietly went back over it, there wasn’t any particular reason for Alexion to like the marquis.

Of course, even so, Alexion didn’t dislike the marquis.

First of all, the marquis was more normal than Radan, who had dragged Alexion here.

No—depending on how you looked at it.

Alon was a person close to a good man, with aspects that weren’t aristocrat-like.

Even toward Alexion, who could practically be used however he pleased, Alon always kept his manners.

And that proposal he had made at the very beginning, about the auction house—

It was a contract with such good terms that you couldn’t possibly say an aristocrat had offered it first.

Even though Alexion, unable to withstand Radan’s threats, had volunteered for bad terms.

The marquis recognized Alexion’s effort and even revised those terms into something better.

And was that all?

Even when additional work increased afterward, the marquis satisfied Alexion with an amount appropriate for the work—no, perhaps an amount that was far too generous.

In other words, as things stood now, Alexion had absolutely no reason to dislike Alon.

No, in a certain sense, Alexion even worried about the marquis.

For someone so close to being a good man—

Alexion couldn’t understand how someone like Radan, that kind of butcher, could be stuck to him.

However, at this moment.

Alexion started to think Alexion might be getting fooled.

And that was because—

“Deus Makalian.”

“......Yes.”

If the Marquis Palatio was truly normal, it made no sense for only people like this to be gathered around him.

“Is the interview starting now?”

Deus Makalian asked boldly, arms crossed.

Looking up at him, Alexion forcefully straightened the body that was about to sway.

......It had been like that when Rine Groph came a little while ago, but now Alexion was even dizzier than then.

“Th-then, Deus Makalian?”

“What is it?”

“......This time, what we are selecting is a partner who will accompany you to the banquet, but—”

“I know.”

“?”

You know?

You know, and you still don’t know what the problem is, right now?

That absurd retort flashed through Alexion’s head, but—

Naturally, there was no brave soul who would bring something like that up in front of Caliban’s First Sword.

“......Deus, the one being selected this time isn’t a man, but a young lady.”

Alexion simply informed Deus of the fact, politely.

“......A young lady?”

“Yes.”

“Hm—”

Caliban’s First Sword frowned, as if something had gone off course.

At that sight, Alexion’s head started to ache little by little.

Even so, Alexion forced the words forward.

“Anyway, because of that, I hesitate to say that Deus fits the intent.”

“......What a shame. I even threw work aside and came here because of this.”

“......”

Alexion wanted to refute it with, We never sent you a letter in the first place, but—

Alexion barely swallowed those words down.

“Then is there any escort position left?”

At Deus’s follow-up question, Alexion answered with a lifeless expression.

“......I’ll check.”

“Thanks.”

Deus nodded calmly and left.

Creak— the door closed, and Deus’s figure disappeared.

After confirming that, Alexion let out a small sigh and slowly shook the head.

The interview was already extremely hard.

However, only for a moment, Alexion quickly got a hold of the mind.

Today, Deus was only the beginning. There were still many people left to interview.

Re-steadied, Alexion forced the heart to settle down.

‘Yeah, like there’d be another person like that?’

Snicker— With a heavy heart, Alexion forced an artificial smile that didn’t suit it, and nodded alone.

No matter how many strange, dangerous, abnormal people were stuck around the Marquis Palatio.

If he said he was looking for a partner, there was no way another man would steal the invitation letter and come—

“Nangwon.”

“......”

—There was.

A man who looked extremely dangerous was staring at Alexion with those uniquely threatening inverted eyes.

......Of course, Alexion hadn’t sent any letter to a man like this.

And yet—

“M-may I ask, the letter—”

“Here.”

—Nangwon held the letter out far too boldly.

Alexion stared at Nangwon for a moment, then asked, just in case.

“Um, excuse me, but are you a woman?”

“What part of me looks like a woman?”

Nangwon’s immediate answer.

At that, Alexion closed the eyes.

......With a premonition that today was going to be extremely hard.

####

Truly fortunately, after Nangwon left, no men came in for interviews.

But just as Alexion had felt, the interviews weren’t easy.

“Seollang!”

“Ah, yes— the letter—”

“Here!”

Seollang held out a letter that was half-crumpled.

Alexion accepted it without a word.

The letter hadn’t been opened.

“......”

It was fascinating.

Without even tearing the letter open to read it, how had Seollang come all the way here saying Seollang would become the marquis’s partner?

......Of course, Alexion knew well enough that asking that wouldn’t produce an answer.

Alexion had given up on asking about that long ago, and conducted the interview.

......Truly fortunately, nothing big happened during the interview.

That was, at least, fortunate.

And around the time Seollang’s interview ended more quietly than expected—

“Ah, there’s something I’ll tell you!”

“Wh-what is it?”

Then Seollang put on an extremely solemn expression.

If someone saw it, it looked like dangerous words were about to come out.

Even while feeling doubtful, Alexion leaned the ear closer to Seollang, and—

“Everyone except me is over 600 years old.”

“Yes......?”

“Yutia is several times that.”

“???”

“The only one around the same age as Benefactor is me, that’s what I’m saying.”

After delivering that secret truth, Seollang smiled as if Seollang had won.

“This is my victory, right?”

And Seollang turned around and left as-is.

“???”

Only Alexion—

was left standing there alone in a situation that couldn’t be understood.

But Alexion was professional.

The mind still wasn’t in one piece, but Alexion immediately called the next interviewee.

“Historia.”

“Ah, yes.”

Unlike Seollang, the next interviewee was a woman with silver ears and a tail, with a blank feeling like you couldn’t tell what was being thought.

No—maybe the woman looked a bit calm, too.

“The letter—”

“Here.”

“......?”

If the woman hadn’t handed over more than five letters to Alexion.

“Th-then, um, I’m sorry, but.”

“Mm.”

“......There isn’t a letter that I sent.”

“......?”

Among them, there wasn’t a partner letter that Alexion had personally written and sent.

“......There isn’t?”

“Yes....... These are all...... other letters, but—”

“......Ah.”

A low sigh.

“Do I have to have a letter?”

“......Well, first of all, since we’re targeting those who received a letter...... yes.”

“If I don’t?”

“Of course, the interview—”

Alexion trailed off while watching the mood.

After a brief silence, Historia—

“......Okay.”

—quietly stood up and left without any particular words.

“Stole the wrong one......”

Historia muttered with a blank face, but with the ears and tail that had been perked up now drooping.

So now Historia wasn’t even trying to hide that it was theft......

Alexion collected the thoughts and immediately called the next interviewee, but after meeting the other person, Alexion couldn’t help being shocked.

Because the other person was—

an elf.

“Uh......?”

“Hello? I’m Magrina.”

“The letter—”

“It’s here.”

Magrina smiled and handed over the letter.

By now, Alexion accepted it like, sure, and took it.

‘......You even opened it properly.’

Even if it was stolen, unlike the other interviewees, Magrina had come while properly preserving the details.

Thinking Alexion should naturally give a high score, Alexion soon fell into self-loathing.

......In an interview for finding the marquis’s partner, what did it matter how well someone preserved the details of stealing a letter?

“We will begin the interview.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Even so, Alexion began the interview as if it was nothing.

Truly unexpectedly.

This time, every process was extremely smooth.

To the point Alexion felt, This is what the interview I wanted was like.

And because of that, Alexion, who was conducting the interview more comfortably than other times—

“Hmm—?”

—near the very end of the interview, while checking what Magrina had written down, found something strange.

‘Twenty-two...... huh.’

And at the same time, Alexion recalled what Seollang had said earlier.

‘Everyone except me is over 600 years old.’

That voice that had whispered meaningfully.

So.

“Th-then, may I ask one more question?”

“As many as you like.”

“You wrote that your age is twenty-two....... Is that the truth?”

Alexion asked calmly.

Magrina nodded as if it was obvious.

“Yes. In human age, it’s correct.”

“......In human age......?”

“Yes. As you know, elves live a long time, right? I think you know that.”

“Ah, yes— I have heard it, but.”

“In other words, it’s twenty-two.”

......?

What kind of logic is that?

Alexion blanked for a moment, then cleared the throat and collected the expression, and opened the mouth again.

However—

“......So in your original age, it’s a little over 600—”

“Twenty-two.”

“......No.”

“It’s twenty-two.”

As if there was no intention of continuing the conversation any further—

No.

“......”

A very dangerous magical power began gathering faintly in Magrina’s hand.

In the end, Alexion nodded and accepted it, and had no choice but to end Magrina’s interview.

And finally,

When Alexion received the long-awaited last interviewee—

“Ryang-a.”

“Yes.”

—Alexion faced a white-haired girl with purple eyes.

A girl with a slightly dangerous atmosphere.

“......May I have the letter?”

“Here.”

However, unlike the rough-looking exterior, the girl timidly handed over the letter, approached the interview with the calmest attitude of the bunch, and—

around the time the interview ended.

“......Th-then, um—”

“Yes.”

“I, um— I want to...... become the boss’s partner......”

P-please take care of me......!

With that added, the face turned faintly red, and as soon as the words ended, the girl ran out as if fleeing outside.

Without realizing it, Alexion’s heart softened.

For someone who had looked truly dangerous, Ryang-a’s modest actions made it feel like a worn-down, crumbling heart was being healed.

Until now, Alexion had met nothing but interviewees who threatened or spat out complaints......

Nodding with a quietly satisfied expression, Alexion finally confirmed that this long day could end, and let out a huge sigh.

It only got a little easier at the very end, but—

even so, the piled-up fatigue couldn’t be helped.

“......”

Alexion silently looked down at the interview results.

Interview results sheets set to absurdly high top scores, one after another.

......Of course, except for one sheet, the scores weren’t ones that reflected Alexion’s will.

......Because for that to happen, there were many situations where Alexion had to bet the life.

Some interview sheets even had content written that differed from the facts.

Especially age.

“Hmmm—”

Alexion thought about what to do with this part.

Age was something that had to be considered with weight when considering a partner like this.

So, while tapping the paper with the scores with a fingertip, Alexion decided that at least the scores assigned to age would be corrected roughly.

And while raising the interviewees’ ages overall—

when Alexion reached Yutia’s results sheet, Alexion had no choice but to pause for a moment.

According to what had come out of Seollang’s mouth again.

Yutia’s age was over 600.

......Naturally, it was hard to believe that easily.

But just letting it pass like nothing also stuck in the mind.

‘???? years old.’

After correcting Yutia’s age like that, Alexion left the office, and—

the next day.

“?”

Alexion felt something strange.

Because the interview sheets Alexion had definitely corrected yesterday—

‘......Why are they all....... back to the original?’

No, it wasn’t just that they were back to the original.

‘......Why?’

They were different from the scores Alexion remembered from yesterday.

The interview sheets that had reflected Alexion’s will even a little, somehow had mostly been changed into very high scores.

Unable to hide the flustered feeling—

Kwaaang—!

Hearing a sudden explosion, Alexion turned the gaze out the window without realizing it.

And there, Alexion saw it.

Seollang, slammed into the ground, body trembling.

And Yutia standing in front of Seollang.

“......”

With a smile, staring straight at Alexion.

And then.

Watching Yutia grab the back of Seollang’s neck and head into the alleyway between the buildings—

Creak.

At some point, with trembling hands, Alexion picked up the pen.

And that day.

---

Name : Yutia Bloodia.’

Age :

???? years old

18 years old

---

......Yutia Bloodia became 18 years old.