IQBSA 08

Chapter 08

Roachin, who had been about to knock on the door, hesitated and drew his hand back.

He had become aware of the moonlight softly filtering down from above his head.

“……What time is it.”

A full moon hung in the center of the dark night sky.

It must have been around 10 p.m., roughly.

He didn’t think it was much later than that, but after confirming that all the lights inside the house were off, Roachin ran his hand through his hair in irritation.

Driven by the single-minded determination to meet her right away, he had rushed over without thinking things through.

Unable to go in or back out, Roachin paced about for a long while like a lost dog before finally knocking on the door as if making up his mind.

*Thump, thump.*

The wooden door rattled loudly.

“…….”

But even after waiting, no sign of anyone stirred from behind the door.

Roachin glanced up at the dazzlingly bright moon, and a grim thought crossed his mind.

It *was* a bit early for Serpine to be asleep.

‘Is she even inside?’

The moment that thought occurred to him, Roachin impatiently pulled on the doorknob.

The firmly locked doorknob, which had been guarding the house, easily gave way under Roachin’s touch.

Roachin wandered through the house, searching for Serpine.

It was certain that Serpine had been here.

On the living room sofa, the blanket Serpine always used was folded neatly.

There were traces of her everywhere, but Serpine herself was nowhere to be seen.

‘She’s not here.’

In an instant, as if doused with ice water, Roachin’s gaze turned coldly somber.

As his mind froze in bewilderment, he spotted the stairs leading up to the second floor.

Stepping boldly onto the stairs, Roachin slowed his pace as he was enveloped by an increasingly familiar, thick scent.

Because he was now certain that the person he was looking for was up there.

Finally, the sight of Serpine sleeping soundly came into view, and Roachin wiped his face with his hand.

“Ha. Seriously, Serpine Mirabel.”

It wasn’t easy to make someone this anxious.

It seemed she used the cramped attic as her bedroom, rather than the spacious lower floor.

In any case, he had confirmed she was safe, so that was that.

Roachin, about to leave, found it hard to take his leave easily.

“You really are sleeping so soundly, unaware of the world.”

Serpine didn’t even stir, unaware that someone had entered the room.

Her tightly closed eyelids showed no sign of opening, as if she were in hibernation.

Roachin let out a deep sigh as he looked at the defenselessly sleeping Serpine.

“You can’t just leave me to go back at ease like this, Serpine.”

Instead of a reply, only the sound of soft breathing could be heard.

There was so much he wanted to ask when they met again.

Roachin swallowed the words that had risen to his throat and perched by the window.

‘What am I supposed to do about this.’

And what was this house all about.

He simply couldn’t fathom what was going on inside that small head of hers.

Since she said she wouldn’t speak about it herself, there was no other way.

‘For now, I’ll just have to watch over her.’

Roachin looked down at the deeply sleeping Serpine.

With an insistent gaze, as if he wouldn’t miss a single breath.

When the dark sky began to faintly glow with dawn, and finally the morning sun rose over the horizon, only warmth remained on the empty windowsill.

My plan for this week was to do absolutely nothing.

I spent the whole day just eating and sleeping, thoroughly enjoying my leisure.

However, because the diligent habits from my working days had become deeply ingrained bad habits, it wasn’t long before I started to feel restless.

“Should I go outside for the first time in a while?”

And so, on the third day of my unemployed life, I began preparing for my first outing.

Sitting in front of the vanity and letting my hair down, my silver locks fell across my shoulders.

The silver hair that had felt so awkward at first now felt familiar as I combed it down smoothly.

‘Why don’t I have a single maid to brush my hair?’

Other people who possessed wealthy noble ladies usually got the best care from head to toe…

It was only after possessing Serpine that I learned the unfortunate personal circumstances she had.

Serpine had been left at an orphanage as a baby and grew up without a family.

During her academy days, she had dormitories, which made things somewhat better, but after graduation, she had nowhere to go and had to drift from place to place, earning her living.

There’s a reason behind every villain, and I truly felt sorry for Serpine.

‘I didn’t really want to know these detailed circumstances either.’

To end up possessing such a pitiful character…

Noble or not, she should be grateful just to have gotten a proper house for the first time.

After finishing brushing, I neatly tied my hair up.

While tidying the stray strands, a thought I had pushed aside suddenly flashed through my mind.

“……I wonder if he’s seen it by now.”

It was about time for the Magic Tower Lord to return from Valdeas.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t at all curious about his reaction after reading my letter.

Of course, he’d be angry.

But that had to be the end of it.

Suddenly imagining the terrifying prospect of Roachin showing up, I shuddered and stood up from the vanity.

“Oh, come on. No way.”

How could he possibly find out where I am and come here?

Even if he did, at this timing, when the original story is just about to begin in earnest, why would a sub-male lead leave the female protagonist?

He wouldn’t come even if I begged him to.

Pushing aside my uneasy feelings, I pulled my robe up tightly.

My silver hair was quite noticeable in this world too, so I needed to be careful.

Stepping outside, warm sunlight shone down on my face.

‘When was the last time I enjoyed such a leisurely afternoon sun!’

I took a deep breath of the refreshing forest air and headed straight for the market.

As I walked, getting a brief lay of the land, a hawker’s call caught my ear.

“We’ve got a whole new shipment of plants! Come take a look!”

**[Gardener.]**

Judging by the green sign with trees and grass drawn on it, it was a plant shop.

“……Should I just take a quick look?”

From the moment I entered, the plant shop was so packed with various flora that there was hardly any room to step.

I headed for the seed corner, not the regular plant section.

“Hmm. Which one would be good?”

I was thinking of trying my hand at a potion business.

Potions were a field that utilized the power of ingredients through magic, so they didn’t require magical power.

Serpine had poured her soul into potion theory to survive on the mage’s land, and thanks to that, I had a vast amount of knowledge at my disposal.

If I combined that with modern business know-how, it should be promising enough.

The first potion I would develop and experiment with would be:

‘A potion that aids plant growth.’

If I could develop it to a level that significantly increased crop yields, making a fortune would be only a matter of time.

As I was deliberating over which seeds to use for the experiment, a middle-aged woman who appeared to be the shop owner approached me.

“Miss, are you looking for something in particular?”

I was captivated by the woman’s eyes.

‘…Pink.’

In this world, red-toned eyes were like a mark possessed only by mages.

Usually, they were mostly red, and when one’s magical power was very strong, they took on a dark, purplish hue.

Like Roachin, for example.

Conversely, pink eyes were a symbol of very weak magical power, and were mostly possessed by mixed-blood mages.

It was an uncommon color, so I would usually attract attention wherever I went, but this was the first time I had seen so many people with the same eye color as me since being born here.

Not only the shop owner, but I had already seen several people with pink eyes on my way here.

‘This is exactly why I chose the village of Erden.’

Erden Village had a diverse population.

Mages, humans, mixed-bloods—everyone.

In a place where various eye colors mingled, I wouldn’t stand out too much.

I relaxed my tension a little and asked.

“What plant grows the fastest here?”

If I experimented on fast-growing plants, I could quickly confirm the potion’s effects.

“Uh? The fastest growing plant?”

Perhaps because it was a question she’d never heard before, the woman seemed slightly flustered.

“……Well, which one would be fastest? There’s a tree called Crown, it sprouts just half a day after planting. How about that?”

“That sounds good. I’ll take that. How much is it?”

“It’s not a very useful tree, so it’s only 20 silver.”

After I paid, the shop owner handed me a small box containing the Crown tree seeds and asked.

“Miss. You look a bit familiar, did you live in this village originally?”

“No, I just moved here yesterday.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have been mistaken. Anyway, now that I know your face, feel free to drop by often. I’ll give you plenty of service next time you come.”

“I will.”

I was about to leave with the seed box when an urgent voice called me back.

“Wait! I’m Mary, by the way. What’s your name, miss?”

“Ser… no, it’s Sara.”

I quickly corrected myself, nearly letting the name slip out.

“Sara? That’s a pretty name. Well then, see you again, Miss Sara!”

Mary smiled affably and waved at me.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I left the shop.

Thank goodness Mary brushed it off lightly…

It’s not a common name, so I almost blew it.

‘Get a grip. If this gets back to the Imperial Consort, it’s over!’

Although I had escaped to avoid the original story, I still couldn’t let my guard down completely.

It was still unknown how the Imperial Consort would react when she found out I had disappeared.

Potion business and all that—first, I had to survive to do anything, right?

‘I just need to hold on a little longer.’

There was less than a week left until the Founding Festival.

I pulled my robe down even more firmly for no reason.

Sitting alone in an old, shabby cabin, stirring a pot from which smoke rose, I felt like a real witch.

“The color isn’t bad.”

Inside the pot, a thick green potion was bubbling.

I took out the seeds I had bought from the plant shop.

I put the seeds in a flowerpot, covered them with soil, and poured the completed green potion over them.

After placing the pot on the balcony and coming back inside, I patted my stiff shoulders.

“Ahh…… I’m exhausted.”

I had been so focused on the potion since coming home that my wrists were aching and my eyes were stinging as if they were about to pop out.

Leaving the cleanup for tomorrow’s me, I headed straight up to the bedroom.

Because I had left the window open due to the potion smell, the air was chilly.

I tossed a bunch of magic stone fuel into the fireplace and threw myself onto the bed.

Magic stone fuel was much more expensive than firewood because it produced stronger heat and lasted longer.

But I deserved this much compensation for working hard.

‘Money really is the best.’

The air quickly became warm, not long after I lit the fire.

I wrapped myself tightly in the blanket and settled in for a comfortable sleep.

I don’t know how great a happiness it is to be able to sleep as much as I want in a cozy bed, not at a desk.

‘Yeah, it was very comfortable and happy…….’

Until I discovered the Magic Tower Lord sitting on my window in the middle of the night.