"...Raise your magic affinity. If you raise it, you can gather magie power and awaken as a wizard, right? It seems that the effect increases if you stay close to a wizard-like Essie, so practice with me. I can't guarantee it, but since I'm a wizard too. It might help."
Helen opened her eyes wide at the gentle voice. Her face looked as if she couldn't believe the sudden good fortune that had come to her.
"Really? Are you really going to do that?"
Wizards were a difficult race who even got annoyed at being served. Magic was a delicate field that required concentration, so they were sensitive to external stimuli.
So the servants had to work quickly when the wizard was away and never met them. That's why it was difficult to serve them, and even after working in the magic tower for decades, it was difficult to see them face to face and exchange a word.
But when Julia readily offered to help her, Helen was shocked and even got goosebumps.
'A great person who meets with the Lord of the Tower every day is kind to me... I thought she was different from other people because she had been outside for a long time. But I didn't know she was such an angel!'
Helen doesn't know exactly, but if a wizard helps, her affinity will increase incomparably compared to doing It alone.
Helen held Julia's hand tightly, her hands trembling. Julia smiled brightly at her, who could not bring herself to say hello.
"Of course. If I can be of any help, I'll be happy to help."
"Oh, Oh, thank you! Heuk, I won't forget this favor! Thank you!"
Only then did Helen realize it was real and she burst into tears. Julia quickly patted her on the shoulder.
"I'm really happy that you like it. I'll work hard in the future."
"Oh, yeah! Yes, yes! Thank you!"
Helen was the one who always said thank you. Julia felt ticklish and started to apply the formula in her head.
'Would this expose Helen to enough magical power? Oh, I'll have to ask Pal about it later.'
It was nothing special to her, but Julia was overwhelmed by the fact that she could help someone else achieve their earnest dream.
Julia finally began to feel a little bit of affection for her abilities, which she had previously disliked and feared.
It felt strange to have a part of her that she had resented and rejected recognized and used by everyone. And yet, at the same time, it was spreading warmth like a small candle.
'Perhaps.'
As Julia made her plan, it occurred to her that helping Helen might also help herself.
So Julia began having special lessons with Helen in her room every morning and night.
When she consulted her arm, she was amused and gave useful advice, which helped Julia come up with a unique solution.
It was surprisingly simple, and the principle was similar to that of a water pump. You pour water into the pump in advance to draw up water.
As if drawing water from dry land, Julia enveloped Helen with her abundant magical power. Then, the tiny amount of magical power that had been solidified deep within Helen's body began to move little by little.
As the repetitions continued, she gained vitality and elasticity. And finally, Helen slowly began to increase her magical affinity and draw the magical power of nature into her body.
Julia also taught her step-by-step how to maintain the magic power she had collected.
"Helen is an excellent student. At this rate, we can expect good results in about a month."
The results were much better than Pam had hinted at.
Julia's method was different from the usual cases, but the principle was the same. It was not an illegal act of forcible intervention, but rather a classic way of increasing affinity.
In such cases, even with the help of a wizard, it usually took a year.
"No. I didn't do anything. This is a miracle, it's all thanks to the wizard!"
Helen was always happy and tearful during class. She even swore that if she became a magician, she would never lose her original intention and would always do her best for a good cause.
'I'm so proud.'
It was a rewarding experience to understand why people raise disciples. She also felt a sense of accomplishment separate from the fact that she was always praised by her father.
Julia could now understand why her teachers when she was young had complimented her by saying that she was full even without eating.
'Hmm, it would be nice if there was something like a magic academy.'
Of course, that's not possible, and even if it were, it would be difficult for a Queen to become a professor.
Julia smiled, thinking that it was absurd, even though it was just her idea. Still just dreaming about it made her feel good and entertained.
The classes that filled the two people with hope gradually piled up over time.
***
A week later.
"Hey, Essie? Please help me!"
The freckled maid begged earnestly. Essie crossed her arms and made a haughty face.
"You know that if you use Eren dye with your bare hands, your skin will burn, right? Did you forget to light a fire first to warm up your hands?"
The maids were currently cleaning the tower. They were taking out the Eren dye needed to make the floor shine.
However, this dye was only effective if rubbed with bare hands, so everyone's hands were chapped when they were done.
Of course, they took painkillers before work and applied special creams to heal wounds afterward. But it was clear that this was the work that the maids hated the most.
Then they figured out a way to do it: light a fire. Warm your hands over the fire, then rub them with dye. Then, miraculously, the dye would coat your hands like a candle was, protecting them from getting hurt.
"Well, this time I brought a small torch from the kitchen, but I fell over and the light went out."
The freckled maid explained with a tearful face. The maids who were watching the situation began to speak up one by one.
"Essie, I'll ask you just this once. Yes?"
"I'll help you out with your area a little. Can you light this old torch for me just once?"
There was a rush to finish it before the sensitive wizards got angry. The maids remembered Essie's display of magical power a few days ago, and they clung to her by lighting small flames.
"Just a little? Don't I have to do It all?"
Essie spoke in a haughty voice. The faces of the maids who had been pleading with her turned pale.
"Do you know how hard it is to use your magic power once? And you want me to work and use my magic power at the same time? Who would want that?"
There was arrogance in her voice as she babbled. She would always brag that if she had magic power, the fire was nothing, and it was ridiculous how she would act so proudly when she did something for everyone.
Eventually, one of the maids lost her temper.
"Hey, why are you saying that? That's why I said I would help you."
For the past couple of months, Essie has been frequently skipping work, making excuses about being a servant to Hamas. As a result, she has a lot of work to do.
"If you do all of my work, I won't be able to finish cleaning on time."
"Then everyone raise your hands."
Essie replied angrily. The freckled maid sighed and had no choice but to stop her colleague.
"I'll take responsibility for blowing out the torch. If I skip lunch for a few days and work, I'll be able to finish it. The wizards are sensitive because we're doing a major cleaning today, so we have to finish cleaning the floor quickly."
"No matter what..."
The maids glared at Essie with displeasure. She was already acting like she was a know-it-all, but it seemed rude of her to pass on her work at this moment.
But the maids of the Magic Tower had no time to argue, as they could not afford to offend the magicians.
"I'll be a wizard soon anyway, so I won't be doing this kind of thing. I think this is a good opportunity for you guys to redistribute the work."
Essie added as if doing a favor.
It's annoying, but since she actually had magical powers, she could really awaken as a wizard after a while. If a wizard who was a maid appeared after almost a century, it wouId be beneficial to be as friendly as possible.
"...Yes, I got it."
In the end, the maids who were in a sorry position let out a deep sigh. And then they accepted the apron that Essie threw at them with pride.
"You should have done that a long time ago. Then don't forget to do the western wing hall, the basement storage, the north spire stairs, and the kitchen dishes this morning."
"What? The west wing and the basement were supposed to be finished last week?!"
The freckled maid cried out in shock. Then Essie, who was rolling up her sleeves to light the fire, narrowed her eyes.
"So, you don't like it?"
"..."
The hands holding the apron were tightly clenched.
Essie had a pretty face like an angel, but she was the type of person who looked down on others.
If she were already a wizard, she would often make remarks that made her colleagues feel ashamed or ignored her, as if she were a servant, even though she was the same maid. It was the same even now.
“Nо.”
The freckled maid bit her lips, enduring the hurt pride. The maids, sensing the subtle war of nerves, exchanged glances, but no one opened their mouths.
"Then that's right."
Essie said with a sly smile on her face.
"Well, since you asked me to do that, I'll help you just this once in a while."
Essie, who had spoken proudly, touched the oiled stick. Then she frowned and concentrated.
Crispy.
A light crimson color began to pop out from the tips of her fingers.
It was still too shabby to be called magic. However, it was a firework created with real magic power that even the maids who were feeling sorry for her were amazed.
"Ugh..."
However, Essie, contrary to her boasting that it was no big deal, seemed to be having quite a hard time. What she had thought would be done quickly was already taking close to five minutes.
But no one dared to find fault and just watched the scene tensely.
"Hey, guys? What are you doing there?"
At that moment, a cheerful voice was heard breaking the silence.
Bam!
At that moment, the flames that had been blooming in clumps at Essie's fingertips died down. It was because her concentration was broken.
"You!"
Essie was annoyed. It was Helen.
Helen, with her crimson hair and a cleaning towel wrapped tightly around her head, approached them in a bewildered manner.
"What's wrong? Isn't everyone cleaning the floor?"
"You interrupted! What are you going to do? The magic was forcibly broken, so it can't be done today!"
Essie said flatly that she couldn't light the fire, blaming Helen. The maids clung to her in frustration, but Essie just kept getting irritated, asking if her magic was really that easy.
"Everyone, raise your hands or leave them alone! It's not my fault that I couldn't light the fire, so just leave the cleaning up to her!"
"Essie, don't do that. Just do it one more time..."
"Oh, what should I do?"
The maids were in deep thought and were shaking.
Essie didn't have as much magical power as she had boasted, and she seemed clumsy in handling it. It seemed impossible to quickly relight it.
Now that it had come to this, they had to quickly scrub that wide floor with their bare hands before it was too late.
"Ugh, there's nothing we can do. Guys, let's just suffer this once."
"Eek, I really hate it when my hands bleed..."
The maids rolled up their sleeves in frustration. Then they lined up one by one to dip their hands in the Eren dye.
Meanwhile, Helen, who had sensed the situation, quickly stepped forward.
"Guys, wait a minute."
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