"Even though it's quite valuable in another sense, I had a hard time finding it, hehe. But what do you intend to use such trash for?"
"That's not for you to know."
"Ah, yes, of course. I overstepped my bounds."
He was a guy who fed on information, so questions came out as naturally as breathing.
"I will give you the agreed-upon payment in advance."
Reed handed him a heavy silver coin box that had been prepared beforehand.
A total of 20,000 UPs.
He had contracted to purchase 4,000 kg of magnesium at 50 UP per 1kg, which cost 42 UP.
Now only 1,500 kg had arrived, but they had written an agreement that the remaining items would be shipped within three months, so there would be no significant problems.
"I hope you can provide everything within the next three months."
"Yes, yes! Of course! What kind of business would I be in if I didn't trust you? Oh, by the way…"
"What is it?"
"This is a small gift I have prepared for you, Tower Master!"
"A gift?"
Leto placed a box he had pushed to the side on the desk.
"Ha-ha, don't worry, Tower Master. Even though I'm Leto, I can't compete with your discerning eye, but I still thought hard about what I could find that might be able to catch up with you."
Reed opened the neatly wrapped box and looked at its contents.
It was a thick book.
- Isaac's 108 Fairy Tales.
It was a collection of fairy tales.
"I thought the atmosphere here would be quite dull, kekeke. I brought something fun for the kids to enjoy, for the slave... I mean, Miss Rosaria."
"..."
"What do you think?"
How was it?
To be honest?
Reed looked at Leto a bit differently.
Of course, it was not just the gift itself that moved him.
'He thinks I don't abuse my adopted daughter behind her back, which means that his information-gathering ability is definitely excellent.'
This kind of gift would have been impossible without accurately spotting the recent status of Rosaria, who was adopted as a slave.
If there had been any image of Reed disliking Rosaria, he would have given her something she needed instead.
'Even while he brought me something hard to obtain….'
Reed found it impressive that Leto had such a good sense despite his rat-like face.
'Well, that's what these kinds of guys live on.'
Although he was grateful for the gift and wanted him to give it to her in person…
- It's a gift, Miss. Kekeke.
- Thank you, Leto Oppa!
'…I have to stop it. I've simulated it over 100 times in my brain, and all I can see are dangerous images.'
Reed calmly thanked him.
"I just needed it. Thank you."
"Kekeke, I'm glad."
Leto smiled awkwardly.
'But don't be too happy. There's still more to come.'
Reed put that gift on the seat next to him and asked him.
"By the way."
"Yes, yes."
"You brought a gift for my daughter, but nothing for me?"
"…Yes?"
Leto's face, which had been satisfied, turned rigid.
A brief silence.
"Yes?"
Raising the remaining eyebrow, he asked again.
"I'm asking if you brought a gift for my daughter and none for the Tower Master."
"Ah, well, that's…"
Leto stammered.
It looked so pitiful that it was almost laughable.
"Actually, I thought I wouldn't be able to catch up with Tower Master's sense, so I didn't prepare anything in the form of an item."
"Then what is it?"
"That… I'll give you one piece of information you want for free."
Receiving information that normally costs more than 1,000 YP for free seemed to be a gift in itself.
'Is this why people abuse their power? It's so much fun.'
"I won't ask for too much since it's a gift from your sincerity."
"Yes, yes…"
"I have a question about myself. What was the reaction of the magicians to the fact that I was studying Magic Engineering?"
Leto lived in the capital of Garcia, the most influential empire on the Cloud Continent.
Since everything goes through Garcia, his sources of information are the widest.
So, his information should also include the opinions of the artisans and mages of the empire.
"Oh, well, that's the thing. Opinions are divided on whether you are becoming a pioneer in Magic Engineering, kekeke…"
It was a lie.
Leto's laughter changed subtly when he lied.
"I don't need flattery. Tell me the truth."
"Ah, yes, understood. As you expected, Tower Master, most of the opinions are negative."
The mages of the workshops thought that the Silence Tower had hit rock bottom and the magicians of the tower itself looked down upon Reed for allowing such a perception.
However, neither the tower nor the workshops could completely ignore the changes Reed had made.
"It's because of Rosaria."
"That's right. Miss Rosaria is getting a lot of attention."
Though only Dolores and Freesia had actually come to see her, the other tower masters were likely keeping an eye on Rosaria as well.
'The next Tower Master meeting will definitely bring this up.'
Reed's ultimate reason for asking about himself was because of the Tower Master meeting.
The transition to Magic Engineering, mass layoffs, and the emergence of a super rookie.
It's hard to believe that so many things happened at the Silence Tower in just a month.
With so many stories piling up, there's no way the Tower Master meeting wouldn't be itching to discuss it all.
'Should I expand the board?'
For Rosaria's future and for the image of the Silence Tower trapped in the gutter, it might be worth trying some bold strategies.
Reed glanced down at Leto.
As Leto glanced back up at him, he bowed his head and stood at attention.
"Alright, you rat. You've given me good information, so I'll give you a piece of information too."
He would give information.
To put it bluntly, it meant to spread this information.
"What kind of information do you mean?"
"Rosaria is currently learning magic. However…"
"However?"
"She's hopelessly dull."
"Yes, yes??"
"She's slow to understand, her pronunciation is of course, and she can't even get the basic breathing right, even after several teachings. She's just a girl with a lot of mana."
The nuance was the problem, but it was true.
Rosaria was indeed a genius in magic, but her genius only extended to magic itself.
As a group of senior magicians tried to teach her, they showed her various theories, but question marks still lingered in her mind.
She was a child who excelled more at direct observation and manifestation than learning from the theories of others.
If one were to cut away that portion, her state would not be strange if she were simply considered as a fool.
Leto squinted his eyes and frowned.
"Ah, ah... I see. Then, you must be very heartbroken."
"Why would I be heartbroken? I love Rosaria just the way she is."
"Ah, I've overstepped my bounds again... I understand."
"Do make sure to spread this rumor."
With that, Leto, who had been lost in thought, looked up at Reed and spoke.
"This is just a rumor that I heard."
"Make sure it is."
In other words, don't spread it directly as a rumor, but indirectly.
'No one will believe this rumor anyway.'
There have been rare cases where some people can sense mana but cannot use magic itself.
However, "rare" is the keyword.
The chances of such an individual, who cannot use magic, coincidentally becoming the adopted daughter of the Tower Master is almost zero.
So, they would be even more curious about Rosaria's existence.
The more they build up a fantasy, the more people have expectations.
Although that fantasy might turn into a scam, Reed already knew.
That she is an existence beyond what the Tower Masters can imagine with their rigid minds.