I Got a Fake Job at the Academy
Chapter 484: Selmore's Invitation (2)

Chapter 484: Selmore's Invitation (2)

Rudger and Casey stared at each other.

'Suddenly appearing before me.'

And she secretly followed him, avoiding others' gazes.

However, it felt awkward to call it tailing.

'If she had intended to hide properly, she could have gone undetected for longer. It seems she wanted me to notice her.'

From this, Rudger could tell that Casey Selmore wanted to meet him somewhere away from others' eyes.

However, not wanting to go along with the other party's intentions, the words that escaped Rudger's lips were completely different.

"Have you come to arrest me this time?"

"I said that because you look like you came with all sorts of determination. So I wondered if you were finally going to put an end to this tiresome relationship."

"I wasn't thinking of..."

Casey realized from Rudger's comment that she was quite tense.

She let out a small sigh, relaxed her shoulders, and rubbed her cheeks with both hands.

Seeming a bit calmer now, Casey looked directly at Rudger with eyes as clear and blue as water.

"The reason I came looking for you is that I have a favor to ask."

"A favor?"

Since it came from someone who seemed like they would never utter such words, Rudger was surprised and simultaneously curious.

'A favor, huh. Better than before when she would just rush in trying to catch me, but approaching like this now is just as strange.'

Casey, who used to be full of hostility whenever she saw him, seemed to have softened quite a bit as she didn't show as much antagonism as before.

Perhaps what contributed most to changing this relationship was his visit to check on her when she was ill after their fight in the capital.

However,

'Let's not jump to conclusions. You never know when she might suddenly change her mind and try to catch me. Maybe even this current behavior is meant to lower my guard.'

Rudger had become quite sensitive due to various recent events.

The biggest reason was that even this city couldn't be considered safe.

Not only was there the incident of elves kidnapping Sedina, but it was also true that the Lumensis Order secretly helped them.

"What a strange thing indeed. Do you think it makes sense that you would ask me for a favor?"

Therefore, even if it was just a verbal favor, he couldn't unconditionally trust Casey's words without properly examining the contents.

"...Right. I know it sounds strange. But you're the only one I can ask for help right now."

"..."

Casey's voice revealed an undeniable gloominess.

Just as he was thinking how even this genius lady who used to be full of confidence and fearlessness could be this passive.

The fact that Casey would show such a reaction made him not just curious but somewhat afraid of what kind of situation this might be.

"Just what happened? If you're trying to contact me while avoiding others' eyes to this extent, it must be something very serious."

"That's right. It's very serious."

Casey answered in a resolute voice.

Rudger wracked his brain.

What could be serious enough for genius detective Casey Selmore to take it this seriously?

Could a war be breaking out somewhere else?

Or is the Black Dawn Society up to something again?

Maybe the Lumensis Order had made some kind of move.

While various unsettling possibilities swirled in Rudger's mind.

"If you say it's that serious, what exactly is it? What do you want from me?"

"That's..."

After hesitation, Casey finally voiced her reason.

With her face turning red as a flower and in a crawling voice.

"...Become my fiancé."

"...?"

A silence so quiet you could hear breathing circled between the two people.

Rudger stood still in his spot.

For a moment, he couldn't understand what Casey Selmore had just said.

What did she just say? Did I hear something wrong?

'This is strange. The celestial seal is definitely working properly though?'

Rudger slightly lifted his head to check above.

There was neither a black halo nor a hole through it.

Then that means what he heard wasn't an auditory hallucination.

"Why, why aren't you answering?"

The person who spoke asked with a reddened face, seemingly aware of her own embarrassment.

At that sight, Rudger realized that what he heard was really the truth as it was.

"...Casey Selmore."

"What?”

"Are you still suffering from the aftereffects of the demon's attack? You should rest more."

"What?"

"Your current state is...serious."

"Se, serious?"

"Yes. Very serious. You should go see a psychiatrist for an examination right away."

Casey flared up at those words.

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

"What do you mean? Weren't you the one talking nonsense?"

"No! I, I meant what I said! Seriously!"

"Seriously...you say?"

Rudger's eyes widened.

It was an exceptionally rare display of intense emotion.

"Why are you so surprised!"

Casey was genuinely angry at that reaction.

That man who usually never changed his expression, Rudger who maintained his poker face to a shameless degree no matter what she did, showed surprise on his face.

She was being sincere, but he was genuinely surprised, so by this point it almost felt like he was mocking her.

"Is it that strange for me to say such things?"

"Isn't it ridiculous for such words to suddenly come up between us in the first place? Or, ah."

Rudger finally figured out the answer.

"That must be it. A confession to teach me a lesson. To mentally shake me..."

"That's not it!"

Casey shouted with a red face.

"Wh-why would I propose an engagement to you!"

"...Didn't you just ask me to become your fiancé earlier?"

"Ah, well I did... but, that's, that is! I meant to become my fake fiancé!"

"Fake?"

"Yes. I'm just asking you to pretend to be my fiancé."

"What?"

Rudger let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew. What a relief."

"...Why are you genuinely relieved?"

Seeing Rudger showing a reaction like he had been freed from a great burden, Casey seriously considered throwing away the favor and fighting him instead.

But realizing that the man before her was the only one she could ask for help right now, Casey had to tip the scales of her heart to one side while holding back tears.

"More importantly, this is strange. Why are you asking me to play the role of your fiancé?"

"...Because I got a message from the family."

"By family, you mean the Selmores?"

The magical noble house of Selmore, true to that name, Selmore had produced mages who held [Colour] titles.

The Azure Mage, Casey Selmore.

However, Casey Selmore herself was not the heir to succeed the family.

"Are the family elders pressuring you? That's unexpected. I thought you just lived however you wanted without caring about such things."

"It's not like I don't care about the family at all, you know? And that statement was wrong."

"Which part?"

"The part about the family elders pressuring me. There's actually no one among the elders who would nag me in the first place. Because I'm a more excellent mage than them. Even if they did, I wouldn't listen anyway."

"You say that quite proudly."

"But even someone like me doesn't completely ignore the family's wishes. Of course there are people whose opinions I have to consider. You could say there's someone I'm absolutely weak against in terms of human relationships."

For the great Casey Selmore to show weakness.

Rudger suddenly became curious about who this natural enemy in terms of relationships could be.

"Are you talking about the current head of the family?"

"That's right. The current head of the Selmore family, my sister."

"Sister?"

"Our father has already stepped down. By his own choice, of course. His two daughters were quite extraordinary after all."

At Casey's words, Rudger suddenly recalled that she had a sister.

"Wait. If she's the current head of the Selmore family and your sister..."

"You should know her since she's famous, right? Marias Selmore."

Rudger nodded.

Marias Selmore, the head of the magical noble house of Selmore and an unparalleled genius who possessed outstanding capability and magical skill despite her young age.

While Casey Selmore is also called a genius, her genius lies in 'deduction'.

Of course, being excellent at deduction doesn't mean her magical abilities are lacking.

The title of Azure isn't given for nothing after all but Casey Selmore's sister is far more outstanding than her, at least as a mage because she is.

"The Blue Mage."

Casey nodded at Rudger's words.

"That's right. My sister is also a single-attribute elemental user like me, and a mage who received a color title."

Young, the head of the family, and on top of that her magic absolutely doesn't lose to her own.

Thanks to having such an outstanding sister, Casey was able to live freely as a detective without being bound by the family, but.

Conversely, it meant that when it came to her sister who was the head of the family, she had definitive authority to restrict Casey's freedom that she thought no one could suppress.

"That sister...sent me a message."

"What kind of message?"

"To stop playing detective and come home now. And to prepare for marriage."

"A political marriage?"

It's a common thing for daughters of noble families.

Strengthening relationships between families and securing social status by forming blood ties with other families.

"There are many nobles desperate to marry a daughter of the Selmore family after all, since we're a magical noble house to begin with. I guess all sorts of families will be sending love calls. Geez. Someone's going to choose for me, they say."

"Looks like you don't have the right to refuse. Can't you avoid political marriage?"

"If I could avoid it, why would I put the word 'favor' in my mouth? My sister may be the head of the family, but she's not that inflexible and narrow-minded. Though she is a bit mentally unstable. Rather crazy, actually."

You're not really one to talk.

Rudger swallowed those words as he didn't want to fight with Casey right now.

"Anyway, my sister gave me a choice. If I find someone I truly love, she said she would support me regardless of family or status."

"Isn't that an extremely generous condition?"

It essentially means giving Casey the freedom to choose.

Considering how women from other noble families are forced into marriage under pressure from their fathers, this treatment could be called revolutionary.

"If that's the case, couldn't you just bring anyone suitable rather than me specifically?"

"Th-that..."

Casey seemed to be aware of this too as she slightly avoided Rudger's gaze.

Rudger's eyebrow twitched slightly.

It seemed there was still something Casey wasn't telling him.

"There's more to it."

"W-well, it's true that my sister made such a revolutionary proposal to me. But at the time, I really wasn't thinking about marriage at all."

Rudger recalled when he first met Casey Selmore.

An arrogant, self-conscious modern woman with a strong tendency to do things her own way.

No matter how you looked at it, she seemed far from marriage.

"Though she gave me the right to choose, she arbitrarily set a deadline. She said if I didn't find a man by then, she would handle it as she saw fit."

"Even so, couldn't you still bring just anyone?"

"...At the time, I had some pride, so I talked back to my sister. I told her I would bring someone truly amazing, so she should absolutely not interfere in this matter."

Although it was words spoken out of rebelliousness in the heat of the moment, Casey Selmore's sister, Marias Selmore, remembered that fact clearly.

"So...bringing someone mediocre in this situation? My sister would immediately see that I set up a stand-in just to get out of the current situation. Then I won't be able to defy my sister's words!"

"So..."

When Rudger pointed to himself, Casey nodded with a disgruntled expression.

"...At least among the men I know, there's no one as outstanding as you."

"Well, I'm so grateful I don't know what to do with myself. To receive such high praise from the great Casey Selmore."

"So what's your answer?"

Rudger frowned deeply.

"Did you really think I would agree to such a request in the first place?"

"Oh why! Just, just help me out, what's the harm?"

"We're not even on terms to help each other in the first place, are we?"

At Rudger's words, Casey took a breath and then spoke while lowering her eyes.

"W-we apologized, didn't we?"

"...What?"

"Y-you came to visit me in the hospital and apologized!"

Rudger was dumbfounded at Casey's words.

She was actually remembering that?

Even if that was the case, surely she wasn't going to say they should get along well now unlike before just because he apologized?

Surely not. No matter what, he was a former crime lord and she was a detective.

Rudger's thoughts were denied the moment he saw Casey's expression full of embarrassment.

"...You're serious."

"W-well yeah! We had misunderstandings and stuff, that can happen, right?"

"Just because misunderstandings were cleared up doesn't mean I have to help you."

"If-if you help, I can help you too! My sister! She's an extremely outstanding person! If you get on her good side, you could wake up to find bread has appeared!"

"Still, isn't she just the head of a magical noble house?"

"...The position of head of a magical noble house is amazing, you know? Besides, my sister's excellence doesn't simply end there. Though she may not look it, my sister is also affiliated with the magical information processing agency."

"Sitting in some high position, I suppose?"

Casey shook her head.

"It's not just any high position. Though my sister has never directly told me, from what I know I can roughly deduce. There are no restrictions on my sister when it comes to accessing information about magic and mysteries."

Casey looked straight at Rudger and said.

"All information about magic passes through my sister's hands."

At those words, a scene Rudger had seen recently suddenly flashed through his mind.

Perhaps Casey's sister might know the whereabouts of the place with the strange background where the last fragment of the relic was.

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