Job recruitment agency?

Immersed in the sweetness of her delusions,

Before she could savor it for more than a few moments,

Timothée suddenly realized that an extra figure had appeared beside them.

—So, you’ve finally shown up, haven’t you? You lecherous cleric!

Their eyes met.

The naturally airheaded Furubi simply blinked her beautiful golden eyes.

“Mr. Loya, who is this?”

“Ah, she is also a former teammate of mine from Swan Lake…”

Loya gestured with his hand.

However, the latter half of the sentence was pre-emptively seized by Timothée.

In an equally polite tone, though one laced with a subtle hint of correction, she spoke.

“Hello there, Miss Cleric. I am Teacher Loya’s student, Timothée.”

Furubi gasped and covered her mouth in surprise.

“Miss Timothée, a High Elf… calls Mr. Loya ‘Teacher’?”

In this world, High Elves were a race whose talent for magic was second only to the Fae.

It was difficult for anyone to imagine that the High Elves—who always prided themselves on being natural-born magic users and were known for their capricious arrogance—would actually regard a human as a “Teacher.”

Conversely, this meant that Mr. Loya, who was capable of teaching a High Elf, was truly extraordinary and out of the common run.

Beyond her amazement, Furubi’s gaze now held a deeper sense of admiration.

Loya let out a humble sigh.

“As for being a teacher, I can’t really say I’ve taught her much. I’ve only shared a few things I happened to know.”

Seeing Furubi nod thoughtfully, and before the cleric could speak again, Timothée hurried to hide her tears.

“Um, is Teacher on a date with Miss Cleric?”

“N-no, it’s not like that.”

The young cleric shook her head repeatedly.

“I simply troubled Mr. Loya to help me as a shopping guide.”

Timothée shot her a look of secret contempt.

‘There it is, isn’t it? The classic stubborn denial.’

‘Establishing a pure persona—usually, when someone points out intimate behavior, they deny it to the death.’

‘In reality, they are secretly enjoying the ambiguity created by this very act.’

‘If that’s not the case, then why is your face so red?’

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be here. I’ve gotten in the way of Teacher and Miss Cleric because of my presence.

Teacher, you don’t have to worry about me…”

Timothée lowered her head guiltily, her voice slightly raised.

While she spoke, her hand was already gripping the edge of her glasses, ready to take them off and wipe away her tears at any moment.

On the main street, a man was caught between two young girls.

The elf in front of him was tearfully acting the victim.

Passersby who might have overheard couldn’t help but turn their heads to steal a glance as they walked by.

Loya suddenly felt a burning sensation on his back.

“Since we’ve run into each other, how could I possibly ignore you… anyway, with people coming and going, the street isn’t the place to talk—you haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? Let’s go fill our stomachs first.”

Timothée nodded obediently.

Taking advantage of the moment no one was looking, she tossed her black rye bread aside and followed in her teacher’s footsteps as she had hoped.

There was no other place to go but straight through the market street to the all-too-familiar tavern.

The Duran River Tavern.

Since it wasn’t peak hours in the morning, there were no other customers in the tavern except for a few scattered drunks who hadn’t woken up from their tables.

Sitting down at their old spot, Loya ordered his usual pasta set from the waiter who came to greet them.

Timothée was equally familiar with the seat by the window.

After all, the sight of her teacher drinking alone against his own reflection—though melancholy—had a certain unique elegance in its gloom.

In other words, it was the so-called beauty of sorrow.

As for now, being able to sit with her teacher made her even happier.

Except—

‘Why did this lecherous cleric follow us too?!’

Looking at Furubi sitting across the table, in a spot that felt more like a couple’s seat, the elf girl carefully hid her resentment.

Her hand, hidden beneath the table, gripped the corner of the wood so hard she nearly snapped it off.

“By the way.”

Loya spoke quietly.

“Although it’s as I said before—whether you stay in Swan Lake is your choice—it’s better to think about your future before you decide. If you do quit, do you have any other plans?”

‘I haven’t thought of any yet…’

Of course, she couldn’t answer like that; Timothée knew that well.

A teacher who always acted with caution would never allow a student to act recklessly.

However, her true intention of wanting to keep following her teacher could not be easily voiced.

Affection that was given away too cheaply would be perceived as low-value.

Moreover, given her teacher’s personality, he might just dismiss it as a student’s dependency and reject her heartlessly.

He would probably frame it as needing to learn how to be independent.

That’s right, she had to make her teacher be the one to say:

‘Stay with me, Timothée.’

—That was how it should be.

Timothée’s mind raced as she tried to come up with a few temporary excuses on the fly.

Suddenly, Furubi, sitting across from her, leaned forward enthusiastically.

“Mr. Loya, are you trying to help Miss Timothée plan for her life after leaving the team?”

“I’m just helping her look at some options.”

Loya nodded.

He felt a sense of responsibility; after all, he was the one who had brought her into the team and to Florence.

Aside from Swan Lake, his student had never ventured out on her own in a human town.

A High Elf girl with a mind as pure as a blank sheet of paper had no idea how sinister human nature could be in society.

If she stepped into the human world with such half-baked knowledge, she might be swindled of everything and sold off somewhere.

Furubi’s eyes sparkled.

“Well, if you don’t mind, I can recommend a few things!”

Timothée’s nose twitched.

‘Wait, what does this have to do with you?!’

‘Oh… I see, you’re trying to sabotage me on purpose, aren’t you!’

‘And you’re acting all warm-hearted to build up your persona to gain favor, right?!’

‘You’re even taking the chance to rest those two lumps of yours on the table… what are you showing off?

You only have an ugly, saggy future ahead of you!’

Looking at Furubi, the elf’s green eyes were almost spitting fire.

But she held it back and forced a grateful smile.

“Thank you, Miss Cleric. Please, what kind of work is it specifically?”

“Yes, something like that.”

Furubi sat up straight again and began counting on her fingers.

“First, there are a few reliable teams looking for dependable mages.

If it’s Miss Timothée as a High Elf, there would certainly be no problem.”

‘Who would go to a team without Teacher?’ Timothée thought with a mental eye-roll, giving a dry laugh as she declined.

“I’ve gotten used to Swan Lake. If I go to another team, I might not fit in and would only cause trouble for them.”

“Then… work outside of adventuring. A shop assistant on the market street, a farm hand, oh, I heard the merchant guild is also recruiting…”

Lines of frustration practically covered Timothée’s face.

Was this woman a cleric or a recruitment agent?

She had intended to use the cleric’s suggestions as a springboard to find a temporary excuse to stall.

But she hadn’t expected them to be so utterly unreliable.

“Wait, the jobs you mentioned are decent, but they aren’t very suitable for her.”

Loya reached out to stop her.

“If possible, I’d prefer something that aligns with Timothée’s traits, allowing her to utilize her strengths.

For instance, High Elves specialize in magic.

Besides being an adventurer, there should be other places where she can display her talents…”

“Hmm…”

Furubi lowered her head, thinking for a moment.

“I’ve got it! How about a Magic Library Administrator?”

“I heard a lady steward who came to the church mention it before—the Holy Sword Family is planning to build a new library for magical texts in Florence, and they just happen to be looking for a reliable manager who is proficient in magic.”