NOVEL NEXT After Resignation, I Refuse the Obsession from the Male Leads
Chapter 2
New recruits were divided into groups to spend the 3-month apprenticeship period together.
The members of my group were Yuriana and a supporting male character, the Lord of the Wizard Tower. ‘Did the author cut the groups based on performance and then regret it? Why does it seem so half-hearted?’ The top female lead, the second-best sub-male lead. And then there’s me, the last place. Our peers were saying all sorts of things about us. “Wow, it’s the top group. Except for one person?” “Pff, why did they divide the groups like that?” That’s probably what the original author intended. ‘If I spent the whole day working at the orphanage while preparing for employment, isn’t it admirable even if I’m in last place?’ However, this old and tired former office worker doesn’t want to get promoted. ‘Even if I get promoted, I’d just end up as a middle manager, taking care of subordinates.’ How frustrating the job of a middle manager can be… “Haa.” For a moment, I almost burst into tears as bad memories from my past life came to mind. But let’s not waste our energy on useless things. Anyway, the situation was going well as in the original. ‘Since the female lead and the sub male lead are going to the ‘black spoon’ department…’ The palace departments are broadly divided into three categories. The first department is the ‘Central Department.’ This includes departments familiar to modern South Koreans, such as the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Education, and so on. The second department is the ‘Magic Knights Division,’ which handles magic and military security. And the last one is the ‘Black Magic Retrieval and Prevention Division.’ …It’s called the BM-RPD Department for short. ‘It’s the department that’s described as the toughest place in the original work!’ To deal with dark magic, which is a type of ‘murderous magic,’ they must naturally have exceptional magical skills. As a result, it was famously known for assigning only a select few key talents. There are only two people assigned this year. ‘Heh, then I can relax.’ There’s no way they would take me along with the female lead and the sub male lead, right? I’ll just visit a few departments, and then cling like a leech to a place that seems good. ‘Still, I should get along well with people during the apprenticeship period.’ As I checked the apprentice group and moved, the female lead, who had arrived earlier and was waiting, greeted me with a bright smile. “Layla! Come here!” “Hello, Yuriana.” Great. It looks like there’s nothing to worry about with the female lead. But the problem was the sub-male lead. Seamus Finley. Purple hair, pale skin, and deep, cold black eyes. A handsome man with a cat-like appearance and a decadent aura. ‘He’s the current son of the Lord of the Wizard Tower, and later he becomes the Lord of the Wizard Tower himself, right?’ The Wizard Tower operates as an independent institution separate from the palace, and the female lead and this guy will build a rival narrative. But rather than those romantic flags… ‘Wow, look at your outfit.’ It feels like seeing a new recruit in business casual attire dragging around worn-out slippers. ‘He’s even wearing a skull bracelet.’ My inner old-fashioned tendencies were about to come out. Damn it, I should bite my tongue to stop it. However, since we have to be in the same group, I tried to approach him in a friendly manner. “Hello, Finley.” “….”“Please take good care of me from today.” “….” Only then did he glance at me. And then he turned his head away! ‘That, that. That socially awkward personality.’ Does he think that, since he’s the ace of the Wizard Tower, there’s no one worth competing with except for Yuriana, who’s the top student? ‘Is that so? Then from now on, you can just be the ‘grape-haired’ guy to me.’ But I didn’t have much time to grumble inwardly. We had to rotate through all the departments over the course of three months and work a little in each one. Coincidentally, our first week’s assignment was at the ‘BM-RP Department.’ And the first sight we encountered at the BM-RP Department was… “Oh my.” The female lead covered her mouth. Every few seconds, documents would appear in the air with a ‘poof’ sound. ‘The mountain of documents is piling up!’ And the original male lead, Carlyle Lupesque, was staring at the mountain that kept rising. The current heir of the Northern Grand Duke’s family. Even though Carlyle Lupesque could comfortably live as the heir of the Grand Duke’s family, he was a noble who took the lead in eradicating dark magic. ‘And, as is typical for a romance fantasy male lead, he has hidden family secrets and wounds.’ Anyway, the female lead will heal those wounds. Let’s not worry about it. More than anything, he was staring at the mountain of documents that was rising in real time. And with eyes full of sadness. I closed my eyes tightly as my past came to mind. ‘I didn’t realize it when I was reading it…!’ This world that even turns the romance fantasy male lead into a sad office worker! This is truly horrifying! It’s more horrible than the apocalypse! “Welcome to the BM-RP Department, newcomers.” But pain is pain, and there are things that must be done. The male lead came to his senses and greeted us. “Have you ever heard about what our department does?” The female lead nodded vigorously to his question. “Yes, Young Master Lupesque.” “This isn’t a banquet, so there’s no need for such titles.” “Ah, b, but.” The female lead was embarrassed because the palace accepted commoner officials. ‘That’s quite a recent development.’ Moreover, the ‘Lupesque’ family was a prestigious family that had been established since the founding of the nation. So, when dealing with commoner officials, it would be unavoidable to use noble titles. But the workaholic, pragmatic male lead shook his head. “You can call me senior or junior. And Lowell.” “Ah, yes.” “How much do you know about black magic?” “Black magic refers to magic used by people with malicious intent.” ‘Malicious’ isn’t just the feeling of being annoyed with a boss who makes you work overtime despite being incompetent. ‘It has to be hatred with the intent to utterly destroy someone.’ Without that level of hatred, ordinary magic doesn’t transform into ‘black magic.’ “I’ve heard that the BM-RP Department is responsible for preventing the distribution and removing artifacts that trigger black magic.” “You’re well informed. And recently, we’re a bit short-handed.” A bit? Another mountain of documents is piling up right now, and you’re saying ‘a bit’ short-handed? Noticing my gaze, the male lead cleared his throat lightly. Is he feeling embarrassed himself? “Hmm. Then let’s start with some light paperwork. All three of you, this way.” Being ‘a bit’ short-handed to the extent of immediately deploying apprentices. Truly an excellent working environment. The male lead at least provided us with a desk with a lower pile of documents. There were three vintage typewriters on it. Of course, there were no computers or the internet in the world of romance fantasy novels. Instead, documents were written on this typewriter. Then, if you attach the item you want to send to a corner of the document with a magic string… “Ooh.” Just like sending an attachment in an email, the paper and item would ‘poof’ and disappear. “Today’s task starts with the basics. Send a simple report to the people listed here.” The male lead handed us a bundle of documents. ‘Oh, starting with manual labor.’ This is exactly like the romance fantasy version of printing and copying errands! I love it! However, I frowned while looking at the documents. ‘Hmm, the content that needs to be sent to each person is slightly different…?’ If I don’t look at it carefully, it’ll be a headache later. At that moment, Yuriana hesitated and raised her hand. “Um, Senior…Lupesque. This is my first time using a typewriter like this. Could you please explain it once more?” “Yeah.” I glanced over at the male lead as he explained to the female lead. My heart started pounding for the first time since I regained my memories from my past life. ‘Oh, the picture is really good…’ The female protagonist has a ‘rivalry’ with the grapehead and a ‘fun’ narrative with the villain. And with the male lead, there will be a classic ‘mutual salvation’ narrative. Both the female lead and the male lead lost their families due to black magic. ‘It was because of the curse placed on their families by the black wizard.’ 【”I already know what you’ve been through. So, Crosswell…” “Yes, senior.” “I… want to help you.” “…Me too. I want to be someone you can rely on as well.”】 Yeah, I hope you’ll not only have a beautiful romance but also help us eradicate black magic while you’re at it. ‘That way, I can live comfortably while just loafing around on my salary.’ Heh, I’m really something. I can’t help but think like an ordinary, small-minded person. After finishing the explanation, the male lead sighed as he looked at me and the grape-haired guy. “Okay, is there anything else you’re curious about?” I carefully raised my hand. Before starting the work, there was one explanation I hadn’t heard. “Um, male…senior?” “Why is that, Lowell?” “What font do you use?” “Hmm?” Towards the surprised male lead, I picked up a few sheets of paper. “That, it seems like the format is standardized for each document purpose.” Some documents have very fancy handwriting. Another document is in a font that is easy to read. ‘It seems like each type has a systematic format, so I need to make sure by hearing the explanation clearly.’ But at that moment, the male lead’s red eyes flashed. I would greatly appreciate your continued support by leaving a positive rating on NU so I can continue translating this novel. Thank you.
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.