Thats not true

What?

Not all men who live alone are like that.

But everyone Ive seen was

You have seen what?

No, no. Never mind.

I clamped my mouth shut just in time. I tried to kick the stuff lying on the floor but Kaichen stopped me. Dont touch anything, was his response.

Great! He wasnt just a germophobe. He was a germophobe who paid attention to the people around him. Maybe he didnt want me to get dirty because he was going to spend the whole day with me and if I was dirty, he would feel dirty too. So, I abided by his wishes and stayed by his side.

I will say this once again, said Kaichen, Not every man who lives alone lives like this. I feel crappy being compared to such a messy person. I nodded apologetically. It seemed he was offended by this generalization. He was so adorable!

Oh, Victor! I just remembered that we were supposed to be seeing him. I went to the kitchen and found him collapsed on the floor.

Oh dear

I frowned and glanced at Kaichen. Victor had become so skinny that his cheekbones were clearly visible. Perhaps he came to the kitchen to get something to eat because he was hungry, then felt nauseated, vomited, and fainted like the rest. Victor, who had collapsed in the vomit, looked so filthy I wanted to barf.

This punk What did he eat exactly? Grateful for Kaichens magic which had removed the smell, I examined Victor. When I glanced at Kaichen, he had turned his back to us. I retrained a laugh. This was so funny. Kaichen was one of the strongest magicians in the continent and filth rendered him unable to take any action. He looked so helpless. I disliked filth too but I had seen worse. I could handle this much.

Teacher, I will take care of it this time. It must have been really hard for him to offer this time because he just nodded and stepped back. His face was pale.

Are you going to touch it yourself?

Ew, no, I said, No matter how strong my stomach is, I cant do that.

Then?

Should not a magician use magic at times like this? I grinned and reached for Victor, who had collapsed. As a small magic circle floated in the air, dirty foreign substances and vomit on his clothes gathered into the air where the magic circle was. It was magic similar to what I used to sweep away the dust in my room.

I experimented a lot with magic. I combine different magic to see what happens. Sometimes I tried to focus my mana on two different kinds of magic to learn to control my mana and not deplete it in one go. It was good practice. Kaichen narrowed his eyes. When he noticed I was using two spells at the same time to create one effect, his eyes widened.

Did you learn how to combine magic by yourself? he asked, surprised.

Yes, I had a lot of time to practice. I smiled.

Soon, all the filth gathered in the circle and I threw it away. Thankfully, Victor now looked human. He was finally clean. Kaichen, still cautious, lifted Victor up and carried him to his bed. He didnt do this by hand though, he used magic. Floated Victor up and about till his bedroom. Kaichen seemed like he would choke to death if he was made to touch anything in this house.

I recalled that he had mysophobia. He didnt show any trepidation when he touched me at all. Therfore, I was beginning to forget he was a germophobe. Victor was out first patient for today. Kaichen looked tired already.

Well, Teacher. Victor is the only one who lives alone so his condition was bad since no one was there to take care of him but the next one will be fine, I promise. They wont be in such deplorable condition, at least. Kaichen cut off the magic as Victor reached the bed so that he could fall on it.

Are you close with him?

What?

Are you close with this bastard?

I was taken aback with the question. I understood why he thought I was close. Victor was a layman of Acrab, and I was a leader. It was unusual for the leader to know every person in the place by name and their habits. But I had lived here a hundred years. I had nothing to do except watch these people day after day. We werent close in the sense Kaichen assumed. Maybe he was curious how I knew Victors name and so much about how he lived. Argh, why did I have to mention his name?

As a lord and a countess, it is natural to know the names of the people of Acrab. Im not close to him, but I know his name and his profession, I said with a smile. I have a good memory!

Kaichen didnt respond and his surly expression didnt change. Why the hell am I making excuses for this? This shouldnt be anyones business.

Kaichen had no intention of letting this go. He looked at me with cold eyes. You seem to know the structure of the house well. His tone was so icy.

Because the structure of all the houses in Acrab is similar! Kaichen still looked displeased but he didnt protest. He looked away.

He was mercilessly drawing blood from Victor, who was lying on the bed, unconscious. Does he have any grudge against him? Maybe he is angry at the state Victor left his house in