Fuyuki City, City Hall, Mayor's Office.
Rin sat at her desk, brows furrowed in concentration as she pored over the documents before her. The white papers covered the entire desktop, a sight dizzying to behold.
"Ugh, what a hassle! Don't we have more staff?"
Having just signed off on one document, Rin buried her face in the pile of messy files with a muffled groan at the sight of the disorganized mess beside her.
"That damn Roy, running off so easily! He made it look so simple—I want to ditch this job too!"
The towering stacks of paperwork made her head spin.
Her thoughts drifted to Roy, who had left for another world days ago.
She wondered how he was doing now—was he off enjoying himself somewhere carefree?
Compared to the mind-numbing office work, Rin would much rather have gone to another world with Roy. Even if there were dangers, at least it wouldn't be as boring as this.
"Well, if you want to quit, that's fine too."
At that moment, Roy, who had slipped in silently through the window, happened to catch her muttering.
"Roy?! When did you get back?"
Startled by the voice, Rin shot up from her chair, staring at him wide-eyed.
"That reaction seems more like shock than delight?"
Roy raised an eyebrow, studying Rin up and down.
Could she have done something behind my back while I was away?
"If you didn't sneak in through the window, I wouldn't be shocked!"
Rin rolled her eyes.
"But it's just as well you didn't come through the front door—otherwise, I'd have to explain things... Wait, what are you doing?"
"I'm wondering why you have so many documents here."
Roy walked over to the desk, shuffling through the papers.
He had been to the mayor's office before, but he had never seen her desk buried under this much pending paperwork—and from the looks of it, most were urgent matters. The contents were mostly the same old routine: purging land curses, dealing with nearby magical beasts, and locating displaced refugees.
"Did something happen around Fuyuki City?"
Roy's expression turned serious as he made his guess.
This world was the Root's testing ground—no one knew when it might come up with some new whim to realize. Things could change overnight. If that were the case, he might not be able to wander off so freely for a while.
"Not really."
But Rin shook her head, dismissing his speculation.
"It's just that Fuyuki City is severely understaffed lately, and we can't keep up with all the tasks. No major incidents, though."
No major problems—that was a relief.
Roy relaxed slightly, but then another question arose.
"Then why the shortage? Aren't there plenty of mages? Are they being disobedient again?"
"You really do have a short memory!"
Rin gave him an exasperated look.
"Wasn't it you who destroyed the Mage's Association branch?"
"Ah..."
Roy was at a loss for words.
He had completely forgotten about that.
During the Holy Grail War, he and Okita had stormed the Mage's Association branch in Fuyuki City, turning the place upside down. Later, Dark Saber had shown up and blasted the entire castle stronghold to rubble with one strike.
"How many magi are left in Fuyuki City now?"
Roy immediately grasped the gravity of the situation, his expression growing slightly more solemn.
Before the Holy Grail War began, there were over two hundred magi residing in Fuyuki City. Though most were affiliated with the Mage's Association, they were generally willing to take on tasks issued by the city government—after all, there was compensation to be had. Not all magi were extravagant spenders. In fact, precisely because they were magi, their expenditures were especially high, as no experiment could proceed without funding.
Back then, Fuyuki City had a relatively ample workforce.
But now, things were different.
The Mage's Association branch had been destroyed. Though only about fifty magi had died directly in the battle, most of the remaining magi had been under the Association's command. With the Association gone, there was little chance they would stay in Fuyuki City and take orders from Rin, an Eastern magus. Magi would never do something that offered them no benefit.
"Only a handful remain now..."
Rin covered her face and let out a hollow sigh.
After the Mage's Association branch was destroyed and the Greater Grail vanished, most magicians had left the city the day after the Holy Grail War ended. In the following days, Rin had desperately tried to retain them with promises of benefits, managing to persuade only about ten to stay—thanks in large part to the resources unearthed from the Mage's Association's underground vaults. The old geezers' hoard had been a great help.
At this stage, the number of magi in Fuyuki City had dwindled to less than a tenth of what it once was. The pressure of the manpower shortage weighed on Rin like a mountain.
"At least Bazett, a capable fighter, stayed, and Miss Aozaki drops by occasionally to lend a hand... But it's still just a drop in the bucket. We're severely understaffed!"
Rin flipped through the stacks of documents on the table with a look of exhaustion.
The severe shortage of personnel had led to this situation.
"You're trying to do too much. Maybe it's time to let some things go?"
Roy glanced at the documents on the table, his gaze turning slightly colder.
"Dealing with the demonic beasts outside the city, purifying the land, protecting refugees, and hunting down the evil spirits that keep slipping in... The more you try to hold onto, the heavier the burden becomes. Easing up on some fronts will lighten the load."
Rin fell silent.
She understood that logic perfectly well. Yet, she still struggled to cover every aspect.
To her, this was an act of atonement—something she felt she had to do as a descendant of the Three Great Families, the one who had triggered the catastrophe.
"You already know, don't you? The catastrophe was inevitable. It wasn't your fault."
"Of course I know that. And I've stopped dwelling on it."
Rin sighed, her voice laced with complex emotions.
"But I'm not doing this just to atone."
"Then why?"
"Isn't it obvious? It's for you!"
Rin lifted her head and glared at him, her pretty face scrunched in irritation.
"Didn't you say you wanted to become the King of Humanity? How can you do that without a stable foundation? Since I've already promised to help you, of course I'll do everything in my power to create a secure base for you! What, don't tell me you don't need me to do this—I'll get mad!"
Roy was stunned for a long moment before pulling Rin into his arms.
He sighed inwardly.
"I understand. This is your goodwill. If I don't let you do this, it would mean rejecting you. Of course I wouldn't do such a foolish thing!"
All the women remaining at the Aozaki residence had agreed to help him. However, except for Hayasaka, everyone was still in the learning phase. Only Rin had already acquired the ability to assist him, and she felt she should be the first to shoulder this responsibility.
The source of her immense pressure wasn't just the lack of manpower, but more importantly, the fact that she was currently the only one who could help Roy. She was carrying too heavy a burden.
Otherwise, she would have already appropriately lightened her load—there was absolutely no need to maintain such an all-encompassing approach.
"I'm glad you have this intention, but I don't want to see you exhausting yourself to the point of collapse."
Roy leaned down and gently pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"I know my limits, so stop worrying needlessly."
Rin's cheeks flushed slightly red. This was the first time Roy had shown her such intimate affection, making her feel flustered.