Guinevere couldn’t think of any solution. What on earth should she do? Siod, who had been watching her blank face, let out a sigh.

“Just show off. Invite friends over for parties and brag about the children in social circles.”

“…”

“Let’s start by inviting Larisa’s school friends. That’s the easiest.”

Guinevere nodded obediently. That wouldn’t be too difficult. However, Siod’s following nagging was quite embarrassing.

“First, decorate that haunted house-like mansion a bit more normally. It would be troublesome if one of the kids disappeared after coming to play.”

“Haunted house-like?”

“Is that place a normal noble mansion? It’s the Demon King’s mansion.”

De… Demon King. Is it that bad?

“No one pointed it out at William’s birthday party.”

“They didn’t point it out because they couldn’t. I couldn’t attend, but from what I heard, everyone who went had the same reaction. They said it was indeed a terrifying place. Raising children in such a bizarre place isn’t good for their emotional well-being. Please, clean it up.”

Guinevere was taken aback by this criticism she had never considered before.

“…How am I supposed to clean it up?”

“If you can’t do it yourself, hire someone. What’s the point of hoarding all that money? Hire a gardener, have the butler completely renovate the interior. You’re not a philanthropist, so why have you gathered all those magicians? Each of them is showing off their individuality, and the mansion is in complete chaos.”

Guinevere was at a loss for words. There was no particular reason she had started letting the magicians settle down one by one.

She just wanted to give opportunities to those who were working hard, since she herself had almost no chance to learn magic despite wanting to.

“And why are there so many strange men in a house where a woman lives alone? Chase them all out.”

Hedel was the only one she had taken in as a disciple, and that was because he was the only one she had taken in when he was young. She had expectations for the rest of them too. She thought that if they worked hard, someday someone would surpass the barrier like she did…

“Huh? Vera. Are you listening to me? Don’t tell me you have feelings for one of those guys? Damn, no wonder most of them are men…”

In the end, was she lonely? Guinevere was surprised at her own childish side. She had gathered them one by one but didn’t pay attention to them and just piled them up.

She felt like a pathetic person who kept dozens of stray cats without being able to properly care for each one. She really needed to sort things out somehow.

“Vera, are you listening to me???”

And so began the great cleanup of the mansion.

“Was there something like this in my garden? How hideous.”

Guinevere was touring the garden with the newly hired gardener and Hedel. She was planning to create a garden where Larisa’s friends could play.

But in the middle of the garden was a giant carnivorous plant that could swallow a child whole, with its mouth wide open. It even bared its teeth as she approached. Just as she grabbed the insolent weed by the scruff of its neck…

“Aah! Lady Guinevere! Please release our Margaret!”

The magician who had been growing poisonous plants and carnivorous plants in the garden wailed.

“Those children are like my own! I’ve been researching them for over 10 years!!”

Margaret? Guinevere loosened her grip. She couldn’t bring herself to harm something described as research materials like children. She spoke mercifully.

“Move everything out. I’ll give you a week.”

“But without this garden’s soil… these children…”

Guinevere turned towards the mumbling magician, enveloping her entire body in flames.

“Shall I burn them now?”

“No, ma’am!”

Yet there were more problems. As Guinevere was walking absentmindedly in the backyard, her foot sank into a swamp. She lifted her mud-covered foot.

“Why is there a swamp here?”

Hedel hurriedly summoned the owner of the swamp. The magician who appeared through teleportation spoke in a solemn voice.

“Lady Guinevere. This swamp cannot go. It’s the habitat of the last remaining big-eyed crocodile in this world. Look! Those innocent, large eyes!”

The big-eyed crocodile was not only big in the eyes but also in body. It was questionable how such a large creature could be satisfied living in such a small swamp.

“…Sigh. I’ll give you a week too. Release it into the wild.”

“Release? Rosalind is my companion crocodile. I can’t live without Rosalind!”

“Release that guy too.”

“Yes.”

Hedel immediately disappeared with the crocodile’s owner.

Guinevere sighed. Besides that, there were thorny vines covering the walls, giant poisonous mushrooms forming clusters large enough to sit on – it was indeed worthy of Siod calling it a haunted house.

She turned to the trembling gardener behind her and said,

“How long would it take to clear all of that and make a normal garden?”

“At least a minimum of one year…”

“I’ll give you a month.”

“Pardon?”

“I can’t wait for a year. Make a normal yet beautiful garden within a month.”

The gardener, turning pale, said,

“By myself?”

Just as he was thinking he should run away now since he hadn’t signed a contract yet…

“You can’t do it alone? Then we’ll hire a few more people. Buy whatever you need.”

The man, who had suddenly become the head gardener of a large mansion from an ordinary gardener, steeled himself with a solemn face.

“I will certainly accomplish it!”

The problem wasn’t just the garden. After touring the interior of the mansion with the butler, Guinevere sighed and said,

“Butler. Why is the house such a mess?”

Butler Leonard said with a sad face,

“My lady. I am a powerless butler. I can only manage the servants, how could I possibly stop the magicians?”

The old butler lamented.

Surely it wasn’t like this when they first bought this mansion, but now it was all a den of madness. It was because the crazy magicians who had settled in each room had decorated even the corridors to their own tastes.

Guinevere, who usually moved around by teleportation without thinking, had never looked around the mansion in such detail. So until it became this bad…

“The servants must have had a hard time.”

“Sob. You finally understand. In fact, even though we offer the highest salary in the industry, most people get scared and run away.”

“This won’t do. Hedel. Gather them all.”

“Yes.”

Dozens of magicians gathered in the middle of the lobby, looking at each other with puzzled faces.

“Everyone’s here.”

Guinevere said, looking around at them.

“I have something important to tell you now. I’ve taken you in, given you rooms, and supported your research. But none of you have shown results that meet my expectations.”

“Um, Lady Guinevere! I have a question!”

“Shut up.”

The magician closed his mouth with a yelp.

“The reason I’ve left you useless lot alone until now is because I thought you might be useful someday. But far from being useful, you’ve turned my mansion into a haunted house and inflated useless rumors. I won’t show off anymore.”

“I object!”

“Speak.”

“The rumor that Lady Guinevere is a man-eating witch has nothing to do with us!”

This wasn’t something that should be said by someone who raised a carnivorous plant in the middle of the garden that looked like it could swallow a child whole.

“I have something to say too!”

“Go ahead.”

“Why are you suddenly doing this? Did you suddenly want to play at being a noble?”

Crack. Something snapped in her head. Guinevere muttered ominously.

“Playing at being a noble?”

“I believed you were someone who valued substance over appearance! But now you’re trying to get rid of us just to make the mansion a bit prettier!”

“I didn’t say I was getting rid of you.”

“Pardon?”

“That’s not a bad idea though.”

“…Pardon?”

Guinevere said with a bright smile.

“I should get rid of you parasites and decorate the mansion beautifully to play at being a noble. Everyone, move out.”

It was like a bolt from the blue. The magicians started glaring daggers at the one who had mentioned playing at being a noble. One of them raised his hand and said,

“Lady Guinevere! I am a very useful person! I will prove my usefulness!”

“How?”

“Th-that. If you just give me any task!”

Guinevere said with a bored expression.

“Do you think I have any use for you? Well, who knows. Butler. Is there anything this fellow could do?”

“Master Mirbeau is an excellent wind magician. We need to wash and organize the spring bedding soon, it would be good if he could help with drying the laundry.”

“Good. You can stay.”

“Yes!”

It was a bit pathetic, but it was a good deal if he could maintain his enormous research fund and status as a member of the Rodante household just by helping to dry some laundry.

Then everyone started raising their hands.

“Butler! What should I do? Just tell me anything!”

“Ah, then Master Halden, could you cast temperature control magic on the fireplaces in each room?”

“I can do that!”

“Me! What about me? Butler, please!”

“Ho ho ho.”

The butler smiled happily. In all the years they had spent together, Guinevere had never seen the butler look so happy. Watching this, Guinevere wasn’t displeased either.

“Well, you’re all useless to me, but if the butler needs you, he can use you. So I’ll assume you’re all cooperating well. Any objections?”

Everyone shouted with one heart and mind.

“No objections!”

“Remove everything in the corridors too. If even one dangerous thing remains and catches the eyes of guests, know that you’ll be kicked out.”

“Yes! Understood!”

Guinevere finally smiled with satisfaction.

*

Although the magicians had agreed to cooperate to avoid being kicked out immediately, they weren’t without complaints. After all, the more kindness is given, the more it tends to feel like a right.

So this was what Hedel suggested.

“Build a tower?”

“Yes. That area has been a wasteland since you burned it down during the war, and no one lives there anyway. It’s in the border region, so the Imperial Palace doesn’t care about it either. So how about you build a tower there and relocate the magicians?”

“Why a tower specifically?”

“Since it’s the border, I thought we could easily get permission if we say we’re building a high tower to use as a surveillance base. It would also mean deploying magicians to the front lines, so the Imperial Family would welcome it too.”

It made sense.

“Besides… as you’ve seen, if we build it in the form of a mansion, it’s bound to become a mess again. Rather, if we put one person on each floor of the tower, it won’t even be noticeable from the outside.”

“That’s a good idea. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

And so, Guinevere became the first tower master.