I Became the Magic Tower Master's Experimental Mouse - Chapter 24

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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‘Maybe… it’s not Ollie after all.’
The face is identical to Ollie’s. The gait, the voice—all the same. And yet there was something about this person that grated on me far too much.
‘Most people would just think he seems a bit different today…’
But I’d already learned from studying Disguise Technique layered subtly with magic and Magical Tools just how radically a person could transform. So I kept second-guessing myself.
What bothered me most, though, was that he happened to carry the same tobacco scent as the Guild Master.
‘That man poisoned himself badly when he was young and wrecked his body, so he had to manufacture Special Tobacco mixed with medicine and narcotics to smoke.’
Could it really be coincidence that this suspicious Ollie turned up reeking of tobacco that only the Assassin Guild Master smoked?
‘If he’s really a fake, I won’t let it slide. How dare he sneak into my home?’
I walked carefully, making sure not to let any suspicion show on my face.
I resisted the urge to keep glancing sideways and instead monitored him with my ears—when suddenly I noticed something critical.
‘It’s oddly quiet.’
Even though we weren’t on a plush carpet, both Ollie and I made almost no sound with our footsteps.
The gait looked similar to the real Ollie’s, but the sound was slightly lighter.
‘Habit is really terrifying.’
Perhaps the other person would pick up on strange habits in me too.
I adjusted the weight of my steps to seem like I’d never trained in the Footwork Technique of the Stealth Technique at all—just a child who naturally walked quietly, nothing more.
And I spent the whole walk to the Dining Hall lost in thought.
Just from the suspicious points I’d noticed, this person was definitely not the real Ollie but an assassin in disguise.
And an assassin infiltrating the Magic Tower was far from someone else’s problem.
Whether the target was Cassian or the Tower Master, if this got out of hand, the entire Tower would be turned upside down.
‘Either way, it can’t happen. It can’t.’
Not Cassian, who’d gift me 1,000 gold in emergency funds. Not the Tower Master, who paid a generous weekly wage.
‘At this age, finding a new job that guarantees food and shelter and gives work worth doing is nearly impossible!’
So I needed to report it to the Tower Master, but there was simply no way to tell him.
‘I can’t say it’s because of his habits like an assassin, and I can’t say it’s because he smells of the Guild Master’s tobacco.’
He’d only ask how I knew such things…
It would be nice if someone else just happened to notice and catch him. But where would I find such a person?
Lost in such thoughts, I realized I’d already reached the Dining Hall.
I’d picked up my tray of food and was looking for a seat when the false Ollie chose a table first.
“What? Ollie, what’s the matter?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Killian, who was already seated, tilted his head in confusion.
“That seat—we all agreed no one sits there because it’s Pipi’s favorite spot.”
At Killian’s words, the fake Ollie half-rose awkwardly from the chair, his face flustered as he turned toward me.
Me, standing there with my tray, blinking.
“That’s… my seat.”
I thrust out my lower lip and slumped in exaggerated disappointment.
‘The real Ollie would never have sat there.’
My own preference for that particular seat came from long habit as well.
A corner with my back to the wall. A spot where I could see all four directions—the entrance included—with a window on one side.
I wouldn’t stand out to others, yet I could observe everyone’s movements. And if needed, I could escape through the window.
Though I’d left that life behind, I couldn’t ignore the habit. As I naturally gravitated to that seat, everyone had simply been considerate enough to let me have it.
“Ah, sorry… I… I was thinking of something else and sat down by mistake.”
“…It’s fine. I’ll just sit next to you instead.”
I sat beside him while carefully noting that his pronunciation of my name carried a subtly different inflection.
When Lilly and Leo had finally taken their seats as well, the table quickly grew lively with chatter.
‘…Right! Killian just saw something strange, so he’ll catch on quickly. Let me use Killian.’
From spending time with the four of us, I’d learned that Killian was quite perceptive.
I could only hope that a simple question would make him sense the awkwardness and notice something off about Ollie.
“By the way, did everyone get praised a lot today?”
“Huh? Praised? What praise?”
Lilly tilted her head at my question.
“Earlier, Ollie said today’s Poison Extraction Experiment was really easy. Since you did something easy, you shouldn’t have gotten scolded today, right?”
“Eh? It was easy for you, Ollie?”
Leo furrowed his brow and slumped his shoulders with a groan.
The fake Ollie flinched slightly, then laughed and shook his head.
“No, it was a bit of a bluff in front of Pipi…”
“Oh come on! If it’s the Yellow Umbrella Jellyfish Mushroom, I’ve heard of that poison mushroom too!”
The bait I’d cast was about the experiment itself.
Since he hadn’t washed up and there was no laboratory smell on him, if he really were a different person, it would have to be after the experiment.
‘I’m a poison mushroom well-known enough that even I’ve heard of it. There’s no way an Apprentice would be running that kind of experiment.’
Fortunately, my gamble seemed to work—Killian’s hand, which had been holding the tableware, hesitated slightly.
“……The Yellow Umbrella Jellyfish Mushroom?”
Killian’s brow narrowed a fraction.
His gaze drifted slowly toward Ollie.
Beneath the table, I could see Ollie’s thigh tense ever so slightly.
The way he went rigid told me I’d hit on something.
“Ollie, you—”
Lilly frowned and seemed about to say something.
But Killian cut her off quickly and asked before she could speak.
“Ollie, when you extracted it—did you use a solvent, or did you press it? I got confused about it myself.”
“Huh……? I… um, pressed… no, solvent! I used a solvent.”
Ollie’s eyes flickered between Lilly and Leo before he blurted out his answer.
Lilly and Leo’s pupils darted about in confusion, unable to follow what was happening.
“Ah, thanks. I should try doing it that way next time.”
Killian answered as if nothing were amiss.
After that, he deftly steered the conversation back from the awkwardness that had almost taken hold.
Leo, who’d been distracted, soon brightened again once Killian engaged him in focused conversation, his unease forgotten.
Only Lilly, who’d seemed lost in thought and somewhat uneasy, claimed to be full and excused herself first; Ollie caught the hint and followed shortly after.
“Leo, would you follow Lilly and give her this?”
Killian fished in his pocket and withdrew a writing implement.
“This? What for?”
“Just go, quickly.”
Killian patted Leo on the back to shoo him away, then rose from his seat with a grave expression. It was clear he’d grasped that something serious was unfolding.
‘So he sent Leo to follow Lilly in case she ended up in danger.’
The fact that he’d gotten to his feet without addressing me first made it obvious he thought I was too young to handle this alone.
Still, just to be safe—if he mistook this for some sort of mental disturbance rather than a disguise, that could be a problem.
“Killian, wait a moment. Something’s wrong with Ollie.”
I stopped him in his tracks, then pulled him to a corner of the Rest Area where no one came during lunch hours.
The moment we reached an empty spot, Killian folded his arms and opened his mouth.
“Look, Ollie’s clearly very off about something. But you’re still young, so it’s better if you step back from this.”
He said it bluntly.
“Well, I was the first one to notice something was wrong with Ollie. And besides, you’re young too.”
Six years old or fifteen years old.
Knowing this was beyond what the two of us could handle alone, I could only shrug and lay it out plainly.
“……There was no Poison Extraction Experiment with the Yellow Umbrella Jellyfish Mushroom today. Whether it was solvent or pressing doesn’t matter. Though the real answer was solvent, yes.”
After a moment of staring at me, Killian sighed and explained calmly.
The Yellow Umbrella Jellyfish Mushroom is lipophilic, so poison extraction uses an oil-based solvent.
Moreover, Ollie had shown such excellent results before that even Martin had kept a close eye on him. There was no way he’d be confused about such a basic extraction method.
“See, Ollie got his seat wrong, and he didn’t smell like laboratory chemicals at all. There was even a faint smell of tobacco.”
“Tobacco? Ollie doesn’t smoke anything like that.”
I left out the part about Special Tobacco and gave only the information that cast suspicion on his identity.
“Ollie was definitely present during today’s experiment, wasn’t he?”
“Of course. You’re saying you really didn’t smell the laboratory?”
At Killian’s question, I nodded.
By now, no one in the Magic Tower doubted my sense of smell.
Killian’s expression grew progressively graver.
“I need to tell the Tower Master.”
“It really doesn’t seem to be Ollie. We have to save the real Ollie!”
At the crisis facing his friend, Killian’s face went completely rigid.
We rushed—nearly ran—to the Tower Master’s Office.
When we arrived, the Tower Master was leafing through mountains of documents and signing them.
“……Experiment Rat, Killian. What is it?”
Killian opened his mouth respectfully.
“Tower Master. Ollie… Ollie doesn’t seem to be Ollie.”
“Please, save the real Ollie!”
The Tower Master’s pen, which had been signing away without looking at us, suddenly stopped.
“……Explain. In detail.”
Killian and I stood before his desk and reported calmly.
The Tower Master, whose expressionless face gave nothing away, closed and opened his eyes once.
“……How dare you.”
His voice was frozen, the same tone he’d used when dealing with Martin.
“Touch my tower?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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