I Became the Magic Tower Master's Experimental Mouse - Chapter 68

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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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At that moment, I heard the Tower Master murmuring softly to himself.
“Strange. This isn’t a house I’d expect to encounter here…….”
It seemed he’d been expecting to meet someone else entirely, and this situation had caught even the Tower Master off guard.
“Who is it?”
“……Shh.”
The Tower Master, about to speak in response to my question, hastily silenced me instead.
When I turned my head, I saw a man stepping down from the carriage.
The gentleman in the frock coat approached us directly without hesitation.
“Good evening, Tower Master.”
The man greeted the Tower Master with a face utterly devoid of warmth.
Recognizing him, the Tower Master nodded quietly and clasped his hand.
“Good evening, Duke Griffon.”
The Tower Master treated the man with the same deference he showed toward the Behemoth Duke House.
I searched my memory for where I’d heard the name before—’Griffon……’—and suddenly the identity struck me, and I felt a small start of surprise.
‘The Griffon Duke House!’
Like the Behemoth Duke House, they were another Mystical Beast ducal family.
Since they held the position of captain of the Imperial Guard, it seemed the Tower Master had chosen to address him with the courtesy title.
“I heard you’d been seen in the vicinity of the Imperial Capital’s noble houses lately, so I came in haste. My apologies for approaching so abruptly.”
“It seems there’s a particular reason you sought me out.”
When the Tower Master nodded as though it was of no consequence, the Griffon Duke’s face darkened and aged all at once.
“I heard that you and this child saved the Behemoth Duke’s son. Is that so? When I asked the Behemoth Duke himself, he confirmed it…….”
Beneath the brim of his hat, the skin around his eyes bore an ashen, bruised hue.
‘What?’
Sniff.
From the sleeve of the Griffon Duke’s coat, I caught a faint scent.
A scent I could never forget—one identical to Cassian’s poison.
“For a fortnight now, my son hasn’t awakened. The physicians can find no cause. At first they said overexertion, then some other illness……and then I began to wonder if it might be poison.”
“That does seem to be a poison I’m familiar with.”
“And since early this morning, feathers have been appearing on my son’s body…….”
My body trembled for an instant. His Disguise Form was breaking down.
A fortnight was an extraordinarily long time to maintain it.
And at the same time, a thought so shamefully selfish crossed my mind that my heart went cold.
‘For a moment……I was actually relieved that those villains seemed to have shifted their target from Cassian to someone else…….’
Now that Cassian felt more like a friend than simply a patient under my care, it was a thought I could never voice before a father worried for his son.
I felt a stab of guilt and clenched my fists tightly.
“My son had only just joined the Imperial Guard with joy in his heart. I cannot—I will not lose him like this. Please, I beg you to help however you can. I’ll reward you in any way possible……!”
“Tonight at midnight.”
The Tower Master cut short the Griffon Duke’s words.
“Bring your son in an unmarked carriage to the Magic Tower. I’ll have someone waiting to receive you.”
“Thank you. Truly…….”
“And until then, trust no one. Don’t trust even your servants—it would be best to tend to him yourself.”
“……Ever since I began to suspect poison, my family has been caring for him amongst ourselves.”
Whether that family was trustworthy was another question entirely, but it was clear the Duke had done what he reasonably could.
The Duke bowed deeply in thanks and returned to his carriage the way he’d come.
“……How did he manage to hold on for a fortnight?”
“It might not be that poison after all.”
“……No, it must be. The scent clung to me from being near him, but it was definitely of the same family of poisons.”
Thinking of Cassian, I felt a sudden pang and sighed quietly to myself.
* * *
Around midnight, I waited in the Basement alongside the Tower Master.
A soft hum came from my arms.
Cradled against me was Cassian.
I didn’t know how the Tower Master had managed it, but Cassian, who had been unusually quiet all evening, insisted on coming down when midnight arrived.
‘Is he alright?’
Curled into a tight ball in my embrace, Cassian appeared deeply anxious.
“I’ve returned.”
Bedel, who’d been sent to fetch them, soon brought a young man on a stretcher down into the Basement.
Ash-grey hair. I’d heard he was seventeen, but his frame was so large he looked more like a young man than a boy.
His face was drained of all color, and feathers of the same ashen hue spread across half his body.
‘Oh, the necklace…….’
As he drew near, the jewel on the necklace pulsed frantically with warning.
I watched in dismay as the pale young man was transferred to the bed where Cassian had been lying.
“……It’s the same poison, as I suspected.”
The Tower Master murmured softly while examining the youth.
The Griffon Duke, who had followed while carrying the stretcher, fixed the Tower Master with a dark gaze.
‘The Duke himself, carrying him…….’
It spoke volumes of how much he cherished his son.
“I beg you, I entreat you—please look after my son Aquila, Tower Master.”
“Now that I’ve confirmed it’s the same poison, I will take responsibility for the young master’s condition here at the Magic Tower. Rest assured.”
While the Tower Master and the Duke spoke, Cassian watched Aquila intently.
Cassian gazed down at the boy with an oddly troubled expression, then began to rumble.
“Rrrumble-rumble.” (I was healed too, so it’ll be fine.)
It seemed Cassian was trying to reassure Aquila and the Duke.
“Cassian says he was healed as well, so it should be fine.”
I translated Cassian’s words for them.
At that, the Duke made an uncertain face for a moment as he turned to look at Cassian, then nodded slowly.
‘True enough. His Core was damaged, and given how he still looks like this, I can understand the anxiety.’
I swallowed a sigh and watched Bedel escort the Duke from the room.
“It’s the same poison, yet…… why is the progression so different?”
“Hmm…… Well, their ages are different, for one.”
The Tower Master answered my question simply.
It seemed to mean that because Cassian’s body was a fully mature Mystical Beast, he’d held up this well.
“And I suspect they didn’t have data on the young master. They seem to have used similar dosages.”
Using nearly identical doses on a nine-year-old and a seventeen-year-old meant the rates of progression had to differ.
‘Apart from whoever created it, whoever used or administered this poison clearly has no expertise in toxins.’
As I organized my thoughts, the Tower Master rolled up the sleeves of his robes.
“The method will be the same as with Cassian.”
The Tower Master fitted a familiar Magical Device onto my wrist.
With a soft click, my altered vision showed Aquila’s Core thrumming dully.
‘Thank goodness he’s close to adult size.’
I could tell just from the fact that he was still maintaining his Disguise Form, but Aquila’s interior was mercifully nowhere near as severe as Cassian’s Core had been.
Unlike Cassian’s Core, which had cracked and compressed in an instant, Aquila’s was gnawed away in patches where the Poison Essence had tried to bore deeper.
‘The species difference must play a role too.’
According to the Tower Master’s explanation, Griffin-form humans had exceptionally hard Cores.
That’s why the Poison Essence hadn’t completely consumed it.
‘Since I’m responsible…… I’ll detoxify with all my effort.’
I clenched my teeth and extended my Detoxification power, drawing the Poison Essence through my fingertips.
The Tower Master maintained a mana barrier with both hands around the Core, occasionally trickling Antidote between Aquila’s lips.
Cassian, too, seemed determined to play his part—he settled and lay down across Aquila’s ice-cold body.
‘He’s trying to share his warmth.’
In his Mystical Beast form, Cassian was comfortably warm.
Especially after his Core recovered, he was truly like a living furnace—radiating steady heat.
‘Everyone’s helping, so please get better soon.’
I shut my eyes and continued concentrating on the detoxification.
“……Hmm, it’s progressing well.”
Time had passed—how much, I wasn’t certain.
The Tower Master murmured quietly and paused me.
“We’ve passed the critical phase. We’ll continue the rest tomorrow. There are matters to discuss with the Griffon House as well.”
At the Tower Master’s word, I nodded and gathered my strength.
Though not all the poison had left his body, Aquila’s complexion looked far more peaceful now.
The poison near the Core was completely gone; what remained was just a small amount scattered throughout his body—that could be cleared next time.
‘He’d said it felt like experimenting on Cassian…….’
That experiment had now shifted to Aquila, who was older.
‘Information like dosage really is quite crucial.’
It seemed essential to prevent our enemy—whoever was targeting only Mystical Beasts—from obtaining such data about outcomes.
True to my thought, the Tower Master opened the laboratory door and called in the Griffon Duke, who was still waiting outside.
“The critical danger has passed entirely. So I have a proposal…….”
“Ah, what a relief……! Indeed, Tower Master, they say you know poison like no one else, and that’s the truth! Yes, what is this proposal?”
Watching Aquila—whose complexion had noticeably brightened—the Duke’s own face grew radiant with relief.
“What if we were to spread word throughout the Mansion that the Young Master has died—falsely, of course?”

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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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