I Became the Magic Tower Master's Experimental Mouse - Chapter 72

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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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“Welcome! You must be Pipi?”
A woman with wavy brown hair tied back in a single knot approached with a bright smile.
“Liz has told me so much about you. I’m Marie.”
My heart hammered against my ribs as though it might burst free.
But the woman didn’t seem to notice my turmoil.
My facial muscles were under perfect control.
For the first time, I was grateful to my past self for the training I’d undergone.
“Hello! I’m Epiphany!”
The nickname “Pipi” falling from this woman’s lips grated on me.
But I swallowed my irritation and greeted her with a bright laugh.
‘Marie. How ridiculous.’
I knew this woman.
Her real name was Daery. Before the regression, I’d crossed paths with her a few times at the Guild—she was a senior member.
I’d forgotten all about her after she died somewhere along the way, but seeing her appear as Liz’s friend sent ice down my spine and the memories came flooding back in an instant.
‘I have to forget that name.’
A name slip-up now would be catastrophic.
The fact that Daery—or rather, Marie—had appeared in front of Liz meant that Liz was her target.
At the Guild, Marie had often played the role of drawing targets out and opening their hearts.
She had an unassuming, ordinary appearance, and she was naturally good at putting people at ease.
‘What I’d thought was a remarkable coincidence had been a setup all along.’
‘Liz, you’re far too trusting…….’
I criticized her internally, but of course this wasn’t Liz’s fault.
There was no way a mere victim could escape someone who was running a con.
“I’m sorry for tagging along like this.”
“Oh no, don’t be. Liz told me in her letter that you’d be coming anyway.”
Marie smiled warmly and guided us deeper into the shop.
“Wow, this shop is amazing!”
I widened my eyes and made a show of looking around the interior.
Half of it wasn’t an act, though. I was genuinely scrutinizing every corner of the shop.
Combs inlaid with mother-of-pearl, pottery with patterns I’d never seen before, tea boxes releasing unfamiliar fragrances.
Surrounded by all manner of exotic goods, my mind spun continuously.
‘Why did she bring us here?’
Why had Marie targeted Liz?
And she’d known I was coming beforehand.
‘It’s a fifty-fifty bet.’
Either she continued to hunt her original target, Liz, or she’d switched targets to me based on what Liz had told her about me.
Given Liz’s nature, once she felt close to someone she would definitely have mentioned the Magic Tower.
She wouldn’t have revealed any secrets, of course, but when people talk about their daily lives, it’s inevitable they mention the people they encounter every day.
‘If she knows I belong to the Tower Master, she might decide to target me instead.’
To be honest, I almost wished that were the case.
“Pipi! Look at this—isn’t it adorable? I think it would be perfect for you. Want me to buy it?”
Liz held up a butterfly hairpin made of mother-of-pearl and waved it with a smile.
If they killed her or kidnapped her…….
‘I don’t want that.’
If it were just me, I might be able to escape somehow.
But Liz would have no chance of fighting back. I’d never seen Liz in action as a mage, but as an Assassin in the Guild, I knew my colleagues’ abilities all too well.
“That looks like it might be expensive……!”
“I get a salary, you know~ It’s fine!”
Liz, apparently hoping to lift my spirits, pinned the hairpin into my hair.
“Thank you, Liz. Hehe.”
I laughed as if I knew nothing and as if I loved the hairpin.
Liz and Marie chatted for a while among the exotic and charming ornaments.
To anyone watching, it would have looked like a perfect weekend afternoon, but my mind was burning with tension.
‘How can I naturally get Liz away from here?’
One wrong move and Marie might see through everything.
Before the regression, it wouldn’t have mattered, but with this body now, I had no confidence I could protect Liz and fight at the same time.
‘One entrance, two windows, one door behind the counter.’
I mapped out the shop’s layout in my head and calculated, but the entrance and windows blocked by display cases were unsuitable as escape routes.
There were two shop assistants, one standing by the entrance and another by the counter.
‘Where does the back door of the counter lead?’
I drifted toward the glass bead placed beside the register, pretending to be interested in it.
As I fiddled with the bead and peered at it, I felt a faint breeze emanating from behind the counter.
The space seemed larger than I’d initially thought.
‘If I went through there…….’
Of course, without knowing where that passage led, attempting it could be suicide.
I remained lost in thought, still toying with the bead, when a cool hand suddenly touched my shoulder.
“Do you want that, Pipi? Shall your sister buy you one to celebrate our first meeting?”
Marie looked down at me and asked.
“No! I was just wondering if I could play marbles with it, so I picked it up, but it’s heavier than I thought!”
I deliberately grumbled and set the bead back into the basket.
As I straightened up from my crouch, Marie nodded and spoke to me.
“Is that so? Well, your sister will buy it for you anyway. You showed interest, after all. And I think we should head to the cafe soon. They say there’s a delicious one nearby.”
“Oh, really……? Wow!”
I bounced excitedly, but my mind went blank inside.
I couldn’t figure out why she was trying to hand me the bead.
Of course, the bead itself was just an ordinary glass bead with no mechanism hidden inside it.
‘So she’s not planning to make a move here?’
By all appearances, even the employees seemed trained, so I naturally expected trouble to break out here…….
While I was puzzled for a moment, sure enough, Marie’s eyes widened at the counter.
“Oh no!”
“Hm? Marie, what’s wrong?”
Liz came over at the commotion.
Then Marie spread several items across the counter and made a distressed face.
“Oh, I just remembered! The bakery!”
“Hm? Marie, what’s wrong?”
“I remembered while calculating. I left the bread I just bought at the bakery two blocks over……!”
“My goodness, shall we pick it up on the way out?”
“We don’t have much time before the cafe reservation. Could you possibly fetch it while I’m calculating?”
At that moment, I was certain.
The target was me.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered to separate Liz from me.
“Sure? Pipi, let’s go!”
Liz held out her hand to me.
I felt an intense impulse to seize her hand and bolt outside.
But I couldn’t do that.
‘Surely…… there would be people outside too.’
If Liz went alone, she’d likely be allowed to leave without incident to avoid drawing attention from passersby.
But if I tried to slip away with her, Marie would certainly never permit it.
“Ah, I promised to buy Pipi a bead to celebrate our new friendship. Pipi needs to choose one.”
“Is that so?”
Liz tilted her head and looked at me.
If I refused here and clung to Liz, the situation might shift again, but…….
‘I have no choice but to become the bait…….’
I had to get Liz safely back to the Magic Tower.
I nodded emphatically and called out to Liz.
“That’s right! Marie is going to buy me a bead. But I still can’t choose—they’re all so pretty!”
“You really won’t come with me?”
Liz turned back to ask me.
I nodded and smiled brightly.
Ding—
The door chimed as Liz left the shop. Through the window, I watched her figure receding into the distance.
‘Now Liz will be safe.’
I turned my head after watching her blend into the crowd.
Marie looked down at me with a warm smile.
“Pipi, would you like to eat some confections while your sister calculates? They’re Eastern Continent confections—only sold here. Enjoy them while you choose your bead.”
Marie offered me a small plate of sweets. They were an unfamiliar shape, dressed in colorful sugar coats.
I accepted them and naturally took a whiff.
A faint, foreign scent mixed in among the confection’s natural ingredients.
‘Even if it were poison, it wouldn’t work on me.’
The real problem was that I didn’t know what poison it was, so I couldn’t decide how to react.
I chewed the confection slowly and smiled. It was to avoid raising suspicion by refusing.
“You really are as kind as I’ve heard.”
Marie stroked my head.
And in that moment.
My stomach lurched slightly.
‘……What?’
Click.
The employee at the entrance locked the door and flipped the sign on the doorframe.
I felt the dizziness creeping in and blinked slowly.
‘I can’t react suspiciously.’
That’s what I thought, but my body tried to move defensively of its own accord.
‘Is it poison……?’
I never thought there existed a poison that could affect me…….
I felt my body go limp all at once and crumpled to the floor.

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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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