I Became the Magic Tower Master's Experimental Mouse - Chapter 86
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Six in the morning.
When Claude came to the Office for work, he caught sight of a note on his desk and immediately grabbed the back of his neck.
On top of the note marked “Leave Request Form” was another note attached, which read: “You weren’t here and it was urgent, so I’m just leaving this.”
‘Pipi……!’
Claude vented his frustration quietly.
Since Pipi normally knew Claude’s arrival time, leaving it like this was as good as deliberately throwing it at him knowing he wouldn’t approve.
Four days of not waking up, and the moment she stirred, she did this—claimed leave and bolted.
“Liz, search the Magic Tower immediately and find Pipi.”
Even as he issued the command through the Communication Device, Claude knew it would be futile.
If she’d simply wanted rest, she wouldn’t have bothered filing a Leave Request Form at all.
He had the feeling Pipi was already gone.
‘The question is where she went.’
The girl must have had something she considered urgent to dash out like this.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have risked such an escape so soon after the kidnapping incident.
“……In the end, it’s my problem.”
As Claude paced in mounting anger, realizing that in the end it came down to his failure to trust Pipi, he suddenly collapsed into his chair.
He didn’t know where to even begin searching for her. If she was wandering outside, that would be dangerous…….
‘The Assassin’s Guild might make a move.’
He’d received word that the Assassin’s Guild had finally caught wind of what the Dukes were targeting.
Those ruthless men might well reach out to Pipi with treacherous hands once more.
Since he hadn’t told Pipi about the full scope of the situation, she probably thought she only needed to be careful against kidnappings like last time…….
‘This won’t do.’
If he just sat here, he’d spiral into negative thoughts, so he shot to his feet.
As he threw open the door and rushed out, his eyes met Cassian’s, who was running toward him.
“Pipi’s disappeared!”
“……Yes.”
“It’s that direction.”
Cassian pointed to one side as if sensing something.
Claude glanced down at Cassian for a moment, then headed toward the Stable with an order for him to follow.
* * *
“Mister! Please let me down at the fork ahead!”
I banged on the carriage wall as I shouted.
“Oh, you’re getting off already.”
“That’s right!”
“Go on your errand safely, child.”
I giggled at the old woman’s blessing.
After slipping quietly out of the Magic Tower, the first place I went was the Carriage Station.
With this body of mine, I’d collapse if I tried to walk, so I needed to catch a carriage.
When adults heard that a little thing like me was taking a carriage alone to the Healing Tower, they all looked uncomfortable, but once I showed them coins and said I had to run an errand, they reluctantly took me—probably because I was wearing a Tower Robe.
Thanks to sharing the outer-route carriage with working adults, not only was my body comfortable, but I received loads of gifts too. The adults, charmed by what they thought was me running an errand, handed out bread and fruit and all sorts of things.
Because of their kindness, I was able to get off in front of the Healing Tower while crunching on an apple.
‘……Phew, I didn’t fall asleep. Good thing.’
The real difficulty was that the carriage’s swaying was like a lullaby, making it hard not to doze off.
If I fell asleep, poison might seep out without my control…….
“Whew.”
I let out another sigh of relief and headed toward the Healing Tower visible in the distance.
‘There are quite a few healers around here, probably because we’re near the Healing Tower.’
All the physicians in the area seemed to live clustered together.
In front of them, I saw men in uniforms gathered.
‘Palace guards…… no, probably not.’
They seemed to be knights instead.
As I glanced past them, I caught a snatch of conversation.
“Have there been many children coming in with high fevers recently?”
“Children with fevers come through all the time.”
“Any children showing poison components on their skin or bodies?”
“Poison? Poison? Who would use poison on children?”
“Even small things would be helpful.”
High fever combined with poison……?
‘……That’s me.’
I stared at them in alarm, then began to creep away.
I was desperately curious why they were searching for me and how they’d found me, but going directly to ask seemed risky—I’d have to ask Camilla instead.
‘What on earth is going on?’
I rubbed my temples with my palms and stepped into the Healing Tower.
“Hello?”
“Hi. What brings you here?”
The receptionist at the Healing Tower’s lobby asked.
This place received especially many visitors, and being as wealthy as the Poison Tower, they apparently kept a dedicated receptionist on staff.
I set my entire purse of weekly wages on the desk as I spoke.
“Is the Tower Master in? I’d like to arrange a consultation.”
“We have a reservation system—”
“Please contact the Tower Master first. Tell her that Pipi from the Poison Tower has arrived.”
If it had just been some child speaking, she might have ignored me, but the mention of the Poison Tower made the receptionist flinch.
With a strange expression, she activated a Communication Device and explained the situation to Camilla.
After a short wait, Camilla came bounding down the stairs two at a time and rushed toward me.
“You came alone? Did you finally break and quit on that man?”
Camilla asked with a smug, amused smile.
Then she looked me up and down, her eyes widening.
“Wait, why did you suddenly grow so much?”
“That’s actually why I came.”
“Come upstairs.”
I followed Camilla to her examination room.
“I finally went into Hibernation this time, and it took four days. But when I woke up, my hair and height had grown like this.”
“…You grew after entering Hibernation?”
Camilla examined me with narrowed eyes. After the examination, she furrowed her brow.
“Why do you… have a Core?”
“Huh?”
I blinked several times, my eyes wide.
It was common knowledge that only Fantasy Beasts possessed Cores. So there was no way I could have one—
I looked at Camilla suspiciously.
“Are you sure you saw it right?”
“Of course! What kind of question is that?”
Camilla flicked my forehead with her index finger and exclaimed.
“This is strange. It doesn’t make sense—”
“What doesn’t? What’s wrong?”
“It can’t be. There’s no way—”
“Oh, this is so frustrating! That’s exactly why I came all this way—the Tower Master kept refusing to tell me!”
I jumped up from the chair in protest.
Then Camilla sighed and answered.
“But this truly makes no sense. As far as I know, there’s only one Fantasy Beast that shows these symptoms… and among them, there’s no one capable of having children—”
My heart suddenly began to race.
Could it be that my turn had finally come for some dramatic origin story?!
‘Not that I’m particularly curious.’
Since there was no such thing as a poison-spewing hibernating rat, I’d always assumed I was probably a Hybrid.
And now that the Core had come up, it was highly likely that I was a Hybrid with a Fantasy Beast.
‘Fantasy Beasts are the noble families.’
Excluding the Imperial family, every Fantasy Beast household in the empire was a Duke’s house.
‘And there are no hibernating rat nobles—’
A likely secret of my birth.
The kind of secret that would drag me straight into chaos the moment I existed.
‘I’m satisfied with my life as it is.’
I had no interest in learning who my parents were or why they abandoned me in the forest.
‘Some lovers probably tried to elope, then just dumped the useless child in the forest and continued fleeing.’
I shrugged my shoulders and pressed Camilla for answers.
“I’m not curious about that. What I want to know is how to control these strange symptoms I’ve been experiencing since Hibernation.”
“Seriously? You’re not even a little curious about what incredible bloodline you have?”
“Why would it matter? They’re the ones who abandoned me anyway.”
I shrugged again.
“The real problem is that I can’t control my symptoms right now. At this rate, I won’t be able to see anyone and I’ll end up locked in my room.”
“…What symptoms?”
“Ah.”
The moment the word left my lips, crimson poison dripped steadily from my mouth.
“Blood, blood……? No, that’s not…….”
Camilla pressed a handkerchief to the corner of my mouth, her face flustered as she murmured.
Fortunately, since it wasn’t a corrosive poison, the handkerchief merely darkened—it didn’t burn or dissolve.
“You see? This is exactly why it happens without warning like this.”
I grumbled, wiping my mouth carefully and suppressing the poison’s aura.
“……What in the world.”
Camilla’s brow furrowed.
At the same moment, a knock sounded at the examination room door.
“Tower Master, my apologies. There’s someone downstairs…….”
“What is it. I’m in the middle of an examination.”
“That’s……they’ve come from the Imperial Palace.”
From beyond the door, a low, measured male voice continued.
“Forgive the intrusion, Master of the Healing Tower. There is a matter I must ask of you, in confidence.”
“I’m occupied. State your business quickly.”
“Has a child presented here recently with high fever and signs of poison contamination?”
Camilla’s eyes slid toward me.
I held my breath, waiting for her answer.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————