My Husband Is Not the Magic Tower Master - Chapter 21

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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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Episode 21

“….”
“Like this.”
He gently pulled my head to rest against his shoulder, then asked.
“Will this do?”
“Yes. It’s fine.”
I hurried my lips forward, which had hesitated for a moment, and spoke.
“Let’s measure Resistance first.”
Even if this exploration fails, I need to preserve the data.
Amplifying my Magical Power all at once until the Return Magic outside activated, I felt my entire body tremor.
Hummmmm—.
“Starting now.”
The ten-second countdown began.
“Five seconds should be enough.”
“Sorry, but faster, please.”
Ah. I’d hit my limit right at the start.
My head throbbed, and my breathing became erratic almost at once.
I ended up coughing and spitting blood from my mouth.
“…Wow.”
When my palm glistened with it, the realization struck me.
I really did push too hard.
“Roze!”
“I’m truly sorry about that.”
I’m about to collapse.
Once the measurement was complete, I dropped heavily onto the ground.
Carlo reflexively reached out and braced my back, but my body was already limp, leaning more than halfway down toward the floor.
“I, uh… my head hurts so much I can barely speak.”
Before my mind went completely blank, I quickly asked him.
“So we can head back now, right?”
The Flag’s streams of light had all vanished once their work was done, and the synchronous magic had succeeded.
If so, the report I’d aimed to complete for this mission would be finished.
How had I ended up throwing my whole body into this work with such dedication?
Realizing I’d pushed myself in a way that didn’t suit me, a hollow laugh escaped.
This deserves a bonus.
I should badger them for extra time off.
With solemn composure, I straightened my clothes and rose to my feet, speaking.
“Let’s return to the Human Realm now. The Return Magic should activate in about a minute.”
The total time I’d spent in the Demon Realm was ten minutes.
Which meant ten hours had passed in the Human Realm.
‘Somehow we lasted that long.’
I wouldn’t know the exact record until after submitting the report to the Tower, but Carlo and I seemed to have exceptionally high Mana Resistance for mages.
I myself was somewhat surprised that I’d managed without drawing on my hidden strength, but Carlo—whose complexion hadn’t changed at all—was almost uncanny.
He truly seemed worthy of being called the Crown Prince’s closest confidant and his trump card.
I was brushing dirt from my knees that had touched the ground, about to meet Carlo’s eyes when—
“Carlo?”
“Roze Stein.”
Snap.
Without warning, he seized my hand.
“Why—”
Before I could finish, I was pulled toward him again, my vision lurching.
Before I could speak, he removed his glasses roughly for the first time, studying my hand intently.
Then he brought my wrist—the wound I’d been concealing beneath my sleeve all this time—directly in front of his eyes and asked.
“When did this wound appear?”
“Ah.”
Right. That.
I followed Carlo’s gaze down to the bruise that had formed when we entered the Demon Realm.
But somewhere along the way, what had been nothing but a mottled discoloration had transformed into an open wound.
“…What?”
The bruise on my wrist had split and cracked along its contours, blood now seeping from the fissures.
When had this happened?
The discolored mark had looked ugly, but it hadn’t hurt at all.
Confronted with a wound that had worsened without my noticing, I felt a surge of panic.
And worse still….
‘Why does it hurt now, of all times?’
I curled inward, cradling my tingling arm.
Pushing myself too hard with magic earlier meant the bleeding wouldn’t stop easily.
As if scolding the body’s owner for only now recognizing its condition, the blood began to spread, soaking deeper into my sleeve with each passing second.
“Is the Return Magic still far off?”
It felt like a minute had already passed.
I needed to get back to the Human Realm quickly.
Between my growing anxiety and the throbbing pain, a whimper escaped me—and Carlo held up a single finger.
“Listen carefully to what I say now.”
With that, he bent his knees and brought himself level with my eyes.
“I suspected something was wrong from the moment the Flag stopped working.”
“…?”
“Normally, there wouldn’t be this much interference.”
Not unless something had detected our presence.
Hearing Carlo’s explanation, I only then became aware of the chaos surrounding us.
“…Then it’s because of me.”
“Regardless of the reason, we’ve been exposed.”
He answered with cold precision. Our cover was blown.
The Concealment Magic that had hidden our existence from the demon beasts had already begun to unravel the moment we stepped into the Demon Realm.
“Shrieeeeeeeek!”
An enormous shadow plummeted toward us from above.
“Hold your breath!”
In the same instant, Carlo wrapped his arms around me and threw us both to the ground.
* * *
After that, my memory became hazy.
With each flutter of my eyelids, the scene shifted drastically.
The first image: some bizarre creature wheeling through the sky, screaming.
The second: a flood of demon beasts converging on us, their howls and death cries overlapping.
The last was….
“Close your eyes. Don’t strain yourself.”
Someone’s hand gently darkened my vision.
And when I opened my eyes again.
“…What happened?”
I was still lying on the barren soil of the Demon Realm alongside Carlo.
Resting my head on his knee, receiving what looked to be the final stages of Healing Magic from him.
Somehow, all the problems that had descended upon us had been resolved.
The only unresolved matter was the small question in my mind.
“Are you conscious?”
“What about the Return Magic?”
“It shattered.”
“The demon beasts?”
“Some I killed. The rest scattered.”
“…You really are something, Carlo. You must have had a difficult time managing it all alone.”
I should have been there to help.
As I spoke, moistening my parched lips with my tongue, he rose me from the ground instead of answering, doing so with deliberate care.
His touch was so tender and warm that I found myself feeling sorry all over again.
‘I should have been the calm one, saying something impressive like that.’
Something like: It was difficult, but I managed to handle it all.
Unlike the last time I’d gone out and faced a pack of demon beasts alone, Carlo moved with an unshakeable composure that I found remarkable.
Perhaps it was because he was such an exceptionally skilled mage.
I still didn’t fully understand what techniques he primarily used in combat or how he channeled his Mana, but this much was certain:
‘…I feel safe with him.’
Looking at my wrist—the wounds cleanly healed by the Healing Magic he’d cast—I murmured to myself.
This is the kind of man you’re supposed to marry.
‘As if that would ever happen.’
Even if I escaped the Demon Realm safely, a bleak reality awaited me there.
I couldn’t weep, so I wore a smile instead—a forced one painted on my face.
Still, something was better than nothing. Thanks to Carlo, my Mana had recovered considerably, and my wounds were completely healed.
My body ached a little from the strain, but it was the kind of pain that would vanish by tomorrow.
As a water-attribute mage, I had unusually good recovery.
I should leave the Demon Realm before I sink any deeper into despair.
“If the Return Magic is broken, should I recalculate the coordinates?”
To the Base Camp.
I was about to trace new spell formulas in my mind’s eye when Carlo shook his head.
“It would be better to adjust the flow first.”
“The flow?”
“Align your Mana Attribute with the flow of the Demon Realm. It shouldn’t be difficult for you, Roze.”
He offered the suggestion lightly.
Demon Beasts, being simple and low in intellect, will relentlessly pursue whatever target they’ve fixed on.
Which meant the target was me.
A chill ran through me, and I quietly followed Carlo’s instruction.
“So I just adjust it and then set the coordinates?”
I attempted it uncertainly, yet it worked immediately.
Just as Carlo had said, adjusting my Mana Attribute to match the Resistance necessary to breathe and move comfortably in the Demon Realm wasn’t difficult for me at all.
As though my body already knew how to respond.
‘It’s working.’

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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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