My Husband Is Not the Magic Tower Master - Chapter 40

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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 40

The scene had grown rather absurd, and the servants passing by couldn’t help but steal glances at us as they went about their work.
Of course, they were studying Carlo’s reaction with fresh interest—not Elineh’s familiar presence.
I caught the attention of the nearby attendants and had them take the luggage Elineh had brought before I spoke.
“Elineh, have you eaten?”
“Yes, I had something on the way.”
“Then let’s have dinner together later. Or I could ask the head chef to prepare something, and we could eat alone in my room—just the two of us.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. We have so much to talk about, don’t we?”
Elineh’s face brightened at once.
She brushed away tears that hadn’t yet fallen and leaped to her feet to answer.
“Perfect! Now I can see Carlo off properly.”
“…Was it truly that simple?”
“Of course. You didn’t turn me away, and you’ve invited me to dinner. Like you, I’ll be staying in Stein for at least two days!”
Alone with Roze, her schedule packed even more densely and tightly than Carlo’s!
Elineh, her confidence restored, proclaimed this with blazing eyes.
Carlo could only shake his head in disbelief.
So Elineh’s sorrow had a purpose all along.
“My friend is naturally quite jealous.”
I resolved the situation calmly.
“Elineh, if you’re going to sleep here, go unpack your things in my room. Or you can come down and have tea with my parents afterward.”
“Got it. Take your time coming down.”
“I’ll need a little while anyway.”
At my words, Elineh smiled brightly without another word.
“Okay.”
As if what she was jealous of wasn’t Carlo’s feelings for me, but rather the time he’d spent with me.
“I should get out of the way, shouldn’t I? I’ll head up first.”
“….”
“Make sure you and Carlo finish your conversation properly!”
Elineh excused herself.
As she turned cleanly and made her way toward my room, I was rather taken aback by her figure disappearing down the corridor.
Moments like these made me realize that all those sunny heroines in novels were nothing but lies.
‘Her perceptiveness is truly remarkable.’
Carlo, standing beside me, let out a soft breath as if he were thinking the same thing.
“…She’s sharp, isn’t she. Elineh.”
The fork that had slipped from my grasp tumbled helplessly from his hand.
Despite saying this, his expression wasn’t particularly helpless.
He simply asked me matter-of-factly.
“The nuisance has vanished.”
“….”
“When shall I take my leave?”
* * *
He’d been scheduled to return the night before, but he’d lingered at the estate for another half day—now he truly had to return to the Magic Tower.
As Carlo and I left the estate, I broached a question that had been nagging at me for some time.
“But why are you leaving early alone? Is it because of the Crown Prince’s summons?”
“Demon Beasts have been appearing consistently in other territories as well.”
“Yes, but that happens regularly to the residents of the border regions, doesn’t it?”
If we were being strict about it, my remaining week of leave should also have been forfeited to the Crown Prince.
But we’d both suffered an accident during the Demon Realm investigation—so why was Carlo returning earlier than me?
When I tilted my head at him, he posed a simple question in return.
“Will you be coming with me, Roze?”
“No.”
I shook my head at once.
What kind of question was that?
“Unfortunately, His Highness has never summoned me directly.”
“That’s true. The two of them have only met in private once so far.”
“Ah. You seem well-informed?”
“…I happened to hear about it.”
Carlo’s face drained of color in an instant.
As the Crown Prince’s childhood friend, there was certainly enough reason for him to have picked up such gossip by chance.
But his evident confusion made me pause, equally bewildered by his reaction.
“In any case, you’re heading to assist the Special Management Department with their work, aren’t you?”
The Special Management Department, which Lucas oversaw, primarily handled tasks requiring substantial mana expenditure.
For instance, subjugating Demon Beasts, or reinforcing and maintaining the Tower’s security as a whole.
There were doubtless other operations as well, but they all proceeded in secrecy, so I couldn’t know the details.
The Security Department, where he and I served, handled repairs to the Defensive Magic in the perimeter zones.
Rather than fieldwork, we focused mainly on conducting experiments and writing reports—so we were rarely summoned by the Management Department.
Not unless major incidents erupted one after another, as they had been lately.
“These days, the frequency of Demon Beast attacks on the Human Realm has been accelerating.”
“…Is that so?”
That would certainly be serious.
“Yes. Today’s meeting will focus on developing countermeasures to strengthen Human Realm security.”
Carlo said as much, then slowly sketched out a long-distance Teleportation Magic before my eyes.
The coordinates he set were configured to pass through waypoints, minimizing mana expenditure as much as possible.
‘Stein, Monchester, Elganic, Seymour.’
I quickly scanned the destinations inscribed in the spell. They all led upward toward locations with Magic Towers.
Of course, it took over two hours to reach the Tower by carriage.
Elineh had taken to riding in the carriage with me each time, saying she enjoyed our conversation during the journey—but that was certainly an inefficient approach.
‘Though it does serve friendship well enough.’
The Teleportation Magic Circle Carlo had set would take approximately twenty minutes.
I subtly placed my hand on the spell before me and adjusted one of the waypoints.
“It would be faster to pass through Keteron territory instead of going straight through Monchester.”
“…That would be better.”
“Yes. You exhausted yourself saving me the other day, and your mana recovery is probably still lagging. I hope you won’t overextend yourself.”
Though the words themselves were somewhat sparse, I conveyed my gratitude to him with complete sincerity.
‘Now that I think about it, I still don’t understand how you managed that Instant Teleportation directly from the Demon Realm to the Human Realm.’
Normally, long-distance travel required stopping at three or four waypoints using personal magic, unless one employed a specialized teleportation technique.
My questions weren’t fully answered, but I decided to speak of my priority first.
“Before you go, there’s something I really need to say.”
“….”
“I think of you as…”
“….”
“Really, a very good colleague at work.”
Thump.
Thump-thump.
I could feel my heart pounding as though it might drop through my chest at any moment.
The late-morning sun bearing down on the garden was quite warm.
I strove to arrange my windswept hair with casual indifference, keeping my gaze lowered.
I found it difficult to meet his eyes.
Carlo stood perfectly still, watching me—perhaps reading the discomfort in my expression.
“I’ll see you at the Magic Tower, then.”
“….”
“Safe travels.”
I looked up at him properly at last, managing a decent farewell.
When our eyes met, Carlo’s face bore no expression whatsoever.
His long hair caught the wind much as mine did, and for a moment his eyes came into view—seeming, briefly, almost sorrowful.
Yet it seemed only a fleeting tremor.
Carlo nodded gently, then asked me quietly.
“…Do you regret it?”
Regret what? My own heart? Or last night’s walk?
‘That’s what I want to ask you.’
I couldn’t possibly answer such an incomplete question properly.
I laughed lightly and shook my head.
“That’s what I’d ask you. Don’t you regret wasting two whole days of your precious leave in Stein?”

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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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