My Husband Is Not the Magic Tower Master - Chapter 43

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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 43

If Elinne found out that I’d visited Count Carlo and Serenenti, I sensed she’d feel hurt, though she’d never say so outright.
But there was no point in telling her now—there would never be a chance anyway.
Meanwhile, Elinne rolled across the bed with a silly grin on her face.
“By the way, our wedding’s coming up soon now, isn’t it? Our bride-to-be.”
“Yeah. About a week left, I’d say.”
“Come on. Isn’t that a bit dull?”
How could I get excited about it when my groom-to-be’s real lover was standing right in front of me like this? It was impossible.
And besides, I had no reason to feel that way.
‘…Because he replied.’
I muttered uneasily to myself.
A few days ago, a letter had arrived from Lucas.
[Very well.]
Terse, but unmistakable.
‘What’s so “well” about it?’
The man had another lover, and yet he responded without shame or hesitation.
How long had it been since I sent that letter? His reply came far too quickly.
Because of that, what I felt wasn’t excitement but something closer to unease.
But the water was spilled now, words had been exchanged—I’d have to meet with him after all.
‘…Ugh.’
When I’d seen Count Carlo off, I’d resolved to do this, but the thought of going through with these artificial meetings with the male lead—meetings that shouldn’t exist—left me feeling blocked and helpless.
I was truly pathetic. Using my friend’s lover to help me forget another man.
As I breathed out a complicated sigh, another letter from Lucas had just arrived for Elinne.
Ding.
A cheerful chime—as bright as Elinne herself—and a heart-shaped Magic Letter descended into her hands.
“Oh, wh-what?”
When our eyes met, Elinne’s palms began to sweat visibly.
“No, Roze. This isn’t—”
She stammered through her denial, waving her hands at me in panic.
But there was no denying it—that was Lucas’s letter.
It was only natural for the male lead to show interest in and express affection for the female lead he loved; it was the expected rhythm of romance.
‘The only thing that bothers me is how he sent me a reply just as quickly—like some cad.’
How badly must Elinne be longing to see Lucas right now, even as she trembled with fear that I might discover her true feelings?
This wasn’t the first or second time I’d seen this pattern.
No doubt that letter was brimming with the sort of lines you’d find in a love letter—how much he missed her, and so on.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
I shrugged with practiced ease.
Snap.
Then I closed the book I’d been reading and spoke to Elinne.
“I’ve never kept you confined to this Mansion, Elinne. So there’s no reason for you to worry about my feelings now.”
“But, Roze…”
“Or would you rather go back to the Dormitory?”
Looking at Elinne’s trembling face, a sigh escaped me unbidden.
To any observer, it would look as though I’d locked her away here.
The way she clutched that unopened letter from Lucas in her hand—it was pitiable beyond measure.
“If you want to, I’m prepared to return tonight itself.”
As I stretched lazily and spoke, Elinne’s eyes went wide.
“…Really?”
Wouldn’t you be sad to see me go, Roze?
That was what she truly wanted to hear, and color bloomed across her face.
‘She really does love being here.’
I knew that Elinne enjoyed the time we spent together working at the Magic Tower.
I simply chose to pretend I didn’t.
But even if I delayed it by half a day more, the reality I faced wouldn’t change in any meaningful way.
This ambiguous triangle I’d been caught in for years now had to be resolved soon.
I nodded silently at Elinne.
“Let’s eat dinner and leave right away.”
The end is drawing near, after all.
* * *
Dawn broke in the Magic Tower the next morning.
‘That damned round sun came up again.’
I shuffled slowly out of the elevator that had stopped at the 88th Floor, rubbing my sleepy eyes.
Perhaps nearly ten days of vacation had completely shattered my sleep schedule.
Sleeping in the Dormitory after so long felt foreign—I’d barely managed any rest at all.
‘Or maybe the bed was just too hard.’
Before entering the laboratory, I sat in the corner and patted my knotted lower back a few times.
Fortunately, I’d arrived early—about thirty minutes remained until my shift began.
I’d planned to drink the thick, syrupy Energy Drink I’d prepared beforehand on an empty stomach, not leaving a single drop.
By now, there had to be no shortage of overdue reports piling up.
According to what Elinne had told me, the Exploration of the Demon Realm involving the King was progressing slowly due to internal resistance within the Magic Tower.
She herself had apologized sincerely to both Count Carlo and me for an accident that occurred during the operation, saying she truly regretted it.
Elinne said she’d wanted to go out on the Second Expedition herself to investigate the Demon Realm—not to injure an innocent person.
Her original plan had focused on “Exploration,” not “Subjugation,” or so she explained.
“His Majesty has nominated you again, Roze, as the target for the Second Expedition. I heard he was pleased with how you handled your duties…”
“Seems our work tastes are similar.”
“No, something’s off about this. I’m going to shut this operation down no matter what.”
Of course, it hadn’t actually been halted.
It was simply proceeding passively.
Killing Demon Beasts that invaded the Human Realm was easy enough, but entering the Demon Realm directly for Subjugation required many conditions to be met.
Those who hadn’t known before couldn’t easily volunteer now that they did.
Rumors were drifting through the Magic Tower like ghost stories—that only the King himself insisted on the Second Expedition.
‘If he likes it so much, he should step up himself.’
He’d handed over all decision-making authority to the Magic Tower, yet kept finding fault at every turn. How could anything move forward like that?
Driven by a King’s interference without real authority, two innocent people had nearly been annihilated as mere cannon fodder.
The vacation had been nice, but it was something of a cowardly move.
If I had my way, I never wanted to set foot inside the Demon Realm again.
“Infinite experiments would be better than this.”
In that sense, the Energy Drink was real fuel to me.
If my body, which sometimes lost all sense of time during magical experiments, were to doze off, it could lead to an accident.
To use Magic Power without failure, I needed focus—nothing but focus.
Drink and push forward.
“Well, shall we go die?”
I was muttering in resignation and bringing the drink to my lips when—
“Oh my, have this instead.”
“…?”
Someone snatched the drink from my hand and swapped it for Strawberry Juice in one smooth motion.
Moreover, someone else thrust a large Gift Box right in front of my face.
“We brought some Cookies too. Please have some, Roze.”
“…What?”
I turned my head in bewilderment.
When I looked back to assess the situation, somehow everyone had gathered around me—the number of people had increased in the blink of an eye.
I found myself holding the strawberry-scented juice instead of the sour lemon flavor and spoke in confusion.
“…Who are you people?”
“Oh, we’re just… some of the people rooting for the two of you.”
“That’s right, we’re cheering for you!”
Unfamiliar faces—mages whose expressions suggested I might’ve passed them once or twice in the halls—answered me shyly.
I couldn’t make sense of the conversation and just trailed off.
“Rooting? What rumors…”
Then the word “cheering” made me pause.
Now I remembered—Elinne had said something strange to me a few days ago.
“The atmosphere in the Tower’s been getting weirder these days.”
“Why?”
“Well, I think people felt really sorry for you and Count Carlo because of the magical accident. And then there’s all this talk about cheering and whatnot—eventually it turned into some ridiculous rumors.”
I was pretty sure Elinne had brushed it off as nothing at the time and quickly changed the subject.
“…You mean Count Carlo and me?”
Though she wasn’t sure what exactly she was meant to support, things seemed to be getting tangled in ways she hadn’t anticipated.

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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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