My Husband Is Not the Magic Tower Master - Chapter 47

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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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Chapter 47

I turned my back on the sleeping Eliné and hurried out of the Research Lab.
Summer had passed, and the air had grown parched; I found myself coughing more frequently as the season turned.
I was the one whose condition had slipped.
‘My throat feels a bit swollen.’
The reckless use of Simultaneous Magic had shortened the intervals between my Mana depletion cycles, and in those gaps my immune system had weakened.
I’d known I was pushing myself, but I hadn’t expected my body to be this fragile.
“…It’s cold.”
I hugged myself and rubbed my arms briskly.
Simply shifting my sleep schedule for a couple of days had left me trembling in the morning air.
I’d worn a thick coat appropriate for early autumn, yet my vision blurred and my head throbbed in a way it hadn’t before.
Sleep deprivation, perhaps. A good rest might set things right.
But returning to my quarters just now would mean abandoning the research assignments I’d taken on—assignments that were fairly demanding.
I’d handled Carlo’s work smoothly enough by drawing on ‘that’ power once more, keeping it hidden from Eliné….
But my own work—the piece I’d agonized over until the very end—still made me uneasy.
‘I should just confirm it went through properly before I leave.’
Since I’d revised the latter sections over and over down to the last moment, it was better to stop by the Archive Room to put my mind at ease before sleeping.
“Call it excessive if you want. I can’t help it.”
It was far better to double-check—or triple-check—beforehand than to discover a fatal error later.
Even so, it was a habit born of experience, not a bad one.
In my former life, did I ever imagine I would fall that way on that day?
Each spell transmitted to the Archive Room from the various departments underwent Verification Magic for anywhere from an hour to half a day.
After verification, the work was transferred either to the 99th Floor administrative office or to the Crown Prince’s personal chambers on the 100th Floor.
With the Tower Master absent for so long, Lucas had officially become the Magic Tower’s administrator.
‘…Or so I’ve been told.’
From what I could see, Lucas wasn’t a particularly skilled Mage.
The character descriptions made clear that Eliné possessed far superior Mana reserves and magical proficiency than he did—case closed.
I preferred to review my own spells myself.
“Good.”
Fortunately, my completed report contained not a single error.
Once it moved into the execution phase, I’d dodge the late nights just like Carlo had.
‘I’ve bought myself some time to prepare for the wedding.’
Only then did I relax, closing my eyes as I leaned against the bookshelf.
So, then—is the only flaw left to fall on me?
Ever since arriving at the Archive Room, I’d noticed a creeping warmth rising in my forehead.
I hadn’t slept properly in days, my vision had been blurred for some time now, my throat was swollen, and I’d grown sensitive to the cold.
I hadn’t expected to be coughing, but the thought of borrowing ‘that’ power for recovery worried me.
“…I’m still inexperienced with it.”
Even though it was Mana I could theoretically access, that power still slumbered deep within me.
Of course, through grueling labor these past days, I’d learned to handle it fairly well.
But the Mana was so vast and its range of use so broad that I never drew on it except in the direst emergencies.
One slip, and it would cascade into disaster the way it had before.
For now, I could only skim the surface, playing with it tentatively.
I’d never meant to play any significant role in this world anyway; this level of involvement was enough.
The incursions of Demon Beasts had lessened recently, and the Human Realm had returned to peace.
This world I inhabited would wrap up cleanly in about four more days.
Eliné would bear the fruits of love with Lucas, become a formidable Grand Mage, and soon close the Demon Realm’s gate.
And from that point on, my true story begins.
My growth—unmarked by any protagonist or villain—forged entirely from my own blood, sweat, and tears.
But before that….
“Ah. I’m dizzy enough to die.”
The Medical Office, where the Healing Mages were stationed, was too far away on the 50th Floor.
‘I’d be self-conscious catching an elevator down at the shift change anyway.’
The Security Department quarters had a direct Teleportation portal set up at the end of the 88th Floor lobby.
But simply buying a Potion and guzzling it felt wrong when I didn’t know if this was a throat infection or full body ache—I was overcome with chills.
If I kept losing sleep like this, my three o’clock appointment would go up in smoke.
‘I can’t. I’d have to face Carlo and work with him, wouldn’t I?’
Despite my pallid complexion, I staggered forward and approached the Archive Room door.
How had I managed to avoid him this long?
Unless an emergency meeting was called, I’d planned to stretch things out for at least two more days.
If luck was on my side. If it was even possible.
“So you were here.”
“…?”
My entire plan crumbled in an instant.
Come to think of it, luck had never been on my side.
“Ah—.”
Click.
In a heartbeat, Carlo had slipped into the Archive Room and shut the door behind him with a bang.
“…!”
Before I could scramble for a decent excuse, his hand moved toward the lock again.
Click.
Damn it. He’d locked it.
His broad chest loomed before me like a wall, blocking my view at arm’s length.
I was at a loss for words, staring helplessly up at Carlo.
We’d only just made eye contact, yet his gaze already felt like it was piercing straight through me.
After several seconds of silence, I awkwardly opened my mouth.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s been a while.”
“When you’re busy, that’s bound to happen.”
“No matter how busy, we still run into each other now and then.”
“That’s….”
“You can’t have forgotten we’re on the same team in the same department.”
His voice wasn’t angry, nor was it raised.
But Carlo’s eyes had grown colder than ever before, and there was something unsettling about that coldness.
‘He must be hurt.’
I understood what he meant. I’d given him no chance to talk for days, only run away—he must have had plenty to say.
‘And yet, something feels wrong.’
He’d never spoken to me like this before.
Now that I thought about it, it seemed I’d been receiving special treatment from Carlo all along.
Having grasped this new reality, I swallowed dryly as the silence stretched between us.
Then I held my breath wrong.
A cough I’d been suppressing burst out suddenly, my shoulders heaving until my vision swam violently.
“Cough, cough!”
In that moment, as I tried to bend forward, my body gave way and I collapsed straight into his arms.
No. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“…How could you hold me like this?”
“Then, would you have me push away someone who’s unwell?”
“Yes. You should have done exactly that.”
My words were muffled against his shirt, and Carlo didn’t answer.
Even if he’d just steadied me with one hand on my shoulder for a moment, that would have been enough.
‘This is bad.’
An embrace the moment we met—this wasn’t what I’d wanted.
When I opened my eyes seconds later, I was nestled firmly in his arms.
Startled, I tried to push him away, but the room suddenly spun and left bright afterimages dancing in my vision from the Archive Room’s lights.
“Ugh.”
As I tried to escape his embrace, I only ended up gripping his sleeve tightly instead.
Then, as I blinked slowly, he seemed to notice my discomfort—and this time, he extinguished even the chamber’s lights.
Click.
In the Archive Room now shrouded in darkness, with its door locked, there remained only a man and woman in each other’s arms.

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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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