On Official Duty with My Tower Master Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 30

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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 30
Cade returned to the Magic Tower and immediately inspected the Barrier.
It wasn’t just the cracked sections he checked with obsessive care—he examined every intact part as well.
“Tower Master. The central Barrier Stone is secure and shows no problems.”
“The basement is intact.”
“There are no signs of intrusion whatsoever.”
“……Yes. Understood.”
Only after confirming there had been no intruders or external attacks did he stand before the Mirror again.
But he couldn’t immediately enter the Archives—his gaze dropped to his feet.
Squeak! Squeak!
A small white fox Magical Beast with two tiny horns was gnawing on the Mirror’s leg.
It was the Magical Beast Ben had brought, saying it would be good to have a creature guarding the office and Archives.
It was also the Magical Beast that Vivian Solling had rescued from a whaling ship.
Vivian Solling. The one searching for his body, wondering if perhaps he’d left because he’d contracted a terminal illness…….
Squeak? the creature asked.
“…….”
Cade pressed his brow with a weary expression.
‘A mistake.’
An unusual one, at that.
He’d poured far more Mana into the beast than he’d intended.
Fortunately, the creature had high Mana adaptation; otherwise, the beast would have died and his departure from Melgote would almost certainly have been exposed.
The Grand Duke of Melgote would never have failed to notice the sudden disappearance of such powerful Mana from the Magic Tower.
He wasn’t even curious what the Grand Duke might do in a Magic Tower without its Tower Master.
He simply despised the thought of the Grand Duke setting foot in this place at all.
That was why he’d needed a Magical Beast with substantial Mana reserves to maintain the appearance of his presence in the Magic Tower to leave Melgote.
By filling in part of it with his own Mana, he could make those outside the Barrier believe he remained here.
So he’d instructed Ben to secure such a creature in advance…….
‘Did I give it too much?’
The situation had been urgent, and he’d poured Mana in recklessly.
The amount was substantial—it should be withdrawn—but the creature had absorbed it all.
And perhaps because of the haste, the external Mana had become intricately tangled with what the beast naturally possessed, forming a single unified flow.
‘The Mana will replenish itself eventually, so that’s not the issue, but what is this sensation?’
He felt an oddly intimate connection with the creature’s Mana.
‘This strange sensation can’t possibly be Resonance. If it were Vivian Solling, she might understand what this is.’
By the time Cade was about to sigh at the Magical Beast that trailed behind him faithfully.
“Tower Master! What in the world is going on?”
Ben burst into the office without knocking, his manner urgent.
Cade didn’t fault his rudeness and replied as though it were nothing much.
“I had somewhere I needed to go urgently.”
“I heard the investigator visited. But no one’s seen you leave since then.”
“There’s nothing to explain.”
“You haven’t left Melgote since becoming Tower Master. You haven’t stepped outside the Mirror once during your seclusion in the Archives.”
Cade’s gaze remained fixed on the fox Magical Beast rolling across the floor.
When no proper answer came, Ben finally erupted.
“Cade!”
“Now you want to drop the formal speech? You said it feels more natural.”
There was a hint of laughter in Cade’s voice.
The two had often been paired as partners on assignments before Cade departed the Magic Tower.
The previous Tower Master had designated Ben, the wizard he’d interacted with most frequently, as his aide. Ben, knowing there was no one else suitable, had accepted the position without resistance.
Ben struck his chest, his face the very picture of exasperation.
“If you’ve taken a fancy to that investigator, then just lock her away.”
“I didn’t expect you to suggest imprisonment.”
And at that answer, Ben’s mouth fell open. He’d said it hoping for a denial.
“Do you actually have feelings for the investigator? Come to your senses. That woman is a Civil Servant. She came from the Imperial Government. And she’s the only person who ever successfully got you out of Melgote.”
Something had clearly happened, but Cade showed no inclination to explain.
Ben carefully retraced how Cade had been from the moment the investigator Vivian Solling first visited the Magic Tower.
He’d seemed as though he wanted to kill her, but then at times, the murderous intensity would fade from his eyes, replaced by something he couldn’t quite name.
Even Rana had out of nowhere been saying how well the Tower Master and the investigator seemed to suit each other.
Something was definitely there.
“What exactly is your relationship with the investigator? Did you know her from before?”
“Don’t worry. We’re nothing. Worse than nothing, really.”
Cade’s voice carried something like a sigh.
“……And I have no intention of becoming anything.”
Squeak! Squeak! the fox protested.
“…….”
The Magical Beast voiced its displeasure toward Ben.
“Find out what this creature is. Stop wasting time on pointless thoughts.”
“Ugh. Why did I have to take on this aide position.”
“If you wish to resign, I can’t stop you.”
“Get back into the Mirror, Tower Master.”
Ben glared at Cade, then swept out of the office.
Cade watched the Magical Beast clinging to his leg with cool indifference, then walked into the Mirror.
As expected, the creature promptly followed him inside.
“Why do you follow? I never gave you permission. Are you drawn to my Mana?”
The beast leaped onto the table placed at the Archives entrance.
It then sprawled out and cradled the Vase.
Inside it sat a fresh Bouquet in full bloom.
It was the Bouquet he’d received on the day he and Vivian Solling parted.
“What kind of Magical Beast likes flowers? If you break it, you’re dead.”
Cade left the creature, which he couldn’t tell whether it understood language or not, and walked into the dim Archives.
***
The next day, I visited Simona’s estate to pay a sickbed visit.
It was far grander and more magnificent than the Viscount’s residence in Melgote.
‘I didn’t know a place like this existed on the outskirts of Melgote.’
Simona was the eldest daughter of Count Heart’s Estate and would become the family head in time.
Perhaps because of that, the servants treated me, arriving as Simona’s guest, with exceptional courtesy.
‘I’d suspected something based on the dress she wore at the banquet, but she turned out to be even more impressive than I imagined.’
While I sat in the parlor admiring the ornate ceiling paintings, Simona appeared.
“Vivian! I was so bored!”
“Are you all right? Is it okay for you to be in the parlor?”
“I can’t stay cooped up in my bedroom forever. I’d go mad from the tedium.”
Simona appeared to be in good health. The wound on her head hadn’t been serious, and she said she’d return to work right away once the rest period ended.
As we talked over tea and cookies brought by the servants, a question suddenly occurred to me.
“So did you choose to work at the observatory because you enjoy marine research?”
“You mean, why work when I have money?”
“N-no, I didn’t ask it that way.”
Amused by my flustered response, Simona burst into laughter.
“My family pushed me toward the Academy of Scholarship, but there’s something about marine climate—it’s unpredictable and fascinating.”
“It does seem difficult.”
“And there’s something fun about working in the civil service and getting to know Civil Servants.”
“That’s fun?”
“Sure. You can befriend people with power through legitimate channels.”
“……You’re really straightforward.”
“Isn’t that my charm?”
Simona shrugged and lifted her teacup.
“But you seem to enjoy it too—Resonating with Magical Beasts.”
“It suits my aptitude. And there’s a sense of purpose. Though I’d prefer a different department.”
“Really? From where I sat, you looked happiest when you were resonating with the Crystal Whales.”
I paused, setting down my teacup.
That couldn’t be right. Resonating with Crystal Whales had only grown harder over time, never easier.
‘Was it just how it appeared because the situation was urgent? Simona seems to enjoy unexpected circumstances anyway.’
As I was thinking this, a servant’s voice came from outside the parlor.
“Miss Simona. Guests have arrived to see you.”
I set down my teacup and stood.
“Were visitors expected? I’ve stayed too long. I should be going—”
“Stay longer. You know them anyway.”
At Simona’s insistence, I tilted my head in confusion.
“How many people do I even know in Melgote…….”
Then, unbidden, the faces of several acquaintances flashed through my mind.
“Could it be…….”
As the door opened, Yukel and several Civil Servants stood there, looking ill at ease.

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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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