On Official Duty with My Tower Master Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 52

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 52
“Hmm? Is that so?”
Rana swallowed a cake made from dried fruit preserved in honey and answered.
“But I’ve never seen the Tower Master struggle because of his fiancée. It seems like he weathered it well and shook it off quickly.”
“……Really?”
“Yes. And without even realizing it, he seems to have a romantic side, so I thought he’d treat you well. Most importantly, you two suit each other perfectly.”
“Ah…….”
It was something I hadn’t expected to hear, but thinking back on it, Cade was exactly the sort of man who could do such things.
‘He leaves his sick fiancée behind and seduces me for an affair—he’s probably forgotten about her just as quickly.’
I couldn’t understand what was romantic about a man like that, or why Rana thought we suited each other.
He pawned my ring, and he’s using his dead lover’s ring somewhere else, or so I’d heard.
‘How ridiculous.’
I pouted my lips and set down my fork, and Rana clasped her hands together at her chest, asking eagerly.
“Why? Are you getting interested? Should I arrange a date right away?!”
“Ah, no. That’s not what I meant at all.”
“Aw…….”
With Rana’s dejected expression, the Magic Tower tour truly came to an end.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t finished mulling over Cade’s strange behavior either.
‘No matter how I think about it, it’s strange. Why would it matter that I’ve been visiting the Magic Tower frequently? He wouldn’t be feeling nostalgic satisfaction seeing me the way I was when I liked him. ……Or would he?’
I found myself unable to shake my preoccupation with Cade for the rest of the day as I read and tried to sleep.
***
As Ben descended toward the Training Ground, he spotted Vivian Solling heading toward the Monster Habitat and his eyes sharpened.
Vivian, who had started to offer a greeting, looked flustered and lowered the hand she’d half-raised, then passed by.
Ben watched the woman in the white uniform recede into the distance before moving on.
‘Cade’s eyes aren’t crooked, exactly…….’
The wizards at the Magic Tower were favorable toward Vivian, but Ben found the inspector deeply troubling.
That inspector was clouding the Tower Master’s mind.
And as of yesterday, she wasn’t even lodging temporarily at the Magic Tower without any fixed end date.
Apart from his dislike, Vivian was a strikingly intelligent and refined beauty.
Her jet-black hair made her pale skin and eyes as green as fresh foliage stand out, and her upturned eyes sharpened that impression further.
When she smiled, her face looked charming, but her voice was neither high nor low, so even when she approached with a bright laugh, she didn’t seem frivolous.
Certainly, even a fastidious Tower Master would find her worthy of attention.
When the two of them stood together, their faces aligned so perfectly and matched so well that he couldn’t help wondering if they hadn’t once been lovers.
‘Though I’d never have imagined that was actually true.’
But what if Cade fell for this civil servant from the Imperial Government again?
What then if that inspector tried to take control of the Magic Tower?
Despite her intelligence, the inspector seemed oddly oblivious in matters of the heart—she appeared not to understand the Tower Master’s feelings at all.
He worried that if she returned his feelings, Cade might abandon the Magic Tower again in some fit of fancy.
Hoping the Tower Master would soon regain his senses and focus solely on the Magic Tower, Ben had even told him to treat the inspector well and let her leave with clear finality, but his anxiety was unavoidable.
Ben wanted to believe that Cade would not affix his seal to documents unfavorable to the Magic Tower.
But if the other wizards watched his gaze as intently as Ben did, they would all be equally anxious and on edge.
‘If I’d known I’d have to worry about this too, I wouldn’t have taken the position of assistant.’
Ben pressed his throbbing forehead and called over a young wizard in training.
“Rana.”
“Oh, Assistant!”
Rana’s eyes lit with curiosity as she trotted over.
“I heard you keep bringing up the Tower Master to the inspector.”
“That’s right. I keep asking her if she isn’t interested in the Tower Master.”
“…….”
Ben felt his mind growing hazy at Rana’s triumphant and proud demeanor.
“Why would you say such things to the inspector?”
“Because the two of you suit each other perfectly.”
“And what good does it do that they suit each other?”
When Ben didn’t deny that they suited each other, Rana laughed like a villain and steeled her resolve.
“The Magic Tower’s adorable Rana—I’m going to bring those two together no matter what.”
“But why exactly……?”
“Love is wonderful!”
Ben’s willpower crumbled at the declaration that contradicted her villainous laugh.
It seemed she wouldn’t listen even if he told her to stop.
“……You only learn strange things at that school.”
He finally floated Rana deeper into the Training Ground and trudged off to handle the work the Tower Master had assigned him.
***
The Monster Habitat was a place Rana had never shown me, yet I found it easily.
It was where I felt the emotional impressions of the magical beasts most strongly throughout the Magic Tower.
The moment I stepped into the habitat, the beasts greeted me loudly.
They’d been evicted from under my bed again today and acted as if they hadn’t seen me in ages.
A wizard appeared at the commotion and greeted me warmly.
“Welcome, Inspector. The beasts really do favor you.”
“Hello, thank you.”
I still wasn’t used to how kindly the wizards treated me.
“Feel free to look around. We don’t have specialized staff, but we make efforts to maintain things, so it should be fine.”
“I see.”
I was impressed by the environment, which was more beast-friendly than I’d expected.
I’d imagined large cages when I heard the word “habitat,” but only the entrance gates were closed—most of it was open design.
I was curious how the beasts managed to reach my room and escape, but it turned out they could roam through the Magic Tower like they were taking a leisurely walk.
Barriers could be raised at any time to divide the space, making it efficient, though calling it a “habitat” seemed almost embarrassing.
‘But the beasts would prefer it this way.’
As I walked through the Monster Habitat, a wizard approached and gently asked.
“Would it be alright to sometimes request your help with magical beasts outside the Magic Tower as well?”
“If it’s work I can help with. But depending on the type of beast, it would be better to formally request personnel from the Investigative Bureau. For follow-up procedures too.”
“Ah! You don’t know yet? Civil servants aren’t coming to Melgote for a while now.”
“What? What do you mean?”
It made no sense that civil servants would avoid a specific region, but the wizard seemed earnest.
“You were trapped in the Melgote Barrier, Inspector. Word of it spread among the civil servants, and they seem to be exercising caution. It’s not as if the Tower Master confined you intentionally.”
“So they won’t dispatch civil servants who aren’t Attuners or Inspectors?”
“That’s what’s happened.”
“Even though the Docks, which was attacked by a swarm of monster beasts, is still under repairs?”
“Yes. We received a letter saying it would be like that until the Barrier issue is resolved.”
“…….”
I had nothing to say. That was truly the bureaucratic approach.
It was the part I’d struggled most to adjust to when I first became a civil servant.
I’d thought that even when an immediate problem arose, the standard process was to file a report, seek solutions, and implement measures.
But the Imperial Government would surely have concluded something like: “The Attuner Inspector was trapped? We still don’t know the cause? Then don’t dispatch additional personnel.”
This sort of administrative handling was commonplace.
Whether it was because there was too much work, or because everything had to be converted into documents, approved, rejected, and requested again multiple times, I wasn’t sure.
After living as a civil servant for a year, I understood why this situation had occurred, but I couldn’t help resenting the Director.
He’d told me as casually as it was my duty to stick with the Magic Tower and obtain the seal, yet he protected the other inspectors.
‘That’s not necessarily wrong, but it’s too much.’
While I was complaining inwardly, the wizard handed me some separately organized documents.
“This is the most recent data. I’ll leave the Monster Habitat in your care and be on my way.”
“Yes, thank you.”
‘Most recent’ was what I’d anticipated, but when I opened it, sure enough it was data that Aster had recorded while observing the magical beasts of the Magic Tower.
It wasn’t a welcome name, but Aster was a capable Attuner at the Investigative Bureau, so it would be helpful.
I decided to first compare the current state of the magical beasts with Aster’s records to see if there had been any changes.
‘……Hmm?’
But there were some beasts whose observations and Aster’s records differed in a way that was strangely unusual.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————