On Official Duty with My Tower Master Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 53

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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 53
‘Doesn’t like human touch, but when left alone, becomes active and docile?’
‘This one is gentle and lazy, doesn’t like to move? High sensitivity level?’
Most of the magical beasts in this place were the ones that had been sleeping around my bed.
If they disliked human contact and hated moving, they wouldn’t have come all the way to my room.
‘It’s not just these two—the records of the other magical beasts are different too.’
I’d thought the differences would be minor—health status, growth rate—but I never expected the personalities of the magical beasts themselves to be recorded so differently.
I studied carefully the magical beasts that came wagging their tails to greet me, clearly delighted.
‘Aster wouldn’t have recorded them without proper observation. He’s certainly a diligent civil servant, and since he wanted to catch Cade’s eye, he wouldn’t have treated the magical beasts harshly either.’
So it seemed the problem lay with me after all.
My heightened monster affinity had made it impossible to accurately gauge the creatures’ true temperaments.
‘Having an amplified ability isn’t purely good. The sensitivity level of magical beasts is crucial for experiments.’
The more sensitive they were, the more vulnerable to stress, so I needed to watch their sensitivity levels carefully if I wanted to raise them healthily.
Even when they’d become more sensitive, if they brightened up and relaxed this way whenever I arrived, it was difficult to assess their true condition.
‘I’ll have to leave sensitivity level checks to someone else.’
I still wanted to see for myself whether it was truly safe to conduct experiments with the magical beasts.
If I went to the laboratory now, the beasts that had been calmly assisting with experiments might come rushing toward me.
Since I could now enter the Mirror Library starting today, I needed to find out what this phenomenon was as soon as possible.
I came to the Magic Tower Master’s Office deliberately when Cade wasn’t around.
Beep-beep!
Here too, there was a magical beast wagging its tail vigorously at me.
I stroked Tris while glancing around the empty office and near the mirror.
‘I did get permission to enter and leave the library with Tris. But it’s still odd to enter an unoccupied office without a word.’
Then a long leg suddenly stretched out from inside the mirror.
At the sudden sight of Cade, I found myself backing away—only to immediately regret it.
It looked as if I’d been caught sneaking in.
When I opened my mouth, my voice came out cold without my meaning it to.
“I didn’t know you were inside the mirror.”
Cade, seemingly just as surprised to see me, smoothed the back of his head and stepped aside.
“I had something to take care of.”
“You said you were tidying the library yesterday—haven’t you finished? Can’t I go in today either?”
“No, you can go right in. I just remembered something I needed to clean before you started going in and out without me. Didn’t work out, though.”
He clicked his tongue ruefully, checked the time, then continued.
“Did you visit the Monster Enclosure?”
“I went this morning. Supervising to see if I’m doing a good job?”
“Just wondering if you’re adapting well to the Magic Tower. You might need help you can’t ask other wizards about.”
Despite my curt tone, Cade answered gently.
The problem I’d been wrestling with until I fell asleep yesterday suddenly came back to mind, and I frowned, turning my eyes away.
“What’s there to adapt to? The thing is, all the magical beasts are so healthy that I’m not sure my care is even necessary.”
“You only need to come when there’s something that needs doing. I wasn’t asking you to work there like you’re clocking in and out every day.”
I followed only Tris’s tail with my eyes while fidgeting with my hands clasped behind my back.
“I suppose so.”
“So what’s your assessment of the Magic Tower’s Monster Enclosure as an inspector?”
Cade folded his arms and asked with a slight lean, speaking in a tone that suggested he was looking for praise.
He clearly believed the evaluation would be positive. It certainly was the kind of enclosure that deserved one.
“Well, it was fine. The magical beasts seemed comfortable.”
“Good to hear you’ll be happy with your workplace for the time being.”
That struck me as slightly annoying, so I brought up something I’d only been thinking about until then.
“One thing though—have you thought about fixing the door to the Monster Enclosure?”
“It doesn’t seem broken. Why?”
“This morning when I woke up, the magical beasts were gathered under my bed. Tris was beside me too.”
“Tris again?”
When he looked at the familiar spirit with narrowed eyes, Tris played innocent, wrapping my leg with her fluffy tail and wagging it playfully.
“It’s fine to let them roam freely, but at least when you’re sleeping they should be properly confined. It’s safer that way for the weaker magical beasts too.”
“I see. I’ll take care of it.”
Despite my cold attitude, Cade simply agreed without resistance, and I found myself flustered.
‘What? Why is he being so kind?’
Suddenly, a strange emotion mixing ticklishness and irritation wrapped around my entire body. I wanted to leave this place immediately.
“I need to go into the library. Tris.”
Beep!
The moment I called her name and reached out, Tris jumped into my arms as if she’d been waiting.
Cade, apparently having nothing more to say, slipped out of the office unhurriedly.
Watching his departure through the mirror, I found myself grumbling petulantly.
‘The library has traps and you can’t take books outside the Magic Tower anyway, but still—how could he leave his office so easily, as if he has no idea what I might do?’
I felt unsettled by his attitude, whether it was trust or irresponsibility.
I recalled what Rana had said.
“I’ve never seen the Tower Master troubled over his fiancée. He seems to have overcome it well and moved on quickly.”
He’d forgotten his deceased fiancée soon enough, so I must have been forgotten even faster.
There was no reason to be caught up in his sudden kindness.
‘It’s just the whim of a spoiled, capable Tower Master at best.’
I was certain of that, but…….
As I walked through the Mirror Library, I discovered something strange.
Tris had me walk close to the wall, warning that there were traps.
I’d walked through this place several times before, so I remembered exactly where the first trap was hidden.
It was a wall with a bookshelf painted on it, not a real bookshelf.
“Huh? What happened here?”
The last time I’d been here, it was pristine and spotless, but now the painted bookshelf was barely recognizable under the grime.
The area around the trap was covered with scratches like sharp claw marks and soot.
Had an intruder gotten in somehow?
But looking more closely, I felt a powerful magical aura rippling around the scratches.
It seemed magic had swept through this place not long ago.
“Tris. Could this be……?”
Beep-beep.
Seeing that Tris wasn’t on guard, it appeared to be Cade’s magical power after all.
Suddenly, the conversation I’d had with him just before entering the mirror came back to me.
“I just remembered something I needed to clean before you started going in and out without me. Didn’t work out, though.”
It seemed he’d tried to remove the trap before I came here.
‘……Why?’
Once again, that strange emotion mixing ticklishness and irritation seized my ankles.
I stood motionless before the scarred wall, then suddenly shuddered and moved my feet.
Beep-beep! Beep!
Tris rushed ahead of me, chirping that it was dangerous, and took the lead.
But I had no leisure to find her soft, fluffy tail endearing.
I felt pathetic for myself, trying to find meaning in Cade’s actions that had fooled and made an idiot of me.
‘Don’t read meaning into it. He doesn’t have special feelings for you. Why would a troublemaker like him? This is nothing but the whim of a spoiled brat.’
I shook my head to dismiss any deep thoughts about Cade’s whims and quickened my pace.
***
The next day, a letter from Simona left me lost in thought.
She said that knowing I was staying at the Magic Tower because I couldn’t leave Melgote, she and Civil Servant Yukel wanted to visit.
I was curious about the two of them and wanted to spend time with people I cared about.
But the wizards seemed to dislike outside visitors, so I hesitated to invite them to the Magic Tower.
I could have suggested meeting outside, but it seemed the two of them were more interested in seeing the Magic Tower than in seeing me.
‘I understand. When would they ever get to see the Magic Tower otherwise?’
I couldn’t invite guests to the Magic Tower on my own, so I needed Cade’s permission. But I suspected the answer he’d give wouldn’t be what the two of them were hoping for.
Remembering how displeased he’d been when Aster visited so suddenly, there was no way he’d welcome guests.
‘Still, I should at least bring it up.’
Even if Cade refused, I could always go out to meet the two of them, which wouldn’t be a problem. Though they’d be quite disappointed.
“Tell them not to wear their uniforms.”
“……?”
But the answer that came back was entirely unexpected.

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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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