Chapter 31
‘Is it because the Tower Master isn’t reacting as passionately as I expected?’
It was true that his reaction was disappointingly bland.
In the original story, when the Tower Master fell in love, his violet eyes were described in great detail, brimming with heartbreaking emotion.
But now, those eyes weren’t sorrowful at all…
‘They’re just indifferent, aren’t they?’
On top of that, the Tower Master hadn’t been looking at Princess Arines at all—he had been staring at me.
With eyes filled with determination to expose every detail of my existence!
“What are you doing? Hurry up and come over. Even if we stay up for days and nights, it won’t be enough to uncover the source of that power.”
The Tower Master called us again.
Arines and I reluctantly went over to the table and sat down.
He brushed his hair back with one hand, then started taking things out of his bag and laying them on the table.
A scalpel that looked dangerously sharp, a big needle with thread, bottles of suspicious-looking chemicals, ancient tomes at least a few centuries old, magical tools, and so on—an endless stream of strange items spilled out of his bag.
Finally, he pulled out a huge pair of glasses, set them on his nose, and held out his hand to me.
“Now then, Hero. Your hand, please.”
Caught off guard, I placed my hand in his. Instantly, he adjusted his glasses with one hand and picked up the scalpel with the other.
“W-w-wait a second! What are you planning to do with that?”
“Oh, it won’t hurt. Just a little prick.”
“Whaaa—! Aaaaaaahhh! The Tower Master is trying to kill me!”
I flailed in panic, trying to pull my hand away from his grip.
But somehow, even though his arms were thinner than mine, he held my hand tightly, his smile unwavering.
“I told you, it won’t hurt. If you can’t even endure this much, we’ll never uncover your true identity.”
“I don’t even care about my identity! You’re the one who said you wanted to find out about me in the first place!”
I struggled desperately like a fish caught on a hook, trying to break free.
‘Why is he stronger than me when his arms are so skinny?!’
I was naturally a coward when it came to pain—even common injections made me tremble.
I’d often been teased, “What’s a grown adult afraid of a shot for?”
And now this crazy Tower Master was pointing a knife at me instead of a needle!
“Alright, turn your palm up. Yes, yes. Just a prick.”
“Aaaaagh! Gaaaahhhh!”
He firmly twisted my wrist until my palm was open, then poked it with the tip of the scalpel.
“Uuuugh… huh? Huh?”
“See? I told you, it doesn’t hurt.”
He had already pulled out a cotton pad and was gently dabbing my palm with a smile.
Dumbfounded, I muttered,
“It really… doesn’t hurt?”
“Have you been tricked all your life? Why won’t you trust me?”
“If you suddenly point a sharp scalpel at someone, anyone would panic!”
“Why panic? I told you beforehand it wouldn’t hurt.”
He tilted his head, genuinely confused, and dipped the cotton into a bottle of liquid.
Blue bubbles fizzed up, and he frowned.
“As expected, not a wizard’s blood… hmm. Let’s try a few more things.”
He pushed the bottle aside and began rummaging in his bag again.
I took the chance to whisper to Arines.
“Why are you making that face? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“H-huh?”
“Say something! He’s your guest, isn’t he? The Tower Master you wanted to meet so badly!”
“Well, yes, but…”
Her eyes looked strangely troubled.
Since the Tower Master seemed to have found what he was looking for, I gave up pushing her further.
“Now then, how about drinking this?”
“What is it?”
“A masterpiece of the Tower. Though, if you drink it, it might hurt a little. You might cough up blood, for instance.”
My face went pale.
“What?! Are you insane? No way am I drinking that!”
“Hmm, then how about this one? It won’t hurt, but it might temporarily turn your face green. That is—if you’re really a wizard.”
“You drink it yourself!”
I screamed, but he remained utterly calm, pushing more and more strange concoctions at me.
I felt like a lab rat, forced through test after test.
“Perfect. You’re not a wizard. Oh, this is fascinating.”
He clasped his hands together, smiling with satisfaction.
“How can a non-wizard wield such power? My heart is racing! Hero, you’re the first woman to ever make my heart pound like this.”
Excuse me? Why is your heart racing at me?
Shouldn’t it be beating for Arines?
But ignoring my silent protest, he continued speaking excitedly.
“There’s so much left to do! Is your power from the far East? From another dimension? Or perhaps a divine blessing? I can’t wait to find out!”
He clenched his fist in determination and suddenly leapt to his feet.
“Now then, I must return. There’s much to prepare. I need to write today’s report, brew some new potions, and bring new magical devices next time. They’ll help measure the extent of your power. Until then.”
“Wait a moment!”
Startled, I jumped up from my seat.
He’s just going to leave? What about Arines?!
“Tower Master, since you’ve come all this way, you must see this before you go!”
I quickly pushed him back into his chair and presented him with a blueprint of the fan.
“This again? I told you, I’m only interested in your power…”
“But today, I also brought the real thing!”
I placed the fan prototype beside the blueprint.
At last, his disinterested gaze sparked with a hint of curiosity.
“Well? What do you think? Something you’ve never seen before, right? I couldn’t get it to work since I’m not a wizard, but you should be able to. Try channeling magic into this part here.”
I handed it to him, and he carefully infused magic into the motor. Immediately, the fan whirred to life, blowing out a steady stream of air.
“Oh…?”
“See? Isn’t it amazing? Pretty useful, isn’t it?”
“You mean to say Princess Arines made this?”
“Yes, that’s right! Our Princess Arines is truly brilliant, isn’t she? Doesn’t she catch your interest?”
“Indeed…”
Maybe my shameless sales pitch was working, because he was clearly intrigued now.
Of course, Arines hadn’t really made it—I had.
But I kept my mouth shut and put on my best business smile.
“It gets unbearably hot in summer. But with just a little magic, this machine produces cool air on its own!”
I nudged Arines with my elbow.
“Right, Princess? What inspired you to invent such a thing? Wouldn’t it be great if you and the Tower Master worked together to develop it further?”
“Y-yes? Ahaha.”
She still looked half-dazed, but thanks to my prodding, she managed a response.
‘Does she even want to get closer to him? Tsk.’
I decided I’d have to scold her later and turned back to the Tower Master.
“It’s quite hot in the Tower too, isn’t it? If you install this there, the wizards will be able to research more efficiently.”
“An excellent point. Those slackers—always complaining, ‘It’s too hot to study, too damp, too tired.’ Utter nonsense. If they truly wanted to research, they would! If they’re both stupid and lack willpower, what’s the point of keeping them at the Tower?”
His eyes gleamed with manic energy as he ranted, then he snatched the fan out of my hands.
“Ohh, so this part is the power source. If I modify it to store magic, it could run for an entire summer.”
Putting his glasses back on, he examined the fan closely, then suddenly looked up.
“Princess Arines! I finally see your worth. Will you come with me to the Tower?”
