Chapter 23 – A Deal Between the Child and the Tower Master
I frowned slightly, then shrugged.
“I dunno.”
Owen’s eyes widened.
“I really don’t know,” I said honestly.
It was true. How could I possibly know what would happen if my secret—my regression—was exposed?
I’d already looked into it as much as I could.
Throughout all of recorded history, there wasn’t a single other regressor.
Not one.
That meant I was the first and only case.
“So… I guess the whole empire—no, the whole continent—would explode with chaos, right?”
For a while, people would probably think the same thing Owen did—that I was a dark magician.
Maybe even the Magic Tower or the Alchemy Academy would come after me, wanting to “study” me.
They’d definitely want to use my body for experiments.
And honestly, I’d be curious too if I were them.
I looked Owen straight in the eye.
“But you wouldn’t do that, would you, Teacher?”
“…”
“Twenty billion tera.”
Owen’s pupils twitched.
“Think about it carefully. You only got that money because of me. You were about to tell Sharon Abner the truth earlier, weren’t you?”
I crossed my arms and gave him a sly look.
“If you’d said that, she wouldn’t have given you even a single two-terra coin.”
Owen bit his lip.
“Sharon Abner doesn’t fall for emotional pleas. She values investments with logic and profit. That’s the kind of person she is.”
That was exactly why I’d interrupted him back then—before he ruined everything.
The moment he said the words ‘lend me money’, Sharon would’ve become wary of him.
Especially now, when she was already short on funds because of the mine shutdown.
‘She’s struggling for capital as it is. Would she welcome someone begging for money?’
I looked at him, my tone firm.
“Teacher, your brother’s alive because of me—Annelia.”
I made sure to say each word clearly, glaring just enough to make my point.
“And you’re going to repay me by exposing my secret?”
Silence fell between us.
Finally, Owen let out a long sigh.
“Fine, fine! I wasn’t planning on saying anything anyway, you little bean!”
Then he ruffled his own hair in frustration.
“…I just had to make sure. You really freaked me out for a second. I thought you might actually be a dark magician.”
“What?!” I stared at him in disbelief.
Owen’s voice sounded half-annoyed, half-exasperated.
“You think I’m stupid? Who knows what you’re capable of? You could curse me in my sleep for all I know.”
“…”
“My future, my brother’s future—and that formula I worked my whole life to perfect—
you looked at it once and understood all of it.”
He rubbed his arm like he’d gotten goosebumps.
“I don’t want more trouble. I’ve got enough to deal with already. So let’s just… keep things simple, alright?”
Then he reached out and pushed down lightly on the top of my head.
“Fine, I’ll do things your way. Just stop giving me that scary look. And don’t worry—I’ll pay you back properly.”
“…”
“So tell me,” he said, sighing, “what is it you actually want?”
***
Later That Night
“Hehehe…”
I hid under my blanket, trying not to giggle out loud.
In my hands was a little notebook filled with messy handwriting.
It listed the names of people I could truly trust inside House Abner.
Miel, Soya, Aunt Mareness, the head chef…
And finally—
Owen.
‘Wendel and the old butler still need to be tested a bit longer…’
I tucked the notebook under my pillow and peeked out from under the blanket.
The ceiling was dotted with the glowing star decorations Miel had spent all afternoon hanging for me.
“Good thing I told Owen the truth.”
It had been a bold move, sure—but not a careless one.
I’d made the decision because of what I remembered from my past life.
Q: What’s the first thing you did after becoming Tower Master?
A: I wanted to make sure no other children died as easily as my brother did. So I donated the rights to my potion formula to a child relief foundation.
Q: I heard you’re selling the potion cheaply so even commoners can afford it—is that true?
A: Yes. I don’t care about profits. I just don’t want to watch kids die anymore.
***
Owen Dennis had been a man who loved his brother dearly.
He’d seen his brother’s face in every sick child he met afterward.
He’d given up his life’s work for charity just so no one else would suffer the same way.
That kind of person wouldn’t betray me.
And I was right.
“…Thank you.”
He hadn’t just kept my secret—he’d even thanked me for helping him save Arwin.
That had caught me completely off guard.
No one had ever thanked me like that before.
‘Whatever. He should be thanking me! I did help him save his brother.’
I turned over in bed and stared at the faint tree-shaped shadows dancing across the curtain.
‘The important part is that I now have someone who can finish the purification solution for me.’
Since I couldn’t complete it myself in this child’s body, I could now do it through Owen—using his name.
Of course, he’d insisted on putting my name as a co-developer.
No matter how many times I told him it would look weird, he refused to back down.
***
“Come on, you said in your last life everyone stole your work, right? If I publish this under my name alone, I’m just doing the same thing to you.”
“It’s different! Back then I was forced! This time, I’m choosing to—”
“Nope. Unless your name’s on the paper too, I’m not doing it.”
“That’s not fair! You said you’d do what I wanted! You liar!”
“Too bad. This is the exception. Find another way if you don’t like it.”
***
He really was as stubborn as his title suggested—the youngest Tower Master in history.
Just thinking about it made me sigh again.
‘Maybe I picked the wrong partner. He’s supposed to be helping me, not arguing with me.’
I groaned into my pillow.
‘Forget it. I’ll just say I gave him the idea, and he finished it himself. Simple.’
But deep down, I knew he’d never let me do that either.
After all, Owen was the kind of man who treated ethics like an unbreakable contract.
‘Ugh. Did I choose too good a person?’
Eventually, I sighed again and pulled the blanket tighter around me.
‘Whatever. I should just sleep.’
The faster I fell asleep, the faster tomorrow would come.
And I had something important to look forward to—
Because in a few days, a special guest was coming to visit the Abner estate.
And to me, that guest was quite significant.
“Nice to meet you.”
I blinked in surprise at the boy smiling warmly at me.
“My name’s Arwin.”
“Uh…”
The guest I’d been waiting for—Owen’s younger brother, Arwin Dennis—had finally arrived.
And he was beautiful.
He had a pale, delicate face and soft light-brown hair.
His eyes, a bright spring-green, sparkled like new leaves.
“My brother told me about you,” he said, stepping forward. “He said you saved my life.”
Before I could stop him, Arwin reached out and held my hands.
“Thank you, Annelia.”
Looking into his big, clear green eyes, I could only nod dumbly.
But deep inside, I couldn’t help thinking—
He’s too kind-looking.
After arguing with Owen for days, I’d realized something important.
He didn’t exactly… cooperate the way I wanted.
“What do you mean ‘research’? You’re a kid. Go to bed.”
“But Teacher! You know how urgent this is! We don’t have time—”
“Eight o’clock bedtime. End of discussion.”
And that wasn’t even the worst of it.
“Just one sip!”
“Of what? Coffee?”
“I haven’t had a drop since I got here! You know my secret—you can at least give me a little!”
“No.”
He was impossibly strict.
And when it came to work—
“Why is my name on this draft?!”
“I told you, I’m not publishing it under my name alone. You helped too.”
“But we agreed I’d stay anonymous!”
“When did I say that? Besides, you’ve already been bragging everywhere that you’re a genius. Don’t be so dramatic. You’re not that special. Lose the ego.”
Owen Dennis was the exact opposite of a helpful assistant.
If anything, he was an obstacle—an antagonist to my plans.
Which was why I’d decided on a new strategy:
Use Arwin.
If I could win over the younger brother, maybe I could keep the older one in line.
But…
Looking at Arwin’s pure, angelic smile made that plan fall apart immediately.
‘How am I supposed to manipulate someone who looks like this?!’
He looked like a springtime angel straight out of a storybook.
Then, in that soft, gentle voice, he asked—
“I hope we can be friends from now on, Annelia. Is that okay?”
I hesitated for a moment—then smiled weakly.
“Y-yeah… okay…”
