The Villainess Who Accidentally Stole Their Hearts - Chapter 34
Chapter 17.2
“Y-Yes, exactly! He didn’t mean it! These days, people call it… what was it? A coy and bashful person? Yes, that’s right!”
“Now, Tower Master! Please move aside. Should we call for the former master?!”
Throughout all of this, the Master of the Magic Tower and I exchanged quiet glances.
The Tower Master gave a brief, amused chuckle.
“Hah. It’s just money.”
It was then.
“Did you just say ‘just money’?!”
“Do you even know how much funding the Tower Master burns through for his research?!”
“Just yesterday, you bought a demon’s heart! The day before, a spirit’s soul stone! And today, you want us to get you the scales of a mermaid king!”
“As if the Tower Master would know! You’re locked away in your research! What do you understand about us having to go out and kill spirits ourselves just to scrape together a single gold coin?!”
“Do you have any idea where the wizards who quit ended up? The Adventurer’s Guild! That’s right! After so much monster hunting, they figured they might as well make it their new profession!”
…I didn’t even need to say anything.
Overcome with frustration, the wizards clutched their collars as they yelled.
Just kill us already!
I can’t do this anymore!
If the Magic Tower is doomed anyway, I might as well chase my new dream and become an assassin!
While the wizards were practically on the verge of collapsing as they yelled, the Tower Master clicked his tongue in annoyance—tsk.
̊ · : * ✧ * : · ̊
The Tower Master’s chamber.
A spread of various dishes was laid out on the table before me as I sat on the sofa.
“Caramel tea. It’s been a trendy choice among noble ladies lately.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know since I only drink mint chocolate.”
“What are you standing around for?! She wants mint chocolate!”
From the right, a chubby wizard ran by, shouting, “Mint chocolate! Mint chocolate!”
“Are you feeling cold? My specialty is fire magic; I can warm—”
“No, I’m actually a bit hot.”
“Then, from this moment forward, I’m an ice wizard. Hurry up and bring an ice crystal!”
On my left, a thin wizard darted around, chanting, “Ice crystal! Ice crystal!”
“For the refreshments, I’ve prepared dacquoise. A soft dessert is the perfect match for tea—”
“I’ll have almond cookies.”
“A proper tea pairing needs a satisfying crunch! Almond cookies are the way to go! I’ll be back before you know it!”
Huuuff! Ha! Huff! Haa!
The wizards, already lacking in physical activity, gasped for breath as they scurried around. Meanwhile, the Tower Master, resting his chin on his hand, observed the commotion and let out an amused scoff.
“You manage my slaves quite well.”
“If I had a choice, I’d prefer to command the king of slaves.”
At the mention of ‘king of slaves,’ the Tower Master’s eye twitched. I merely shrugged, as if to say, And? What of it?
If all wizards were just slaves, then the Tower Master—their leader—must be the king of slaves, right? I flashed a carefree smile, but the wizards wore nervous expressions. Despite their earlier outburst of anger, it seemed they were still intimidated by the Tower Master.
The atmosphere was thick with tension.
With a brief chuckle, the Tower Master took a seat in the chair across from me.
“We fall under the same classification, so your words aren’t entirely incorrect. You’re not as much of an idiot as I expected. I’ll give you five minutes.”
I smiled brightly.
Finally, he was willing to have a conversation.
“I need this to dissolve only curses.”
As I opened the box and showed it to the Master of the Magic Tower, the wizards standing behind him also glanced into the box.
“Petra?”
“That’s poison.”
“You’re trying to dissolve a curse with poison?”
The wizards exchanged bewildered looks. It was the same expression an engineer might have if someone asked them to build a time machine.
“Uh, My Lady, well… I don’t even know where to begin… Just because something can be imagined doesn’t mean it can exist—”
“Magic isn’t something you can just dissolve like that, Lady.”
“Why not?”
“Because… magic isn’t a tangible, physical substance.”
“It may not be tangible, but it still exists.”
“….!”
“….!!”
The wizards, who had been looking at me as if I were an ignorant child, suddenly changed their expressions. It was a very simple statement, yet that was precisely why it struck at the essence of the truth.
The Tower Master, who had been quiet up until now, finally spoke.
“If something exists, it can be destroyed. Just like how magic can be countered—essentially broken—by other magic. However…”
His gaze, which had been fixed on Petra, slowly shifted to me.
His eyes locked onto mine as he continued.
“There’s a problem with using poison to dissolve magic.”
“Petra itself isn’t the issue. It’s a ‘creation of magic.’”
Destroying magic with magic… that meant it still followed the same fundamental rule. The Tower Master lowered the hand that had been supporting his chin.
“Impressive that you knew. Bethril couldn’t have discovered that.”
It was only because of my knowledge before my regression and my 〈 Detective Agency 〉 ability.
The brown-haired wizard exclaimed loudly.
“Y-You’re right! This could actually work!”
“I’m not just trying to break the curse. I want to dissolve only the curse, nothing else.”
“…Hmm.”
The wizards watched the Tower Master anxiously, waiting for his response. They were clearly nervous that this major sponsor, meaning my request, would be dismissed without a second thought.
‘The only thing that moves the Tower Master is curiosity.’
He was someone who couldn’t be swayed by money or power.
In that case…
‘Investigating the Master of the Magic Tower.’
I figured from the beginning that I wouldn’t be able to investigate the Tower Master anyway.
So instead, I shifted my gaze to the brown-haired wizard standing next to him. Judging by how he clung to the Tower Master, he was likely the head slave—no, the head researcher.
— Age: 17
— Gender: Male
….
— Talents: Cryomancy (C-rank) / Cleaning, Drink-Making, Nagging, Pulling All-Nighters, Holding Grudges
— Potential: Cryomancy (C-rank), Auxiliary Magic (B-rank)
‘Right now, his skill lies in ice magic, but his potential is greater in auxiliary magic…’
“It would be better for you to switch your specialization.”
Brown’s face flushed crimson before he suddenly lost his composure.
“I-I have no intention of majoring in drink-making, Professor—no, Lady!”
“….?”
“Ah, uh—wasn’t it because you liked the mint chocolate I made?”
“…No, I’m telling you to change your specialization from ice magic to support magic.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re naturally more gifted in that field.”
Just then, the Tower Master cut in.
“How did you know that?”
“What are you saying, Tower Master?! I only studied support magic as a supplementary subject! But my ice magic is at four stars! For my age, that’s considered prodigious!”
“That’s as far as you’ll go. Now, tell me. How did you figure out his magical talent at a glance?”
The Tower Master’s attention was now entirely fixed on me, unlike earlier.
His posture showed he wouldn’t let this go without an explanation.
‘Anyone would be irritated if an outsider started poking around in their area of expertise.’
Especially when they hit the mark too accurately to ignore. For a researcher like him, he wouldn’t be able to rest until he got to the bottom of whatever was bothering him.
I rested against the back of the chair, crossing my arms.
“I only talk to people who can be of use to me.”
“I have no interest in talking to idiots.”
A smirk curled at the Tower Master’s lips.
“One week. I’ll solve it within that time. But in exchange, give me two hours of your time.”
“Alright, but I have one more condition.”
“One more?”
“There’s something I need, and you’re the only one who can give it to me.”
The Tower Master’s eyes narrowed.
“I suppose I’ll have to extend our conversation time.”
Before my regression, the Master of the Magic Tower had never received anyone’s help. But now, I had successfully formed a connection with the invaluable Tower Master.
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