I Hit the Back of the Tower Master’s Head - Chapter 11

Episode 11:

Occupational Therapy Operation

While Lily went off to bake some cookies with a pout on her face, I checked the bed again. It would be too much to use Mom’s room today, right? Lulu was complaining about her back hurting as she went off to do laundry. “Should I give up my room?” Before I could ask, Ruth beat me to it.

“I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“I’m not so rude as to steal the owner’s bed. And…”

Ruth looked at the bed soaked with ice remnants and spoke.

“If I take your bed, where are you going to sleep?”

[I’ll just sleep on the couch.]

“No.”

[You’re still a patient.]

“I’m not a patient anymore…”

[You just went for a walk with Pinocchio earlier.]

“That’s something you said.”

Ruth’s eyes narrowed a little. In the meantime, Lily came back with the cookies. Given how quickly she returned, she must’ve just reheated them. We stopped talking and ate the cookies.

The sweetness of the cookies seemed to calm Ruth down, and her eyes became clearer. Ruth ate five cookies in a row and then spoke firmly.

“As I said… we don’t need Pinocchio anymore.”

[Isn’t it sad how you just ditched Pinocchio like that?]

“No, it’s not like I ditched him…”

Ruth looked at her notebook in a bit of panic. Just then, Pinocchio came up beside me, face buried in his hands, dramatically collapsing on the floor and pretending to cry. Ruth immediately got up to approach him but knocked over the cookie plate in the process.

Crash! The cookies spilled all over, and the plate broke. Pinocchio, Ruth, and I fell silent. Hearing the commotion, Lily and Lulu immediately rushed over and began playfully hitting Ruth on the head.

“Wait, wait, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

At first, Ruth tried to laugh it off, but once Lily started pulling her hair, Ruth let out a groan and surrendered.

“You dirtied the floor!”

Lulu was angry about the extra cleaning she’d have to do.

“How dare you drop the cookies I made?!”

Lily was mad about the cookies getting spilled.

Electric static made Ruth press down on her floating hair with her hand, murmuring softly.

“…I’ll sleep on the couch.”

I awkwardly nodded, and Pinocchio, as if never crying, stood up with a blank expression.

The blankets were fresh and fluffy the next day. Lulu brought in the bed and placed it on top of the freshly made bed that smelled of sunlight.

Ruth had found some peace after eating the cookies. After thinking about it all night, I woke up early and asked Lily to bake a fresh batch. Lily grumbled but made several kinds of cookies.

“I need to buy more flour,” I thought, counting the remaining flour. While I was packing the cookies neatly into the basket, Ruth quietly approached and asked.

“Are these for a gift?”

[Yes. I should return the favor for the fish.]

It felt like the lady would probably try to give us something in return. I smiled faintly, and Ruth hesitated before taking one of the cookies. I pushed the plate toward her to encourage her to eat more. Ruth then made herself comfortable and started nibbling on the cookie.

[Ruth really seems to like sweet things.]

“…Yeah, I can’t stop eating them.”

Ruth didn’t deny it.

“The meals are so delicious too… I guess it’s thanks to Lily’s cooking.”

Lily’s shoulders lifted slightly.

[I’m glad it suits you. I’m not one to eat much, and Lily used to complain about it a lot.]

[Thanks to Ruth eating well, we’ve managed to use up all the ingredients in the pantry without wasting anything.]

Ruth quietly stared at her notebook. I flipped a page and began doodling with my pen.

[I’m going out for a bit.]

“Ah… Be safe.”

Now, it felt like we were really getting used to saying goodbye. Ruth weakly waved her hand, and I nodded slightly. A faint smile appeared beneath the unusually bright sunlight. As Ruth softened, I too was becoming more familiar with her.

“Oh my, Lunard.”

[This is to return the favor for the fish you gave us.]

“Why would you bring something like this?”

Aunt Becky smiled brightly as she accepted the cookies, thanked me, and called Theo. Theo, looking bothered, reluctantly headed to the storage room as instructed. The cookies were transferred to a plate, and the empty basket was filled with large chestnuts.

[This is too much.]

“Too much? Don’t you remember the injured young man? Was his name Rose?”

It was Ruth.

“Anyway, those chestnuts will disappear soon enough. You know how much those kids eat.”

Aunt Becky laughed cheerfully while pointing at Theo, who was standing around, looking lost.

“Even Theo’s been eating like there’s no tomorrow.”

“Oh, Mom…”

Theo grumbled. I touched the smooth chestnuts and then gave my greetings.

[Thank you.]

“You’re welcome.”

“Aunt, hello. Lunard’s here too?”

With a cheerful voice, Annie entered, holding a sandwich stuffed with egg salad. I waved lightly at Annie.

“Annie. What’s up?”

“I made some extra sandwiches and brought them. You gave us fish last time.”

“You didn’t have to.”

At Annie’s words, Aunt Becky smiled happily and sent Theo off to fetch chestnuts. Theo went without saying a word. I noticed his ears were slightly red.

Could it be… Annie?

I glanced at Annie. She was deliberately ignoring Theo, clearly pretending not to notice him. I narrowed my eyes.

“Annie, Annie.”

Behind Aunt Becky, Renée peeked her face out. Renée was holding a limp squirrel doll, Kiki.

“Kiki got hurt.”

“Dolls don’t get hurt.”

Annie mumbled. I shrugged and took Kiki from Renée’s hands. Kiki’s tail was singed. Had it been near a fire? Hadn’t it been broken and slightly scorched before too? Kiki trembled.

[Renée burned me…]

Kiki whispered with a weak voice. I asked.

“Did Renée throw you into an oven?”

[No, there were sparks from Renée’s hands. I saw it!]

Kiki was terrified.

[It was almost burned completely!]

I patted Kiki gently, and Renée asked with a worried face.

“Is Kiki really hurt badly?”

[It’s fine.]

Renée fumbled through her notebook, trying to read the messy handwriting. I quickly scanned Renée’s surroundings. I had to look for any traces of magic. Maybe Renée had magical potential.

“What’s wrong? Why the serious face?”

Theo, carrying a large amount of chestnuts, blinked at me. I shook my head quickly and patted Renée’s head.

[Kiki will be okay.]

“Yeah, please take care of it.”

Renée whispered while holding onto Aunt Becky’s hem. I said goodbye to Aunt Becky, Theo, and Annie, holding the trembling Kiki, and went back home.

When I opened the door, Kiki immediately ran to Lulu and clung to her. Lulu dropped the duster she was holding and gently patted Kiki with her wings.

“A doll? Are you going to fix it?”

[Yes, and there are crumbs on the mouth.]

I nodded and pointed out the crumbs on Kiki’s mouth. Ruth quickly rubbed her lips to clean them.

[Its tail got singed.]

“It must’ve been near fire.”

[Maybe the child who received the doll showed some magic.]

“…Magic?”

Ruth muttered softly. I didn’t see her expression as I hugged Kiki and took her to my workspace. It would be better to replace the fabric at the tail part completely. Kiki freaked out at the thought of her tail fabric being removed.

[It’ll hurt!]

“It’s okay, it won’t hurt.”

I fixed Kiki in the workspace, removed all the fabric from her tail, and attached new cloth. Kiki, who had been struggling, finally realized it didn’t hurt and froze awkwardly.

[Is Renée a wizard?]

After fixing her tail, Kiki asked. I shrugged.

“Maybe?”

But what about a fire magic user in a forest village like this? That’s dangerous. We have to be careful; a single mistake could burn the whole forest down. There are too many things that could catch fire. Should I tell Uncle Albert? He’s a fire wizard.

“Are you sure you saw sparks?”

I asked Kiki again.

“It could’ve been lightning.”

Kiki shook her head firmly.

[It was definitely fire! What will happen to Renée?]

“If she’s definitely a wizard, she should go to the Academy.”

Most magic attributes are inherited. Even in my family, all the children are doll wizards.

Noble children typically receive magic from their parents or elders. Sometimes, they invite wizards from the magic tower, but most of the time, they learn from family members. I was taught magic by my mother.

On the other hand, commoners don’t often meet wizards when they’re young. Most wizards live in the capital, Philoa, or the magic city, Mellow, and even if a child is lucky enough to be born there, the cost of inviting a wizard is high.

That’s why, for commoners who want to learn magic, there’s a National Mellow Magic Academy in the magic city. And if noble families don’t have money or anyone to teach magic, they send their children there too.

The Empire treats wizards as precious resources, so all tuition is free, but the ideal entry age is 13.

Renée is only 11, so she needs an adult to make sure nothing happens before she can go to the Academy.

Okay. I need Uncle Albert.

I stood up to call Uncle Albert, and Ruth was sitting on the couch, pressing her forehead. I approached Ruth.

[Do you have a headache?]

“…It’s not that bad.”

Ruth muttered. I poured a glass of milk and handed it to her. Ruth slowly took the cup and drank the milk.

[It might be a sign that your memory is returning.]

“I hope so.”

I quietly thought about the way she whispered with a tired tone.

Ruth had completely frozen the bed earlier. Could she have used magic to trigger her memory? If so, maybe using magic would help her remember.

[Ruth, would you like to try practicing magic?]

“I’m not doing that.”

She muttered. Her long fingers had a faint glow. Ruth’s dark blue eyes trembled slightly. I grabbed her hand without thinking. It felt as cold as the first snow of winter.

She flinched, startled by my body heat, and pulled her hand away. Then she quickly looked at my hand. It was slightly red. It had also cooled down since before.

“…Are you hurt?”

Her face contorted. Does she feel repulsed by magic? I fumbled with my notebook. Should I ask her if she hates magic? Would she feel hurt?

“Are you hurt?”

Ruth asked again. Guilt flickered in her blue eyes. What was going on? Why was she so scared? I looked at her and shook my head. I wasn’t hurt. Kiki, hidden in my arms, was carefully watching us.