I Hit the Back of the Tower Master’s Head - Black Velvet Elegy Web Novel

Episode 12

I couldn’t ask someone who had lost their memory why they were acting like this. I looked at Ruth carefully again. In her dark blue eyes, there was confusion and self-doubt. I knew that look.

My mom used to have that same look when she drank sometimes. Her deep purple eyes, mixed with guilt and regret, would blur in an instant, and the neat, jointed doll sitting in front of her would try to comfort her. I gently patted Ruth’s shoulder, but when Lily accidentally ended up patting Ruth’s stomach, she was startled, but I pretended not to notice. Just bear with it for a bit.

“…What is this about?”

[It seems like you don’t like being touched.]

“I think Lily hates it even more.”

As soon as I paused for a moment, Lily quickly ran away. Ruth rubbed her chin and muttered.

“…I must look like an idiot.”

“….”

“I don’t even know why I’m acting like this.”

[It’s understandable. You must be confused.]

I opened my notebook and showed it to her. I wish I were better with words, maybe then I could comfort Ruth with a kind story.

But I didn’t know her situation, and she didn’t seem to understand why she was being so sensitive, so all I could offer were some basic words.

[It’s because you haven’t gotten your memory back.]

[Trust me.]

[Once you find your memory, you’ll probably laugh and say it wasn’t a big deal.]

Ruth scanned the sentences written in the notebook, her blue eyes making my handwriting seem blurry. It looked like glass marbles. I idly thought about it.

“I’m just whining, aren’t I?”

Ruth murmured softly. Her pale fingers, slowly turning white, traced over the letters, and once the frost melted, the clean nails and calloused fingertips holding the pen were much more noticeable.

[Would you like a cookie?]

[You get all smiley when you eat something sweet.]

“I don’t smile.”

I quietly took the notebook out of Ruth’s large hands and smoothly moved the pen. Ruth mumbled in a barely audible voice.

[I’ll bring the doll, so eat as much as you want.]

I pushed all the cookies Lily had brought in front of Ruth, pretending to be generous. He smiled softly as he looked at my face.

I knocked hard on Albert’s house gate. There was a burning smell coming from inside. After stepping back a few steps, I waited briefly, and the door swung open. As soon as Albert’s sharp brown eyes saw me, they brightened.

“Lunard! What’s going on?”

I moved my hand, holding Kiki under my arm. Albert could understand sign language. In fact, only Ezra, Albert, and Jenny in this village knew sign language.

“I need to tell you something. I think Renée might have developed fire magic. Can you come and check?”

“Renée? Fire magic… That’s something to celebrate, but the location isn’t great. This whole town is made of wooden buildings.”

Albert scanned the village sharply, then smiled kindly and asked me to wait. He quickly ran inside the house. I could hear something crashing and falling. A little while later, Albert came out with a small pouch.

“Alright, let’s go check.”

I led Albert to Theo’s house. After knocking a few times, Renée came out, her eyes sparkling.

“Big sis! Did you fix it?”

I smiled and handed Kiki to Renée. Kiki nervously looked at Renée’s hands but snuggled into her arms. As I moved aside, Albert crouched down to meet Renée’s eyes and asked,

“Renée, are your parents home?”

“Yes! Mom!”

Renée shouted loudly, and Aunt Becky came out from inside.

“Albert?”

“Becky, let’s go inside for a moment. I need to check something with Renée.”

“Oh my… Fire magic, you say?”

“Yes.”

Aunt Becky looked at them in disbelief. We sat around the round table, and Albert pointed at Renée, who was in Carlson’s arms.

“Can I take a look?”

“Of course, go ahead. Just a moment… I’ll bring something to eat.”

“Oh, no need. Even if you say so…!”

Having a wizard in the house was a big deal. Aunt Becky couldn’t hide her joy and rushed to the kitchen. Albert, unable to stop her, placed an old crystal ball on the table. Theo’s face lit up with excitement. Albert smiled.

“Are you excited?”

“Of course, Uncle. Living in a village like this, we don’t get to see magical items often. Is that what it is? A crystal ball to determine magical attributes!”

“You see magical items all the time. All the dolls Lunard makes are magical items.”

“Ah… but dolls… I’ve seen so many of them.”

Theo mumbled while eyeing Kiki. I gave him a sharp look, and he immediately backed off.

“But this is really old.”

“It may be old, but its performance is still reliable.”

“Uncle, big sis, am I really a wizard?”

Renée pushed Theo aside and asked eagerly, her eyes shining. Theo moved aside and chuckled.

[We’re going to check that now.]

I showed Renée the notebook, and she read each word slowly. Albert first placed his hand on the crystal ball. The crystal ball turned a deep, intense purple.

“See? People with magic have the color of the crystal ball change according to their attributes. Purple represents doll magic. As for me…”

Albert placed his hand on the crystal ball, and it turned a fiery red like lava.

“I’m fire. And Renée, you’re probably fire too.”

“Why?”

[Kiki said she saw flames from your hands.]

“Really, Kiki?”

Renée shook Kiki while reading my words. Kiki nodded nervously. Renée hesitated, then placed her little hand on the crystal ball. The ball glowed softly, and a faint red light spilled out. Renée seemed a little disappointed.

“What? Why is it so blurry?”

“That’s because your magic is still unstable.”

Simply put, it’s weak. That’s why kids usually have blurry colors. Theo suddenly raised his hand.

“Uh, Uncle… Can I try it too? You said magic is inherited.”

“It’s not impossible…”

Theo put his hand on the crystal ball, but nothing happened. He lowered his hand, disappointed. Albert patted him on the back.

“Don’t be too disappointed. Magic usually manifests when you’re younger. It won’t happen after 15.”

“I see…”

Aunt Becky came back with dried fruits and nuts. Albert waved his hands in surprise.

“No, why so much?!”

“Take it. Lunard, you eat a lot too. So, is Renée really a wizard?”

I nodded and ate a piece of dried apple. Albert would explain things better than me. I gently tapped his arm, signaling him to explain.

“She has fire magic. When she turns 13, she’ll have to go to Mellow. Commoners go there to learn magic.”

“Uncle, won’t you teach her?”

“Of course, she’s still 11, so I’ll watch over her until she goes to Mellow. Fire magic is really dangerous if used wrong. I’ll teach her how to control it rather than how to use it.”

“Hmm…”

Renée, looking nervous, repeatedly rubbed her hands on her clothes. Carlson seemed interested in hearing more about the National Mellow Magic Academy and leaned closer.

“Can we hear more about the academy?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just learn from Uncle?”

“It’s better to go to the academy, Renée. There are many good wizards there, and they teach systematically. You’ll also get to interact with kids your age. Plus, I’m… well, my magic is a bit… destructive.”

Albert started to ramble, and in the meantime, I jotted down what I knew about the academy in the notebook.

[You can enter from age 13, and it’s a 6-year program, with a promotion test each year. But since tuition is free, unless you’re an exceptional genius, most people take all 6 years.]

Carlson carefully read through the notes. Then Renée snuck in and slowly read it out loud. After gathering his thoughts, Albert spoke again.

“It’s better to learn from the academy than from me, Becky, Carlson. I’m not that great of a wizard.”

“I see… But still, thank you for at least watching over her.”

“We’re neighbors. It’s no big deal. Just make sure to clear away anything flammable for now.”

“When will she start learning?”

Renée’s eyes were sparkling with excitement.

“Let’s see… I need to prepare too, so we’ll start next week. Once a week.”

“Is that enough?”

Theo muttered suspiciously. Renée, eager to learn more magic, nodded in agreement. Kiki, squeezed in Renée’s arms, was wagging her tail and begging for help.

[Magic is hard when you start.]

I slipped the notebook toward Renée.

[Elemental magic is especially tough. Since Renée has fire, she might feel hot. Remember, excess is never good.]

The idea of feeling hot scared Renée, and she hugged Kiki tightly. Kiki, squeezed in Renée’s arms, barely moved.

[Renée, Kiki’s hurt.]

“Oh! Sorry, Kiki…”

Renée quickly separated Kiki and gently blew on her. Kiki, as if nothing had happened, patted Renée’s head.

“Lunard, if the tuition is free, does that mean we just need to come up with money for Mellow?”

Aunt Becky asked, and I recalled the details.

[They have dorms. Dorms are free, but you’ll need to bring your own supplies. They provide textbooks, but you need to bring your own school supplies… It’s better to have some pocket money.]

“Yeah… Can I have that notebook page?”

I ripped out the page and gave it to Aunt Becky. Carlson started writing down what needs to be bought on a blank sheet of paper. Albert patted Carlson on the back.

“Don’t buy anything yet. It’s two years away.”

“Ah, I was just too eager.”

Carlson smiled brightly as he put the pen down. His eyes were full of pride and affection as he looked at Renée. Could we leave now?

[Aunt, I think it’s good enough.]

“Yeah, that’s right. Then, Becky, Carlson, we’ll be going now.”

“Stay longer.”

“I’ve got a lot to do. Next time, I’ll bring some bread.”

Carlson patted Albert on the shoulder, and Albert laughed heartily. As we were about to leave, Aunt Becky rushed to call us back. She had baskets full of raspberries.

“Becky, you don’t need to give us this!”

“Take them. I feel better this way.”

Aunt Becky handed Albert a basket and then one to me.

“Thank you, Lunard. If it weren’t for you, we might have found out too late. Maybe there would’ve been an accident.”

I shook my head. I wanted to write something but couldn’t with my hands full.

“Enjoy. Albert, you too.”

“Yes, yes. Next time, I’ll bring some bread.”

I waved goodbye to Aunt Becky. When I get home, I’ll give these to Lily, and she’ll make tarts or cookies. Ruth eats anything, so she’ll surely like a dessert made from these raspberries.

“You gave a lot. Right, Lunard? Want me to send you some bread too?”

[It’s fine. Lily’s been baking a lot lately.]

Albert laughed loudly.

[Should I make you a helper doll too?]

“Don’t do that. You shouldn’t make dolls for just anyone.”

[But you’re a neighbor. What’s the harm? I’ve made them for others.]

“Hmm… Okay. But, about that young man at your house, what was his name, Rose?”

[Ruth.]

“Right, that friend… If anything happens, come here right away. You can go to Ezra too. Jenny’s not here right now…”

Pinocchio usually solves most things, but… I looked at Albert, who was concerned, and smiled softly, nodding.

[Don’t worry.]

“And if possible… send a letter to your uncle too. It’s better to let him know there’s someone hurt in the house.”