I Hit the Back of the Tower Master’s Head - Chapter 13

Episode 13

I came home after leaving Uncle Albert behind. The table only had an empty plate on it. Ruth was finishing a cup of milk. When our eyes met, she was startled and started coughing loudly.

“Cough! Cough!”

I quickly went over, placed the basket of raspberries on the table, and patted Ruth’s back. Ruth shivered, and Lily, who had been sitting with her legs swinging at the table, shook her head with a look of disappointment.

“Cough, did you get back?”

I nodded slightly. I pushed the basket of raspberries toward Lily, and Ruth wiped her eyes from the tears caused by her coughing and checked the basket.

“Did you buy these?”

[Yes, I brought them. They said thank you for telling me about magic.]

Lily checked the raspberries and asked,

[Are you baking cookies again?]

I shook my head.

‘No, don’t bake anymore. What happened to the chestnuts?’

Lily flicked her hand. Pinocchio, who had been sitting in the corner, walked over with two baskets. One basket was full of shells, and the other was packed with big chestnuts. He must have peeled them all himself since he was holding a knife. I handed Ruth a chestnut. Ruth carefully bit into it. Crunch!

‘Make some chestnut bread.’

I requested from Lily. The leftover chestnuts could just be boiled and eaten, I guess… Ruth quickly finished the chestnut in her hand and slyly grabbed another one.

[Did you finish the book?]

“I’m reading it little by little.”

Ruth smiled faintly.

“But, I don’t think it’s that interesting. It feels like I’m just reading something obvious.”

[Maybe you’ve already read it before you lost your memory.]

Sometimes Ruth would react sensitively, holding her head. Even though she lost her memory, it seemed like her body was still reacting. Maybe the books she read were still in her subconscious. I impulsively asked her,

[Would you like to visit a bookstore together?]

“…Is that okay? You told me not to overdo it when I was a patient.”

[You can ride on Pinocchio’s back.]

“No, I don’t want that.”

Ruth’s face turned pale. Seeing that, Pinocchio waved both hands and responded,

[I don’t want it either.]

I didn’t accept their opinions.

[Pinocchio is strong, so it feels really stable. Once you ride him, you’ll probably want to ride again.]

“…Other people will see us.”

Ruth, with a sigh, defended herself in a small voice. Then what about supporting her instead? I stared at the areas of Ruth’s body where she had injuries. What if she bumps into something while being supported?

“But… if I walk by myself, I think it’ll be fine.”

Ruth started speaking slowly.

“I can walk alone without Pinocchio.”

Should I hold her hand? I glanced at Ruth’s hand, and she quickly shook her head.

“I don’t want to hold hands.”

[What if you fall?]

“If I fall, you’ll fall with me. How will you support me?”

I was thinking it would be Pinocchio… but then I realized the problem. Ruth was embarrassed by Pinocchio!

Pinocchio glared at me in my thoughts. Bang! He lightly hit the table. A round dent was left on the table.

“Pinocchio, are you mad?”

Ruth said, and Bang! Pinocchio hit the table again with a blank expression. The table was going to break. I slapped Pinocchio’s hand. He pretended it hurt and rubbed his hand while pulling it away.

Ruth asked me to translate.

[He’s just sulking. Anyway, do you want to go to the bookstore now? But we’ll take Pinocchio too. No, I’ll finish reading it first.]

Ruth was about to say something, but I tapped my notebook with a pen.

[I often take dolls with me when I go out. Usually, it’s Pinocchio. It’s not because of you; I just take him with me. Got it?]

“…Okay, I got it.”

Ruth nodded seriously. I grabbed some money to buy books, just in case. Ruth awkwardly stood up, adjusted her clothes, and followed me.

[This is your first time in Viola, right? How far did you walk during your stroll?]

Ruth, who was awkwardly looking around Viola, finally noticed the notebook and answered.

“I just walked around the village a few times. I didn’t let Pinocchio near the forest path.”

[There are a lot of tree roots and stones. You could fall.]

Ruth nodded faintly without saying anything. To protect her injuries from being bumped by people, I subtly adjusted my position to shield her. Ruth awkwardly said,

“It’s okay, even if I get bumped a little.”

[Pinocchio pricked you, so it tore. Remember?]

“Normally, people aren’t as strong as Pinocchio’s fingers.”

As we walked, I bumped into a few people, and eventually, Pinocchio cleared the way for us. The path wasn’t crowded, but it was narrow, so we kept bumping into people.

We arrived at the bookstore and paused to take a breath. The elderly man there adjusted his glasses and greeted us.

“Welcome.”

Ruth answered.

“I’ll just browse for a bit, old man.”

“Feel free.”

I pointed to the bookshelf where I had picked out a book for Ruth before.

[The book I gave you was bought here.]

“…Hmm, most of these names are familiar.”

Ruth murmured, scanning the bookshelf with a serious face. But she didn’t dare touch any of the books.

I randomly picked a book and handed it to Ruth. Ruth flipped through it a few times but awkwardly returned it to the shelf.

[Is that familiar too?]

“Yes.”

How many books has she read? Watching Ruth look through the books, I quietly remembered the first time I saw her.

Her sharp, cautious dark blue eyes, her face naturally using magic, threatening me with ice shards. She definitely seemed like a powerful wizard.

The Magic Tower.

I thought about it suddenly as I looked at Ruth, scanning the books with a neutral expression.

I had planned to give her a temporary name based on the Magic Tower leader, but why hadn’t I thought that Ruth could be from the Magic Tower?

Should I send a letter to the Magic Tower? There’s someone here who’s lost their memory. Does anyone know them?

The letter reminded me of when Albert suggested contacting my uncle.

“I think we should go.”

Ruth’s voice brought me back from my thoughts. She smiled faintly.

“I didn’t find any book I liked.”

We said goodbye to the elderly man and left the bookstore.

Uncle,

It’s been a while since I wrote. Please don’t think I’m being too cold. Let me explain, there’s been a sick guest in the house recently. This person lost their memory, and since I’m the cause, I’m letting them stay here until their memory comes back. They lost their memory after being hit by Pinocchio.

The village is peaceful as always. I hope the capital is the same for you.

Recently, Lily has started cooking a lot. She says it’s annoying, but she keeps baking things like cookies, so I think she’s just complaining.

(Continued)

By the way, Uncle, do you know any wizards with blonde hair and dark blue eyes? My guest is an ice magic user, and they have really strong magic. I didn’t think of this at first, but now I feel like they must be from the Magic Tower. If you’re not too busy, could you check for me?

I hope you’re always healthy.

Your unworthy nephew, Lunard Shayen.

Ah, I don’t know what else to write. After writing about the dolls and Ruth’s memory, my hand stopped. When I send this letter, Uncle will probably send back a six-page reply.

I was struggling with what to add, so I wrote that I recently found a child in the village who seems to have magical potential. As I was struggling to add more, Lily brought me a cupcake.

[Eat this and feel better, Lunard.]

I split the cupcake with lots of raisins in half and chewed. Lily tilted her head, seeing my gloomy face.

[What happened?]

‘I’m having trouble writing a letter.’

Lily replied,

[Then don’t write it!]

I quietly sent Lily outside my studio. While chewing on the raisins, I saw Ruth, sitting on the sofa beyond the door, eating the cupcake slowly.

When Lulu saw the crumbs on the floor, she slapped Ruth’s calf.

“Ugh, sorry.”

Ruth awkwardly smiled, pulled her feet in, and began picking up the cupcake crumbs with one hand. She then met Lulu’s gaze. Lulu looked around the floor of my studio with her black bead eyes before approaching and scolding.

[You spilled everything!]

I slumped in my chair, helplessly listening to the scolding. Ruth, noticing me being scolded by Lulu, awkwardly smiled. It was a familiar face. I approached Ruth, avoiding Lulu.

[Which do you like more, cookies or cupcakes?]

“I like both.”

Ruth quickly answered and finished the cupcake in her hand, then drank some water.

“Well… the cookies are sweeter, so…”

[You like them more?]

“Yes, I like them more.”

Ruth nodded seriously.

I made these cupcakes less sweet by adding raisins… Next time, I’ll make sure to give her a really sweet one. Maybe I should tell Lily to make a dessert?

Lily yelled from the kitchen that she was annoyed, but I ignored her, knowing she’d make it anyway.

After eating a satisfying cupcake, sleepiness slowly crept in. Ruth’s eyes were also closing slightly. I noticed she was holding her injury area with one hand, meaning the trip to the bookstore had probably been tiring for her. Maybe I should have forced her to ride Pinocchio.

[If you’re sleepy, go sleep.]

“You look sleepy too.”

Ruth smiled faintly and replied. She grabbed the last cupcake, split it in half, and handed one half to me. I blinked and watched as Ruth chewed the cupcake, then I followed and stuffed my mouth full.

Soon, I lightly touched Ruth’s injury. She flinched hard. The bandages and clothes were covering it, so I couldn’t feel the temperature. I showed her the notebook, wanting to check if it had gotten worse.

[Let’s see if it’s infected.]

“It wouldn’t have gotten worse just by going out.”

Ruth murmured as she obediently lifted her shirt. I carefully untied the bandage. I asked Lulu to bring some disinfectant and sprayed it again on the injury. Ruth frowned, but didn’t make a sound.

“Now I’m fully awake.”

[That’s a lie.]

Ruth faintly smiled when she saw what I wrote. I tightened the bandage and patted Ruth’s back.

[Go sleep.]

“Okay.”

Ruth didn’t hesitate to stand up and wobbled into her mother’s room. I watched as the door quietly closed, and then I went into my own room. A faint sunlight streamed through the curtains, making it a perfect time for a nap.