I Hit the Back of the Tower Master’s Head - Chapter 23

Episode 23

About Love

After waking up five days later, Ruth was different. Even her way of speaking had changed. Meanwhile, the magic that usually stretched out dangerously seemed to be unusually calm. I squinted my eyes and watched Ruth. She looked pale but colder than usual.

When I asked if she had remembered anything, she didn’t answer. She just looked confused. Her navy-blue eyes were trembling slightly.

“…I don’t know.”

After a long pause, she whispered.

“I had a dream.”

[What kind of dream?]

Ah, I shouldn’t have asked her that right after she woke up. I quickly showed Ruth my notebook.

[If you don’t want to answer, it’s okay.]

Ruth silently looked down at the notebook. She must be hungry, so I thought I should get her something to eat. I wrote in the notebook that I would bring her some soup when suddenly, Ruth spoke.

“It was a very… cold and sad winter.”

“I was begging for bread…”

Ruth’s voice was getting softer, so I leaned forward to listen more clearly. Her eyes were staring off into the distance.

“Sa, ram…”

Ruth’s blue eyes looked at me, then suddenly turned toward the window. I subconsciously lifted my head.

“Ah…”

Stars were falling like rain from the sky. The timing was perfect. I quickly got up, fully opened the window, and tied the curtains back. Normally, I would have gone out to watch, but through the window, I could see the village people standing on rooftops. Laughter spread in the wind.

[Remember we were supposed to go up on the roof to watch?]

“…Yes.”

[If that’s not possible, we were going to lie down and watch from the ground.]

“You can go out now.”

[No.]

[You hurt your head.]

Ruth gently touched the writing in the notebook. The still-wet ink spread across her fingers. I quickly wiped her fingers with a wet cloth.

“…It would have been prettier if I saw it from outside…”

Ruth murmured while staring at the window. I moved the chair to adjust her position so she could see outside more comfortably.

The stars were still falling.

For a while, we didn’t speak. I couldn’t speak, and she didn’t say anything. We just stared at the distant night sky.

Suddenly, I felt regret. It would have been nice if I could have spoken to her. But to write and read, one inevitably has to take their eyes off the sky.

It wasn’t that I had never felt sad that I couldn’t speak, but it had been such a long time since I felt the longing to talk to someone.

“Are you… not scared of me?”

Ruth broke the long silence. I tore my gaze from the mesmerizing sky and looked at Ruth. She was looking at me, too.

My hand, my pen, my notebook.

[What is there to fear?]

“I’m an ice wizard.”

[I don’t really understand.]

“I could freeze you anytime. It would be so easy to kill you.”

[All magic is dangerous.]

I calmly moved my pen.

[My puppet could crush your head. If I ordered it, it would hurt you without hesitation. Are you scared of me?]

“That’s… not what I mean. It’s different. I…”

[It’s not different. If you were a fire wizard, you could burn this house down. If you were a water wizard, you could drown me. There’s no end to it. Magic is always dangerous. That’s the first thing every wizard learns.]

Even healing magic, when overdone, weakens the body’s immune system and natural healing abilities. Magic can be dangerous and vicious depending on the user, or it can be kind and gentle.

“Your magic is different! You don’t know how beautiful your magic is!”

[It’s not different.]

I placed my hand on hers, as if to protect myself. Ruth flinched slightly. I moved my pen.

[Do you want me to fear you? Do you want me to stay away? Do you want me to not touch you?]

“It’s dangerous, dangerous…”

Ruth stammered. Her face, which had looked cold, now seemed full of confusion, like a child.

[You’re clearly aware of the danger of your magic. You know its risks.]

[Are you going to attack me?]

“No.”

She whispered firmly.

“…You saved me. I don’t forget kindness.”

[See? There are a lot of people in the world who forget kindness.]

[There’s no reason for me to be afraid of you.]

[If you hurt me, my puppets will try to bury you in the mountain.]

I smiled slightly. Ruth blinked, dazed.

[You should be afraid of my puppets.]

Ruth’s eyes reflected the stars. Through her eyes, I saw the stars still falling.

The night sky felt more like a glass bead than the sky.

Tears fell like stars in the deep blue night sky.

[Now, I suppose it’s time for me to hear another apology or thank you from you?]

I smiled and shook the notebook. Ruth, who had been looking at me for a long time, quietly muttered.

“I feel like I’m becoming a fool when I’m around you.”

[You’re not becoming a fool, you’re just being honest.]

[Do you know how helpful it is to have a friend you can open up to?]

“…Thank you.”

In a joking manner, a tear ran down Ruth’s cheek. I was stunned. Her body trembled slightly. I awkwardly stood up, patted her shoulder, and found that her shoulder was so thin that I unconsciously pulled her into an embrace.

Just like how my mother used to hug me when I cried, missing my father.

The stars falling from the sky felt like her magic. Evan remembered clearly.

The beautiful wave of stars flowing under the light. It was different from his cold and harsh ice magic.

You don’t fear me, nor do you revere me.

His throat felt tight, and his stomach churned. The purple eyes quietly reflected Evan. The image of himself that appeared in those eyes was pathetic.

Who would think of him as the master of the tower? He was just a coward, a pitiful fool.

You don’t know how dangerous my magic can be. How I froze someone, how I shattered them.

This kindness is a mistake born from your ignorance.

But why does it feel so comforting?

How have I so easily opened my heart to you? Even though I lost my memory, how could I trust you so easily? How?

[Now, I suppose it’s time for me to hear another apology or thank you from you?]

She smiled gently. It was a beautiful sight.

The light brown wood walls. The turquoise curtains. The window wide open, the velvet-like night sky beyond.

Under the sky filled with falling stars, Lunaris Cheyenne was there.

Her pale purple hair swayed in the wind coming through the window. Her dark purple eyes shimmered like dawn. The moonlight gathered in the hollows of her pale skin, and her playful smile…

“You make me feel like a fool when I’m with you.”

This town is strange. It’s so peaceful and beautiful that it makes people feel uneasy. It lowers the barriers of the heart, making people feel no need to be defensive when someone steps into it.

It’s because of this town. The reason I act so foolishly in front of you is because of this town.

I lost my memory, trembling in fear, and spoke like a child in front of you. How pathetic and weak I am. And you, writing only beautiful words with your delicate pen, how…

“…Thank you.”

…For everything.

My eyes burned. Lunaris Cheyenne looked surprised. When she’s flustered, she always opens her eyes wide, blinks rapidly, and fidgets with her hands.

But the next move was completely unexpected.

Her white hand gently touched my shoulder. Evan blinked without realizing it.

In the blink of an eye, a small figure wrapped around him. The strength was weak and fragile, enough to push away easily. Her pale purple hair smelled of sunlight. Like a child comforting me, she patted my shoulder.

I raised my head and saw faint worry on her face.

I realized, as if I had been doused with cold water.

Only you worry about me. You don’t fear me, but instead, you tell me that your magic can hurt me.

“Thank you.”

My churning stomach calmed, and my heart raced so much it felt like it might leap out of my throat. Lunaris carefully wiped my cheek with a wet cloth.

[Are you okay?]

“Yes.”

[You must be hungry, I’ll tell Lily to bring you some soup.]

[The stars will keep falling until dawn. Let’s eat and watch the rest.]

[I hope you feel better soon.]

“Much better.”

Evan whispered kindly. He hid his cold thorns, covering his pounding heart, and smiled cleanly and softly. He didn’t want to show his clumsy and inadequate self anymore.

“Lunaris.”

The name he spoke for the first time was sweeter than cookies, softer than soufflé. Lunaris’s eyes widened slightly. Lunaris. He rolled the name in his mouth again. It was a round and lovely name.

Lunaris smiled mischievously. The corners of her eyes folded kindly, and her cheeks turned a cute pink. It was a pleasant sight.

“I… still don’t have full memories. They’re fragmented.”

Evan whispered with his eyes half-lowered, looking like he was embarrassed.

“…So, could I stay here a bit longer?”

[Of course, you can.]

Lunaris neatly wrote in the notebook.

[And actually… it was partly our child’s fault that your memory got lost…]

[It wasn’t that I wanted to keep it a secret forever. It’s just…]

[I’m really sorry. I’ll do my best to take care of you until your memory returns.]

[Sorry it took so long.]

[Should’ve told you earlier.]

Lunaris’s hands started to shake slightly. She fumbled with her writing. I smiled lightly. Her memory was coming back. Everything, from when the foolish old Evan tried to freeze Lunaris, to when Pinocchio smartly hit the back of his head.

“It’s okay. So, you’re letting me stay?”

There’s no reason not to use this opportunity.

[Do you remember my name?]

“No. But I really like the name Ruth.”

One day, I’ll have to stop this lie. But Evan Ruskanell will always be Ruth because that’s the name Lunaris gave him.

“I’ll… always be Ruth.”

Lunaris, because I like you.

This was the beginning of first love.