Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Magic Tower's Response
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The warm afternoon sunlight poured down onto the terrace. Even as I sat in the chair, mercilessly chomping away at the hard cookies, my anger refused to subside.
‘Ramen got into a massive fight with the kangaroo and recklessly cut off the contract, forcing us to pull in the Horse Family, huh?’
A rumor I'd overheard while walking down the annex corridor.
Ramen had clashed with Mark Robni, the head of Kangaroo Territory, causing an important deal to fall through. With no other choice, they were planning a political marriage with Jeb Horse to secure a new contract.
It was a story I'd picked up from the maids, who hadn't noticed I was nearby.
It was so absurd that a chuckle escaped my lips.
As the head responsible for governing our already fragile Sheep Territory, he picks a fight with the leader of our most vital trading partner?
I had no idea what had sparked the argument—the maids didn't know either—but given his personality, it was probably just his temper flaring up uncontrollably.
Whatever happened to the positive public image he'd maintained all this time...
News of Ramen quarreling with another territory's leader had already hit the Sheep Territory papers with screaming headlines: Shock! Ramen Morton Clashes with Mark Robni! Historic Magic Support Contract Terminated!
‘How long has it even been since he became Family Head?’
His parents had passed away just two years ago, and he'd shattered the contract they'd poured a fortune into upholding in a matter of no time.
‘So that's why they called the kangaroos arrogant.’
Even so, trying to sell me off? It'd be better to just take money like the kangaroos do. What kind of nonsense is demanding a person—no, a beastkin—as payment?
Unable to quell my rage, I huffed and puffed, and no one dared enter my bedroom.
“You think I'll just sit here quietly?”
I crossed my arms and glared at the pen and stationery laid out on the table.
‘What should I write?’
From what I remembered, after the original heroine entered the Magic Tower, the Sheep Territory began receiving their support.
Before that, the idea of the Magic Tower aiding anyone was unthinkable.
The Magic Tower was a ruthless profit-driven organization, indifferent enough to ignore magic-related crimes across the continent.
On top of that, it was an object of terror for all beastkin. If you weren't a Magic Tower mage trying to visit, you'd get lost forever in the surrounding Forest of Darkness. Displease them, and rumors abounded of gruesome torture or being turned into a magic experiment subject.
The Tower was notoriously capricious—figuring out what might offend them was next to impossible.
‘In truth, it's best not to even dream of contacting them if you want to live safely.’
Even sane mages turned savage once inside the Tower. Just thinking about how much the original heroine must have suffered adapting there...
Recalling those episodes, the Tower's mages were definitely intimidating.
But compared to sitting idly by and marrying that slimy creep, gambling a little hope on the Magic Tower seemed better. The heroine had pulled it off—what couldn't I do?
‘The Tower in the original story was scary, but not so merciless as to kill a beastkin over a single letter.’
It was a gamble based solely on the Tower's vibe from the original, but doing nothing and just waiting went against my nature.
As I reached for the pen, my eyes caught the back of the sofa. With the sofa facing away from the table, it was hard to see, but a glimpse of sky-blue hair fluttered near the armrest.
It was Ed, who'd trailed after me since early morning and finally dozed off under the warm afternoon sun.
I regretted the distance from the table—it kept me from seeing him more clearly.
The sofa where Ed slept faced the window, a setup I'd arranged myself.
“You've got to be clever to get things done right.”
“You're distracting—go read your book quietly where I won't notice.”
Thanks to that, Ed had been reading under the cozy sunlight when he nodded off and fell asleep.
‘A kid his age reading such a tough book is bound to get sleepy.’
Tucked securely in Ed's arms was a tome as thick as any advanced textbook.
I had to resort to tricks just to get him to nap. If only I could sweetly tell him to lie down and rest easy...
‘Sigh, first things first...’
Time to handle what needed doing.
I set to work, scribbling away with the pen. Though I had no memories of Lami's life, I possessed the basic knowledge to survive in this world, so the curly script flowed easily from my hand.
The letter to the Magic Tower briefly outlined recent events and requested a magic support deal on those grounds.
Keep it secret from the Family Head for now—please send any reply to Lami Morton directly.
Once I'd neatly folded the letter, slipped it into pristine stationery, dripped wax, and stamped it with the family crest, a new problem arose.
To send it, I'd need someone reliable—but ordering a Morton servant would mean word reaching Ramen for sure.
I had to handle this without his knowledge, so I needed a discreet errand beastkin.
‘In this mansion, the only one I can trust with this is...’
Ed.
Most ordinary beastkin didn't know this, but surprisingly, every territory had a magic circle linking directly to the Magic Tower.
Established by the first Tower Lord as a sort of continental welfare network, its use plummeted after he was replaced.
The next lord was capricious and cruel, and every successor after him shared that vicious temperament. Naturally, beastkin fear of the Tower only grew.
With no one using them, the circles were gradually forgotten—many beastkin didn't even know they existed, let alone their locations.
But I knew, thanks to the original story.
Ed just had to go there, place the letter on the circle, confirm it vanished, and come back.
I quickly went to fetch Ed.
Tap tap tap.
The anxious tapping of my fingers filled the quiet room.
It had been over a week since I'd sent Ed with the letter to the Magic Tower. Still no reply.
‘If you're not interested in a deal, at least send a rejection.’
What if the letter hadn't gone through?
‘No, Ed definitely confirmed it disappeared.’
Sitting around waiting was making me so restless I could barely stand it.
I wanted to bolt to the Tower right now, grab the first mage I saw, and plead for a deal.
“Ha...”
If the Tower wouldn't deal, then my second option was...
The gems scattered across the table glittered chaotically. Lami had hoarded so many that they covered the table, with plenty still left on the vanity.
‘Sell these, scrape together some funds, and get out of this mansion.’
Buy a little house in some quiet village and live alone.
As for Ed tracking me down... An idiot like Ramen might not, but the Wolf Territory's head could probably find me easily enough.
I wanted to take him back to Wolf Territory myself, but I couldn't figure out how.
The original Lami never would have dreamed of such a thing, but with my six years of solo living experience, housework was a piece of cake as long as I had the funds for a place.
Knock knock.
Something tapped at the window.
Peck peck.
Not quite a knock—more like a beak pecking?
Was a sparrow mistaking the glass for something and pecking away? I headed to the large window on one side of the room.
“Eek!”
I nearly tumbled over in shock.
A black bird with glowing eyes was rhythmically pecking at the window with its beak.
Click. I opened the window, and with a flutter, the bird flew in as if it owned the place, landing squarely on the table.
“Eh? I didn't invite you in.”
-Doesn't opening the door count as an invitation?
A strange male voice suddenly echoed through the room.
Shiver.
Goosebumps prickled across my skin. Had that bird just spoken? Oh—wait, was it a beastkin?
Were there beastkin whose eyes glowed like that?
-Come over and have a seat.
This was clearly my room, yet the bird gestured to a spot like it was hosting. Then it twisted its neck with a creepy creak to stare at me.
“Who are you?”
My voice came out laced with wariness, cracking slightly at the end. My face burned from the off-note, but this wasn't the time to care.
-Strange. Didn't you personally send a letter proposing a deal?
“Ah!”
I rushed to the table, yanked out a chair, and plopped down, swiftly morphing my suspicious expression into one of pure innocence.
“Is this a reply from the Magic Tower?”
My tense hands grew slick with sweat. For someone like me, who'd been holed up in the mansion almost nonstop since possessing this body, attempting contact with the Tower was a monumental step.
I'd only dared because of the original story's info—without it, I never would have sent that letter blindly.
‘They didn't ignore it—they even sent a bird. Must be a good sign.’
Positive thoughts raced through my mind. Securing a deal with the Tower would benefit the Sheep Territory far more than trading with those zebras.
I could hold my head high for once!
-Yes. Sorry for the delay.
Thump thump.
-Our response is...
Ah, why drag it out like this? This wasn't some audition result reveal.
With my future hanging in the balance, my mouth went bone-dry. Unconsciously, my body leaned forward.
I cupped my hand to my ear in perfect listening posture.
The bird's beak parted slowly.
-The Magic Tower doesn't engage in such deals. We recommend trading with Zebra Territory instead.
We're done! Finally... Wait, what?