My Husband Was the Master of the Magic Tower – Chapter 127

Author: lipzoldyck

For the next few days, my room virtually became Dante’s room. Outside of playing time with me, Dante would draw, write, or think about something, and I was willing to give up my entire room for him.

Although Dante didn’t seem to like me leaving, saying I wouldn’t disturb him—he kept asking me if I was going to leave him alone—I knew how good Dante’s concentration was, and I also knew that his concentration would easily be broken if I was there.

Then what. I need to disappear out of sight at least for a moment.

This is what I said to Dante, who held on to me until the end and asked me to stay with him.

“Don’t worry. I won’t suddenly go out like you without talking.”

“…”

“Ah, no. Would it be better to just go out? I’ve already tried to run away from home at least once. What do you think?”

“I was wrong, Ei.”

Well, that was it.

He usually enters the room in the late afternoon, between lunch and dinner. Sometimes, he would wake up early in the morning and write something down, and sometimes he would float the magic circle he had drawn in the air just before going to sleep.

Dante’s research continued at all times, but without interfering with our daily lives.

Meanwhile, Dante said something to me in passing.

[Actually, that’s the simplest way. Go over the same way we came over here.]

[What if it’s the same way?]

[I’m following you as you shift through dimensions.]

At that moment, Dante and I were probably thinking the same thing.

The large gap I encountered in an alley.

But Dante said that taking advantage of that gap was too risky.

[We can’t guarantee that the place we arrived at after being caught in that rift was the dimension we originally came from. If we arrive in a dimension that is completely different from what we’ve been through and where even my magic doesn’t work, it’s dangerous for both of us.]

However, he said that it was necessary to look for cracks and that if it was fine with me, we could go back to the alley I went to at that time.

Yeah, if it’s fine with me.

Dante already knows. The fear of betraying one’s will and being imprinted in one’s heart exists in the world, and that I also have such fear.

No matter how determined I was to cross the dimension, reaching the maw that had already eaten me twice…

It’s something that an ordinary person can’t even imagine, and it’s something that even I, who’s completely out of the ordinary and extremely ignorant, need to prepare for.

Although Dante will wait for me forever, if I show even the slightest sign of difficulty, he won’t even urge me. Even I didn’t know when I would make up my mind.

One afternoon I was left alone on the floor like usual, until I received a phone call.

“…”

A regular vibration was flowing along the table and filling the surroundings. I turned my head to follow the source of the vibration and stopped as soon as I saw the brightly lit screen, then fell silent when I saw the text on it.

It’s a familiar but unfamiliar name. No, actually, I don’t think I’ve had much to say about it.

That’s right. Why would I call someone like this at this age.

No matter how hard I tried to move my thoughts elsewhere, the vibrations didn’t stop. I stood still in front of it, half hoping the phone would hang up, half hoping it would never, and then hesitantly stretched out my hand.

I didn’t know why the position of holding the phone to my ear felt so awkward.

[Hello?]

“…”

A voice that flows through objects small enough to be held by hand, cutting through the faint noises of daily life.

I swallowed dry saliva without realizing it and pressed the button on the side of the phone.

The voice was heard again with a slightly louder volume than before.

[Why are you answering the phone so late?]

“…I heard the vibration late.”

[Really? You barely got it before it got cut off. ]

I had no idea how my voice would sound. I think it’s a little trembling, and also stiff, like someone nervouse. But fortunately, the person on the phone didn’t seem to notice any discomfort.

A voice a little higher and much more lively than mine came from the other end of the phone.

[Have you eaten lunch? Hey, it was really cold today. I heard it was difficult to go out for lunch? It’s not that you haven’t eaten yet because it’s too troublesome, right?]

“No, I’ve eaten… Why did you call me, Sister?”

[I just called to see what you were doing. I’m usually like this, you know.]

That’s right, she’s usually like this. Sister used to ask me even trivial things over the phone. As I wasn’t the type of person who prefers phone calls, I often found them annoying.

However, she kept calling me tirelessly, saying she needed to hear my voice until the end.

I’m sure I talked to Sister on the phone even before I crossed over to the other dimension. You never know what will happen.

Once again, that fact felt so distant that I eventually had to quietly catch my breath.

“How are you, Sister?”

As I walked away from the room where Dante was, I asked her that question. I was curious as to how things were going, but in fact, it had been so long since I’d had a phone call like this that I couldn’t shake off the awkwardness and chose the question.

And as expected, a blunt retort came back right away.

[…Why do you speak like this as if you were asking how a close friend is doing? So now I just have to reply, ‘I’m doing well too’? Add two laughing emoticons.]

“Wow, emoticon, you say. It’s been a long time since I heard that word.”

[It’s been a while since you heard anything.]

Her tone of voice is so blunt that if other people hear it, they might wonder if she’s speaking too harshly and worry that we might not be on good terms with each other. However, as a ‘Sister’s younger sister’, it was more familiar to me than anything else.

I didn’t try to ignore the memories that flowed in helplessly whenever her voice continued. Rather, I searched through those memories myself and looked hard to see if there was anything awkward about it.

In fact, even if I act awkwardly, only light bruises will come back.

If she brings up something that happened recently as a topic from her standards, there is a high possibility that I won’t remember it, so I thought it would be better to talk about something related to me first. Among them, if there’s a topic that Sister would be immediately interested in.

“Sister, I have a boyfriend.”

[…Really? Why would you brag about that to me, who recently broke up with my boyfriend?]

Her voice quickly became harsh. But hearing her voice finally put my mind at ease, and I ended up laughing a little without even realizing it.

“It’s just. I wanted to tell you. I think we’ll probably end up getting married.”

[What? Marriage?]

“Mmhm.”

Is it too sudden after all? As she held her cell phone comfortably and tilted her head, her confused voice followed.

[Why are we suddenly getting married? You were usually a girl who wasn’t interested in anything, including people in relationships. Is he someone who’s a waste to miss that you have to talk about it like that? ]

“Hmm…”

Rather than saying he’s a waste to miss, it would be closer to saying that he’s someone who will follow me even if I miss him. But I didn’t bother to say those words, and just said something that Sister could understand.

“First of all, he’s incredibly handsome.”

[…]

“The most out of those I’ve ever seen. More than the celebrities you see on TV, he’s probably the most handsome person you’ve ever seen.”

[Hey, that won’t work. Bring that person back. Let me see his face. ]

A silly laugh escaped me again as I heard her voice neatly summarizing the situation.

Sister was always like this. She doesn’t seem to be fussy, yet her simple speaking style makes me happy. Like all brothers and sisters in the world, we fought often, but we tended to reconcile quickly and get along better.

There were times when this kind of relationship and her existence were quite natural.

[I’m serious. When do you want to meet? This weekend?]

“Not sure.”

[What do you mean not sure! ]

Despite repeated reminders that weren’t reminders, I only smiled and didn’t call out any significant dates. Soon she also gave up on making an appointment and started grumbling at me.

And naturally the topic moved on. Starting with what Sister had just experienced, she even talked about her classmate whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. In that call, I had the role of listening, and she had the role of continuing the conversation without stopping.

It’s been so long since I last talked to someone on the phone that I might forget it. I’m now listening to my sister’s voice very naturally and a little sadly.

Now that things have become like this, I will never forget that voice.

While living in another dimension for a very long time, I missed Sister and other family members. And I continued to be tormented by the fact that I would never see them again.

So I think I tried to forget it even faster. The faces and voices of my family, and the comfort I felt within them.

These things will come back to life in me with just one phone call.

[ …Anyway, call Mom later. She’s worried about how you’re doing while pretending not to.]

“…Mmhm, got it.”

Even as I said that, I knew I had only given a superficial answer. Just talking on the phone with Sister makes me feel this way, and there’s no way I’ll be able to talk to other family members again.

It wasn’t necessarily a topic limited to family. If I could hear the voices of the people I liked in this dimension one more time, then…

I will truly fall into irreversible sadness. Just like I’ve always been afraid.

Sister, who probably took my brief hesitation as a slight annoyance, slowly tried to finish the call.

But before she could say that she was hanging up the phone, I interrupted her.

“Wait. I have something to ask.”

[What? Ask as briefly as possible. I have to go back soon.]

If you’re that busy, don’t call. In the past, I would have scolded her, but I don’t want to do that now.

After laughing out loud, I said this.

“Sister. How would you be if you never saw me again?”