The Innocent Mage's Spellbinding Nights - Chapter 61
‘Long live the Cleanliness spell! Long live!’
Irina had never praised the cleanliness spell as much as she did today. Without it, she would have had to scrub and knead another person’s body inadvertently while washing it.
Unexpectedly swapping bodies turned everyday actions like bathing and changing clothes into daunting tasks. After murmuring “Oh God” several times, Irina finally managed to reach the Vice Tower Master’s office and clock in.
“Huuu.”
A sigh escaped as soon as she sat down. She was so anxious about her secret being discovered by Hesed’s sharp-eyed assistant, Orca.
‘You know, Orca is so perceptive—he never approaches when I’m in a bad mood,’
Recalling what Hesed once said, she felt relieved that maintaining a stoic expression from the corridor had paid off. As she sighed in relief from successfully deceiving at least one person, the door suddenly clicked open.
The feeling was akin to facing a doppelgänger monster. Even though she could guess the contents, seeing her own body striding confidently towards her evoked a mixture of confusion and fear beyond mere astonishment.
“Senior!”
“Shh! How can you call me that with that face?”
“There’s a soundproof spell in here, so it’s fine. Besides, if I can’t call you Senior, what should I call you?”
“I’m not in the mood for jokes or pranks right now!”
“Alright, calm down.”
Hesed, with his usual melancholic expression, raised his hands slightly in a gesture of surrender. He watched the eyebrows on his own face twitch energetically.
Thud.
A not-so-gentle flick hit Irina’s original body.
“That hurts, Senior! No matter how distressing the situation is, you shouldn’t harm yourself!”
“Then don’t make that face with my expression!”
Puffing with indignation, Irina sat down on the sofa where they could face each other. Hesed, still marveling at his original face, also took a seat opposite her.
“Why did this happen? What sin did I commit in my past life….”
Irina’s voice quivered slightly with a hint of tears.
Well, this isn’t something to be blamed on past life sins. Though if he had heard it in her voice, it might have been okay. Despite the expression, the quiver in his own voice was far from pleasant, so Hesed quickly spoke up.
“There’s only one possible cause, isn’t there?”
“It must be the ‘Anathos’ we shared yesterday, right?”
Irina said, and Hesed nodded in agreement. Anathos, a pink fruit about the size of a fist and similar to an apple, was known as a spirit fruit that could enhance magical power even in small quantities.
Because of its properties, it was considered a valuable tonic for mages.
Not long ago, a tenant farmer wandering deep in the mountains of the Clarke Marquisate discovered it by chance and presented it to the marquis family. Thanks to this, Hesed was able to encounter the fruit for the first time.
‘Master, you’ve been very tired lately, haven’t you? I was lucky enough to find a good fruit, so please eat it quickly.’
‘Isn’t this… Anathos? It’s incredibly rare and expensive!’
‘That’s why you should have it, Senior!’
‘Wait! The reason I’ve been tired lately isn’t because I’m weak, but because of you! You’ve been… every night…’
‘That’s why I’m taking responsibility and offering you this.’
Knowing the value of the fruit, Irina couldn’t bring herself to eat it alone. If she had to eat it, she suggested they share it together. So, the two of them split the fruit evenly.
“Yesterday, I gave you the part with the deeper pink hue, and I took the part that looked whiter and less ripe.”
“Yes, that’s right…”
“If it wasn’t unripe but always had two colors, it explains our current situation clearly.”
As Hesed spoke, his brows furrowed slightly.
‘I thought Chenus was just a mythical fruit. I didn’t know it actually existed.’
According to old magic books, Chenus was a fruit similar to an apple with hidden special properties. When one person ate the fruit, nothing happened. However, if two or more people shared it, their bodies and souls would switch.
‘The characteristic of Chenus… was that it had two colors.’
Anathos was a rare fruit, but it occasionally appeared on the market. In contrast, Chenus was known only from books, and its actual existence was uncertain, so he hadn’t suspected anything until now.
“I’m sorry, Senior. The fruit I brought for you caused this trouble. But there’s a saying that the phenomenon caused by Chenus naturally resolves over time, so there’s no need to worry…”
However, the more Hesed spoke, the more Irina’s expression seemed on the verge of tears. Her eyes, like a stormy sea, shook violently. She opened her trembling lips.
“No!”
“What?”
“Did you forget? Today is my official meeting between Tower Masters at the Black Tower! And there’s only a few hours left!”
Irina cried out in despair.
Hesed’s expression also stiffened.
