The Nerd Next Door Turned Out To Be The Magic Tower Master - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 19
“What? But…… aren’t you under house arrest?”
“That’s right.”
Lien found himself at a loss for words at her matter-of-fact affirmation.
Since the accident—or even before it—the only outings permitted to her were to the Garden at the Mansion and to Lien’s Residence next door.
And even then, always with an entourage of guards.
The moment she stepped beyond this entrance, there would be a line of the household knights waiting for her.
Even visiting a teacher next door—one whose identity was guaranteed, albeit with a touch of deception—warranted such fuss.
How could the Festival, with its throng of common folk, ever be permitted?
It was certain her request would be rejected before she even opened her mouth.
But then again……
“There’s a way to slip past the surveillance.”
Cecilia’s lips curled smoothly upward as she leaned in closer, nearly brushing against him.
“All I need is you.”
At the sudden proximity, Lien drew a sharp breath.
“You can use Spatial Teleportation Magic, can’t you?”
“Ah……”
“You can’t?”
Surely the great Magic Tower Master who wielded Time Adjustment Magic wouldn’t claim to lack Spatial Teleportation Magic?
As her disappointment became evident, Lien hastened to object.
“Y-yes, I can.”
“I knew it!”
Cecilia clapped her palms together sharply. Though nothing was yet confirmed, her excitement bubbled over as she rattled on with the plan.
“We come to your Residence under the pretense of lessons today, cast a teleportation spell, and it’s the perfect crime!”
“But isn’t that terribly dangerous……?”
No matter how rudely she treated him, he always smiled like a fool—or so she’d thought. This time, however, his lips did not immediately yield agreement.
His hesitation hung in the air.
“Please, Lien.”
Cecilia seized the cuff of his Robe, her eyes imploring as she gazed up at him.
Lien could not bring himself to shake off the small hand clinging to him. He exhaled a thin sigh.
Moments later, his nod came as if it had always been inevitable.
* * *
The next morning.
Cecilia’s eyes snapped open, driven not by alarm but by anticipation.
Rather than lingering in bed as usual, she rose promptly, completed her toilette, and finished a light breakfast with efficiency.
When her mistress—who had been complaining that the world beyond the bed was dangerous—suddenly changed her tune overnight, Melanie cast a suspicious glance her way.
“Miss, has something good happened?”
“No, just feeling rather cheerful today.”
Something seemed off about this.
Melanie muttered softly, but with the Magic Tower Master now an accomplice, there was no risk of this flawless crime being discovered.
Cecilia stroked Charles’s back as he slept sprawled across the middle of the bed, then promptly left the Mansion.
And though she nearly made it past the front gate without incident……she encountered the Duke and unfamiliar guests instead.
“Cecilia, I’ve caught you at a fortunate moment.”
“Father, who are these people……?”
A cluster of middle-aged men in white Priest’s Vestments stood beside the Duke; he was in the midst of receiving visiting Priests from distant territories.
“Greet them properly. These are Priests from other Territories.”
Caught momentarily off guard, Cecilia mirrored a greeting she had once heard the Pope offer to his clergy.
“May God’s Warmth accompany those who follow the Will of God.”
“May God’s Grace accompany you, Saint.”
Judging from the Duke’s bearing, these were high-ranking priests, yet their return greeting was remarkably reverent.
‘It must be because of the title “prospective Saint” rather than “eldest daughter of House Weberdine.”‘
Cecilia attributed their interest and subtle favor to that distinction.
“I hear you’ll be conducting a ceremony alongside His Holiness at the Relief Festival?”
“Yes, quite an honor.”
The Duke answered with evident satisfaction.
The one directly involved was barely suppressing an escaping sigh.
Her gaze met that of one Priest with an ordinary, vaguely familiar face—someone who had been openly studying her with keen attention.
The man’s lips parted as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“I hear you displayed remarkable Holy Power at the Grand Temple not long ago……”
‘Surely he won’t ask me to demonstrate it? Should I feign a sudden stomachache?’
Just the thought of it made cold sweat bead on her skin.
“……I wouldn’t call it remarkable. It seems God’s Grace has simply been exaggerated.”
“How modest of you.”
Fortunately, the Priest didn’t ask to see her Holy Power demonstrated.
He simply withdrew his steady gaze at his own unhurried pace, leaving behind only a rather pregnant remark.
“I shall look forward to it.”
Whether he meant he looked forward to the Ceremony or to her role as Saint remained ambiguous.
Cecilia bobbed her head awkwardly and hurried to end the conversation.
“Then I should be going…….”
“Cecilia.”
Though she was desperate to escape this minefield, the Duke spoke again.
“Are you off to your lessons?”
“Yes.”
Or rather, to pretend she was going to lessons while actually slipping away to enjoy herself.
“You’ve been working so hard lately. In a day or two you’ll need to report to the Grand Temple, so you could afford to rest.”
Ah, there it was—the date of her Entering Service, which she’d been trying to forget, emphasized so casually.
The anticipation that had risen all the way to her chest deflated at once.
But precisely because her departure from the mundane world drew near, she couldn’t afford to miss this chance.
Cecilia shook her head softly but with firm resolve.
“No, Father. I must rid myself of my shortcomings as quickly as possible if I’m to receive approval.”
“You are most diligent.”
The Priests seemed moved by the Saint’s zeal. Meeting their looks of approval, her conscience—dulled and worn—pricked sharply at her.
“Yes, well. But if you find it difficult, come speak to me.”
The Duke’s gentle words were a fatal blow.
Cecilia quietly averted her gaze, managing only a forced smile.
“I’m simply concerned about bringing disgrace upon House Weberdine.”
“There’s no need for such worry. I’ll have your brother accompany you to the Temple, so don’t trouble yourself.”
‘Ah, that’s rather……’
The forced smile that had taken effort to raise vanished in an instant—truly beyond her control.
* * *
Perhaps it was because she’d encountered unexpected people. Even before they’d left, her spirit felt drained.
Cecilia trudged past the guardless main gate with its fresh daisies and reached the front of the Mansion with difficulty.
Knock-knock.
As she rapped the heavy iron knocker against the door two or three times, the house master burst out as he always did.
“Ce—Cecilia. I didn’t expect you so early……!”
Having hurried to the door, Lien stood in nothing but a loose white Shirt and snug Leather Pants with a Robe draped haphazardly over his shoulders.
Which was to say that through the gaps of a Shirt whose ties he hadn’t properly fastened, the firm curve of his chest and thighs more muscled than anticipated were plainly visible.
And his face, revealed without the hood for once, was so strikingly pure it took one’s breath away.
The knights standing behind her actually gasped.
“Let’s go inside and talk.”
Cecilia propelled him forward with gentle pressure, moving inside herself.
‘So that’s why he always wears the Robe.’
In a different sense, he was a man too dangerous to show to others.
“There’s no need to rush out like this every time.”
“B-but I don’t like to keep you waiting, Cecilia.”
With his ears flushed crimson and a shy smile on his face, Cecilia calmly looked up at him and carefully buttoned his Shirt. She also properly fastened the Robe’s hood over his head.
Only once all danger had been hidden away did the man tilt his head in puzzlement, but Cecilia pretended not to notice and changed the subject.
“You seem ready. Shall we go now?”
“Y-yes! Then, would you offer me your hand?”
Cecilia extended her hand with her palm facing upward.
His hand descended onto hers like a summer leaf, weightless and trembling slightly.
“You may feel dizzy, so it would be best to close your eyes.”
She hesitated a moment between satisfying her curiosity about Spatial Teleportation Magic and following the reasonable advice. In the end, reason won, and Cecilia gently closed her eyes.
She felt the fabric of her skirts stir with the wind, and a queasiness as though she were aboard a rocking ship washed over her.
When her brow furrowed at the unpleasant, surreal sensation, he spoke.
“You may open your eyes now.”
The discomfort faded, and a damp, musty smell drifted across the tip of her nose.
Cecilia pushed open her trembling eyelids.
The two of them stood at the mouth of an Alley so dark that shadows were barely visible, and beyond it, the blurred sight of people moving about with festive cheer.
So we’ve truly arrived at the Festival.
As soon as it hit her, the hope that had deflated came surging back like an inflating balloon.
“Come on, let’s go!”
An eager Cecilia urged him forward, looking ready to plunge into the crowds that very instant.
“Wait, just a moment! You’ve forgotten your Robe.”
“Oh.”
Lien fished a Robe from his palm-sized Bag and draped it over her shoulders.
It was his own or something similar to what he always wore—a drab color that hung so long it nearly brushed the ground.
“It’s more suffocating than I expected.”
How did he manage to wear this thing every single day, all day long?
She hated the constraint, and it was a shame to hide the outfit she’d taken such care with, but there was no help for it.
The people of the Territory would certainly recognize House Weberdine’s Saint.
To prevent the disaster of headlines screaming about the Saint’s indiscretion by tomorrow, Cecilia pulled the hood snugly over her head.
“Now we can really go!”
Swept up in the exhilaration of stepping into another world entirely, she left the Alley with him.
The instant they crossed fully beyond the boundary of light and shadow, sunlight poured down on her head and the noise and heat generated by the crowd rushed in.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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