The Nerd Next Door Turned Out To Be The Magic Tower Master - Chapter 20

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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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Chapter 20
Cecilia stared blankly at the vivid scene unfolding before her eyes.
The Relief Festival hadn’t officially begun yet, so not all the merchants had arrived.
Simple stalls of various kinds lined the streets, and between trees planted at different intervals hung unlit lanterns and flags that swayed gently in the breeze.
What truly conjured the festive atmosphere, above all, was the crowd that moved through it all.
Children with sun-darkened faces beaming with bright smiles, couples walking hand in hand, elderly people seated on weathered wooden benches savoring the joyful noise—there was something for everyone.
Looking back on it, it was a peaceful scene she hadn’t witnessed in a very long time in her life.
Perhaps not since she was a child, holding her parents’ hands at an amusement park.
Maybe that was why Lien approached from behind her, as she stood apart, unable to blend in, like a third party observing it all.
“Is there something you’d like to do?”
His question was as warm and unquestioning as always.
Only then did Cecilia, no longer a stranger, nod eagerly.
“Of course.”
Ever since she’d resolved to visit the festival with him, she’d had something in mind.
In a day or two she’d depart for the Divine Temple and wouldn’t be able to loiter at his side for a while. She ought to lay her groundwork now, before she was completely forgotten.
‘I need to find that first!’
Just days ago, by fortunate chance, she’d learned of the existence of “that”—exactly what she needed.
That very thing the servant girls had discussed, their faces flushed even red!
A treasure certified by grandmothers and their grandmothers alike—give it during a confession and it’s guaranteed to succeed one hundred percent!
And if you gift it to your beloved, you’re said to be reunited even in the next life!
That miraculous thing was nothing but a white flower.
She wasn’t entirely clear on the details, but it was supposedly a variety resembling the Divine Flower from legend. Because it was so precious, it would be given as a grand prize in a major competition hosted by the festival.
[A competition with the Divine Flower as the prize? They’d probably plant a placard with a white flower drawn on it at the competition grounds. Since it’s such a rare prize, I’ve heard there will be many participants.]
[Hmm, I see.]
[……But how do you know all this? And why are you so curious about it in the first place?]
Cecilia brushed off Melanie’s sharp interrogation and strode forward with energy.
“Why don’t we look around a bit first?”
First, she needed to find a placard with a white flower drawn on it.
Then she’d join the competition as if by chance, win the prize or buy it from whoever did, and gift it to him!
‘Since this is Lien’s first Relief Festival, he certainly won’t know the flower’s meaning.’
She didn’t particularly believe in superstitions, but it was perfect for flirting.
As she searched eagerly, satisfied with her plan, she noticed white triangular flags hanging here and there instead of white flowers.
“There seem to be quite a few white flags.”
“Ah, those are probably stalls that provide food and goods free of charge to hungry people during the festival.”
“Really? But this is when the festival should be most profitable, and they’re doing it for free?”
“It’s called the Relief Festival for a reason. They’re following the Divine Temple’s will to give and provide.”
“Ah…….”
The novice saint, whose mind had been entirely on satisfying her own desires, felt an unexpected piety wash over her.
Embarrassed, Cecilia redirected her steps away from the flags, when Lien suddenly pointed in a different direction.
“There are many restaurants that way, so it would be better to go the other direction.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Wait.
Cecilia, who’d been following him without much thought, suddenly narrowed her eyes.
He knew the meaning of the white flags, and he even knew where the restaurants were?
‘I’m quite sure he said during the interview that visiting Weberdin itself would be his first time.’
If that was the case, wasn’t the Relief Festival also a first-time visit?
“Say, Lien. Have you ever come to Weberdin around this time before? You seem familiar with this place.”
“Oh, no. You kindly suggested we go together, so I researched it a bit beforehand.”
“Hmm, I see.”
‘That makes sense. A Lien freshly arrived from the Capital—and a Tower Master at that—couldn’t possibly have attended a Relief Festival hosted by the Divine Temple before.’
Knowing which shops were located on each street suggested he’d done quite thorough research.
Despite the warning that it was dangerous.
Perhaps he’d been looking forward to today as well, deep down.
Cecilia gazed up at him, this human navigation system, and gently grasped his sleeve.
“S-Cecilia?”
“You might get lost.”
Lien nodded shyly, convinced by her reasoning.
After their morning flirtations, Cecilia finally found a sign with a white flower drawn on it.
“Here, over here!”
“……A Serenade Competition?”
Lien stood there dumbfounded, reading the banner hung across the stage.
‘Right, I absolutely have to win and— wait, what? What kind of competition?’
They’d only said it was a competition prize; they never mentioned the competition was a Serenade Contest…….
Cecilia read through the promotional text with a sinking feeling.
<Confess to your beloved with one sweet, unique song! The winner receives the Divine Flower and an encore privilege!>
‘……isn’t the last part just a punishment?’
Of all things, a Serenade Contest! She wanted to tear her hair out at the sheer mortification.
Just then, the next contestant took the stage and began reciting a serenade amid roaring applause.
‘Let me listen for a moment. Maybe it won’t be as bad as I think.’
“Oh, my precious fiancée. When I swim in the depths of your lake-like eyes, I feel a sense of fulfillment so overwhelming I nearly suffocate!”
……she decided to stop listening.
She might actually retch right there on the pavement.
Yet strangely, she seemed to be the only one disturbed—the woman who was the subject of the serenade, the judges, everyone had tears glistening in their eyes.
‘They’re not blushing because actually saying those words is horrifying? They’re genuinely moved?’
When the contestant finished, thunderous applause erupted.
At this point, she began to suspect her own taste was broken.
‘Am I the one who’s wrong? Was that actually a genuinely touching confession?’
“My dear little lark…….”
Ptui.
She’d only strung together three words before goosebumps erupted across her entire body.
She was hopeless, that was clear.
It was all because while she’d been rotting away, buried in papers and experiments, her romantic sensibilities had given up and died of their own accord—she’d judged them beyond saving.
So Cecilia, stripped of her romantic instincts, her prize, and her confidence, turned away hollowly.
And one step too late, she spotted Lien—looking very, extremely, utterly flustered.
‘……surely he didn’t hear me talking to myself.’
“I, I’ll just step away for a moment.”
Lien bowed apologetically and fled without so much as a backward glance.
‘Well, I’m just going to die.’
Her face twisted with shame.
Cecilia trudged far enough away that the serenades were muffled, then slumped onto an old bench.
‘I have no choice but to be reborn.’
She was running through a list of plans so grim and grim she could barely stomach voicing them aloud when—
Lien returned, his arms full of something.
It was a paper bag stuffed with colorful candies, fruit drinks, appetizing skewers, and round little pastries.
“I’m sorry. Were you hungry? I could have taken us to a restaurant first…….”
“No, it’s just—I thought eating something delicious might cheer you up.”
Lien knelt at her feet, speaking hesitantly.
Her gloom evaporated in an instant.
“You bought this for me to eat?”
“Yes!”
She was grateful he hadn’t run away; to do something this thoughtful on top of it all—
It was Cecilia who found herself blindsided by his unexpected kindness, her heart aching.
“Thank you.”
Before she could stop herself, her hand reached toward his head, and Lien obediently bent down like a puppy.
She wanted to ruffle his hair vigorously, but—
‘Curse this robe.’
The moment she saw the drab cloth covering his head, her warm, fuzzy feeling evaporated like smoke.
“I’ll enjoy it. Come eat with me, Lien.”
Cecilia pulled him down beside her with a complicated sigh.
Then they shared the food he’d brought.
Cecilia first moistened her mouth with the sweet fruit juice; after eating the well-seasoned chicken and even a cherry-flavored candy, she did feel somewhat revived.
‘Good. Let me pull myself together!’
The plan might have failed, but the day wasn’t over yet. There was plenty of time to recover.
With that resolve, she stood up abruptly.
Lien scrambled up after her and began gathering up the wooden skewers and bits of paper she’d discarded.
Then, instead of throwing them in the trash bin, he quietly tucked them into his bag.
“Lien? Why are you putting garbage in there of all places…….”
“W-well, the trash bin was so far away.”
What nonsense was that.
‘Then what’s right next to us—a sculpture?’
Following her silent protest, Lien hesitantly began to lay bare the truth.

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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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