The Nerd Next Door Turned Out To Be The Magic Tower Master - Chapter 37

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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 37
“I, well, it’s nothing much, but I’ve brought something. Would you mind accepting it?”
“What on earth—”
“In order: a potion to enhance stamina, a potion to aid restful sleep, a potion to help with post-trauma recovery. And this one—”
“Wait, just a moment. What is all of this?”
“Potions I made myself. You likely have plenty of holy water on hand, but I thought they might be of use.”
He bowed awkwardly, then spilled out the remaining potions in a cascade.
“This is far too much.”
A single ordinary potion alone would be invaluable, but these were potions crafted by the Archmage himself—and such a quantity of them.
And yet she was at this very moment harboring suspicions about him.
Torn between the weight of guilt and burden, she began to refuse, and Lien stammered as he forced his lips to move.
“Whenever I grew worried about Cecilia, I found myself unable to sit still, so I made them one by one. If you don’t need them, you can simply discard them.”
Instead of answering, Cecilia curled her lower lip inward.
A person’s meaning is not confined to words alone.
Gesture, movement, the light in one’s eyes.
She had not pressed him for answers, so he had voiced neither his innocence nor his grievance. Yet with every careful step he took toward her, with hands that reached out then curled back into fists, with eyes that held a quiet sorrow, he spoke his innocence without words.
‘No matter how I think about it, this can’t be an act.’
Yet even as she acknowledged this, why couldn’t she smile at him as she had before? Why couldn’t she clasp his hand without reservation?
Reason and emotion drew their swords and fought as though for their lives. In that tumult, Cecilia silently watched the glass vials threatening to spill across the table, the hem of his robe crumpled and creased from where he gripped it tightly.
And only after a long silence did she meet his shadowed violet eyes.
‘Lien, did you try to kill me?’
What expression would cross his face if she uttered that simple sentence now? What would he answer?
But the words that escaped her trembling lips were—
“Thank you.”
Only that hollow phrase.
* * *
The colorful potions arranged in a line on the bookshelf were never used, yet still she recovered gradually and soon regained perfect condition.
But if there was one thing that did not return, it was the changed attitude of those around her. Whether due to the newspaper articles bearing “such” content, the servants and even Nox began measuring their words and actions in Cecilia’s presence.
Cecilia, who had already lived under excessive protection, was now being treated as a snowflake that would melt at the gentlest breath.
When she showed spirited behavior only to be cast as a tragic lady swallowing her pain, Cecilia abandoned the attempt to persuade them otherwise. In any case, the situation was far too grim to simply laugh it away.
It was within this awkward atmosphere that luncheon was served.
Cecilia, arriving last, took her seat to the Marquis’s left.
“My apologies for being late.”
“Not at all—you must be famished. Come, eat.”
“…Yes.”
Curiously, the faces of both the Marquis and his daughter over the appetizers looked quite haggard.
While Cecilia recuperated within the mansion, the investigation on the Temple’s end had been undertaken by Nox, she’d heard. The Marquis, too, had been occupied with managing the aftermath of the ceremony that she had disrupted.
Watching her family labor on her behalf stirred something uncomfortable in her heart.
‘Should I tell them everything?’
Her diary, the earlier accidents, even her conjectures—should she lay it all bare and ask for help?
Cecilia, who had been deliberating seriously, promptly fell silent.
‘No.’
Neither the instigator nor the perpetrator had been definitively identified. Moreover, judging from how the real Cecilia had depended solely on Charles—or rather, Lesty—rather than her family, sharing this burden with them didn’t seem like the best course.
As Cecilia organized her thoughts, Nox’s investigative report continued.
“So what became of that magical trace you mentioned before?”
“Archbishop Kiar and I investigated from multiple angles, but the magic was so intricate that tracking its type or origin proved impossible.”
‘The Archbishop is alive, then.’
She’d assumed that since she had thoroughly bungled the ceremony, he would have gone to God as intended. Whether fortunate or regrettable, it was hard to say.
While Cecilia entertained such idle thoughts, the Marquis’s mood seemed to have drilled through the floor and descended to the basement below. The spoon in his grip bent with a soft creak.
“Then surely you’ve apprehended whoever sabotaged the boat?”
“By the time the vessel had already sunk beneath the Lake, I’m afraid. While we plan to salvage it, confirming evidence of intentional sabotage or identifying the perpetrator will likely prove difficult.”
Clang!
The silver utensil was set down sharply on the table.
“What do you mean there’s no evidence? The very fact that someone used magic to cause the accident is proof it was Dilanshe’s doing!”
At the head of household’s outburst, the serving maids carrying the main course froze mid-step.
The Marquis’s fury—having nearly lost his precious daughter twice—was entirely understandable.
Yet his assertion, even were it true, would likely remain merely an opinion.
‘Even with the Grand Temple stepping in, it will be difficult to lodge a formal complaint with the Imperial Court without proof.’
Before Cecilia, who had reached her conclusion as though it were someone else’s affair, a savory salmon fillet was placed.
As Cecilia mashed the fish with her fork, she gently steered the conversation elsewhere.
“Father, the accident investigation seems to be ongoing, and my health has recovered. Don’t you think it would be good for me to visit the Grand Temple?”
She knew the public opinion surrounding Cecilia wasn’t favorable at the moment. But she was aware that she’d essentially besmirched the Grand Temple’s reputation, so shouldn’t she offer a direct apology?
Besides, if the person directly involved came forward, they might uncover even a small thread of evidence.
That was the reasoning behind the suggestion she’d offered.
“I’m already going back and forth to the Temple myself, so just tell me if there’s anything you need me to take care of.”
“That’s not the issue. Since I’ve caused trouble, I should apologize to the Pope and the other priests, and help with the investigation…….”
“You’re not fully recovered yet, are you? We’ll handle that matter ourselves, so just focus on getting your strength back.”
When both Nox and the Marquis gently discouraged her, Cecilia quietly closed her mouth. She’d sensed their discomfort in their awkward tone.
The realization came swiftly.
‘Ah, so people inside the Grand Temple have begun to view Cecilia unfavorably.’
Since the high priests had testified to sensing traces of Magic, doubts were surely taking root even if no one voiced them outright. And the location where the accident occurred made matters worse.
Nearly drowning in the Lake—a place no priest with even the slightest Divine Power could possibly miss—was a grave matter that cast doubt on the Saintess’s very qualifications.
Cecilia set down the knife, which bore no traces of cutting food, with a soft tap.
‘What do I do now?’
‘I’ don’t necessarily need to be a Saintess, but ‘Cecilia’ does.
From the diary, it seemed she’d harbored doubts about her life as a Saintess, but that hardly meant everything she’d built up over the years should crumble in an instant.
So to restore Cecilia’s reputation, I needed to gain official recognition as a Saintess.
More than anything, there was something I had to verify by claiming the title of ‘Saintess.’
‘The Record of God might contain Cecilia’s dreams, her experiences, and perhaps even a way for me to return—I absolutely must check.’
So for Cecilia’s sake and my own, it seemed I had no choice but to go to the Monastery.
As though it were an already-written fate, the Marquis promptly handed her a letter.
It was an elegant letter sealed with golden wax and a lion’s seal on a black envelope.
“Take a look at it.”
“Is this… a letter for me?”
“Yes. It arrived from the Imperial Court right after the Charity Festival.”
If the sender was the Emperor, the contents were easy enough to guess.
“It concerns my Approval, doesn’t it?”
“An invitation. It seems they’re finally naming an heir, and they’re asking for the provisional Saintess to attend.”
Whether that reason was truth or pretense, the hidden meaning was unmistakable.
The treasure of Weberdine and the Temple—Cecilia was to come to the Monastery in person.
After skimming through the conventional invitation, Cecilia replied matter-of-factly.
“I was planning to go to the Monastery for Approval once the Charity Festival ended anyway, so this works out well.”
But the Marquis seemed to have a different opinion.
“No. I’ve given it thought, and you haven’t suffered such an accident even in the safest Grand Temple, have you? So let’s decline this invitation and postpone your trip to the Monastery until next year.”
“…Postpone it?”
“Yes. Approval isn’t such an urgent matter, is it? We can go after the culprit has been identified.”
The Marquis would have suffered from this incident as well. Why wasn’t he concerned about his tarnished reputation?
In truth, the criticism of the fake Saintess was limited mainly to certain publishing houses with Imperial backing, and most others were still only raising suspicions.
But as long as the label of an ‘unApproved’ Saintess remained, she’d continue to be the subject of gossip.
So no matter how she thought about it, she should go to the Monastery and seek Approval as soon as possible.
Even if that place wasn’t safe.
Wait.
‘Could this have been the plan all along?’
What if the accident was orchestrated precisely to force Cecilia to seek Approval, to lure her to the Monastery?

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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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