The Nerd Next Door Turned Out To Be The Magic Tower Master - Chapter 81

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

Chapter 81
‘Where am I supposed to go to meet Rien?’
There was no way a Saint of Weberdine could easily encounter the second son of the Dilanthe family.
‘If I show up at the Dilanthe Mansion, I’d be lucky to escape without a blade through my ribs.’
After much deliberation, Cecilia decided to try the Magic Tower instead.
‘I heard somewhere that it wasn’t far from the Monastery….’
The Magic Tower was only a couple of hours’ journey by carriage from the Monastery. The problem was that it stood in a desolate forest, far removed from any settlement.
Once the road became impassable even for a carriage, she—an ordinary woman—had no choice but to walk, and walk, and walk some more.
The Magic Tower, when she finally reached it, loomed even larger than it had appeared from a distance. Confronted with its towering height that seemed to touch the clouds themselves, Cecilia felt her courage begin to waver.
‘Even if Rien is part of the Magic Tower, mages aren’t likely to welcome a cleric—especially not a Saint.’
She’d hoped her worry was groundless, but unfortunately, it proved prescient. She never made it past the threshold; she was turned away at the gates.
“Could you just tell Rien—or the Tower Master—my name? Please?”
“Yes, ma’am. We had over ten people this morning alone claiming to know the Tower Master.”
“I wouldn’t usually say this, but I’m not some eccentric. I’m a Saint.”
“Yes, whether you’re a Saint or a Princess, the answer is still no.”
Bang!
The iron gates of the Magic Tower slammed shut before her eyes without mercy.
‘This is genuinely heartbreaking.’
Hoping against hope that she might catch sight of Rien, Cecilia crouched by the gates and waited. It wasn’t until dusk began to fall that she finally gave up and turned back.
When she appeared at the Townhouse looking disheveled, Leto jumped in alarm, but Cecilia was too exhausted even to offer an excuse.
Trudging up to her room, Cecilia collapsed onto the bed.
‘I thought everything would be solved once I reached the Monastery.’
The Rien who had once clung to her side so faithfully was, in fact, far more difficult to reach than she’d imagined.
“Should I just give up and go back?”
With her face buried in the pillow, she murmured weakly—and then a better idea suddenly occurred to her.
‘Wait, didn’t Rien say he was a professor at the Academy in the Monastery?’
She didn’t know what kind of place the Academy was in this world, but it would surely be easier to access than the Dilanthe Mansion or the Magic Tower.
And this time, she even had someone who could help her.
The next day.
Cecilia dressed herself in the most elaborate gown she owned, adorned it with jewels to match, and crowned the ensemble with a wide-brimmed hat that obscured nearly her entire face before leaving the residence.
Her destination was the Clothing Shop—specifically, the one Rien had introduced her to before, the Princess’s habitual boutique.
Without the Tower Master’s favor this time, she risked being turned away at the entrance, so she waited across the street at the Tea Shop, watching for the distinctive carriage.
Two days passed. Then four. On the fourth day.
A carriage so spectacular that it would be impossible to forget once seen pulled up in front of the shop. Cecilia abandoned her tea without hesitation and rushed inside.
And before the attendant could protest, she struck first.
“I heard this was the most famous clothing shop in the Monastery, so I came to see for myself. I didn’t realize it was a place ‘of this sort.'”
It was the exact same line Regina had once said to her in jest.
The irony wasn’t lost on Cecilia—a small, petty revenge now complete.
The moment she finished, a sharp gaze descended upon her.
“Do you even know who you’re talking to?”
Gasp!
The attendants, caught between warring giants, clamped their hands over their mouths and stood frozen.
The instigator herself, however, remained perfectly composed. Cecilia tilted back the hat that had concealed her face and met her gaze directly.
“Anyone with working eyes would know.”
“You’re….”
“Just as you’ve recognized me.”
The moment Regina confirmed who had dared interrupt her shopping, the anger and irritation that had flooded her features evaporated in an instant. What remained was surprise, curiosity, and intrigue.
“Well, this is unexpected. I was wondering how you might visit when I heard the Saint had come to the Monastery herself. I didn’t expect you to walk right in.”
“I was too impatient to wait politely for an invitation.”
“….Do you have something to tell me?”
“Not here. Shall we find somewhere else to talk?”
* * *
The moment they stepped out of the Clothing Shop, eyes fell upon them like rain.
A Princess and a Saint, together. It was the perfect headline for tomorrow’s news.
But Cecilia had chosen the venue with great care, for what she had to discuss could not be overheard by others—it was far too important.
The Townhouse of Weberdine was out of the question; the Princess would certainly be wary there. The Princess Palace too gave her pause, for the current Emperor weighed on her mind. Before Rien could act, that Emperor had certainly been the Saint’s enemy.
After careful consideration, Cecilia led her to the Tea Shop across from the Clothing Shop—the very place she’d been using as a lookout. Generous compensation to the owner and the lingering customers ensured the establishment fell silent within moments.
Cecilia took a sip of the tea that had already cooled, then alternated with the fresh cup the proprietor had brought her, before finally lifting her eyes.
The Princess sipped her deeply brewed black tea, studying her intently. The warmth that had flickered between them moments before was now gone, replaced entirely by wariness—a look Cecilia found she didn’t dislike.
When Cecilia had first placed a sword in her hand. When hot blood had streamed down the blade and stained each knuckle of her grip. When, despite it all, she’d refused to let go, holding on with stubborn determination.
Compared to those eyes wavering with confusion, resentment, and sorrow, the princess’s gaze was far steadier.
For some reason, her mouth felt dry. She laughed wryly, blaming the tea.
After finishing her observation, the princess spoke first.
“His Majesty said you should come directly to receive approval, but I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly.”
“Oh, I didn’t actually come to seek approval.”
“You didn’t?”
Instead of answering, Cecilia simply gulped down the lukewarm tea.
She couldn’t very well confess that she’d come looking for Rien, who was somewhere in this mansion, to a princess who remembered nothing.
“Well, it’s more like sightseeing. But aren’t you curious why I came looking for you in the first place?”
In the past, the princess had rather liked how she spoke without hedging. So this time too, Cecilia dispensed with formality and asked her bluntly.
The princess set down her teacup with a soft clink, her eyes brightening with interest.
“Will you answer if I ask?”
“Of course. The reason I sought you out, Your Highness, is because I have a favor to ask.”
“……From me?”
From me, a saint, that she asks this of me, a princess?
The unspoken words seemed to hang in the air.
“It’s not a request made empty-handed, though.”
Cecilia glanced around the room to confirm they were alone before continuing.
“I know you’re afflicted with an illness.”
Bang!
The princess shot to her feet. Tea spilled from the overturned cup, soaking the floor and the hem of both their skirts.
But the princess paid no mind to the mess, her face hardening with sharp displeasure.
“What are you trying to do? If you think you can blackmail me here in the Monastery……”
“No, I’m proposing a transaction.”
“Ah, so Weberdine conducts its dealings by exploiting people’s weaknesses?”
She had expected the princess to be angry, given how lethal a weakness this was. Especially since the one raising the subject was none other than a saint.
But the reaction was far more violent than she’d anticipated. The princess looked ready to summon the knights outside and resort to force.
Cecilia, too, set down her teacup and exhaled heavily.
“It’s not a bad proposal for you either. Just hear me out.”
“……”
“You need Divine Power, don’t you? And as you can see, I can provide it.”
Cecilia gathered Divine Power in both palms. The princess couldn’t tear her eyes from the glimmering light.
“If you don’t want the secret to spread, I can help you directly whenever you need it.”
The princess neither affirmed nor denied. She simply stared at her for a long moment, her eyes full of suspicion.
After waiting patiently, Cecilia finally furrowed her brow in frustration.
“I’m not a spy sent by the Temple, and I have no intention of taking advantage of you, so stop looking at me like that. What, would you believe me if I cursed God itself?”
It infuriated her—trapped here because of some damnable god, unable to leave, constantly under suspicion, all of it.
“Soltis, damn it all.”
“……”
“Do you believe me now?”
Even for a princess who didn’t believe in the divine, such language and conduct from a well-born saint must have been shocking. Regina’s mouth fell open slightly.

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