My Nerdy Neighbor Is the Master of the Magic Tower
Chapter 31
My breath tightened with a mix of relief and joy. A fierce impulse welled up within me to run to him immediately and close the distance between us. I wanted to take his hand and feel his warmth—that was my only thought.
But his gaze, his scent, his voice—no, his very presence… stayed me.
I certainly would have run to him if he hadn't settled upon my heart and my feet more forcefully than a gale-strength wind.
“Cecilia-nim.”
The moment he called my name with a smile as radiant as flowers in full bloom, I felt a strange emotion. It was something too ambiguous to clearly name, yet too vivid to flatly deny.
Even so, why couldn't I bring myself to call out his name in return?
In the end, as she stood there dazed and unable to catch her breath, he was the one to approach first.
True to her wishes, he gently took her hand, led her into the shade, and pulled out a handkerchief to meticulously wipe away her sweat.
“It has been a long time.”
He greeted her in a voice as warm as spring sunshine. It was a period too short to truly call "a long time," yet long enough for this rush of joy to feel earned.
So, the longing and happiness infused in that simple sentence couldn't have been a mere illusion.
Cecilia pulled down the large hand lingering near her forehead and held it. Their body temperatures—his, and hers from having run—mingled lukewarmly together.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“No. You didn't have to run like this, though…”
“How could I not hurry after receiving a note like that? What brings you all the way here so suddenly?”
“Did I not say I would come to see you?”
Ah.
Before leaving for the temple, he had indeed made that promise. That he would come to see ‘her,’ not the ritual.
But I didn't realize he meant he would come to see me in secret even before the ritual began. Security must have been tightened with the ceremony approaching, but seeing as there was no commotion, it seemed he had made full use of his hidden skills as the Magic Tower Master.
Whatever the method, Cecilia decided to enjoy this small miracle to her heart's content. Had she not suffered enough lately under the guise of purification and training?
However, the miracle he brought was anything but small.
“Are you not hungry? I brought some food, just in case.”
Lien spoke shyly as he led her further under the shade of the tree.
A cute blanket with a mix of pale green and yellow had been laid out, as if prepared in advance. On top of the blanket sat the rattan basket she had once gifted him, packed full with neatly sliced sandwiches, orange juice, and even a Sacher Torte from Sweets.
“I prepared this in a hurry, so it’s only this much, but I hope it suits your palate.”
‘Is he an angel?’
Lien was surely an angel sent by God for the starving Saintess.
“Thank you.”
Cecilia suppressed her excitement and sat quietly in the prepared spot. Then, she took a bite of a sandwich stuffed thick with meat.
“Ah…”
“Does… does it not suit your taste?”
“No, it’s just so delicious.”
This worldly flavor, delivering such a thrilling jolt to her taste buds. If she were a bolder person, she might have showered his cheeks with kisses.
Perhaps she was too intensely focused on the food. Lien, who was carefully unwrapping another sandwich for her, finally let out a small laugh.
“I brought plenty, so please eat slowly.”
Lien wiped a bit of sauce from the corner of her mouth with his fingertip, his eyes curving into a gentle smile.
‘…Maybe the trials of the past week were God’s way of maximizing today’s healing.’
Just as she was reaching a point of both physical and emotional fullness, Lien spoke up as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“There are only a few days left until the ritual. Is the preparation going well?”
“So-so. I heard from the Archbishop that the number of visitors will be more than double the previous event, so I’m nervous I might make a mistake.”
“I heard as well. They say visitors are flocking from all over ever since the article came out about the Saintess participating in this ritual.”
“…Really?”
Was it normal for an unofficial Saintess to be this popular? Feeling the pressure anew, Cecilia set down the last bite of her sandwich.
“That’s even more nerve-wracking news. Oh, will you be coming that day, Lien?”
“If you will allow it.”
“There’s no need to ask my permission. Of course—”
“The thing is, I might not just be attending.”
“What?”
“If worst comes to worst, I’m thinking of kidnapping you, Cecilia-nim.”
Startled, Cecilia blinked slowly.
Kidnapping. Surely he wasn't serious.
Despite dropping such an absurd statement, Lien remained as composed as if he were talking about the weather, merely handing her a plate with dessert in her empty hand.
“Try this. It was made fresh this morning, so it should be to your liking.”
‘I don’t think dessert is the priority right now.’
Even as she thought that, she reflexively used her fork to shove a piece of the dessert into her mouth. Only then did Lien continue.
“That is, if you find yourself wanting to stop the ritual.”
“…”
“Then, even if a mistake occurs, the one ruining the sacred ritual wouldn’t be you, but the lawless me. So…”
His kind voice vibrated softly yet with clear strength. Cecilia kept her mouth shut, unable to put her resonating emotions into words.
“You don’t have to worry about anything. Not a single thing.”
‘Ah.’
There are moments when everything feels so surreal that your senses become even sharper. Just like now.
The back of her neck felt damp from the muggy temperature, and a light sweat beaded on her pale skin.
The sound of the wind rushing through the stinging, intense sunlight and the deep green deciduous leaves reached her ears, bringing with it the fresh, crisp scent of grass.
In the middle of full-blown summer, Cecilia looked at his sandwich, which hadn't decreased by a single bite, and his tea, which hadn't decreased by a single sip. She looked at the man who was watching her quietly yet persistently, oblivious to his own thirst or hunger.
The realization came as beautifully as the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, as clearly as the flight of a bee.
Perhaps Plan D was already complete.
Perhaps he had already been giving her exactly what she had been wanting from him all along.
And so, Cecilia impulsively opened her lips.
“Lien.”
“Yes.”
“I think I like you. No, I do like you.”
The moment her sudden confession ended, the juice bottle held in his hand clattered to the ground.
The blanket grew damp as the sweet scent of fruit juice wafted up.
“…What?”
It seemed the words were more shocking to him than she had expected.
His long eyelashes trembled, and his frozen pupils began to waver violently, like a tidal wave had hit them. His breath hitching, he moved his lips several times before clutching his reddening ears.
“It seems… my ears have malfunctioned.”
“I don't think they've malfunctioned?”
It was an out-of-context confession, but wasn't this reaction a bit much? Cecilia replied half-heartedly, but he seemed to have lost the composure to even care about her reaction.
“…But there’s no way you would say such a thing to me, to someone like me, there’s truly no way…”
Muttering incoherently, Lien suddenly looked up. The bewilderment and confusion had vanished from his face, replaced by something that looked like intense longing or desperation.
“Again… please say it again, just one more time.”
He disregarded the wet blanket and leaned his body close to her, bracing himself on the ground with both hands. Seeing him so desperate, as if clinging to her, Cecilia willingly opened her lips again.
“I said I…”
“Saintess-nim\!”
And right on cue, a voice shouting for her echoed from afar.
‘Right, I wondered when the intruders would show up.’
Cecilia glared coldly at the culprits who had broken the flow at such an impeccable timing, just like a scene out of a romance novel.
Seeing the priests in their white robes moving about at the bottom of the hill, it seemed a commotion had broken out after they belatedly realized the Saintess had disappeared.
‘Forget the "flow," should I just confess clearly again?’
She debated it but soon gave up. First of all, judging by his reaction, it was as good as a success. Above all, if the genre of this world she was trapped in really was romance, wouldn't a significant scene where two people get together require at least some cool lines and beautiful flowers?
Besides, she was prepared to go as far as a kiss if necessary, but this place currently lacked any mood.
‘I’ll make a formal confession in the daisy field once the ritual is over.’
Well, the daisy field belonged to Lien, but by then, what was his would be hers, and what was hers would be his.
‘I’ll have to prepare a return gift for the necklace then, too\!’
Having formed a brilliant plan, Cecilia felt her heart lighten and she stood up.
“I should go before the fuss gets any bigger. Let’s talk more once we’re back at the mansion.”
“B-but…\!”
“Thank you for coming to see me. I’ll see you at the ritual\!”
Lien called out to her urgently, but Cecilia just waved brightly. Then, leaving him behind, frozen like a tree, she lightheartedly headed down the hill.
Like a sultry summer breeze.
