Translator: Nox

My Nerdy Neighbor Is the Master of the Magic Tower

Chapter 49

The confession, spilled out at last like an irrepressible cough, was barely a whisper. It was so faint she almost missed it.

Cecilia was well aware that his diminished voice, along with the omission of a clear subject and object, was a mercy intended for her—a consideration for her desire to avoid the truth.

Because she didn’t want to be murdered, because she wanted to find the culprit, because she didn’t want to be made a fool of by some deception. And ultimately, because she didn’t want to be hurt in the slightest.

She had constantly turned away from his heart, and from her own.

Yet, more than the suspicion she harbored, she found herself wanting to believe in his innocence. She was already here, desperately wishing that everything had been a mere coincidence—or even if it wasn’t, that the emotions he showed her were entirely sincere.

This irrational impulse and emotion could finally be given a name: love.

‘To think that I’ve fallen in love with Lien.’

Looking back, love had always been a luxury to her, never a necessity.

If she was lucky enough to meet someone she liked, they would share their lives to a reasonable degree, until she eventually realized they could never truly merge and returned to being alone. That had been the extent of it.

Even now, she could sense that she and Lien were like oil and water—that they could never truly blend, neither now nor in the future, and that they might never truly understand one another. Yet, the feeling of not wanting to let go, of wanting to be with him, was profoundly strange.

“Lien.”

“Yes.”

Cecilia summoned her courage and reached out to him. With her fingertips, she brushed his cheek, which looked as though it might be stained with the color of crushed petals; she traced the lines of his steady eyes and gently stroked his breath-hushed lips.

This man, who waited for her touch with such pleasure; this foolish, blindly devoted man who looked as if he would smile even if she were to strangle him right then and there.

Cecilia finally reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck. She threw herself into his embrace with her whole weight.

Their center of gravity shifted, and his body tumbled backward.

Caught by surprise, his body stiffened from the spine outward as they hit the ground. Even then, he moved to shield her so she wouldn’t be hurt.

The sweet scent of crushed flowers filled the air. Amidst it, his warm, familiar scent enveloped her.

Soaked in a fragrance she felt she would never forget, Cecilia prayed fervently.

Please. No matter what secret you are hiding, I hope you do not betray my heart. I sincerely hope you are not deceiving me, the me who has finally come to love you.

Swallowing all those words, she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

“Just a moment. Let me stay like this for just a moment.”

Waiting for her deadened reason to return to her, Cecilia murmured those words.

---

Somewhere in the forest on the outskirts of the Capital.

Inside an abandoned temple, abolished by the first Emperor himself and now forgotten by all, its very existence unknown.

People wearing white masks began to gather one by one in the dark, dilapidated chapel, where the walls were cracked and worn.

Once the number of people who had crossed over via the magic circle drawn on a mossy wall exceeded twenty, a man who had been nervously running his hand through his ashen hair spoke up impatiently.

“It looks like the majority have arrived. Now, tell us. What is the reason for this sudden emergency summons?”

“It hasn’t been long since the mansion we used as our primary meeting place was turned into a shambles. An emergency summons in this situation? We might even risk exposing this backup location.”

“He’s right. This better be about something extremely significant.”

As the sharp criticism continued, a man stepped up onto the podium.

“It is the call of the Sage.”

The man who answered calmly wore a mask engraved with a golden leaf pattern.

He was the only one among them who could communicate directly with the ‘Sage.’

“If the Sage called for us, then we have nothing to say, but…”

At the mention of the ‘Sage,’ the commotion subsided as if by magic.

However, some still seemed unable to hide their dissatisfaction with the situation itself.

“Still, we don’t know when we might be tracked. For a while, we should be careful…”

In particular, a white-haired man standing crookedly near the entrance vented his frustration.

“No, why must we stay here trembling like rats? We all know how much ‘that guy’ has ruined our great plan! What is it about that fake that the Grand Temple and that man protect her so fiercely!?”

“You tried to ignore him and go through with the plan, and you ended up getting caught by him and losing most of the forces we had hidden.”

“That’s right. Moreover, because of the repeated failures, that fake is now surrounded by knights. It’s frustrating, but it seems like a time to keep a low profile.”

The opinions clashed sharply between those who felt they should stop hiding and focus more on the great work, and those who felt they needed to regroup for a while.

“Ha, I see only cowards are left here!”

“I think that’s better than a fool who can’t distinguish between childishness and courage.”

“What? Are you finished talking?”

The man on the podium, who had been quietly listening to their increasingly heated conversation, raised his right hand. With a few words, he settled their conflict.

“It is a humiliating matter, but I have reported the attack from a few weeks ago to the Sage.”

“What did the Sage say in response?”

“He says that, as always, that man’s efforts are nothing more than meaningless struggles, and that we are to carry out the task.”

The group that had emphasized the need to regroup fell silent at once. In contrast, the group that had expressed anger, including the white-haired man, became even more triumphant.

“I knew it! I believed the Sage would say that!”

“We will follow the order to carry out the task immediately, but I assume you have a good plan?”

“…”

A heavy silence settled over the crowd as they recalled their multiple failures and the significant damage they had recently sustained.

After a moment, someone let out a deep sigh and lamented.

“It would have been so easy if she had just drowned that day. For someone who isn’t even the real thing, she certainly has a tenacious grip on life.”

“Still, thanks to that, we were able to separate her from the Grand Temple, so it’s not a total loss.”

“True. Since she came to the Capital on her own feet, it has become much easier to carry out the great work.”

The ‘great work’ they spoke of was clearing the path so the Empire could reclaim its past glory.

And they did not doubt for a moment that her death would be the starting point.

Under the support and guidance of the ‘Sage’ who preached such beliefs, those who had orchestrated various accidents flashed their eyes with a glint of madness.

“Then what kind of accident should we disguise it as this time?”

“Let’s seek the answer from the Sage.”

The man on the podium summoned a massive Communication Sphere, much larger than a human head.

“Sage.”

As if in response to the call, a figure began to shimmer within the Communication Sphere.

The figure in the now-clear image was a man of some stature. The face of the Sage, who wore a black robe, was covered by a white mask just like theirs.

“Oh, Sage!”

As the shouting voices died down, the man spoke slowly.

“The reason I have summoned you all is to deliver important news.”

The man’s voice was strangely mechanical, as if he were using some sort of device to scrape against metal. Yet, at the same time, it possessed a power that commanded the people’s attention.

“A hunting competition will be held soon. His Imperial Majesty has personally created this opportunity, and we cannot let it pass.”

“Even the heavens are helping us!”

“This time, for sure…!”

With an opportunity perfectly suited for achieving their grand cause presented to them, excitement rippled through the crowd.

As if to calm them, the man in the Communication Sphere continued.

“However, we must think carefully about the method. As you all know, that fake is not alone.”

“On the contrary, now might be the best time, since it hasn’t been long since they were attacked by us. Since he dealt us a heavy blow, he’ll believe we’ll be quiet for a while.”

“Setting aside that man’s movements, by now even the fake must have realized they weren’t mere accidents. Won’t she be prepared?”

Especially in a hunting ground where all sorts of threats lurk.

A woman, who had been tucked away in the furthest corner without saying a word, cautiously raised the counterpoint.

At the valid question, the man in the image fell silent for a moment.

He couldn’t tell them yet because he couldn’t reveal his identity, but the truth was, the man knew the fake Saintess well.

The fake Saintess was suspicious. And she was more clever than they thought. She had likely realized that the accidents that had occurred so far were not accidents at all.

And yet, despite that, she seemed to want to trust him.

‘Because I acted in a way that left her no choice.’

For a moment, the reason her face—smiling brightly at him—flickered in his mind was perhaps due to a shred of conscience he hadn’t yet discarded.

He wondered if it might be better for things to end before that trust was broken.

“…It might be better to die in ignorance than to learn the whole truth.”

The words, spoken almost as a mutter, did not reach the people and vanished into thin air.

The man, having erased even that slight hesitation, spoke firmly.

“This time, you do not need to disguise it as an accident.”

As long as the great work could succeed.