Translator: Nox

My Nerdy Neighbor Is the Master of the Magic Tower

Chapter 50

A place steeped in the sweat and tears of knights. Yet, it was a training ground that had absolutely nothing to do with her.

In the center of it, Cecilia stood blankly, clutching a single rifle.

To make matters worse, she was dressed in baggy men’s clothing.

There was only one reason she was in this state, undergoing such an ordeal.

‘That damn Emperor! I hope a bolt of lightning strikes him right on the head!’

Even though she knew the probability of a person being struck by lightning was 1 in 280,000, Cecilia sincerely wished for it.

‘Or at least turn back time. Ideally to when I was facing the Emperor—no, before the banquet even started.’

As she feebly yearned for an even more impossible wish, she recalled the events of the banquet.

After Lien had escorted her near the banquet hall and vanished, she had returned to the hall alone.

At that moment, the Emperor, standing on the dais once again, began a major announcement.

[It seems everyone has enjoyed the banquet sufficiently, so I shall now make an announcement.]

[…….]

[And that is… I will be holding a hunting competition!]

Is he finally announcing the successor? The faces of those who had been expectant grew peculiar.

However, the Emperor continued, heedless of the shift in atmosphere.

[Do you all remember the last hunting competition? Last year, the Imperial Prince’s swordsmanship master won; the year before that, it was the Imperial Princess’s personal knight.]

‘What’s this about a hunting competition all of a sudden?’

She had planned to get her approval and bolt as soon as the declaration of succession was over.

Losing interest, Cecilia listlessly scanned the room for Miguel, when suddenly, the Emperor made a loud proclamation.

[I intend to grant one wish to the winner of this competition. No matter what it may be. Yes, even a wish that determines the very future of this Empire.]

The meaning behind those significant words was clear.

He intended to appoint the winner of this hunting competition as the successor.

[Since the prize is so grand, I thought we might conduct this competition in teams. What say you all?]

The Emperor smirked, but the atmosphere froze instantly.

‘In teams.’

If the team formed by the Imperial Princess won, she would become the successor; if the Imperial Prince’s team won, he would.

This meant that all sorts of dangerous sabotage and schemes were about to break loose.

Immediately following the Emperor’s shocking statement, the Imperial Princess’s face contorted in a grimace. It was hard to tell what the Imperial Prince was thinking, but his reaction was certainly not positive.

And here, there was one person even more shocked than the Imperial Princess and the Imperial Prince.

[Come find me immediately after the successor is decided. I shall grant my approval then. However, I would like you to attend until the investiture ceremony.]

That meant she had to attend the hunting competition where the successor would be decided.

‘No wonder he gave his approval so easily! This was his scheme all along?’

‘And a hunting competition? You want me to go to such a dangerous place?’

It wasn’t animals that were going to be hunted; it was a perfect situation for Cecilia herself to be the prey.

[Ah, since it might turn into a battle of numbers, I shall limit the team size to five members or fewer. Furthermore, as with previous competitions, magic will be restricted.]

He was even putting a cap on the number of knights.

‘He’s basically saying he’ll kill me this time.’

At this point, the Emperor might as well have set the stage and told her to just go off and die.

And so, today—one week before the abruptly scheduled hunting competition.

She found herself holding a gun at the training ground behind the manor.

Since she was to participate in the hunting competition, a woman who had never used her body for physical labor in her life couldn’t suddenly start swinging a sword or shooting a bow. In the end, the only weapon she could choose was a gun.

‘I suppose I should be glad there are guns at all.’

While guns were rare weapons that required Imperial approval to obtain due to their undeniable power, it was difficult to say they were vastly superior to swords or bows.

That was because the guns in this world had very fatal drawbacks.

‘Loading takes an eternity, and if you make a mistake while loading, the thing might explode.’

Was that all? After firing a single shot, it became useless.

It was a weapon even less practical than the muzzle-loaders often referred to as antique guns.

As she looked down with dissatisfaction at the heavy piece of iron with its long barrel, a voice even more dissatisfied drifted from above her head.

“As I thought, it would be best to stop this.”

Miguel, dressed in training gear, was narrowing his eyes.

From the moment she said she had to prepare for the hunting competition until now, he had been expressing his adamant opposition.

“Using a gun is one thing, but the hunting competition itself is dangerous. This is neither the Holy Land nor Weberdin; it is the Capital. There is no telling what threats might come your way.”

“I know that well. But I have no choice. I’ve already made a promise to His Majesty.”

‘If I don’t attend, he won’t give me his approval.’

Cecilia, who actually wanted to go less than anyone else, gave a bitter smile.

“Besides, you know well what my Divine Power is like, Sir Miguel! With this much defensive power, it won’t be easy for me to get hurt.”

As she spoke with forced cheerfulness, Miguel finally surrendered.

“In that case, it would be best to at least increase your offensive power.”

Though he couldn’t shake his worry, he let out a sigh and personally rolled up the long sleeves that hung over her hands.

“I expected they wouldn’t fit the Saintess since they are mine, but the clothes seem far too large…. Shall I go buy new ones now?”

The only comfortable outdoor attire a noblewoman could wear was a riding habit, but since she hadn’t brought one, she had hurriedly commissioned a designer.

Even a maid’s activewear consisted of a skirt, so she had been forced to borrow Sir Miguel’s training clothes.

However, his physique was so large that the hem of the trousers dragged on the floor, the waist belt had to be tightened and tied multiple times, and the shirt was drowning her. She looked exactly like a child who had stolen her father’s clothes.

Despite that, she insisted on this outfit because wearing pants instead of a dress for the first time in a while made her feel like she could finally breathe.

“They’re a bit big, but I like them because they’re comfortable.”

“Still…. Though I washed them thoroughly, they were worn by me, so I fear they are too unclean for the Saintess to wear….”

“Unclean? They smell wonderful. They have that refreshing scent that always lingers on you, Sir Miguel.”

Cecilia buried her nose in the sleeve and mumbled.

Far from the smell of sweat, there was only a cool scent like trees in a forest.

‘Do handsome people even have different body odors?’

Because she was busy thinking such thoughts, she noticed the strange silence a beat too late.

“Sir Miguel?”

Surprisingly, Miguel’s cheeks were flushed red.

‘Ah, was that a bit too provocative for a pure Holy Knight?’

It seemed that her habit of flirting as easily as breathing to seduce Lien had stuck.

Miguel, barely managing to compose himself, let out a small, dry cough and quickly changed the subject.

“Then, I shall first teach you how to hold the rifle.”

As Cecilia awkwardly braced the butt of the gun against her shoulder and hooked her finger around the trigger, a rough hand touched her fingers.

Miguel adjusted her hand position one by one, then stood closely behind her back.

“A rifle is a weapon threatening enough to take a prey’s life in a single shot, but the recoil is so severe that aiming itself is difficult.”

“Yes.”

“Therefore, spread your legs about shoulder-width apart and fix the barrel firmly against your shoulder like this…. Pardon me for a moment.”

His solid chest pressed against her back. In a posture that was practically an embrace, he fixed the position of the barrel.

‘I think he’s too close.’

She couldn’t tell if her shoulders were growing stiff because of the heavy rifle or because of Miguel.

“You must remember this posture.”

At the low voice falling near her ear, Cecilia finally shrunk her neck back with a start.

‘He’s dangerous.’

Miguel was just as dangerous as Lien. If anything, Miguel was more of a sinner because while Lien’s actions were intentional, Miguel’s were entirely subconscious.

“Saintess Cecilia?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

‘Get it together! Your life is on the line right now!’

After harshly scolding herself, Cecilia quickly regained her focus.

Once she had learned how to load and aim from Miguel, he—showing a bit of his strict side—immediately suggested a practical test.

“Shall we try firing at the target now?”

“Yes!”

A target about the size of a human torso was placed roughly ten meters away.

‘Even if hitting the center is impossible, let’s at least try to hit near the edge.’

Holding the gun as he had taught her and adjusting her stance, Cecilia hooked her finger on the trigger.

Then, she pulled.

Bang!

Along with a massive roar, a cloud of gunpowder smoke erupted.

From the recoil, which was far more extreme than she had anticipated, Cecilia’s body was thrown backward.

Thud!

Fortunately or unfortunately, the back of her head hit Miguel’s chest, as he had been standing behind her for just such an occurrence.

“Ow….”

“Are you alright?”

Startled and confused, Cecilia reflexively tilted her head back.

And her eyes met those of Miguel, who was looking down at her.

From a very close distance.