The Nerd Next Door Turned Out To Be The Magic Tower Master [Novel] Chapter 40

Fortunately, the journey after passing through the first gate was relatively smooth.

The remaining road was mostly flat terrain, and the rest stops came more frequently.

The latter was likely Miguel’s consideration for her.

In any case, thanks to Miguel’s near-constant attendance and Rien orbiting her like a satellite, she managed to reach the capital safely.

The new capital of the Rishatria Empire: Belatis.

It was a land brimming with energy, though in a different way from Weberdin or the Holy Land.

Cecilia pressed herself against the carriage window, studying the people in the streets.

‘I heard we were heading north.’

This planet, like Earth, was elliptical, tilted on its axis as it orbited, and since the Empire appeared to be in the northern hemisphere, the clothing had become noticeably heavier.

The people wrapped in plush coats that seemed made of animal fur had slightly paler skin tones than those from other regions, and their hair was generally darker.

Just like Rien.

‘Well, he did say he was from the capital.’

But beyond sharing his hair and skin color, she couldn’t spot anyone with features like his.

‘So that face of his really isn’t a dime a dozen around here.’

Having lost interest, Cecilia’s attention quickly shifted elsewhere.

Her next target was the architecture.

‘It feels more urbanized than Weberdin somehow.’

Less medieval, more like the landscape of industrial-era Europe.

Well-maintained roads, two-story buildings of brick, and the most striking thing of all: the vehicles.

According to Rien’s lessons, the capital was also called the “city of mages.”

That would explain it.

Carriages were still the norm, but occasionally something resembling an electric car wove between them.

‘They have cars here.’

Granted, the speed looked about the same as a carriage, but for Cecilia, who had suffered in a carriage the entire trip, it was an eye-opening sight.

She was glaring at the rear of one of those electric vehicles with envy and resentment when she soon pulled back from the window.

The novelty had faded quickly, and she’d noticed that their grand procession of dozens of knights was drawing considerable attention.

‘I really should have left behind either the Weberdin knights or the holy knights.’

While she indulged in belated regret, the carriage rolled steadily forward and came to a stop before the true destination.

“You may step down now.”

Miguel, who had been riding alongside the carriage on horseback, spoke.

Cecilia checked the destination through the half-open carriage door.

A beige building with a trapezoidal roof of muted teal, delicately carved arched stairs, and white pillars standing symmetrically around them.

This grand and lavish two-story building was not a temple but House Weberdin’s townhouse, located within the capital.

In truth, every temple across each territory was effectively the Saintess’s home. But Belatis was the only region in the Empire without an official temple.

So even though she had come in the capacity of Saintess-candidate and was traveling with holy knights, there was no choice but to head for the Weberdin townhouse.

‘I assumed it would be a modest vacation home, since people from Weberdin rarely have reason to visit the capital.’

It couldn’t compare to the main Weberdin estate, but it was larger than she’d expected.

As she stood there blankly taking in the building, an elderly gentleman greeted her.

“Welcome, my lady. I am Leto, butler of the townhouse.”

“Oh, nice to meet you.”

Judging by his perfectly timed reception, the Marquis must have made arrangements in advance.

Behind the butler, maids in black uniforms greeted her with polished courtesy.

“It is an honor to serve you.”

“I’m Cecilia Weberdin. I’ll be in your care for a short while.”

She wasn’t sure whether news of the Relief Festival had spread all the way to the capital, but she offered her greeting with the gracious bearing befitting a Saintess-candidate.

Fortunately, the people here seemed well-disposed toward her.

Amid the servants casting glances mixed with curiosity and goodwill, Leto spoke.

“You must be exhausted from the long journey. Would you like to dine first? We’ve prepared a generous meal for your entire party as well.”

“Let’s unpack first and rest before anything else.”

She was hungry, yes, but what she truly wanted was to wash up properly and collapse into a soft bed.

During the trip to the capital they had stopped at temples along the way to bathe and eat warm meals, but the schedule had forced them to camp rough for half the journey.

Cecilia swept her gaze over the knights, who still looked immaculate unlike herself, then addressed the butler.

“Please show the holy knights and our house knights to their rooms first. If any of them need a meal, see to it.”

“Understood.”

“And this person is…”

She trailed off the moment she spotted Rien, who had just dismounted.

He walked up to her side as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

‘Since the capital is his home, I assumed he’d obviously go back to his own house.’

From the way he was acting like a puppy with separation anxiety, he clearly had no such intention.

“You’ve finally come back to the capital. Don’t you want to see your family?”

“…Would it be all right if I left?”

‘Why wouldn’t it be?’

The conclusion came fast, but she held her tongue out of tact. Her silence, however, seemed to deepen his anxiety.

“As you know, I was born and raised in the capital. So I can be of help with the schedule ahead. No — I will be of help.”

As if terrified of being turned away again, Rien couldn’t quite bring himself to grasp her hand and instead clutched tight at her sleeve.

She’d turned from him and avoided him several times on the journey here, and he was thoroughly cowed as a result.

Those broad shoulders hunched smaller than usual, that round head drooping forward — why did it tug at her so.

It must have become a habit by now. Even amid conflict and distrust, the moment she faced him her attention locked on, her guard melted, she felt sorry for him, she wanted to take his hand.

In the end, Cecilia let out a thin sigh.

“Leto, this is my etiquette tutor. He’ll be assisting me during my time in the capital, so if there’s a guest room available, please prepare one.”

Rien’s head snapped up, his face brightening instantly.

But instead of smiling back, Cecilia added calmly:

“Still, do go home while you’re here. See your family, your colleagues. It’s been a long time since you’ve seen them… don’t you miss them?”

“……”

She couldn’t exactly bring up the Magic Tower Master business with ears everywhere, so she’d phrased it obliquely.

Yet Rien, unusually, offered no reply and no reaction at all.

He blinked as though he’d heard a foreign language, then smoothly deflected.

“Then I’ll make sure to return before dawn tomorrow.”

“There’s no need to rush—”

“I’ll be back as quickly as possible. After all, I’m the one who can help you, Cecilia.”

A faint curve of his lips, followed by a remarkably firm addendum.

Not as though he believed it, but as though it had to be so.

Contrary to his bold declaration, Rien did not return the next day. Two days passed, and now it was the third.

A note had appeared on her table — delivered by magic or some other means — saying he would be a little late, but no reason was given.

‘His subordinate came all the way down to Weberdin last time, so he must have a mountain of work.’

She tried to brush it off as nothing, but whether Rien was in sight or not, she couldn’t help being aware of him.

Inside the most luxurious room of the townhouse.

Cecilia sat on the sofa sipping afternoon tea, gazing out the quiet window.

The modest garden visible beyond the glass felt strangely familiar somehow.

‘It’s different from the main estate, and yet… Charles would have liked it, I think.’

Suddenly she thought of her walking companion, who used to curl up on her lap or at her feet for naps.

‘Is he getting his walks? …Where on earth did he disappear to.’

After the day she’d read the diary, Charles had vanished without a trace.

Once she’d recovered, she searched everywhere for him, but Charles — Resti — was nowhere to be found: not in the estate, not in the garden, not in Rien’s flower bed.

She’d thought he would simply reappear after vanishing, just as the diary described… but in the end, she never saw Charles again before she left.

She was slowly turning over that nagging absence when a light knock interrupted her thoughts.

“My lady, may I come in?”

“Mm, come in.”

Melanie must have been running around — tiny beads of sweat dotted the bridge of her nose.

“These cookies! One of the kitchen girls recommended them, and I thought you’d like to try some, so I brought them up!”

“Cookies?”

“Yes, apparently they’re the hot dessert in the capital right now!”

Melanie set a plate of brown cookies down before the teacup.

With her natural people skills, Melanie had quickly befriended the local staff and often brought back tidbits about the capital like this.

Not just trending desserts, but news like how salon reservations throughout the capital were impossible due to preparations for the upcoming banquet, or how rumors had spread like wildfire that the owner of that grand procession from a few days ago was the Saintess-candidate, and that her reason for traveling to the capital was to attend this season’s social events.

‘People here sure love their gossip too.’

Cecilia clicked her tongue and bit into a cookie with a crunch. Ginger flavor.

“Oh, and the butler passed along some invitations. He said you should look them over yourself.”

“Invitations?”

Melanie produced a bundle of neatly squared envelopes from inside her apron.