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Chapter 125
They were momentarily distracted because of Seolpyo.
Meow, meow, meow! (It’s okay to go back to the Magic Tower again. If I’d known earlier, I would’ve asked for some while I was there!)
At Seolpyo’s muttering, Elysia suddenly remembered something and shouted,
“Ah, that’s right! My belongings at the Magic Tower—could you please not move them and just leave them as they are?”
“…Pardon?”
Finn’s eyes widened slightly at the unexpected request. But rather than being flustered, his expression was a mix of mild surprise and even a touch of delight. Not noticing that, Elysia hastily added,
“O-of course, I know my staying there too long might burden the Tower, but… I heard that research mages are sometimes allowed to stay a bit longer…”
As she watched him cautiously for a reaction, Finn answered firmly, without hesitation.
“It’s no burden at all. Truly.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Stay as long as you wish. Or just visit whenever you feel like it.”
“…Are you sure that’s okay?”
At that point, isn’t that basically offering me a house?
Even for a place with good welfare, wasn’t this too generous? Seeing Elysia’s puzzled expression, Finn elaborated,
“Some who study for long periods even settle at the Tower despite owning homes elsewhere… It’s quite common. For someone like you, my lady, the qualification is more than sufficient.”
“I mean, it’s not like I’m writing any academic papers or anything…”
“…You’re a hero.”
Finn lowered his gaze slightly and added quietly,
“My lady, you tend to underestimate yourself. What you accomplished yesterday was undoubtedly an act of a hero. For someone like that to stay in the Magic Tower? No one would be displeased—they’d consider it an honor.”
That much… really?
Elysia turned her gaze aside, feeling a bit embarrassed. Sure, the Emperor had commended her, and yes, she had done something impressive—but hearing such high praise again made her cheeks burn.
“Actually, even before this incident, the Tower had already discussed internally about giving you a gift for your repeated victories against demonic beasts. In addition to letting you use a permanent residence, we’ll prepare another gift for you soon.”
“Will you, really?”
Unexpected gifts kept coming one after another. Well, who would complain about receiving gifts? She had really liked the Tower’s accommodations, and now they were offering it permanently.
While Elysia’s face brightened, Finn’s tone grew heavier.
“If anything, I worry it’s not enough. You made a great decision to stand up against the beasts, didn’t you?”
“…”
Elysia fell silent, lost in thought. A “great decision,” huh? She hadn’t really thought about it that way at the time. She didn’t have the leisure to, and honestly, there hadn’t been much of a choice.
No choice… or was there?
It wasn’t entirely impossible to run away. She could’ve hidden in the Tower as others suggested.
But even then, everyone would’ve just ended up dead. And that was the last thing she wanted.
Right. There really wasn’t a choice.
And honestly, the outcome wasn’t even that bad. Maybe this was her chance to fully live as the “Swordmaster Villainess.”
Elysia smiled leisurely—then bit her lip as a thought struck her.
“It’s fine. Honestly, I was more worried that you might get into trouble because of me.”
“Me?”
Elysia nodded. There had to be a reason Finn had kept his identity as the Tower Master secret all this time, and yet he had revealed it—for her sake.
All that, just to stop them from forcing me into the Knight Commander position…
He had even clashed with the Emperor head-on. Thinking back, she couldn’t help but feel grateful. Elysia spoke sincerely.
“Thank you. You probably didn’t want to reveal that you’re the Tower Master… but you did it for me, didn’t you?”
“…”
Finn seemed momentarily taken aback, then gave a faint, calm smile.
“…Anyone with a bit of sense could’ve guessed anyway. I just thought it was time to make it official. There’s no need to thank me.”
“I see…”
As she talked with Finn, Elysia suddenly thought to herself,
He’s really not asking about the dimensional incident?
From the moment he showed up until now, Finn hadn’t said a single word about their encounter in front of that hut. Elysia had been secretly tense about it all this time—so much so that she’d avoided him because of it.
But in their entire conversation—his expression, tone, demeanor—he was acting as if nothing had ever happened.
…Is he pretending, so I won’t feel awkward?
That didn’t seem quite right either.
He was acting so naturally that Elysia almost wondered if she’d imagined the whole thing. Still, bringing it up herself would be digging her own grave…
As Elysia debated what to do, Finn spoke again.
“I’m relieved.”
“Eh?”
Finn smiled softly, his expression oddly content.
“I was actually worried that you might not want to see me again.”
“Me? Why would I?”
“Because I hid my identity. I thought you might be disappointed.”
“…Of course not!”
Who could blame him for keeping his identity secret? The identity of the Tower Master was a national secret! Besides, Elysia was hiding something far bigger herself—being a possessor.
“But at the time…”
“I-I was just too shocked, that’s all. Anyone would’ve been!”
Elysia quickly cut in, averting her eyes in guilt.
Should I ask him?
About meeting in another dimension. If she didn’t bring it up, it felt like their conversation would just keep circling. After some hesitation, Elysia finally asked,
“By the way, is everything all right there? You know… that hut.”
If he really had met her there, he would probably react this time.
But instead—
“Ah, I happened to check on it yesterday, actually.”
So it really did happen!
So that encounter wasn’t a dream after all. But Finn, utterly calm, simply continued explaining.
“After checking, it seems that the imperial palace invasion was proof that the dimensional boundary is weakening.”
“Weakening?”
“Yes. The passageways connecting dimensions are appearing more frequently—and stronger monsters might start emerging. If that continues unchecked…”
Then this world—Lady Marigold—could be completely swallowed by the beasts.
The thought of such a grim future made Elysia press her lips together tightly. Just then—
Knock, knock.
“Elli, are you done talking?”
Howell’s voice came from outside the door. Elysia raised a brow in confusion.
Why is he knocking now?
Surely he knew she’d come out once the talk was over. Was he doing it knowingly or not?
As Elysia hesitated, Howell continued,
“Ahem, it’s because someone’s here from the imperial palace.”
“What?”
Curious, Elysia opened the door. Howell, standing there with a slightly awkward face, muttered,
“Sorry for interrupting when you were in the middle of talking. Should I just tell you what they said?”
“What did they say?”
“…They said they’re holding an event for you. Something public—to commend you.”
“For me?”
In Lady Marigold, the imperial family often held events—like the High Priest’s prophecy or Prillien’s debutante. And every such event always came with an accompanying banquet.
Right, in this world, even if monsters invade the next day, the system still forces a banquet to happen if it’s time for one. Ridiculous.
But the palace had just been half-destroyed yesterday—how could they hold an event already? Elysia blinked in disbelief.
“Isn’t the palace still busy trying to clean up?”
At that, Finn interjected,
“If it’s the building, it was already inscribed with restoration magic. It’s almost fully repaired.”
What?
Of course. Magic world logic—or maybe just “system logic” ensuring events proceed smoothly.
Apparently, the palace had been designed to resist destruction and be easy to restore. And now, it seemed that was true.
“…Is it going to be a big gathering?”
Even if it was meant to be a celebration, meeting the Emperor in front of a huge crowd could lead to unpredictable outcomes.
Especially with my infamy.
Elysia—the woman with a notoriety score of -999. She remembered the whispers behind her back at the last banquet. She wasn’t the type to be easily fazed, but still… this was going to be exhausting.
“Why, are you worried about what people will say?”
Howell, sharp as ever, read her expression and quickly added,
“If you don’t want to go, you can refuse. This time, you could just say you need to rest at home—”
Why do they always use the same excuse here?
To claim she was “too unwell” to attend again? That would only make the Emperor suspicious! A perfectly healthy Swordmaster saying, “I can’t come because I need rest”—that would sound arrogant as hell.
As Elysia mulled over what to do—
Ding!
System Message:
Customer!
Would you like to check your current stats?
What?
Elysia blinked in surprise. Check her stats, out of nowhere? Well, unless she manually checked, she couldn’t see small changes in detail. It meant she hadn’t confirmed how much her “Reputation” stat had changed yet. Out of curiosity, she said aloud,
∥ “Check Reputation stat.” ∥
Ding!
And the moment she spoke, a flood of messages poured in—
Your Reputation has increased!
Your Reputation has increased!
“What… what is this?”
They were popping up in real time!
Wait—does that mean my reputation is rising right now?!
Even as she stared in shock at the display, the notifications kept filling her vision.
Your Reputation has increased!
Your Reputation has increased!
Your Reputation has increased!
Your Reputation has increased!
Your Reputation has increa—
Elysia froze in place, her face stiff.
What on earth…
“How high is this going to go?”
