MLWP 46

Chapter 46

“Ah. That was really scary.”

Julien said, slightly exaggerating. Silia smiled and replied,
“Not wrong.”

It really had been a little frightening. Back then, Cecil had that devilish expression while asking about her father’s whereabouts.

Although she had known her father was visiting as a guest, she apparently hadn’t thought of actually looking for him. And when she finally did…

“Roden, you lunatic! Let go! It’s time to fertilize the greenhouse! I’m going to bury this useless fool!”

“Mother! Calm down!”

“Di, Diaman Count… put him down….”

“Speak! Use words, speak!”

Cecil grabbed her father by the collar with tremendous force, shaking him like a madwoman. She had never been trained in swordsmanship or martial arts, they said, but her movements were on par with a first-class knight.

Even more shocking than her strength was her familiarity with her father, as if she knew him well. And the way she blamed him for not telling her the details about her mother…

‘Wait, were they closer than I thought?’

It turned out her father hadn’t merely asked Count Diaman for support because they were distant relatives.

After a few more scuffles, Silia learned that her mother, Maria, was actually Cecil’s cherished cousin. Though technically cousins, they had grown up together after Maria lost her parents early, so they were almost like sisters.

“You snatched such a precious sister away while she was just passing through the capital for work.”

At that moment, her father looked slightly wronged. Understandable—Silia had heard her mother had chosen her father. Young Roden was said to be quite handsome, enough to attract attention anywhere.

Cecil had raged like a madwoman, but there was nothing she could do.

“But even after snatching Maria, you didn’t stop there…”

Hiding Maria’s story from his daughter?

What calmed Count Diaman’s hellish rage was a single word from her father:

“Every time I thought about it, I couldn’t bear it.”

“……”

“It still feels like she’s alive. Talking about her makes me miss her so much. I feel like it happened because of me, and it tears my heart apart…”

As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes. Silia looked at her father with a strange feeling.

“I’m sorry. You also have the right to know about your mother.”

The commotion ended there. More precisely, it only ended once Silia’s inheritance from her mother was officially approved.

“You probably didn’t expect Mother to leave it that way.”

“I think your father is more remarkable. Usually, if someone knew about an inheritance, they’d have used it to repay debts.”

“Apparently, he didn’t realize how much there was either.”

Add that to his personality. Her father seemed to feel guilty that her mother had sacrificed everything when marrying him. He never asked for any of her wealth or possessions.

Cecil summed up that behavior with one word: “stubbornly foolish.”

‘But this…’

Thinking back, if it was an inheritance she was always meant to receive, shouldn’t it have been given to her in her past life? In the previous life, Cecil didn’t give it and washed his hands of it. Silia recalled past-life Cecil, clicking his tongue at her timid self before leaving.

‘Did my past-life self annoy him that much?’

Before doubt could fully settle, a jingling sound came from her pocket. Silia shook her head.

‘Anyway, this time, Diaman’s side invested and even increased the original inheritance.’

Thanks to Count Diaman putting some of the inheritance into good investments, the amount had grown significantly. After repaying debts not only to Tarnia but elsewhere, there was still money left—enough to buy at least one house. Silia was pleased as she thought about looking for a house in the capital.

The debt problem was resolved more easily than expected. Of course, after buying a house, there wouldn’t be much left, but there were plenty of ways to earn money.

“Anyway, I’m glad it worked out.”

“Yeah. I’m a little satisfied too.”

For the first time, Julien showed a genuine smile of satisfaction. Seeing him happy over such a small thing made Silia feel a little sorry—compared to what he had endured, it was nothing. Even so, she didn’t forget to ask a question.

“Really? You have a copy of the guild documents?”

“No way. But you saying it made me feel like you’d believe me.”

Indeed, in front of her fists, there was nothing he couldn’t believe. He would likely be careful for now. Julien said confidently,
“But next time, I’ll make sure to eat properly.”

“Good. I’ll give you that chance. While we’re at it, want something else? I can buy it now that we have money.”

“Really? Silia-nuna. I don’t refuse that.”

“You only call me ‘nuna’ at times like this.”

The two of them bickered as they started walking.

“Silia.”

An unexpected face appeared, waving from afar. It was Rose and Marin.

“Good timing.”

“What brings you two outside? Is it because of the Tower’s situation?”

“Well, that too…” Rose replied with a wry smile.

“The Tower Lord just sent a message to us.”

“What kind of message?”

“It’s about you. So we came to deliver it.”

Silia took the note from Rose. Opening it, she saw the Tower Lord’s elegant handwriting:

“You have been granted access to the restricted library.”

“Got it.”

The method for refining beast blood had been leaked. It wasn’t a place where permission was easily granted; it had indeed taken a few days. Once there, she could find any clues that might exist.

“You’ll help me go, right?”

“We can’t.”

Marin said firmly,
“It took a lot of effort just to get your individual permission. You know? Normally, Tower personnel can’t enter. You got an exception using some loopholes.”

“Also, the royal mages managing the place aren’t on good terms with the Tower…”

“In fact, they outrank us. We’re mere researchers, they often hold at least a knightly rank. If they say ‘do it,’ you have to do it.”

Marin grumbled dramatically. Most royal mages were from noble families loyal to the royal family. Even though they were mages, their loyalty leaned toward royalty or high nobility.

“This request probably barely passed too. Lately, they’ve been uncooperative.”

“I expected as much.”

Considering the whistleblower reports about the royal family and the refining method, it made sense. To smuggle out the method, one would need access to the restricted library, implying high rank or royal ties.

‘A high-ranking noble…’

Or royalty. Like Krondel, obsessed with magic.

Since the Tower incident, there’s been no contact from him. Seems the price of breaking the penance was high.

‘If he were here, I wouldn’t need permission—I could just sneak in.’

He had memorized all secret royal passages and shifts. If he weren’t under suspicion, she might’ve tried to contact him. Silia grumbled inwardly, amused by how she’d already absorbed Krondel’s methods. Marin lightly smiled and handed something to her.

“So we did what we could.”

“We organized the documents worth checking. If they’re there, that is.”

The note contained quite a long list of documents. It would save time compared to finding a needle in a desert once inside. Clearly, the Tower Lord had his reasons for sending Marin and Rose.

“Thank you, both of you.”

“If you find anything, just tell me a little. Not everything, just a bit.”

“Just a bit?”

“If you know everything, curiosity is fully satisfied. The fun is in discovering small clues yourself.”

“Besides, the documents there contain things that would drive mages crazy.”

“I’m a mage too.”

“You’re different. You’re also a great investigator.”

“Right. Investigators overcome crazy things through physical training. Cardio, I think, for depression?”

“They’re really incomprehensible.”

Silia laughed softly, thanking them again.

“If I see anything, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks!”

The next day, the plan ran into difficulties.

“This is it?”

“Yes.”

The restricted library wasn’t hidden as much as expected. It had the humble feel of a rural monastery near the palace rather than a secretive, clandestine place.

From the outside, the building looked small, but inside there was an enormous underground floor. Silia was excited—until…

“You may not go below this floor.”

The librarian firmly said Silia could only use the first floor.

“There are only a few bookshelves here.”

“Yes.”

“Ahem.”

The accompanying royal mage coughed, clearly uncomfortable. Just allowing this much to a Tower person was already generous.

‘I see why they didn’t refuse—it’s all for show.’

Silia chose one old, paper-scented bookshelf quietly and went in.

“I’ll wait out here.”

The royal mage muttered from the lobby. Silia ignored it and moved further inside, out of sight, stopping to scan the shelves. There wasn’t much useful.

‘I should have just told him to sneak in,’ she murmured.

“Who are you talking about?”

A cheerful, cute voice came from below.