Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

A month had passed since returning to the capital.

During that time, I spent time with Luka, who frequently visited the Duke’s mansion.

Clang, clang-!

“Huff… huff, why is it so fast!”

“Focus on the direction the sword is coming from, Ria.”

Easier said than done!

I parried Luka’s sword a few more times before quickly raising the white flag.

Luka handed me water as I sat down on the training ground’s grass, catching my breath.

After gulping it down, I grumbled:

“I took too long a break from sword training. That’s why.”

“Of course. I understand completely, so don’t worry.”

Luka smiled and smoothed the hair stuck to my forehead.

A cool breeze brushed past the beautifully colored autumn leaves.

I picked up one of the red leaves that had fallen to the ground and stuck it on one of Luka’s cheeks. It made him look like a notorious playboy who had been slapped by a woman, leaving a handprint.

“Pft, bwahaha!”

“You might as well stick one on both sides.”

Luka laughed along with me and played along shamelessly.

It was an ordinary day with an exceptionally high, clear sky.

Recalling what happened in the carriage returning from the west still makes my face burn.

Although I tried to talk around it somehow, we had essentially confirmed our feelings for each other.

At first, it felt awkward to treat Luka as usual. I even tried to avoid him on purpose.

But Luka treated me the same as always, enough to break down my awkwardness.

‘Even today…’

I was certainly feeling awkward about being together, but before I knew it, I was doing sword training with Luka.

‘Did my Red Sun work too well, why is he acting so normal?’

I pouted as I watched Luka through the window, boarding the carriage returning to the imperial palace.

* * *

Recently, the mastermind who had given Marquis Zeld the prison key and led him to put me in danger in the west was caught.

It was none other than a follower of the ‘Sole Saint Faction’.

The temple’s followers considered the healing mages who appeared once per generation to be saints and sages who had disappeared long ago.

But now, for the first time, two healing mages had appeared in one generation before them.

The ‘Sole Saint Faction’ was a group that had recently been forming in secret, taking issue with this fact.

They only acknowledged Senia, who had been the sole saintess, and rejected me who had manifested later.

It was a group discovered after persistent tracking by Damon and Sarah.

I had thought Kablos might be involved, but the culprit who was caught turned out to be just a follower devoted to Senia.

‘But I clearly saw and felt it. The moment Senia took my hand, a seal was engraved on my wrist.’

Suddenly appearing in the west like that too, what on earth is she hiding?

“Did she develop ill feelings because I made excuses about being sick and backed out of appointments…”

“Pardon? Miss, what did you say?”

“It’s nothing. Haha…”

I looked at Garnett’s delicate touch through the mirror.

My wavy silver tresses looked pretty no matter how it was tied, but it especially shone when left in Garnett’s hands.

“There, I decorated it with the flower pin Lady Rachel sent today!”

“As expected of Garnett. You’re the best!”

I gave her a thumbs up.

Garnett, who had initially asked what that meant, now knew it was my highest form of praise and smiled along.

“It’s time for Jen to arrive.”

“Yeah, but Jen always comes 30 minutes later than the appointed time.”

“Not always, Miss.”

A relaxed voice was heard behind me as I flopped down on the sofa.

“This is unusual, Jen. You’re actually on time!”

“I didn’t pull an all-nighter in the lab today.”

Jen researches in the Magic Tower Master’s lab every day, and the apparently evil employer Tower Master removed the clock from the lab, telling him not to watch the time pass.

Because of this, Jen was usually late by 10 minutes at the shortest and an hour at the longest…

Garnett poured tea into the cup for Jen, who had plopped down in the chair in front of me.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you since you returned from the west. I heard you got caught up in another incredible incident…”

“Yeah, I called your name I don’t know how many times.”

“It’s best to avoid spaces where magic is restricted as much as possible. The ring doesn’t work there either. Of course, it wasn’t by your own choice.”

Jen naturally took my hand and checked if there were any problems with the flow of magic.

Then he let a tiny bit of his own magic flow to gauge how vast my magic had become.

“How is it, any changes from last time?”

“Your magic is steadily increasing, little by little. Fortunately, the trend doesn’t seem to be rapid.”

Jen’s expression subtly hardened after measuring my magic like this occasionally, as per his duty.

It was because he knew my eventual fate well.

“I heard you even coughed up blood in the west…”

“Just how far have the rumors spread?”

My efforts to stay away from high society gossip seemed in vain. It seems they were once again completely covered in talk about me.

“But I’m fine now thanks to Dad and Luka making an enhanced potion for me.”

“Ah, I heard about that too. They say they produced a legendary medicine that will go down in history in just one day.”

I hear the enhanced potion is secretly called ‘Laveria’s Medicine’ in some places.

The enhanced potion, considered a panacea, was now being sold in limited quantities at astronomical prices on the market.

The dozens of enhanced potions displayed in that cabinet right now each held priceless value.

As Luka had promised, the taste had also been improved, so I could now drink it without chocolate.

Nevertheless, I tried to avoid Jen’s water-colored eyes that couldn’t erase their worry as I changed the subject.

“More importantly, I should return the artifact to the Tower Master now. I need to thank him for helping things end smoothly thanks to it.”

It had been a while since I last visited the Magic Tower.

This would be the moment I first met Jen’s evil employer.

* * *

The Magic Tower was still as incredibly tall as before, piercing through the clouds.

“Follow me this way, Miss.”

“Okay.”

I followed Jen towards the Magic Tower, wearing a white cloak.

We passed by the place where I had first met the president.

He, who had been passionately recruiting club members then, was now immersed in developing magical tools in the Duke’s mansion’s laboratory.

‘Yesterday too, he almost blew up the lab…’

It seemed there were many trials and errors as it was the first attempt to develop magical tools in the private sector.

Still, the president, who was the most passionate person I had ever seen, never gave up.

‘Today he said he was going to try melting a new metal to decompose magic ore.’

Magical tools use the unique power emitted from magic ore as their driving force.

Then, magic formulas are engraved according to the purpose, and the president had already created magic circles that could operate fans, vacuum cleaners, and other items widely used among commoners, as per our initial plan.

All that remained was to refine the magic ore to high purity.

‘It’s the only hope I can expect for my funds to live abroad.’

This morning too, I had gifted the president various nutritious foods including shrimp.

“I’ll be loyal for life, Miss! I’m moved to tears receiving treatment I couldn’t even dream of at the Magic Tower…!”

‘I have no intention of kicking him out even if he fails…’

Perhaps because of the memory of being abandoned once before, he was overworking himself to prove his usefulness.

For the sake of the president who would probably be clutching his head even now, I intended to gather as much information as possible from the Magic Tower today.

Returning the artifact was just an excuse.

Looking down at the floor, I saw the Magic Tower’s symbol-like magic circle engraved widely.

Mages who shouted the floor number they wanted to go to disappeared one by one from above it.

“80th floor.”

We too were instantly transported to the floor number Jen had said.

After a flash of light blinded my vision, when I opened my eyes again, we were on the top floor I had visited secretly last time without the Tower Master knowing.

This time it wasn’t an empty room.

An old man was sitting in a chair placed in front of the window with clouds in the background.

With his white hair and long beard, he was undoubtedly the Tower Master.

His name was Princess Neuw. He was also the author of the magic primer I had read when I first manifested magic. (tl/n: previously was translated as Princess Newga) 

He was in the middle of looking for something through a map-like magic circle when he saw me and got up to walk over.

“I was looking for my unworthy disciple who ran away… Well, an esteemed guest has arrived.”

The old man chuckled and snapped his fingers with a ‘pop’.

Then a roasted chestnut appeared out of nowhere and flew towards the back of Jen’s head with a ‘ping’.

Jen immediately activated a defensive magic circle on the back of his head, but it was a moment too late and he couldn’t avoid it.

The roasted chestnut that hit Jen’s head with a ‘thwack’ split into two pieces and rolled on the floor.

“Ah, Master! Was it wrong of me to use the vacation you said you’d give me after I finished the last research?”

“Where is there vacation for a mage, you fool.”

It felt like seeing a medieval graduate student.

I was looking at Jen pitifully when I suddenly flinched at the old man’s gaze turning towards me.

It was my first time seeing someone hit with a roasted chestnut instead of a finger flick.

It looked really painful… I heard his personality was also very eccentric.

However, contrary to my tension, the Tower Master took off the hat he was wearing and greeted me with a grin.

“Welcome, healing mage. I am the 28th Tower Master and Jen’s elderly master.”

“I am Laveria Jenne Rayes of House Rayes. I benefited greatly from the artifact you kindly lent last time. Thank you.”

The Tower Master was incredibly tall, so I had to look up for quite a while with my still young body.

Despite being over 100 years old now, he had an overwhelming presence that made people tense.

“Kekeke, for me it was a chance to deepen ties with the imperial family and help a cute little lady. It was killing two birds with one stone.”

Ambitious mages of the Magic Tower especially did their best to establish connections with the imperial family.

The Tower Master was at the forefront of this.

It was a natural course of action since permission to sell the magical tools they developed nationwide and overseas came from the imperial family.

“To think you recovered Her Majesty the Empress from her illness, it’s hard to believe you only manifested magic a few months ago. Truly amazing.”

I smiled shyly and returned the artifact I had brought to him.

The Tower Master, who received the artifact from me, moved it back to a different space and said:

“Feel free to take and use it again whenever you need it. It seems to be a magical tool that matches well with healing magic.”

“Can I really do that?”

“Yes. But only if you register as an official mage at the Magic Tower.”

“Jen told me I’m already registered.”

“Yes, you are registered. That’s why we send high-level personnel like Jen to check on your condition regularly. But that’s just a preliminary contract status. If you make an official contract… Well, you’d become like that famous imperial palace healing mage.”

“Master! Not the young lady. Rather, work Larisha more… mmph, mmph!”

Jen, who was urgently speaking beside me, soon had his mouth sealed by the Tower Master’s magic.

“Then you could become the first Magic Tower healing mage, my lady.”

The Tower Master’s expression as he added those words looked just like he was selling medicine.

Though it’s not confirmed yet, the honorable position of imperial palace healing mage, allowed to only one person, will likely go to Senia.

It was perhaps natural since she manifested magic before me and had stronger abilities than me.

And she will soon volunteer to go to the battlefield.

In contrast, despite being a healing mage, I would become what you might call unemployed without taking on an honorary duty equivalent to the Knight Commander.

Until now, there had only been one healing mage in the Empire, so living as an unemployed healing mage like me would be unprecedented.

But I wasn’t sad or anxious at all. Rather, I might say I liked it.

I don’t want any troublesome honors or glories.

I smiled brightly and shook my head.

“I’ll just accept your kind intentions, Tower Master.”

The Tower Master, who failed to sell his medicine, tried to hide his disappointment and chuckled.

“You’re sharp indeed. Or perhaps Jen has been badmouthing the Magic Tower.”

I swallowed the words -As much as the stars in the sky’ for Jen’s sake.