ESWPT 03

Chapter 3

Some say:

Cecilia’s genius and accomplishments are undeniable, but it’s also an undeniable fact that her distinctive appearance caused her followers to multiply.

A proud and elegant face.
Flawlessly smooth skin.
Eyes so clear and blue they rival the finest aquamarine…
And silver hair that shone brilliantly, befitting a Grand Mage who could wield such powerful magic.

Her beauty was flawless.

“Miss Cecil…”

A trainee finally mustered the courage to speak.

“Are you really leaving?”

Cecilia tilted her head. She had intended to leave quietly, but the news had spread this quickly? Who could have spread it?

“Whoever it was, you’re lucky.”

Cecilia was the type to return any slight in kind.

“If it weren’t for the fact that I must leave immediately, I’d find them and shut them up myself.”

The trainees before her could never imagine such thoughts, and Cecilia smiled gently.

“Yes. It’s time to leave.”

The place erupted into chaos again. This time, cries and wails mixed together.

“You’re leaving us already, Miss Cecil! Please stay a few more years…!”

“Waaahhh!”

“With your skill, you could become the Tower Master. Perhaps even surpass Branto right now…”

At that moment, a loud voice rang out.

“Well said!”

It was Branto, the master of the Guardian Tower.

The trainees froze.

Though Branto had just celebrated his 100th birthday, he still possessed the vigor of a young man. His thunderous voice echoed throughout the entire tower.

“You want to become the master of this tower, Cecilia! And you already plan to leave? What a malicious spirit… but time is relentless. There’s nothing I can do.”

Cecilia stared at her master, dumbfounded.

She wasn’t stupid. In fact, she was clever enough to see it immediately.

That devious heart of his, wanting to dump all the troublesome work onto her and relax while she suffered!

Sure enough.

“I was planning to hand this place over to you and retire peacefully in the south…”

“I don’t want that.”

Cecilia cut him off sharply.

“…You don’t?”

This time, Branto was left speechless.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

“Why on earth would you refuse? The Guardian Tower, older than the history of Mejina’s…!”

“There are plenty of reasons.”

Cecilia did not back down.

“Training night and day, completely cut off from the outside world. I can’t even tell my family whether I’m alive or dead… Is this how humans are supposed to live?”

Six years ago, at just nineteen, Cecilia Ceres had learned her fate.

She was destined to become the consort of the tyrant, Emperor Rinek, and die miserably.

To escape that fate, she became the Duchess of Ceres, but the emperor used every means to capture her.

Eventually, she signed her divorce papers and fled, knocking on the doors of the Guardian Tower.

Even being accepted as a maid would have been lucky, but to her delight, she was able to become a trainee due to her innate magical talent.

But that joy was short-lived.

“I can’t leave the tower until I become a Grand Mage? What kind of nonsense is that?”

A normal trainee needs at least ten years of training to become a Grand Mage.

Fortunately, Cecilia achieved Grand Mage status in just five years, but nothing had changed except that she could finally leave the tower.

And that wasn’t all.

Even a Grand Mage is completely cut off from the outside world while in the Guardian Tower.

So Cecilia had no idea what had happened outside for the past five years.

New trainees came occasionally, but sharing outside news was strictly prohibited.

“This is an outdated and harsh policy, Master.”

“Indeed!”

“Hooray for Miss Cecil!”

The trainees’ cheers erupted, making Branto’s face turn red and blue as he spoke.

“You are a Grand Mage trained by this tower. What could you possibly do outside?”

Branto continued without taking a breath.

“If you leave, I will expel you! Even if you come crying back, begging to return, I won’t accept it. Think carefully, Cecilia!”

Cecilia snorted inwardly.

It was true that magic was restricted outside Mejina, but Grand Mages were a different matter.

Any employer who recognized her power and was willing to pay a sufficient price could be found anywhere.

Most trainees who had entered the tower at a young age didn’t know this, but Cecilia had changed completely since she arrived. Whoever tried to chase her would be crushed with a mere flick of her hand.

She didn’t even need to worry about the tyrant chasing her. Ordinary knights would fall like leaves in a storm at her command.

“I will never return! Don’t ever summon me again! I’m sick of this tower life!”

Branto’s face crumpled.

“I considered you my successor… How much longer must this old and pitiful master work…!”

That was enough. She genuinely respected her master but had no intention of enduring his endless lamentation. She had no intention of taking over the troublesome Guardian Tower.

The solution was simple.

“I was going to leave anyway… no choice now.”

Cecilia looked straight at Branto.

“I’m sorry, Master. But you’ll be active for another fifty years, won’t you? Fighting!”

Her clear, sky-blue magical aura began to swirl around her, and a teleportation magic circle appeared above her head.

“You’re going to teleport right here!? The tower will be destroyed!”

Branto shouted in panic, but it was already too late.

“…Ceeciiiil!”

The Mage Kingdom, Mejina’s capital.

A woman appeared in a flash of light in the middle of the square, but no one paid attention. Magic was commonplace in Mejina.

But for Cecilia, this was no ordinary moment.

“Finally…!”