Chapter 22
Meanwhile, at that very moment—
Jerome was reporting from the Magic Tower.
“…The hellhounds have all been eliminated.”
“—Eliminated?”
“Yes.”
In a secret room at the very top of the tower, the person listening to Jerome’s report wore a black hood pulled low. The hood tilted slightly, as if surprised by the unexpected news.
“Jerome, I don’t want to underestimate your abilities, but there were quite a few of them.”
“Yes, they were numerous. I was about to call for the Tower Master myself when…”
Jerome hesitated for a moment, watching the hooded figure’s reaction, then continued in a serious voice.
“Lady Elysia Sempherion appeared and took out all the hellhounds.”
“…Elysia Sempherion?”
“Yes! The youngest daughter of House Sempherion! That infamous villainess of the Sempherion family—it was indeed her!”
Jerome burst into speech, excitement evident in his tone.
“Isn’t it unbelievable? If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it myself! And that’s not even the end of it!”
Out of breath, Jerome paused to catch it, then added,
“I accompanied her to report the matter to the Imperial Palace, and His Highness the Crown Prince doubted her abilities. He insisted on testing her on the spot and challenged her to a duel…”
“Leonar himself dueled her?”
Jerome flinched. For the Tower Master to refer to the Crown Prince so informally—it was clear they were not in a good mood.
“Yes, they dueled. And…”
“Elysia won, didn’t she?”
“…Yes.”
A long silence followed. The wind outside brushed against the Tower’s walls, and the moon behind the clouds glowed faintly. Finally, the hooded figure spoke again.
“If they dueled with swords, the next step must be to test her magical power, correct?”
“I suppose so.”
“When is she scheduled to visit the Magic Tower?”
“She hasn’t… yet.”
“How about today or tomorrow?”
“…What?”
Jerome blinked in surprise.
“W-We reassured Lady Elysia that the Magic Tower prefers gentle and peaceful approaches! If we suddenly push for a test now, it’ll make us look bad!”
He cried out in a flustered voice.
“Could we… please reconsider, Tower Master?!”
The next morning.
Elysia woke to a gentle shake.
“My lady, time for breakfast!”
“…Mmm.”
Ever since her disruptive outburst during yesterday’s breakfast-lunch, Elysia hadn’t left her room. She’d quietly browsed her skill menu and requested all meals be brought to her room.
The reason was obvious—she didn’t want to face the Duke or Howell.
‘Thankfully, no one gave me grief over it…’
She had worried they might scold her for making a scene or for locking herself up, but nothing of the sort happened. Meals arrived like clockwork, making her life cozy and comfortable.
The maids, too, seemed relieved she wasn’t trying to escape or stir up trouble.
“We were so worried you’d vanish again when we opened your door today!”
“Right, your name was…”
“Dora. Dora, my lady.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Dora was one of the few maids Elysia actually remembered. On the first day, she had dozed off while standing guard and turned pale apologizing for it.
“Why breakfast now? Weren’t you bringing it to me again today?”
Elysia asked in a puzzled tone. She had clearly told the maids yesterday, “Just bring all my meals to my room from now on.” Maybe Dora had forgotten?
“Well…”
Dora hesitated under Elysia’s gaze.
“We thought the Duke’s anger has likely subsided by now. But if you keep avoiding him, he might get upset again…”
“…What?”
Elysia’s brows shot up. Was she saying Elysia should show up at breakfast to keep the Duke in a good mood?
“S-Sorry for overstepping. But my lady, you hate it when the Duke is angry…”
“…”
It was hard to tell what she meant. Was she saying Elysia should appease the Duke? Or was it genuine advice, hoping their relationship would improve?
‘What should I do?’
Should she go and ease the Duke’s anger?
Or should she just keep avoiding uncomfortable situations?
That’s when it happened.
There was a commotion on the first floor of the estate.
“Master! A guest has arrived!”
“…!”
The sound was faint, but Elysia heard it clearly.
She peered out the window. A carriage stood in front of the mansion, painted in an ominous blend of black and purple.
‘Let’s see… black and purple… Magic Tower?’
It was the Magic Tower!
That emblem—it had to be the Magic Tower!
A quick check of the system chat confirmed it.
‘Reality user advice really comes in handy at times like this.’
This carriage looked nothing like the one she rode with Jerome yesterday—perhaps, as he said, that one wasn’t officially from the Tower. This one clearly was.
‘But… why are they back after just one day?’
What reason?
Just then, a faint voice floated up from downstairs—likely the Duke’s.
“…Don’t inform Elysia yet.”
“…!”
Anyone else might have missed it, but Elysia, thanks to her heightened stats—or just her sharpened nerves—caught every word.
‘Don’t tell me? What is that supposed to mean?’
Like hell she was going to let that slide.
She sprang out of bed and turned to Dora.
“I’m going down for breakfast now!”
“Huh? But, my lady—!”
“I’ll wear this outfit, okay?”
“You’re not taking help dressing?! How will you manage—”
“All done! I’m off!”
“M-My lady!”
Before Dora could stop her, Elysia had changed and flown out the door, silently dashing down the stairs. Stunned by the impossible speed, Dora could only blink in amazement.
“S-She really must have some kind of power…”
Whether it was a power to change clothes in seconds or not, it was clearly not normal, Dora thought.
“A second visit from the Magic Tower’s carriage, and so early in the morning, no less.”
The Duke muttered as he strode across the hall to greet the guest.
“If they’ve come in person rather than sending a letter, it must be urgent. I’ll at least hear them out.”
Visiting without prior notice or arrangements was rude. Yesterday could be excused—they had brought Elysia home. But today? This was different. Arriving at dawn with an official Tower carriage?
‘…Could it be another secret?’
What kind of top-level secret only the Magic Tower and Imperial family knew about? He was starting to lose patience.
Of course, he had his own intelligence network. He’d gotten some information, though none of it seemed believable.
‘The young lady supposedly defeated magical beasts in the forest!’
‘And even bested the Crown Prince!’
The Duke’s only reaction to that was—
‘Are you kidding me?’
He was seriously considering replacing his informants.
‘If the Tower can verify the truth, all the better.’
If they could clarify what Elysia was caught up in and what abilities she possessed, maybe then he could finally calm down.
“How have you been, Duke Sempherion?”
Jerome appeared once again, wearing the same polite smile as yesterday.
“I’ve been terrible.”
“…Pardon?”
“You show up today and ask how I’ve been? After everything yesterday?”
“….”
Jerome blinked in confusion at the Duke’s unexpectedly cold response.
‘So this is the famed Sempherion temperament.’
They respected no one but the Imperial family. Still, for the Duke to completely ignore a formal greeting from the Magic Tower’s vice-tower master…
‘He’s clearly still angry about yesterday.’
Or maybe something else had happened since then?
While Jerome pondered, the Duke continued.
“You took my daughter without notice, returned her just the same, and you think I’m in a good mood?”
“…That…”
Jerome started sweating. So that’s what the Duke was angry about—taking Elysia to the palace without notifying the family.
‘This is bad.’
Jerome’s mind raced.
‘If I ask to take her back to the Tower now… no way he’ll agree.’
In truth, Jerome had come back so soon primarily to take Elysia to the Tower for her ability test. The confidential report was part of it, but not the main reason.
‘If it weren’t for the Tower Master… this wouldn’t be so urgent.’
The unexpected command to bring Elysia immediately—if not for that, Jerome could’ve focused on smoothing things over first.
“I understand, and I sincerely apologize. What happened yesterday was truly an exception, and I assure you it will not happen again.”
He bowed respectfully and gestured toward the carriage.
“To express our gratitude, the Magic Tower has also prepared gifts and rewards for the lady’s achievement. I know it may not ease your anger, but…”
Though classified, her subjugation of the hellhounds was a remarkable feat. The Tower couldn’t publicly acknowledge it, but this was their way of showing thanks—and persuading the Duke.
‘Will this be enough?’
Jerome hoped to handle things diplomatically.
As the Duke continued to scowl, Jerome sighed inwardly—until—
“Father. The vice-tower master is not to blame. I chose to go to the palace.”
“…!”
A clear voice rang out.
Everyone turned to see Elysia standing at the top of the stairs, hand resting on the railing.
‘Since when…?’
Jerome swallowed hard. She had approached without him noticing a thing. Elysia calmly descended the steps and continued,
“I said I would go to the palace. The vice-tower master simply respected my decision. It wasn’t to ignore House Sempherion—if anything, it meant he acknowledged me as part of the house and valued my opinion.”
“…”
The conversation was momentarily halted by Elysia’s unexpected appearance. The Duke’s eyes widened, then furrowed.
‘She hasn’t left her room in days, and now she’s stepping in out of nowhere—of course he’s baffled.’
Still, Elysia had her excuse ready—and a good one, too. She said coolly,
“Sorry, Father. I was upset and hid away without giving you a proper explanation.”
Her voice was calm, respectful, even tinged with melancholy. She stepped closer and added,
“I reflected deeply while alone in my room… and decided I needed to speak with you properly this morning.”
“….”
A short silence fell.
As Jerome waited nervously and Elysia stood composed—
—a system alert popped up.
Disappointment –20%!
Disappointment 345% → 320%!!
The Duke’s heart has softened a little!
‘…It worked?’
A 20% drop in disappointment?
She’d just said that on a whim, remembering the maid’s advice—but it was surprisingly effective.
‘Maybe that maid really did mean it sincerely…’
While Elysia processed this unexpected realization, the Duke finally spoke.
“Well, this does concern you too. Since the vice-tower master is here, you might as well join us in the drawing room for the discussion.”
And just like that, she was officially included.
Elysia nodded promptly.
“Yes, I’d be happy to.”
