Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

“Ah, Lady Kablos has returned.”

At the imperial mage’s words, my gaze turned.

As he said, Senia, who had been absent for a while, returned.

Luka left the banquet hall with the other royals after gifting me a grand event.

He had to take time to prepare as tomorrow was the day of departure.

All that remained was the selection of the imperial palace healing mage.

‘Please just send me home.’

I walked towards the imperial mage, deliberately ignoring the hundreds of gazes still on me.

Senia also walked over gracefully and stood beside me.

She was already wearing the smile of a victor.

“As announced beforehand, the Imperial Magic Department has decided on the 27th successor to follow the former healing mage Gasent.”

The old mage spoke solemnly in a stubborn voice.

“It is Lady Senia Fren Kablos.”

With those words, Senia smiled brightly as if she had expected it.

Especially since she had just had a war of words with me because of this.

Clap clap clap-

Applause poured down.

The old mage approached Senia without even glancing at me, offering his hand and saying:

“I look forward to your handling of the Empire’s affairs from now on, Mage.”

“Of course!”

Senia soon approached me, who was standing still, with a satisfied smile.

“Lady, I’m sorry it turned out like this. I wonder how my advance notice was helpful?”

“…”

“Pfft-“

Among the noble faction applauding Senia, there were some who looked at me, who wasn’t chosen, with sneers.

“Ah- I feel too sorry for Lady Rayes like this. Mage, couldn’t you be merciful and select two healing mages just this once?”

“That…”

As Senia cried out as if pleading, the banquet hall stirred.

“How can she be so kind.”

“She’s nothing short of an angel. Compared to her, Lady Rayes earlier to such a kind lady…”

“Even if she’s a healing mage, if she’s not selected for the Imperial Magic Department, she’s no different from a dropout.”

“It can’t be helped. She lacks ability, and her origins…”

“What does it matter? She’ll become the Crown Prince’s consort someday, haha.”

“She’s too incomparable to Lady Kablos…”

Muttering voices were heard.

The old mage answered in a firm voice, as if putting a period to it:

“There is only one imperial palace healing mage, Lady Kablos. Your heart is very admirable, but there is no way to save Lady Rayes…”

Bang-

It was when I was starting to get tired of these people’s attitudes.

Everyone turned around at the sound of the door suddenly bursting open.

“…Lihid, why is that fellow!”

The old mage muttered.

Lihid? It sounds very familiar…

The handsome man with flame-like red hair walked straight to where I was, pushing aside the people looking at him with dumbfounded expressions.

His purple eyes took in my visibly exhausted face once, then soon smiled slightly.

“Is the children’s play all over?”

“Ch-children’s play! More importantly, why are you here…”

As the old mage asked accusingly, Lihid opened his mouth leisurely:

“The master got angry and told me to go greet the new disciple.”

“The Tower Master… a new disciple?”

It was then that I remembered.

Lihid was one of the three disciples the Tower Master had.

Called the ‘Flame Mage’, he was undoubtedly the second most powerful mage in the Empire after the Tower Master.

“Try to look happy, miss. First Magic Tower Healing Mage, isn’t that grand?”

Lihid said to me, enjoying this dumbfounded situation.

“Magic Tower Healing Mage? Are you saying the Tower Master’s new disciple is Lady Rayes!”

“Correct. Why, jealous? Come to think of it, you old man also begged until your hands and feet wore out to become our master’s disciple in the past, right?”

“When did I ever!!”

“Sorry, but not just anyone can become the Tower Master’s disciple. Only geniuses outstanding enough to span generations can enjoy that honor.”

Lihid said in a voice dripping with self-love.

“The Tower Master must have finally gone senile…! The disciple he chose after 20 years is merely… Aaak!”

The old mage who was speaking while panting soon screamed at the fireball sticking to his clothes.

“Watch your mouth. Next time I’ll throw a bigger one.”

At those words, the old mage who had barely put out the fire on his clothes shut his mouth tightly.

Seemingly satisfied that it had finally become quieter, Lihid continued speaking to me with a smile:

“Congratulations on becoming the Tower Master’s fourth disciple. The master told me to deliver this.”

Lihid grinned and handed me a familiar object.

It was none other than the Magic Tower’s treasure, the amplification artifact.

“This is…”

“It’s yours now. So take this and cheer up. I think you’d look much prettier smiling.”

Lihid, laughing refreshingly, felt very friendly despite seeing him for the first time.

He seemed to dislike me being discouraged because of the Imperial Magic Department, which he usually didn’t get along with.

Now I was also his fellow disciple under the same master.

Jen had told me last time:

-Lihid, that guy… he’s eccentric but not a bad person. I heard he lost all his family when young and entered the Magic Tower, so maybe that’s why he considers the master, me, and Larisha as family. If you become the master’s disciple too, miss, he’ll probably treat you specially out of nowhere…

I recalled Jen looking at me with worried eyes.

“Pfft-“

Seeing Lihid looking at me with sparkling eyes, laughter burst out.

My low spirits seemed to be lifting.

If it’s family like this, I welcome it.

All those people who were making unpleasant comments one by one are now unable to even open their mouths.

The purple eyes looking at me suddenly widened.

“See, miss? You look much prettier when you smile.”

“Thank you for coming all this way. If you could tell the Tower Master I received the artifact well…”

“No need to tell him, he came in person.”

At that moment, a familiar voice was heard from the middle of the banquet hall.

“…!”

“…The Tower Master?!”

The elderly man with a good build stood in front of me and smiled playfully.

“I’m not going anywhere, you two…”

Thank you for coming like this. Please accept my bow.

As I looked up with a moved expression, he laughed heartily.

“It’s only natural to come in person to welcome a precious talent!”

The Tower Master sneered at the imperial mage who still couldn’t close his mouth.

“Such a fellow without discerning eyes.”

There would be no one among those standing here who didn’t know how dearly the Tower Master cherished his disciples.

That solid fence of his now surrounded Lady Rayes, whom they had been mocking as a dropout until just now.

The top disciple of the mage called the best in the Empire, plus the position of first Magic Tower Healing Mage.

They could no longer say she was inferior to Lady Kablos.

Senia, who had clenched her fists so tightly they turned white, trembled.

I glanced at that and soon spoke with a bright smile:

“Thank you for giving me this honorable opportunity, Master. And Lihid too.”

It was a very unusual event for the Tower Master to appear at the imperial palace.

The fact that he had come all this way, famous for not leaving the Magic Tower, for none other than me would cause big ripples.

I grasped the hand the Tower Master held out.

“I’ve made the Magic Tower an interesting place while you were gone, so you can look forward to it.”

Also, he hadn’t forgotten the promise he made with me a few months ago.

This much seems like a quite satisfactory workplace, doesn’t it?

I liked it much better than the glamorous but empty title of imperial palace healing mage.

And so I became the Tower Master’s fourth disciple in 20 years.

* * *

“Phew…”

The New Year’s festival ended.

I quickly returned to the mansion as if fleeing because nobles seeking me out didn’t cease like waves.

One big wave had already occurred due to Luka’s vow, and now it was because I was publicly announced as the Tower Master’s disciple.

The Tower Master had faithfully kept his word that he would take me as a disciple as soon as Senia was selected as the imperial palace healing mage.

Just before the New Year’s festival dispersed, Senia announced with a dark face that she would volunteer for the war as a healing mage.

‘Everyone, to fulfill my duty as the imperial palace healing mage, I… will join His Highness the Crown Prince’s departure tomorrow.’

Although she didn’t receive much attention due to the crowds rushing towards me, she will leave the capital with the imperial army starting tomorrow.

I’m not sure if Duke Kablos will easily send her to the dangerous battlefield, but it seemed likely to happen as announced since it was the most important part of the major flow in the original story.

-It seems you enjoy taking what’s mine one by one.

-What…

-Coveting others’ positions, and even love… Just wait and see. I won’t just sit back and take it.

The last conversation I had with Senia still felt unsettling no matter how many times I mulled it over.

“What on earth is she thinking?”

The chilly night air made my body shiver.