The Master of the Tower Dreaming of the Beyond (1)
I stepped into the guild master's office and sat at the desk, lighting the candle. The magic scrolls I'd swiped earlier that day shimmered mysteriously in the flickering light. There were so many of them that Patrick hadn't even noticed a few were missing. No matter how you sliced it, there was no reason for a traveling merchant employee opening branches overseas to carry that many high-end magic scrolls. Judging by the calluses on his hands, his skill with a greatsword, and how unflinching he was watching people die right in front of him, the "merchant employee" bit was just a front. If my hunch was right, this Patrick guy was almost certainly a spy masquerading as an employee of some ghost company called Dremont. That's why he hadn't gone to the border guards for official protection but came to the guild instead. So, whose side was he on? An imperial spy? Or a duchy agent returning from assignment?
I slit the seal with my dagger and unrolled the scroll. Elegant script and intricate diagrams sprawled across the tough parchment. Definitely a magic scroll, no doubt. What kind, though? I carefully deciphered the incantation and diagram, then grinned.
Hah, so that's what it was?
Patrick, you bastard—crossing the border alive was practically a miracle. No wonder it seemed insane that a mage showed up just to kill some random merchant drone. Everything made sense now. This was getting very interesting.
I rolled the scroll back up, tossed it into the safe, and flopped onto the bed. Staring at the ceiling, I pondered how to turn this intel to our advantage.
The next day, I rented a cart and hauled the water demon's head back from city hall. It was bigger than a calf, so Celestine struggled pushing from behind. Left rotting for a while, it was starting to stink—we had to get it taxidermied fast. After wandering the market forever, I found a skilled taxidermist and handed it over.
"Whoa, no way. I heard the rumors, but I never imagined it'd be this big."
The taxidermist gawked at the head. I gave Celestine a churros as a snack—she'd been staring at the street vendor like a puppy, and I couldn't just drag her away. Watching her devour it, I wondered if Leana was right and her stomach might actually burst.
"Tasty?"
"So good! Want some?"
"Nah, finish it all."
What the hell kind of place was this ascetic sect, anyway?
"What could you even do in that ascetic sect?"
"Nothing. Small meals, little sleep, no smiling. Everything's forbidden."
"What kinda hellhole is that? So why'd you join?"
"I got dragged in."
Not surprising. I'd heard kids who randomly awakened holy power got half-forced into the church as priests. It's a lottery—blessing for some, curse for others. Which was Celestine?
"Your family?"
"Gone."
"Gone? All dead?"
"Probably. Or maybe not."
Her vague answer screamed abandoned kid.
"They were too poor to raise me. Soon as my holy power awakened, they reported me to the church and handed me over. I was so young, I barely remember."
"Makes sense. Total radio silence since, huh."
"Yeah. And I don't even wanna reach out. No feelings left."
Even in the game, priests always had these gloomy backstories. Forced into priesthood by random power-ups—figures.
"Still, joining young might've been a blessing. Trained early, so I got my halo faster than most."
"Optimistic, huh. How old are you anyway?"
"Twenty this year."
What? She's a total baby. Leana's twenty-two, right? Just two years older, but Celestine acts like a kid. No wonder her stern act didn't fit when we met. Must be that cute face.
"Wh-what're you doing…?!"
I pinched her cheek, and her eyes went wide.
"You're cute. So squishy."
"I've never been treated this rudely… I was a halo saintess, you know…"
Yet she smiled shyly, rubbing her cheek like she loved it.
"You're not a saintess anymore. You're a Lucas Guild member."
"True. Now I can eat goodies without anyone watching."
She popped the last churros chunk in her mouth. Girl could eat. No wonder she was starving in that sect.
"So, how far can you push your holy power?"
"Holy barriers, blessings, purification, healing."
Full healer kit. No direct attacks, though. She was main support, but right now, she needed some combat chops too.
"Can you shape holy barriers however you want?"
"Huh? No…? Shape them how?"
"How'd you trip that guy with the horse last time?"
"Just formed a barrier and stopped midway. Wasn't pre-shaped."
"Hmm, got it."
I rummaged through my mental archives of the Chaotic Empire official forums. Healer, healer… ah, right. This famous healer user posted a tip once. The so-called "combat healer" build. A loophole exploit letting healers solo hunt. Might still work here—if it did, Celestine would pull her weight big time.
"From today, you're training with me."
"Y-yes…? What for…?"
She stammered, like she always did when I asked something. Always jumping to weird fantasies.
"Nothing crazy. Just training. We're short on sword swingers—it's just me."
"Should I learn swordsmanship too…?"
"Haha, nah. You'll learn to use barriers like blades."
"Huh…?"
She tilted her head, totally lost. So damn cute when she did that.
"Trust me, it works. I'll show you—let's practice."
"No idea what, but if you say so, okay. You're the boss."
"Good attitude. But seriously, what goes through your head when I ask for something?"
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Last time with purification, you freaked out big time."
"I didn't think anything…?"
"Really? Then why do you always pull out that silk pouch from your bag whenever I talk? And while we're at it, what's in it?"
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
Suddenly, Celestine screamed and clapped her hands over her ears.
"Aaaah! Don't know don't know don't know!!"
Did she snap!?
"Quiet!"
Passerby's stares—I clamped her mouth shut quick.
"Mmph! Mmmph!"
"Fine, I won't ask. Just stop yelling."
She nodded, so I let go.
"Hell of a set of lungs. Not a parrot, are ya?"
I shook sugar off my palm, clicking my tongue.
"What'd you eat now!"
Back at the guild, Leana jabbed at Celestine's sugar-coated lips.
"Churros. Boss bought 'em."
"Boss. She's eating too much lately. Cut her off."
"She starved in the sect."
"Still no. She'll turn into a pig. We're a guild—fat and slow won't get jobs! Who trusts a request to someone who looks sluggish?"
Leana wasn't wrong. Guild work could be life-or-death; obesity wouldn't cut it. But watching Celestine eat made me happy, so I kept buying stuff.
"No more snacks, got it?"
"Y-yes…."
"And exercise. Can't use you all squishy like this."
Leana grabbed Celestine's belly flab; Celestine yelped and backed away.
"Celestine's doing special training with me starting today. Don't worry."
"Special training?"
"Yeah. Turning her into a combat healer."
"What's that? Like a holy knight?"
"Different. Just roll with it."
"Hmm, whatever you say, boss. Oh, you two need lunch?"
Leana dashed to the kitchen and brought out plates. Lunch was beans, carrots, potatoes, asparagus, and grilled meat—looked amazing.
"Dig in."
Celestine's eyes tracked Leana like she might skip her. Luckily, Leana set the plates close.
"Eat up, Celestine. Home cooking doesn't fattens ya."
"Thanks for the meal."
Relieved, Celestine forked in a huge bite. Leana watched fondly. Despite the nagging, she felt the same as me. Cute conquers all.
