The Genius Villain Dies Tomorrow

The Witch’s Spire, fittingly nicknamed by Rian, was located outside the city.

Rian and Alicia traveled upstream for at least two hours, through forested hills and rocky cliffs to get to where the waterfall lay and the Witch’s Spire rested.

They made their way on foot, as having a carriage go out during these chaotic times would be too suspicious. And surprisingly, Rian didn’t need as many breaks as he thought.

It was another training exercise for him, allowing Rian’s physical stats to finally reach the level of an ordinary citizen.

[STR: 7 → 10]

[SPD: 8 → 11]

[STAM: 10 → 12]

But throughout the way, Rian had noticed that his magical stats had gone up quite a bit as well.

[MAG: 17 → 22]

[SPRT: 15 → 20]

’Huh, was it Chain Lightning?’

Forcing an intermediate spell through his lone Magic Circle had nearly torn his mana circulation apart. But well, managing to survive it was the quickest way to force it to expand.

Beyond the final line of trees, a narrow tower made out of dark stone rose from the opposite bank. Ice covered a portion of the walls, completely frozen despite the afternoon sun.

The waterfall beside it had divided unnaturally around the tower, its rushing water curving away from the structure before rejoining the river below.

Rian stopped at the edge of the clearing, with Alicia emerging from beside him just a second later. They both stared at the menacing structure before the young maid frowned.

"Young Master, are you sure this is a good idea? You know how bad her reputation is in the city..."

Well, Rian definitely knew her reputation. He didn’t even need to know the original novel to know what the citizens had called her.

A "hermit of calamity" or a "slumbering beast". All types of names were given to this one person alone, but every rumor could be boiled down to one clear message:

Bother her and you die, simple as that.

"Well, no risk, no reward...right?"

Though in the back of his head, Rian knew that he was biting off a lot more than he could chew. Even if Alicia was only a single stage below her, the difference between a 6-Star and a 7-Star is absurd.

"...Let’s just knock."

Rian had told Alicia to drop all of her concealed weapons onto the ground. She wasn’t quite happy with the decision but followed through regardless.

They both approached cautiously with their hands in the air, somehow managing to reach the wooden front door. Rian slowly reached toward the door, and—

Knock...knock...

"..."

Rian glanced toward Alicia, but she simply shrugged. "Perhaps she isn’t home?"

But she was quickly proven wrong, as a heavy crash suddenly echoed from inside the tower. It was then followed by hurried footsteps and several objects being knocked onto the floor.

"Felix Rosenheim!"

The furious voice made Rian’s hand freeze above the door.

"For the last time, I am not supporting your claim to the mine! I don’t care how many officials you send, how expensive their gifts are, or how desperately you want that thing!"

"If you have come here personally again, then you can turn around—"

The door opened.

"And get lost!"

A girl who looked a tad bit younger than Rian was stood at the doorway, glaring at them through barely opened eyes. Her messy dark blue hair was barely combed and she was still in an all-black set of sleepwear.

Several buttons had been fastened hastily, suggesting that she had literally just gotten out of bed despite the sun already sinking below the horizon a few minutes ago.

"You’re...not Felix?"

"No."

"Rosalia’s people then?"

"Not exactly."

Nadine groaned loudly and began to close the door. "Ughh...then I don’t care. Tell whichever Rosenheim sent you that my answer is still no."

Rian barely managed to lunge forward and catch the edge of the door. The wood was so cold that pain shot up through his fingers.

"Khh—! I’m...Rian...Rosenheim. Please...let me have a talk...with you."

Upon hearing the name, her eyes widened just a tad. She let go, making her way to a nearby table to grab a calendar.

Having been pushing against the door with all his strength, Rian stumbled across the threshold and nearly landed face-first to the floor if Alicia hadn’t caught him by the shoulder.

The witch’s eyes darted around the dates, then she suddenly screamed loudly as her finger landed on a date marked in red a few days earlier.

"Ahh! You’re alive?!"

The reaction was quite rude, but still, Rian hadn’t expected Nadine to know something like that when she was always locked inside her spire.

"Yes," he said between breaths. "I’ve come here to seek your help."

But after her initial shock, the Ice Witch quickly regained her composure. "Still a Rosenheim, have you come for a piece of the pie as well? If so, this is the first and last time I’ll say it to you specifically."

"I’m not endorsing anyone. Figure it out by yourself."

"That’s strange."

Nadine paused. "What is?"

"If you truly had no interest in the mines, this dispute would’ve ended a long time ago."

The Ice Witch stared at him for several seconds before releasing an unimpressed sigh. "And how did you arrive at that brilliant conclusion?"

"Both Felix and Rosalia have repeatedly come here seeking your support. That means they both believe your endorsement would be enough to decide the conflict."

"So?"

"So you could have chosen either one."

Rian stepped farther into the tower, nursing the fingers that had nearly frozen against the door.

"A 7-Star Mage could live practically anywhere in Eidelgard. Yet you chose Eisenbran, built your tower beside the river, and remained here for years."

"The waterfall is pleasant."

"And despite apparently wanting nothing to do with the Rosenheims, you’ve tolerated Felix coming here more than thirty times."

"I threatened to freeze him during at least twelve of those visits."

"But you never drove him away permanently."

Nadine crossed her arms.

Most of Rian’s argument was conjecture. Her refusal to endorse either faction didn’t necessarily prove she wanted the mines for herself.

However, Rian already knew that she would eventually become involved. He merely needed to approach the truth without revealing where that knowledge came from.

"If you truly wanted nothing to do with the mines, you could have left Eisenbran years ago. Instead, you stayed while refusing to let either faction gain your support."

Rian narrowed his eyes.

"Interesting theory," Nadine scoffed.

"But I’m wrong?"

"I didn’t say that."

"The stalemate benefits you. Don’t you have a stake there as well?"

It was a theory that Rian had as a reader about Nadine’s motives as well as her decision to seal the crystal mines permanently in the original novel. Right after she did, she decided to leave Eisenbran and become a teacher at Eidelgard Academy.

Either it was a coincidence...or the mines involved her somehow.

The Ice Witch remained silent for a while before waving her hand dismissively toward the entrance. "I’ve heard enough. Take your little theory and—"

Something shifted in Rian’s coat, distracting her. A small light peeked through as the spirit hidden within his pocket reacted to Nadine’s overwhelming presence.

She froze completely, eyes snapping toward Rian’s chest as she approached him. Slowly, Nadine lowered her hand.

"What—"

Then she crossed the room in a single step, faster than the eye could see. She stared at Rian’s pocket before meeting his eyes.

"...Why are you carrying a spirit?"

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