NOVEL WEB chapter 150
Penelope suddenly stopped and clenched her fist, prompting Ahwin to glance at her curiously.
"Pepe? What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing. Hmm, let’s just prepare to go out and meet in the lobby…”
At that moment, the butler approached Penelope with a message.
“There’s a communication request from Halo Territory.”
“Halo Territory? Is it the treasurer?”
“Yes, my lady. They wish to speak with you directly.”
Penelope nodded at the butler’s reply.
“I’ll go immediately. Ahwin, we’ll have our date afterward.”
“I’ll come with you. I have a feeling there won’t be a date later.”
“Suit yourself.”
Ahwin held out his hand to Penelope, who instinctively took it. By now, holding Ahwin’s hand had become a natural part of Penelope’s routine. The same couldn’t be said for the butler, who watched them in astonishment.
‘They’re holding hands all of a sudden? What on earth is happening?’
The butler’s eyes quivered as if struck by an earthquake. Penelope, preoccupied with her thoughts, had completely forgotten to inform the butler about her relationship with Ahwin.
Lost in her own musings, Penelope walked calmly alongside Ahwin, occasionally giving his hand a gentle swing.
‘What could the treasurer want to tell me so urgently?’
It had only been three days since Penelope last communicated with Halo Territory. During those exchanges, the treasurer had provided detailed reports about the development of the territory, while Penelope updated him on the progress of her business ventures in the capital.
‘Surely, nothing has gone wrong in Halo Territory, right?’
Penelope quickened her pace and entered the room where the communication crystal was located.
The treasurer, waiting on the other side of the crystal, was visibly startled the moment he saw the pair. Penelope tilted her head and asked, “It’s been three days. How have you been?”
“I’ve been well, my lady, very well indeed, ha ha.”
The treasurer avoided looking at Ahwin as he answered, his efforts so obvious that Penelope didn’t notice anything amiss.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“I reached out to report something urgent. Construction has begun on the railway connecting Pellar and Halo. The platform for Halo Station has also just started.”
“Really? That’s fantastic news!” Penelope’s face lit up with a bright smile.
At last, the railway project was underway! The territory’s greatest weakness—transportation—was finally being addressed.
The railway would bring an exponential increase in tourism to Halo. This, in turn, would boost commerce, including lodging, dining, and other industries.
‘This opens up so many new business opportunities for the territory! What should I try first?’
Penelope now had an exciting new challenge to tackle.
Her smile, however, froze in place as the treasurer moved on to his next point.
“By the way, my lady, your parents have arrived at the manor.”
“…What did you say?”
The treasurer offered an awkward smile as he clarified.
“Your parents and your elder brother are currently staying in the guest suite at the manor. It seems it would be best for you to return to the territory soon.”
***
As soon as morning broke the next day, Penelope hurriedly departed for the train station.
In her heart, she wanted to ask Ahwin to immediately teleport her to the manor, but unfortunately, using a magical “gate” for travel was not an option.
Penelope’s trip to Halo was considered an official act as the Baroness of the territory, and it was against protocol to use unauthorized spatial magic for such purposes.
Thus, she boarded a magical engineering train. She was accompanied by Sain, Damian, Giselle, and her escort knights. Lucas stayed behind in the capital to manage Penelope’s affairs in her absence.
‘What in the world is going on?’
Her parents, who hadn’t contacted her in ages, had suddenly stormed into the manor—bringing along her elder brother as well.
‘My brother’s married, isn’t he? Does that mean my sister-in-law came too?’
No matter how she thought about it, there was only one reason why her estranged family would suddenly descend on her household in full force. They must have finally come up with a plan to extract something from her.
The mere thought of it made her head feel uncomfortably warm.
“Don’t worry too much, my lady. I’m sure it’s nothing serious,” Giselle offered kindly.
“That’s right, Baroness. There’s no need to fret about something that hasn’t even happened yet,” Sain added maturely from his seat across from her.
Their comforting words made the knot in Penelope’s chest ease slightly.
“Thank you, both of you.”
“It’s nothing,” Sain replied with a proud smile.
His gaze soon wandered around the train, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. It was clear this was his first time aboard a magical engineering train.
Noticing this, Giselle turned to Sain and asked, “Young Master, would you like to explore the train with me? First-class passengers are even allowed to visit the engine room.”
“Really? Can we?”
Penelope barely managed to suppress a laugh at Sain’s eager question.
“You can go if you take one of the knights from the next compartment with you,” she replied.
“Okay!”
Sain jumped out of his seat, grabbed Giselle’s hand, and dashed out of the first-class cabin in the blink of an eye. It was as if he’d been holding himself back until now.
‘How adorable.’
Just then, the door to the first-class cabin opened again, and Ahwin entered, his hooded robe pulled over his head. Behind him followed Caserin and Lube.
“You’re here?” Penelope greeted.
“Yeah.”
Ahwin plopped down in the empty seat beside Penelope, while Caserin and Lube took the seats across from them.
When Ahwin removed his hood, his face looked visibly tired. He had woken up far earlier than usual and still seemed half-asleep. This was why maintaining a reversed sleep schedule was a bad idea.
Glancing at the even more exhausted-looking Caserin and Lube, Penelope asked, “Are you two coming along as well?”
“The Elder instructed us to follow the Tower Master wherever he goes,” Caserin replied promptly, turning her head to answer.
“That’s right. Even if the Tower Master descends into the demon realm, we’re ready to follow,” Lube added.
Penelope didn’t need to know that much information, but she nodded anyway.
“You’re both very diligent.”
Since there wasn’t much else to say, she offered a perfunctory compliment. It seemed Ahwin wasn’t pleased with their presence, though.
“If you get in my way, I’ll deal with you immediately,” he said coldly.
“…”
“…”
Caserin and Lube seemed a bit more subdued after that, likely intimidated by Ahwin’s sharp words. Still, the fact that they stayed put was a testament to the resolve required to be his followers.
Penelope couldn’t help but think it was surprising they’d lasted this long at Ahwin’s side. Given his temperament, she’d expected him to drive them out of the capital long ago.
Sensing Penelope’s gaze, Ahwin asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I was just thinking you’re surprisingly tolerant of other mages.”
“I have no choice but to be. The Elder Magician is handling all my work right now.”
“…What?”
Penelope was taken aback. The Elder was managing Ahwin’s responsibilities?
‘Now that I think about it, it doesn’t make sense for the Tower Master to lounge around every day!’
The title of Tower Master wasn’t just an honorary one given to a skilled mage. It came with the duty of overseeing the Tower’s operations, serving as the king of mages, and managing countless responsibilities.
The Tower’s tasks included hunting magical beasts across the empire, developing magic, creating potions and magical artifacts, and training new mages.
There was no way the Tower Master should have had the time to indulge in personal research, sleep whenever he wanted, or follow Penelope around.
‘How did I not realize this until now?!’
A shiver ran down Penelope’s spine as she stared at Ahwin in disbelief.
“Are you saying you’re not doing anything for the Tower?”
“I am working. I’m developing potions and magical artifacts, and I’m training new mages.”
“…Wow. That was incredibly shameless,” Penelope remarked with a deadpan expression.