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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Time flew, and it was already February.
Spring was just around the corner.
My paunch, which had been slowly accumulating over the past year and a half, had miraculously disappeared in just a month, thanks to my master’s strict diet and rigorous training.
It was like a Hollywood actor’s dramatic transformation before and after a movie.
I had returned to my lean, 20-something physique, the same one I had when I was known as the Mad Mage on the battlefield. I looked in the mirror, admiring my own reflection.
Damn, I’m handsome.
I was a walking, talking plot device.
Twenty-eight years old, yet I still had a mischievous air, with well-defined sideburns and a full head of golden hair, now grown out from the buzz cut.
A certain maturity I had lacked in my youth was beginning to show.
Don’t I look like a Hollywood actor? What’s his name… Star-something.
My memories of my past life were hazy, but I frowned, trying to remember.
“You’re ridiculous.”
Dorothea, in her underwear, was standing in front of the mirror, brushing her teeth.
“I need to use the sink. Move.”
She slapped my ass and gestured for me to get out of the way.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I meekly surrendered the sink to Dorothea and, with a towel draped over my shoulder, left the bathroom.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
I shivered, clad only in my boxers, despite the heating.
Too lazy to go up to my room on the second floor, I grabbed a bathrobe from the hook next to the door and headed to the kitchen.
Vanessa was in the kitchen, making toast. She greeted me, holding a spatula.
“Ah, you’re up. I have strawberry jam and marmalade. Which one would you like?”
“Marmalade.”
“And for a side, bacon, sausage, or fried eggs?”
“Three strips of bacon, fried crispy, one sausage, and two sunny-side-up eggs.”
“I figured you’d say that, so I’ve already prepared it.”
Vanessa shrugged and placed two freshly fried eggs next to the toast.
Having lived together for over a month, she knew my preferences well.
With her hair tied up in a neat ponytail, secured with a ribbon, she looked like a newlywed.
I took the plate she offered and set it on the table.
A hearty breakfast spread.
As I picked up my fork and knife, Vanessa, sitting across from me, rested her chin on her hands and smiled.
While her gaze was a bit intense, I tried to ignore it and took a bite of the well-cooked sausage.
Crunch!
The juice burst in my mouth as my teeth pierced the casing.
A smoky, wild flavor filled my senses.
It was a high-quality sausage, made with pure meat and fat, without any fillers.
And it was cooked to perfection.
“How is it? How is it?”
“D-Delicious.”
“Hehe, I made it with love.”
“…”
How did we get here?
Vanessa had initially claimed to have no feelings for me.
She hadn’t demanded anything from me after our first time together, simply visiting my room whenever she was lonely.
Now, living together, our encounters had become more frequent, sometimes even involving Dorothea for a threesome.
And somehow, her preparing breakfast for me had become a daily routine. She would even wake me up in the morning.
She would help me put on my robe when I went out, and if I got any food on my face, she would wipe it off with her finger and then lick it clean. Her affectionate gestures were becoming more and more… intimate.
Like a married couple.
The biggest problem was that I didn’t mind it.
While I wasn’t ready for marriage, I couldn’t help but think that a woman as devoted as her would make a good wife.
Was I like a frog in boiling water, slowly being cooked without realizing it?
I needed to end this sweet cohabitation as soon as possible, unless I wanted to walk down the aisle with her.
“It seems you two are having a lovely morning.”
Just then, our savior arrived.
“Ah, welcome.”
Vanessa, hearing Dorothea’s sarcastic remark, quickly stood up and brought her a plate of food.
“Hey, can you pass me the ketchup?”
“Sure.”
I grabbed the ketchup bottle and squeezed a generous amount onto Dorothea’s plate.
She then began to eat, satisfied.
She had a surprisingly childlike palate and loved ketchup.
The three of us sat at the table, and the conversation naturally turned to work.
“I heard from the Demon Lord last night. He’s planning to declare war on Oz soon.”
“The weather is getting warmer.”
The operation would begin in spring.
And our peaceful life would come to an end.
I was both afraid and excited.
To finally purge the corrupt upper echelons of this kingdom…
“By the way, you still have the Hero’s equipment, right?”
“Of course.”
I lifted my bathrobe slightly, revealing the red gemstone necklace.
The gem that had adorned the Hero’s circlet.
Its official name was Unlimited Power.
A sacred treasure of the Oz royal family, said to grant its wearer infinite mana.
It was a dream item for mages, a cheat item that allowed them to cast high-tier spells without any mana restrictions.
Unlike the holy sword, which could only be wielded by the Hero, the circlet and shield could be used by anyone, as long as they weren’t a demon.
In the past, Heroes had lent the shield to warriors and the circlet to mages, but Artorius, the Hero who had died in prison, had kept them all for himself.
Dorothea, her eyes fixed on the beautiful ruby, asked, her fork in her mouth,
“Can I try it on?”
“I don’t mind, but will it work for you?”
“A witch is a profession, not a race.”
“That’s true.”
I was persuaded by her logic and took off the necklace.
“Awesome!”
Dorothea reached for the necklace, her face beaming.
Zap!
“Ow!”
A spark shot out from the necklace, and she quickly recoiled.
“What the hell! Is this thing discriminating against me?!”
“Maybe it’s because your heart is as black as a demon’s.”
“Says the one who’s actually a demon!”
I teased Dorothea and picked up the ruby necklace from the floor.
While I had been joking, there was some truth to my words.
Unlike ordinary mages (wizards), who only dealt with elemental magic, witches also practiced curses and astrology.
Since these were originally demonic arts, it wasn’t surprising that Dorothea’s mana, which was tinged with demonic energy, would be rejected.
I put the Unlimited Power back on and said to Vanessa and Dorothea,
“We don’t have much time left. We need to be prepared. The success of our mission depends on us.”
“I know.”
Vanessa, who had been acting like a newlywed just a moment ago, was now a knight.
So was Dorothea, who had been acting like an airhead.
“You know I’m at my strongest when there’s nothing to protect.”
Her specialty was annihilation.
A magical bomber, capable of wiping out entire armies with her high-temperature fire magic.
While Baron Louis, her natural counter, had been a threat, there was no one in the capital who could stop her now.
“Don’t go too crazy in the royal palace. If you destroy the infrastructure, it’ll cost a fortune to rebuild.”
“I know that!”
Even with another year under her belt, Dorothea was still a hothead.
While she listened to me, her friend, she needed someone to control her when she went on a rampage.
“Vanessa, you know what to do if things get out of hand, right?”
I made a slicing motion with my hand, and Vanessa chuckled and nodded.
“Don’t worry. I’ll knock her out in one hit.”
“Hey! Come outside, you bastards!”
And so, after a lively breakfast, I headed to the Emerald Tower for my daily training with my master.
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Mid-February.
The cold season was coming to an end, and a warm breeze was beginning to blow through the capital of Oz. We finally received our orders from the Demon Lord.
“Assassinate King Oscar and join the advancing Demon Lord’s army.”
It was the prelude to the Seven-Day War.
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