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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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“So, today, I’ll be satisfied with monopolizing the attention of Master, the famous Successor of the Mage King.”
This was the first time I’d seen Eleanor with such an expression. When I had [Contemplation] activated, Eleanor’s expression was always tinged with a slight anxiety. She smiled brightly on the outside, but she always harbored anxiety within. That meant she carried significant trauma.
But this moment was different. It was a moment where her inner and outer selves were perfectly aligned.
“…….”
An awkward smile.
Both her outward appearance and inner thoughts held only an awkward smile.
She had the expression of someone who didn’t quite understand what they were saying even as they spoke.
Seeing that ambiguous expression made me feel ambiguous as well.
Still, there was one thing I could be certain of.
I could be certain that Eleanor’s words were sincere. I didn’t know what kind of emotion she was directing towards me, but I understood that she wanted my attention right now. I didn’t know if it was love, admiration, or just a vulnerable desire to lean on someone.
“I have to patrol, so that will be difficult.”
Eleanor’s expression instantly soured.
“…Master, you’re the worst.”
The burden she was carrying, the burden she would carry in the future, was unimaginably heavy. Her mental state must have been equally unstable.
Well, either way.
“Instead, if you’re near me, I’ll find you and talk to you. Before you cause any trouble.”
“Is that so…”
It should be fine to lend a hand with that burden. Keeping an eye on troublemakers wasn’t new to me, so this shouldn’t be a problem. It was a party, after all.
In the original story, this part passed without incident, so this much leeway should be fine.
“Master has a tendency to speak lightly, relying on your looks. If you keep making light promises like that, relying on your face, you might get stabbed by me one day.”
“…….”
“Just kidding.”
…Strange.
Why was that a lie? She clearly said she was kidding. It should have been a joke.
Eleanor looked at me with cold eyes, contrary to her words. I couldn’t read anything from those dark eyes, like seawater dredged from the depths.
Her perfectly twisted inner and outer selves sent chills down my spine.
“Can you guarantee that, Master?”
“What…?”
“Can you promise to stop me before I cause trouble? I could jump into the crowd and throw a punch right now.”
“…I spoke too hastily.”
Eleanor was right. Unless I understood her way of thinking, I might not be able to stop her from causing trouble.
“I knew it. So, you don’t need to promise to stop me from causing trouble. Just… talk to me.”
“Okay, I will.”
“…Even if there are a lot of people, and I’m isolated and alone, will you find me?”
“Yes.”
“…Even if I’m confined in a dark, narrow space, blindfolded and gagged, unable to speak, will you find me?”
“Yes, even if it’s in the middle of a battlefield, I’ll find you and talk to you.”
“Haha… Thanks for saying that.”
Eleanor shook her head. She dismissed my words as a joke. But I was serious. With [Contemplation], as long as she was nearby, I could find her no matter where she was.
“Should I swear on my mana?”
It couldn’t be helped. If I made a Mana Oath, Eleanor would know I was serious.
“I already know that Master makes deceitful Mana Oaths.”
No, Eleanor was a tougher opponent than I thought. Was it because I mentioned Mana Oaths too often? My credibility was already rock bottom.
“So, let’s do this instead.”
“…….”
Eleanor extended her right hand. Her fist was clenched, with only her thumb and little finger extended. What was this? Was she asking for that kind of M oath? Did she want me to flick it?
“Promise?”
But then, seeing her innocent gesture of linking our pinkies, I realized how corrupted my mind was. Yes, I was trash.
“…Okay, I promise.”
“Master has big hands. Hehe.”
I made a promise with Eleanor. The heaviest promise in the world, to always find her, no matter what.
I had a dream. A lucid dream. It probably wasn’t because the [Erosion Rate] exceeded its limit like last time. I hadn’t yet crossed the 30% threshold.
Then what was this dream?
Perhaps it was a periodic memory transmission due to exceeding 20%, or maybe just a simple dream.
But something was different.
This dream was strange, too strange to simply be Oz’s memory. Was this a dream that both Oz and I were having simultaneously?
Yes, I was standing in front of a mirror. The mirror reflected Oz’s usual cold and arrogant expression. Yes, the same as always. An appearance that could be jokingly called “plot armor.” Cold eyes that seemed to pierce through everything. An expressionless yet arrogant face.
But on Oz’s face…
On the face I saw through [Contemplation]…
It was as if a mask was being worn to hide something.
The day after I made a manageable promise with the dejected Eleanor, the weekend arrived. The other students were probably resting, recovering from the party they enjoyed the previous day. Normally, I would practice magic or enter the daily dungeon to earn some gold, but today was different.
Besides, I had enough money. Oz’s personal assets were more substantial than I thought, so I didn’t feel the need to enter the weekend daily dungeon. Moreover, perhaps due to bad luck, out of every 10 chests I found, 9 were empty.
It wasn’t even covering labor costs.
Undine’s Droplets
There were 82 Undine’s Droplets spread out in the unnecessarily spacious room. Today, I planned to refine the Undine’s Droplets obtained from Wednesday’s daily dungeon. I would need potions to stop the [Death King]’s plan. Considering this plan, even Oz’s mana-rich body might struggle.
“Hmm…”
It was called alchemy in the game, but alchemy was a more complex subject than I thought. The exams were brutal enough to demonstrate that. Furthermore, that was only the beginner level. The difficulty gap between levels was terrifying.
“I need to buy ingredients…”
Naturally, I couldn’t make potions with just Undine’s Droplets. I needed ingredients and catalysts to refine them. The problem was that these ingredients couldn’t be obtained within the academy. Of course, they were sold, but only students studying alchemy had the right to purchase them. It was solely for those who sought knowledge.
“There’s something I want to confirm…”
In Broken Sky, high-quality, efficient ingredients would appear randomly. Yes, this was also random. There was no way to tell with the naked eye.
But…
“I wonder if I can see anything with Contemplation”
What about [Contemplation], which allowed me to see through the principles of all things? Perhaps I could sweep up all the high-efficiency items. But I couldn’t overlook my current situation. I was safe within Scientia’s barrier, but it would be different outside. I was being targeted.
The [Dragon Emperor]’s protection only extended within her territory.
In other words, she wouldn’t interfere outside of Scientia.
Apparently, there were many who had abused her name and caused trouble, so she drew a clear line.
“In the end, I have to manage somehow with my own power…”
No one would attack me in broad daylight with so many people around. Even if they did, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to launch a large-scale bombing in the imperial city center. They would be limited to covert methods, making it difficult to exploit my weaknesses while I had [Contemplation].
“Hmm…”
Unfurl—
I spread out a map of the surrounding area. It was ridiculously expensive, even for a fantasy world. Considering this world was full of magical tools, I couldn’t understand the standards of value, especially with maps being so expensive. Of course, it wasn’t a problem for me, with my overflowing wealth. I was a man who could eat steak every night. A man who could order another steak if I felt like it and leave leftovers. See? I was that extravagant.
“The route is not good…”
No matter how I looked at it, I had to pass through two deserted alleys. I could take a detour, but that would take too much time. I had plenty of time, but if it got dark, the frantic dance party with assassins would begin. That meant I needed at least one person as a shield. The problem was that I only knew two people who were guardians. Olivia Blue of [Shield of Light] and Baekyang of [Chi-Mei-Wang-Liang]. Neither had favorable feelings towards me. I had little interaction with Olivia, and Baekyang loathed me. It was lamentable.
“Did I mess up my relationships too much?”
Yesterday’s incident with Eleanor made me feel bitter. I usually acted domineering so as not to be underestimated, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of bitterness.
“Should I contact Tenebris?”
I searched for something I had stashed away in a corner of the room, thinking I wouldn’t need it, and found a dust-covered crystal ball. It was a ‘two-way communication crystal ball,’ which was basically a cell phone. The design was crap.
As I infused mana into the crystal ball, a ringing tone began to play.
It was a familiar ringtone from my past life. If they were going to make it like a cell phone, they should have added more features. I didn’t expect games, but being able to conference call would have been amazing.
“H-huh?! A call? Uh…? Prince Oz? Uh…?”
“Are you asleep?”
“N-no, I’m not! I’m awake!”
A groggy voice, as if just woken up, came from the crystal ball.
What time was it? Was she still sleeping?
“Were you sleeping in because it’s the weekend?”
“S-sleep is hard to resist for a cat person.”
Making such a grand and mystical excuse now was meaningless. It only made things more mystical, in a different sense.
“More importantly, this is surprising. I never thought you’d contact me first, Prince Oz.”
“Can you arrange a guardian for me?”
“Straight to business? How disappointing.”
That seemed right. Was I being too businesslike? This was why I had no friends.
“Well, that’s to be expected from you. Anyway, a guardian… are you planning to go outside?”
“Yes, are there any among those who infiltrated recently?”
“Not among the infiltrated Tenebris members, but… no, wait, it might be possible. If I’m lucky, I might be able to arrange a warrior as well.”
“You’re not planning to put me in your debt, are you?”
“Hmm? No, I promise I won’t ask anything of you, Prince Oz, regarding this matter.”
“…What are you plotting?”
“Well? Are you worried I might be setting a trap? You have less faith in me than I thought.”
“…….”
A playful tone. Was she acting like this because it was through the crystal ball? This girl, who would be busy fiddling with her tail if I activated [Contemplation], seemed unusually relaxed today. This was why I hated using the crystal ball. It rendered my greatest weapon, [Contemplation], useless.
“…Fine, I’ll fall for your provocation today.”
“You can look forward to it, Prince Oz. It’ll be very interesting.”
“Then how soon can you send them?”
“Hmm… I think I can do it right now.”
“Then shall we meet at the main gate at 9?”
“No, that’s too soon. Could you give me a little more time?”
“Then by 10.”
“Sure. Then…”
I removed the mana from the crystal ball. The negotiation was successful, so there was no need to get caught up in her pace any further. The rest was for when I had [Contemplation].
I still had time until 10, but it wouldn’t hurt to prepare in advance.
“…Wait a minute.”
Something… something felt off. Lucia had been sleeping until just now. But she said she could arrange someone immediately.
Was coordinating with someone outside of Tenebris really that seamless?
And the strangest thing was that she asked for more time.
Was she planning to tag along?
“I have a bad feeling about this…”
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“Heh…”
Lucia smirked, looking at the crystal ball with its mana extinguished. Fortunately, Oz seemed oblivious to her scheme. How much she had suffered under Oz’s oppressive gaze until now.
“His voice doesn’t sound so bad just listening to it.”
Since she didn’t feel any pressure from Oz through the crystal ball, Lucia was able to gain the upper hand. Now it was time to grant Oz’s request and unleash her pent-up stress in the form of revenge.
‘This is for making me work on a day off, Prince Oz.’
Thinking that, Lucia got out of bed. Her tail swayed playfully, as if in anticipation. Standing in front of the mirror, Lucia examined her appearance. Disheveled black hair, a twitching tail, and pajamas wrinkled from sleep. It might take some time to get ready.
But Lucia just smiled mischievously.
And she shouted,
“Noah! Can you help me?”
“What?! Lucia’s already up? She usually sleeps until noon. Are the people around me changing?! Master Oz was acting strange yesterday, too!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! Just help me, quick!”
After a moment of commotion, Eleanor peeked her head through the doorway. She still seemed suspicious.
“What do you need help with?”
“First, could you call Baekyang? I have something to discuss.”
“Okay!”
As Eleanor cheerfully left, Lucia fixed her hair. She hummed a tune, anticipating what was about to happen.
“Haaam… what is it?”
A moment later, Baekyang, still half-asleep, was dragged in by Eleanor. She was also a heavy sleeper, like Lucia.
“Hey, I’m going on a date, so can you help me choose an outfit?”
“A date…?”
“Ooh?”
Lucia sneered inwardly at their expressions. Judging from their excited expressions, she knew they had taken the bait.
“W-with who?! Who are you going on a date with?”
“Wow~ congratulations… so, who is it?”
It was chilling. One had pure excitement mixed with blatant mischief, and the other exuded a sly cunning. Neither were saints.
“With Prince Oz!”
And the moment Lucia finished speaking, their expressions froze.
‘This is… Eleanor’s expression is beyond my imagination.’
Eleanor’s reaction was particularly intense.
Her eyes looked so vacant that they seemed colder than the ice-wielding white goblin standing next to her.
“…I’ll help you.”
“I’ll help too.”
Lucia, despite having brought this upon herself, broke out in a cold sweat at their unexpected reactions.
“Prince Oz! Hello!”
What the.
“Am I a little late?”
What the hell.
“I’m looking forward to our date!”
What is this… crazy…?
“What kind of trick is this?”
“Why don’t you just enjoy it since it’s come to this, Prince Oz?”
“What about arranging a guardian and a warrior?”
“They’ll be following us at a distance.”
“What…”
At Lucia’s words, I activated [Contemplation] and looked around. I felt two familiar presences.
“A girl of this age can’t help but be interested in romance…”
“Are you crazy…?”
The guardian and warrior Lucia had arranged weren’t escorts. They weren’t just mischievous students following their classmates. Their expressions were different.
“…To be fair, I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”
“Crazy…”
Eleanor, a born delinquent, and Baekyang, a goblin who couldn’t resist playing pranks whenever people were around. Just imagining the chaos these particularly dangerous troublemakers would cause gave me a headache.
“Truly crazy…”
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