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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Freedom was precious to everyone.
Therefore, she yearned for a life of freedom.
A romantic life, traveling the world with a suitable host, enjoying her liberty to the fullest. She had a role to fulfill, but that was a secondary priority.
She had been confined for far too long.
After countless years trapped in a stuffy box, regardless of any mission or purpose, one couldn’t help but crave freedom.
‘To catch a dragon, you have to enter the dragon’s lair!’
Recalling a proverb tucked away in a corner of her mind, she cautiously rolled her eyeball and surveyed her surroundings. Preliminary reconnaissance was essential before executing her plan.
She carefully examined the room, avoiding the two red eyes staring intently at her.
A room filled with bookshelves overflowing with books.
She was placed in the center of a table, surrounded by piles of books and notes. It was a strategic placement, designed to ensure constant surveillance and prevent her escape attempts.
The tentacles trembled with fear under the unwavering gaze, glancing at the red-haired girl who had taken such a keen interest in her.
The girl who was completely immune to her brainwashing.
Every time those curious red eyes looked at her, the tentacles shuddered, remembering yesterday’s humiliation. It was the first time in her long existence that she had experienced such disgrace.
‘I have to endure… Without patience, there is no freedom!’
Bide her time and wait for the opportune moment. That was her only option. If she played her cards right, she could use a ‘temporary contract’ to create an opening.
“Milia, you should be focusing on your studies.”
“But it’s so hard…”
“These are the basics you need to learn to attend the Academy. You’re the one who wanted to go, remember? So you have to work hard. Johann will be upset if you don’t study hard, won’t he?”
Karina and Johann’s eyes met.
Johann, understanding the message in Karina’s eyes, nodded in agreement.
“If you want to make friends, you have to put in the effort.”
Boredom vanished from Milia’s face at Johann’s words, who was leaning against the wall. Karina smiled elegantly at Milia’s predictable reaction, her eyes filled with affection.
“I’ll work hard!”
‘How simple,’ thought the tentacles, who had been repeatedly defeated by this simple-minded girl.
As a studious atmosphere settled in the room, with the rustling of notes and the scratching of pens, the unnamed tentacled grimoire began to cautiously observe her surroundings. She was placed in the center of the table, making escape difficult, but if she waited patiently, an opportunity would arise.
She waited, holding her breath.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Thirty minutes.
One hour.
“Milia, let’s go to the restroom…”
Karina’s gaze lingered on Johann for a moment before returning to Milia. It seemed like she was too embarrassed to speak about such matters in front of a man.
“Okay! Let’s go!”
Milia jumped up at Karina’s request and grabbed the handles of Patrasche. Johann, who had been leaning against the door, noticed the situation and moved towards them, his arms unfolding, but Milia stopped him.
Even the free-spirited girl had some sense of propriety.
“We’ll be back!”
‘It’s not appropriate for me to follow them inside, but I have to escort them…’
Seizing the opportunity, Johann picked up Squishy, the tentacled book that had been stealthily inching towards the edge of the table. The tentacles obediently allowed themselves to be held.
Johann looked at the tentacles suspiciously, surprised by their docile reaction, but the tentacles simply remained still, watching him like a meek lamb.
“Huh? Are you coming too, Johann?”
“It’s alright if you don’t follow us…”
“I won’t go inside, so don’t worry.”
“…I’m still embarrassed.”
“We did this all the time on the deserted island.”
“Th, that was then, this is now…”
“Pfft.”
“Stop pouting, Milia.”
Johann poked Milia’s puffed-out cheeks with his finger. Milia looked up at him, her cheeks still poked.
He chuckled and ruffled her hair. Her soft hair became tangled under his rough touch, but Milia simply closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation.
“Hey, hurry up…”
“Ah, sorry. Let’s go.”
‘I’m jealous…’
Was this what it felt like to be loved?
The tentacles felt envy for the first time.
“Study time is over!”
“Good work, Milia.”
“Hee hee.”
Milia clung to Karina like a puppy.
It was a common occurrence after their study sessions.
Karina naturally embraced Milia and gently stroked the red-haired girl’s hair. Milia, her face buried in Karina’s chest, felt content. Not only was the tedious studying over, but Milia loved Karina’s touch.
In a different way from Johann’s touch.
“It’s almost dinner time.”
“Let’s rest for a bit until the maid arrives.”
“Then I’ll play with this!”
“Grimoires are not toys, Milia.”
“But it’s being so well-behaved! I’ll only play with it in the library-”
“…Only on the table.”
“Okay!”
‘Karina can easily dispel any brainwashing attempts, so it should be fine.’
He watched Milia, who had escaped Karina’s embrace and was reaching for the tentacled book on the table, with a worried expression.
The risk seemed low, considering the book had been on the receiving end of Milia’s antics so far, but you never knew what could happen.
Johann planned to split the grimoire in half with his shovel if it tried to harm Milia.
He valued the grimoire, but not as much as Milia.
“Hee hee, Squishy, paw!”
‘I’m not a dog…’
The tentacles obediently placed a tentacle on Milia’s palm.
Johann chuckled at the dog-like behavior. Karina reacted similarly. She didn’t know much about grimoires, but for a grimoire to act so docile was almost impossible unless you were its master.
A needlessly fussy, book-shaped relic.
That was a grimoire.
“Squishy, paw!”
“…It seems to like Milia.”
“Maybe it likes her?”
“It did try to run away relentlessly, though…”
“Sit! Stand!”
Had it changed its mind? Or was it just feigning obedience for now? Johann eyed the book suspiciously. The tentacled book ignored his piercing gaze and obediently followed Milia’s commands.
‘Just a little longer… I need to establish a temporary contract…’
Her brainwashing magic might not have worked, but if she could just succeed in forming a temporary contract, she could use the contractor’s authority to buy time for her escape.
For that, she needed the target’s consent.
She didn’t mind pretending to be a dog for a chance at freedom.
A small sacrifice was necessary for a greater cause!
“Hey~ Squishy, can I open you?”
“No.”
“Don’t.”
“But Squishy is a good kid, so it’ll be okay, right?”
Just as Milia said those words, stroking Squishy, the tentacled book seized the opportunity and unfolded itself, revealing its pristine white pages to Milia.
It happened so suddenly that neither Johann nor Karina could react.
Elegant letters appeared on the white pages.
“A contract? What’s…”
Before Milia could finish her sentence, Johann covered her mouth with his hand and reached for the book with his other hand. But Squishy, who had bet everything on this one chance, wasn’t going to back down so easily.
Mustering her remaining magical power, she blocked Johann’s hand and tempted Milia.
The letters were hastily scribbled, unlike before.
She intentionally omitted a crucial detail to entice Milia. She had observed Milia’s enthusiasm during magic-related lessons. That, along with the fact that Milia was the easiest target, was why she wanted to form a temporary contract with her.
Children were easier to manipulate than adults, after all.
“Really?”
“We agreed that you would learn magic from Elisa, Milia. Making deals with dangerous objects isn’t a good idea.”
“Hmm… I guess you’re right?”
‘If this continues, I might get caught and be trapped forever! Brain! Work, brain!’
“Dating advice?”
“…I never thought I’d see the day a grimoire offered dating advice.”
The grimoires in the game were needlessly fussy and solemn.
Johann massaged his forehead at the grimoire’s unconventional self-promotion, a stark contrast to the game.
“R, really?”
Milia glanced at Johann and leaned closer to the book, her face brimming with interest. Squishy cheered inwardly at her enthusiastic reaction and quickly displayed new letters on her pages.
Letters began to appear on the pages, meticulously written in a clear font.
Milia unconsciously started to read the name aloud, drawn in by the promise of being able to “seduce Johann.”
But someone beat her to it.
“I, Johann Quartz, hereby enter into an eternal contract with Rue.”
“Johann?!”
“Johann?!”
Ignoring the grimoire Rue’s desperate cry, the magical contractual process began. He was able to preempt her because he had seen the grimoire contract scene countless times in the game.
Rue despaired as she felt her being forcibly bound to him.
‘Noooooooo! A contract with someone who barely has any mana! This makes stealing his mana pointless!’
“Not much to it for a grimoire.”
“What, Johann! Why did you steal it? I wanted to make a contract with Squishy!”
“You can play with it instead.”
“Really? Really really really? You’re not lying, are you?”
“Yes.”
“Yay!”
‘I didn’t expect this to happen.’
He hadn’t planned on making a contract with the grimoire himself. It wasn’t efficient. But he had no choice due to the grimoire’s trait of remaining open until the contract was complete.
“…I guess selling it is out of the question.”
His plan to make a fortune was unceremoniously tossed into the trash.
“Is that so?”
“Johann, are you alright?!”
“I’m fine. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be a harmful grimoire… Although it can barely use any magic.”
It still had some mana, so it wasn’t completely useless if he used tools.
Johann smiled with satisfaction, thinking about Rue’s magic that came to mind.
This might be more useful than I thought.
‘I’m doomed…’
Their contrasting thoughts, joy and despair, crossed paths without reaching each other, hurtling towards their respective destinations.
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[Your Text Here]
So I guess she was just a sentient book from the beginning huh