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Chapter 77: Cohabitation (2)

… The ‘Altar,’ a secret society aiming to resurrect the God who died in ancient times, was based in a sanctuary at the Fear East of the continent, where new life didn’t grow.

They dedicated their lives solely to the Return of the Fallen God, their purpose, never doubting their beliefs and faith. To that end, they were willing to sacrifice even their own lives.

This was caused by the intermediary that brought them together: a ‘dream.’

It came down like a revelation to them one day.

Believers each received the same grace and moved to the attainment of the same goal. As fanatics of God’s calling, they cultivated a proud religion for his future advent.

—God.

That was why the Altar wanted Deculein’s runes. Their deity wanted the knowledge in his head. He appeared in their dreams and directly appointed them to that task.

—Is that professor walking a different path from his father?

However, Deculein rejected the Altar’s offer. It was a completely different attitude from the previous Yukline Head.

Feats and Honor.

The factors their family held as their priority had to have been those two.

─I’m not sure. I don’t even know if he wants to monopolize the runes…

─It doesn’t matter. We need them. If we learn the language of the runes, we’ll gain the ability to communicate with Him.

With that knowledge, more devout service was possible, which in turn could accelerate his advent.

―Let’s keep an eye on the professor. We need the information he has, and he won’t be able to refuse to negotiate forever. For now, contact the demon-blooded people.

The Altar found Deculein’s actions strange.

They didn’t know why he defended those who carried demon blood in their veins. He could’ve just done that out of human intentions, but they had no way to know. All they could do was use that ‘fact’ thoroughly.

—Got it.

The empire was already aware of their organization’s existence. The officials were happily taking bribes right now, but they knew they thought of them as nutcases deep down.

Thus, the Altar knew what they had to say.

‘We defend the demon-blooded people as well.’

That one line would suffice.

The rest was up to those who hadn’t been swallowed by madness.

******

Yukline mansion.

Zeit, wearing a suit, was waiting in the front yard garden that Julie and I came to.

“Oh! You’re here~” He approached us with a smile.

“Professor Deculein! It’s nice to see you again. You too, Julie.”

“I’m on a mission right now. Please refrain from speaking privately.”

Julie gave her big brother a serious look, to which Zeit simply skimmed over before looking at my car.

“Whoa. That’s new. It’s big enough even for me to ride. I liked the car you had before more, though.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. I mean, This one’s weird. Its design seems more advanced and modern.”

Perhaps it was because [Midas’s Hand] hadn’t been used on it yet. Zeit’s five senses could clearly discern even the faintest “attribute,” after all.

“That aside, I heard you met the ‘Altar’ members.”

His voice grew as sharp as a dagger, his gaze as focused as a beast.

“Yes. They wanted my knowledge about the runes.”

The ‘Altar’ gradually revealed itself to the player as they played the game, but the Named characters already knew of them.

Some were cooperative enough with them to make deals with them and accept their bribes, but many, like Zeit, despised such an organization with every fiber of their being.

“I knew they would. It wouldn’t hurt to tear their jaws apart with my bare hands and drag out their intestines….”

“You’ll break the car!”

Yeriel tapped his hand as he rubbed the window sill unknowingly, causing him to back away laughing.

“Oh! I’m sorry. I sometimes forget the strength my body holds. This is why cars can’t be used on the battlefield. If I push them just a bit, they easily get sent flying.”

“The car isn’t the problem here. It’s your physique.”

“Is it? Oh, sister-in-law, Is this car brand new?”

“I’m not an in-law yet, but yes. It is.”

“Whoa. How much was it?” Zeit looked pleased.

Yeriel replied, “300,000 Elnes. Do you want to buy one? If it’s your request, you wouldn’t have to draw a numbered ticket.”

“… Hahaha! No thanks! That’s expensive!” He laughed, causing her to pout.

“More importantly, Will you be staying for the night today too?”

“No. Now that I’ve confirmed it’s the Altar’s doing, I’m done here. If I stay, I might get in the way of your dating business.” He raised an eyebrow slyly, to which Julie growled like an enraged tiger.

“Oh, speaking of business, I heard you’ve also started one yourself, Yeriel.”

“Come on! Why did you have to say that?!”

Yeriel glanced at me.

She probably thought I didn’t know about it. On the contrary, however, as soon as she started the business, Ren and Enen immediately reported it to me.

“Yeriel.”

“….”

Cold sweat formed on her temple.

Zeit scratched the back of his neck, expressing his embarrassment.

“I guess you decided to create it on your own, huh? I’ll just go~”

As the giant white bear left, she glared at him while grinding her teeth.

“Yeriel.”

“… The weather is nice today.”

“Answer me.”

“… I mean, that’s… um… a ‘car’ business is a bit better than carriages…”

After stuttering for a moment, she changed her strategy in no time, becoming as blunt as she usually was.

“What?! It’s fancier, and I thought it would be nice to have such a factory in our family’s name! The cars the people in Brunhill make are also extremely cheap. They came to me, saying bullshit like, ‘I’ll give you the car for Deculein, but your car is over-reserved, miss Yeriel.” Can you believe that?!”

She let out a sigh and tapped her chest, then slowly looked up at my face.

“So… I’m saying I’m going to make some cars. There are many mines in our factory’s vicinity to supply it with materials.”

“Go for it. I don’t know why you only thought of starting this now.”

Her jaw dropped at that moment. That expression of hers alone told me what she was thinking.

‘Manufacturing business is something only lowly beings do.’

Something like that.

“There’s a guy suitable for that job at the hardware store I invested in. I’ll send him to Hadekain, and I’ll make the design today. Start with that.”

“A hardware store?! You?!”

“… Me?”

As I narrowed my eyes at her, Yeriel covered her mouth.

“I’ll be going, then…”

She left hastily.

*****

In response to Julie’s request for the ‘smallest room,’ I gave her the ‘smallest room’ at the mansion.

However, since it was literally a room to welcome guests, it had facilities including a toilet, bathroom, and a dressing room.

“You can use this.”

“It’s too—”

“This is the smallest room we have. Don’t look down on the Yukline’s hospitality. I wouldn’t tolerate anything below this level of comfort for my guests.”

“… Okay.”

Julie put her luggage on the bed silently.

“Huh…. You didn’t strike me as an old-fashioned woman.”

I smiled as I looked at what she bought.

In this era where handbags, backpacks, and even suitcases had been invented, she brought a bundle wrapped in cloth.

“Oh. Even if it looks like that, it is a magical item. It’s equivalent to 2-3 bags. I bought it really cheap four years ago.”

Her voice was full of pride. Seeing her smile, I thought she was reminded of the moment she bought it.

“I used my amazing bargaining skills back then. The merchant offered 5,000 Elnes, and I—”

“I’m not interested. Does the execution of official duties last 24 hours a day?”

“Yes. Evenings are the most dangerous time of each day. I doubt their attacks would stop after just one attempt.”

“I agree, but the second one could be a year later. If we’re going to be together all year, we should just get married.”

“… The official length of this mission is only three months.”

She opened her bundle while avoiding my eyes.

Certainly, there were quite a few things in it.

“Take this.”

I held out a crystal ball the size of a coin. Julie tilted her head.

“What is it?”

“A crystal ball linked to the barrier of this mansion. If an intruder comes, you’ll be the first to know. It’s also imbued with a communication function, so you can always talk to the security team in the basement.”

“Oh~ there are so many amazing things in this world.”

She nodded and tried to take it, but I withdrew it before she could.

“However, you are too clumsy.”

“What? What do you mean? How am I clumsy?”

Julie’s eyebrows furrowed.

I softened my golden tie pins and turned them into a necklace, then threaded it with the crystal ball. Afterward, I tried to hang it around her neck.

Surprised, she made a gesture of resistance but soon accepted my advances as soon as she heard my reasoning.

“You said you lost the ring I gave you last time.”

Rather than losing it, she most likely threw it away.

I smiled, but my face soon hardened.

“….”

Why did I have this memory?

“I…”

Misunderstanding my expression, she bowed her head without a word. I was a bit disconcerted, so I just tapped her on the shoulder and walked out.

Leaning against the hallway’s wall, I ruffled my hair.

“… It’s clear.”

I slid a ring onto Julie’s finger, which she didn’t want to receive, so forcibly that it looked like I almost broke her finger. She just kept her mouth shut throughout the process, but her eyes were welling up with tears.

These memories weren’t mine, but they felt as if they were.

“Gosh.”

I knocked and opened the door to her room again, finding her in the middle of unpacking. She looked back at me with a slumped posture.

“W-What—”

She left her luggage half unpacked on her bed, a stuffed doll among them.

“Hmm…”

When my gaze fell on it, Julie let out a little squeal. She grabbed the panda’s head and hid it behind her back.

“It’s for l-luck. It’s like a jinx, a jinx. Each knight has one—”

“This is the key to your room. Always keep it locked. I might come in unannounced otherwise.”

As I gave her the key, Julie’s face turned red, but her expression remained knightly and solemn while she received it.

“Thank you.”

“Or, should I also hang this key around your neck?”

“I-It’s okay. It’s okay! Now get out!”

Julie pushed my back, and after being kicked out, I stood in the hallway smiling.

“Humpf!”

The sound of dissatisfaction soon pierced my ears like needles. I turned around, finding Yeriel.

“You’re enjoying this so much~”

“Didn’t you go back already?”

“… What? You told me you’d be making the design.”

“Design?”

“Car Design!”

“Oh, right. Follow me.”

I nodded and walked down the hallway with her, who kept whispering to herself. Her smile made me feel disgusted, almost as if I was looking at a curved centipede. However, I hoped she would smile like that a lot more frequently.

“You’re noisy.”

“…”

I went to the library, took out a piece of paper and a fountain pen, and drew a design based on my modern knowledge and [Aesthetic Sense].

It was by no means a blueprint since I only designed it. I left its technical parts to the nerds.

“Take it.”

“Why are there two?”

“One’s a car, and the other’s a watch.”

“A watch? Why a watch?”

She glanced at my waist.

“Your pocket watch is still in good condition. If you’re not planning on using it anymore, can I have it?”

“Leave it to my hardware store clerk. They will do well.”

“Hmpf. Well then…”

As she turned around with the designs in her arms, Yeriel stopped.

“Can I really start a business, though? You’re not going to say something weird about this again later on, are you?”

“No, but if you fail, you’ll be caned.”

“… Who said I would let you?”

She gave me a piercing gaze then went out of the study.

*****

The next day, I went to work at the tower and submitted my plans for the final exam.

“… It’s pretty ordinary?!” The chairman’s eyes widened as soon as she looked at the documents.

“It’s very different from your last test!”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“Not really, no, but… It probably won’t have the same ripple effect as last time.”

“It won’t be as ordinary as you think.”

She put the plan in the drawer with a dissatisfied expression on her face, then pulled out another document.

“Oh, right. I’ve checked your first-ever approved project as the Planning and Financial Coordination Head!”

“I see.”

“It costs a lot of money! The initial fund it’s asking for is 10 million Elnes, which is crazy!”

“It will result in an excellent return of investment.”

“…”

The chairman glared at me with slightly narrowed eyes but soon muttered, ‘it’s your responsibility anyway!’ and got up.

“Good! Now then. Come with me! Let’s take a look at Julie, your bodyguard!”

“As expected, you already know.”

“What do you mean as expected?! The rumors have already spread all over the empire!”

I went into the elevator with her.

As we arrived on the first floor, we found Julie waiting. Several Freyhem knights were most likely also deployed to certain points around me.

“Ohh! Knight Julie! You look beautiful today!”

She didn’t answer. I explained the reason to the confused chairman.

“They don’t speak during official duties.”

At that moment, the chairman smiled slyly.

“Is that so…?”

She turned around, stood next to Julie, and, after warming up her mouth with a cough…

“It’s-been-a-long-time-Julie! Nice-to-see-you-again. It’s-been-two-weeks!”

Started talking non-stop.

“If-this-happened-in-the-past-you-would-have-rejected-this-mission! Even-though-it’s-in-the-Emperor’s-name-you-wouldn’t-have-stepped-forward-on-your-own! You-took-it-now-though! Even-the-world-finds-it-amazing! Rumors-went-around-so-fast!”

“…”

“Is-it-okay-to-say-that-you-two-have-now-completely-reconciled? No-I-think-you-already-did! If-so-will-the-marriage-proceed-as-planned-this-time-around?!”

“…”

“This-is-amazing. They-say-silence-means-you-agree-with-it! You-must-have-been-very-worried-about-the-professor! To-escort-him-personally-like-this—”

“Gosh! My ears are going to explode!”

I laughed silently at Julie’s cry.

* * *

The final exam would start next week.

Because of that, the atmosphere of the entire university, including the Knights Department, grew extremely tense.

The library was filled with people, and the restaurant, which used to close at 9 PM, kept its services open around the clock. The wizards ceaselessly studied for self-improvement and for their exams while also peeking at the opportunity to keep others in check… Anyway.

Today, the final exams for Deculein’s [Understanding Pure Elements] class would be announced.

The value of the final exam of a five-credit lecture was obviously high. Hence, Epherene decided to go to the classroom 30 minutes before the announcement.

“Woah.”

Seemingly thinking like her, 140 out of 150 of the class population were already present.

Sitting down, she decided to study while waiting.

At exactly three o’clock in the afternoon, Assistant Professor Allen came in. Nobody could claim he wasn’t Head Professor Deculein’s assistant at this point.

“Nice to meet you! This paper is an overview of the final exam. Everyone will be given a copy. You must be careful not to lose it~”

Smiling, he began handing the document out.

“What kind of test will it be this time? Whew.” Epherene took a deep breath and looked at its contents.

“…?”

As soon as she did, she blinked. After turning it over, she looked at the other debutantes.

It was a natural reaction. All of them in the classroom were behaving like Epherene.

“You’re dismissed. The final exam will start on Monday in three weeks.”

Allen left them with those words, but Epherene’s doubts remained. She became even more confused since the assistant professor, who was supposed to solve her doubts, had already exited the room.

“… What is this?” Epherene muttered, staring at the paper.

There was literally nothing in it.

*****

Sylvia came out of the tower and, looking at the paper she was given, pondered about it.

No matter how she looked at it, it remained empty. It was just plain white paper. It left her wondering what she should do with it.

The assistant professor told them not to lose it, which could be a clue in itself, but was this paper really that important? Could this be the test itself?

As she walked in silence, Sylvia stumbled upon the nepotistic cheeky stupid idiot Epherene.

She was lying on the lawn and looking at her paper.

Holding it high in the sky, she turned it vertically then horizontally, the sun’s rays remaining reflected on it.

Seemingly finding no answer, she grabbed it then trembled, almost as if she had been electrocuted.

“… Stupid.”

Sylvia twisted her lips contemptuously while attempting to pass by her, but she soon had a sudden thought.

‘Should I tear hers apart?’

That might cause Epherene to be eliminated.

“Forget it.” Sylvia shook her head.

There was no guarantee that ripping her paper would unconditionally benefit her. Even if there was, she didn’t want to even think of doing anything that wasn’t noble.

At that moment, however…

Riiiip—!

The sound of paper being torn apart startled her.

She didn’t know who did it, but it was certainly a surprise.

“Huuuuh—?!”

When she looked over at Epherene, she found her paper neatly cut in half. Her eyes grew so wide they looked like they were about to pop out.

Sylvia laughed involuntarily.

“Um… Uh…”

As if trying to deny reality, Epherene squeaked with only her mouth open.

“Who did thiiiiiiiisssss?!”

In an instant, her behavior turned into that of a provoked wild boar.

“What kind of—”

Sylvia found her yells both funny and pitiful.

“What kind of mean bastaaaaaaaaaaard—!”

She should’ve known better than to sit near the tower and flaunt her paper out in the open. After all, wizards were cold-blooded individuals that would dig into their targets’ weaknesses far quicker and far more brutal than any other.

Sighing, Sylvia walked over to the idiot.