DPAA 06

chapter 06

“Hmm……”

I hesitated.

I had more than enough justification on my side. Honestly, I was overflowing with the desire to see this entire ducal household get what it deserved.

But there was one problem.

No, it’s still too soon.

The Academy’s summer break lasted only three weeks. After that, I would have to leave the ducal estate, and even if I managed to seize some real power, I wouldn’t be around to use it.

“Larisa, how much of a budget has been allocated to me?”

“Um, I’m sorry, but… would it be alright if I showed you in writing instead?”

“Go ahead.”

With my permission, Larisa quickly picked up paper and a pen.

“?”

When she said “in writing,” I had assumed she meant she would bring me a prepared ledger. Instead, she started scribbling right in front of me.

And then—when I saw her hand move across the page—I nearly gasped aloud.

“This is about the amount.”

What the…

My eyes widened at the document that looked almost like a computer Excel spreadsheet.

She had done this without so much as a calculator.

“You memorized the entire ledger?”

“Oh, yes.”

She gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

“My body can’t use magic, but… once I see a number, I never forget it. I only hope it can be of use to you, my lady.”

At that moment, I felt like grabbing Larisa’s hands and planting a kiss on them.

But.

Ahem, I need to stay in character.

I cleared my throat and glanced down at the improvised ledger she had made.

“Hooh.”

I’d compare it against the real one later, but if this was accurate, then my budget was more generous than I’d thought.

All the more useful, if the event I had in mind played out as expected.

“One month.”

“…Pardon?”

“In one month, I’ll see to it that the overdue wages—and even a bonus—are paid.”

At my firm declaration, Larisa’s expression flickered with disappointment.

Her doubt—You?—was written all over her face.

Well, that’s fine.

This was all part of the process.

I simply placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and smiled.

“So don’t worry about it. Just wait.”

For a while, confined to my room, I decided it was the perfect time to properly test my newly gained ability.

Just as I thought.

I could reproduce every single magic skill I had ever studied.

And not just reproduce them—my control was sharper, more precise, and more refined than anything I had seen in lectures or textbooks.

Naturally, I put that power to good use.

[Coordinate Shift (S)]

Coordinate Shift was the ability to transfer an object to a desired location using nothing but mental computation.

An advanced version of teleportation, which only allowed the caster to move themselves.

The dream and aspiration of every mage—and I was using it to—

Thunk.

—toss a used tissue into the trash can.

Ahh, convenient.

No need to get up.

This must be heaven.

Of course, I could always summon a maid to clean it up, but after becoming so accustomed to self-reliance in the 21st century, I found I couldn’t even rest properly with someone hovering nearby.

Magic really is the best!

This was the S-rank life—far removed from the sweaty, dirt-covered existence of an F-rank warrior rolling around in the field.

Not that I spent all my time loafing around, of course.

“Hey, could you bring me my textbooks from the study? Starting from the first-year ones!”

I had one of the maids fetch them all for me.

[Coordinate Shift (S)]

I transported the stack of books directly from my desk to my hands.

Yesterday, I had skimmed through the entire first-year curriculum. It differed slightly from the Hunter textbooks I remembered, but overall, manageable.

Today I’ll finish the second-year material.

With that resolve, I cracked open a book and leaned over my desk—

“My lady, the Duke requests your presence.”

“…What?”

My face twisted in irritation.

That man wants to see me?

Wasn’t it he who had kicked me out, saying he couldn’t stand the sight of me?

“Did he say what it was about?”

“Well… I believe it has to do with Lord Claude.”

The maid spoke carefully, watching my reaction.

She didn’t call Claude “young master” or “lordling.” Judging by that, she was probably the daughter of a vassal house.

Her name was… hmm, I didn’t know.

I’ll need to ask Larisa to compile a full list of the household staff.

After all, nothing builds goodwill like remembering and using someone’s name.

Human bonds are often born from the smallest gestures.

I tucked that thought into the corner of my mind as I descended the stairs.

When I reached the ground floor, a carriage was waiting at the entrance—far plainer than the ducal family’s.

Looks like he had to rent one with whatever cash he had on hand.

For someone accustomed to nothing but luxury all his life, this must’ve been torture.

And clearly, he had gone running straight to his father, the Duke, to complain.

From a distance, I saw him speaking heatedly with the Duke, then suddenly he spotted me and pointed furiously.

“There she is, Father!”

Claude shouted, his face twisted with rage.

“She abandoned me and went off to the Academy on her own!”

Backed by the Duke, Claude spat his accusation with smug confidence.

“Do you have any idea how much I suffered because you made the carriage leave without me?”

“Is this true?”

The Duke’s face darkened. He must’ve already heard the story from Claude.

Of course, that didn’t faze me one bit.

Not scary at all.

Still, I widened my eyes and cried out, playing the victim.

“It’s not true, Father!”

The life of a low-ranked Hunter was no different from that of a service worker.

Even when the high-and-mighty abused you, you smiled politely, and when things went wrong, you made sure to show how unjustly you were treated—while apologizing anyway.

Having been forged in that jungle of an industry…

Acting is second nature to me.

Suppressing my calm composure, I feigned distress.

“And Claude, what are you saying? You told me yourself to go on ahead while you spent time with your friends.”

“…What? What the—”

My shameless lie left Claude gaping, his mind stalled by sheer disbelief.

That was no time to let him think.

Attack first, win first!

I let my eyes glisten with tears.

I made my body tremble slightly and hurriedly turned to the Duke.

“Please, Father, think about it. How could I possibly leave Claude behind and come on my own?”

“You, you, you—!”

“Besides, Claude can use magic, unlike me. I don’t have the strength to force him into anything…”

Even I had to admit—it sounded convincing.

Especially coming from the original Kanis.

“Hm……”

As expected, the Duke faltered in thought.

He surely wanted to side with his son, but what did his eyes see?

A weak, trembling eldest daughter who seemed incapable of anything… and a second son who looked competent enough to survive anywhere.

That’s right. The original Kanis always shrank before the Duke and Claude.

I held my breath and waited for his verdict, heart pounding.

The Duke’s brow furrowed deeply.

“Yet Claude’s maid claimed you shoved her aside to board the carriage first.”

So that’s the angle, huh?

Even if he hated Kanis, the Duke still had an image to maintain in public.

He needed “just cause” before punishing me.

I sighed inwardly.

I really didn’t want to use this card yet…

But I calmly parted my lips.

“She only said that because Claude ordered her to. Honestly, Claude—you must have been desperate to keep it hidden.”

My sharp tone made Claude cross his arms arrogantly.

“Ha! And what exactly am I supposed to be hiding?”

Right in front of him, a blue window appeared.

[Appraisal (C)]

Appraisal allowed me to check for abnormal conditions in anyone whose name I knew.

And currently, Claude’s status was—

[Claude Escliffe]
[Abnormal Condition: Hangover]

Just as I thought.

I hunched my shoulders, pretending to shrink back, and muttered like someone intimidated.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone you went drinking with Fine Deal’s young heir.”

“…What? How the hell do you know—”

Oops. Maybe I “muttered” a bit too loudly.

“Wait. Kanis, what did you just say?”

The Duke, who only moments ago had been ready to defend his son, spoke in a frigid voice.

His tone was like the edge of a blade, and Claude’s entire body stiffened in response.

Serves you right.

I felt certain my plan had succeeded, and I stammered deliberately, as though reluctant to speak in front of Claude.

“W-Well… Claude said that since he was admitted to the Academy, he was an adult now, so…”

“Ha! You mean to tell me… this brat has been sneaking into taverns since his first year?”

The Duke’s body trembled with fury.