IBFWGFG 58

chapter 58

The one who appeared when the door opened was one of the pillars of the underworld—the Witch.

Swish!

I used my magic to draw the curtains at the window first. Since the Witch always wore a mask, I didn’t want the world to see me in the company of a suspicious figure.

“I watched your performance. Thanks to you, a huge hole appeared in the back alley.”

The Witch was the leader of all the women living in the back alleys.

That was one reason why one of her two nicknames was ‘Queen Sister.’

“It worked out well for you, then. You get to expand your influence.”

“Of course. That’s why I came—to offer my thanks as well.”

The Witch’s gaze shifted toward Lucis, sitting across from me. Lucis, who had been looking out the window, noticed the gaze and turned her head.

When their eyes met, the Witch politely clasped her hands together and bowed.

“By the gods.”

“?!”

Lucis had received praise before, but this level of reverence was new to her.

For a moment, she looked at the Witch with a surprised expression before thrusting out her chest and raising her shoulders proudly. Her nose seemed to pierce the ceiling—heightened and haughty.

“Hmph, hmph.”

She looked smug, as if delighted that someone had finally recognized her true worth.

“Phew…”

I let out a sigh without realizing it. It seemed Lucis had just picked up a troublesome influence.

The Witch naturally sat beside me and spoke.

“Hohoho… I enjoyed your speech at the Academy, Count.”

The speech at the Academy.

She was referring to the part where I had shown the apprentice priests the bitter taste of capitalism, committing what they called sacrilege.

• “Wouldn’t it be better to worship this great Hetzling, who has both ability and responsibility, rather than worship incompetent and irresponsible beings as gods?”

“Ah… so that’s why.”

I understood why the Witch had appeared before us now, and what she had been hinting at with her earlier words.

“Bella.”

“…!”

When I called her by her real name, the Witch’s composed demeanor faltered.

“I’ll warn you just once. If you plan to use us for your revenge, forget it.”

“….”

“I have no intention of waging war against the Church.”

The Witch.

Her second nickname was ‘The Former Saint.’

Once the highest figure in the Church, she had been driven overnight from its peak to the darkest corners of the back alleys due to the arrival of a saint—Bella.

The table was covered with cakes, ice cream, coffee, and numerous fruit drinks.

As expected from a patisserie run by someone from the royal kitchen, the cakes and ice cream were comparable to those on modern Earth.

“Yum!”

Lucis excitedly devoured the cakes and ice cream.

I sipped a fruit drink while watching Lucis’s enthusiastic eating.

She held the fork in her tiny hands backwards, slicing the cake, then stuffed a piece that seemed too big to fit into her mouth.

“Whoa…!”

She cupped her cheeks with both hands, chewing happily. Her cheeks seemed to melt from how delicious it was.

‘The chef from the Mausoleum would be sad to see this.’

It seemed Lucis had discovered the world of desserts.

“Is it good?”

“Yes! It’s yummy!”

I tried to memorize which desserts Lucis liked most but gave up quickly. Everything she ate seemed delicious, whether because of the shop or her appetite.

“Here!”

Then Lucis held out a fork toward me, with a piece of cream cake on it.

“You’re giving it to me?”

“Yes. Eat it. Here.”

I opened my mouth with a satisfied smile.

“Ah~.”

The cake slid in. Though it was less than half the size she put in her own mouth, I let it slide out of affection.

The sweet cream and soft sponge delighted my tongue. The cream, in particular, was far richer and sweeter than anything I’d tasted on Earth.

“This is really good.”

“Right?”

“No wonder Irina comes here often.”

“She knows her stuff.”

“Hahaha. Where did you learn to say that?”

“Shia.”

School life seemed the same here as on Earth.

“Waah.”

Lucis continued her eating spree. As always, it was astonishing how such a small body could consume so much, even after dinner.

If this had happened on Earth, it would have showered the sky with stars from superchats and turned the ground red with donations.

It was a pity the curtains blocked the view outside. People on the streets should see Lucis enjoying her food with such vigor.

“So.”

I turned to the culprit who made me draw the curtains.

“Do you have other business?”

The Witch had been quietly sipping her coffee while watching Lucis eat.

I didn’t ask how she had come here or how she managed to enter the VIP room naturally. She was the woman who commanded nearly all the women of the back alleys.

Some of them had surely risen from the shadows into the light, so her connection to this café wasn’t surprising.

“You speak differently than when addressing the Goddess. Should I be offended?”

“Cut the nonsense and get to the point.”

“You mean, besides a war with the Church?”

The Witch candidly admitted her intentions. In other words, she hadn’t let go of her lingering desires.

A thousand years ago, a dragon became a god—the Radiant Dragon Ishtar. Among the numerous churches in Grenium, some worshiped that Radiant Dragon.

Though not recognized by the Church yet, their influence had been growing day by day thanks to Lucis’s appearance.

‘And with my family’s wealth, power, and influence, along with our image opposed to the current Church…’

Perhaps that was what caught her interest. That Lucis and I might become seeds to challenge the Church.

Of course, it was a tiny, improbable possibility. Even great nobles and dragons aside, human history was long, and the Church had been around longer than this empire.

The Witch surely knew this. But revenge tends to blind people.

“Of course, I have other business.”

Yet, as if it wasn’t the right time, the Witch stepped back.

“I’ve come to propose an alliance.”

Seeing her outstretched hand, I couldn’t help but ponder.

Lately, I had been busy.

Marco had taken over part of my work, but the amount of things I was handling personally had also grown.

‘I need to launch Lux’s new product, check the dryer prototype left with the dwarves, decide how to use the buildings I acquired while dismantling the circus…’

I planned to open shops in the newly acquired buildings to sell artifacts. With magical engineering, I could make plenty of items like dryers, washing machines, and more.

‘Even the chicken I had the dwarves try was received better than I expected.’

The dwarves had secretly made a fryer in the Mausoleum workshop and were caught. Though I held the patent, I let them use it privately.

‘Maybe I’ll add chicken to the menu at the family-owned restaurant.’

For that, I needed a proper infrastructure to supply enough chickens and oil. Otherwise, chicken would remain a luxury food only for nobles.

‘What’s the cheapest oil to mass-produce here? Soybean oil, I guess… Could the chickens be bred to be bigger?’

I recalled Earth’s knowledge, instructed Alfred to research, and discussed ideas with Marco. The sun would set quickly while we worked.

Watching the sun set from my study was oddly satisfying.

‘On Earth, I would just sigh at sunsets.’

On Earth, I always wanted to rest. Here, no matter how long I spent working, I enjoyed it.

‘So this is what running a business feels like.’

Work at the game company contributed to my achievements but wasn’t directly my success. Here, everything was mine.

I didn’t even notice the hard work, enjoying both the growth of my business and making money.

‘A sense of ownership only comes when you’re truly the owner.’

I had assumed graduating students would reduce my workload, but perhaps it would allow me to expand the business further.

‘After all, this is the world Lucis will live in for a long time. It’s not bad to develop it for her comfort.’

With that thought, I stood up—it was already dinner time.

“Where’s Lucis?”

“She’s playing with the attendants.”

Alfred’s reply sent me toward Lucis’s playroom. Though she liked playing outside, she obeyed my request to stay indoors after sunset for safety.

Her playroom was filled with every toy imaginable, almost like a museum of toys released in the imperial capital.

“Lucis, time for dinner.”

“Oh.”

She immediately dropped her toy and ran into my arms.

Her attendants, Marek and Mari, tidied up and greeted her.

“Miss Lu! Let’s play again tomorrow!”

‘Lu.’

That nickname made me pause.

“Is that Lucis’s nickname?”

“Yes, Count!”

Seven-year-old Marek straightened his back and answered crisply.

I frowned slightly.

“No matter the attendants, there are lines to follow. No more nicknames.”

“Yes, understood! Sorry, Count! Miss Lucis!”

Marek bowed deeply like a soldier, and Mari followed suit.

“…?”

Lucis looked at me, puzzled. I avoided her gaze.

It was almost bedtime.

After bathing and reading for a bit, Shia, also freshly bathed, came to my room holding Lucis.

Her hair was still damp.

‘Without magic, towels can only do so much.’

Normally, I would have dried her hair with magic, but today I wanted to test something.

I took Lucis from Shia and sat at the vanity. On it was the prototype dryer I had received earlier.

It looked exactly like an Earth dryer, built according to my design.

Click. Turning it on, the runestone and magic circle activated, blowing warm air from the nozzle.

Whirrr…

The temperature was just right on my palm.

I used it on Lucis’s hair while combing through with my other hand.

“Oh…?”

“What’s that? An artifact for drying hair?”

“Yes. It dries much faster and more thoroughly than a towel.”

After about ten minutes, Lucis’s hair was completely dry.

The one most impressed was Shia.

“Wow…! You made this in our workshop? It’s perfect for catching hearts!”

Shia wanted to try it herself and pushed me aside to dry her own hair.

Sitting on the bed holding Lucis, she happily played with her now completely dry hair.

“How’s it feel, Lu? Good? Think it’ll sell well?”

“Mm… hmm?”

Lucis looked at me with slightly surprised eyes. I turned my gaze shyly.

Her eyes curved like a half-moon as she looked at me, cute enough to make me cough awkwardly.

“Hehe.”

Lucis laughed joyfully, snuggling into my arms.