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Chapter 133
“If there’s anything else you want, just say it.”
Tremble tremble.
“You’re free to use everything I’ve already given you however you wish.”
The victor of this power struggle was undeniably the Regent Duke. Objectively, I was the one who wrung a ton of loot out of him — so why did I feel so resentful, miserable, and hollow inside?
“This is weird. These are all rare items — things that are normally impossible to get. So how did he just bring them so easily?!”
That question was quickly answered.
“They say His Grace opened the imperial treasury of the Paital Empire.”
“……”
Right. I was dealing with the real power of an entire nation.
“Ugh. Daamn it, I’m so pissed!”
If I knew it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have asked for mere hard-to-get items — I should’ve demanded mythic-tier artifacts!
Even though I was now holding a wishlist full of treasures every mage would sell their soul for, I felt no joy whatsoever.
I just hated that the Regent Duke had tossed them to me like he was giving alms.
“Fine. I’ll use them all I want.”
Whatever. These were things I was going to need eventually anyway.
Whether it was by scamming the Sperom Twins, or Mehen, or even sweet-talking Dad — I had originally planned to acquire them somehow. They came too easily now, which was a little anticlimactic, but hey — a good thing is a good thing.
“First — item enhancement.”
I upgraded my new #2 treasure, the full set of [Support Artifacts for Physically Frail Mages].
They were wonderful artifacts — except for how they tended to explode if you didn’t maintain them regularly. And for how stupidly expensive they were.
“And next…”
I pulled out a diary — the one I’d snagged by chance at an auction and had never once let out of my possession since.
“Unlocking the seal on the Laplace Diary.”
The proper method required a paired item called Laplace’s Pen…
“But I think I can bypass that with a loophole.”
I already held every key item needed. All thanks to the Regent Duke.
In the original novel, the rightful owner of this Laplace Diary was Ciel in the mid-to-late story. Her golden eyes had great synergy with it, making it extremely useful.
I still hesitated — “Do I really have the right to take this item?” — but then I told myself:
“No. I decided to live healthy, remember?”
To achieve that, I needed Laplace’s Diary.
“Here lies a sleeping demon.”
The same phrase greeted me when I opened to the first page.
“There is a demon sleeping in here.”
Not a literal demon, but…
In the history of science, there’s something known as the Four Great Demons. One of them is Laplace’s Demon — an entity that knows all information in the present and, based on that, can perfectly deduce both the past and the future with infinite intelligence.
It’s similar to the Akashic Records, which contain the entire history of the universe… but slightly different in nuance.
Either way — this diary acts as a summoning medium for that demon. In short…
I could make a contract.
I wrote my name in the diary using the Feather of Truth, then placed all the tribute items I’d wrung out of the Regent on top of it.
Next was the incantation.
“Laplace’s Demon — reveal all truths to me.”
As soon as I spoke the correct phrase, the diary clicked open, bursting with light as it swallowed everything I’d offered.
Fwoooooosh—
The pages scattered into the air, forming a massive magic circle. Watching it unfold dazedly, I felt relieved.
It was an overwhelming sight.
But no matter the origins of the items — my purpose in obtaining this was singular.
“It knows all present information.”
Which meant it was basically…
A status window.
[Verifying user.]
Something I could ask anything.
[Synchronizing…]
[Please input your question.]
Naturally, at this moment, there was only one thing I needed to ask first.
“How long do I have left to live?”
[Gathering information.]
[Projecting future…]
After a short wait, the window flickered — and displayed its answer.
[D-521]
Terminal illness. A countdown.
* * *
“Halbern’s forces and the Saren Knights have been deployed at the border touching Albrecht.”
“The Grand Duke of Halbern is requesting a private audience with His Grace the Regent.”
Unlike the peaceful Locke Castle, the international situation was spiraling rapidly.
Even within Paital, worried voices were starting to surface — yet Regent Duke Ludwig remained utterly unshaken despite pressure from all sides.
Rather, he let out a dry laugh.
“They’ve made up their mind.”
Nothing like this had happened even six years ago — and now it was?
Halbern’s blatant military display was almost laughable.
And then—
“The Sky Tower has appeared within Paital’s airspace…”
“They’re requesting permission to remain…”
Halbern’s troops couldn’t cross the border — but the magicians’ Sky Tower was floating at a height visible even to commoners. That was the real problem.
Mages usually weren’t interested in war… but who knew?
“The public sentiment is in turmoil.”
“Let it be.”
Ludwig chose to ignore them.
Both parties were far too troublesome to handle directly — and more importantly, their focus wasn’t truly on going to war with Paital.
“What about Arellin?”
“She’s quiet today.”
“Is that so?”
He was curious — what sort of trouble would his disaster of a daughter cause today to shake his nerves?
If it had been anyone else, he’d have been irritated — but since she looked exactly like Shioné, or perhaps because her antics had such obvious intent, he found her more amusing than annoying.
He almost felt delighted by it.
She was probably causing chaos thinking that if she caused enough trouble, he’d eventually get fed up and kick her out.
How innocent of her.
“Shioné was never that naive.”
Naive? Ludwig snorted. That was the word least fitting for that woman.
The sharp, blade-like ache that always accompanied memories of Shioné — that phantom pain that even the temple’s High Priest and the Tower’s highest healers couldn’t soothe — had been fading ever since he brought Arellin into the castle.
All doctors had given up — yet the phantom pain was slowly diminishing.
So how could he possibly let her go?
And that wasn’t the only change.
Ludwig was a man with exceptional self-awareness. He knew better than anyone how arid his emotions had become.
Half of it was Shioné’s fault for casting him into the abyss — but half was simply his nature.
He never imagined he’d possess the capacity to find someone cute or lovable.
Yet sometimes — when he watched Arellin munching something with gusto, or waddling about on her tiny feet — he’d experience foreign emotions he couldn’t name.
Have I ever felt such a trivial sentiment before? Was I even the kind of person who had thoughts like this?
Is this what people call… peace?
Watching Arellin, face open and honest with every passing thought, he’d occasionally find himself thinking:
If life could stay just like this… nothing else would matter.
He also knew that thanks to his becoming a bit softer, the people of the castle were breathing easier — and overall satisfaction had gone up.
“How is the international lawsuit proceeding?”
“The Holy State of Lemuren, where the International Tribunal is located, says the trial is currently underway. They stated that due to the gravity of the case, they intend to handle it with utmost caution.”
“And we still haven’t learned which judges will be appointed?”
“No, sir. The Holy State is handling it at the highest security level — our agents can’t break through.”
This was a matter Ludwig was personally invested in.
“Separately, the Holy State has requested undeniable proof to confirm the child’s bloodline.”
“They dare doubt my blood?”
Ludwig’s irritation was clear, and his lieutenant floundered.
“They’re saying — the more certain, the better. Halbern already followed proper certification procedures when registering noble lines and family trees.”
“…Fine. Prepare it.”
* * *
[D-521]
Less than two years?
I froze — then immediately became indignant.
“No way — I worked out so much! I took all those miracle pills! The healers said my health was improving! Was I scammed?!”
So what was all my effort for?!
But the window blinked back indifferently:
[Cooldown until next question: 5 hours]
“You heartless bastard…”
