“Waaah! The Super Super Strong Sword is back…!”
Watching Charlotte literally jump up and down with excitement, Jacob and I were left speechless.
Just a moment ago, it had been a divine and pristine sword, emitting a pure white radiance, unmistakably a Holy Sword.
But the moment it touched Charlotte’s hand, it transformed into a grotesque Demon Sword—again.
‘Does Charlotte have some kind of cursed touch…?’
Charlotte was thrilled that the Super Super Strong Sword had returned to its original form, but to my eyes, it looked more like the sword was screaming in agony as it darkened.
I began to have fundamental ethical concerns about whether entrusting this sword to Charlotte was truly the right choice.
“The more I look at it, the more ominous it feels… Is it really okay to leave it like that, Master?”
“It looks cool, so isn’t that all that matters?”
“Oh. Well, I can’t argue with that.”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ fervently agrees with your opinion, stating that style is of utmost importance.]
If it looked stylish, then such trivial concerns hardly mattered.
Perhaps even the Super Super Strong Sword preferred being wielded by Charlotte, exuding its eerie yet undeniably cool purple Aura, rather than being gripped by some golden-haired knight blessed by the gods, forced to radiate a pure white glow.
It was a win-win for both sides.
‘Honestly… if only I could become the Super Super Strong Sword too…’
My imagination suddenly wandered into forbidden territory, and I shuddered.
If I became the Super Super Strong Sword, wouldn’t that mean I’d be attached to Charlotte’s waist at all times, only to be tightly gripped by her sweaty hands during training?
The thought made me envious of the sword—so much so that my stomach began to ache.
‘Calm down… I am a civilized man of intelligence…’
There were better things to envy.
How had it come to this, that I was jealous of an inanimate object?
If anything, I should have envied Dirt-Dirt, who could look up at Charlotte and Julia from a lower angle all the time.
After taking a deep breath, I managed to regain my composure.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave, Master.”
“Ah, Jacob. Since you’re here, let’s finalize the contract before you go.”
“A-A contract…?”
At the mere mention of the word “contract”, Jacob’s voice trembled, and his pupils shook violently.
Anyone watching would think I was enslaving him under a brutal workload with some ironclad agreement.
What an overreaction…
“We made a deal, didn’t we? The revenue distribution of the forge was set at 60-40, but after a certain period, I promised to change it to 70-30.”
“Y-You really mean that? It wasn’t just talk, it was an actual promise…?”
“What do you take me for? I always keep my word. When we first signed the contract, I wasn’t entirely convinced of your skills, so the ratio was set that way. But now, you’ve proven yourself as the key player in the exports of Vermont Territory. You deserve a reward.”
“M-Master! Is this real? Thank you! Thank you so much…!”
Jacob prostrated himself on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
Even after I brought out the contract and adjusted the revenue share, he kept bowing deeply in gratitude before finally leaving the estate.
Watching his retreating figure, I couldn’t suppress a chuckle.
“Heh… I kept him waiting for nine months, and yet he’s thanking me.”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is deeply impressed by your wicked cunning and gapes in admiration!]
It had been a done deal from the start.
I had simply said I would adjust the split “a little later” and then dragged it out for a full nine months.
The extra 10 percentage points I earned during that period must have added up to a massive sum.
Jacob, oblivious to the fact that he had been getting fleeced, was shedding tears of gratitude.
“He probably doesn’t even realize that 70-30 is still an unfair split… Maybe I should ‘generously’ lower it again in about a year.”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ admits that he hadn’t considered that far and now applauds your deep foresight!]
Realistically, aside from my initial investment in setting up the forge, I hadn’t put in any additional funds.
Even 70-30 was an unfair ratio.
By now, 80-20 or even 90-10 would be a more reasonable distribution.
Of course, I had no intention of mentioning that yet.
I’d keep quiet for another year before making another “gracious” adjustment.
By then, Jacob would be shedding tears of gratitude once again, never realizing how much he had been shortchanged.
“Heheheh…”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ laughs along with you for no reason.]
At this point, Jacob was so dependent on the materials and facilities I provided that he couldn’t even think of leaving Vermont Territory.
He was, in effect, bound to me like a slave.
Of course, he himself had no idea.
The thought of continuing to exploit him without his knowledge made me chuckle uncontrollably.
***
“Waaah… so warm…”
“…”
Sitting in front of the crackling fireplace, Julia basked in its warmth.
She was merely warming herself by the fire, and yet…
Her face was filled with pure happiness.
‘I suppose… surviving winter must have been a challenge at the orphanage.’
The orphanage where Charlotte and Julia had lived wasn’t just in poor condition—it was downright horrific.
The children were constantly pushed to gather firewood for the day, and even donated books were used as kindling.
Compared to that, the mansion, where the indoors remained warm regardless of how cold it got outside, must have felt like paradise.
‘Winter really has arrived, hasn’t it?’
As December rolled in, the once chilly air grew increasingly biting.
Seeing the frost forming on the windowpane made me truly feel the arrival of winter.
Another thing that reminded me of the season was how I no longer felt the sting on my skin after being outside for a long time.
In summer, the scorching sunlight and long daylight hours made prolonged outdoor activities unbearable.
But now, I could roam around all day without an umbrella, and this delicate skin of mine wouldn’t even get irritated.
‘That means Yuri’s vacation is coming up soon.’
The end of December also signaled the Imperial Magic Academy’s second semester drawing to a close.
Yuri would soon be on break again.
Perhaps I should invite her to stay at the mansion this time as well.
At this point, I probably wouldn’t even need to invoke Mr. Black’s orders—just persuading her as Aslan Vermont should be enough.
“Ah! It’s snowing! Aslan, Aslan! Look out the window! It’s snowing…!”
“Yes, I see it too.”
Outside the window, delicate snowflakes began drifting down from the sky.
Julia, noticing it belatedly, tugged tightly at my sleeve, pointing outside in excitement.
This was the first snowfall I was witnessing since inhabiting this body…
And the first snowfall since taking in the children into the estate.
It felt strangely sentimental.
“Do you want to go outside and play?”
“Huh? No? It’s cold, why would I go out? A warm room is the best…”
“…”
Just for today, I had mentally prepared myself to run outside, get pelted with snowballs, and roll around in the snow with the kids.
Yet, after all that excitement just now, Julia quickly calmed down and settled right back in front of the fireplace.
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t even find the words to respond.
“I’ll be stepping out for a bit.”
“Okay…”
“…”
I set my pen down and trudged out of the office, my footsteps dragging listlessly.
It wasn’t like I was excited just because I was seeing the first snowfall here.
And it wasn’t like I was looking forward to running around, laughing with Julia or anything.
Yet, for some reason, I couldn’t shake this hollow feeling in my chest—like there was an empty void.
‘If it were Charlotte, she’d already be outside, tearing through the snow like a madwoman.’
Just as I was about to head out to look for Charlotte, I suddenly remembered—
She was at the training grounds today.
A long sigh escaped me.
She wouldn’t be back until after sunset…
It seemed playing in the snow would have to wait.
I hoped the snow wouldn’t melt overnight and would pile up nicely.
Not because I was so excited about the first snowfall that I wanted to play in it or anything.
But simply because I wanted to ‘reluctantly’ create memories with Charlotte, who wouldn’t be able to contain her excitement otherwise.
With that, I pushed aside my lingering regrets and returned to my office.
The moment I stepped back inside, the first thing that came into view was Julia—still sitting in the exact same spot in front of the fireplace, just as I had left her.
Dragging myself over to my desk, I sat down.
But the pen I had just put down before leaving… was missing.
“Ah! If you’re looking for your pen, here it is…!”
“…?”
Julia suddenly dashed over and handed me the pen.
The moment I took it, a faint warmth radiated from the metal.
That was… strange.
Given its material, the pen should have cooled down fairly quickly after being left alone.
“…Why is this warm?”
“Oh, that! I kept it between my thighs so it wouldn’t get cold. …Sir.”
“…”
The instant I heard her reply, my brain completely shut down.
She kept it… where?
My gaze snapped to the pen in my hand.
My fingers trembled slightly as I held it.
