‘Is the toll revenue from the highway really this high…?’
It has already been over a year since the construction of the Vermont Highway.
I hadn’t paid much attention to it before.
But receiving the financial report for the past year brought a wave of emotions.
The actual traffic volume was 12 times what had been initially estimated during construction.
A rest stop was also built on a plateau that jutted out along the way, bringing in additional revenue.
Come to think of it, I had promised to give Charlotte and Julia each 0.1% of the annual toll revenue.
Even that alone would amount to an enormous sum.
‘But a promise is a promise.’
I immediately headed to the bank to deposit the money.
I didn’t give them allowances separately, but since they did have occasional opportunities to earn money, I had already opened an account for each of them in advance.
Of course, the accounts were under Charlotte and Julia’s names, but neither of them really touched their balances.
I was the one managing them.
I felt like I should start teaching them how to handle money…
But then again, I myself left all my wealth in Irene’s care and never even thought about it.
It felt awkward for me to give financial advice in this position.
Maybe I should ask Irene to educate them later on topics like asset distribution and sound investments.
“This amount—deposit half into each account.”
“Yes, understood, Count.”
I handed over the passbook and promissory note at the counter.
The teller quickly updated the balance and returned the passbook to me.
Out of curiosity, I opened it to check the balance—
And a small gasp escaped my lips.
“Huh…?”
Charlotte had just over 200 million Lark.
And Julia was approaching 300 million Lark.
When did they accumulate this much?
Thinking back, they had occasionally worked as mercenaries for Vermont Security whenever there were missions suited to them.
It seemed those earnings had steadily piled up over time.
Since both of them were considered high-level personnel, the pay for each job was immense.
‘At this rate, they’ll reach 1 billion Lark in no time.’
The condition I had set for granting them freedom was 1 billion Lark.
Once they amassed that amount, they would be released from their status as slaves.
Originally, I had expected it to take at least 10 years.
But at this speed, it would be much faster.
Moreover, the past year had been mostly focused on awakening their abilities, training, and attending the Academy.
They hadn’t even fully started engaging in economic activities.
Yet, they had already earned this much.
They had also mentioned wanting to help out with Vermont Security during summer break, which meant they would likely make another fortune.
At this rate, both Charlotte and Julia might reach the 1 billion goal even before graduation.
‘Well, that works out well for me too.’
Marrying a slave wouldn’t be very dignified.
I had considered secretly filling in the remaining amount if the time for marriage arrived and they hadn’t reached 1 billion yet.
But it looked like that wouldn’t be necessary after all.
As soon as I returned to the mansion—
“Aah! Aslan! Hurry and come over here! …Please!”
“What’s the matter?”
“I have an experiment to conduct on you! …Please!”
Julia came rushing out from the research lab, calling for me.
Lately, she had been completely absorbed in Black Magic research.
From what I had heard, even the most cutting-edge equipment in modern engineering couldn’t produce the same level of Black Magic output as I could.
Because of that, Julia’s research was advancing faster than anyone else’s.
As a result, I often found myself roped into her experiments.
“You said you could uncover the conditions to manifest an Evil God. Is that true?”
“Yeah! I think it’s possible! Multiple research labs are working together, so if we gather just a bit more data, we might figure it out…!”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is overcome with excitement and enters a state of fervent ecstasy!]
Kali was getting hyped up.
“But what exactly are you doing right now?”
“Oh? Uh? Umm? W-Well… I was just… checking if Charlotte was hiding somewhere. …Please.”
I had been wondering why Julia was scurrying around so busily.
She was thoroughly searching every shadowy corner of the research lab, checking if anyone was lurking inside.
It seemed like she had been ambushed by Charlotte too many times—
She had become hyper-vigilant now.
“If it’s just an experiment, do you really need to check?”
“Uhh, uhh… The experiment is classified. I can’t let Charlotte see it.”
“So, checking for her is also part of the experiment?”
“O-Of course! I’m measuring an important variable—body temperature.”
She didn’t even blink while spouting her lie.
Then—she suddenly dashed toward me and wrapped her arms tightly around me.
At first, I wondered if she was about to do something embarrassing again.
But—
She was just hugging me.
I let out a dumbfounded chuckle.
“If you’re measuring body temperature, wouldn’t this method be better?”
“Eek!?”
I turned around and hugged Julia back—face to face.
Julia flinched in shock, her body trembling.
Yet, despite that, her arms wrapped tightly around my waist—firmly and honestly.
‘She really has grown a lot in the past year.’
Judging by how she felt when I lifted her onto my lap and how snugly she fit in my arms now—
I could clearly tell how much she had grown.
Before, she had been slightly petite, and there was a feeling of emptiness when I hugged her.
But now, she fit perfectly, like a missing piece clicking into place.
When I buried my nose in the crown of her head, I inhaled a subtle, soothing scent that filled my lungs.
And against my chest, there was a soft, small, and pleasant warmth, leaving no empty space between us.
It was a completely different sensation compared to Sylvia’s overwhelming and aggressive presence.
‘Julia will eventually grow to match—or even surpass—Sylvia in physique.’
But this feeling wouldn’t last long.
Her stunted growth had been due to years of malnutrition from her time in the orphanage.
But ever since she came here, her growth rate had been rapid.
It wouldn’t be surprising if, in the future, she developed a body even more dangerous than Sylvia’s.
It was an ironic mix of anticipation and dread.
However, by the time Julia finished growing, I wouldn’t feel threatened by such physiques anymore.
Thanks to Julia, my phobia would be completely cured.
“Hngh… I think that’s enough hugging now. …Please.”
“Are you done with your experiment? Can I go now?”
“Huh? No? The experiment is just beginning. I still need to collect at least 36 sample data points to observe Kali’s reactions to you…”
[The Evil God, ‘Kali,’ shows great interest in the experiment.]
Ah.
So she didn’t just call me here because she wanted to hug me somewhere out of sight.
She actually meant to conduct an experiment.
The thought of being used as a test subject all night made me feel lightheaded.
***
“Mmm…”
A morning like any other.
I sipped my tea while flipping through the morning newspaper and reports.
As usual, the report mentioned Yuri completing another mission.
‘So… has Yuri finished her Awakening with this?’
A Berserker with near-immortal regenerative abilities.
Is this Yuri’s final evolution?
She was already strong, but—
For a game protagonist’s final awakening, it felt a little lackluster.
Her first awakening had been as a healer, gaining abilities for restoration.
And her current state was merely the extreme refinement of that ability.
Fundamentally, nothing had changed since her first awakening.
‘Am I expecting too much from this game…?’
To begin with, this game was a mess.
Even finding something normal in it was a challenge.
I had only played up to Chapter 1, but even then, the awakening sequences, the story—everything was downright awful.
So there was no guarantee that a final awakening had to be dramatic.
For all I knew, this extreme refinement of her first awakening might actually be her final form.
Maybe I needed to let go of the assumption that a final awakening must come with grand visuals and a complete transformation.
‘If a healer’s final awakening is supposed to be… resurrection?’
If Yuri awakened further, what would she become?
A logical conclusion would be the ability to revive the dead.
But…
Since Yuri had long since stopped being a normal healer, that didn’t seem likely.
“She’s started training in Aura?”
Despite her already absurd strength, Yuri apparently wasn’t satisfied and had started training to awaken Aura.
Her regenerative ability alone already made her strong enough to rival a Sword Master.
And now, she was aiming to grow even stronger?
What a relentless monster.
But… would it really be okay for a healer to be running around wielding Aura?
“My Lord, you have a special delivery.”
At that moment, Sylvia entered the room and handed me a letter.
It was from Ester, the fortress city.
Stamped with the seal of the Northern Archduke.
And it had been sent via express delivery.
I hurriedly ripped open the envelope and scanned the contents.
– We discovered some unusual ruins during the Demon Realm exploration.
– They’re extremely ancient—far older than the Empire’s history.
– But from what we’ve seen, the civilization that built them was far more advanced than anything humanity has now.
It was ominous news.
