After Silverstar started investing in our Count’s domain through Yurha.
To summarize my daily routine, it’s simply ‘eat and train.’
Eat.
Train.
Train.
‘I’m no ten-year-old genius.’
I’m just a gamer who played a certain game diligently.
While my game experience is embedded in this world, with my current body, there’s no way or means to intervene in the past events of that game.
A 7-year-old count’s son.
And even then, a heretic with divergent ideas within the family’s environment.
I have no experience managing a territory, nor am I in a position to influence the count’s administrative system.
The only fortunate thing is that the events corresponding to the ‘Apocalypse’ will occur from the age of 17, when Yurha and I enter the Academy, which is ten years after the original starting point.
‘Until then, it’s just ordinary backstories of supporting and main characters.’
A family falling into ruin.
Losing family members to bandits.
These are ordinary occurrences in this era, and if I want to intervene in all these events, I would need to leave this environment immediately.
So I came to a conclusion.
The most efficient and reliable way to prepare for the future and prevent the world’s destruction is to enhance my power before entering the Academy.
‘It’s actually better.’
Rather than creating variables from the past, it’s far better to apply the strategies based on the original knowledge I already have.
…I feel somewhat sorry for those who will enter the Academy with unfortunate pasts, but my current situation prevents me from going to rescue them immediately.
I’m too busy training.
“Brother, what are you looking at?”
“A report.”
“What kind of report? About the territory?”
“No, it’s my growth report I requested separately from Yurha.”
Seia, who was interested in the parchment I was examining, immediately puffed out her cheeks upon hearing it was sent by Yurha.
“Bu.”
“Seia. You need to get along well with Miss Yurha, understand?”
“Uuuh….”
Despite my words, Seia clearly shows her displeasure.
She seems to harbor animosity towards Yurha, and that animosity is partly due to the Habsderk environment—
“Are you spending time with that woman again?”
“Well, yes.”
Currently, I have a larger share.
Since Yurha started staying in this territory, I’ve spent more than half the time I used to spend with Seia, with Yurha.
‘She’s no different from a child who’s had her toy taken away.’
Seia is 5 years old.
And there are no peers or playmates her age around.
Though she’s a 5-year-old count’s daughter, the Habsderk family is very reluctant to let her interact with outsiders.
It was the same during my time.
Fortunately, I’m now living slightly outside that environment.
“Doesn’t Mother call for you?”
“Um… I don’t know. She seems busy these days and doesn’t call for me.”
“Busy?”
“Yeah. She seems to be doing something with Father in the bedroom.”
“…”
Should I be glad that I’ve fallen out of favor with my parents, or lament over my parents’ behavior as they try to create another male heir when the only male heir is going astray?
Perhaps Yurha’s friendly demeanor towards me is due to her noticing my desire to escape from such parents and environment.
Whether it’s sympathy.
Investment.
Or perhaps a bit of shared hardship.
‘But I should endure as long as I can.’
There’s no better environment for training than this.
“Seia.”
“Yes?”
“Would you like to lie down in the chair with your eyes closed for a moment?”
“Okay!”
At my request, Seia immediately lay down in the rocking chair.
She folded her hands neatly, closed her eyes as usual, and slowly relaxed.
“I’ll cast magic soon.”
I open the box on the table.
Inside were piles of magic stones, which are processed mana stones from the Magic Tower established by Silverstar for using magic.
Normally, I wouldn’t have obtained this amount, but the fee from renting out the hunting grounds in the Demonic Land was quite substantial.
‘Money is really good.’
Thus, neither my parents nor the administrators have voiced significant complaints.
‘Thanks to that, I can accumulate experience faster with the surplus magic stones.’
Fwoosh.
I create a gray flame.
The ‘hypnosis’ Phantom Flame, distinctly different from basic magic, is now possible to cast even with a silent chant.
‘They say that growth speeds vary depending on talent, but isn’t this too much?’
‘Though growth speeds vary depending on talent, isn’t this a bit much?’
According to my growth report, provided by Yurha through the Magic Tower’s mage, my attack magic has surpassed basic levels.
I didn’t ask Yurha to test my talent in illusion magic, but I have a rough idea of my level through the game’s settings.
‘If basic magic is currently rated E, then illusion magic is already around C-rank according to the adventurer rankings.’
Power levels are divided from F to SS-rank.
If divided into levels from 1 to 99, it’s not an exaggeration to say that my illusion magic is roughly at level 30.
And the average level for an adult is 10.
An overwhelming talent for hypnosis and brainwashing.
With this rapidly developing talent, even Seia is susceptible to my hypnosis.
“Seia. Will you listen to your brother?”
“Mm….”
Even though Seia will eventually acquire the unique passive skill [Mental Immunity], she is currently affected by my hypnosis magic.
“Yurha is not a bad person. You should get along with her.”
“I don’t want to….”
Even under hypnosis, Seia resists strongly.
Hypnosis is about ‘guiding’ and is a form of gaslighting; it doesn’t suddenly reverse a person’s traits.
“If you don’t get along with Yurha, your brother will be very sad.”
“Brother will… be sad?”
“Yes. Because Yurha might become the lifeline for us.”
“Brother’s lifeline….”
Seia’s brows furrow.
It’s not so much because of the difficult words, but it seems that talking about life-threatening issues might be a bit overwhelming for a 5-year-old.
“Yes. In the demonic zone, there is a really scary demon living there.”
“Demon…?”
Seia’s face turns pale.
“Yes. The demon of hell that the Habsderk family has sealed for a long time.”
“But….”
“Some of the hunters who explore the Demonic Land have proven some of it to be false rumors, but it’s said that deep within the Demonic Land, there’s a demon that could bring about the end of the world.”
It’s a secret that’s not easily found in records.
Because this demon is a boss of a hidden dungeon that can only be challenged in a second playthrough.
“How did you know about it…?”
“I saw it in ancient documents in the family’s warehouse.”
“Mm…. Then, shouldn’t you tell someone…?”
“I have.”
Of course, I discussed this part.
I even directly showed the ancient documents to my parents and earnestly advised Yurha and others from Silverstar about it.
“I told them that it’s okay to touch everything else, but this is something that must not be touched.”
“…”
“Why?”
“Because….”
Seia furrows her brows.
“If you say that… someone will definitely touch it….”
“That’s true.”
Clichés exist for a reason.
“But it will be alright. Even if someone breaks the demon’s seal….”
If the seal is truly broken.
“I will protect you.”
“…”
At least concerning that demon, even with this 7-year-old body, I have the ‘ability’ to deal with it.
It’s not just about knowing how to deal with it but having the ability to do so.
‘If it weren’t for that, I’d have found a way to prevent the exploration of the Demonic Land.’
Other demons might be dealt with by bringing in S-rank adventurers from Silverstar, but the demon corresponding to the ‘post-game content boss’ can’t be handled even with S-rank strength.
Only I know the method to defeat it.
The best scenario would be to build up strength over ten years without using that method, though.
“So, get along well with Yurha. If anything goes wrong, Yurha will help you. Got it?”
“Yes….”
She still seems to dislike Yurha.
“Seia. I’m asking you a favor. Will you do it?”
“…If it’s a favor from Brother, yes.”
Since Seia listens well to my requests, she quietly nodded.
“Sleep.”
As soon as I used the sleep magic, Seia fell into a deep sleep.
As soon as I used the sleep magic, Seia fell into a deep sleep.
I adjusted the rocking chair to a comfortable rhythm and reviewed my growth report again.
Regif Habsderk
Magic Attribute Sensitivity:
Fire: E
Ice: E
Wind: E
Earth: D
Light: F
Darkness: C
Comprehensive Evaluation
Lv. 13 / 99 (E)
“…”
My talent for magic is among the worst.
In this world, status screens are verified through the Magic Tower, so I could confirm my objective stats through Yurha.
‘They might say I can reach level 99, but my limits are clear.’
Yurha probably thinks I’m only learning basic magic for personal defense and hasn’t questioned it much. But once I reach the end of E-rank fire magic, she’ll likely suggest I focus on dark magic.
And even with dark magic, once I hit the C-rank cap, she’ll probably gently suggest that I pursue something other than magic, given my limitations.
‘This body isn’t suited for magic.’
This is why, in the original story, Regif made a pact with a demon.
“…”
The being that brings this world to ruin, the Demon King.
Level 99.
He’s a monster that requires at least SS-rank power to survive against.
According to the main storyline’s plot, without the “Angel’s Power”, the Demon King cannot be defeated.
The demon sealed in the Habsderk family’s demonic land is a second-playthrough boss. Even among S-level threats, it’s at the very top—
A demon that requires at least level 95 to confront.
‘Just wait for 10 years.’
In 10 years, I’ll kill you with a snap of my fingers.
* * *
And.
A few days later.
“…You found a cave leading underground?”
“Yes. They say terrifying monsters appear there. The Count and Countess plan to lead an expedition. Haven’t you heard?”
Somewhere in the Demonic Land, a dungeon that houses that demon has been discovered.
“That sounds like the place mentioned in the ancient documents….”
“Mm… It didn’t seem too dangerous, though. The monsters can be handled.”
Despite my concerns, Yurha didn’t seem to take it too seriously.
“The Count and Countess, both S-rank, will be leading the expedition. Plus, we’ve hired a swordsman, also rated S-rank.”
“An S-rank swordsman?”
“Yes. By the way…”
Yurha smiled and pointed outside.
“Have you heard of the [White Sword Saint]?”
“…”
I know who that is.
‘Is she talking about the [Virgin of Light]?’
One of the heroines.
“The adventurer from the East?”
The Academy, where the story takes place, has a diverse cast of characters.
“…Don’t say that in front of her. She’ll hate it.”
Among the heroines in the Academy story, there are not only classmates, upperclassmen, and underclassmen, but also adults.
“That’s right. She’s the one over there.”
In the courtyard of the Count’s mansion, a woman with short white hair fluttering in the breeze, dressed in something resembling traditional Eastern clothing, was staring at me from afar.
“She’s only 17 this year and already has the title of ‘Sword Saint.’ …If she were a man, my mother would probably be trying to collect her as a husband.”
Yurha sighed and shook her head with a rueful smile.
“…It should be fine.”
Even though—
‘She’s a heroine who brings misfortune with her.’
The White Sword Saint.
10 years later.
In 10 years, at age 27, she’ll still be known as the [Virgin of Light], a Sword Master.
‘I’m counting on you, teacher.’
The protagonist’s teacher.
