Chapter 50

Translator and Editor: Bunny and Einna

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Chapter 50

The archives were full of books. Since people don’t come here often, the air was certainly cold.

I would’ve had a cold if Nina hadn’t taken care of me diligently. I walked further inside, then put down the warm lamp and snacks on the large desk.

‘Well, shall we go through the books now?’

Among the numerous books, it is necessary that I find some information about the forest of demons. The books in front of me also looked just like a forest.

I approached the nearest shelf and glanced over the titles.

‘It’s been organized in order from the first generation. The entire archive is like a history book.’

It would have been easier if it was arranged in alphabetical order. Of all things, it was arranged in chronological order.

I sighed heavily.

‘No, but I can read the letters and look for them!’

After entering this body, I was most puzzled as to how this body can read.

Six-year-old Shuelina doesn’t know how to read yet. In the original story, she will go to the Marquis’ to learn after leaving the orphanage.

It was just one part of Shuelina’s experience with the Marquis.

The orphanage didn’t teach her anything, she was lucky she learned how to write a bit.

That’s why I shouldn’t have known anything yet, but somehow I already mastered writing without learning properly. As if this body remembers it.

‘Oh, technically, I wasn’t that lucky.’

In the original, Shuelina’s writing teacher was a maid.

The maid played an important role in her life, taking care of her, afraid that she would commit suicide by biting off her tongue due to her long term imprisonment.

She took good care of Shuelina after she was being harassed constantly and having her spirit power forcefully taken away.

Shuelina, who only experienced torment all her life and had never opened up her heart to others, of course felt a deep connection with the maid.

The maid taught her writing so she could win her [Shuelina’s] heart.

‘That’s when I was betrayed for the first time.’

Shuelina was betrayed – a person who purely liked the maid and thought that the maid was more precious than her family.

It’s an unforgettable memory, but I was grateful to her for teaching me how to write.

‘It hasn’t happened now.’

I felt a little depressed and lethargic, then I lightly slapped myself in the face to get back to my senses.

I couldn’t just stand here helplessly with all this work to do.

“Oh?”

A book suddenly fell from the shelf while I was looking through the titles of the books.

When there’s no window and wind to blow it over, what the hell could be happening?

Somehow, I was scared and my body stiffened in tension.

‘I have to check what it is. If there is a thief……!’

I approached the bookshelf carefully.

I saw a pair of dark purple eyes through the gap where the empty book fell from.

Cold eyes with big irises. However, the look directed at me somehow wasn’t cold.

“Who are you?”

I stared behind the bookshelf, barely calming down on my beating heart.

Then, the person who I had just seen between the books on the shelf completely disappeared.

It was obviously that ghost….

“I’m not scared. Ghosts are not scary. It’s not a ghost!’

I shouted quickly and slowly stepped back. And as soon as I was about to exit the archive room, my purpose for coming here clicked in my mind.

‘I haven’t found anything yet…….’

I couldn’t go out without doing anything yet.

Besides, about the book that the boy dropped earlier. Anyone could tell that he dropped the book on purpose, and it was bothering me.

I slowly approached the bookshelf again and noticed the book that fell on the floor.

There was a document that was neatly placed entitled ’Report on the Rift of the World’.

“A rift in the world…..?”

I have never heard of a rift to a different world in my life.

For some reason, it seems like I found something unusual.

It wasn’t a big deal to place it in the Grand Duke’s archive room if it was only a speculative document.

[…… After it appears…… it created a gap with this world.

Mana tends to move from dense to less.

Mana from all over the world is being easily sucked out into the gaps in the world. As mana gathered, the forest became a place where you can easily use magic but it becomes difficult to detect it.]

“This is it!”

Intuitively, I noticed that this forest is a forest of monsters.

‘That kid, if I think about it, that kid has been helping me since last time.’

Why? I stared down at the book and thought about it, but I can’t think of a reason that a ghost would help me.

“Hey, are you still watching……?”

I muttered silently but his presence had already disappeared completely.

Who are you? Why do you keep appearing in front of me? I haven’t heard of a ghost at the Grand Duke’s residence.

As for what I wanted to ask, I only shouted ‘Thank you for your help’ and focused on the document again.

[In addition, it was discovered that animals and plants had become monsters.

This is the same phenomenon as the more mana that accumulates in the human body, the more transcendent they become.

Interestingly, the monsters cannot come out of the forest as if there are invisible walls.

But…… during the week before the New Year’s Festival, the demons somehow jump out.

This is the responsibility of the Vaillots.

Someday, the world’s mana density may become sparse, so we need to respond to this crisis.]

It was also said that it was just a forest, but certainly, it was a forest of evil. It was very common for a monster to come out of that forest.

January 1st is New Year’s Day, and I can clearly remember the periodic defeat of monsters by the Grand Duke.

‘Why should the Grand Duke be held accountable?’

Does that mean that he had to be responsible as a monarch because he owns the Grand Duchy?

There was no specific fact or reason for why mentioned so far.

After that, there were only short speculations and baseless conjecture about the monsters of this world.

‘Anyway, I know why the Empress chose the forest of the demons as the crime scene.’

Since a lot of mana is gathered, it will be easier to use magic.

Instead, it wasn’t easy to detect the use of magic unless you were to witness it up close.

It was clear that the forest had such thick mana that past magic use couldn’t be detected even by an outstanding knight, the Grand Duke.

“Ah……! It’s right after the New Year’s festival……!”

New Year’s Day.

I couldn’t hold back and screamed at the thought that crossed my head.

I knew that the demon appeared roughly around New Year’s Day.

However, I had no idea whether it was just before or after, or when the specific time was.

It didn’t have anything to do with me in the past, and I couldn’t exactly memorize every detail or event one by one while reading the book.

It was said that the beast looked like a giant tiger.

It was originally a small cat but it was made ferocious by infusing a large amount of magic, increasing its size and aggression.

If it was that size, the Grand Duke must have died while subduing that monster.

‘That’s why many died…….’

In a sneakily way, it was after the subjugation was over that everyone was caught unprepared. During the subjugation period, all villages were on alert in case a rogue monster might appear.

However, as soon as the New Year comes every year, monsters ravaging through villages stop appearing.

It was very strange however, everyone thinks it was only natural as monsters were there for many hundreds of years already.

‘Can I do anything to help Dad fight longer?’

Is there any other way than to go find the evidence and make him stay here longer?

I didn’t want to go to that scary forest because I am also just a normal human.

As a child with no power and stamina, it will just be a burden if I go.

However, no matter how much I think of it, there’s no other way but to go by myself and collect evidence.

‘I’m the only one who knows what the beast looks like.’

Unless I reveal the original novel, there was no other way to explain this properly.

I am the only one who knows about the beast and who the culprit is behind it.

‘I have to do it somehow.’

I bit my lip out of frustration.

I couldn’t help it if I didn’t know anything.

This estate belongs to the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke loves the Grand Duchy, as he lived here all his life.

He won’t just stand by and watch as the people living in his territory die painfully.

Above all, the beast was made by a bad person.

That beast would’ve lived as a normal cat without harming any human.

‘Not the Grand Duchy. I’m living here with my dad.’

It doesn’t matter if wicked people in the Imperial Palace fight by themselves. However, it was absolutely unacceptable to target the Grand Duchy or ordinary people for their crimes.

‘It’s okay, there is still time.’

Fortunately, I had stopped the Empress’ plan in time, but the poison in the Grand Duchy still remained.

The Grand Duke must be in a frenzy now, trying to completely fix the poison.

Many people have already died because of the poison.

Under these circumstances, the Grand Duke will lose his communication with the Imperial Palace for the time being, and that alone will be difficult.

Distribution logistics is very active right now, but if the roads were to be cut off, it will have a great impact on the economy.

(T/N: Distribution logistics, also known as transport logistics or sales logistics, is the link between production and market. [Source: maschinenmarkt.international]

As distribution links both production and the market, Shuelina means that if the road they used to transport the goods from the production to the Grand Duchy’s market, their economy would plummet down, as no money is coming in. I hope all of you understand.)

As there were many necessities imported from other provinces, it will be very difficult for the people.

If people and supplies were scarce, it would take a long time for the Duchy to be restored to its original state.

‘I have to go to the information guild.’

We can only know what the Empress is up to and make a new contingency plan, if I can grasp some new information in my hands.I left the archives hoping to find some good clues about the information guild.

“Oh, Franc.”

Franc was waiting for me outside the archive room.

Just as I told Nina to not wait for me, do her job or take a break, it was the same for Franc.

I spent a while inside the archive room so Franc must have waited for a long time.

“I told you not to wait.”

“It’s my job to serve you.”

Franc smiled and quickly took the empty snack basket in my hand.

“There’s still time before dinner, where would you like to go Lady?”

If I decided to do something, I should make a move right away. The Empress will play it hard even if I only play with her casually. At this notion, I know the previously devised strategy of the Grand Duke failed, so I should think of a quick follow-up.

“Call Brother Wyndy. Tell him that I want to go out with him somewhere.”

My escort today is Wyndert, right?

Okay, I’m going to go out with my big brother after a long time.

It’s necessary to have an escort today to the place where I am going.

★★★

“Shushu, why do you want to come to this back alley? You haven’t been here before.”

Wyndert took me to the back alley.

It was near our orphanage.

At first, Wyndert seemed to think that I wanted to go and visit the orphanage, but he had a slightly anxious look.

‘My first time? Not at all.’

Wyndert might think I’ve never been here, but in fact, I know the neighbourhood very well.

This is the place where Shuelina, who was in the orphanage in the original, was beaten up and ran out thinking there was no future.

She lived in this back alley buried in trash, trembling, and eating rotten food around her. She was then kidnapped and locked in a room.

Still, I can’t tell you this.

‘It feels much more vivid than I thought, but well. That’s good.’

I can’t come up with the specific description used, but I felt like I vividly saw what the description depicted.

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