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Chapters 777 to 786 are out! I consider this penance for my daily sins…
Click the Link to Start Reading:
» Chapter 777 | Chapter 778 | Chapter 779 «
» Chapter 780 | Chapter 781 | Chapter 782 «
» Chapter 783 | Chapter 784 | Chapter 785 «
» Chapter 786
| Author: The Sole Survivor | Original Source: SFACG |
| Translator: CatatoPatch | English Source: Re:Library |
Before the dwarf could leave, however, Redleaf calmly hopped off my body, chest upright and eyes scornfully looking at the blacksmith who barely reached up to her chest. “I was wondering who it was that was speaking -so it’s you, shortie.”
Acidic as always, I see…
“Hah, an old hag like you shouldn’t be acting so young either. You’re like what? A few centuries old?”
“Who are you calling a hag, Stubby!”
“And what’s wrong with short legs? Did they cause you to age?”
“There’s nothing wrong with being short, it just hurts my neck to have to look down so much.”
An arrow right to the heart, I could already see the dwarf turning visibly redder as she kept digging at his sore spot.
Maybe I should stop them soon… Yes, I should!
“Meister Belud, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”
“Oh, Doris came to the lab not too long ago…” Belud started explaining without much thought, but the moment he spoke of the lab, he quickly stopped. He sneaked a glance towards the impatient elf at my side, then continued, “Doris said you won’t be coming in today, so I was a little worried, that’s all…”
“I wasn’t planning to interrupt…”
No, you weren’t! That was just a movie screening, how did this apocalyptic scene even happen?! It’s all Redleaf’s fault! Not the movie!
“I didn’t expect you two to be so passionate…” He paused awkwardly. “Forget I said anything. Since Lady Mo Na is fine, I will take my leave, there is still a mountain of work to be ironed out. And that old hag just rubs my beard the wrong way.”
Having said that, he just left without even looking at Redleaf.
“Stubby, who did you say was old?”
“A good dwarven man doesn’t fight with a woman!”
This time, he left for real.
“Hmph! Damned Stubby! How infuriating!” She griped under her breath. Yet while she might not be in the best of moods, I had to admit she still looked quite adorable while throwing a tantrum.
Finally, after cooling down somewhat, she ran over to give me a hug. “Nana, let’s continue watching that movie.”
“…”
My precious apartment can’t take much more, lady.
Thankfully, someone else came to the rescue -it was Doris and her anxious-looking master, Prince Sersan. Clearly, he was the first choice she had in mind when seeking help, though it was still too late…
Like the police who always arrived after the matter was resolved, Sersan entered to find a mess, but one that was mostly settled. Except for the matter of that movie. Because of that ongoing rivalry with his father, Prince Sersan rarely came to visit me. Thus, he rarely saw a movie as well. Now that he was here, this was as good a reason as any to watch it.
With these two so eagerly awaiting a screening, and after weighing the pros and cons myself, I decided to just screen the movie.
The choice was still the same as before: Seven Winters. But Redleaf had given me assurances that she wouldn’t go on a rampage this time, else I dared not screen this movie again.
As promised, the movie screening proceeded without a hitch. Even as the ending approached, she did not try to rend the holographic screen apart. Though she was noticeably glummer as a result.
With that out of the way, I quickly sent her packing before dinner time, after which I took some time to visit the lab. To my delight, progress was still on track, even without my supervision. Finally, it was back to my apartment for dinner.
By the time I was back, I found the room back to normal, despite Redleaf’s earlier rampage. Doris had taken this opportunity to call a few other maids to tidy up the place in my absence. Thanks to that, I was able to get a restful sleep.
The next morning… I was visited by Redleaf once more…
“Nana~~ I’ve come to watch another movie again…”
“…”
Give me liberty, or give me death… Actually, just give me death…
For three whole days afterwards, Redleaf came over to watch a movie. Each time, she would stay till dinner before leaving. Thanks to that, I could only visit the lab right before dinnertime. After a quick showing of face, I would head back to my apartment to rest.
This isn’t going to work, at all. Watching a movie with Redleaf is fun and all, but I have important work to do as well!
As a side note, during these three days of effective absence, Meister Belud would always pop by to visit me, and quarrel with Redleaf. Naturally, it was impossible for him not to notice the movie screening, so our little party grew larger. But that also meant he wasn’t actually working hard during these few days either.
Thanks to Redleaf’s disruption, my daily routine of visiting the lab for my magitek armor turned into a tiny gathering of quarrelsome movie-goers. Sigh… my apartment really can’t take more of this, and neither can I.
Finally, on the fifth day, ever-talkative Redleaf came to visit me. However, she did not ask to watch a movie. Instead, she posed a rather difficult question.
“Nana, what are you researching with Stubby?”
“…”
“Don’t take me for a fool. Even if I might not know what it is you are developing, I know you two are up to something.”
Still in the middle of munching on a delicious, freshly-baked slice of bread, I had no choice but to put it down. After a moment of silence, I said, “How much do you know?”
“Not much, but I would prefer to hear about this from you, Nana.”
“I’m sorry, but this is the kingdom’s secret.” I flatly refused her. “Unless His Majesty says so, I can’t divulge this information.”
After all, his treasury was sponsoring my little exosuit – I shouldn’t just leak his secret all wily nilly.
“Oh? So I just need to get Lil’ Seven’s approval? All right, I’ll go fetch him right away.” Having said that, she just got up and left.
Lil’ Seven? You mean Andassis the Seventh? I guess she can technically call him thanks to their age difference… she is a few centuries old…
Roughly half an hour later, Andasiss the Seventh came knocking with his bodyguard, Misseger and a smiling Redleaf. He, on the other hand, had a very stiff smile all the way.
Redleaf clearly held a special position in this kingdom, seeing how its king was basically at her beck and call.
Your Majesty, it seems like I brought you trouble anyway… oopsie…
I hate this novel.
| Author: The Sole Survivor | Original Source: SFACG |
| Translator: CatatoPatch | English Source: Re:Library |
By now, the movie had progressed significantly. It was at a turning point and Doris had already returned from her mission. Through his devious machinations, Li Aotian managed to force a marriage upon Wushang that the latter could not refuse.
Even though I knew that this turn of events was only temporary, the girl beside me did not, given this was her first movie. But more importantly, she was very, very vocal about her opposition.
“Li Aotian! I’m going to murder that cur!”
Arms bared and nails ready to claw, she leapt at the holographic screen, eyes burning with an unquenchable rage reserved only for a kinslayer.
“Wait! That’s just a movie… and the screen isn’t even a physical object, so you can’t touch it…”
I quickly grabbed her in time, preventing her from any potentially destructive acts.
“Let go of me! I will I rend this cur asunder. How dare he besmirch a person’s romance like that!” Redleaf kept struggling against my hug as she raged on. Realising that this was getting nowhere, she finally began to gather her mana. “Star of destruction…”
As the chanting began, a surge of mana began to coalesce around her. So strong was the shockwave that I was nearly knocked away…
“Stop her, quick! That’s the forbidden spell: Meteor Shower…”
What?! A forbidden spell?!
Ferti’nier’s reminder nearly blew me away as well… Sheesh, girl, do you have to go that far?!
“Doris! Leave this area first… it’s too dangerous…”
“Go–got it…” Realising the danger as well, she immediately rushed out of the room once she got the go ahead, probably to go fetch help.
Now… to placate Redleaf…
Or so I thought…
“Don’t… it’s just a movie…”
Redleaf’s magic had grown so huge that winds were starting to tear into the room, carrying me along with it, legs dangling in the air. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was hanging on for dear life onto Redleaf, I would have most likely flown off.
“I don’t care whether it’s a movie or just moving! That human is too despicable to be left alive! I will exact revenge on behalf of Wushang!” At this point, her mastery of magic was so strong that she could even stop to comment while maintaining the spellcasting.
“O countless stars in the heavens…”
“You can’t kill him… he isn’t even real…”
“What do you mean not real? Wushang is already on the verge of marrying him!”
“Yes, but she hasn’t!”
“I don’t care!”
“The spell is half done, little brother, you need to hurry!”
Geez! I get it! How old is she supposed to be again?
With my feet off the ground and my hands being the only things stopping me from flying away, there were only my words left…
But there’s no tongue glib enough to fix this now! And if I fail, there’s going to be a bunch of meteors raining down on us soon…
Maybe I should just use my mouth? Like literally, shut her up using my mouth… Why does this feel like the beginning of a cheap harem anime?
“Redleaf, look at me for a second!”
“??” As expected, she turned around to face me, at which point I dragged myself forward to her face.
Finally, when our noses could touch each other, she noticed our closeness and began to blush. Fortunately, she stopped her casting as well.
A chance! I gave it one last heave while throwing my head back. “Stop talking for a second and listen to me!”
Following that, I slammed my forehead down…
“Bang!” Our foreheads clashed, but I seemed to have used too much force. Unprepared due to her casting, she fell backwards like a rock, with me along with her.
“Bang!” Our limbs mashed together in an uncomfortable pile up of dust and bruises. However, Redleaf fared a lot worse than me. Her face was completely red and she seemed on the verge of spitting out blood.
“Redleaf! Are you all right?”
“That’s the feedback from her spell. It was lucky you stopped her in time. Give her some potion first, this is one of my creations and should suit her just fine.”
Trusty Ferti’nier, always ready with a solution at the nick of time!
I hurriedly pulled out the potion in question from my inventory and handed it to Redleaf. Yet her eyes were closed and her consciousness seemed impaired.
There’s no helping it, I guess I will have to feed her.
I parted her lips and popped open the potion with my mouth.
“Gulg, gulg, gulg…”
Finally, after some fiddling around, Redleaf was back to her normal self. Though, she was looking significantly more dishevelled, with her alluring scent still in full bloom. If I didn’t know any better, she had just gone through a vigorous battle. Emphasis on vigorous… ahem…
“Nana?” Redleaf shortly came back to her senses, the discomfort plain in her eyes from being squashed by my body. “Nana, why are you on top of me? I thought I was on the bed…”
“Bed?” I paused for a second. “No, no, no… actually, you know what… you should be on the bed getting some rest… are you able to stand?”
Redleaf tried to move her body, then shook her head.
“Fine, I’ll help you.” I picked up her soft, squishy body and gently lowered her onto the bed… which was a complete mess now, thanks to the roaring winds she summoned.
“Seems like my room isn’t livable anymore, let’s head downstairs…”
Yet just when I thought to head to the living room, the sounds of hurried footsteps echoed from down below.
“Lady Mo Na! Lady Mo Na, are you alright? I’m here, Lady Mo Na…”
A gruff voice, a heavy set of footsteps reminiscent of a beast… Meister Belud!
However, the burly dwarf was immediately stunned to silence when he ran up to the doorway, like the heavens themselves had come crashing down onto him.
“You two… how could you… two women… I’m sorry for interrupting…”
Just like that, he turned around left, pale as a sheet.
What the heck was that about?!
I hate this novel.
| Author: The Sole Survivor | Original Source: SFACG |
| Translator: CatatoPatch | English Source: Re:Library |
The fusion of two materials was a complicated affair, one that required more than just mixing equal parts of two materials. The right ratio required countless trial and errors, along with a veritable cocktail of other ingredients to act as a flux. Even a meister like Belud needed to try many times before he succeeded. And succeeded he did, with it came a barrel of ale in celebration…
On top of fixing the problem of the armor’s durability, this series of tests was valuable experience for the dwarf as a blacksmith. After all, magicite and mithril were both rare and expensive materials -not something he would have been able to handle in such large quantities had it not been for this unusual set of circumstances.
Meister Amori was the one handling the internal structure of the armor. Akin to the skeleton in our bodies, this was a complex task that brooked not even the slightest miscalculation. In light of that, I had even considered looking for a necromancer to help -they were very good at skeletons, after all… Not that I was somehow connected to one… and Amori soon proved my concern unnecessary.
A few days passed as such in the lab. Day by day, the progress towards completion marched on. And nothing could fill me with greater joy than seeing that. The adoring eyes of those around me weren’t all that bad either…
However, this morning proved different from the last. Having just finished my own breakfast, the ever-talkative elf, Redleaf, actually left her gardens to come find me as I was leaving for the lab.
Just barely a second after Doris led her through the door, she immediately opened up with a melodic greeting in a voice akin to honey, or perhaps someone a century or two younger than she was… not that one could tell with elves -they all looked like they were twenty to humans.
“Nana, I’ve come to play.”
Caught off-guard, I did not know exactly how to respond to the long-eared, golden-haired beauty in a green dress.
“What’s the matter, Nana?” She walked up to me to feel my forehead. “Your temperature seems fine.”
At this distance, I could smell the scent of flowers off her, mixed in with the refreshing smell of the outdoors…
Ahem…
“Why is your face turning red? You don’t have a fever, or anything.”
Ahem!
Honestly, I was planning to head to the lab, but since she was already here, I couldn’t very well just leave.
Pushing aside her hand on me, I did not know whether to cry or laugh as I asked, “I’m fine. By the way, Redleaf, what brought you to me today?”
“Ah, I wanted to check if Nana has read the book I gave her.” She answered in a stern, teacher-like manner. “Don’t tell me you haven’t…”
“…”
I actually hadn’t. In fact, there wasn’t much of a chance, seeing as I was dragged away by a certain maid right after that. Then we had a movie screening, and this whole affair with the researching…
I really did not have time to spare on a novel.
Or rather, I was busy acting as Ferti’nier’s mouthpiece, seeing as whatever questions those two meisters had for me were met with feigned contemplation. At which point I would beg Ferti’nier for the answer. Oh, how those two meisters would go wide at my brilliant answers! Each and every one of them, a genius in their own right. Truly, that lab was great! Never would I have imagined that I was such a workaholic until these past few days. Stunning.
“No?” She pouted. “What has Nana been so busy with recently?”
Can I say that I was busy experimenting? Of course not!
The research on magitek armor was top secret. State secrets, or kingdom secrets, in this case. Such information wasn’t meant for the casual listener. And while I might not be the king himself, I was a beneficiary of his treasury. Keeping my lips tight was the least I could do.
“Oh, nothing in particular. Just movies. That’s right, movies.”
I knew that if I were to let slip anything now, I would never hear the end of it, thus I decided to pull out my trump card.
“Movie? What’s that?”
As expected, the lure of a never-before-heard term was undeniable to her ears.
“Let’s have a seat, or maybe a lie.” Now that I had her, I quietly had Lingling pull up a romantic tragedy movie.
She immediately jumped when the first image appeared. Thankfully, I was there to stop her, else she would have already tossed a spell at the holographic screen.
“Don’t move, I conjured that up, just sit by me and relax.”
“Oh.”
As expected, that sudden and very loud appearance of the movie company’s logo caught her by surprise. But it didn’t take long before her eyes were glued to the screen, enraptured by even the most mundane of scenes, yelping from time to time.
While she was distracted, I took the opportunity to throw a glance at Doris. She had already been by my side for a few days now; she was more than accustomed to movies. Thus, I had her send word to the lab that I was taking a day off.
Being a maid of the palace, she naturally understood my meaning from a simple glance.
“Ohhh. Nana, what’s that… and that…”
Redleaf grabbed my hands, dragging it all over as she started peppering me with questions, completely oblivious to the departure of Doris.
For the time being, my secret was safe. Now… how to get rid of her…
I began to patiently explain the scenes to her. As she listened, she kept her eyes nailed to the screen. Intermittently, she would squeal in delight and surprise. Seeing that, I finally gave up on trying to end this screening early.
I guess it’s okay to take a break once in a while. I’ve really been working too hard recently.
As a side note, the movie was known as “Seven Winters”, a Wuxia romance film.
I hate this novel.
| Author: The Sole Survivor | Original Source: SFACG |
| Translator: CatatoPatch | English Source: Re:Library |
“Exactly, a meditation stone’s basic function is to clear the mind of its user, allowing him to enter a meditative state easier. However, some psychic magicks also use this stone as a medium. By using these stones to form an array, the rider inside these armors would be able to achieve a harmonised state within the shortest time possible. At that point, they merely have to be trained as per normal to make an army out of them.”
“By my knowledge, such arrays are highly intricate, and the vast majority of mesmers do not have knowledge of these esoteric arts. Lady Mo Na is a mesmer?”
“No, but I do come across some oddities in my travels.” Counting in Ferti’nier, I technically did know a fair bit.
“Oh? I wonder what other secrets Lady Mo Na are privy to?”
“That would be a secret as well.”
“A lady’s secret, then. Well, this old man won’t get in your way.”
What do you mean “a lady’s secret”… I mean, I am using my daughter’s name but… bah…
“But back to the questions. Other than the meditation stones, I can see that the rest of the ingredients are rather… expensive. Are you sure this design is meant for mass production?”
“That’s because that’s my personal armor -of course, I would use only the finest ingredients. And His Majesty has already approved it, you may question him yourself. As for the later mass production models, lower grade materials will be used, but the end result will still be above a four-star.”
It’s not corruption if you do it openly! And the king already had his chance to look through the list himself. He didn’t object then, and even gave me the keys to the treasury… In other words, he’s telling me to do as I please, he’s not lacking in money anyway… This is why it’s good to have friends! Rich ones!
“A cheaper version?” He nodded his general approval. “Then one last question. What would be the strength of this first prototype once it’s complete? An overlord dragon’s skeleton… scales forged from precious metals… Such an extravagance, should it succeed, would at least be seven-star? Eight-star?”
“Nine.”
“Nine?! Impossible!”
“To be exact, it’s the ability to stand against a nine-star.”
Their astonished silence was deafening. This revelation seemed too fantastical to be real. Lest one forgot, the closest proxy to what we were attempting, arcane constructs, especially necromancy which involved animating dead bodies, resulted in a net loss of power compared to their original state. After all, it was impossible to reanimate an overlord’s corpse and expect it to have the same power level, barring external additions. At the end of the day, an overlord’s strength drew from his or her Territory, something which required a functioning mind to wield. A construct wouldn’t normally have the prerequisite mind to activate a Territory. Thus, when an overlord was reanimated, it would automatically fall down a star level.
Naturally, one could use ingredients of such a high level that even an overlord could be recreated. Case in point, the Devil King Idol. But that was created by a Devil King! A divinity! There was no comparison here!
Besides, who would even use ingredients at the level of a Demigod to craft an overlord golem… there’s no forgiving such a sinful waste of resources.
Thanks to the above reasons, no one here expected my magitek armor to be as powerful as an overlord. Just like how no one here believes I am a man!
“Don’t worry, I did not expect my words to convince you all right away.” I smiled confidently. “I will let the end result speak for itself.”
“Fascinating. So Lady Mo Na still has some tricks up her sleeves which she has yet to divulge?” Meister Amori laughed accommodatingly. “Very well, a mystery that reveals itself too early is no mystery at all. I will eagerly await the day when my eyes are opened. Perhaps history will be written that day.”
“May we have a fruitful cooperation.”
“May we indeed.”
Now that I had convinced Meister Amori, I had essentially convinced everyone else on board. With everyone on the same page, the start of our project proceeded swimmingly. The dwarven craftsman, Meister Belud, proved as skillful as I was led to believe. The Dwarves were a race famous for their blacksmithing, mining, drinking, fighting, boasting, and blacksmithing. Meister Belud were all these, just with a bad attitude…
Meister Amori was an easygoing person. His skills were unquestionable as well, but he was also an amiable senior, one that everyone in this underground lab respected.
With the schematics thoroughly studied, work began on the outer armor of the magitek armor, led by Belud and his human disciples. However, the outer armor was no less intricate than the insides, causing the dwarven meister no small amount of headaches. But that was nothing a barrel or two of ale couldn’t fix.
One of the greatest problems was that they had to ensure the durability of this armor. Belud had the inspiration of using magicite and mithril, both materials worthy of any epic-grade craft, to form an alloy, creating a new material in the process. One with the durability of magicite and the conductivity of mithril. Unfortunately, the execution wasn’t as smooth sailing. After all, one was primarily employed in staffmaking, while the other was employed in weapon making. Separate branches that would require more work to combine.
I hate this novel.
| Author: The Sole Survivor | Original Source: SFACG |
| Translator: CatatoPatch | English Source: Re:Library |
With Andassis the Seventh gone, the only other member with royal blood in the room, Meister Amori, naturally assumed the leading role. “Greetings, Lady Mo Na, His Majesty told me the gist of the situation last night, but I still wish to hear from you exactly what your plans are.”
“I understand. But before that, I wish to let everyone see something.” I pulled out the first iteration of the magitek armor which I drew up last night… Technically, Ferti’nier was the one who just gave it to me all drawn up, but still… Moving on. The two meisters were all frontrunners in their respective fields, with the ability and renown to match -else Andassis wouldn’t have sent them to me at all – so now was as good a time as any to clue them in.
“This is?” Amori received the lambskin schematic from me. He swept over its contents, eyes narrowing a mere second later. “A golem?”
He was partially right. After all, why else would there be an expert on alchemical constructs and blacksmithing here?
“Strictly speaking, these aren’t golems. Rather, they are magitek armors.”
“Magitek armor? I’ve never heard of it before.” His brows knitted together. “I see… so this is why His Majesty did not try to explain the subject beforehand…”
“Since it’s armor, then blacksmithing is required.” Belud muttered from down below. Thanks to his prodigious lack of size, he could barely see the scroll, even on the tips of his toes. The two of them clearly weren’t on good terms either, and the halfling was quick to snap at his counterpart. “Bring it down. Do you expect me to fetch a stool just to look at the damn thing?”
“My bad.” Realising his own error, Meister Amori quickly lowered himself to the same level as the halfling -which was honestly quite comical to watch.
“Hmm…” The halfling nodded as he skimmed over the schematics. “Whether we’re talking about its form or armor, the requirements are steep.”
Is he saying he can’t do it?
“Is it not possible with our current techniques?”
“Oh. It’s no problem at all, that’s assuming you’re willing to come along with me for a drink tonight. For inspiration, and all that.” The moment he heard me address him, the halfling’s eyes immediately turned predatory.
“Sure, if you don’t mind me yelling “pervert”, right now.”
“…maybe not…” The halfling reined in his lecherous smile and shook his head. “Anyway, I understand. You can be sure I’ll follow these schematics, dearest Lady Mo Na.”
“Then you have my thanks in advance, Meister Belud.” I smiled superficially at the halfling, who in turn nodded and retreated to the side. However, not before muttering to himself in a voice he thought only he could hear.
“Pity her personality is as abysmal as that chest…”
As whose chest? Is he talking about me?
I turned down to look at my chest… Not like a man needs them, so hell if I care!
Being the magnanimous soul that I was, I decided to let him off the hook. I turned my eyes towards Meister Amori who was still perusing the schematics. “Meister, do you have any questions for me?”
“Just so, in fact.”
“Perfect, I’ll be sure to answer to my best ability.”
“Why not create a golem instead? Why must it be manned, wouldn’t that result in casualties in the event of a failure?”
“A golem’s intelligence would be lacking. And by having a person pilot the armor, both parties’ strengths would be enhanced. I’m sure in time, with mass production, such a design would become mainstream.”
Golem alchemy wasn’t an exclusive discipline in this realm. But even with the knowledge and resources assembled, the true defining feature of a golem was its core – the soul that was trapped within it.
Because the Western Human Realms was a world of magic and fantasy, there was no equivalent to an AI. Or rather, the trapped soul would function as an AI-substitute. Yet the intelligence of such a substitute was directly linked to the type of soul trapped within. After all, one couldn’t very well expect human levels of intelligence by putting in a cat’s soul. In short, a human’s soul was the best choice. Because of that, the Alchemist Guild banned their golem alchemists from attempting such a heinous act. But who could really say how well this ban had been enforced? At the end of the day, an undead was similar to a golem, in some sense. There was only a fine line separating a necromancer and a golem alchemist…
But even if one were to put aside morality, such a substitute had a fatal flaw. Souls transferred into a foreign body often experienced rejection. Almost like planting a sprout into foreign soil, the transferred soul would often suffer severe damage. A powerful and sturdy soul would be required to create a highly intelligent golem core, and these were always highly sought after.
Naturally, I couldn’t just magick a bunch of powerful souls into existence to fit into my mass production, now could I?
And piloting a Gund@m is a man’s romance! I’m sure, even in this world of swords of magic, this sentiment rings true…
“Reasonable.” He nodded in approval, but he soon launched into a barrage of further questions. “How is the armor controlled? Also, based on the schematics, this armor will come out to an average of three meters tall, correct?”
“The control mechanics are actually the most complex part, but there is already a solution.” I directed his gaze towards the schematics once more. “Look down there, amongst the list of ingredients required, do you see that line about meditation stones?”
“Meditation stone…” His eyes went wide. “I see now! So the stone will allow the user to act in synchronicity with the armor?”
I hate this novel.
| Author: The Sole Survivor | Original Source: SFACG |
| Translator: CatatoPatch | English Source: Re:Library |
The following morning…
The suspiciously free king, Andassis the Seventh, personally led me to one of the underground laboratories in the castle.
On the king’s orders, the laboratory was cleaned out yesterday, and from the various jars and implements stored around, this used to be a warehouse for alchemical supplies.
But why, oh why, did this laboratory have to be underground? An alchemical warehouse made sense; it would allow me easy access to any potential reagents, but why the cliche, villainesque setting of an underground lab? For secrecy reasons? Maybe the experiments need to be shielded from atmospheric radiation? As if!
On a side note, Sersan had Doris forcefully assigned to me under the guise of, “Lady Mona must have a personal maid of her own.” That was why she was now here with me, in this dusty, moldy, and clearly bad-for-the-skin environment. There was no doubt as to how serious she took this new assignment. Or rather, her usual flippant attitude disappeared when she realised we were going to the lab. Even her eyes grew sharp at the word… for a spy to be that obvious, geez.
Andassis the Seventh did not seem to mind Doris’s presence, though he seemed to have his own thoughts which he kept silent. And while Andassis was the king of the whole kingdom, strictly speaking, Doris was Sersan’s servant.
The king had already taken the lead by forcing an apartment on me, now that his son had forced a maid onto me, regardless of whether she was here to be an incompetent spy or not, this was a good chance for to nurture a relationship with me, all the while annoying his father as payback.
What a father and son pair…
There looked to be about a dozen people awaiting our arrival in the lab, but there were only two who mattered, everyone else was just an apprentice or assistant.
The first of the two was a tall, lanky alchemist who specialised in constructs like golems, Meister Amori. He was a sixty year old man, said to be the distant uncle of Andassis the Seventh.
The last figure of note was barely 150 cm tall, a dwarf that looked like a winter melon. This was the blacksmith meister, Meister Belud Stonehammer. My first impression of him was that he didn’t look like a dwarf. He was taller than I expected, and had muscles that were more stonelike than his name. His rugged face was semi-hidden behind a well-braided beard that his race would probably consider beautiful, and only his race. His eyes twinkled like a lecher, made worse by the pungent stench of alcohol wafting off him visibly… That was just the first impression too. After getting to know him better, I only disliked this so-called genius who managed to forge an epic-grade weapon before forty more…
“Yo~ Your Royalness, you seem chipper today. Hmm? Who is this beauty I see?”
Not long after we entered the underground laboratory, the dwarf meister greeted Andassis with a boisterous call. In fact, his tone seemed almost belittling. Clearly, this dwarf did not think much of the king.
Before coming, the king had taken the liberty to briefly introduce these two to me. He mentioned one was a master of blacksmithing while the other was a master of alchemy. However, he did not mention their races. And in my mind, the image of a dwarf was a more reserved, shorter humanoid. One who probably kept his word and had an adorably apologetic face. Well… that was until I met this old dwarf…
“Meister Stonehammer, this is the research partner I wish to introduce today.” Andassis the Seventh answered respectfully, or at least on the surface he did so.
“Ho~ You never mentioned our associate would be so… stunning!”
This dwarf was only tall enough to reach my chest, but the eyes he gave me were just deplorable. Regardless of whether or not I was actually a girl, I was offended by his inappropriate gaze -anyone would.
“Belud, stow that ugly mug of yours, you’re a disgrace to all dwarf blacksmiths.” Finally, just as I was about to smack that short pervert, Meister Amori stood out. “Please do not mind him, not all dwarves are like… that.”
So some of them are then?
“Hey, how was I being a disgrace to my race? I was just too shocked by the beauty of this lady here.” The dwarf turned to the king. “How about introducing us, Your Royalness, I’m dying to know this lady!”
Ugh… how much of a pervert do you have to be to mention someone’s appearance twice like that…
“Haha, Meister Stonehammer, you’re as vigorous as always, I see. This is Lady Mo Na…” The king started introducing me to those present. However, he did not mention my otherworldly identity.
Thanks to his introduction, I also learnt the rough situation regarding this lab.
In total, there would be 15 people working on this project, including me. Two of them had already been introduced to me. The remaining 12 were all apprentices and assistants, or just laborers…
For craftsmen, titles were shared amongst the different disciplines, whether blacksmithing or alchemy. From low to high, these were Apprentice, Novice, Journeyman, Expert, Meister, Grandmeister.
The two of them were naturally of the second highest ranking. They would be the equivalent of overlords, and only craftsmen who had created an epic-grade implement could lay claim to such a prestigious title. Such was the stringent nature of acquiring this title within the Western Human Realms. Not everyone could call themselves a meister.
“Well then, I hope the two of you will cooperate with Lady Mo Na. I have to take my leave now, there are matters of state awaiting me.” Now that he was done introducing everyone, Andassis the Seventh bade his farewells and left, though not before throwing a glance towards Meister Amori. Following that, he left with his maid and bodyguard.
From his behavior, he was clearly in a rush… but why not just send someone to escort me here…
I hate this novel.
| Author: The Sole Survivor | Original Source: SFACG |
| Translator: CatatoPatch | English Source: Re:Library |
“Father!” Before Andassis the Seventh could get a word in, Sersan had already jumped out to make his support known. “Lady Mo Na is right, we need to get to work on those magitek armor, immediately!”
“… My dear son, would you like to share your reasoning first?” Andassis, on the other hand, was a lot more muted in his response.
“Didn’t Lady Mo Na just say that the hells are planning to invade?” Sersan almost stuttered as he opened up in an unsure tone. Then, as if the waves of inspiration were finally hitting him, he grew ever surer. “Since the Devils and Undead have already been preparing to invade the human realms since ages past, they would surely come out in full force–”
“And you are sure of that?”
“Well, Lady Mo Na just said that she was an otherworldly person…” It was at that point that Sersan finally recovered from his bout of stupidity.
That’s right… where would Lady Mo Na have obtained such information, if she was an otherworldly visitor and had been in an unconscious state since coming to the Western Human Realms? There might even be a chance that this person was actually a spy from the hells.
“So you finally understand?” Looking at his son’s moment of revelation, the king breathed a sigh of relief -at least this son of his wasn’t hopelessly dumb. “After watching that “movie”, I’ve come to the conclusion that those brutes in the hells would never have the finesse required to craft such a work of art. And neither do I doubt the veracity of Lady Mo Na’s words. But something as momentous as developing magitek armors surely isn’t as simple as that… Am I right, Lady Mo Na?”
That last bit was directed at me, and it’s underlying meaning couldn’t be clearer: how do we split the profits?
As much as Sersan was a brainless potato, his father, Andassis the Seventh, was every bit the wily fox.
A seasoned ruler like him must have seen from the movie that those military exosuits had exceptional strength. The weakest featured were at least five-star, while those massive mobile armors were at least seven-star. As for that last mobile armor which slayed that Primal beast, it was at least a nine-star.
Naturally, that was just referring to its destructive ability. An overlord’s greatest strength was his Territory. Compared to that, a mobile armor was nothing but a punching bag, barring those overlords who only specialised in support magicks.
Even so, magitek armor, being a crystallisation of the technology of two worlds, would undoubtedly grow to be Andassis’s main strength, perhaps even the entire realm’s strength.
Mass producing such an armor was a must in my plans. The whole reason why I even brought up the idea of researching was because a small quantity of magitek armors would do nothing against the might of overlords and even Demigods. At least, with sufficient armors produced, humans at the lower star levels wouldn’t be massacred so easily. Unlike cultivation which required an inordinate amount of resources to achieve a high star level, producing magitek armors would be able to raise the level of Andassis’s army by at least 70% with only material investments. At that point, their sheer numbers would be more than enough to overwhelm a more powerful foe. Probably.
Still, there was the question of how much materials… After all, the first suit hadn’t even been invented yet…
A purely technological approach to the suits wouldn’t work in a low-tech setting like the Western Human Realms. Besides, Ferti’nier was more versed in magic, which was why she brought up combining alchemy with science.
Yet even if all these armors were made for fending off the Devils, that did not mean that they should be given out for free… I actually didn’t mind all that much, to be honest. Preventing the Apocalypse was my ultimate goal anyway.
The prince clearly did not think too much into profits either, but the king wasn’t like his “foolish son”. Was there anyone who would give away such valuable knowledge for free? None. Clearly.
The king didn’t think so, and neither did I. Just because the Apocalypse was imminent didn’t mean that I should labor on their behalf for free. Absolutely not! Selfless or not, I had my terms for this impending cooperation.
“Once the research is complete, I won’t interfere in Your Majesty’s plans. What Your Majesty wishes to do with said schematics is also none of my concern, but my only condition is that this strength is shared to the greatest extent possible with the other kingdoms, at least till the realm is strong enough to fend off an invasion. In other words, I would hope that the research is ultimately shared, whether by trade or other means…”
After saying all that, I just did not want him to hoard this technology, and as a result, allow the hells to complete their mission.
As a mission given by Lucifer Himself, who could say what such a powerful being had in mind once all was said and done.
“Fine. While I might not know where Lady Mo Na has learned of such privileged information, I am willing to place my faith in Lady Mo Na… May we have a fruitful cooperation.”
“Indeed.”
So it’s done? I guess no one with a brain would say no to such a sweet deal.
“And my dear son, Sersan, you have a lot to learn about ruling a country.”
“Yes, Father.”
I hate this novel.
| Author: The Sole Survivor | Original Source: SFACG |
| Translator: CatatoPatch | English Source: Re:Library |
“Lady Mo Na, is that “movie” rewatchable?” Lost in the sensory overload of a full-blown movie, a red-faced Sersan suddenly came back to his senses long enough at the end of the screening to ask of me, nay, plead, “I know this “movie” must be of immeasurable value, but perhaps… forgive my directness…”
From his burning gaze, I could tell that he had truly fallen for this new medium of entertainment. Yet the young prince wasn’t the only one who had been so thoroughly conquered, Andassis the Seventh had an equally fervent gaze as he looked towards me. As for Misseger, she was by the wall, recovering from the sheer excitement, or perhaps horror of the realistic carnage depicted within the movies.
I, however, was more than accustomed to such things. Had it not been for the movie being of such high production quality, I would have honestly written it off as trash.
“The movie can be repeated, and I have other variations of it as well. Before that… Your Majesty, can I take this as confirmation of my otherworldly identity?”
“Otherworldly?” Sersan was stunned for a second, but he quickly reacted to the term. “So Lady Mo Na is from a different world after all, no wonder you seem so different from the rest.”
“Thanks for the compliment, but we should be engaging in more meaningful activities.”
“Such as?”
Because Sersan only joined us midway, he did not know what I was referring to at all.
“Saving the world.” I declared in a steady voice.
“Huh?”
“I know you won’t believe me without proof, so please direct your eyes to this next scene.” I had Lingling play a portion of the video footage recorded within Southern Plains. First, was the transformed cityscape, next were the transformed citizenry. Finally, the exosuit-clad soldiers fighting off hordes of undead.
If the prince was the epitome of excitement before, he was now the very picture of stillness. “Seems like this foreign world isn’t as perfect as I first thought.”
Truly, a case of “the grass seems greener on the other side.”
“Perhaps I should start with a summary of what happened on Gaia. An Undead Demigod by the name of Karlston arrived unto Gaia from this realm. He posed as an ordinary man, using his connections to produce and illegally sell an undead virus en masse, turning the entire city into sacrificial pawns for his sick plot. Because of his actions, the laws of the world around the city have begun to warp. The fortunate few who benefited from this change managed to evolve, though not all count this as a blessing…”
According to Ferti’nier’s script, I took this time to play some of the video footage of the humans who had gained special abilities. These were all survivors of the initial onslaught, not even half of the original population. This group, in particular, were the ones I had sent out of Southern Plains after rescuing them. I should thank my lucky stars that they hadn’t gone rogue from their own found powers.
Their mutations were varied. Some had a body akin to adamantite; some had gained the ability to control fire; and some had gained the ability to summon a variety of monsters to aid them.
Of the last, the most outstanding example was that tri-colored hoodlum who managed to summon a fifty meter tall skeletal giant. The same one which was later abused by Yamabe Takuma and his cheat-like ability of Vocal Psychokinesis.
It was truly a shame that these two had gone down the wrong path, and it was a misfortune on their part to have met me. Else they would have probably grown to greatness,
“These “supernatural abilities” you speak of differ from magic…” Andassis the Seventh remarked after watching the clips. “Some have produced effects similar to an Overlord’s Territory. Others seem to be on the lower end of the strength spectrum… While some have powers bordering on the precipice of altering the fabric of the world…”
“Even if some of these ability users have yet to show promise, the alchemical standards of Gaia have reached an unprecedented level of advancement! If I may so ask, Lady Mo Na, what is the average lifespan of the citizens of Gaia?”
In a lot of ways, the lifespan of the average citizen was a good estimation of a country’s prosperity.
“Hmm… Gaia does have a few cultivators, but the world as a whole is rather special. There is no world-spanning system of cultivation, at least not before this disaster. The level of medical advances in the world is rather high, however. Practitioners of these arts are similar to those who specialise in healing and potions. Thanks to these people, the average person is able to live up to 200 years old.”
“!!!”
A sharp intake of breath could be heard from each of their wide-open mouths.
Compared to the average lifespan of 60 of the Western Human Realms, the lifespan of a Gaian was groundbreaking to the ears of Andassis the Seventh.
The king fell silent for a while. Finally, he spoke with deliberate slowness. “Then why has Lady Mo Na appeared in the Western Human Realms?”
There was no need to question my otherworldly identity at this point – those clips made sure of that. What he was asking was why did I happen to appear in his kingdom, and why did I happen to appear before his son… Such coincidences were… concerning…
“Gaia does not have the technology to cross worlds… the reason why I even came to this realm was… pure coincidence? Would you believe me if I were to say that?”
Well, my conscience is clear, regardless of whether or not you believe me!
Emperors and kings of the past were wont to see events in the light of “some treacherous cretin is plotting to steal my throne”, so I wouldn’t be surprised if my circumstances resembled those of a conspiracy.
“Perhaps… Or perhaps this is all the will of the divinities…” Andassis turned to look at me with a burning fervor. “Then, Lady Mo Na, would you elaborate on what you mean by saving the world? You mentioned prior that the Devils and the Undead were going to invade the Western Human Realms. I believe this news, but does Lady Mo Na have a plan of action?”
“Ahem. Exactly…” I paused for deliberate effect. “I will provide to you the craftsmanship of Gaia. In return, the manpower and resources will be provided by your kingdom, and together, we bring forth the first magitek armor in the Western Human Realms!”
I hate this novel.
| Author: The Sole Survivor | Original Source: SFACG |
| Translator: CatatoPatch | English Source: Re:Library |
The long-awaited movie never started in the end, though not for the reason one would expect…
“Your Highness, His Majesty has decreed that no one is to enter the room,” came the strident voice of the scarred bodyguard.
Oh? So that’s where his bodyguard has been hiding.
“Stand aside!”
Sersan’s voice was agitated, coupled with his swift but chaotic footsteps, he was clearly in distress.
A short while later, Sersan came barging in through the room’s door, chest heaving as he yelled, “Lady Mo Na, are you all right–”
The words got stuck in his throat at that point. He was half-expecting to mount a daring rescue, but unfortunately for him, he was instead treated to the sight of me sitting down with his father for a cup of coffee. And Misseger, of course. His eyes went wide with shock, clearly not expecting this scene at all.
Honestly, I had a rough idea of what he had in mind. In all likelihood, he was expecting his father to use force on me, which he might have had I not changed the topic entirely.
“Your Majesty…” Because the bodyguard was afraid of harming the prince in an altercation, he did not dare use too much force, allowing the prince to slip through in the end. He fell to one knee under the withering gaze of Andassis the Seventh, “Your subject has failed.”
“It’s just Sersan so I’ll look past it. Baku, return to your post outside, and don’t let another through this time.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Baku rose to his feet and left, but not before throwing an unhappy glare towards the prince. However, the prince was still too surprised to notice that bit of hostility.
“My dear son, could you perhaps enlighten your father as to why you’re in such a hurry that you’ve completely forgotten your decorum?’
“… My apologies, Father, I was too hasty in my judgement.” Now that he had time to grasp the situation, his agitation quickly subsided as he fell to one knee and apologised.
“Oh?” Andassiss the Seventh raised an eyebrow. “So what was it then?”
Merciless and straight to the heart. Everyone knew why the prince was in such a hurry, but was that truly something that could be voiced out loud?
“…” Beads of sweat started to drip down the prince’s forehead. He clearly could not say that he suspected his father of nearly committing adultery. Even the messiah couldn’t save him at that point. And I still needed those two to not be at loggerheads with each other, not while I had an impending doom to avert; the last thing I wanted was for this kingdom to be embroiled in some petty family dispute.
“Ahem.”
I lightly coughed as a prelude to a timely rescue. However, that never came to pass as Andassis the Seventh suddenly picked his son up in a hug and gently set him down.
“Well, since you’re here, that saves me the trouble of seeking you out.” The king flashed an unexpectedly loving smile at his son, “Lady Mo Na was just saying how she was about to show a “movie”. Your arrival was most timely.”
That’s it? I thought you would at least give the boy a thump on his head. Not physically, of course. Just an expression. Bah… all that matters is that they hand me their treasury.
“Movie?”
Because the prince had only joined us midway, he wasn’t privy to the conversation about me being an otherworldly person, or about the movie theater.
“Movies are a speciality of Lady Mo Na’s hometown, I do not know the details myself, so let’s leave the stage to her.”
As he said that, I could faintly detect a hint of triumph in his voice, as if he had somehow taken the lead against his son. Was that why he was being so magnanimous all of a sudden?
“…”
Sersan seemed to have picked up on that fact as well, but too bad for him, I wasn’t one for repeating myself, and the movie was about to start.
“In that case, prepare to be amazed, Your Majesty, for the showing of the very first movie in this realm. I’m sure after watching this, there will be no doubt as to my identity.” Having said that, I had my electronic implant project a theatre-like screen. “Lingling, fetch me a movie about exosuits and mobile armors, have the language adjusted as well.”
A second later, the starting credits rolled on screen with resounding fanfare, startling Sersan, Misseger and the king.
“Where is this noise coming from?” Misseger looked around in confusion, unable to determine the source of the sound that was coming at her from all directions.
“This painting… It’s so real! I feel like I could almost touch it with my hands…” Unlike Misseger, Sersan was more enraptured by the CG before him.
“What heavenly craftsmanship is this?!” Andassis the Seventh gripped on the handles of his chair with shaking hands.
The actual movie hadn’t even started yet and these three bumpkins had already been awed out of their seats.
This movie was about how the Gaians discovered another mineral-rich planet during their space exploration. However, that planet was filled with all sorts of powerful Primal beasts.
In order to harvest these rare resources, the Federation constructed a mining settlement on the planet, along with several outposts.
Naturally, the native Primal beasts did not welcome these metallic invaders. Thus began a bloody, drawn-out battle between man and beast.
What began as small skirmishes finally escalated into a full-blown war where, after countless experiments and trials, mankind deployed an experimental mobile armor to defeat the strongest beast on that planet, securing the planet.
Honestly, this was about as mainstream as a film could get. The 3D effects were great, but everything else was just passable.
Yet to the minds of these technologically backward people, such a movie was no less shocking than forbidden magicks.
In just the short span of thirty minutes, countless explosions, shouts of “kill them”, and etc. filled the room. There were times when even Sersan jumped to his feet in excitement, as if he was the one riding the mobile armor to war against the beasts.
I hate this novel.
| Author: The Sole Survivor | Original Source: SFACG |
| Translator: CatatoPatch | English Source: Re:Library |
Before the beautiful maidservant could finish speaking, the door of the apartment slowly opened. Lo and behold, Andassis the Seventh was standing there waiting for me.
Seeing her master before her, the beautiful maidservant instinctively bowed, “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“Mhm, Lady Mo Na, you’re here. Misseger, have a pot of coffee ready, there are some matters I wish to discuss with Lady Mo Na.” Andassis the Seventh smoothly instructed the maid, then turned to smile at me. “Lady Mo Na, is now a good time for a talk? It’s regarding the future.”
“Very well, I just so happen to have something to discuss with Your Majesty as well.” I smiled. “It’s also regarding the future.”
“What a fortuitous coincidence.” The king excitedly clapped his hands together. “I knew we were meant for each other.”
“…”
“What’s the matter, Lady Mo Na? Your face is looking bad, are you perhaps feeling ill somewhere?”
Clearly, he did not realise how much that “meant for each other” disgusted me.
“I’m… fine… Your Majesty. It’s okay.” I shook my head and tried to force a smile at the man, albeit stiffly. “But I think the future we are thinking of might be… a little different.”
Relieved to learn that I wasn’t sick, he snuck a quick wink. “Oh, how so?”
If we were being perfectly honest right now, that wink wasn’t his only attempt at flirting since we entered; a behavior you would normally expect from someone probably half his age. Was he trying to tell me that he was still young at heart? Or perhaps something else?
But that wasn’t the main issue right now… this fellow was just so annoyingly brazen. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was rich, I would have slapped him across his face, of that you could be sure!
“While I might not know what this future Your Majesty speaks of might entail, the future I’m referring to concerns the entirety of the Western Human Realms.” I looked the man right in his eyes, and found that he was seriously listening for once. It was then that I began our discussion anew. “I have a piece of news of utmost importance: the Devils and the Undead have already begun preparing to invade the Western Human Realms. Their aim is to slaughter every human being… or simply put, the Apocalypse.”
“!!!”
Platter of coffee in hand, Misseger couldn’t help but shudder a little, spilling some of the black liquid within.
“My apologies… I will prepare two new cups.”
“An invasion by the Devils and the Undead?” Andassis the Seventh said in a half-believing manner. “Lady Mo Na, news of such gravity mustn’t be uttered in vain. Even though I truly wish to believe you on a personal basis, as the monarch, I have to exercise prudence when it concerns the fate of my own kingdom. Lady Mo Na, do you have any proof?”
“Proof… perhaps this will suffice?”
Having predicted that I wouldn’t convince the king so easily, Ferti’nier and I had already come to an agreement beforehand regarding this unique identity of mine.
I showed him the electronic implant on the back of my left hand. But before I could even explain, Andassis the Seventh had already jumped the gun. “Such intricate artwork, and on such a beautiful hand… Even the most skilled artists of the Nature Elves would find themselves hard-pressed to match the artistry of this tattoo… but the choice of purple wings…”
Hey, don’t think I didn’t catch that offhand remark about my hand, you pervert!
However, now wasn’t the time to burn bridges. Swallowing that bit of disgust in my mouth, I briskly brushed over that bit of indecency. “It’s a special tool of my world, an electronic implant. It has many features, so many that it would beggar belief.”
“Electronic… implant?”
“That’s right, an electronic implant. It’s an ubiquitous tool everyone in my world possesses. It serves as identification, a means of trade, entertainment, communication, and so on and so forth…”
I began rattling off about the multiple benefits of an electronic implant, all the while the king gave a wide-eyed look, similar to how a Gaian would react should he learn of the existence of magic.
Finally, when I had finished my impromptu lecture, the king slowly opened with this, “Lady Mo Na is from another world?”
“Yes, I’m from the planet of Gaia.” I admitted unabashedly. Technically, I wasn’t lying there.
Yet in comparison to my identity, the king was probably more concerned about this strange new civilisation he was learning of. “So Lady Mo Na’s homeworld has highly advanced magicks?”
“Not magic, but science.” I corrected him. “But you may consider science as a kind of special branch of alchemy.”
“I see, so Lady Mo Na hailed from a world where alchemy has advanced highly?” The king quickly caught on, the mental cogs in his whirling at a mad pace as he began forming his own understanding of the situation -as one would expect of a person who could serve as a monarch of a kingdom. “Then Lady Mo Na’s electronic… implant still retains some of its functions after arriving in our world?”
Just the fact that he had caught on to the crux of the situation so quickly made me reevaluate my view of this pervert. In all likelihood, my following answer was also going to prove whether or not I was actually a visitor from another world.
“Let me perform a quick demonstration,” I confidently declared. “This is one of our local specialities, the “movie”…”
“Your Majesty, your coffee… Lady Mo Na, your coffee.”
“Thank you.”
Misseger brought the newly poured cups before us, and upon returning my nod, quietly took her position behind Andassis the Seventh.
The two of them lined up before me, I could clearly see the anticipation in their eyes. Meaning… It was now time for my orator skills to shine… nay, for science to shine!
Savages of this magical world, watch and amazed. Bow before the sheer majesty of the movie theater!
I hate this novel.
Chapters 767 to 776 are out!
Click the Link to Start Reading:
» Chapter 767 | Chapter 768 | Chapter 769 «
» Chapter 770 | Chapter 771 | Chapter 772 «
» Chapter 773 | Chapter 774 | Chapter 775 «
» Chapter 776
| Author: The Sole Survivor | Original Source: SFACG |
| Translator: CatatoPatch | English Source: Re:Library |
Not understanding the words was just one part of the problem. Having spent time on Earth and Gaia, reading wasn’t exactly my first choice of entertainment. A movie or animation were by far better choices.
Meaning… I couldn’t be bothered to read a book written in a foreign language, and I wasn’t about to use psychic magicks on Aivar to learn said language.
“No problem, this book was made to cater to both Human and Elvish.” Having said that, Aivar flipped open the first page, revealing two rows of starkly different words printed neatly above or below each other. Of the two, the bottom row was the familiar language of the Western Human Realms.
“Don’t you want to read it yourself?”
“I’ve read it many times, and this particular book was meant as a gift, even though I did not actually have someone in mind to gift this book to before Nana visited. Honestly, it has already been fifty years since I had this book, during which I never found a single person I felt deserved this book.”
Makes sense… why would she carry around a book with Human on it, obviously it was meant to be given to a human. Still, 50 years just to give out a book is definitely something… Elves being elves, I say!
“In that case, I’ll be sure to read through it carefully, thanks.”
In an entertainment-starved, medieval-like world, a book created solely for telling a story was definitely a luxury, let alone when this book was a product of the Nature Elves!
Throughout the entire realm, such books were basically the monopoly of the long-lived Nature Elves. After all, only they had the time required to expand on such unnecessary endeavors -even their weapons were intricately decorated with carvings… all of them!
Truly, they had too much time on their hands! But what would you expect from a race that could make their trees bear fruit just by feeding it mana? Completely different from Humans who had to walk that tightrope between life and death.
But returning back to this book, such gifts were a rarity, both for their ornate covers and just the sheer infrequency of elves actually gifting such books. On the black market, these could easily fetch hundreds of thousands of gold coins to the right buyer.
Just based on that fact, one could see how generous Aivar was. Or at the very least, she was willing to give away such a highly prized book to someone she had just met.
“Remember to come find me if there’s something you don’t know~~”
“Mhm, I will.”
“Remember to wear more clothes, the weather might still be amiable, but it would be better if you do not expose more skin than unnecessary, especially those from your neck and under…”
“…”
“Don’t look at me like that, you have no idea how perverted these humans can be… I bet you didn’t know that there are some who would even… react to your hand!”
I bet you wanted to say “get off”…
Aivar ended up prattling for a few minutes more before I finally left -what are you, my mom?
However, I was still grateful for her concern.
Not long after I said my farewells to Aivar, I was in the midst of contemplating my next course of action, whether to return to my room, or just walk around. That was when I remembered I did not even know the way around the palace, and not just anybody could roam the palace.
Thankfully, rescue came just on time.
Dressed in her maidservant attire, blond hair flowing and parted, Doris popped into view just around the corner ahead.
Her breath was ragged from running, and her face slightly harried, though she swiftly collected herself when she spotted me.
“Greetings, Lady Mo Na, I’m here under His Highness’s orders to receive you.”
“Oh, Sersan told you to get me? How considerate.” I nodded to show my appreciation. “I’ll be sure to pass on my thanks when I next see him.”
Having just said that, another maidservant, roughly in her late twenties and decidedly more professional-looking popped into view. Her long blond hair was neatly tied up to give her a sense of mature beauty. Her body had just the right curves that were further accentuated with each step she took. Her bounteous chest screamed desire, cementing that impression of a beauty in her prime.
This was the king’s personal maidservant, and she seemed to be looking for me as well.
“Greetings, Lady Mo Na.” She sashayed seductively towards me, finally ending in a well-practised curtsy, a stark contrast to the harried Doris. “His Majesty, the King, sent me here to receive you. His Majesty has prepared a new room for you to use, please, follow me.”
Having said that, the mature maid threw a pointed look at Dories, who immediately lowered her head like a scared puppy.
Is this… a proxy war between the prince and his father?
In that case, who should I follow… Doris or this new maid? Which also begs the question: who holds the reins in this kingdom?
I turned to look at the younger maid who had been cowed into submission, searching for a possible answer to my question, though it seemed that answer was about to present itself anyway…
“Please inform His Highness, tell him that His Majesty has something to discuss with Lady Mo Na.” The mature maid practically ordered her junior before turning to look in my direction, as if judging me as well.
Finally, she lowered her head like her pointed gaze was nothing but a figment of my imagination. “If you would be so kind, Lady Mo Na.”
What a capricious older sister we have… I’ll have you know I’m the true winner in this battle between the prince and his father! In a certain sense…
I turned to look at the young maid who looked to be on the verge of tears and shrugged helplessly, after which I followed the other maid away.
“I’ve failed…” I faintly heard her say after we had departed quite a distance. She seemed to be beating herself for her weak showing.
Well, fret not, young lady, once your master ascends to the throne, you can be like your mature senior over here.
Still, I wonder if she’s crying right now? And would that be my fault?
The mature maidservant continued leading the way ahead in silence. As we weaved through countless walkways that left my head spinning, we finally arrived before a small, three-storied apartment.
“This is the accommodation prepared by His Majesty, it has been tidied beforehand. Your own maidservant should arrive shortly to serve you.”
I hate this novel.
| Author: The Sole Survivor | Original Source: SFACG |
| Translator: CatatoPatch | English Source: Re:Library |
“Exactly, it has only just been ten years,” mumbled a visibly confused Aivar Redleaf. “All I did was return home to handle some small matter. Are you in that much of a hurry to grow up?”
Unfortunately, while her words were meant for her only, her voice was too loud, thus we heard it all anyway…
Ten years… how many “ten years” does a human have, though? For a normal person, anyway.
When compared to a nature elf’s lifespan, a human whose lifespan could only be measured in tens was surprisingly fragile…
Still, the Prince Sersan maintained a calm, polite manner as he held his judgement towards this elf’s problematic sense of time. “I just so happened to be out when you came back, I wasn’t able to find a good time to visit you afterwards–”
“Yes, yes, you all may leave now.” The ever-talkative Aivar Redleaf curtly cut him off with a wave of her hand. “Also, don’t call me sister. I don’t have a little brother with such an awful voice and rough appearance like you. Geez, he was so cute when he was young too, what went wrong in his development to turn a lovable angel into that?”
That last bit was clearly meant for herself once more, but we heard it all the same.
Now, if I was our dear prince, I would have probably called her a beetch, but I wasn’t, and our dear prince would have to deal with having to suffer on our behalf alone.
I could already tell that this elf was a sinful fellow. Like those kids back on Earth, who constantly cried for a little bunny, only to find that it looked a little dumb and fat upon growing up. At that point, there was naught but displeasure left for little Bunbuns, in fact it might even be bound for the dinner table…
“Well, I just so happen to have official matters to attend to. Farewell, Lady Redleaf.” The king smoothly said his goodbyes despite the fact that this lady had just insulted his own son. As for the unfortunate son, there wasn’t much he could do, seeing as his own father did not even deign to defend him.
However, the pair did not forget to give me a lecherous look before departing…
With the pests out of the way, Aivar Redleaf withdrew that scalding look on her face, turning back into that caring big sister mode she had when she addressed me. “That father and son pair aren’t good people at all. Nana, you need to be on guard against them, don’t let them take advantage of you.”
“Not at all… Actually, I…”
“Actually?”
“Actually, I’m even stronger than all of them.”
I was planning to explain that I was a man, thus they couldn’t take advantage of me to begin with, but then I realised that some people didn’t mind that either, as long as I was pretty enough…
Besides, she wouldn’t have believed me either way, especially not when I’ve assumed my daughter’s name…
“Oh? I never knew our Nana was such a fighter!” Aivar declared with playful surprise, however, her voice quickly turned solemn as she said, “Just remember to come find me if anything were to happen. This garden is my territory, even they wouldn’t dare to go overboard here.”
“Mhm. I will take you up on that offer.”
Her territory? Isn’t this the palace grounds? Lady’s got balls claiming this as her territory!
After a quick round of chatting, I finally felt that it was about time and made ready to leave. I was honestly prepared for a round of verbal subterfuge with the elf, but I quickly learnt that her heart was as pure as she was talkative. Her acerbic tongue was merely a manifestation of how honest she was. In that case, it would be remiss of me to even consider plotting, thus I decided to just be friends with her, for now.
“You’re leaving?” Aivar Redleaf tugged on my hand a little. “How about Nana just stay with me instead? I haven’t even brought Nana around to see my little hut, and there’s all sorts of hidden corners to be explored in this garden alone…”
That last bit got me a little, but still…
“No, I think it’s better if I leave for now. If time will allow me to, I will come find you again.”
Honestly, Aivar Redleaf seemed like a good choice for a friend. Even if there was a couple centuries separating us, we hit it off surprisingly well… But her lengthy sense of time made her almost seem distant, and her acidic words disqualified her from any association with the word kind. Yet, she felt like a kindred spirit to me, and I never was one to be stingy with someone like that.
But, I had my plans for leaving. I needed the wealth of this kingdom to enact my grand magitek plan. While Andassis the Seventh was clearly afraid of her, there wasn’t much point either in staying here if I wanted to further my plans.
After all, how was I to claim his treasury for my own without talking to the man… I mean… humbly request that he crack his coin purse for me to pioneer the field of magitek in the Western Human Realms.
That’s right, I was going to be a pioneer! Not a gold digger!
With Aivar as my guide, I quickly found my way to the entrance of the gardens.
“Nana, here’s a book for you to read in the meantime.”
An intricate, leather-bound book suddenly popped into existence in her hands. The cover was black, embossed with the imagery of the Aivar tree and its leaves dancing in the winds.
Naturally, books did not just pop into existence, not even in a fantasy setting. Barring some sort of invisibility tool or spell, there was only one explanation for this: a dimensional storage ring!
“This is an elven tale, known as the Steps Beneath the Aivar Tree. The book speaks of a pair of lovebirds, borne of a pair of feuding families, ultimately parting because of untimely death. But death did not stop the man from waiting beneath the Aivar tree daily. His lover, too, would quietly sit beneath the tree, as if waiting for something… truly touching… it always brings a tear to my eyes to read this…” As Aivar continued explaining the plot for me, her eyes started to water from the deluge of emotions she felt.
I turned to look at the nearly two pound book with a wry grin on my lips, “But I don’t know how to read Elvish…”
I hate this novel.
| Author: The Sole Survivor | Original Source: SFACG |
| Translator: CatatoPatch | English Source: Re:Library |
After witnessing that short, but brutal, exchange between Aivar Redleaf and the master and bodyguard pair of Andassis the Seventh and his scarred bodyguard, I was made to realise how much of an acid-tongue we had on our hands. I had steeled myself for all manner of verbal battery. Come what may, my years on the internet had armed me with an impressive arsenal of one-liners…
However, all it took was a single look from me… and she had fallen. Or rather, Nature Elves just weren’t very resistant against pretty people, if you would excuse my shamelessness. In fact, she was already busy smiling at me, edging closer as she constantly tried to pinch my cheeks. Had it not been for the fact that she was a girl, I, honestly, would have punched her already.
“Nana, is it alright if I call you Nana?” Despite the fact that I had only just given her my name, she was already acting like we had known each other for ages, tossing around the pet names as a good friend would. “Since you’re not saying anything, I will take it as a yes.”
Nana who did not even have the time to respond: …
Andassis the Seventh smiled encouragingly from the side. “Seems like Lady Redleaf and Lady Mo Na have taken a liking to each other, excellent.”
Why are you including me in that list?! And what’s excellent about this?!
“Come, Nana, let me bring you around the gardens.” Completely ignoring the king like a Passerby A, Redleaf dragged me along with her.
Honestly, I wasn’t overly fond of outgoing people like her. However, she didn’t seem like the scheming sort either, thus I wasn’t afraid that she was trying to lure me into anything. The fact that she was able to treat the king’s garden like her own home was proof enough that she wasn’t just some gardener -perhaps she might bring me some unexpected results.
At the end of the day, my end goal of saving the humans would naturally include the Nature Elves as well.
However, I never got the chance to speak at all during our tour. A quick word here and there about their race’s ability to tend to plants and she was off dragging me to the next foliage.
In a lot of ways, her words were like the garden she tended, lush and teeming… unfortunately.
“This is a Wheatbulb tree. It automatically absorbs the mana in the air, turning them into fruit bulbs. These fruits can also be ripened early by feeding the tree mana -the fastest record is two minutes. The fruit of the Wheatbulb tree is famous for its sweetness and juiciness. In fact, a certain bread is baked with only the juice of high-grade Wheatbulbs. These trees were developed by a great botanist over six thousand years ago…”
Six thousand?
At that point, I’m sure even these long-lived elves would call that long…
After three to four minutes spent lecturing on a diminutive-looking tree, Aivar Redleaf turned her attention towards a white orchid-looking flower. “This is the Manarite flower -looks like a piece of jade, doesn’t it? It’s actually a flower. If you eat its nectar on a long-term basis, it will boost your mana… It’s a highly prized product, and only we Nature Elves know the method of growing it… Quick, over there, see that bee? It’s in the process of gathering its nectar…”
Following that, she continued leading me to a bunch of other strange and wondrous plants. Unknowingly, we actually completed a whole round of the garden and came back to the Aivar tree.
As if welcoming the elf that had the same name as itself, its fiery leaves danced in the air, gently circling around us before falling to the ground.
“Nana, do you know why I’m called Aivar Redleaf?” Aivar Redleaf pulled me intimately towards her and against the trunk of the Aivar tree. Then without a word from me, she closed her eyes and began reminiscing.
“That was because, in the year of my birth, we had a devil invasion. Still bearing me, my mum hid in the shadows of the Aivar trees. Aivar trees, upon reaching the age of five thousand, would automatically evolve into Aivar treants. It was these treants who slew the invading devils, rescuing my mother. As a sign of her gratitude, she named me after her saviors… In actuality, there are many other elves who took this name. Thankfully, we can still distinguish each other using our surnames…”
Never in my wildest dreams did I expect Aivar Redleaf to have such a tragic past, yet before I could even reach to comfort her, she suddenly reverted back to normal. Her normal talkative self, anyway…
“But that’s all under the bridge, over two hundred years ago.” She giggled in my direction, almost in a smitten way. “Nana, were you worried about me for a second there? Don’t worry, I’m fine now. I wasn’t even born then. The one who was truly affected was my mum.”
Well, that’s rather heartless of you… I almost feel sad for your mum… she is still alive, isn’t she…
Suddenly, her face took a turn for the worse, as she had spotted unwanted company. “You lot, why are you still here? Can’t you have the decency to leave before I notice you? Geez. Spoil our alone moment, why don’t you?”
Ah… I was wrong for siding with her… but I guess the ones who should really be speechless should be that king and his entourage.
Andassis the Seventh and his men had actually been following us from the start to end, however, it was only now that Aivar Redleaf noticed their existence… a degree of absent-mindedness that even scatterbrained wasn’t enough to describe…
Even the tolerant-to-a-fault Andassis the Seventh was black-faced, let alone his bodyguard who was on the verge of pulling his sword.
It was in this awkward atmosphere that Prince Sersan finally found the opportunity he had been looking for. “Sister Redleaf, we were just about to leave, I just thought now would be a good time to say goodbye.”
“You are… little Sersan?” Redleaf tilted her head quizzically. Finally, after a few seconds, she asked in an unsure voice, “How did you get so big?”
“…it’s been ten years since we last met…”
I hate this novel.
