episode_0144

I also read the book Dark had read once.

“……?”

I didn’t understand a single word of it.

Thanks to my translation ability, I could read the letters,

but I couldn’t comprehend them.

Sigh…

Still, after reading it a few times, I started to grasp bits and pieces.

‘I am understanding it, but…’

I couldn’t move past the first page.

The next page was blank.

It was structured so that I couldn’t proceed unless I perfectly understood the first page.

‘This is ridiculously hard.’

I wasn’t someone who excelled at studying,

but I had done my fair share.

Because of that, I was able to learn magic quickly.

‘From an academic standpoint, magic and science are pretty much the same thing.’

Science is the technology of utilizing what’s realistically possible,

while magic is the technology of utilizing what’s realistically impossible.

At face value, they’re complete opposites.

But.

Their starting point is the same.

‘Understanding reality.’

Science applies the reality it understands,

while magic distorts the reality it understands.

Their directions may differ,

but what must be understood remains the same.

Both are technologies that can only be used once reality is understood.

…And thanks to that, I was able to grasp magic faster than anyone else.

‘Honestly, part of it is also because the mages here are just low-level.’

The scientists of that world proved and understood reality in diverse ways,

but the mages of this world never properly understood reality.

Why couldn’t they?

‘When there are so few researchers and they don’t even share their findings, wouldn’t it be weirder if research progressed quickly?’

Over there, there are many who study science,

but over here, the number of people who study magic is pathetically small.

Scientists share their research with each other,

but mages don’t.

That’s the problem.

So then?

Just increase the number of students and encourage sharing, right?

‘That’d just create more problems.’

In the past, humanity rapidly advanced by sharing magical knowledge.

As a result,

they grew arrogant, believing they could even defeat gods.

Because of that, divine blessings vanished,

and when the demons invaded, they were utterly crushed—leading to the current state of affairs.

…That said,

purely in terms of magical prowess, that era was truly extraordinary.

The ‘Holy Grail of Sacrifice,’ which I’ve been using the most, was created in that era,

and all the other hidden items are from that time too.

‘That’s why the World Tree’s magical knowledge is on a whole other level.’

The World Tree existed even back then.

It was an entity that taught magic even during the peak of magical civilization.

Therefore,

the World Tree’s grimoire is a book containing the essence of ancient magic.

In scientific terms, it’s like a book documenting the core principles of futuristic technology seen in sci-fi.

Warp drives,

arc reactors—

basically, the kind of insane stuff you’d only see in movies.

That’s why I couldn’t understand it.

‘Well, I couldn’t, but…’

What the hell is that crazy woman who just breezed through it and declared, “I understood everything!”?

“World Tree.”

“Yes…”

“What is that creature?”

“I don’t know either. I’ve never seen a monster like that before.”

A genius so prodigious even the World Tree is stunned.

Damn…

She’s actually insane.

If she’d stayed in Korea, she might’ve built an arc reactor and become the next Iron Girl.

…I thought as I looked at Dark.

But.

Dark just gave me a look like, “What’s the big deal?” and said:

“Why are you making such a fuss over something like this?”

“You’re saying this isn’t a big deal? Even the World Tree is gaping in shock.”

“She’s right! It took me my entire life to research this! And she cracked it in minutes!”

“Isn’t that just how knowledge works?”

“Huh?”

“Research takes forever, but learning it is quick.”

She’s not wrong.

Figuring out that water (H₂O) is oxygen (O) + hydrogen (H₂) took an absurdly long time,

but learning it takes no time at all.

…That said,

there are limits to that.

Take calculus, for example.

The demonic concept that made countless high schoolers give up on math.

Even after studying math for over a decade, many still couldn’t grasp it—

and I was one of them…

“That’s hard? I finished studying it in middle school and spent the rest of my time playing.”

“You damn—!…”

You insane, perfect-scoring freak!

A monster who doesn’t understand human struggles!

Calculus is a high school-level concept in the first place!

Why the hell were you studying it in middle school?!

“Because it’s cool.”

“?”

“You know those anime characters who breeze through college-level math problems even in middle school? The cool ones.”

“So you studied because of that?”

“Yeah! I wanted to be a cool character like that too!”

So…

You mastered university-level material just to satisfy your middle-schooler chuunibyou fantasies?

You’re actually insane.

But.

It’s because she’s insane that she’s perfect.

She’s the ideal match for Merlin, who’s just as obsessed with magic.

“Really?!”

“If you can learn ancient magic this easily, Merlin would definitely like you. Well, probably…”

A question popped into my head.

“Why Merlin?”

“?”

“You didn’t seem interested in him during Prophecy RPG.”

“Ah… Well, yeah.”

Dark’s face turned slightly red as she spoke.

“The way he wielded his staff with that serious look, conjuring black flames… It felt like fate? Love at first sight? Like he could be the partner of my soul?”

“So… you fell for him because of the black flames?”

“That’s part of it! And seeing him in person, he’s even hotter. He’d fit perfectly as the strategist of an organization. Plus…”

“To summarize, you wanna bang him because he’s a cool chuunibyou character?”

“Hey! That makes me sound like a pervert!”

“You’re not wrong, though.”

“That’s!… Well, yeah, but!… Phrasing!”

Dark protested, her face bright red.

I got the gist of it.

I understood exactly what kind of appeal Merlin had for her.

So I asked:

“Dark.”

“What?!”

“What if you meet him and he’s not as chuuni as you thought?”

“I’d still go for him.”

“Why?”

“His face and vibe are my type.”

“That so?”

“Yeah!”

“Have you talked to him in this world?”

“Only watched him from afar as a summon… But I am a Prophecy RPG veteran! I know him to some extent…”

“You don’t really know him, do you?”

“W-Well… No?…”

It’s true Dark is a Prophecy RPG veteran.

But.

She’s a solo player who insists on the lone wolf style.

She never recruits party members.

The hero fights and wins alone.

…That’s the playstyle she stuck to.

So she has no idea what Merlin likes or dislikes.

“Now that I think about it, learning magic isn’t the priority right now.”

There’s something more urgent.

“Dark.”

“Uh… Yeah?…”

“I’ll teach you how to raise Merlin’s affection. Memorize this.”

“Okay!”

“Shadow Clone.”

I created a shadow clone and quickly wrote up a Merlin guide.

His likes.

His dislikes.

Which dialogues raise affection.

Which dialogues lower it.

I wrote down everything I knew.

…That said,

it’s not a 100% perfect guide.

I only ever researched Marianne’s route.

For other characters, I just memorized whatever was posted online.

It’s surface-level at best.

But.

As long as she follows what I wrote, she won’t step on any landmines.

That’s good enough.

“Thanks! If this works out, I’ll treat you to a meal someday! Drinks too!”

“Sure.”

Dark left in high spirits.

Meanwhile,

the World Tree was teaching magic to Piene noona.

“Ughhh… I don’t get any of it…”

“That’s normal… What is she? Is she even human? Some kind of monster?”

The World Tree muttered in disbelief, unable to process how all the magic it had spent centuries researching was dismantled in minutes.

“World Tree.”

“Yes?”

“You’ll save yourself the headache if you just ignore freaks like her.”

“But a freak of that level is practically a calamity! Is she even human? Maybe a dragon disguised as one? Or the Demon King? It doesn’t make sense otherwise!”

“World Tree?”

“What is she? Huh? Uhhh?…”

The World Tree short-circuited.

So.

I left Piene noona to it and went to Marianne.

“Mari.”

“Huh? M-Me?”

“Yeah. Short for Marianne—Mari. I wanted to call you by a cute nickname… Is that okay?”

“Y-Yes! It feels like we’re lovers, so I love it!”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes! I love it!”

Her expression was still awkward, so I double-checked.

“If you don’t like it, just say so. It’s true I know about the future, but this is the first time we’ve properly talked like this. I don’t know what you like or dislike yet.”

“O-Oh… Really?…”

“Yeah. So I wanna learn bit by bit. If there’s anything you don’t like, tell me. I’ll adjust.”

“Okay! But this time, I really mean it! I love the nickname!”

“Good.”

“Yes! Just knowing there’s a man who likes me this much makes me so happy! Even this much attention feels like heaven! And when I think about marrying and even having s—… A-Ah!…”

“Sex?”

“N-No! Not that!… I-I mean, I’m not against it!… I’d love to! But you said not yet, so…”

I did say not yet.

If we had sex before strengthening my stamina, the other wives might go berserk and actually kill me.

“But… sleeping together in bed… holding each other close, sharing body heat… I’d love to try that… A-Ah!… N-No! Just being friends is already more than I deserve! It’d be so selfish to ask for more! I’ll behave!”

“You wanna sleep with me?”

“Y-Ye—?! I-I do, but… It’s fine! I’m already satisfied!”

“If it’s just sleeping, I don’t mind.”

“Huh?! Y-You’d sleep with me?!”

“I’d like to.”

“Such an honor!… Uwaah…”

“Shall we go to bed?”

(Nodnodnodnodnodnodnodnodnodnodnodnodnodnodnodnodnodnod)

Marianne shook her head violently like a madwoman.