NOVEL WEB Chapter 17 – What Do You Know About Me
[Translator – Peptobismol]
"I won."
"I know. I bet everyone in town knows by now."
"I've also completed the termination of all the scum who signed the agreement."
"You should have fixed the training grounds while you were at it."
"How could I possibly do all that by myself?"
"…"
This girl…
She doesn't even try to hide her laziness anymore.
I turned to rebuke her, but when I saw Sylvia's relieved smile, the words caught in my throat.
"It was two years ago. The last time I used mana."
"You got excited and went wild, huh."
"That's right."
"So, how was it? Did it feel good?"
"It felt great."
Good, that's all that matters.
Who cares if the training grounds got destroyed.
Smiling, I closed my ledger.
From what I gathered, the repair costs would be around a hundred million.
"I'll cover the repair costs with your salary. That's another 50% pay cut."
"Yes!"
[Sylvia's affection has increased by 5.]
This creepy girl…
Even though I glared at her with contempt, Sylvia just kept smiling.
"Oh, and I've got more work for you."
"More work?"
"We fired a lot of knights and guards, so there are many vacancies. We're trying to fill them as quickly as possible, but until then, you'll have to handle both day and night guard duties and some paperwork."
"…I can understand the guard duties, but why the paperwork?"
"You're good at it. Just do it. Give me a break."
"…"
For the first time, Sylvia's smile vanished.
She looked at me like she was asking, "Are you joking?"
Does this look like a joke to you?
When I grinned, Sylvia's face contorted with despair.
'She said she'd wait until I revealed my true colors.'
If she was going to kill me, she would have done it already.
But Sylvia decided to wait.
She'd wait until I revealed my true intentions, until I crossed the line, and then she'd take me down.
Of course, that moment would never come.
In a twisted way, it was like she was declaring she'd stay by my side forever.
Thinking of it that way made me laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Look at yourself. You got so excited using mana again that you messed up. Your clothes are all torn."
"…?"
Sylvia tilted her head, confused.
Then she looked down at her clothes.
A moment later, her face turned bright red as she tried to cover the torn parts with her hands.
Of course, she couldn't cover all the holes.
"I'll go change my clothes!"
Sylvia dashed out at lightning speed.
I thought she might be a tomboy who wasn't embarrassed, but she just didn't realize.
'If I want to increase her affection, shouldn't I just seduce her?'
I seriously considered it.
Given my current appearance, it wouldn't be surprising if it took decades to earn trust as a person.
But what if I approached her as a romantic interest instead of a person?
'I ended up thinking something silly…'
Would it work?
Given my looks and demeanor, would any woman fall for me?
Even a villain might not be convinced, let alone a hero.
Hmm. If not Sylvia, what about Julia or Charlotte…?
'They're still kids…'
No, definitely not.
Even if I were to try, now is not the time.
I need to stop looking for shortcuts and live honestly.
Just as I was calming my chaotic thoughts with a sigh, a servant approached.
"Young master, a letter has arrived."
"Who's it from?"
"It's from the Imperial Magic Academy."
"Leave it here."
Is it from the headmaster?
I hope Yuri hasn't caused any trouble.
With some anxiety, I picked up the letter the maid had left.
"To Mr. Black?"
What the hell does that mean?
It must be a mistake.
Thinking it was no big deal, I stuffed the letter into a drawer.
If it's important, the postman will come back for it.
***
"…What are you doing?"
I had hoped to secretly borrow a book, but Julia caught me with her stern gaze.
"Let's read together."
"Taking it without asking isn't polite. You should have asked to borrow it."
"These are all my books to begin with. If you keep being rude, I'll confiscate them all."
"No, please!"
"…"
"Fine, you can take it… mister."
She adds "misterr" to everything as if it's a formal speech.
At least it's better than speaking informally.
I picked a basic magic book and found a spot away from Julia.
I didn't want to interrupt her spirit magic awakening…
[Recalling body's memory.]
[Syncing…]
[Sync failed.]
[An unknown error has interrupted the sync.]
[Sync rate: 2%]
As soon as I opened the book, a translucent window popped up.
A sync rate of just 2%…
It's not a system error; it just means Aslan's understanding of this book is a mere 2%.
'This is hopeless.'
Even though dark magic is a type of magic, you'd think he'd know some basics.
This pathetic fool knew as little about magic as I did.
I'll have to start learning from scratch.
Normally, in a transmigration, you'd expect to gain some aptitude for magic or a genius intellect.
But all I got were useless traits.
'This is really hopeless.'
Even the talented Julia is struggling.
If I try to do this alone, I might make no progress for years.
Maybe I should use my chance here.
"Julia."
"What… mister."
"Can you teach?"
"Huh? I don't need any teaching. I've already mastered the basics and am reading advanced books. Why don't you find someone else to show off your knowledge to… mister?"
"…"
Julia smirked arrogantly.
She had every right to.
But she's being stubborn without understanding properly.
"I'm not offering to teach you. I'm asking you to teach me."
"…What?"
"There's no need to ask again. Just teach me the basics of magic."
"…?"
Julia looked at me, puzzled.
She seemed to be processing the unexpected information.
After a moment, her lips parted.
"…Why should I?"
"Because I lack basic knowledge of magic. I'd like to borrow your exceptional knowledge and genius mind. Can you help?"
"Oh, if it's that, then sure! Hmph, you lack basic knowledge? Where should I start…"
Got her.
She's easy.
A little praise and she immediately slipped into teacher mode.
"The mana summation formula goes like this…"
"No, start before that. Assume you're teaching someone who knows nothing."
"What? There's no way you know nothing. Are you testing me?"
"They say smart people are also good teachers."
"Hmph! I'm so well-versed in the basics that I can teach a blank slate perfectly!"
They say praise makes even a whale dance.
If she started to doubt, I'd lavish her with more compliments.
Then Julia would be eager to share everything she knew.
"Mana is like fuel! And magic is the result of burning that fuel! Depending on how you burn it, the type of magic changes. For example, fire magic…"
Actually, the idea that smart people make good teachers is a lie.
I worried Julia might struggle to teach me due to her genius, but my fears were unfounded.
By asking her to teach as if to a child with no knowledge, she explained everything clearly.
"That's the end of the first book. How was it? Was it a good lecture?"
"Excellent. Let's move on to the next one."
"What? I thought you just wanted to see if I could teach. Why the whole basics… Ah! You're teasing me!"
"…?"
"That creepy smile! You were mocking me! You were thinking, 'How can someone who knows the basics so well still struggle with mana control?' Weren't you!"
This is driving me crazy.
Is my smile that creepy?
I glanced in the mirror and turned away without a word.
It really is a disturbing sight…
"I never thought that."
"Liar!"
"You can believe what you want, but here's a tip. When handling mana, try using only a portion of it."
"What? The first time you control mana, you have to use all of it to ensure smooth flow…"
"That's what the book says. I'm talking about you."
Learning the basics from Julia revealed her problem.
Basic books advise using all your mana initially for smooth control.
Using only a portion is an advanced technique.
But Julia is different.
Her vast mana supply means using all of it could cause constant overloads.
She needs to jump straight to advanced techniques.
"What do you know about me…"
Julia abruptly stood, her eyes welling up.
She stomped out of the room but paused at the door, glancing back.
"I need to use the restroom! I'm not leaving because I'm mad or anything… mister!"
Who's saying otherwise?
[Translator – Peptobismol]