NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 114
114. A Remarkable Household
I blinked and stretched, lifting my head.
However, the moment I opened my eyes, I squinted due to the sunlight pouring through the window.
Thanks to that, my body, which had just awakened, felt only one part was exerting effort.
“Hmm… you’re mine…”
I turned my gaze when I heard a strange sound nearby. It turned out to be a little girl with pink hair sleeping on my bed.
When did Mary climb onto my bed?
It couldn’t have been a somnambulant action, so maybe she mistook her sleeping place after going to the bathroom. But thinking about it, that’s still somewhat unnatural.
No, it was just that Mary herself was an unnatural being. No matter how much I pondered, I had to accept it like this.
“She’s Mary, so it must be like that.”
Saying that, I poked her face. It was somewhat to wake her up, but instead, she made a fluffy expression and sank deeper into sleep.
“Hehe…”
Common sense doesn’t apply to Mary, who sees everything optimistically. It’s better for my mental health to just leave her be.
I opened the door and came down from the second floor. In the kitchen were Mother, preparing breakfast, and…
“Good morning. You’re up early.”
“Yeah.”
Luska, who was helping with the meal preparation, offered a morning greeting. Having done this for several days, it has now become a normal occurrence.
When I sat in front of the dining table, it slowly became familiar for her to gracefully place bowls in front of me. Plus, wearing an apron made her look like a woman cooking for someone.
“Awake, Radon?”
“Yes.”
Mother approached with a bright face and asked. She looked just like a kind housewife, so any harsh words weren’t allowed on that face.
“What a beggar’s breakfast this is. I wish an earthquake would happen and destroy everything around.”
But that remark left everyone puzzled.
Of course, I understood that she was saying it due to a curse and not with intent. And it made me realize how terrifying the curse of Liar was, even breaking such a caring person.
“I’m a volcanic eruption! What a perfect opportunity to bathe in lava.”
Amy, sitting next to me, continued the joke. The atmosphere inflated with her lies.
“Then Mom should jump into the lava bath too?”
“I’ll scrub Mom’s back and help her shed those stubborn spots.”
“Oh my, my daughter is so mean.”
It sent chills down my spine how they exchanged such words with cheerful faces.
Was that praise or slander? Their expressions and words didn’t quite match, making it ambiguous.
“Your mother isn’t actually thinking of bathing in lava, right?”
“Of course not, don’t worry about it. You’ve seen our family act like this before.”
Luska, who was staying at our house during the break, found our family’s frequent lies quite the challenge.
Should I take that seriously or not? Just a few days ago, I saw Luska leap into a fishing boat when Amy jokingly said she wanted to eat a kraken roast.
If I hadn’t stopped her, Luska would have been stuck working a tough part-time job all break.
And our family’s jokes continued.
“Mom! How about catching a dragon for dinner?”
“That sounds good. We need to prepare a large iron pan for that!”
No matter how strong our family is, there’s no way to catch something like a dragon. It sounded like a joke, but for a score-sensitive girl, it would mean something else.
“I’ll get ready immediately! For dragons, the eastern continent has…”
“No, you idiot, stop!”
Slap!
“Please, don’t take that seriously!” I smacked Luska on the head, and she naturally expressed her grievance.
“Isn’t that just too much? It’s not just sometimes; it’s at every moment! What on earth is the reason for that?”
The feeling of discomfort I’ve sensed over the past few days was nothing small. If possible, I would like to explain, but…
“That’s because of… ■■■■.”
“What?”
“It’s because of L■■■■.”
“What are you saying? Speak properly!”
This silence treatment would drive anyone mad, no matter the time.
“It’s useless to explain. Luska wouldn’t understand.”
Jenny, sitting opposite, jumped in. But when did she get there? I wonder if the mansion’s servants knew she went out?
“So you know about it?”
“Of course. Even our father knows all about it. I’ve spent more time with Radon than you.”
Jenny added, shooting me a confident look.
“Oh! By the way, you share a dorm with Radon, right? So you must have spent as much time with him as I have. Why don’t you know then?”
Splat!
Luska’s face turned red with rage, and she began radiating an ominous aura while suppressing an overwhelming emotion with superhuman patience.
“It seems like you think you’re all high and mighty because you have information, but you’d better not relax. Even if I don’t have power, I have more freedom than you.”
With a hint of confidence, Luska narrowed her eyes.
Just then, Jenny was about to retort.
Thud!
“Ah, you were here, Your Highness.”
At that moment, Chain Silver’s direct knights barged into our house. They weren’t here for a strict search but simply to find someone.
“We’re searching the mansion right now. This isn’t the time to be loitering around.”
The knights approached the dining table, urging Jenny on. It seemed her schedule for today wasn’t very spacious.
“What should I do? Our little lady, who has grown like a flower, can’t be free after all.”
Jenny looked flustered due to the knights, but upon hearing Luska’s teasing, her eyes grew fierce.
“What are you doing, Your Highness? Shouldn’t you hurry back to the greenhouse?”
“….”
The greenhouse flower… Jenny’s gaze was burning at hearing the words she hated the most.
“Well, Radon, I’ll go on ahead. Take care of Amy.”
She momentarily smiled at me and my sister, but when she turned back to Luska, she shot her a significant look. Luska responded with the same fierce gaze.
A fiery scene was drawn.
That brief exchange of glances resembled the image of the world’s strongest beings about to duel.
I’m worried that soon they’ll end up enemies on a narrow bridge.
“See you, sister. Don’t bother coming to play again next time.”
“Don’t wear too little outside; it’s cold.”
My sister and mother sent Jenny off with nonsensical lies.
The heated atmosphere froze in an instant.
*
In Silver Town, only Luska and Mary remained.
Crona, who had attended the party with us, had long returned home to learn all the things she needed.
“Only about ten days until school starts.”
“I wonder what kind of new students will be coming?”
Mary walked beside me, strolling through the village. She stretched her arms and legs, increasing her expectations for the new students.
“Are you that excited?”
“Of course! When the new students come, they’ll all call me ‘sister.'”
“That’s true, I guess.”
[Declining erosion rate: -2%]
[+200 Credits]
Of course! Everyone would mistake the new students for elementary kids. And they’d get so mad they might end up causing chaos with magic.
“Hahaha! They call you ‘sister!'”
Muto, who had been crawling beside me, burst into laughter. Honestly, I shared the same feelings, but I was refraining from saying it outright.
“You little snake! What’s so funny?”
Just then, spirits began to pop out from beside Mary, and their representative, Blitz, a thunder tiger-shaped spirit, scolded him.
“Is it a crime to say something funny?”
“That last statement is treason! If it scratches Mary’s heart when she hears it, will you take responsibility!”
Though it was quiet for a while, I hadn’t paid much attention, so why was this happening suddenly? It seemed like a fierce confrontation was about to unfold between spirits and spirits.
If the people around were sensitive, the embarrassment would feel a hundred times worse.
“Scratch? That sounds fun. Let me…”
“Shut up!”
“Ugh!”
I showered Muto’s head in countless rain droplets. He jumped and screamed in shock. Then I politely said to the spirits.
“I’m sorry for the trouble my kid caused.”
“….”
Is this what it feels like to raise a wayward child? I was suddenly filled with respect for Miss Bong Mi-seon.
Even though I settled Muto down, the spirits continued to stare at me.
“….”
Just when I was about to ask if they were still angry.
“Could it be you… No, never mind.”
Starting with Blitz, the spirits disappeared one by one. I had no idea what they were thinking about me just now.
“Seems like the spirits get along well? It fits well with your spirit friend.”
Get along? Is that like Batman and the Joker ringing wedding bells?
“Yeah, it looks like a great match.”
[Declining erosion rate: -2%]
[+200 Credits]
Oh well, let it be as it is. After all, trying to put in a word only to yield nothing is like reading a cow’s ears.
“Thief!”
At that moment, someone wearing a mask was sprinting from a distance. With his face obscured, I couldn’t tell his gender, but judging by the tail trailing behind him, he was definitely a beastman.
The sound of something jingling from the bag slung over his shoulder echoed constantly.
“Please catch him!”
Behind him, a woman, presumably a merchant, was struggling to catch up.
He looked like a cheetah with that tail, so of course catching him would be difficult.
“Hey friend! Move aside.”
Suddenly serious, Mary shoved me to the side and began casting magic.
Without a staff, she gestured and formed numerous magic circles within 0.1 seconds. Diverse elemental magic projectiles rained down from each circle.
The thief would collapse the moment one of them hit.
“What the?!”
But none hit, leaving Mary astonished.
It wasn’t so much that her accuracy dropped… it’s just that the target was too swift. The thief evaded everything by tilting his head or abruptly changing directions.
It was like a combination of a talented track athlete and a parkour master performing tricks.
Even with great power, it’s meaningless if you can’t hit.
With someone that quick, the usual methods wouldn’t suffice… I threw a card at the wall of the building beside me. Then I tossed another card at Mary’s feet.
“Get out of the way, you novices!!”
The thief, still wielding a knife, charged at us. His savage aura even made Mary flinch.
Having reached right in front of us, the thief swung his knife. Although he didn’t have actual firepower, his agility was overwhelming, leaving no room to evade.
However, it wasn’t necessary to dodge.
Boom!—
The thief, who reached right in front of me, disappeared completely. At the same time, a sound like the wall collapsing echoed.
“Eh? Where did he go?”
“Over there.”
I pointed in the direction Mary was looking around. That was where I threw the card, and for some reason, the thief had smashed into that wall.
It wasn’t that someone threw him, but it looked like he had launched himself headfirst into the wall. His face had collided and crumbled it.
“Could this be…!”
“Yeah, it’s all thanks to this.”
I held up the card I threw just moments ago. More accurately, it was the magic of the card.
After the strenuous training under the Master White Tower, I had finally merged with the Trans Card.
“Wow! That was scary for you, buddy!”
Suddenly, Mary threw her arms around me. It wasn’t particularly surprising, but this time it wasn’t out of joy.
She must have been quite shocked to encounter an opponent against whom her magic was ineffective for the first time.
I patted Mary’s head, urging her not to feel down.
*
Gerard, as the lord of Silver Town, felt like he could use multiple bodies and still lack enough.
Sometimes meeting with his daughter’s friends felt like a precious use of time he’d carved out.
Recently, he had been busy investigating a certain demon appearing in Aligieri alongside Master White Tower.
In the midst of all that, he finally seized some time to check on Jenny’s state. He wanted to know how much she had grown since becoming a student.
She was no longer a child struggling to control the Silver Age. Gerard was convinced that Jenny’s swordsmanship would now surpass what was possible in the greenhouse.
Gerard, as a father, had been taking her sword practice. He had also been curious about how sword instruction was going in Aligieri these days.
That test was held in the open area of the mansion’s yard. His younger brother, Ray, also watched the scene.
“…!”
As Jenny’s flashy swordsmanship blocked Gerard’s attacks, he felt a certain discomfort.
At first, she seamlessly executed the basic techniques of Chain Silver Style. But then, starting from there, it became a mix of techniques he had never seen before, as if she had created them independently.
“Did you just learn that… from the Academy?”
At his shocked reaction, Jenny shot him a glance. There are usually two reasons for such reactions.
One is when he’s pleased with a good result.
Another is when he’s extremely baffled by an unexpected situation.
There’s no way he would be surprised by just a new sword technique, so I thought it was the former… but the answer turned out to be the latter.
“Tell me quickly! Who taught you that? Which professor?”
“Huh…?”
His sudden fussing was very unfamiliar. Ray, his younger brother, and some knights watching all widened their eyes.
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but… it was a friend who taught me.”
“A friend?”
Gerard’s face showed an expression of disbelief. It was hard to believe even if it were a professor.
The reason wasn’t due to the fact that the technique Jenny just executed… was identical to that of a man who had once been his mentor.
“Can you tell me your friend’s name?”
“Lyman Begilius.”
“What does he look like?”
“White hair… and he looks a bit scary.”
Given his confusion, Jenny herself appeared hesitant.
“Do you know Lyman?”
“No, not exactly, but… I’ll have to see him soon.”
“You don’t need to hurry. The Magical Banquet is coming up soon; we can confirm then.”
“That makes sense.”
The Magical Banquet in Aligieri, which all the power holders in the Empire would attend. Though it worried Gerard a bit, he looked forward to that time.
‘Could it be my brother’s…’
All that filled Gerard’s head was the lingering regret of needing to apologize to his brother.
Surviving as an Academy Scammer