Under the dim light.
Sitting at my desk, I was organizing my thoughts under the gentle moonlight.
‘How can I live doing nothing?'
Ever since I possessed this novel, my goal was clear. To enjoy a peaceful and happy unemployed life. I wanted to indulge in everything I missed in my previous life.
Humans are creatures that desire such a life.
Avoiding conflict.
Wanting to watch the fight from the sidelines.
Desiring to earn a lot of money to indulge in luxury because that's human nature.
And.
As the novel progressed to its latter half, the incidents became too serious to laugh off, so I didn't want to get involved.The events surrounding Yuria became increasingly brutal compared to before, and the ostracism she faced at the academy also intensified.
It might be interesting to watch the events of the novel unfold from the sidelines, but I never wanted to give up my happy unemployed life just for that.
As time went on, the protagonists' growth became steeper, and it was doubtful whether a mere possessor like me could catch up.
To observe the protagonists' story from the sidelines, I needed to be prepared with enough defense to avoid sudden death. This was also a concern.
Of course, I currently hold an overwhelming power difference over the sub-male leads, but it was within a range that could be caught up.
So my dream is to be unemployed.
I didn't want to do anything.
But, this was not easy.
Slow growth of sub-male leads aside, when the heretics began stretching their limbs from the shadows, I, as the possessor, had to at least show the minimum courtesy.
Offering a bit of help without hindering their growth was a way of repaying for enjoying the momentum, so it was not something I could ignore like an unemployed person would.
The protagonists' growth in the story did not rely heavily on opportunities but on enlightenment, so it wasn't a problem, but I still needed to show the minimum respect for the rolling snowball.
And.
I had to protect the lady.
I realized it through Hans's incident.
To not let my people fall into danger, I had to become overwhelmingly strong.
So, what should I do now?
It was time to rethink the things I had been forgetting.
About the events that would happen when the heretics hiding in the shadows started to appear in the light.
And it was time to consider my stagnant power.
At this point, I could be classified as a strong person. If I were to be graded in a fantasy-like rating, I'd be around A+.
Not as much as S+ rated Rowen or Darbav, but I had enough power to confront a heretic archbishop alone. Ruin and Michail were a step below at B grade. Yuria might be around C grade.
The archbishop would be around A grade.
There were various ranks among the heretics.
Broadly divided into five categories.
The most numerous ‘fanatics'.
The ‘inquisitors' who were acknowledged for their faith and learned dark magic, and the ‘archbishops' and ‘apostles' called elite, possessing outstanding power.
And finally, their leader, the ‘Pope'.
I guess that sums it up.
If I were to pick out opponents I could handle…
I cautiously opened my notebook and began scribbling.
Logically marking each opponent I could handle with a red pen, circling them one by one.
‘Fanatics.'
‘Inquisitors.'
‘Archbishops.'
And…
‘This would be impossible.'
‘Apostles.'
If I had to summarize the apostles in one line, they're monsters beyond description.
With overwhelming power.
At the empire's top echelon.
Sometimes spreading heresy within the Goddess's Religion.
Hiding in the mountains.
Famous individuals known to everyone.
The power of the apostles is treated slightly below or on par with Rowen, each possessing unique abilities fitting their characteristics. If we had to grade them, they'd be around S grade.
‘I still have a long way to go.'
I thought I had become strong enough, but I realized how arrogant that thought was.
Deep in thought, I scribbled in my notebook once more.
This time, let's write about the villain.
Mad Archbishop: Pascal
Ability: Physical control · Swordsmanship (C)
Personality: Idiot
Compatibility: Medium
‘Hmm…'
Having inked the notebook, I sunk into thought.
Pascal.
The insect-like guy, a memorable villain in the novel, was called Michail's natural enemy.
A madman who manipulated innocent people and children to commit massacres.
Location: Prison
Of course, he's currently in prison, providing joy to many, so he's not a concern.
‘Next would be… Hans, I suppose.'
Greedy Archbishop: Hans
Ability: Plunder · Disguise · Magic (B)
Personality: Gentle · Inferiority complex · Dislikes comparison · Greed
Compatibility: Overwhelmingly stompable.
A friend of Ruin and a disciple of the Tower Master.
Looking only at his ability to steal the unique abilities of those he understands, there wasn't much to worry about. But it wasn't as easy as it sounded.
As time passed, he could generate numerous variables and was indeed one of the most troublesome archbishops to deal with in the original work, next to the apostles. Fitting the name ‘greed', he was a troublesome guy with no limit to his growth since he would steal any ability that comes his way, even the unique abilities of the Tower Master as mentioned in the novel.
Thinking back to when he visited the mansion disguised as Ruin, it seemed like ability hunting had officially begun…
‘I should have killed him…'
Trusting the Tower was my madness.
So far, I've identified three abilities Hans has.
One is the magic he studied before turning evil.
Two is the dark magic that steals unique abilities.
The last three is the magic that copies a person's appearance.
Honestly, Hans was manageable.
From the moment I acquired Tirving, Hans had no chance against me, and even if Hans from the latter part of the novel were to come, my compatibility with him boasted extreme superiority, enough to stomp him.
But.
For our protagonists, he would be nothing short of a disaster. Especially for Ruin, Hans would be a monster capable of providing the worst memories.
After writing for a while and filling up the notebook, I boldly wrote about the upcoming event.
-Next Story: [The Man Who Lost His Face]
Subtitle: The Frog Prince
‘This seems doomed.'
I don't know.
I decided not to care anymore, but as a possessor, it's probably an occupational disease to be concerned about the novel's storyline.
Being someone who loved the novel, missing out on the exciting parts was quite regrettable.
Well, they'll manage somehow.
I trust you, idiots.
With a light smile, I methodically wrote down ways to increase my power.
First, let's learn magic.
***
Today is also peaceful in the lady's room.
The lady, wearing glasses without lenses, frowned deeply and wore a serious expression. Elegantly adjusting her glasses, she let out a deep sigh and said,
"Idiot."
"…"
"Fool."
"…"
"Dog."
"Isn't it too harsh to compare a person to an animal?"
At the bristled response, the lady covered her mouth and let out a small laugh, ‘hehe.'
"But what can I do if Ricardo is an idiot?"
"Idiot is not the word, it's challenging."
"That's being an idiot."
The lady's assessment was harsh.
Today was the day to receive magic lessons from the lady.
Considering various methods to enhance my stagnant power, I concluded that magic was the quickest way to achieve significant results, so I hesitantly asked the lady.
To teach me magic.
"No."
"Please, just once."
"I can't teach you something I can't do."
"Your mere existence is magical, my lady."
"Hehe… That's true, though."
The lady fell for the flattery.
Of course, I had to pass over a large quantity of chocolates, but fortunately, I was able to hire a competent magic tutor.
Learning magic from the lady, recognized by the author as having the best magical talent in the story, would be incomparable to any teacher.
I approached the lesson with joy, and this was the result.
The lady continued her lengthy explanation while looking at a piece of paper on the desk.
"Let me tell you again."
"Yes."
"Magic fundamentally has five elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Nature. These five can be used immediately once learned."
Suddenly, the lady seemed intellectual.
So… is she a genius?
I thought she was just a chocolate-loving idiot, but seeing her speak so intellectually about her specialty made her appear different.
Impressed by the lady's eloquence, I raised my hand to ask a question I had been holding in my heart, since I had poured in a large quantity of chocolate to hire this teacher.
"What about flashy lightning magic? I want to use that."
"That's something Ricardo can't use."
"Does magic also discriminate against nobles? What a dirty world."
"Um… no, that's not it. It's called a rare element. Like the ‘Thunder' element Ricardo mentioned, or White, Space, Summoning, Light-speed magic, etc., are special and appear only in certain people. My specialty is summoning magic."
"Oh… Was that headless knight you showed at the academy a summoned creature? I was shocked, thinking it was a demon."
"…Yes."
"Exactly."
"What do you mean exactly!"
"Nothing. Just talking to myself."
The arrogant mage was embarrassed by her own summoning creature.
In fact, I knew about the lady's rare element but said it to tease her.
That aside, there might be hidden magical talent in me, too; it's a bit upsetting to be dismissed so casually.
With a bristled heart, I raised my hand again to ask the lady.
"Maybe I have some incredible element? Like white magic or space magic."
"Um…"
The lady pondered with her lips pursed, then sighed deeply and shook her head.
"You probably don't have it because you're ugly."
"…?"
"Yes."
"Isn't that racial discrimination?"
"No, it's Ricardo discrimination."
"That hurts even more."
"Hehe…"
Trying to pass it off with a laugh, the lady seemed guilty, so I refrained from pinching her cheeks since I was now a student and decided not to infringe on her teaching authority.
Instead, I'll have to torment her madly after the lesson.
Ahem. The lady cleared her throat to focus on the lesson, apparently not wanting to make excuses for discriminating against the butler.
Being discriminated against, I blatantly showed my sullen mood by pouting my lips.
"Don't sulk."
"I'm not sulking."
"Liar."
"I have no reason to sulk since I'm just an ordinary butler lacking anything special."
"No. Ricardo…"
The lady, possibly embarrassed, fiddled with the pen in her hand and blushed.
"You cook well."
"…Pfft. How is that something special…"
"Ricardo's cooking is delicious. It's okay even without flashy stuff."
"No… Ugh! Fine, if you say so. I'm pleased."
The lady, who gets very shy when praised, shook her head and tapped the desk.
-Clap!
"So…next. We'll try the easiest magic to learn."
The lady pointed to a paper on the desk.
A paper with a red magic circle drawn on it.
I had seen this magic circle often.
The most basic magic.
A common magic that 98% of the empire's citizens could use. Fireball.
I snickered at the piece of paper laid bare on the desk.
To think they regard me as an idiot, practicing with something as trivial as a fireball.
Even if I lacked talent in magic, I wasn't an idiot incapable of producing a fireball.
"Hey, what do you take me for? I can do this much."
The lady stared at me intensely.
-Bang…
"You should be able to. Probably."
"I can't do it."
…
As it's a student's duty to follow the teacher's instruction, I swallowed the retort that almost slipped out and focused on the lady's teaching.
"Now… imagine the picture on this paper in your head…"
"Imagine?"
"Yes. Like this."
"No, if you say ‘like this' without showing me anything, how am I supposed to do it?"
The lady frowned and placed a finger on her temple, making a mysterious gesture as if sending telepathy to an alien. I almost burst into laughter.
"Eeek… Heeek! Imagine it like this…!"
Despite the presence of a notebook and pen on the desk, the sight of her placing her hand on her temple and conjuring a magic circle was… Pfft… It was hard not to laugh.
"Follow me!"
"Pfft… Yes."
"Place your hand on your head and eek…!"
"Eek…"
"That's right! Then, pop!"
"Pop!"
With a vigorous shout, a red magic circle appeared in the air, and flames began to pour out.
Flames as red as the sun.
-Whoosh…
It lasted less than a second before dying down.
I proudly looked at the lady. Although it was only a grain-sized flame, I succeeded, didn't I? I looked straight into the lady's eyes with pride.
"Pfft…"
"…"
"Heh…"
The lady struggled to hold back a bursting smile.
Her cheeks puffed up, and her shoulders twitched, trying not to laugh.
My enthusiasm for studying evaporated.
"Don't laugh. That was practically a meteor for me."
"A meteor isn't that small."
"…"
"And a meteor is…"
"Stop there."
"Okay."
Hmm. I thought I had done everything perfectly, but what went wrong? A simple magic like a fireball doesn't require formulating a spell, so there was no need to wrack my brain, but I couldn't figure out where I went wrong.
The lady, now acting as the teacher, also seemed to have difficulty pinpointing the problem with such a dim-witted student, just staring blankly.
"Ricardo."
"Yes."
"Are you dumb?"
"…?"
"You lack imagination, Ricardo."
"I thought my imagination was meteoric."
"…Then"
The lady asked with a serious expression, pressing her brow.
"What's the problem?"
"I don't know either."
"I don't know either. I've never seen someone this dumb."
"Didn't you have times when you couldn't do it, my lady?"
"Me?"
The lady snorted arrogantly and smirked.
"I've never had such a time."
"Ah. That's annoying."
"I know."
It was foolish to try to learn something from someone so superior.
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