NOVEL NEXT Chapter 92: Special Delivery Load
"The carriage set off with all of us in silence since we had nothing to say to each other, and after a few hours I decided to think about Laplace and his incredible ability.
If I can gain his friendship, I might be able to create some incredibly powerful relics! In this world, relics hold great power, but they depend on very rigid conditions, and these conditions are easier to meet with the help of magic or abilities.
I look at Laplace's androgynous and bored face. Honestly, if you put him in a dress and a little makeup, he'd look 100% like a short-haired girl.
'Hmmm... ahahahaha. It would be kind of funny to see Laplace in a dress and makeup.' I briefly imagine the scene of him in a cute little dress pretending to be a girl; he'd easily fool many people.
But soon I return my attention to his ability, which is an incredible one. Besides, he's from the Sixth Layer, the same layer as my Puppeteer ability, which has immense potential.
Blessing = Sixth Layer Material Control (Description = Allows the user to manipulate inorganic matter around them)
Ability Rank = SSS+
With this ability, he can refine materials absurdly easily and efficiently. In other words, with his help, I could have materials with maximum purity, perfect for creating relics, creating puppets, and even fortifying puppets I already have.
But I doubt he'd help me if we weren't friends. Of course, I don't want his friendship just out of self-interest; I'd genuinely like for us to be real friends, and the help is just a bonus.
'That reminds me... he's from the Sixth Layer... if I were to compare, what layer are Eve's and Syl'Vyr's abilities?' I wonder, looking at Eve. I don't think it's very high, but it's not low either.
The system unfortunately doesn't inform me of their ability layers, possibly because they themselves don't know, so the system can't provide that information? I'd have to go to someone with an appraisal ability to have their abilities evaluated.
'Eve and Syl'Vyr probably have Layer 4 and Layer 3 abilities... most likely, Eve's combat abilities are Layer 3, and her electrical ability is Layer 4.' Layers 5 and 6 are ridiculously rare.
For my puppets to have abilities from those layers, I have to use absurdly valuable materials or have immense luck. I guess I'm lucky that my own ability is from the Sixth Layer, even though it started off ridiculously weak and required the condition of me becoming a living puppet to reach its full potential.
"You're staring at me a lot. Did you see something you like?" Laplace speaks with a smirk, staring shamelessly at my body. His gaze is a mix of disinterest and lechery.
"...Laplace, your Blessing is incredible. I have questions about it, about how far it can go. Could you tell me? After all, I'm your beautiful and cute little sister, and it's not like we hold any grudges against each other, right?" I say, surprising him.
"...You... know what my Blessing is?" he asks while I smile at him conspiratorially. Of course I know his ability, and I know how broken it can be when he gets stronger.
In fact, his ability is so broken that in the game, he shattered Grace's armor in a duel just by moving his hand, and that armor was a powerful Fifth Layer relic.
He only has difficulties if the item in question is made of a material with absurd magical and physical resistance and is among the best of the Fifth Layer, just as he has difficulty destroying Sixth Layer items.
It all boils down to them being inorganic materials, although he didn't even scratch Grace's sword, which is an extremely powerful item.
"More or less. I just know it allows you to manipulate matter without much trouble," I say, not wanting to say too much. I don't want to reveal that I know exactly what Blessing he has.
Just like the Curse he has, since he hates that curse because it directly affects the functioning of his Blessing.
Curse = Material Divisor (Description = Any material in contact with the user loses 50% of all attributes)
Thanks to the loss of attributes, everything Laplace uses becomes weakened. Whether it's armor, relics, weapons, even his clothes lose material value and become weaker. So much so that our father even forbade him from touching family relics or important items in the castle.
"Our father has his eye on you..." He just changes the subject out of nowhere, not wanting to answer my question, but what he says is far more interesting than the conversation I wanted to have before.
"He is? W-Well, obviously! I'm magnificent, so I deserve his attention and..."
"He possibly wants to send you to the battlefield." When he says that, I shudder all over. My body practically shrinks into the seat as my eyes tremble with dread – a completely irrational physical reaction.
Eve looks at me with slight concern in her eyes seeing my reaction, and even Syl'Vyr noticed I reacted unnaturally, but I try to return to normal, hiding the slight tremor in my body.
It seems the original Evelyn had a terror of the battlefield, and I can understand why, since it's a terrible place.
"W-Why would he... do that?" I ask nervously. I don't know why the Demon King would want to send me to the battlefield. To begin with, that never happened in the game. I know the game isn't reliable anymore, but at least the game's foundational material is still realistic.
"Isn't it obvious? It's because you've never been to the battlefield. All of us candidates for the throne have been... except for you, who was weak. But look at the surprise, it seems you've gotten a little stronger or something?"
"Well, it doesn't matter. Just know that he is really considering it, and if our father perceives more benefits in sending you to the battlefield, he will do it..."
[Laplace's Favorability +2 (Total = 3/100)]
'Favorability? Why did I gain it... oh... aha! That's it!' I give a small smile. He's apprehensive because he knows how bad it is. I knew he wasn't that bad after all! And the battlefield really is horrible; seeing that he's warning me about it is nice.
'Although... it doesn't matter...' Knowing that my father is thinking of sending me there gives me no way to stop him. If he decides, I must obey or face serious, irreparable problems.
"Laplace, what is the battlefield like?" I decide to ask, even though I know he won't like the topic. In the game, Grace never entered the battlefield, but most of the romance targets told stories about it.
And they were all pretty bad. But this world has proven to be much darker than the game, so I think the battlefield must be even more hellish than in the game, which was already heavy.
"..."
"You can tell me. Maybe it's good to talk about it and leave it as just a memory of the past, right?" I say while Syl'Vyr and Eve look out the windows, falling silent.
"Aren't you being quite talkative? It seems getting slightly stronger has made your ego soar to the heavens, hasn't it? Don't meddle too much in this," he says while starting to get up and tapping his finger on his thigh impatiently.
"But–" Before I can finish, the carriage slows to a halt until it comes to a complete stop.
"It seems our break has arrived. Get out of the carriage. I need to check the cargo and I can't show it... to you." He stands up, opening the door for me as a slight courtesy.
"...Alright..." I say, curious about what this so-called cargo is, but honestly, it's probably just some medical supplies, food, or something for the soldiers to use in the fight.
...
...
...
"Demon King, the cargo you requested has departed and will possibly be delivered within the stipulated time barring any complications or delays," a soldier says while I look out the castle window.
"Excellent. You may withdraw. And tell Marie to come to my study later. I need to speak with her about the recent transgressions she's been making with the treasury coffers." When I say this, the soldier gulps.
"I-Immediately, D-Demon King." He speaks, leaving the room as quickly as he had arrived before.
'It seems Laplace has already left... He'd better not fail, unless he wants me to throw him back onto the battlefield.' I gave Laplace an important mission since he's accustomed to the rules of the battlefield.
Laplace must deliver the [Zacron] to a fortress city which will send that item to the battlefield for use. If Laplace fails, the angels might, after years of war, manage to break through one of the frontier lines, which would create an opening for them to finally invade.
[Zacron] – A magical, toxic explosive that releases a lethal gas specifically made to affect angels. Despite the immense difficulty in its creation, the toxic gas melts the flesh of angels until it kills them, also inducing effects like madness, extreme paranoia, fatigue, and nausea.
This item is to ensure that all the angels in that place die, to teach them not to cowardly attack a low-security area that had a neutrality contract with them.
That area specifically had a contract not to be attacked because it's a region full of monsters, and that city prevents monsters from escaping to the sea and going to other continents, or sea monsters from entering ours.
Since that kind of thing could be mistaken for a deliberate attack rather than an accident if they realize a monster from one continent appeared on another.
'Well, Laplace should be able to handle it fine as long as he isn't delayed.'