Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 22

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 22
In my former life, I would have simply laughed off any grating remarks and moved on. I believed that living smoothly without friction was the ideal way.
But that was before I died and awakened. The saying that patience brings blessings was a lie. All patience brought was constipation.
“…How unfortunate.”
I fixed him with a piercing stare as I spoke. The man who had been gloating with that self-satisfied expression suddenly went rigid at my next words.
“For a Librarian to possess such a narrow perspective is truly disappointing. I’m beginning to think my father entrusted far too important a position to a petty man consumed entirely by his own stubbornness.”
“N-narrow, you say? Your words are quite harsh.”
Caught off guard by my counterattack, the man began stammering, and I pressed my advantage without hesitation.
“You boast about the Library not handling a broad range of books as though it were a virtue—how can I not call that narrow-minded?”
“With so many excellent works available, why would we bother stocking third-rate novels that serve no purpose?”
“Is that assessment one you’ve personally verified by reading them?”
“It’s obvious without even looking!”
“You condemn someone’s creative work as third-rate without even examining the contents properly, yet you don’t see how narrow-minded that is? And your refusal to acknowledge your own narrow-mindedness to the very end—that’s equally narrow-minded.”
I continued wielding the word “narrow-minded” like a blade against his pride, and before he could formulate a rebuttal, I reached toward the Library ledger resting on the desk.
“I’m equally disappointed that you volunteered to guide me through the Library when you manage the collection so haphazardly.”
Having worked part-time in the Library during the break, I couldn’t help but click my tongue inwardly at their classification system. Books were clearly precious and far fewer in number compared to the modern era, so the system for managing them seemed rather unsophisticated.
“What book are you searching for? If it’s not a third-rate work, I’ll find it for you immediately.”
He still refused to acknowledge his verbal misstep and stubbornly persisted.
Does the Simour household truly lack capable people? This is genuinely exasperating.
“A grimoire containing formulas for third-class wide-area magic. Can you find it without a single misstep?”
Apparently unprepared for such a specific request, he hesitated.
Based on the collection’s classification system, he could probably guide me to the section containing magical formulas, but finding a third-circle text without any wrong turns was impossible. There wasn’t even a book search function here.
“If you make me walk even one unnecessary step…you know what kind of person I am, don’t you?”
I made a throat-cutting gesture with my thumb.
The Librarian finally grasped the situation at my threat and began bowing repeatedly in apology. But I had no intention of letting this matter slide gracefully.
‘Perhaps I’ve appeared too lenient to the servants all this time.’
For a retainer’s child to brazenly crawl toward a noblewoman like this was unacceptable. I committed the Librarian’s name and face to memory, then ascended to the upper level of the Library.
‘Hmm….’
True to the Librarian’s word, the Library was primarily composed of grimoires. As I carefully scanned the shelves, I was able to locate texts related to mana formulas.
『Introduction to Mana Formulas』
‘What is this? It’s incredibly thick. I don’t even want to open it.’
Why must I remain trapped in the cycle of studying even after being reborn?
‘Even with a silver spoon in my mouth, I still need to earn money.’
With a slightly melancholic mood, I reluctantly opened the book.
This book is dedicated to my dear Danae.
‘Who is Danae?’
I tilted my head in confusion and turned to the next page.
My colleague Ricurgos and I oppose the opinion that mana flow is highly irregular and fragmented.
Mana that flows as majestically as a river, as lightly as wind, and as solidly as earth does not merely demonstrate a high degree of complexity—it exhibits an entirely different level of complexity.
There are countless scales capable of understanding regularity, and all of them exist for innumerable practical purposes… (continued below)
I flicked my tongue lightly as I fluttered through the thick book.
“…This is incredibly long.”
The twenty-page elaborate preface detailed precisely when, by whom, and why mana formulas were created.
The formal development of formulas traced back far earlier than the establishment of the Asteia Empire—to the era of the Ancient Tegea Empire.
The greatest archmage among ancient sorcerers, having reached the highest pinnacle of magical mastery, had systematized mana distributed throughout nature into regular, patterned forms—these were the mana formulas.
‘Finally found it.’
Setting aside the theoretical text and rifling through the applied third-circle formulas, I broke into a satisfied smile. I had solved the professor’s problem correctly.
‘Though this is ridiculous. Area-of-effect magic is a geometric sequence?’
In this world, geometric sequences were explained as mana manipulation techniques that expanded a spell’s range of influence. In gaming terms, it was the kind of sweeping attack that obliterated low-level enemies.
But even without such knowledge, discovering numerical patterns came naturally to an engineering student like me—easier than eating rice cakes while lying down.
‘The more I look at this, the more it stimulates an engineer’s curiosity.’
The magic that transformed mana into spheres used the formula for a circle’s circumference, so I stifled my laughter.
‘There was a reason mages carried the scent of engineering.’
As I skimmed through the book with growing interest—finding the magical formulas not so different from mathematics in my world—I discovered something odd and furrowed my brow. The basic formula for calculating the sum of a geometric sequence was missing.
‘Why isn’t that formula in this book?’
Wondering if perhaps an answer key might be at the very back, I uncertainly flipped through the pages here and there, when approaching footsteps made me suddenly lift my head.
Thump, thump. With each rhythmic step, a small figure with gleaming silver hair appeared between the shelves. It was the youngest of this household—Enrique Simour.
Sunlight streaming through the large window illuminated Enrique’s plump, rosy cheeks. Seeing the white downy fur glimmering at his ears and cheeks, I clamped my mouth shut.
Wasn’t this literally made of copper and tellurium? CUTE.
‘He’s even cuter with his bangs down like that.’
If Enrique ever appeared on a family variety show, I imagined he’d instantly secure dozens of commercial endorsements with that innocent charm.
‘If I sold Enrique trading cards by type, they’d sell out in a second. Why? Because I’d collect every single one.’
Rolling his large eyes this way and that with a rather serious expression, Enrique worked his small lips for a moment before suddenly stretching his arm and beginning to hop like a rabbit. It seemed the book he wanted was positioned just out of his reach.
‘Ah. I’m getting dizzy.’
The overwhelming cuteness made me lightheaded.
To be honest, I was far more susceptible to cute creatures than handsome men. Puppies, kittens, and children were my absolute weakness.
Every time I walked through an alley, neighborhood cats would gather around hoping to get something from me, which suggested they’d figured out I was an easy mark.
‘I want to help.’
How long had it been since I resolved to be tough?
‘But he’s just too cute.’
As the child bounced, his silver hair fluttered, and I pressed my forehead. While I wrestled with my internal conflict, Enrique whimpered and barely managed to hook his finger on the book’s edge.
‘You can do it, Enrique. You’ve got this.’
However, because the books were packed so tightly, Enrique failed to pull the book out this time. Disappointed, his silver eyebrows drooped into an inverted V-shape, and his small, round shoulders sagged downward.
‘That’s it. I’ve lost.’
In the end, I surrendered completely to Enrique’s cuteness. It was irresistible. How could I not help when he was this adorable? That would make me a demon.
“Here.”
Approaching the child from behind as he bounced about distractedly, I pulled out the book and handed it to him with cool, nonchalant ease.
‘Oh my god. I’m losing it.’
Suddenly catching sight of his round little head in my lower field of vision, I had no choice but to bite down hard on the soft flesh inside my mouth.
Startled by my sudden appearance, Enrique flinched and recoiled. Alarm flashed across his silver eyes as he faced me.
I have to admit, Deborah Simour and the Library together—it’s like pairing miso soup with macarons.
“S-Sister?”
“The book you were trying to pick out.”
Enrique’s eyes grew cold in an instant. His expression filled with wariness made me want to sigh.
“Were you watching me?”
The boy’s tone turned rather sharp.
“Yes. Because you’re cute.”
I saw no reason to speak harshly to a child, so I answered honestly.
After all, Enrique was still young and held no real standing within the family. He was in a position that wouldn’t affect my reputation in any meaningful way. So why shouldn’t I act as I pleased? That’s what I thought.
‘The conclusion is simple: he’s cute, so there’s nothing I can do about it. How can I resist something adorable?’
“…Pardon?”
“Cute. Like a white rabbit.”
Enrique’s eyes widened in bewilderment, blinking slowly as he processed my words. His round ears gradually flushed crimson.
“D-Don’t tease me! Father and my older brothers are all tall, so I’ll grow just as much soon enough.”
I’d only called him cute because he was cute, but somehow I’d touched a nerve. To me, though, his indignation only made him look like a kitten puffing up its fur—even more endearing.
“Yes, you will grow.”
I suppressed my laughter and gently stroked the top of his round head.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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