Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 88

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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 88
“Lady Deborah Simour, you’ve arrived!”
She scurried over to greet me warmly. The image of a small squirrel blinking its eyes at me came to mind.
‘How adorable.’
I stifled a smile and stepped into the Laboratory.
Father must have taken care of it—her new Laboratory was far more spacious than before. Where it once resembled a Study dedicated solely to research, it now featured a reception table where tea could be served, and various items that appeared to be her hobbies were visible.
“What are these things?”
“Th-that is… I made them to give to you, but they’re still unfinished, so I’m a bit embarrassed!”
Arin suddenly draped a cloth over the objects.
I’d asked her to make handkerchiefs that could serve as heat packs—was she working on that project?
‘Arin is also producing various merchandise for Armand.’
She had so much else to do, yet she was treating even my casual remarks like assignments.
‘Am I really that frightening?’
Arin would have every right to report me to a labor bureau, but unfortunately, this was a decadent novel where progressive labor relations didn’t exist. I gazed at her with sympathetic eyes before retrieving premium tea leaves from my large bag.
“You mentioned last time that you wanted to serve me tea, didn’t you? I understood correctly, yes?”
“Ah, yes! Yes! That’s right!”
She nodded her head vigorously.
“I brought some decent tea. Knight Isidore sent it, so it’s bound to be excellent.”
“K-Knight Isidore sent you tea?!”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I see. A precious gift you received, and now I get to share it with you…”
Her voice grew thick with emotion as she barely managed to speak, her eyes reddening as she carefully placed the tea leaves into the steaming kettle.
‘She must be a fan of Isidore, judging by her excitement.’
He truly was the Empire’s most popular man. The only person who seemed to dislike him without reason was probably Father. As for Philaf, they’d never appeared to get along anyway.
“Knight Isidore is certainly handsome.”
Especially when he smiled with those dimples, radiating charm.
“Yes? I think you’re far more impressive, Lady Deborah… ah, no, well, Knight Isidore certainly is popular.”
Arin stammered and carefully poured the hot tea into the cup. As the leaves steeped, an exquisite fragrance filled the Laboratory, and her pale cheeks flushed even deeper.
“This is truly excellent tea. I’m so honored to have this tea time with you, Lady Deborah. I’ll never forget this for the rest of my life.”
I’d grown somewhat accustomed to Arin’s flattery, so I sipped the tea calmly.
‘The tea tastes wonderful. It doesn’t seem to be black tea, and it appears to have come from another region.’
It would sell well in Armand.
However, I would soon learn that the tea Isidore had sent me as a congratulatory gift for ranking first at the Academy was so expensive it traded for approximately thirty million won per five hundred grams.
In any case, I leisurely sipped the precious tea without realizing its value, and when I’d emptied about half the cup, I finally spoke.
“Arin, do you know anything about ancient magical artifacts? Ones with the function to hatch holy water…”
Arin cupped her cheeks and hummed at hearing her name called, then hurriedly broached the main topic.
“From what I read in books, the descriptions of hatching artifacts mentioned that they either had a switch that released mana, or they would activate when a large amount of mana was poured into a mana stone. If the mana wavelength matched, the egg would supposedly resonate.”
A sudden thought crossed my mind.
‘Ah, how could I have overlooked that?’
The aura that swordsmen use is ultimately an energy source rooted in mana. Because of my memories from my previous life, I kept forgetting that I needed to utilize mana.
In the original story, when Diera infused sword energy into the gifted blade, the holy water egg had undoubtedly responded.
“Would it be possible to infuse mana into this?”
Arin, who had been examining the grotesque iron sword I’d produced from various angles, opened her mouth with a melancholic expression.
“I’m sorry, but only knights with robust auras would be capable of infusing mana into such a hard blade. I could perhaps prevent the sword’s surface from rusting, but that’s all I can manage.”
‘So it was a finicky magical artifact. Not many knights can wield sword energy.’
The knights here trained by accumulating qi in their dantian—their aura. And only when they could draw upon this aura freely could they become official knights. However, releasing the aura as a vivid force and wrapping it around a blade required innate talent like that of a mage.
‘To awaken the holy water, I need a sword expert like Diera.’
Since the number of people who could use it was extremely limited, this blade must have wandered about in its rusted state before eventually flowing into that suspicious Auction House. Diera had kept the egg dormant like a fossil for over seventeen years.
‘Now I’ve finally found the real answer.’
* * *
Once I understood the principle, the problem resolved itself quickly.
I asked Father to lend me a sword expert from the Simour Family Knight Order for a brief time. When the knight infused sword energy, strange geometric patterns emerged on the blade’s spine, and an unpleasant aura rose before abruptly ceasing.
Soon after, the white holy water egg in my grasp trembled delicately, as though resonating with some bizarre wave.
‘I succeeded. I’ve awakened the ultra-rare holy water!’
I quickly shoved the egg into my pocket and feigned innocence. Fortunately, everyone’s attention was fixed on the strange patterns that had appeared and vanished on the blade, so no one paid any mind to what I held in my hand.
‘It would be troublesome if others learned what a holy water egg looks like.’
Once the turtle hatches, it won’t matter.
“Deborah, where on earth did you obtain such a wondrous blade? I distinctly felt a unique mana fluctuation just now.”
Duke Simour retrieved the sword from the knight, then examined it with a grave expression, turning it over and running his hands across it.
When the aura was released, I’d merely felt slightly uneasy, but the Duke, whose mana sensitivity ranked in the top 0.01 percent, seemed to sense that the blade was no ordinary object.
“It’s something I acquired at auction from that peculiar Auction House where I purchased the books of the sixth family head last time.”
“You truly are fortunate. From what I can tell, this blade appears to be an ancient artifact. I’ll need to conduct further research to determine its purpose.”
‘It’s already served its purpose, Father.’
Since deception had become my daily habit, my conscience pricked me once more. But there was a chance that someday another holy water egg responsive to that artifact might appear. It wouldn’t be bad to pass it down as a family heirloom through generations.
The knight’s face registered shock at the Duke’s explanation.
“Goodness! An ancient artifact, no less! Duke Simour, my sincere congratulations. Lady Deborah, you are truly remarkable.”
“It is thanks to Father’s virtue and good fortune.”
“My daughter is so clever, so thoughtful of me, and even blessed with luck. Last time, you brought home a family treasure too. Ha! It was none other than Belmont’s autobiography.”
“To think Lady Deborah cares so deeply for Simour!”
After receiving a sudden barrage of praise from them, I returned to my room. There, I withdrew the holy water egg from my pocket, which had begun to glow brightly.
“Your name is Purple.”
Turtle. Purple. Remarkably, the rhyme fit perfectly. Moreover, purple meant the color violet. It felt like a pattern falling into place. Marveling at my own brilliant naming sense, I placed the holy water on a soft feather pillow.
‘Hatch quickly.’
Since holy water was a hybrid of animal and spirit, it was quite powerful. I’d heard that holy water with high potential could grow as strong as mid-tier spirits.
‘I’ll give you plenty of meat side dishes. Unlike Miya, I’m wealthy.’
Hoping the holy water would grow and strengthen vigorously, I gazed at the egg for a long time with a face gleaming with anticipation.
* * *
“Ophelia. He entrusted you with the most important task, placing his faith in you, yet you’ve accomplished nothing properly.”
A sinister, raspy voice echoed through the dark cave.
Ophelia knelt at the center of the altar, its surface darkened by dried blood, trembling violently. The thought that she too might vanish upon this very spot soon sent chills down her spine and cold sweat pouring down her face.
“He expressed his disappointment in you.”
“Ah… hah.”
As a massive venomous spider crawled across her fingertips pressed against the floor, Ophelia’s face drained of color. From the wide sleeve of the robe worn by the man seated in the left chair before the tailor’s platform, an enormous spider with a skull-like marking poked its head out before retreating back inside.
“I’m… I’m terribly sorry. Truly, I apologize.”
Though the sight was horrifying, the prospect of him punishing her terrified her far more. Ophelia trembled like an aspen leaf, swallowing hard repeatedly.
“Why does Miya have such little presence? She went to the Academy, yet she couldn’t even secure first place.”
“Still, the Temple holds her in high regard, sir.”
“High regard? There are only one or two priests in the Temple who hold her in high regard. She should be treated with the reverence of a saint, not merely praised. It seems we spared no support for her. I’ve lost count of how much holy blood has been invested.”
“The Eastern Region is facing difficulties in procuring holy blood. Remember—resources are not infinite.”
The man seated beside the eccentric spider keeper added in an irritated tone. As they continued their interrogation, Ophelia stammered before speaking in a hushed voice.
“I… from my analysis, the reason Miya hasn’t performed as well as expected seems to be… because of Deborah Simour.”

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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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