Sister-in-law of the Heroine in a Childcare Novel - Chapter 193

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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 193

In the center of a vast, open space, a large, round Crystal—presumed to be a Sacred Object—floated in the air. It was about as tall as a person. I felt oddly tense.
The empty space held only me. Everyone else waited outside, deliberately kept from entering this chamber.
I took the thin, small Knife that lay on a little table beside the Crystal and drew blood from the inside of my palm. When I let a drop of blood fall onto the Sacred Object, the air trembled with a sound. Thrummm, thrummm….
‘…There’s nothing wrong, right? Everything’s been fine so far, hasn’t it?’
Yes, everything is fine.*.☆⸜(⑉˙ᗜ˙⑉)⸝♡.*
[[Contract Holder ‘Titania’ confirmed.]]
It was as if someone had turned on a space heater in a cold room—a wave of warm air wrapped around my body. At the same time, a weighty voice spoke directly into my mind.
[[Access period expired due to extended duration. Reauthenticate? Yes/No]]
‘Just to ask—that doesn’t mean I need to perform a Master Ceremony right this second, does it? What exactly needs reauthentication?’
Ah, it seems to be something slightly different from the Master Ceremony….
( ｡_｡)
Is it something like Light Contract Holder credentials? I’m not sure. It shouldn’t be anything bad.
I listened to the Sword’s oddly flustered explanation for a moment, then mentally selected ‘Yes.’
But hearing that the access period expired makes it sound like I’d logged in before. Was there another Light Contract Holder before me? There must have been.
[[■■■ has been lost. Final Management Rank authentication impossible]]
What is that? Explain. What’s been lost?
[[Partial confirmation possible. First-stage authentication available. If you wish to proceed, please provide more physical information.]]
Was it asking for more blood? I tilted my head and applied more blood, but it only intensified the vibration—nothing else changed.
“Damn. If I can get through Management Rank authentication, that means I could repair the Barrier myself, fix the Crystal… The Southern Region was supposedly half-destroyed, but this place still seems intact….”
If I’m really a Light Contract Holder, shouldn’t there be more detailed explanations and such?
On impulse, I tightly gripped the Ornament I’d made through Rasper and closed my eyes. Then I tried to move the powers I’d newly awakened.
I summoned wind, made light sparkle and shine, healed the cut on my fingertips, and felt around at the fragments of power—fire, water, wind—that swirled inside the tightly clustered Ornament….
[[Confirmed.]]
“Huzzah!”
So a true Light Contract Holder really does have to be able to wield all these powers! The difficulty level is genuinely high. I wish I’d had a kinder guide like Podaga from the Southern Region, but I can’t complain about this either.
If I can somehow massively strengthen the Barrier’s power so the Magic Beasts can’t climb up, that would be wonderful!
The moment I was indulging in such hopeful dreams, black liquid began pouring down from the Crystal hanging in the air.
“…Why is it black? I’ve been getting increasingly uneasy around black things. It reminds me of Magic Beasts. I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”
Calm yourself, Contract Holder! From what I can see…. ∠(ﾟДﾟ)/
“What do you see?”
Well, it’s like… air conditioning maintenance from your world. You know, where you don’t change the filter and run it for so long without a break that when you restart it, debris and gunk leak out…?ヘ(◕。◕ヘ)
“…….”
…I was rendered speechless by the explanation’s painful realism.
So if Magic Beasts are like heat, then the Northern Barrier is an air conditioner. It’s been running non-stop because things have been so brutally hot, never shutting down to rest, unable to change the filter, so all sorts of dust has accumulated inside, power consumption has skyrocketed, the electric bill is astronomical—that kind of situation.
Right, you have to repair an air conditioner before it breaks completely…. Only royal bloodline who’ve awakened to Light Power can get a license to work on air conditioning, so no one could ever fix it….
Thinking about it that way, the entire situation suddenly seemed trivial.
Hello, I’m here to do repairs. Though I couldn’t bring all the parts—all the awakened divine power users—I’m sure the god had reasons for choosing me.
With a thrummm and a thrummm sound, the Crystal stopped. …It seemed to have turned even whiter than before, though that might have been my imagination.
[[Contract Holder ‘Titania’ confirmed. However, you may only access up to Grade 2 at present. Rubedo
(rubedo)—only after becoming that—
may you approach further.]]
‘Rubedo?’
Ah, that is to say, only after performing the Master Ceremony will you have complete access authority over the Northern Barrier. ( ☉_☉)
‘Is there any way to reinforce the Northern Barrier without performing a Master Ceremony in this place?’
[[No method exists to perfectly strengthen the Northern Barrier without performing a Master Ceremony.]]
Should I just finish the Dedication Ceremony for now and find a way to perform the Master Ceremony separately later and come back? I sighed, rubbing my face wearily.
The voice I was hearing—how should I put it. It had none of the faint humanity I’d felt with Podaga. Even the AI voices and automated service announcements from my past life sounded more warm than this.
‘Is there a way to perform the Master Ceremony quickly, lightly, and reliably? If there is, I could just get it done right here and leave.’
Even as I spoke, I felt how absurd it was. People who eat without working still face limits, and if such a thing existed, I wouldn’t be suffering like this right now….
[[It exists.]]
‘It does?!’
It does?!ヽ ( ꒪д꒪ )ﾉ
If you’re going to be shocked, don’t say it!
But setting aside my amazement for now, I focused on the explanation.
[[The reason why the Light Contract Holder’s sign must pass through three stages, only reaching Rubedo at the final stage to gain access authority over the Northern Barrier’s ultimate Crystal, is for the Contract Holder’s safety and the world’s stability. This is because we judged that if you could not even recreate in Virtual Reality what Emperor Alcalianus and his companions accomplished, the probability of success would be slim.]]
…In other words, there’s no way I could do this alone.
[[However, Contract Holder ‘Titania’ has previously reached the stage of Albedo
(albedo).
Under the condition of maximally utilizing the traces of that soul and body, we can halt ‘the present’ time and artificially substitute the Master Ceremony in Virtual Reality. However, since this is not a proper Master Ceremony, there is a high likelihood of excessive strain on the Contract Holder’s soul and body.]]
‘Will I die? Go insane?’
[[Contract Holder ‘Titania’ will not die in the Light realm. Derangement of mind will not occur.]]
‘Could I be left with permanent disabilities or scars?’
[[The problem arises in Contract Holder ‘Titania’s soul.]]
‘…How are soul and mind different?’
If—just in case—Princess Titania were to die and be reborn, the traces would remain.
[[Contract Holder ‘Titania’ is the last existing Light Contract Holder. Should ‘Titania’ be lost, the Northern Barrier will also cease to exist. Taking excessive risks is not advised.]]
‘…So I won’t die or go insane, then.’
But to begin with, not ‘all’ the Light Power users have even gathered. How am I supposed to form a dream team that doesn’t exist and lessen the overload?
I confirmed that time had passed and let out a groan.
Will you do it?ﾍ(;´o｀)ﾍ
‘Why are you recommending I do it?’
Well, that’s….
‘All this time you’ve been saying “Would you like to perform the Master Ceremony?” with such peppy enthusiasm, like some alarm bell, and now you’re suddenly hesitating—that’s weird, actually. But if I can finish it fast, lightly, reliably, and it won’t leave a mark on my body, then….’
The voice delivered another statement to me as I deliberated.
[[Furthermore, should you proceed with this option, Contract Holder ‘Titania’ will permanently be unable to restore ■■■. The problem with the soul refers to such a consequence. Do you consent?]]
‘That makes me really anxious. Do you know what that redacted word is?’
…….
‘You don’t?’
Instead of the Sword, who suddenly fell silent, there came the sound of beaks clicking together. Gemina, who I’d told to wait—and who defiantly resisted my words—was sleeping soundly in a pocket inside my collar.
“Chirp.”

“Huh?”

“No, I mean, if it’s really that dangerous, I should at least think about it…. But you have to explain so I understand what’s what. Gemina, do you know? Since you’re born a Divine Beast, do you just innately know?”
Perhaps it was my imagination, but Gemina’s gaze seemed unusually dry as she stared at the center of the Barrier floating in the air.
That was when it happened.
Rumble.
The ground trembled faintly.
“Oh geez, the Barrier…. No wait, the Barrier’s master? An alternate self? Anyway, Northern Barrier. Surely you’re not upset just because a Divine Beast barely a moment old took a look at you…. Ha, haha….”
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
I stopped denying reality and let out a heavy sigh.
“What’s happened now, what….”
For the tremors to be reaching even here, something must have happened somewhere else in this area?
This was the Dedication Ceremony day. Even if some crazed dragon came charging out, we had enough fighting power on standby to sever its neck in one stroke.
So what problem has arisen that makes this crucial space—which I haven’t even left yet—shake like this? After a long silence, the Sword spoke.
…Contract Holder.
“Yeah?”
I did tell you that the Magic Beast signatures in this area had disappeared….
“Yeah, right.”
The thing is, Magic Beasts appear so frequently in Castrain Duke’s Territory that we usually omit reporting on the traces and auras of ‘dead’ Magic Beasts, you see? Mana Stones come from dead Magic Beast corpses anyway, and if you dig even one span of earth anywhere, you’ll find a Magic Beast skull—that’s the kind of place it is….
“…So what’s the conclusion?”
I know it sounds insane, but it seems dead Magic Beasts are moving. Right around here, too.
Rumble, rumble-rumble. The tremors grew increasingly severe.
As if an alarm were sounding, warning everyone to evacuate in an emergency.

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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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