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Chapter 24
Translated by Tam
Edited by
If tomorrow is the end of my life, what should I do today?
“If it were me, I’d run around naked in the square. I want to do things I’d never be able to do if I was sane.”
Rose’s answer was a convincing argument. And so Catherine headed to the garden.
“What is that filthy philosophical question? What am I going to do today if I die tomorrow? Wait a minute, let me think about it.”
Even after 5 minutes and 10 minutes, Damian’s troubles looks were not over. Damian looks like he’s going to die just sitting like that. Catherine turned her back without hesitation and left her mansion.
She dies tomorrow. Maybe. No, she’ll die the day after tomorrow by setting the period a little more leisurely. For half-sure.
‘I’m going to try to deal with Cesare too.’
Cesare Jean Uld Christopher.
The total number of castles following this is more than ten. He was the lord of ten lands, one of the top five wealthiest in the world, and an Archmage who commanded the continent with Shagweed II.
As the only brother of Shagweed II, the Emperor of the Iterana Empire, he was a hero not only of his country but also of the continent.
According to some columns, Cesare was the only person with a reputation comparable to Shagweed II and the Pope. It means that he is a being that receives people’s love and attention to that extent. But what if it turns out that such a man is a demon?
“Heyy! Take it, pillar of fire!”
“What? Don’t use my magic! The pillar of fire is the fire of the devil Moritat’s magic!”
“Yeah— Then I’ll be Moritat.”
“No! I’m Moritat!”
Three boys rushed in and hit Catherine’s leg and ran away.
“Guys! Can’t you walk slowly? What are you going to do if someone gets hurt?”
A middle-aged woman who came rushing to me bowed her head and ran to the children.
‘Do they know how cruel a devil Moritat is?’
Of course, they don’t know.
Humans can’t use magic. In a world where even the weeds blooming along the road have mana, only humans are born without mana. Therefore, in order for humans to use magic, they had to make a contract with a different race with mana.
For example, the devil.
Devil and monsters are the targets of the Holy See’s subjugation. And 99 out of 100 wizards belonging to the Empire were wizards who made a contract with the devil.
Representatively, the Iterana Imperial Family, one of the most powerful magic families in history, has been wielding more than ten devils like limbs for generations. It was also the basis for the Iterana Empire to become the loser of the continent.
However, it was only good as a ‘tool’ that the imperial people did not feel hostility toward the devil. If it was discovered that certain devils had merged with the ruling class and ruled the country, the empire would face a massive disaster.
This was clear proof that Cesare would hurt Catherine to avoid troublesome situations.
‘The end is in vain considering that it came out curiously.’
Strangely, she didn’t feel any emotion. There was no fear of death or resentment. Catherine felt more awkward about herself.
‘Maybe it’s because I haven’t felt it yet.’
What should I do before I die?
Catherine’s choice was to leave the mansion first. As she went down to the downtown area and walked through the square, she remembered Maggie’s note that she had put in her pocket. It was the name of a hotel she had seen several times in passing. Thanks to her, her steps naturally went to the hotel written on her note.
“Uhm.”
Cesare mentioned that it was Maggie who brought the invader he had killed—but if she was destined to die, she still wanted to say a final goodbye to her sister. As if ridiculing Catherine’s wishes, a disappointing reply came from the hotel desk.
“She checked out this morning.”
“By any chance, do you know where she went?”
“I apologize. There’s no information we can give you.”
She said she was going to stay for a week, but she disappeared in just two days. It was definitely suspicious behavior.
Catherine was calm about everything just because she was about to die. But is it because the whereabouts of Maggie are unknown? She was curious about the reason why Maggie brought the intruder secretly.
Catherine couldn’t leave her place. They weren’t very close, but she felt sorry to think that no matter what intention she had, she couldn’t even say goodbye.
She doesn’t know how many times the hotel door has been opened. A woman with a familiar face was approaching from the middle of the lobby, looking at her.
“Sister?”
As soon as she recognized who it was, she jumped up and walked to her.
“Maggie, are you okay? Aren’t you going back?”
“Going back? The view wasn’t good, so I just moved to a better hotel. Still, I asked them to call me if a young woman came, but I’m glad I didn’t leave and was resting in the room I moved to.”
“I thought you ran away from Cesare—”
Maggie made a strange face. She then carefully looked around her and took Catherine’s hand and left the hotel.
They arrived at a hotel two blocks away. As Maggie said, it is more dazzling and neater than the place written on the memo.
Maggie entered a calm cafe inside the hotel. As soon as they settled in the corner, she asked in a whispering voice.
“Speak right. Why is Grand Duke Christopher in Sister’s house?”
As expected, she knows. Well, it would be more ridiculous to say that she doesn’t know a man with that name and that face.
Explaining how she met Cesare would have made the story unnecessarily long, so Catherine decided to mix the lies appropriately. In a direction that is not connected to the mansion as much as possible.
“It’s nothing. Just—”
But there was a problem.
“It’s just—”
There is no suitable alternative coming up.
They became close while competing for a bid for a mansion, and they became close because he was the former owner of the mansion. There are so many things to say when she links it to the mansion, but when she excludes it, her head doesn’t work.
“Why can’t you talk?—Oh my! Are you two dating?
Catherine couldn’t say anything. To say no, she wasn’t confident in answering the question back like ‘Then what is it?’
“Crazy, crazy. You’re meeting that Grand Duke Christopher? Oh, I’m dizzy—. Your life is full of surprises!”
“Lower your voice, Maggie.”
“How do you shorten it? Here’s the perfect excuse to ruin Anne’s wedding!”
“Is that what made you excited?”
In fact, Catherine had to regret it within a second of showing her affirmation. Come to think of it, there is no reason why she shouldn’t be associated with the mansion right?
She was going to die in a few days anyway, so she thought of Cesare to back up. Yeah. She’s going to die anyway, so there’s no need to throw it out. Catherine immediately talks about her business.
“Maggie, you know my personality, right? You can be honest. Why did you come to me?”
With a troubled expression for a moment. Maggie, who ordered two cups of coffee, answered with a slightly relieved face.
“My family completely stopped supporting me.”
She was surprised and asked back because it was unexpected.
“What about the Academy?”
“I didn’t graduate. You know Sister, the noble family doesn’t get any scholarships. If the family’s support is cut off, that’s it. Thanks to it, I was kicked out of the dorm in a day.”
It was incomprehensible. This is most likely due to the fact that Maggie was a child who had solidified her talents and earned the top prize at the institutional magic science conference for two years in a row.
Many renowned scholars wanted to make Maggie their disciples, and Maggie’s future seemed to be solid. She can’t believe she had to give up her degree for such a small reason.
“Anne, it’s because of that damn girl. I don’t know what nonsense she said to mother, but a few weeks ago she suddenly told me that she had found a place for my wedding and told me to drop out of school and come down? Then she says, ha— She decided to sell me to over seventy old man to get a gold mine?”
A picture was drawn roughly. This means that Laura, the stepmother, who had tasted money through Anne, tried to use even Maggie. Indeed she had a way of thinking like that. Because the stepmother, Laura would often beat Maggie at her dinner table.
‘What are you learning? If a girl catches a man well, that’s all that matters. Stop doing useless things and just care about your appearance like Anne.’
Maggie used to swallow cold water with a tired face when she heard that.
“When I went back to Orléans, it was said that Sister had left the house. So I also left the house. Just like Sister.”
Is it the same? No, it wasn’t the same. Unlike Catherine, who had nothing to lose, Maggie lost too much. Future plans, dreams, and family.
“I’m sure Sister only said a word or two about cursing with your personality. So I doubled my verbal abuse and came out. I did well, right?
It didn’t seem to be the right time to be moved. Instead, Catherine gently looked at Maggie’s face.
She had a good complexion for someone who was telling a bad story, and the clothes she was wearing seemed considerable. Above all, she did not feel any anxiety. It seemed clear that something was entrusted to her. A place that recognizes Maggie’s value, provides support and has a close relation with Cesare.
“Is it the Vatican?”
Maggie looked startled for a moment. She patted her chin as if contemplating, and answered slowly.
“No, I work in Imperial City now. You’ll be surprised when you hear where I work. Still, it was worth living hard, how can I get through the Professor’s connections—Ha.”
Whether the process had been quite hard, Maggie couldn’t finish her words and breathed a long sigh.
‘If you find out Cesare’s true identity, you will be blacked out.’
She wondered in which field exactly in Imperial city she would work, but rather than that, she felt fortunate to have found a way to make a living.
Imperial City.
‘Then, is the man from yesterday someone from Imperial?’
The terrifying sound of flesh and bone chewing still lingered in her ears. What did Maggie do in Imperial City? Why did the Archduke accompany those whom he called scum?
“You probably know why I came to you. But I— I had no intention of using you.  Newspaper stories are not lies either. It was just, I had business to do with that mansion, but the owner was my older sister.”
The ordered drink came out. Maggie, who picked up sugar cubes, whispered softly, dropping sugar into Catherine’s coffee.
“Put the paper in water with lemon juice.”
Then she drank coffee with a casual face.
‘If it’s that paper—you mean the paper with the hotel address written on it.’
Did she write down anything important there? She’s glad she didn’t throw it away.
The sky was a soft pink color before she knew it. Right before she left the hotel, Maggie said in a light voice.
“Is the Grand Duke good to you?”
It was an uncomfortable topic, but she answered as casually as possible.
“No.”
Far from being nice to her, he was going to kill her soon, so she can’t say yes.
“I thought so. How can a great man who is the equivalent of a Grand Duke be satisfied with just one woman? He’ll just have to enjoy it with sister in moderation before breaking up.”