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Chapter 56
Translated by Tam
“All Roots use their mana differently depending on their division. Fire and Sea depend on sight, Thunder and Shadow depend on hearing, Wind and Divinity depend on smell.”
A sugar cube fell into his coffee cup.
“But the transition doesn’t depend on these three.”
Then, looking at the falling second sugar cubes, Catherine rolled her head. Excluding sight, hearing, and smell, there were two remaining senses.
“Do they rely on sense of touch or taste?”
“No, lifespan.”
The third and fourth sugar cubes fell into his coffee cup. Catherine could not imagine how terribly sweet his coffee would be. The impact of the word lifespan was so great.
“This is the biggest reason the devil gathers the souls of the contractors. The devil lives a long life, but that lifespan is converted into magic and used. The soul of the contractor enhances the magic power, and the strengthened magic power is the amount of life consumed. It can be seen that the quantity decreases and the quality increases.”
Catherine closed her mouth and looked up at Gren standing next to her.
Could it be that Gren’s hair is white because his lifespan is worn out? Is he actually younger than her or something like that?
“Then what will happen to me?”
“I wasn’t sure about that part, so I didn’t train you right away on Lilith. The human body can’t stand the roots of transition. If you learn magic properly, you’re sure to die in less than 10 years.”
I see.
Somehow it feels ridiculous. Why is transition the only root that is rely on lifespan, while all other roots are rely on the five senses?
‘I thought I will learned it properly now—’
Perhaps by using magic power with her lifetime, she is once again blocking the path of magic. At this point, she thought it was just fate and magic.
“As far as I know, the devil has never made a contract with a human with transition roots. The only existence with transition roots is the devil. Isn’t that right, Gren?”
Gren nodded his head at Cesare’s question.
“Yeah. In my 400 years of life, I’ve never even heard of someone like Miss Catherine.”
Isn’t 400 years too long? No, should she be more surprised to hear that there has been no case like hers in four hundred years?
Gren continued.
“In human terms, it can be said to be a play on fate. Your Highness said that Miss Catherine’s talent is comparable to that of Shagweed II.”
“So what do you think?”
Cesare’s question was directed at Gren, not Catherine. Why is he asking him, not her? Cesare added slowly as he drank his coffee, wondering if her question appeared on her face.
“Gren spent a total of 300 years as a royal wizard. Even before the foundation of Iterana, he had trained wizards for over a thousand years. He has nearly 500 students, so he must be much more knowledgeable than I am in teaching humans.”
For a reason that was so understandable, Catherine straightened her face. She’s going to lose her sense of numbers like this. Living for a thousand years may come as nothing to her. Gren opened his mouth cautiously as he burst into laughter with her humble face.
“Before I give my opinion, I would like to ask a question to Miss Catherine. Why do you want to learn magic?”
The reason she wants to learn magic. She had just realized yesterday, so Catherine answered honestly.
“My mother was very talented in magic. So everyone had high expectations for me— I didn’t meet their expectations.”
It was a story that couldn’t be easily confided to anyone if it had been her in the past. But it wasn’t for now. It wasn’t difficult in front of Cesare and Gren whom she trusted.
“Now I know the reason was at the root, and it’s true that it didn’t meet the expectations, right? It seems that there are still a lot of regrets from that time.”
“You still have regrets, don’t you?”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not interested in magic. Maybe everyone has a fantasy about magic? Because not everyone can learn it.”
She doesn’t know why, but she felt relieved. What’s the big deal about revealing her true feelings about magic? Gren, who had been thinking for a while, came up with an answer.
“What do you think about changing your roots?”
Catherine asked in surprise.
“As far as I know, roots are something that is born with. Can we change it?”
“You just need to change your body. When Your Highness puts Miss Catherine’s soul into another body, the root of Miss Catherine is replaced with the root of that body.”
Catherine stared at Cesare with a blank expression on her face. Is it even necessary for her to do so? Cesare smiled a little and crossed her arms.
“If your passion for magic is that great, let’s change it. A body is just a shell.”
Catherine waved her hand hurriedly.
“No! I’m not that desperate.”
Of course, there were times when she was so desperate. She think it was like that until she met Cesare.
“Well, well, if you’re having a hard time now, you’d better look forward to your next life. Even if you were born a worm
 Learning magic is worth a try. I don’t think the Worm Wizard is bad.”
Why does Cesare decide that her next life will be an earthworm? Are earthworms the worst reincarnation he could think?
And why should she be a wizard when she was born as a worm?
“It would be more efficient for you to sign contract with various devils than to use magic. Simply put, you’ll need to summon one devil to perform ten uses of magic.”
“It’s impossible if it’s Remor. He was already as famous as His Highness throughout the empire. If you call Remor, everyone will be suspicious.”
Gren answered.
“Your Highness’ devils are not just Remor and me. In that case, it would be a good way to make a contract with the devil yourself. Miss Catherine is a Nephilim, so you can find the same Nephilim and make a contract.”
Catherine paused, as she was about to touch the cold coffee. She looked back at Gren in disbelief.
“Nephilim? Am I a Nephilim?”
Gren didn’t immediately answer her question. After examining Catherine’s face, he spoke slowly.
“Don’t
you know?”
“I think Gren won’t be mistaken. But both my parents are human beings.”
Gren’s eyes turned to Cesare. As a result, Catherine’s gaze naturally turned to Cesare. Cesare slowly opened his mouth as he silently pulled on the handle of the coffee mug.
“When I was studying magic
 We learn that with a low probability, even pure humans can create magic nullification. The theory is not true.”
Catherine listened to his voice in dazed. Cesare’s lowered eyelashes flickered softly.
“Most scholars are aware of this, but they cover it up. There are several reasons, such as
 for personal protection among devils, home protection, and effective use of magic nullification.”
“But my parents are not really devils.”
Cesare lifted his head at her words.
“Usually, in a case like Miss Catherine’s
”
Cesare spoke his words, hanging long at the end. It was a cautious attitude.
“One of the parents is either a great wizard or has the ability to do so. Usually that’s the question.”
Anyone who knew of her family history would have mentioned her mother’s name. As such, Catherine’s situation perfectly matched Cesare’s explanation.
Cesare, who was paying close attention to Catherine’s expression, suggested.
“You seem to need some time to organize your thoughts. I think it would be good to end here for today.”
He was right. In such a chaotic state as now, it was clear that no matter what Cesare said, it would not be heard.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
Before leaving Duke Christopher’s residence, she expressed her brief thanks to Cesare and Gren. Because Catherine knew it was because of her, not anyone else, that they opened her mouth.
“So what?”
A familiar bedroom appeared beyond the door of the open office. After the door closed, Catherine stood still, holding the handle for a long time.
Cesare is not the man to lie to her. Isn’t he the Great Devil of eternity, a living library with all the knowledge of the universe?
Then her mother.
‘My mother is not a human?’
Then, she remembered the hallucinations of her father she had seen on the Lilith. A distant childhood that she can’t even remember properly, the voice of her father that she vaguely remembers.
‘She’s a monster. There is no feeling of love. It means that you, me, and this family are all just tools for her family play.’
If the reason she had the power to nullify magic was that she was really a Nephilim, a mixture of demons and humans. Then her mother was not dead, but—.
‘She’s done with her human play and she’s back to her own life.’
A deep sense of disappointment came.
It meant that Catherine, or Orléans family, including Catherine, could mean nothing to her mother. The very fact that this could be the case was a huge disappointment for Catherine.
******
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
In the meantime, there has been a commotion in the Iterrana Empire. This is because, when the incident on Lilith became known, it caused a great commotion across the country.
It is said that immediately after Catherine left Duke Christopher’s residence, numerous reporters waited to cover Cesare. There is a stark difference between listening to stories in person and crossing them.
Even in that situation, Cesare kept his schedule with Catherine casually. This means that he came to Anne’s wedding in Chen to accompany her.
“It looks very uncomfortable. Or am I lacking in knowledge of women’s desire to show off?”
Cesare looked at Madame Pompadour. Madame Pompadour didn’t care at all about such Cesare’s reaction, and covered her mouth and laughed.
“Where in the world would there be a woman who would be envious of such a look? She will be ridiculed everywhere, but honestly, I can’t say that there will be no envy at all.”
A fan with a lot of gold leaf sprinkled golden light and fluttered.
The present Madame Pompadour was virtually armed with gold except for her hair and skin color.
A diamond the size of a fist holding the hair in place and a golden awning earring that was long enough to tear off the earlobe. The dress was particularly severe.
Aside from the dress made of gold thread, the upper body was completely wrapped with thin gold leaf. The bizarre appearance of the shoulders protruding directly below the ears was also an appearance, but it was a dress of enormous weight that anyone could see.
A dress that no one would be able to wear unless it was lightened by magic. Of course, the outfit that clearly showed that interest was just the beginning.