Chapter 141

It’s been a week since I started living at the Betga household.

One day, a man came into the house and asked me, “Who are you?”

It was late at night when a guy covered in soot and reeking of oil—looking totally like a burglar—entered the Betga residence. He froze upon seeing me, bolted outside, then hesitantly came back in with a puzzled look on his face.

“Is this our house?”

Well, it makes sense he’d be surprised—there’s a strange girl here after all. But I know who he is from Victoria’s memories.

“Mr. Morris Bet?”

“Uh… yeah. And who might you be? A friend of my daughter?”

“Something like that. Miss Beatrice had to leave suddenly due to an urgent call from work, and as for Victoria…”

I gestured behind me.

“Hey! I can cook too! Behold! The radiant glory of alchemy! Oh? Dad?”

Victoria came out laughing, holding up some weird dish she made and waving enthusiastically.

By the way, the original meal we were supposed to make was something in the ratatouille family—a vegetable stew made with eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, peppers, and so on. Except, there’s one difference: it’s loaded with fruit and mustard sauce.

For reference, those last two aren’t part of the recipe—it’s more like her “creative cooking.”

Anyway, while Mr. Morris looked wistfully at the food, I thought, *Why not just enjoy your daughter’s cooking?*

So, after brief introductions, the three of us sat down at the table for dinner. Surprisingly, it tasted better than expected, and I ended up finishing mine. Meanwhile, both Morris and Victoria barely touched theirs.

“Eat it all, especially the person who made it.”

“Sniff… sniff…”

I watched as Victoria slowly nibbled on her creation.

Morris, being the victim here, didn’t say much—but how many families would refuse when their daughter begs them to eat what she cooked?

You see, Victoria spent a lot of time alone because both her parents worked long hours.

Afterward, I deflected further questions by saying, “Didn’t you taste-test it while making it?”

“Yes! It tasted edible! And Bell ate it fine!”

Of course, the mustard and other seasonings used in the stew probably helped initially, but after the first few bites, the flavors got all over the place. Plus, tasting food when hungry versus full makes a difference, right?

And here’s how to counter Victoria’s defense:

“In ancient times, spices were hard to come by.”

In the first era, people still managed to cook decent meals, but during the second, spices were almost impossible to find. Even with access to certain resources, they couldn’t use them as freely as today.

“Ah, so that’s how it was back then?”

“Yeah, Tori. Is this person really that old?”

Morris fidgeted nervously. He’d been treating Victoria as if she were his age this whole time.

“Yeah. Probably older than Mom and Dad combined.”

As Morris stood awkwardly trying to bow formally, I stopped him. While Beatrix adapted easily, Morris seemed uncomfortable.

Once we’d eaten enough to ensure proper nutrition, we cleaned up together. During this time, Victoria told Morris about everything that happened with me.

Mostly, it was Victoria recounting her adventures.

A little later,

“So, you’re from another world?”

“My savior, Dad!”

Though technically, I may have ruined her future… but that’s something I’ve kept hidden from everyone, including Beatrix.

Anyway, Victoria excitedly showed off her abilities to Morris. Despite wearing clothes drenched in iron and oil scents, she didn’t seem bothered at all.

To begin with, Victoria chose the career path of a Mechanical Knight specifically because of Morris. So, it wasn’t odd at all.

If anything, it fit perfectly.

When the story concluded, Victoria began boasting about her powers—like gathering moisture from the air to form droplets or dispersing water into mist.

Fascinated, Morris abruptly stood up and rushed off somewhere before returning moments later with a toolbox filled with various gadgets. Together, they tested Victoria’s abilities.

Some tools looked familiar based on my memory, others completely baffling. Using these, he examined floating water particles and attached measuring devices to different parts of Victoria’s body.

“How does this even work?”

“Why, Dad?”

“There’s no trace of magic power. I can’t detect any force driving this phenomenon. Even elemental spirits manipulate ambient magic energy to create special effects…”

Morris turned his gaze toward me.

“What principle governs this ability?”

Clearly someone with a scientist’s curiosity. Still, I shook my head.

I possess numerous memories and information, but I’ve never actually applied them to anything practical. Sure, scanning through Daegon’s or the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign’s knowledge raises suspicions, but claiming expertise feels embarrassing.

“I don’t know. Not everyone gains abilities upon forming a contract, and even when they do, they rarely gain identical ones. Each person’s manifestation varies.”

Moreover, such abilities tend to align with solving immediate problems faced by the individual—or granting desires most effectively.

Broadly speaking, it boils down to the same idea.

“Isn’t it you who grants power through the contract?”

Morris stared at me suspiciously, clearly misunderstanding. He thinks divine beings bestow powers via contracts.

“I lack the ability to manipulate universal forces like magic power, which interact with organisms to manifest willpower into reality. Therefore, these psychic abilities must stem from inherent traits within the one who formed the contract.”

At that moment, Victoria raised her hand.

“You’re right, Dad! Using this ability makes me super hungry afterward! But that doesn’t mean I can’t use magic either!”

For reference, Victoria can indeed cast spells. So can Morris. In a world where magic relies on mana as fuel, technicians skilled in manipulating it can perform basic magic.

Just not at expert levels unless they specialize.

Think of it like someone studying Earth sciences learning statistics along the way.

Victoria levitated a small mana orb in one hand while conjuring a ball of water in the other. Then she merged them, combining the two effortlessly before separating them again. She evaporated the water into steam and reabsorbed the mana.

Watching this, Morris clutched his head.

“Where did the heat go during phase changes?”

Still, his grin suggested excitement over acquiring new toys.

“Oh, hey, can I form a contract too?”

Morris pointed at himself curiously.

Hmm. While I wouldn’t mind personally—and actually kind of want to—if I agreed now, Beatrix would likely shoot me.

Besides, he seems suspicious of the contract process, possibly due to having seen too many examples involving shady deals.

Contracts among humans are often dirty affairs, right? Some clauses seem harmless initially but end up causing major harm later.

That’s human society for you—built on agreements riddled with loopholes.

What if tweaking the contract terms backfires horribly?

Thus, no changes to the contract document.

Anyway,

“Not everyone gains abilities. If you’re interested in contracting, I suggest discussing it with Miss Beatrix first.”

I mimed a gun with my fingers and subtly aimed upward.

“Mom reacted pretty sensitively earlier. Personally, I think avoiding her wrath is wise—you won’t win against her in this house.”

“That’s… true.”

Poor Morris sighed sadly, prompting Victoria to pat his back comfortingly.

Seeing their interaction, I decided to steer the conversation away from contracts by asking something else.

“So, do you two intentionally take turns visiting?”

From Victoria’s memories, Morris appeared frequently, though occasionally Beatrix took his place.

In short, one of them always stayed with Victoria late into the night. Both prioritized spending time with her, though only Morris could regularly set aside fixed periods. Confirming this, Morris nodded.

“I received a note saying there’s an emergency requiring her absence.”

“How long will Mom be gone this time?”

“It says three days, though five means trouble.”

The two murmured quietly, somehow understanding each other perfectly.

Such familial harmony looks nice.

“Dad, you’re working tomorrow, right?”

“Huh? Yeah, why?”

Based on the news broadcast earlier, tomorrow should’ve been a holiday.

“Then how about visiting Dad’s workplace? We’ve got Bell with us now, and sightseeing sounds fun, doesn’t it?”

Morris looked troubled by Victoria’s overly enthusiastic suggestion but glanced at me for reassurance. After shrugging nonchalantly, he relented.

“Alright. Since I can’t spend the weekend with you anyway, let’s do it. Just wake up early. If you don’t, I’ll leave without you.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Victoria grinned widely, clearly thrilled.

Whether it’s because she’s eager to visit a workshop related to Mechanical Knights or simply excited to see where her father works—or maybe both—tomorrow won’t be boring.

While planning our activities for the next day, Morris suddenly grabbed Victoria’s arm.

“Hey, Dad?”

“Daughter, let’s examine your ability further. Feeling hungry after using it indicates some form of energy exchange.”

Realizing ominous implications ahead, Victoria glanced worriedly at me.

But I’m not taking sides; I’m equally intrigued by verifying her powers.

“I’ll assist in restraining you.”

“Would that be alright?”

“You can drop the formalities.”

“No, if you insist…”

“My polite speech is a disability. Accept it.”

Morris grimaced as if punched in the chest, then resumed testing Victoria with various devices.

Eventually, after using her abilities extensively until late at night, Victoria fled to her room.

Tomorrow promises to be eventful.

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