Chapter 133

The foolish genius, Jane, entered into a pact with Rize after that.

The content of the pact was nothing special. Basically, it involved receiving investment funds from me and delivering corresponding results.

But the most important part was the amount. The initial contract was for 10,000 silver coins, but the renewed one was much higher.

“Wh-what?! One million silver coins?! Did I hear that right?!”

“Nope. You heard it correctly.”

“Wh-where on earth did you come up with such an amount?!”

I mean, if it falls into the hands of the demon side, it seems like they’ll be making nuclear missiles on top of nuclear bombs.

At least in the Soul World, just having machines equipped would be the end of it. If things advanced further, there would be no dreams or hopes left.

Honestly, it’s an impressive feat to create batteries modeled after that formula. It’s clear that she’s a genius far ahead of her time.

“Thank you! From now on, I’ll become Sivar’s—no, Lord Sivar’s loyal slave!”

“It’s fine. You don’t need to.”

“No way! I will voluntarily become a slave! Please use me however you see fit!”

This woman is saying dangerous things. If anyone overheard, it could be easily misunderstood.

It’s almost on par with Luna’s nonsensical ramblings. Thankfully, Rize is the one listening.

“How about becoming a loyal follower of Lord Chaos instead of Brother Sivar? Since Brother Sivar also serves Lord Chaos.”

“Of course, I will serve! I believe that this entire situation is thanks to Lord Chaos!”

“?”

What on earth is she talking about? I trusted Jane because I know the future.

But I overlooked one part here. Jane informed me directly.

“The reason Lord Sivar believed in someone like me with nothing! I think it’s because Lord Chaos guided him. Isn’t that right?”

“……?”

“If that weren’t the case, it wouldn’t make sense. This is truly a connection brought forth by Lord Chaos, isn’t it?”

No. I couldn’t even speak because it was so ridiculous that her thought process flowed like that.

Chaos has certainly messed with me, but has hardly ever helped.

However, there’s a problem. I can’t disclose the ‘reason’ I invested in Jane.

If Luna was here, she might understand my situation. I miss her a bit right now.

[Faith is rising!]

This god is messing with me again. I could only chuckle at the message displayed before my eyes.

A believer, and a fervently believing one at that, has appeared—it might be good after all.

Moreover, it’s like a lottery that’s already guaranteed to win. Money is rolling in without even scratching the surface.

“Good attitude, Sister Jane. But Lord Chaos favors those who prove themselves, so you’ll need to work even harder from now on.”

“Of course! I’ll work like a dog to produce good results!”

The sight of Rize diligently preaching and Jane faithfully following her is utterly chaotic, to say the least.

Thank goodness that those two are the only followers of Chaos; it would be tough if more showed up.

‘Could Luna possibly…?’

Considering the mouth of chaos, it’s not entirely impossible.

But judging by the fact that she hasn’t received Chaos’s favor yet, there must be another reason.

If even Luna begins to believe in Chaos, I feel like my head will explode in various ways. For now, I better keep my mouth shut.

“Saintess, what does Lord Chaos desire? Should we offer prayers or tributes?”

“Lord Chaos values the growth of Sister Jane above all. As proof, Brother Sivar invested boldly, right?”

“Oh! That’s right!”

Maybe saying nothing is better. There’s no point in continuing to explain when she interprets it however she wishes.

After that, I took out paper and pen to draft the pact and contract. Surprisingly, the pact document caught fire.

According to Rize, the pact can only be retrieved if one personally takes it out again.

If it’s fantastical, then it’s exceedingly fantastical, and both Jane and I just accepted it as is.

“Well then, I look forward to working with you, Sister Jane.”

“Yes! Please take care of the Saintess and Brother Sivar! I’ll be working hard here!”

“Aren’t you going to change workshops?”

Considering I just paid that much, it would be kind of weird not to change workshops.

Jane appeared startled at my question and scratched her head, looking rather sheepish.

“Um… since I calculated it for five months at once… it feels a bit too much, you know?”

“…”

Five months means 500 silver coins, or about 500,000 won.

I had just invested a million silver coins, so it looks like that beggar tendency just came into play.

Of course, a craftsman isn’t picky about tools, and with Jane’s skills, it wouldn’t matter where she goes.

“Today turned out to yield unexpected results. I’m really pleased.”

After parting ways with Jane, Rize said. From her expression, it seemed genuinely good.

Though Rize usually wears a calm smile, such genuine emotion is rare.

It was clear how sincere her faith in Chaos was. That’s why she must have become a Saintess.

“Taking this opportunity, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to find someone at the academy who has received Lord Chaos’s favor. What do you think, Brother Sivar?”

“Do as you please.”

Honestly, I don’t care. Jane’s case came totally out of the blue, that’s all.

Even if I find a follower of Chaos, I’ll just leave the preaching to Rize. I’m not involved at all.

‘The most I’ll get is faith increasing in the end, I guess.’

Thinking that, I returned to the dormitory. The next week would surely be busy with classes and training.

“May chaos fill the world.”

“……”

Rize said something ominous beside me, but I brushed it off lightly.

There’s no way more of them would pop up around me.

*****

The next day, class began. The content was nothing special.

They said we should prepare thoroughly since finals were coming up, and there would be many autonomous training sessions until then.

With finals approaching, I found myself suddenly curious about how I would be treated.

“Student Sivar will take the exam in a ‘special manner’. There won’t be any irregularities like last time, so don’t worry.”

Marlboro answered that question. Last time the exam went south because of Delphoi’s antics, but this time would be different.

The professors would have pooled their brains to derive the best answer, so I just needed to stay quiet.

Above all, I didn’t care about the point system. I had more pressing matters.

Scholarship? I’ve been steadily making money from stocks, so the scholarship isn’t really necessary.

“Ha. I need to maximize my points this time. I lost too much money in stocks.”

“Who told you to invest everything? Diversifying is the basics, you know.”

Antonio, who had lost most of his money in stocks, lamented, while Grace poked him.

Indeed, Antonio had been too greedy, which is why he ended up losing money.

I may know the future, but I definitely don’t operate like Antonio. I’ll stick to diversified investments, like Grace said.

“You don’t need to worry about money. You’re a noble, the daughter of a Duke’s family, right?”

“……Excuse me, but not all nobles have a lot of money, you know?”

Grace squirmed for a moment, then forced a smile as she replied.

She didn’t mean to be sarcastic, but mentioning her family might have stung a little.

Grace doesn’t like her family. Especially after the Delphoi incident, those feelings have probably intensified.

Just from the fact that she’s chosen to have me as her escort says that she doesn’t care at all about her family’s honor.

“And there are many things more important than money in the world. However, countless people have perished because of money. Please keep this in mind.”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

That’s why she keeps losing money with every stock trade. Grace’s advice is given, but it’s being brushed off.

Well, if I lend Antonio some money later, that could help me out.

Or perhaps he could tell me about profitable stocks. That would also be enough.

“Speaking of which, sis, how’s the Magic Stone Mine doing?”

Luna, who had quietly been listening to their conversation, asked Kara.

Kara either pinched my cheek or twirled my hair, then replied with a puzzled “Huh?”

“The Magic Stone Mine? Oh, that? It’s just going well. Why do you ask?”

“I was just thinking about investing more in stocks.”

“Be careful. If you mess up, you might run afoul of the regulations. So, don’t ask me; it’s better to ask Sivar directly.”

Is she really treating me like an octopus? But Kara has a point, so I had no retort.

Moreover, Luna knows my secret, which is like a solid insurance.

“Sivar, what would you recommend as a stock?”

“Not right now.”

The stocks related to Tartar have risen way too high, so investing in them is risky, and the rest aren’t promising returns either.

The only kind that might exist would be in maritime trade, but the randomness is just too much to recommend it.

‘Damn pirates.’

They tend to raid whenever there’s an opening. Even the steamship Santhia isn’t safe.

They, too, worship Gulrak like Tartar. To the point of fanaticism, even.

It’s not strange at all for them to be devout when getting capsized by storms is a common occurrence.

“So when should I invest?”

“Later.”

“Can you tell me when ‘later’ is?”

“…”

Has she lost her mind after tasting the sweet scent of money? I stared blankly at Luna, who kept prodding.

If she kept this up, I’d barely managed to avoid suspicion, I wouldn’t get why she’s asking such things.

“Oh, never mind. Just tell me when you have time alone.”

“…”

Again, her mouth is the problem. I felt the atmosphere dangerously sink as I glanced around.

Kara smirked like it was another usual occurrence, while Grace frowned, clearly displeased.

“……Luna? Brother Sivar is currently my escort. At least during the week, he needs to be by my side, so please refrain from such comments.”

“It’s fine. We meet every weekend anyway.”

“……”

Rize isn’t even here. Oh, Luna.

Grace’s expression sharpened a bit more, but it seemed Luna hadn’t noticed at all.

Her glare was already fierce, but now it seemed even sharper. So much so that Lee Yeon-joo next to Grace flinched.

“Um… how about we have lunch first?”

Amid the strange atmosphere, Lee Yeon-joo carefully opened her mouth. That was a reaction as if she desperately wanted to escape.

I wondered if that was acting or genuine, but I leaned toward the former.

“Right. I happened to be hungry too.”

“Then I’ll head out first. See you later.”

Antonio left quickly, and before long, the rest of the group followed suit.

‘This is why I’m left with nothing but girls.’

Even if Elvin was around, it wouldn’t help much since he’s busy.

Family matters—I know it’s about time the engagement issues start stirring up a commotion.

“……Huh? Who’s that?”

As we walked toward the restaurant, Kara pointed out someone with an expression of curiosity.

The rest of us, including me, turned our heads to see what she was talking about. Everyone gave a similar reaction.

“……Could that be the Saintess?”

“Considering her hair color, it seems likely… but the body isn’t right?”

“No. More importantly, what on earth is she doing?”

In this world, silver hair is a rarity. In other words, it means you can pinpoint someone specific.

Especially since she’s holding a huge axe, I could guess who she was in one glance.

Though her ample bosom had shrunk a bit, it was still an eye-catching combination from afar.

‘……What the hell is that person doing there?’

Rize was wandering around, holding Ragnarok.

She suddenly presented her axe to a passerby, and when they touched the axe, sparks flew.

Immediately, Rize bowed her head and apologized. The passerby, looking uncomfortable, hastily walked away.

“……Um? Ah! Brother Sivar!”

At that moment, Rize noticed us and approached with a bright expression.

Coming toward us while holding an axe created a rather unusual atmosphere.

If it wasn’t for her being the Saintess, people would’ve thought she was insane.

“……What are you doing?”

I asked while alternating my glances between Rize’s face, her chest, and Ragnarok.

Her face and Ragnarok remained unchanged, but her chest seemed even larger than yesterday.

“I was searching for someone blessed by Lord Chaos. But it hasn’t been easy.”

“……”

Surely she isn’t doing this because of Jane’s case from yesterday? I was left speechless in disbelief.

‘Wait a second. Then how did I get found?’

Was it because Luna let it slip? That would make no sense otherwise.

While I pondered, Rize scanned our group and locked eyes with Grace.

Then, she cautiously opened her mouth in her gentle voice.

“Excuse me, but what is your name?”

“I-I am Grace of the Verche Duke’s Family… It’s an honor to meet you, Saintess.”

Grace was taken aback for a moment but quickly composed herself and politely greeted Rize. Her calmness was notable.

Rize nodded to that courtesy and smiled warmly, presenting Ragnarok.

It could have been perceived as threatening, but her gentle aura managed to alleviate that.

“So you’re the one Brother Sivar saved. Would you like to touch this axe?”

“Um… y-yes?”

“It’s just about touching it.”

She really was treating it like a magical conch shell. If Hector had seen this, he would’ve gone ballistic.

No, not just Hector—Gulrak would surely be fuming. The weapon’s purpose has been flipped on its head.

What if she ends up getting hurt like this? As I contemplated whether I should intervene…

Tap—

“I-I do it like this?”

“Huh?”

“Um?”

But surprisingly, nothing happened. Grace lightly touched the axe, and yet she was perfectly fine.

Rize seemed equally surprised and practically pushed the axe toward her.

Of course, Grace, with her delicate strength, struggled to lift it, but she could nonetheless touch it.

“W-why are you giving this to me…?”

“Ahhhh…!”

While Grace was bewildered, Rize wore an expression full of joy.

“The world is truly filled with chaos…!”

“……”

Why? Why is the person most distant from chaos saying such things?

Moreover, Grace is a noble. Sure, she harbors a childlike heart, but she can see reality as a noble.

[Faith is rising!]

What on earth is happening?

---