TVJWLP 26

Chapter 26

I Found the Answer

Charles’ death anniversary passed quietly. In the middle of the night, Orlande had come back drunk and collapsed, and the atmosphere in the mansion was gloomier than usual. Still, the sun rose the next day without fail. I asked the chef to prepare a special hangover-friendly meal and headed to the dining room. Usually, Orlande was busy and often away from the mansion, and Noxia tended to sleep late and skipped breakfast, so I often ate with Ascan. Today, however, was different. On the day after Charles’ death anniversary, the family always gathered for breakfast. We never made it official, but without needing to speak, we naturally came together. It was a way to spend the day processing our grief individually and to find a bit of solace seeing each other the next morning.

I arrived at the dining room first. Sitting quietly and waiting, I soon saw Noxia appear, her eyes puffy from sleep.

“Did you sleep well, sister?” she asked.

“I did. And you?”

“I slept well too.”

Looking at Noxia’s face, I could tell she had cried last night, but we merely exchanged greetings, pretending nothing had happened. Sometimes, it was better not to dig too deeply into sorrow and just let it quietly pass. Charles’ death anniversary was exactly one of those days.

Orlande, who was usually punctual to the minute, arrived at the dining room slightly late today. His normally flawless appearance was slightly disheveled, his face drawn, conveying his grief wordlessly.

“Dad…”

Though imperfect, fleeting memories of Tanasia from my childhood surfaced. Charles’ face, standing with Orlande, was vague, but it was clear there had been moments of pure happiness with my parents. In my previous life, I had been an orphan, so those memories were especially precious to me. It was different from anything I had read in novels. Perhaps the recollection of Tanasia made me identify with her a little. What would have happened if Charles had lived? Her death as a child was heartbreakingly painful for me as well.

“You all woke up early,” Orlande said.

Noxia forced a bright expression and replied, “Yes, for some reason, I woke up early today.”

No one mentioned Charles’ death anniversary; we felt each other’s grief without words. Orlande spoke with a slightly strained voice, trying to sound normal.

“Let’s eat.”

It was a quiet breakfast. We didn’t exchange many words, but it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable; it felt warm and comforting. During the meal, Orlande looked at me and spoke.

“Tanasia, thank you for the food you sent yesterday.”

“I just wanted to make sure you had something to eat while drinking.”

I knew very well how he was holding himself together and how sad he was, so I couldn’t bring myself to tell him not to drink. I could only care about his health, and even that felt crucial—if I didn’t, I couldn’t bear it. Noxia looked surprised that I had prepared food for him, but Orlande gave a faint smile and whispered,

“Alright, I’ll do that.”

“When I become an adult, I’ll drink with you, Father.”

Technically, I could drink now, but at fifteen, it felt too early, so I refrained. Orlande’s expression flashed with surprise, as if he hadn’t expected me to say that.

“With me?”

“Yes. It’s better than drinking alone.”

Noxia, who had been quietly listening, spoke with concern,

“Isn’t alcohol bad for your body? I hope neither father nor sister drinks too much…”

“Sometimes, life calls for it.”

Young Noxia didn’t understand, but sometimes, life required alcohol. Enduring a harsh life without it could be difficult. I told her again,

“You’ll understand when you’re a little older.”

“R-Really…?”

While we were talking, Orlande, quietly listening to our conversation, said softly,

“If anyone heard you, Tanasia, they’d think you’ve already tasted alcohol.”

Guiltily, I had to stay silent. In my current life, I had never drunk alcohol, but in my previous life, I had experienced it fully. I had become too sentimental to calculate my words carefully. I glanced at Orlande cautiously, but surprisingly, he didn’t seem angry. Instead, he looked somewhat relieved.

“Hmm. I didn’t expect that, but it’s not bad. When you’re an adult, we’ll drink together.”

It seemed better for me to be the companion to drink with him than for him to be sulking alone with a drink. I smiled faintly, feeling that my intentions had been understood. Then Noxia, who had been quietly listening, raised her hand and exclaimed,

“Then me too!”

We looked at her, and she continued brightly,

“Three is better than two, right?”

Any way to fill Charles’ absence as a family, even just a little, was welcome. A word popped into my mind unexpectedly:

“Family…”

I had never had one before. The meaning of the word strangely touched my heart.

After arriving in this other world, my goal had always been clear: survive. Avoid the death route in the novel and enjoy a long, happy, and luxurious life as a noble… but today, a new goal was added: find the person who killed Charles. Unfortunately, Beloved Saint wasn’t a completed novel, so I didn’t know who the murderer was. People speculated in the comments section, like a mystery novel, but it was all conjecture. No concrete evidence existed.

When I first woke up as Tanasia, I felt detached from the situation. But now it was different. Orlande was my father, Noxia my sister, and I, as a member of the Brelov family, could no longer remain indifferent. Above all, I knew better than anyone how much Orlande had suffered losing Charles. Witnessing it in person was even more heart-wrenching, and I could not forgive whoever had hurt them. I resolved to do everything I could to find the culprit. It felt like the only way to repay Orlande and Noxia.

“First, I need to complete K01.”

There’s an order to things. I couldn’t immediately hunt the culprit, but K01 was crucial to prevent further original-story destruction. To participate in the academic festival, I needed to maximize K01’s power. I returned to my desk and pulled out the weapon blueprint for K01, sinking into deep thought. Just then, Ascan appeared with herbal tea, as usual. At first, his behavior puzzled me, but over the past few days, it had become familiar.

“Drink while you work,” he said. I sipped the hot tea and spoke aloud my current worry.

“Ascan, see this?”

“Is this the magical engineering weapon you’re creating?”

“Yes. What do you think?”

“It looks… unusual. Its small size makes it convenient, but I’m concerned about how much power it will produce.”

I had heard a similar comment from Varnen. The core of my concern was exactly that: how to extract maximum power from a small weapon.

“It’s too weak to be used as a weapon. How can I increase its power… I’m stuck.”

Ascan studied the K01 blueprint silently. He had potential but no training in magical engineering. Expecting nothing, I simply voiced my frustration. Then he quietly asked,

“What elemental property does it have?”

“I hadn’t set one. Since it shoots magic orbs, I thought it didn’t matter.”

“But if your concern is increasing power, wouldn’t setting one property help?”

He was right. The festival was soon, and I only needed to complete a single version of K01.

“…You make sense.”

It was a matter of perspective. Varnen and I had aimed too high initially, wanting a method applicable to all elements. But that wasn’t important right now. What mattered was a single completed weapon to showcase at the festival.

“Which element should I choose?”

I thought fast. Each element had destructive power, but fire was the easiest and strongest. Fire was considered the most potent weapon given to humans by the gods. I filled in missing parts of the blueprint with ideas that came to mind. Choosing fire as the element opened up many new possibilities. As I moved my hand to draw magic formulas, Ascan asked curiously,

“Did you choose fire?”

“You noticed quickly.”

Without explaining, he understood from the complex blueprint. He probably connected it to the knowledge I had seen him learning for intelligence tests in the lab.

“Will it now have the power you want?”

“Not yet. I aim to rotate the fire orb to amplify its strength and create a large explosion, but it’s not enough.”

Something was missing. If only a little more, it would be complete, but I couldn’t quite grasp it. Then, Ascan muttered quietly,

“What makes fire stronger?”

Fire… stronger? Instantly, a lightning idea struck my mind.

“Wind!”

Flames grow stronger with wind. Initially, I had placed only one magic stone in the gun’s safety mechanism, but if I placed two—one for fire, one for wind—firing together… the power would multiply. The projectile would feel more like shooting flames than bullets, and the rotating explosion with wind would be immense.

I jumped up. Finally, I found the answer to my long struggle. Overjoyed, I hugged Ascan’s shoulders tightly and cheered loudly.

“Thank you, Ascan. You’re a genius!”

His body stiffened briefly, but I didn’t notice. Overwhelmed with joy, Ascan quietly asked,

“Did you find the answer?”

His voice sounded a bit hoarse.

“Yes. I think it will produce the power I want. Finally, I can complete it.”

“That’s good. I’m glad I helped in some way.”

“I got the idea from what you said… Ah!”

I suddenly realized I had hugged him impulsively. Pulling back my hands, I felt a mix of apology and wonder—why had he let me hug him so quietly? Normally, he would have pushed me away. Looking up, he smiled faintly, his eyes gentle.

Ascan was undeniably a beautiful young man. His kind gaze left me momentarily speechless.

“So now you won’t have to go to that teacher as much?”

“Oh, yes.”

“That’s good. Even if it’s a teacher, it’s not ideal for a male to be alone with you too much.”

Technically, I spent more time with Ascan than with Varnen, but perhaps he spoke out of concern. Then he added,

“Even in happy moments like this, you shouldn’t hug just anyone, Miss.”

“Yes, sorry.”

“Anyone other than me, I mean.”

Did that sound significant… or was it just my imagination?