Chapter 4
I’m now an awesome possessor who can read letters.
Now that I can read, it’s time to scour Evangeline’s diary. While I’m at it, I’ll find the summoning incantation and summon a spirit or dragon to become an overpowered munchkin!
I struck a pose, but Pudding hopped right onto my lap. With Pudding, I solemnly opened the diary with a pure heart.
Year 370, March 9th.
Met Count Rohanson.
A diary that doesn’t start on January 1st—been a while. Come to think of it, what year is it now?
“What year is it now?”
“392 by the Imperial Calendar.”
I asked Hena, who’s been getting closer to me lately. She’d have every right to find her employer pathetic, but she answered kindly.
392? I checked the date again. Over twenty years ago. So this wasn’t Evangeline’s diary. Wrong guess.
Year 370, August 9th.
That man proposed marriage.
The diary’s owner seemed to be Evangeline’s mother. There were mentions of marrying Count Rohanson soon. She wasn’t the type to write long entries—short contents, dates skipping ahead.
Year 370, August 19th.
Dad issued a confinement order. He’s clearly after the dukedom with his proposal. Dad’s never even met him? He said he really loves me. That money’s no issue.
Evangeline’s mom must have been the third daughter of a dukedom. Unfortunately, the exact family name wasn’t written. Anyway, it was the tale of a duke’s daughter from a wealthy house falling for a count she met by chance, marrying against her family’s wishes, and getting disowned.
Year 371, April 2nd.
I should’ve listened to Dad. I want to go back to the dukedom.
But Count Rohanson’s goal was money, and once he swallowed the dowry Evangeline’s mom brought, relations soured. I knew right away this was a cliché.
Now it’s telling her to cling to her disowned maternal family instead of Count Rohanson. Grandpa probably loved his daughter and sees her in his granddaughter.
But… isn’t that a child-rearing route? Evangeline’s too old for that. Seems I missed the window for the child-rearing route. Damn, if only I’d possessed a few years earlier!
The entries grew longer as days passed. No one to confide in, so she poured her heart into the diary. The handwriting got weirder, and strangely, some letters became unreadable. The content seemed to shift too….
The important part is the summoning incantation….
[Method to Summon □□]
[Stand in □, □
Defile the earth with the □□ of the □□□ one
Draw the circle with your □-stained hand
Reverently yearn for □
Make grapes ripen on thornbushes
And figs grow on thistles
□□ as you □□
Welcome the □□ of □□ who turns the earth and descends to the surface]
Hello? Translation glitch? I knew it from when patches take forever!
Seems the patch is incomplete. At least some letters are visible.
Let’s read what I can see. So…. Defile the earth and draw a circle with my own hand? What’s with thornbushes and grapes? Like beans turning to red beans where beans were planted? What does this even mean!
What am I summoning? Letters are glitching, and the content’s unnecessarily cryptic—I have no clue.
This is why star instructors make bank. Neatly numbered: 1. Draw circle. 2. Summon. How nice that’d be.
Head hurts. Break time. I’ll shelve this until the translation patches. Paper doesn’t run away.
‘Where’d it go?’
It ran away.
The paper I left on the desk vanished completely. The diary was fine, but the paper was gone. Searched the whole room—no luck.
“Hena, did you see the paper on my desk by any chance?”
“No…”
I was in the room all day—when did it disappear? Only left once yesterday for a walk. Did someone clean while I was out and toss it as trash?
I haven’t even translated it yet! Haven’t summoned! This is why you can’t live lazily!
First, find out who cleaned. Then ask about the paper. Grabbed a passing servant.
“Who entered my room yesterday.”
“Y-Yesterday? That would be D-Donau.”
“Where is she now?”
“Well… Donau hasn’t shown up today…”
No way—is this the rumored dine-and-dash?
Thinking about it, the glitch was only for me; it looked normal to others. She cleaned my room, saw the awesome summoning method, and bolted with it. If she thought it was trash and tossed it, no reason to no-show today!
“…Did Donau do something?”
“Yeah. Looks like she stole from me.”
Evangeline’s a villainess with subtle bullying vibes. Didn’t want to slap cheeks or flaunt status, but should’ve fired her sooner. No—stealing my isekai munchkin route?
“Tell everyone: touch my stuff again, and I’ll cut their head off, whoever it is.”
All heads will roll! Time to abuse my firing rights.
Went straight to the butler for Donau’s address. Didn’t expect my first outing post-possession to be for this tragic reason.
Hena, who lives nearby and knows the area, came along. Pudding stuck to us thinking it was a walk.
Told the coachman the address; he dropped us far from the mansion in the outskirts. Then Hena led the way.
“Here it is.”
Finally! Thief, wait up. I’ll reclaim my isekai munchkin route.
No knock—I kicked the door in.
***
“…Mmph… Urk!”
The girl writhed. Doesn’t she get tired? Donau, sipping tea leisurely while reading, clicked her tongue at the groans interrupting her.
Mouth gagged, but fully interpretable. Obvious anyway. Save me, I’m sorry—pathetic pleas. Hilarious, begging blindly without knowing her crime.
Donau turned from the girl like a bug. No curtains; windows hastily boarded and nailed to block views. Red light leaked through tiny gaps. Sunset already.
Time’s really short now. Red fades, darkness comes soon.
Donau gazed lovingly at the paper.
A note picked up while tidying Evangeline Rohanson’s room last night at Count Rohanson’s house.
[҉M҉e҉t҉h҉o҉d҉ ҉t҉o҉ ҉S҉u҉m҉m҉o҉n҉ ҉a҉ ҉D҉e҉m҉o҉n҉]
Ordinary folk would dismiss it as child’s play. But Donau, working at Count Rohanson’s, had the eye to see it was real.
Evangeline Rohanson, hanged and dead, revived. Who but a demon could do that?
Foolish colleagues freaked: possessed by ghost! Devil! Over a girl. Lowly fools! Key was how she revived!
And who summoned the demon!
Only Donau figured it out.
Evangeline Rohanson’s maternal family is the Hosakwin Dukedom. Count Rohanson got massive medical aid from them, claiming her frailty since childhood.
Cleaning his study, Donau saw endless numbers on papers. Beaten for peeking, but remembered vividly.
Her death cuts the money. So Count made a demon deal to revive his daughter!
That damned count! Plays nice, but money-grubbing noble trash! Donau long suspected his filth.
And Donau would become a far finer noble than Count Rohanson.
҉S҉t҉a҉n҉d҉ ҉a҉t҉ ҉t҉h҉e҉ ҉e҉n҉d҉,҉ ҉d҉e҉f҉i҉l҉e҉ ҉t҉h҉e҉ ҉e҉a҉r҉t҉h҉ ҉w҉i҉t҉h҉ ҉t҉h҉e҉ ҉b҉l҉o҉o҉d҉ ҉o҉f҉ ҉t҉h҉e҉ ҉i҉n҉n҉o҉c҉e҉n҉t҉.҉ ҉D҉r҉a҉w҉ ҉t҉h҉e҉ ҉c҉i҉r҉c҉l҉e҉ ҉w҉i҉t҉h҉ ҉y҉o҉u҉r҉ ҉b҉l҉o҉o҉d҉y҉ ҉h҉a҉n҉d҉.҉ ҉R҉e҉v҉e҉r҉e҉n҉t҉l҉y҉ ҉y҉e҉a҉r҉n҉ ҉f҉o҉r҉ ҉s҉a҉l҉v҉a҉t҉i҉o҉n҉.҉
҉M҉a҉k҉e҉ ҉g҉r҉a҉p҉e҉s҉ ҉r҉i҉p҉e҉n҉ ҉o҉n҉ ҉t҉h҉o҉r҉n҉b҉u҉s҉h҉e҉s҉ ҉a҉n҉d҉ ҉f҉i҉g҉s҉ ҉g҉r҉o҉w҉ ҉o҉n҉ ҉t҉h҉i҉s҉t҉l҉e҉s҉,҉ ҉t҉r҉e҉m҉b҉l҉e҉ ҉a҉n҉d҉ ҉w҉o҉r҉s҉h҉i҉p҉.҉ ҉W҉e҉l҉c҉o҉m҉e҉ ҉t҉h҉e҉ ҉a҉n҉g҉e҉l҉ ҉o҉f҉ ҉l҉i҉g҉h҉t҉ ҉d҉e҉s҉c҉e҉n҉d҉i҉n҉g҉ ҉t҉o҉ ҉e҉a҉r҉t҉h҉ ҉a҉s҉ ҉i҉t҉ ҉t҉u҉r҉n҉s҉ ҉t҉h҉e҉ ҉g҉r҉o҉u҉n҉d҉
Preparations complete.
Kidnapped a loitering girl outside. Drew the demon-summoning pattern on the floor with her blood. Her thick arms and fingers scarred from the massive pattern.
Wait for sunset, offer the girl’s life, summon the demon….
Donau recited steps repeatedly, then shredded and swallowed the paper. Chewy, yet sweet like ripe fruit.
Can’t let just anyone see such info. The chance to rise is hers alone.
“Finally!”
Sunset at last. Donau struck a match, lit the candle.
Grabbed the honed knife from the table, danced to the girl’s gasps. A waltz fit for gentlemen. Candlelight flickered with her steps, shadows writhing on walls.
Donau danced with her shadow partner, dreaming of summoning the demon. Not this shack, but herself under dazzling chandeliers.
