Edga Fix and the 17 Slaves
In the head professor’s laboratory, Elena kept letting out soft groans. “Hmmm… Mmm…!”
It was because her research wasn’t yielding any results. Spread across the table were eleven ancient formulas. Her current task was to find the correlations between them.
Having traveled the world studying ancient formulas until now, she had realized there were connections linking each one.
“There has to be some meaning behind it…”
And that correlation took the form of characters—symbols carrying a specific intent. Deciphering that intent, however, was anything but easy. The ancient formulas were encrypted. Or more accurately, they were twisted into intricate knots.
If it were simple encryption, identifying the pattern would unlock them all. The problem was that each formula used a completely different encoding pattern, which made her head throb.
In simple terms, Elena’s research was like solving a unique lock mechanism for every single ancient formula.
“Hoo… I could really use a cigarette right now.”
Despite repeating this tedious grind, Elena could not abandon the project. These eleven formulas she had decoded so far came from the Book of Truth, a text that held the secrets of the world itself.
As both a formula fanatic and a mage who pursued ultimate truth, interpreting ancient formulas was practically her calling.
“Sister.”
A clear, girlish voice called out to her. When Elena turned, she saw Sephilia sprawled across the sofa with an expression that screamed she was bored to death.
Sephilia looked at her and asked, “Why do you keep saying you want a cigarette? You don’t even smoke, Sister.”
So that was what she wanted to talk about. Elena gave a small chuckle and answered.
“Just because. It feels like smoking one would clear my head.”
“…Hmm… Even though you’ve never tried it?”
“Yeah. For some reason I keep craving one. But when I actually smoke it, it’s nothing special…”
Sephilia stared at her with utter disbelief at the absurd reply. Elena had always been like this—spouting eccentric words or actions without warning. And they had known each other for thirteen years.
‘The more I learn about Sister, the more mysterious she becomes. Still, that’s what makes her fun.’
Even so, the princess adored Elena. The way she claimed to crave cigarettes yet never smoked them. The way she said she missed her pet cat Waeyong-i but simply left the creature at the mansion. The way she had turned brutally ruthless during the Great War seven years ago as if she had become someone else entirely, then returned only to cry endlessly and fall into depression. Sephilia loved every side of her.
Somehow, Elena never bored her the way other people did. She was someone Sephilia always wanted to see, always wanted to act spoiled with.
‘Though now… it’s not just Sister anymore…’
Recently, one more person had appeared who gave her that same inexplicable feeling. Edga Fix—the commoner who had become the first in history to receive the title of Count.
She kept feeling an inexplicable fondness for him too. She wanted to poke and prod him just to see what kind of reaction he would give.
“You’re having weird thoughts again, aren’t you? If it’s something I’ll have to clean up after, I won’t let it slide.”
At that moment, Elena narrowed her eyes and shot her a piercing glare. Normally so spacey, yet she could read Sephilia like a book at times like this. Maybe it came from knowing each other for sixteen years. Sometimes she really was like a ghost.
“I’m so booooored~~~~~”
Having been blocked from ‘pranking Edga Fix,’ Sephilia flopped back onto the sofa. Her sister wouldn’t play with her because of research, and Elena’s stern warnings made harassing Edga Fix too scary. Though she carried the blood of the imperial family, Sephilia had practically been raised by Elena and thus remained firmly under her thumb.
‘I need something to entertain me.’
But she was still a princess. A princess who had inherited the Evil Eye. No human could stand above her, which made every relationship feel dull. Aside from Edga Fix and her sister, not even the most brilliant geniuses with incredible talent could hold her interest.
‘Right. As long as I don’t cause any real trouble, it should be fine.’
In the end, the answer was Edga Fix. One of the few people who wouldn’t bore her. The princess began plotting with a mischievous smile.
I pondered for a while. What exactly should I do with these guys who had come to smash their foreheads on the floor in front of me?
“Ah!”
In the middle of that, a brilliant idea struck me. A clever plan that would be a win-win for everyone involved.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
I asked the guy standing right in front of me. He was the one who had clung to Max like glue and badmouthed me almost as viciously as Max had.
“M-me? D-David… David Arsen.”
His name was David Arsen. The name felt strangely familiar, and sure enough, he was one of the guys who had gotten crushed alongside Max during the first evaluation round.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “Then you should be the president.”
“…Huh?”
“Club president. You’re going to be the club president.”
“……?”
He looked at me with total confusion. It seemed further explanation was necessary.
“What I want from you guys is your ‘labor power.’ That’s why I’m creating a club. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“……?”
In short, I wanted to form a club and put them all to work. But he still wore the same blank expression, as if he couldn’t process my words. Not just David—the rest of the guys who had come to bang their heads were also staring at me with puzzled faces.
To think their brains worked this slowly. Well, if they had been quick on the uptake, they wouldn’t have been stupid enough to antagonize me without knowing their place.
“Hoo. I’ll just say it straight. I want to put you all to work. But I can’t just order fellow students around however I like, right? So every last one of you is going to join my club. That way I can make you work under the pretense of club activities.”
“……”
The students’ faces filled with shock once they finally understood my meaning. Their expressions practically screamed, You were always this kind of character?
Soon one of them spoke up with an angry look. “D-does that even make sense? Putting us to work! You said you’d forgive us earlier! And now you’re doing this so arbitrarily—!”
“You’re the ones being arbitrary.”
“H-huh?”
“You’re just throwing a tantrum and begging for forgiveness because you want to avoid the consequences. It’s not a sincere apology at all. You just want to escape the anxiety of possible retaliation from me. Isn’t that right?”
“……”
The guys fell silent with bitter expressions. I had hit the nail on the head.
“So I’m simply proposing a transaction. I forgive you, and in return you provide me with your labor.”
At my suggestion, they clenched their fists and darted their eyes around. Soon one of them pointed at me and shouted.
“T-that’s an unfair deal!”
An unfair deal? I gave him a dubious look, and he continued.
“H-how are we supposed to believe you actually forgave us and just join? You could just use us and then throw us away later!”
Ah, so that was his concern. It was a fairly reasonable point, but his thinking was still shortsighted.
“As expected, I really have to explain everything from start to finish before you get it.”
“…Huh?”
“All right, listen up. There are two main reasons you’re seeking my forgiveness. First, to free yourselves from the fear of possibly getting beaten by me. Second, to avoid pressure from your families. Now that I’ve become a count, your family heads must have come down hard on you.”
Right now I stood at the center of a shifting power structure. Not only had I received the title of ‘Savior’ from the Dwarf Allied Kingdom, but my diplomatic achievements had also been recognized with the rank of Count, allowing me to step into noble society.
Naturally, the nobles were desperate to form connections with me. The fathers of these fools who had come to smash their heads on the floor were probably scrambling in every direction to build a relationship with me as well.
‘But their sons ruined it all.’
What was this? Their sons had ostracized Edga Fix? I didn’t need to see it to know how the fathers had reacted. They must have roared at their sons to obtain my forgiveness by any means necessary.
“……”
That was why these fools were biting their lips in silence. Their hidden motives for seeking forgiveness had been exposed.
“That’s why I’m giving you a chance. The chance to join the same club as me. If you report to your fathers that you’ve entered the same club as me, how do you think they’ll react?”
“…Ah!”
“Exactly. Their anger will ease up considerably. And they’ll urge you to get closer to me by any means and invite me to your family estates. Because those gentlemen are eager to build a connection with me.”
“……”
The guys nodded obediently. Soon one of them raised his head and asked, “Then! Can you come to my territory just once? Father is incredibly angry!”
He was making a pitiful face and begging me to visit his estate. From the look of him, he was one of the guys who had spent every day badmouthing me. It seemed he had been especially harshly scolded by his father.
“We’ll see how you perform.”
“Huh?”
“If you join my club and do a good job following my orders, I’ll consider it.”
Whether this guy got scolded or not was none of my concern. They needed to show sincerity first.
“Out of all of you, I’ll pick the seven who listen to me the best and accept your invitations. If you follow my words well, I’ll speak favorably about you. Then your fathers will forgive you and might even start viewing you in a better light.”
Evaluation from their father—that is, from the family head. For noble heirs, there was no value more important. A favorable assessment from the family head greatly increased their chances of inheriting the title and becoming the lord of the territory.
“Well, if you don’t want to, then don’t. If you can’t seize the opportunity even when it’s handed to you, I have no reason to look after you—”
“I’ll join! No! Please let me join!”
“M-me too! If I don’t make up for it this time, Father will really…!”
“I’ll join too!”
Before I could even finish speaking, they were all rushing to get under me. With this, I had obtained seventeen free workers.
They couldn’t even compare to Fix, but having seventeen extra hands I could use for free would prove quite useful.
“Good. But you must follow every single thing I say. Can you do that?”
“Of course!”
“Just give us your orders anytime.”
“As long as it’s not too difficult…! I’ll give it a shot!”
The guys burned with determination as they pledged to join the club. Excellent. Now that I had both funds and manpower secured, I could finally build the laboratory. I’d leave supervision to Fix and have these guys handle all the miscellaneous chores.
“Um… But what’s the club’s name? What kind of activities does it do?”
At that moment, one of them asked about the club’s name. Since I hadn’t prepared one in advance, I told him I’d come up with it on the spot and began thinking.
Soon, a suitable name floated into my mind.
“I just decided. The official name is really long, so listen carefully.”
Before stating the official name, I took a moment to steady my breathing. It was long enough that I needed to organize my thoughts first.
The Association of Those Who Study New Existing Orders, Focusing on Mechanical Discoveries from the Perspective of Sight
“You can shorten it and just call it Sibalsaegi.”
“…Huh?”
“Take the first letters from each word. It becomes Sibalsaegi. Easy to remember, right?”
The newly-christened Sibalsaegi members stared at me with completely dazed faces. In any case, I had successfully secured seventeen slaves. These guys would start by helping construct the laboratory, then learn various mechanical principles to assist me. With the right mix of carrot and stick, I could turn them into proper otherworldly Korean graduate students.