Chapter 105

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 105

Chapter Title: The Doll's Scheme Pays Off

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Leblain and the adjutant watched Lane with clouded eyes as she explained the situation, deploying every hand gesture and foot movement at her disposal.

"When I met Duchess Ballua, the temple and Duke Marsu's house had already agreed to provide a million francs each. I figured it would take around three million to get her to borrow Your Ladyship's money...!"

"So you decided on your own."

At the adjutant's sharp glare, Lane sniffled, pressing her tightly clenched fists to her chest.

"But I sent a communication, and you didn't pick up...! My Lady, it's not my fault. It's all that senile old fool's doing."

With that, the doll threw her arms around me, crying, "Don't hate me!"

I shook my head at Lane, who was throwing a full-on tantrum.

Five years ago, after scouring high and low, I'd finally commissioned this extravagant ball-jointed doll named Lane at an enormous cost. She was a product of the dollmaker's special techniques.

Ball-jointed dolls were exceedingly rare and special magic tools, and their creators were alchemists by regulation.

Because they could potentially be used as weapons of war, their production was strictly governed by alchemical laws.

Even with the adjutant—Duvered's number two with full access to the shadows—mobilizing his entire network, it had taken over two years to track down a maker.

The creator had teased the adjutant when he came to purchase her.

[Your mistress is incredibly lucky. I've acquired a very special core. This doll will be something entirely different from anything I've made before.]

He'd demanded three times the market price as a premium.

'When I first heard the adjutant's report, I was going to refuse.'

Being the buyer of a newly developed product wasn't always a good thing. It meant you couldn't easily anticipate the risks.

Above all, it felt suspicious that he wouldn't keep such a special doll for himself but sell it instead.

Still, we bought her because he lowered the price while we deliberated, and more importantly, the new doll's features he'd pitched were incredibly appealing.

Normally, controlling a ball-jointed doll required the dollmaker to remain utterly focused and channel powerful mana without moving. But this new core allowed the doll to move on her own.

'I thought it just meant she could move without mana.'

If she could move without mana, then not just me, but Seria or the adjutant could control her too. But the Lane we received...

'...really moves all by herself.'

Stunned by this unheard-of magic tool, the adjutant and I summoned the creator, only to find the bastard had already fled.

He'd taken a mountain of money and delivered a finished product, but it was clearly defective by my standards.

Lane only moved when I charged her with holy power, but once her eyes opened, she kept trying to kill whoever was in front of her.

'A normal ball-jointed doll can at least be destroyed if it's faulty.'

But she auto-repairs unless you destroy the core.

And only I knew the true nature of that special core.

The divine relic, the Talon of Pride.

'The relic that served as the material for the enemy army's slaughter doll, their ultimate weapon in the Holy Demon War...'

The thing that only stopped moving after Adrian destroyed the core with his holy sword...

An Evil God's relic...

I'd thought the maker was just a dollmaker playing at alchemy, not a real alchemist.

I couldn't steal the holy sword from the Papal Court to destroy it, so I'd tearfully decided to try educating the doll somehow—and it actually worked. And she was remarkably clever.

I smirked inwardly.

'You didn't count on this, did you, creator?'

Once I caught him, I'd beat him half to death first, but regardless, Lane was proving very useful.

"I missed you, My Lady."

She was an outrageous spoiled brat, though.

I casually pushed away Lane as she rubbed her face against my cheek.

"First, let's check the situation."

The adjutant answered, "Yes," and reached for the gear in Lane's shoulder blade to stop her, but Lane bared her claws with a hiss and glared at him.

"Keep your musty hands off, old man!"

"One day, I'll steal that holy sword for sure."

"Hmph, I'll kill you first."

"This little shit... I trained you to death...!"

I shoved apart Lane and the adjutant, who were glaring murderously at each other, and scolded them sternly.

"I told you you'd be in trouble if you fought again!"

"I'm sorry, My Lady..."

"......"

Sighing, I personally removed Lane's gear, took the hand of the now-stilled doll, and—as always—the events she'd experienced flooded into my mind.

Quarrel between the Duke and Duchess Ballua.

Duchess Ballua, utterly smitten with Lane.

Lane, who had rented out an entire casino to fool Duchess Ballua. Thanks to Lane, the duchess had developed a taste for gambling.

I released Lane's hand, reinserted the gear, and nodded.

"Good. You did well."

"Right~?"

Ehehe, Lane giggled and lifted her head proudly.

"She's completely hooked on gambling now."

Of course. In my second life, Duchess Ballua had squandered her family fortune on gambling too.

'In this life, I got her addicted five years early.'

I nodded.

"Keep showering her with gifts and spreading bad rumors about me. Got it?"

"Yes! I'm My Lady's good doll!"

"That's right, Lane is a good girl."

"My Lady is good too!"

The adjutant narrowed his eyes at the wicked lady and her doll grinning at each other, calling one another good.

A few days later, Duchess Ballua headed to the racetrack with Leblain's ball-jointed doll, Lane.

After several races, clutching a fortune in winnings, the duchess trembled with excitement.

"My goodness. Every ticket I bought on Sir Lane's recommendation won!"

"You were lucky."

Lane smiled faintly and offered her iced tea.

"Shall we call it a day and head back? You've won quite a bit."

The duchess swallowed hard, eyes on the board.

'The biggest race is still coming.'

Greed glittered in Duchess Ballua's eyes.

"Just one more, the final one."

"This race is hard for me to call. No horse looks in top shape."

"......I'll go with Gale Wind again."

In the nine races so far, Gale Wind—a black stallion—had won six.

Duchess Ballua had borrowed a fortune from Lane atop her prior winnings and bought stacks of tickets on Gale Wind.

And the race began.

Gale Wind, in exceptional form today, held the lead even through the second lap.

"Run, yes!"

The duchess shouted in excitement.

But at the final turn, the brown horse's jockey in second place pressed close to Gale Wind, looking furious.

The jockeys clashed. Gale Wind and the brown horse, racing neck-and-neck while threatening each other, staggered wildly and fell side by side.

As the other horses hesitated, stumbling over the fallen pair...

The spotted white nag, dead last, burst through the chaos like an arrow, leaping over the downed horses.

"Impossible!"

Duchess Ballua screamed.

But the fallen horses couldn't rise, and the spotted white nag—mocked as a scrub—crossed the finish line leisurely.

Clutching her tickets now reduced to confetti, the duchess collapsed.

Lane clucked her tongue pityingly at the pale duchess and draped her overcoat over her shoulders.

"I told you we should go."

"My money, my money..."

"Another chance will come."

You've already spent 200,000 francs of My Lady's money today.

Everything was unfolding exactly as Leblain had foreseen.

Having tasted victory in a few races, Duchess Ballua had lost all reason and borrowed another fortune from Lane.

The stack of IOUs was nearing the three million she'd borrowed from Duke Ballua.

Remembering her master's words, the doll smiled slyly.

I gazed ecstatically at the pile of gold coins Seria had brought.

Where's all this wealth coming from? Straight from me!

I hugged the chest of gold coins, so heavy two grown men would struggle with it.

'Well done, Spotty!'

I remembered today's race more vividly than any other.

No one had seen it coming. The day the nag everyone finger-pointed at—the spotted white horse—won its first race.

Odds: 512 to 1.

Not a single soul had bet on Spotty. And in this life, it was all mine.

"Eeee!"

I rubbed my cheek against the gold and let out a happy squeal.

The adjutant and Seria smiled watching me.

"You have more money than you could ever spend, yet you still love it so much."

I startled and looked at the adjutant.

"The more money, the better."

Seria nodded in agreement.

"The Young Mistress is right. Money is wonderful."

I set aside a portion of the gold and handed the rest to Seria.

"Stash this away and lend it to Duchess Ballua when she asks."

"Yes. Oh, the special gems and ores you requested are gathered in the warehouse. Shall I show you?"

"Yes."

I took Seria's hand and headed to the warehouse, with the adjutant following behind.

Opening the warehouse door revealed a dazzling array of luxurious gems and unusual ores.

'Impressive.'

Worth every franc spent like water.

I squatted before the ores, inspecting them one by one before tossing the rejects behind me with a flick.

Seria asked curiously.

"What on earth are you planning to do with them?"

Peering into one ore with an especially shiny surface, I said.

"Summon a demon."

"Pardon?!"

The adjutant was right—the amethyst entrusted to him is dangerous. A demon bold enough to approach me first could be risky just to summon.

So I needed a safe, new demon.

'Hopefully another pushover like Bune... no, a nice demon!'

Snickering, I infused the ore with holy power.