Three days since I woke up from my two-month slumber, and honestly? I can't say I'm pleased with the situation.

  The day after I got up, Trynda appeared out of nowhere and immediately started with: "You should be grateful I saved your servants. Now feed me."

  They looked cute, so I tossed them some desserts. That's how we ended up having tea on the balcony.

  The balcony I never use. Because it's too sunny.

  Jane insisted. Something about not having direct sunlight in months and the dandelions being in full spring. I don't fully understand the dandelion part — Josephine is allergic to pollen — but I understood what she meant about the sunlight. Neither of us had seen much of it lately.

  The problem is, the exposure was a bit much. I still hate sunlight. Always have. In my old life I was a university student slash chemist slash functional NEET, and "touching grass" was not part of the curriculum.

  Anyway. Three days in, and I pulled out my journal.

  Not just a journal — it's where I scribble notes, plans, profiles, lore I need to remember. I'd also updated my status window while I had the downtime.

  [Status Window]

  NAME: Josephine von Konrow

  True Identity: Kim Yoo-ra + Josephine von Konrow

  Soul Synchronization: 100% ■■■■■■■■■■ [COMPLETE]

  Doom Rate: 17%

  Stats:

  │ STR: EX(++) ▲▲

  │ AGI: EX(++) ▲▲

  │ VIT: EX(++) ▲▲

  │ MANA: EX(++) ▲▲

  │ HOLY: ∞(+++) ▲▲

  ▲▲ All stats vastly exceed original limits.

  Combat Classification:

  Magic: Archmage

  Swordsmanship: 「UNCLASSIFIED」(Ashkart Style)

  Energy Types: Mana · Aura · Ki · Chi

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Traits:

  「God's Beloved (Avatar)」

  「Pinnacle of Humanity」

  「Empress of Magic」

  「Magic God's Blessing」

  「Creator God's Blessing」

  「Demon Slayer」

  「Hero」

  「Saintess」

  「???」

  Unique Skills:

  [Appraisal] → [All-Seeing Eyes]

  [Divine Eyes]

  [Guide]

  [Foresight] → [Clairvoyance]

  [Domain Creation]

  System Features:

  [Faith Shop] ? FP: 61,600 ?

  [God System] — [God Chatroom] · [God Gift]

  Notable Items:

  [Gram] · [Archangel's Staff] · [Akashic Records] · [Excalibur] · [Hero Ashkart's Memories]

  Familiar:

  [Trynda, Divine Beast of Light]

  I flipped to the page on Marquis Jhake.

  [Hecatia puffs their chest proudly.]

  Yeah, yeah — thanks for the theory lessons.

  Hecatia had somehow appointed themselves my magic tutor during the downtime. Back in the Mausoleum, fighting Ashkart over and over gave me a thorough practical education — a million attempts will do that. But the theoretical side had gaps. Hecatia filled them, loudly and with great self-satisfaction.

  Anyway. Marquis Jhake.

  The notes I had on him were thin, which was the problem. He was known as the "Marquis of Wealth" — very secretive, practically no public information. But the fortress city documents had something more interesting: secret dealings with the underworld. Not just dealings. It read more like he was Bephelgor's right hand.

  The ledger confirmed operations spanning other continents and regions entirely.

  And somehow this man was engaged to Josephine. Even she hadn't known why, not really. His lineage was respectable, he'd been a prominent bachelor before the engagement, and his reputation had only grown when he became a candidate for Chancellor.

  Very fishy man.

  "Xipe, any way to get more information on him?"

  [Xipe notes that while acting cute may have struck their heart, no such convenient thing exists.]

  Tch. Figures. No clairvoyance, no appraisal — not unless I was face-to-face with him.

  Right on cue, a knock.

  Jane stepped in. "My Lady, there is a letter for you."

  "…Ugh."

  This is why I hate talking about things out loud. The universe takes it as an invitation.

  I was not going to open that letter. I've read enough shoujo to know — one meeting is enough to trigger a full event flag. No thank you.

  Instead — "Peter."

  He came from the training grounds in an instant and knelt beside me.

  This cheeky bastard.

  Jane had already briefed me. He'd ignored Adele entirely, gone back to the Palace to "handle some matters," and the moment he heard I was awake he'd started hovering like a desperate puppy angling for attention. I'd given him the cold shoulder. Normally Jane would've been quietly smug about that.

  Instead she'd defended him.

  Which was its own kind of alarming.

  Come to think of it — when was the last time I'd actually seen the two of them properly? Before the Mausoleum, they'd been strong but not like this. Two months of holding down the collapsed capital while I was unconscious had apparently done something to both of them.

  I activated the warp technique I'd picked up from the sages. The three of us relocated to the training grounds in an instant. Trynda was still on the balcony, eyes half-closed, working through the dessert tray with complete serenity and zero interest in any of this.

  I stood. Stretched. Held out my hand to Jane without looking.

  She understood immediately and handed me a scrunchie.

  I tied up my hair, tapped the ground lightly with one foot, and caught the falling wooden sword on the way up.

  "Get up and spar with me."

  Let's see what you've got.

  "If you land even one hit," I said, settling into stance, "you can ask me anything."

  [Eros has woken from his slumber and is watching with great excitement!]

  I rolled my arms out and stretched again.

  It's been a while since I last fought. I'd rather not elaborate on that. The trauma is still fresh.