1 – What can I help with? (2)

Nob AI.

The artificial intelligence I enjoyed using before getting caught up in a nuclear blast.

Truth be told, Nob AI wasn’t equipped with some grand functionality straight out of a sci-fi movie.

It was more the type of program that could generate saucy fan art of my favorite anime characters, correct awkward grammar when I asked, and neatly compile information into well-structured sentences when I had questions.

When it first came out, I was so amazed that I spent all day in front of the computer, playing with it.

If I hadn’t died and continued living, maybe I would have reached the age of 70 and seen a pretty maid robot saying, “Welcome home, Master,” and taking care of me every day.

I became aware of Nob AI’s existence around the same time I realized I was living a second life.

Honestly, I was quite bewildered at first.

The memories flooding in like a tidal wave and the hologram hovering before my eyes like augmented reality were things I had never experienced, even back in 21st-century South Korea.

I typed a message into the hologram.

『Display my current stats like a status window.』

『…』

『…』

─────────────◆

● Name – Esther Tristy

● Rank – Weak

● Trait – [Nob AI]

The youngest of the Tristy family. Unlike

her other siblings, she did not inherit

the family’s talents.

“…well, the local reputation ain’t exactly stellar.”

Currently, I’m aware of my past life…

…

…you get the gist, something like that.

“Young Master?”

Dalpi called out to me.

Lost in the thrall of Nob AI, I’d forgotten someone was even nearby.

“If you’re feeling dizzy from such a shock, I can give you a piggyback to your room.”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

“Is that so?”

I straightened up Dalpi, who had been poised to carry me.

Rather, I was buzzing with anticipation.

Up till now, putting this Nob AI to practical use had been tricky, but now the story’s different.

‘Damn it, I’m *absolutely* not going to the army.’

If you could wiggle out of it, that was the army.

I’d have to go to the army, even in my second life?

No way. No freakin’ way!

Anyway, I had no intention of becoming the head of the family.

I wanted to leech off the Tristy family’s wealth and food, and die old.

There were so many entertainingly mass-produced novels in this mansion’s library.

I hadn’t even properly read ten volumes yet.

Until I’d finished reading those firestarters, I had no intention of leaving this mansion!

“Dalpi.”

I stopped in front of the door.

“Yes, Young Master.”

“From now on, don’t come into my room under *any* circumstances until I say it’s okay. I’ll take care of the cleaning and meals myself.”

Dalpi stared at me with a dumbfounded look.

“Are you planning a hunger strike, or something?”

“I need to concentrate on the heir examination, that’s all.”

She looked worried, she did.

Dalpi knew all too well how I had lived as a failure the likes of which had never been seen before.

“Perhaps you should explore other avenues, Master. Some things just aren’t meant to be. No amount of staring at an exam paper for a fortnight will solve anything when you lack the magical aptitude…”

I gave Dalpi a thumbs up.

“Trust me.”

Dalpi sighed.

“…Understood.”

And with that, I entered my room.

Alright then, let’s put this Nob AI to good use.

*

I sat down at my desk.

I commanded Nob AI.

『…….』

『…….』

Artificial intelligence was a system equipped with functions such as learning, reasoning, adaptation, and argumentation, akin to human intelligence.

To properly operate artificial intelligence, vast amounts of data were required.

Even though Nob AI had already accumulated considerable data on Earth, it wasn’t satisfied.

It had spent fifteen years alongside Esther Tristi, acquiring information about this world, and knew how to utilize it effectively.

The reason Nob AI was able to accumulate knowledge of this world was because, before realizing his past life, Esther Tristi had frequented the library every single day.

Unlike his other brothers, the boy, weak in both body and mind, had only one thing to boast of: his diligence.

‘What good does it do you to just look at them? Can you even understand it?’

‘Reading advanced magic theory books is pointless for someone who can’t even use simple magic. Why don’t you put it down right away and pick up a fairy tale book from that bookshelf over there?’

Tristi’s brothers saw each other as rivals.

Having inherited their father’s talent, each of them had something to boast about, and they wanted to hone it to become the head of the family.

Esther Tristi was not one of them.

Tristi’s brothers saw Esther only as a tool to fill their own sense of self-worth.

They scoffed at the sight of a talentless fool unable to use magic.

When he practiced swordsmanship alone, they often beat him under the guise of guidance, and they humiliated him at social gatherings by pointing out his lack of etiquette.

Esther Tristi’s pillow was always soaked with tears.

No matter how much Dalpi washed it, the stains would not come out.

Even now, after realizing my past life, it was the same.

『Adjust the magic concentration to 5.23153 at the 321st line from the right, creating a mana environment identical to hell…』

Ester Tristi’s efforts hadn’t been in vain.

The boy’s attempts to read even the most difficult books, all to keep pace with his siblings, had ultimately trained Nob AI, and it was now delivering results.

Well, in the end, I was mostly responsible for training Nob AI, cramming the contents of every book in the study into it over a fortnight.

I don’t think that’s unfair.

Just as the status window had stated, Nob AI was undoubtedly one of my talents.

Sucks to be you, should’ve reincarnated.

*

Aria leaned back in her creaking chair.

The mountain of papers piled on her desk made her head throb.

Between lectures, magical research, financial planning for retirement, and the social activities essential to securing a professorship, reviewing the academy’s financial documents felt like an unbearable chore.

‘At least, Lord Porto’s clear instructions regarding the succession trial were a relief.’

The selection of the Tristi family’s heir.

For Aria, who worked at the Tristi Academy, this was a matter of considerable importance.

To her, the absolute authority wasn’t the king, but the head of the Tristi family.

In autonomous territories, lords possessed near-absolute power, almost like kings.

The older the territory’s history, the stronger the lord’s authority within it became; some lords even wielded more power than the king. This was the case with the Tristi family.

The Tristi lord could exert pressure and provide support to all institutions established within the autonomous territory.

‘If I were to displease the chosen heir…’

Her professorship would end there.

Worse, her assets within the territory could be confiscated, and she might have to return to the Red Magic Tower penniless.

“Lord Porto is so odd. To present the ‘Millennium Problem’ – something even the most accomplished mages of past head mages couldn’t solve – as a succession trial….”

While the possibilities of magic were limitless, the possibilities of humanity were not.

The number of spells one could study in a lifetime was limited, leading to the creation of schools to research and develop magic more efficiently.

The Flame School, to which Aria belonged, was a faction of those who studied fire magic.

They resided in the Red Magic Tower and were an elite faction, possessing both tradition and skill, ranking third in influence within the kingdom’s magical community.

The Millennium Problems referred to the seven significant challenges the Flame School oversaw, aiming to contribute to the kingdom’s magical advancement.

The ‘Hellfire Recreation’ set for this heir trial was one such Millennium Problem.

‘I understand the intention, but it’s still excessive.’

Perhaps Porto had asked her to present this challenge to gauge how the heirs would cope with an impossible problem.

‘Even the newly-of-age candidates will be bewildered. There was a sickly but seemingly erudite prodigy, but… well.’

Simply reading and understanding the problem would have been a difficult feat.

Among them was even a boy, barely fifteen.

Aria did not expect any of the successor candidates to arrive at a solution.

It was a problem that even she and her mentor had been unable to solve.

To merely decipher the equations and phrases within the problem was a remarkable talent in itself.

“Aria, a missive for you.”

Aria’s assistant, his dark circles prominent, entered the room.

“From where?”

“A missive from the Tristy estate. Young Master Ester Tristy claims to have solved the examination problem…”

‘Already?’

Only two days had passed.

Ester, if she recalled correctly, was the youngest of the Tristy sons.

Unlike his brothers, he was the family’s perceived ugly duckling, lacking any discernible talents.

The rumors surrounding him were unfavorable, and as such, Aria had paid him little attention.

His chances of becoming the family head were practically zero.

‘A surrender, then.’

Aria sighed inwardly.

She had hoped he would at least feign persistence.

“Dismissed.”

“Yes.”

Aria did not read the letter until she had finished all her tasks.

Only late into the night could she finally detach herself from her chair.

As she reached for her coat, preparing to rise and depart, the missive caught her eye.

If the paper within the letter turned out to be blank, she would, despite the impertinence, personally chastise him for his willingness to give up so easily. Such a lesson might yet be beneficial for the remainder of Ester’s life.

Aria began to read the missive.

“……???”

Her expression hardened.

For a long moment, Aria simply stood in her private professor’s office, eyes darting back and forth across the missive.

“Professor… Is something amiss?”

Worried by her demeanor, her assistant cautiously knocked on the door and entered.

Aria spoke to the assistant, her voice grave.

“Summon every professor remaining at the Academy. Now.”

“Pardon?”

“Now, fetch them at once!”

“Yes, yes ma’am!”

Startled by Aria’s sharp command, the assistant practically bolted from the room.

With trembling hands, she set the letter down.

She gazed at her reflection in the mirror.

Since being appointed to this professorship, had she ever felt this disconcerted?

“The Millennium Prize Problem…solved?”

What in the world was she looking at?

The contents of the letter read…

As though meticulously penned by a fiend of magic himself, seeking to mock the folly of humankind.

An answer, beautiful and flawless beyond all reason.