Chapter 2627 – 2627. Dark Moon

Count Eugene Meyer, CEO of LK Corporation, Attacked!

That was the headline of the newspaper circulating in Neo London.

If one were to pick the hottest topic in Neo London right now, it would be the LK-99 superconductor. The interest in Eugene Meyer, the owner of the superconductor, was immense. LK Corporation was also tied to the future of Neo London.

Those who read the newspaper all clicked their tongues.

“The butler and maid betrayed him? And there was even a triple among them? Huh, aren’t butlers and maids supposed to be the epitome of trust?”

“Meyer Manor is known for its excellent pay and benefits… They threw away their good fortune for a moment’s greed.”

“I’m sure Divine France is behind this incident. Isn’t France the most jealous country when Neo London is doing well? They must have been after the superconductor.”

“I heard Count Meyer is hiring butlers and maids again. Does he still trust them after being betrayed?”

“Honestly, it’s hard to find professionals like butlers and maids in Neo London. But this time, you need a letter of recommendation to apply.”

“Wouldn’t it be safer to just hand over the LK-99 recipe to the council? The Neo Round Table Council would make good use of it.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Would you sell a treasure that duplicates money to someone else?”

“A 6th-grade combat mage. That thick lightning that fell yesterday was the 7th-grade spell, Thunderbreak. …If he can use a 7th-grade spell, isn’t he a 7th-grade mage?”

“Don’t be too obsessed with grades. Even a 5th-grade mage can do the work of a 7th-grade mage if they prepare thoroughly.”

“It’s a bit of a shame about Count Meyer’s grade.”

“…Do you think a 6th-grade mage is a joke?”

“I’m not disregarding 6th-grade mages. But if Count Meyer were a 7th-grade mage, would those impure groups dare to plan an attack? Even if they did, they wouldn’t be so bold.”

Citizens of Neo London voiced their opinions about the incident everywhere.

Fortunately, public opinion was flowing in a very favorable direction for Eugene. Some newspapers were criticizing Eugene for using a 7th-grade attack spell in Neo London, but they failed to gain traction and were quickly buried.

Yuria, who was attending the Maid Academy, was also able to read the newspaper. She looked at three different newspapers and sensed someone’s artificial intervention.

‘The council probably intervened and ordered them to write favorable articles.’

The Neo Round Table Council and LK Corporation were more than just allies. If LK Corporation were to fail, it wouldn’t just be a loss. The future of Neo London could be shaken. The superconductor was worth that much.

‘But a betrayal by maids and butlers. It’s the worst news I’ve ever heard in this world. How can a maid betray her master… They have no maid’s qualifications. If I had been at the manor, I would have dealt with this before it happened….’

She wanted to leave the Maid Academy and return to Eugene, but to be recognized as the best maid, she had to graduate from the Maid Academy.

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on Yuria’s dormitory door. Yuria put down the newspaper on her desk and said,

“Yes. I’m inside.”

“This is Anna, the instructor. Yuria, the cooking competition hosted by the B District Hotel is just around the corner. Are you ready?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Yuria picked up the bag she had prepared in advance and went out the door.

Recently, she had been sweeping the competitions held throughout Neo London. Her goal wasn’t the prize money or the goods. It was to build up her resume by winning competitions. This resume would be of some help in the maid qualification exam.

• • •

Two weeks had passed since the betrayal of the servants.

Shea and the other butlers, maids, and mercenaries were all executed. Usually, trials take time, and if you hire a lawyer or a law firm, the verdict can drag on for at least a few months, but this time, the council intervened and it ended quickly.

The Neo Round Table Council was sending a message to others that they fully supported me.

‘I never thought that cleaning up the mess at the manor would take longer than the trial.’

I hired new butlers and maids. Unlike before, when I hired anyone with a certificate, this time I only hired butlers and maids with letters of recommendation. Even so, it’s hard to trust them 100%… I tried to exclude those who were desperate for money or had a bad past, like Shea.

Crack. Crack…!

Electricity sparked from the cherry tree in the center of the garden. The electricity had been sparking from the cherry tree for about an hour. The servants were stepping back and watching with anxious eyes. They seemed worried that the cherry tree might discharge a large amount of electricity.

‘I can feel more spiritual energy than before. I can feel that the electricity sparking from the cherry tree is being controlled. Is it finally happening?’

The flowing spiritual energy solidified, and all the mana around it was absorbed into the cherry tree. This created a momentary mana vacuum. What filled that space were cherry blossoms. Countless cherry blossoms fell to the ground even though there was no wind.

New cherry blossoms bloomed on the branches where the cherry blossoms had fallen, and they fell again. The floor of the manor garden began to be paved with pink cherry blossoms.

From behind, I heard the servants screaming in horror.

“Don’t go near it! Each cherry blossom petal is imbued with the elemental mana of lightning!”

“If you touch them because they’re pretty, you’ll get electrocuted!”

“What about the master?!”

“The master is fine. He’s a lightning mage. It’ll be more pleasant than dangerous for him.”

As one of the servants said,

This environment was not dangerous for me at all. It was full of lightning elements? That was empowering me.

‘I can use lightning magic more easily and powerfully in this space.’

As a lightning mage, it was natural for me to have resistance to electricity.

Above all, I was the owner of the cherry tree. It was a fact that even the ill-tempered cherry tree acknowledged.

Cherry trees began to grow all over the garden. They didn’t grow haphazardly. The cherry trees rapidly grew, pushing out the flowers that were already in the flower beds. The garden quickly became a cherry tree forest.

Crackling!

The cherry trees resonated. Lightning danced between the trees and formed a barrier.

The color of the electricity emitted from the cherry trees changed to a bright pink, the color of cherry blossoms. The pink electricity moved as if it were whipping around, then seeped into me.

‘It’s not just the color that changed. The moment the cherry blossom-colored lightning seeped in, my body felt lighter, and my senses related to mana improved. Is it a buff-type electricity that temporarily enhances physical strength and mana affinity?’

-Haa. I’m hungry. Bring me something to eat. Preferably a spirit stone.

I could feel the will of the cherry tree.

‘Wasn’t it unconscious all this time? It remembers the spirit stone well.’

-I wasn’t completely unconscious. I remember things sporadically. Especially when I eat spirit stones, my consciousness flares up. So give me a spirit stone.

‘One spirit stone is worth 2kg of gold.’

-Isn’t that enough for the value of my work? The barrier I maintain at all times is worth several times that.

I couldn’t logically refute it.

[Purchase a spirit stone for 200 inventory points.]

Crack.

The pink electricity wrapped around the spirit stone in my hand and took it away.

‘Electricity with physical force… no, it’s not. Is it using it like telekinesis?’

-Hmm. Good. Very good. This is the first time I’ve tasted something like this. Do you have more spirit stones?

‘No. It’s not something you can easily get just because you have money.’

I had dozens of spirit stones in my inventory, but I had no intention of providing them indefinitely, even for the cherry tree’s sake.

-Of course, it’s such a good thing. I can’t find any information about it even when I search the internet.

‘The internet? You can access the internet?’

-It’s easy. I just connect through radio waves.

A tree that uses the internet. If people knew, they would be more than just surprised, they would be disturbed.

‘Don’t tell anyone else.’

-I’m not that stupid. I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention either. I don’t want to be like a monkey in a zoo.

The cherry tree was sassy, but I believed it would do well since it wasn’t stupid.

-More importantly, give me a name soon. How long are you going to call me just a cherry tree?

‘Do you need a name?’

-Are you kidding me? Do I look like just an ordinary cherry tree?

The cherry tree’s voice became venomous. Crackle crackle. Pink lightning flashed between the cherry blossoms.

It was a problem I had never thought about before, so I needed time to think.

‘Giving it a name isn’t difficult. The problem is that if it doesn’t like it, it’s bound to cause a ruckus.’

Since it’s a cherry tree, should I call it Cherry?

‘If I did that, I feel like I’d have to replace the appliances in the manor again.’

I thought for a while and said,

“Kirsi. That’s your name.”

-What’s that? It means cherry after all. …Hmm. It sounds different from Cherry, so it might be okay?

Kirsi’s will wasn’t bad. It seemed to like the name quite a bit. That was a relief. I was a little nervous because I had no talent for naming things.

‘I’m glad you like it. I believe you’ll do a good job. I’m going to focus on training for a while.’

• • •

The power I possessed was largely twofold.

One was magic, and the other was my abilities.

Usually, having just one ability is considered a blessing. If you have more than two, it’s said that you are loved by fate.

But I have more than 10 abilities that I’ve realized so far.

Lightning, marksmanship, acceleration, blessing of water, golden semen, heightened sensitivity, Lightning Heaven Style, life force absorption, inventory.

And it doesn’t end there. Recently, I’ve realized the ability to leap, which I gained while training in space magic.

I had a total of 10 abilities.

The problem was that I didn’t know the reason. Was it because I entered the game world? Or is there some other secret in this body itself? It was even harder to guess because there was no connection between the abilities.

Even if I worried about it, I couldn’t find the answer. But it was certain that I had the power. I would use the given power to the fullest.

‘And recently, I’ve also realized a new technique of the Lightning Heaven Style.’

Lightning Heaven Style (雷天流) Lightning Technique (雷術) Lightning Eye Golden Gaze (雷眼金睛).

It was a technique that could be called a kind of sorcery. I had some confidence in sorcery… but I had never succeeded in Lightning Eye Golden Gaze. Even though I had been working on this sorcery for a week, there was no progress.

‘I could understand most magic and sorcery after seeing it once, but… Lightning Eye Golden Gaze is an exception. This is not a sorcery that can be done with talent alone.’

I focused on Lightning Eye Golden Gaze for a week and then gave up.

‘Maybe it’s a sorcery that can only be used when you reach the level of 7th grade or higher.’

I focused on training for a while and then went outside.

It was really time to reach 7th grade.