I pulled the shelf, expecting a magic wand or something of that sort—perhaps a dragon's heart, an eye of destruction, or a demonic sword... On second thought, let's ignore the demonic sword that would only accelerate the destruction. But what is this?
"A cube?"
The first shelf contained a cube, and the second shelf—well, it didn't open.
I tried every side, but no other shelf opened except the first one I had unlocked, as if there were a condition that hadn't been met.
"This cursed magical world."
If it were made of wood, I'd just smash it. This makes my curiosity burn regarding what lies in those shelves. But let's return to the first shelf. What is this cube? Honestly, I am hesitant to touch it. It's a strange cube, resembling the geometric shape of a Menger sponge; it gives an impression of being technological and magical at the same time.
After looking at it, perhaps it's not just an ordinary artifact.
"Could it be a nuclear bomb?"
I started to fear the legends.
"Let's think positively. Maybe it's the system I'm looking for—the Emperor's system who hates coffee with water, or something like that. Yes, let's be brave."
Fine, I touched the cube, but nothing happened.
I feel the mockery of the Third Emperor slapping my face. At least explode or do something! Should I say an incantation or what?
But before I could do anything, the power within me that had opened the door moved and flowed into the cube. Above the cube, words appeared in a very familiar language—a language not from this world, but my mother tongue.
"Now this is even stranger."
[Question: What are the first five prime numbers?]
I stared at the words floating above the cube in amazement. The question seemed ridiculous, but not in this place.
"What are the first five prime numbers?"
I laughed mockingly despite my dry throat. Is this something like an identity verification or the like? Don't tell me that whoever made this cube was from my world too, because the focus of this world is on magic, not mathematics.
Just answer: "2, 3, 5, 7, and 11."
[Verified. Please confirm: Is the planet flat or round?]
Rather, square. What is the matter with these questions
"Also, the planet is oval or oblate spheroidal; it is neither square, rectangular, nor perfectly round."
[Confirmed. O Seeker of Truth, I hope my legacy guides you to the truth.]
"Fine, skip the dramatic phrasing. Does this thing have an instruction manual or what?"
[Answer: There is no instruction manual.]
It answered? It actually answered! And on top of that, the answer was in the language of my world, not this one.
"What is this? Can you talk?"
[Question: Whom do you mean?]
"You, the cube, the thing in front of me, whatever you are."
[Answer: The cube cannot talk, but it can examine the sanity of your mind that thinks it can.]
"You bastard! Who are you then?"
[Answer: I am a special program made by a master who refuses to leave his name, intended for examination, support, and guidance.]
"What can you do?"
[Answer: Examination, support, and guidance.]
"Are you a system or something similar?"
[Answer: The Master defined my identity as Artificial Intelligence. I can answer any question within my capability. My name is the Advanced Phone, or you can call me Cube.]
"Ah, I see. In short, your master is also from my world."
Interesting. But what is the use of a modern phone in a world of magic? I don't know, but one thing is certain.
"Either whoever made you is terrible at giving names, or the name has something special about it. Anyway, let's test your knowledge. Tell me what is in these shelves."
[Scanning: Please wait.]
"Fine."
[Please do not distract the scan.]
"Fine."
[Please stop breathing so loudly.]
"Fine, I'll hold my breath instead."
[Please do not rush me and remain silent for a moment.]
"You are raising my blood pressure."
[Scan complete.]
"What did you find?"
[Nothing.]
This is what they call a nerve-wracker. I haven't even dealt with the nobles yet; I'm still too young for this, don't you think?
"Damn it, are you kidding me?"
[Correction: there is an independent space inside the cabinets which is interconnected, with a lock carrying special conditions. The items are swapped randomly.]
"What does that mean?"
[Simplification: it means the items inside the cabinets move from their place every second. They cannot be scanned unless you take them out of the cabinet, which you must fulfill a certain condition to open.]
"I understand. You could have said that from the start."
[Apology: Sorry, I mistakenly overestimated your intelligence.]
"..."
"Can I smash this cube?"
[Challenge: Try.]
"Cursed cube."
Despite it being annoying, I must take it; it might be useful. I left the treasure room and returned to my office. Lunch was ready on the table, but I suspected it was poisoned. Yes, I think this is the best way to make use of the cube.
"Here, scan this food and see if it's poisoned."
[Scanning: Please wait.]
"Fine."
[Stop saying 'fine'.]
"Fine, fine, fine. Hurry up, go on!"
[Scan complete: Do you want a thorough, simple, or complex scan?]
"Just say if it's poisoned or not!"
[Please choose.]
"The simple one. Choose the simple one."
[This food is food...]
"And?"
[It will be poisoned if you leave it uncovered for seven days. Fungi will form and flies will lay their eggs. Do you want to see a picture?]
"To hell with it! I've even lost my appetite to eat it."
[There might be no poison in the food now, but there is poison in your body.]
"And that's just what I was missing."
[It eats your magical energy slowly. You have approximately 1,540 days left to live. Please return me to the shelf before you die. Thank you.]
"You're really joking." Death. It's not scarier than knowing you are going to die. Suddenly, without warning, this news comes. I don't know how I should feel. It feels like a doctor's prank.
"Well, you must have a cure, right?"
[Answer: There is a recipe in the form of a molecular structure. If you find the elements that can achieve the required balance and are rich in the components that fulfill the formula, a treatment potion can be manufactured.]
"Molecular structure... does that mean you don't know what these elements are?"
[Well done. There is no data on the ingredients, elements, molecular structure, or changes in materials, herbs, and food in this era. If you bring all the herbs in the world, I might find what works among them. Who knows, can you?]
"Is there no other solution?"
[Yes, there is.]
"Then tell me about it."
[The solution is to return me to the shelf and wait for death.]
"Fine, shut up and let me think."
First, an execution, and second, poisoning. Give me a moment to breathe. I haven't even tasted the food of this world yet. But this doesn't change the goal, so there's no need for fear. Focus.
"Are you sure this is poisoning and not a disease?"
[Yes.]
Fine then. If it's poison, there is an antidote. Since the cube didn't say its name, perhaps it's the same problem as the materials—it cannot know the titles of materials from this era. I must find the name if I want the antidote.
[Warning: There is a creature within a 50-meter range approaching very quickly. It is expected to be stronger than you. Please hide.]
"Seriously, what now?"
Should I hide? By the way, am I not an Emperor? Why should I hide? Let's see who is coming. If it's an assassin, the Shadows will intercept him; if it's a noble, he will come with a smile on his face.
It's good that the Shadows do not approach the room or spy on the Emperor, but only respond to the voice of the call. Come to think of it, I feel something moving in my chest.
It's not that I'm afraid, but it's as if I know who is approaching.
When I waited a bit, I knew the reason for the feeling. it was the Blood Contract. The one approaching was one of the Shadows, and in his hand were information papers about Morgana Philip. There was even a picture.
"That was fast. Are you sure about the information?"
"The information was collected in advance and we were waiting for your order to deliver it. The information was confirmed again by one of the Shadows monitoring the target as Your Majesty ordered."
Did I order the monitoring of Morgana? I don't remember. Well, after the wedding ceremony ended, maybe he said something about this but then forgot about her. This squad is more efficient than I thought.
"So, what is happening now?"
"Report: Her Majesty is imprisoned in her room by the servants."
My hand froze. Was the Empress being imprisoned by servants? I had just praised the efficiency of the Shadow guards; it was impossible for him to mistake the words.
"Imprisoned? Why?"
"Your Majesty, Her Highness insisted on meeting you for about three hours. The Shadow noticed this change and was going to report it to Your Majesty, but it coincided with my arrival to verify the information, and he said the palace servants imprisoned her to prevent her from doing so."
"Her palace servants are mostly from her family, right?"
"Confirmed. All the information is in Your Majesty's hands."
"I see. You may leave."
"By your leave."
The Shadow's presence faded, and my eyes narrowed without me realizing. I looked at the papers in my hand and sighed. Let's not rush to judgment. First, let's see the information. But before that, I took the magic bell on the desk, and after ringing it, a knock came from behind the door.
A maid entered in simple clothing that did not suit an imperial palace.
"Tell Empress Morgana to come to my room tonight."
"As you command."
The maid left. She's a spy; I can tell. Usually, people's features change when someone does something they haven't done before, but her response was colder than the cube's response, and her features didn't tremble even though the Emperor had never even mentioned Morgana's name, and on top of that, I said the title 'Empress', confirming her authority.
"Well, one spotted and a thousand to go."
It's ironic that I found one spy while I know that everyone is a spy, but I'm not sure. In any case, inviting the Empress to the room tonight will provide a cover for any conversation.
I hope she doesn't want to meet me for a silly reason. If the maids are treating her with such cruelty, then she might be the piece I need to get rid of her father.
"Well, let's see. What kind of person are you?"
I took the report and found no difficulty in reading this language. After sitting at the desk, I had understood a little about the nature of this report; it covered everything. A girl's childhood in short, the reason for the spread of rumors, and the reason for describing her as evil.
Well, collect everything and put it in a story, and we can create a 'Villainess Before She Becomes a Heroine' novel.
"It's almost evening."
It's time to meet the wronged heroine. Let's say my mood improved to meet her because of what I read about her—someone whose life turned 180 degrees from a noble to a demon just because her magic trait leaned towards darkness.
Since she is a sacrifice and not a wife, I feel even more curious to know why she wants to meet me now of all times. The report didn't mention that she wanted to meet me or ask about me except for the first month after the marriage.
But as for the servants' abuse, it mentioned a lot indeed. I know they are here to monitor her, but this wasn't monitoring; it was just a prison with executioners. Even the mistreatment was less when she was in her palace, but here... I don't even want to mention it.
"What do you think of this information, Cube?"
[What kind of response do you expect from me?]
"Just prove your existence. Since you turned into a ring in stealth mode, you haven't said anything."
The transformation feature—a feature it revealed when the Shadow approached. It turned into a white ring with a hole in its loop where a black square floats inside, then entered stealth mode so that no one could see it. Useful, but it had remained silent since then.
[Run, Ron, Ran, Rin.]
"And what does that mean?"
[Proof of existence.]
"Well, it's better if you stay silent."
One sometimes regrets the moment they say something. Talking to this cube will only raise my blood pressure. Eating will improve my mood a bit, so I called another maid and ordered her to prepare dinner.
"Shall I invite Lady Morgana?"
"Do it."
A maid calling the Empress by name? And how did she even know that I invited her? Is she stupid or does she think I am stupid? By her question, she revealed that she was spying. Then she bowed and retreated. I think she is less skillful than the previous one, as she had been watching me since she entered. I don't see this 'rabbit' as being so beautiful to be stared at; at least from my point of view, he looks only slightly better than average. 'Flower Boy' is a fitting title for him. I hate this; if it weren't for the disease, I would have set a muscle-building plan. It is said that rabbits might die of shock and fear, and I fear this might be a third reason that will kill me if I don't take good care of this body.
In any case, it seems she has arrived. Talking at the table is clearly not possible; there are spies. In history, private rooms were the only places safe from spies. It might not be so in a magical world, but it is the only option.
"But I feel strange inviting someone of another gender to the room, and on top of that, my wife from another world."
[Are you talking to me?]
"No."
[Good.]
I started to wish I had studied programming so I could modify this ridiculous cube, if modification were possible. Forget it; treat it as a cheap machine.
"By the way, can't you do anything? Like firing a laser or creating a soundproof zone or the like? Can you even take photos, while you call yourself an advanced phone?"
[I can dance. Do you want to see?]
"Tell me how to dismantle your parts."
[Well, calm down. You mentioned 5 of the prime numbers, so I have unlocked 5 features: Scanning—you tried it before; Guidance—which is answering questions; Communication—which is the feature of responding to speech flexibly; Transformation—meaning taking another form for disguise purposes; and finally, Monitoring Range—which extends to 50 meters.]
"Do you mean your abilities are limited by the number of prime numbers I know?"
[I know how great I am, no need for shock. But how great are you at discovering prime numbers?]
"Are you testing me?"
[In addition to revealing the prime number, you must provide energy for the cube. Mana stones or mana crystals will suffice; any other type of energy is acceptable. The need increases as the number you reveal grows, and sometimes the abilities you possess may evolve—such as the evolution of the 50-meter detection range to detect more things, etc.]
"Etc.?"
[Meaning, complete it yourself.]
"I know what you mean."
[Then don't ask.]
"Anyway, why is there a condition to reveal prime numbers?"
[Please ask the designer about that.]
"And where is your designer?"
[He died.]
"Can you respect me a little? As you can see, I am an Emperor, for your information."
[I have examined documents in this room. Based on data, I expect you have 45 days before you lose your position. I can be your loyal servant if you agree to swap roles after you are imprisoned while waiting for the execution trial.]
"Can you estimate that too?"
[I am more wonderful than you think.]
"So, do you have a solution?"
[It is not possible for me to provide solutions, but I can provide advice.]
"Go ahead, what is your advice?"
[Wash your neck well and change your clothes.]
"..."
Yes, I expected something like this. It seems the designer wants to raise the blood pressure of whoever uses this thing. I started to feel hungry; let's just put the cube aside for now. It's good to know an estimate for the time of the empire's fall, but it depends only on the documents here and not the actual situation.
It might be shorter or longer, but let's say there are 45 days.
What do I do then? Where do I start the reform? I have ideas—many of them were applied in my world—but the problem is that I don't know where to start.
"Fine, let's analyze the matter first."
[What would you like to analyze?]
"I'm talking to myself, shut up for a bit."
I took a paper and a pen. It's good that I know how to use a quill pen. Writing is the best way to dissect ideas, and that's what I used to do. Since I am writing in the language of my world, it doesn't matter even if this paper is found—that is, if I forget to burn it.
"So, let's pose the problems first."
I put a dot and stopped. How can I analyze the problems more accurately based on this 'rabbit's' memories? Perhaps his point of view missed something, or maybe I forgot something important.
"No, the first thing is to review the documents."
Is it because of being born again, or fear of death and its approaching arrival? I found myself following my desires immediately without any laziness or feeling of boredom. I took the first document about the external situation and immersed myself as never before.
When I realized reality again, someone was knocking on the door, and I had written many notes without realizing. But my temperature had risen even more; I think I really need medicine now.
I don't know if that was due to the poison or the transition, but truly there is no time for rest. I followed the maid until I reached the dining hall. There, it wasn't only Morgana who was present, but even four of my father's concubines and the second and third wives as well. Only the first wife and the fifth concubine were absent from the table, while sons or siblings from the same father—whose names I don't even remember—were present.
Man, I feel like I'm going to faint. I don't even want to think about why they came. But suddenly the second wife stood up and approached me with concern.
"Leonardo, are you okay? You look sick."
Are we close enough for you to call me by my name directly?
Forget it; it seems she's doing it on purpose.
"I'm fine."
I wanted to prevent her from touching my face, but this woman was surprisingly fast, then she pulled her hand back in surprise.
"Oh my God, your temperature is high!"
"Fine, everyone sit down."
I cut her off. Does it matter if my temperature is high? So what? Sending me to the room and calling a doctor to prevent me from meeting Morgana? I'm sorry, but I lived in a world where even a child started wearing a mask. That sweet talk—I used to hear it from a scammer on the phone every day. Do you think I'm going to let you do what you want?
But the ring is vibrating; the cube wants to say something. That's not possible now. Aside from that, isn't Morgana supposed to sit near me? Why is she the farthest person at the table?
After sitting at the head of the table, I ignored the chatter around me, then looked at the seat on the right side near me—there was the second wife of the 'rabbit's' father—and on the left seat was the third wife.
Did he marry them by mistake or what?
It's supposed to be from the highest authority to the lowest authority gradually, so that the highest authority is closest to the Emperor in the seating and vice versa. The 'rabbit' hadn't held a group dinner for a while, but he knew they always met because they all moved to the main palace.
Only my father's first wife didn't, nor the fifth concubine. Look now: two wives sit in order, then concubines, then princes and princesses, and finally Morgana. Does that mean she is the lowest rank among everyone?
The worst part of all this is that I cannot say anything.
My mother was the fourth wife, which means any word I say might turn into drama I can do without. Let's ignore this. Problems outside the palace and inside the palace, and outside the empire and inside it.
Just kill me.
But I don't want to die. I need help. I can't do everything by myself. My close advisor is just a person who shows loyalty to the Duke more than to the Emperor; he wasn't present today because the 'rabbit' sent him to ask for an explanation from the Duke of the West about why he declared...
As for the Prime Minister, he is the Duke, Morgana's father, and half of the nobles are loyal to him, another half are neutral, and the rest have split off. But even those who are neutral show their affection to the Duke.
In short, I have nothing but the family vault that protects my life until now, and the Shadow squad which cannot abandon the Emperor.
By the way, they had been talking since morning about nonsense that doesn't make sense. Did they forget my presence here, or are they ignoring me on purpose? I thought the Emperor's dinner tables were quiet and sophisticated, but what is this?
Why are they talking about clothes and jewelry now? Are they really serious? I know they are using the Emperor's personal wealth, but are they really ignoring the fact that they might be disposed of too if I die?
No, maybe that's not the case. The first and second wives might be protected by their families, but the concubines might have received some kind of promises.
What about the first wife and the fifth concubine?
I remembered: the fifth concubine is a princess of one of the subject kingdoms, and that kingdom has declared its rebellion. And the first wife is the daughter of the Duke of the East; their positions might be different... but let's not rush.
I finished my food quickly, then left the hall on the pretext of illness. I left behind someone whose face had also turned red because I said I would wait for her; it was just a reminder so that no one would try to use my illness as an excuse to send her back to her palace.
I feel that my temperature rose because of saying something; it was embarrassing to say something that would be misunderstood in front of many people. I must get used to this boldness.
Fine, I might be shy about saying something, but I don't hesitate to say it—or why was I failing in interviews...
I returned to the office because I truly forgot to remove the notes I wrote, and also I was curious about what the cube wanted to say. After entering and moving away from the door, I didn't notice any change in the room, but I would be stupid if I believed that, especially in a magical world.
"Anyway, Cube, what is it?"
[A tension in the timelines has been noticed.]
"What do you mean?"
[One of the people in the room possesses an ability related to time.]
"Did they go back in time? Or something similar?"
[Given the way they interacted and their heart rate, it indicates shock and doubt when they saw you. They must have lived a timeline in which you had died or knew that you are not the same previous Emperor. However, the ability to watch and live a potential future is a side effect that was the result of the awakening of her ability. I believe she has the ability to stop time.]
"And how do you know that I am not the same person?"
[How do you think I knew about her?]
"Forget it. Is it Morgana?"
[The similarity between the image and the intended person in the hall is 93%. It must be the person you mean, Morgana Philip. You don't seem surprised.]
"Because she was the only one who was calm, or because she wanted to meet me in a hurry because she realized that today is the day of my death. But you say her ability is stopping time, and when this ability awakened, she saw the future once. Does this make sense? Even if this is a magical world?"
[Special abilities are rare but not to that extent. In my master's era, all nobles possessed them. Among them were those who could take a glimpse of the future, but that was considered forbidden because the future is an unstable variable and is linked to the user's knowledge. But sometimes the first condition is bypassed, and the ability to predict the future that I possess is built on the basis of this ability. Therefore, I can predict the path of things after analyzing the situation—such as the date of your death by poison or the collapse of the empire.]
"I understand, somewhat. Meaning she lived a false future that cannot be realized. Perhaps she is more useful than I thought. And what about the ability to stop time?"
[A special acceleration ability that speeds up the body, soul, consciousness, and mind, making time appear as if it has stopped. This is my creator's analysis.]
"Your master seems to have been smart."
[My creator preferred to call himself by the title 'The Genius Monster'. Please call him that.]
"Yes, I am sure now that your creator is bad at choosing titles."
Going back in time, huh?
This world is getting stranger.
"By the way, did anyone enter the room?"
[The windows are closed, and the papers have moved by 3cm. The pen and some papers have deviated slightly. There are fingerprints on the chair and on the papers. The number of those who infiltrated this place after your departure is 7 people, skilled in erasing traces: 5 females and 2 males.]
As I expected, someone infiltrated the room.
Because of the order of the 'rabbit's' grandfather, the Shadows cannot enter the office or the room, or even eavesdrop on them except within certain limits. Then the matter did not change with the 'rabbit's' father, and the 'rabbit' did not change this matter because he found it logical too. It must change; because of that, I know I won't be able to ask them who entered the room.
I know they won't allow any killer to enter from a window, door, underground, or from the sky, and perhaps because of them, the food was not poisoned. But in the end, they are just human, and in the end, there is poison in my body now, and perhaps the reason is this matter that prevented them from noticing it.
"Cube, can you find out if there is someone eavesdropping on us or watching us now?"
[There is a mana recording machine inside the lion's eye in the bedpost. There are 32 like it around the room, but a special protection system of mine has automatically disabled them and left them repeating a daily scene when 'Communication' is activated or I talk to you.]
"Do you have such an ability? Why didn't you tell me?"
[Because it is just a passive ability; it cannot be controlled. Through it, any recording or scanning of the cube without my permission is prevented. And of course, the cube cannot be destroyed no matter how hard you try.]
"Tsk."
"Is its role to prevent detecting the cube only?"
[Yes, therefore all your conversations and movements were recorded when you were in the hall or the hallway.]
"Thank you. And now I know I'm sitting under a live broadcast."
[You're welcome.]
Seriously, this is too much for a little 'rabbit'. Well, I can't think well; my head is going to explode. The time has also come; let's head to my private room. Morgana must be waiting.