The Absolute Beings Obsessed with My Defeat Addiction

“I’m looking forward to it.”

With those words, the Duke returned to the territory of Silvesta.

Helen, who was sending off the head of the family, was lost in thought.

It was something she had always hoped for, for the next head of the family to be chosen.

It should have been a joyous occasion, yet a heavy stone seemed to weigh down her heart, making her uneasy.

“The reaction is colder than I expected.”

Had he read her attitude?

Beron asked with his characteristic sly smile.

“I’m happy. It’s what I’ve always wanted. Right now, I’m savoring my joy in my own way.”

“Then why does your expression look like that?”

She lifted her head to look at Beron.

Her older brother, three years her senior.

He was the closest among her siblings and had been by her side the longest.

Though she often mocked Beron for losing to Yuris, their bond was strong enough that she would go to watch his matches.

She knew well what thoughts Beron had when he gave up his succession.

– I will become the Empire’s greatest knight. I don’t want to think about anything other than training my sword.

Beron had dreamed of becoming the Empire’s greatest knight for a long time.

Helen had watched him practice tirelessly, more closely than anyone else.

She knew better than anyone how sincere he was about the sword.

Just as she knew Beron well, Beron also understood Helen.

If she were truly happy, she would have been jumping for joy at the departure of the head of the family.

“If someone else saw you, they would think you’re someone who doesn’t want to return home.”

At Beron’s words, Helen bit her lip.

“That’s not it.”

More than anyone, she wanted to become the head of the Silvesta family.

The reason she pursued perfection for her family was that it was the family she would govern in the future.

“Do you really think I wouldn’t know the expression you make when you’re happy?”

“…….”

How could she express it?

That it was because of a man who had mercilessly defeated her in an illusion, instilling in her the feeling of defeat.

“… I don’t know what’s making you hesitate, but to grasp the goal you truly desire, you must also be willing to give something up.”

Beron’s words were more persuasive than ever.

After all, he was someone who had given up the position of head of the family for his own goals.

“I know.”

“It’s not something I can force you into, but I hope you make a wise choice.”

“…….”

Having finished speaking, Beron packed his belongings.

“I have unfinished business, so I’ll be going first.”

Helen quietly watched Beron’s back as he returned to the knight order.

It was a moment when she felt the weight of the choice he had made, even if just a little.

“Ha.”

What should she do?

Lost in thought for a moment, Helen bit her lip.

“Thinking alone won’t lead to a conclusion.”

Then it would be better to go directly.

She would go and ask Max.

If he had any thoughts about going to the Silvesta territory together.

“Let’s go.”

She hurriedly prepared to leave.

***

“…….”

On the way to the illusion cinema.

Passing through the shopping district, Helen suddenly stopped in front of a store.

It had thin, round glasses.

She had heard that these glasses were in vogue among noblemen recently.

While some nobles wore them for practicality, others wore them simply for fashion, making them a popular item.

As soon as she saw the glasses, she thought of Max wearing them.

– Are you admitting that you’re an underachiever?

Max, coldly shooting that remark at her.

His appearance in the illusion was sharp, like a pointed ice pick.

– My eyesight isn’t bad enough to wear glasses.

In reality, Max had a slightly more rugged feel.

He also had a surprisingly sturdy physique.

And he possessed an intelligence sharp enough to handle that difficult illusion magic in an instant.

Though he was the same as the Max in the illusion, the only difference was his slightly softer personality.

‘He would look good in them.’

Helen imagined Max as she looked at the glasses displayed in the store.

Max wearing square horn-rimmed glasses.

Max wearing thin, round glasses.

Max wearing glasses that, while square, had a sleek feel unlike horn-rimmed ones.

The image of Max in various glasses kept popping up in her mind like a broken record.

As Helen created countless versions of Max in her head, she recalled the image of him shrugging his shoulders.

– I’m not in a financial position to spend money on something like that.

As he said, glasses were not cheap.

The reason they were only popular among nobles was largely due to their expensive prices.

The technology to make the lenses and the thin frames was all prohibitively expensive for ordinary people.

Especially, the price varied greatly depending on the material used for the frames.

Even the cheapest material for glasses frames, steel, was said to use Clamio steel, which is sensitive to mana.

Since it was only produced in specific regions, the price was comparable to that of gold of the same weight.

‘Would he like it if I bought one as a gift?’

She imagined what it would be like if Max received the displayed glasses as a gift.

‘He would probably look quite good in them.’

Lost in her thoughts, Helen suddenly snapped back to reality.

‘Get a grip. What are you thinking?’

If she suddenly gave him such an expensive gift, it would surely seem strange.

This was not something to be given lightly.

To Helen of the Silvesta family, it was close to a luxury item, but for an ordinary person like Max, it would be an expensive luxury.

‘He’s just the owner of a store I frequently visit.’

What’s wrong with giving him glasses as a gift?

A voice inside Helen whispered that it was fine.

But.

‘No. Still, it would be burdensome to give such an expensive item when we’re not that close.’

Moreover, strange rumors might spread.

Unnecessary gossip about the daughter of the Silvesta family having an affair with an illusion magician.

She hadn’t even properly entered the running for the next head of the family yet.

In this situation, unnecessary scandals would be fatal for Helen.

Now was the time to keep her conduct and demeanor in check.

‘I’ve held back well. Let’s reduce unnecessary misunderstandings.’

Calming her chest, she headed back toward the illusion cinema.

***

“With this, there shouldn’t be any immediate issues with sparks.”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead after adjusting the magic circle.

I had adequately compensated for the durability issue revealed by Yuris.

For now, I resolved the ‘noise phenomenon’ caused by the durability defect by layering several enhancement magic circles.

While I couldn’t solve the temporary shorts caused by the fundamental issue of information overload, I increased the durability of information processing to enable higher-level computational processing.

When my master returns and examines this magic circle, he will surely be astonished and ask why I finished it this way.

‘This is the only method I can use right now.’

Until I receive a reply from my master, I had no choice but to use it temporarily.

“With this, unless someone is overly excited, there shouldn’t be any shorts.”

Just as I was doing a final check on the repaired magic circle.

Knock, knock, knock.

A customer had arrived.

“Oh, it’s been a while.”

It was Helen who had come to the store.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

Helen usually visited after 5 PM, when the academy classes ended.

Occasionally, on days when she only had morning classes, she would come after lunch, but this was the first time she had come before lunchtime.

“Today is a day off from the academy, so I came.”

“Oh, so today is a holiday.”

“Can I come in?”

“Of course.”

Once she entered the store, she hesitated and sat at the consultation table.

“Did you come to enjoy the backstory of the video we saw before?”

“No.”

“Then you must have come to enjoy a new story.”

“I didn’t come to watch a video today… I came to make a proposal.”

“A proposal?”

“Yes.”

After a brief silence, she looked at me and spoke.

“Do you want to go to the Silvesta territory with me?”

“Excuse me?”

“I think very highly of your abilities, Instructor, or rather, Max. It’s not just because I liked the illusion I saw with that magic circle… well, of course, I did like it! But aside from that, I think you’re an exceptionally talented illusion magician.”

Helen, who had been rambling, let out a deep sigh.

“So I would like you to use that ability for me. Not just for me, but for the Silvesta family.”

“Are you trying to scout me?”

“Exactly. The position would be the chief magician within the territory, and if I become the head of the family, I could even give you the position of the head of the magician’s guild within the territory. No one would dare to refute whatever magic you use within the territory.”

Scouting.

What a rare word.

How often does one get to scout an illusion magician?

“I know that the power of the Silvesta family comes from vast farmlands, mines, and high-quality grapes and wines. I don’t see any work for me there.”

“You can create work. If I become the head of the family, there won’t even be a need to search for it. Who would dare say anything if I’m the head of the family?”

Helen’s face radiated a stronger will than ever.

This is quite troublesome.

Having a capable man is exhausting.

“I’m sorry. I appreciate the offer, but I must decline.”

“……Are you serious?”

“Yes. This is something I enjoy doing. If I were to be scouted to your territory, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’ve been wanting to do.”

“It doesn’t matter if you do it! I’ll be your customer…”

“That’s not enough.”

“What?”

“I opened this store to extract and satisfy the desires of various people. It’s not what I want to do to only satisfy your desires, Helen.”

In an illusion world, I create a daughter figure that anyone can use.

This was the reason I opened this store.

The reason I chose illusion magic over all other spells was the same.

If I followed Helen Silvesta and became the magician of her territory, the chances of me doing what I wanted would be greatly diminished.

As a magician affiliated with the territory, it was a principle to report all of one’s magic to the higher-ups.

Even the content of the videos.

‘Even if Helen guarantees me convenience, there will inevitably be interference.’

Moreover, working for the territory might make it impossible for me to produce the daughter figure I truly desired.

To maintain my position as a territory magician, I would have to continuously show results.

No matter how much Helen might want to cover for me, she couldn’t keep doing so for someone who only made daughter figures.

‘No matter how big Silvesta is, it can’t be as diverse as the imperial capital.’

The imperial capital was truly the center of the world, where all cultures and races of the continent mixed.

As many people came, various desires writhed in this land.

The more diverse the desires I encountered, the more colorful my works would be; that was my theory of creation.

Having already spread my mat in a good place, there was no reason to move elsewhere.

Helen bit her lip at my words.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t expect to be turned down.”

“If the store fails later, then please propose again.”

“There may not be another opportunity.”

“Then there’s nothing I can do. I’ll have to work part-time.”

“…….”

Helen’s face puffed up, looking sulky.

“Fine. I won’t force someone who doesn’t want to do it.”

“Then are you going back?”

“No.”

“You clearly said you wouldn’t watch a video today…”

“My mind has changed.”

Helen crossed her arms and glared at me.

“Today, I would like you to show me the best video you can.”

“You won’t be satisfied with just the backstory of the previous video.”

“I’ll leave that judgment to the store owner.”

“Then shall we conduct a survey on paper for the first time in a while?”

I took out a survey form and handed it to her.