Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 278: A Date? (Celestine Arc) ②
“This is the mansion.”
“So this is it… Looks like an ordinary house to me.”
Celestine had led Rest to a mansion a short distance from the clock tower.
It was a two-story building with a garden barely larger than a cat’s forehead. The property was surrounded by an iron fence to keep outsiders out.
It was hard to believe that this modest building was owned by a woman who once ruled the nation—the former Queen Dowager. At most, it looked like the home of a somewhat wealthy merchant.
“Precisely because of that, it escaped attention until now. While the mansion is officially owned by ‘Sanada Shouko,’ its public caretaker was listed as someone else. Although… it seems that person merely lent their name and never even stepped inside.”
“You mentioned magic traps… So we can’t get inside?”
“Climbing over the fence is easy enough. The problem lies in actually entering the building.”
Celestine opened the iron gate and stepped onto the premises. Rest followed her in.
The garden had been kept up only to the extent of having weeds trimmed; there were no flowers or shrubs to add any color, making the place feel bleak.
And yet… the front door of the mansion stood out. A solid, imposing black door loomed in front of them.
“This is the trap door I mentioned.”
Celestine pointed at the door as she explained.
“There’s a panel with numbers above the doorknob, see? If you press the correct sequence of numbers, the lock will disengage. However… we don’t know the sequence or the number of digits, so it remains locked.”
“What happens if you just try pressing random numbers?”
“The investigators tried that. Apparently, pressing the wrong panel triggers a lightning magic trap. It’s not lethal, but powerful enough to knock you unconscious.”
“Lightning, huh…”
“After several knockouts, they did manage to determine that the first number is ‘1’ and the second is ‘2.’ But beyond that, their minds and bodies couldn’t take it any longer.”
Rest went silent.
One method for solving number-based passwords was brute force—trying every possible combination.
The panel had numbers from 0 to 9. If the password were two digits long, that would be 100 combinations. Three digits, 1,000 combinations. Eventually, the right one would be found.
(But… we don’t know how many digits this password has. If it’s ten digits long, that’s 10 to the power of 10… ten billion possibilities. Not realistic.)
Even without the threat of being electrocuted, it was a nightmare of a task.
The previous investigators must have taken countless zaps just to reach the discovery that the first two digits were “1” and “2.”
“Hm… there’s something etched above the panel. It’s faded… can’t really read it?”
“Ah, that was also reported by the investigators. They’ve managed to decipher the text.”
Celestine handed Rest a piece of paper.
“Some parts are missing or hard to read, but the deciphered message is believed to say the following.”
“Hmph…”
Rest glanced at the note and read the short line of text.
“The sailor’s ship, Clark and Berry.”
“……”
“We don’t know what ‘the sailor’s ship’ refers to, or who Clark and Berry are. We’re currently investigating all associates of Her Majesty the Queen Dowager to see if anyone by those names comes up…”
“No… no need to investigate. I’ve got it.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s see… The first two digits are 1, 2, then next is…”
Rest began entering numbers confidently.
The password was long, but once he figured out the reference, it was clear what the digits should be.
Fortunately, Rest had a background in the sciences in his previous life. He still remembered the mnemonic devices taught in science class.
After entering the complete sequence, a click sounded as the lock disengaged.
“It’s open.”
“No way… How did you figure it out?”
Celestine covered her mouth in surprise.
Rest, unsure of how to properly explain it, decided to come up with a vague excuse.