Chapter 109

I snapped out of it.

Was I not dead?

Feeling a plush mattress beneath me, it seemed I was likely lying in a bed…

‘No, holy crap. Wait a minute!’

Inside the pitch-black darkness, I re-read the sparkling notification window intently.
And then, it dawned on me.

‘Fuck. You’re telling me I have to do this whole routine all over again?’

Setting aside the fact that I had survived, my mind went entirely dizzy.

‘…Granted, giving me only a single chance would have been way too harsh.’

Let’s think optimistically.

Whatever the case, I have successfully crossed over into Round 2 now.

And I happen to share a pretty deep history with this dreary, dark room.

Kicking off the cold marble floor, I swept away the fabric that my hand brushed against.

Swishhh!

Taking a breath, I peered outside the window hidden behind the curtains, and beneath a massive moon, the by-now familiar panoramic view came into sight.

Splplat!

A wet, viscous clump of blood clung to my foot.

At the very end of the trail of blood, sure enough, lay Robert’s corpse.

‘As I thought, it’s definitely that room.’

The room where I had awoken back during the prologue. It appeared I had opened my eyes in this place once again.

But wait, this is strange. I shouldn’t be starting from right here.

‘I’m bound to get cornered as the murderer without a hitch.’

Cruising straight into a prison ending the very second Round 2 begins.

The soldiers will barge in shortly, and even if I flee, I’ll just get captured. After all, that was exactly what happened during Round 1 even when I left the room without a single delay.
Just in case, I checked inside my shirt, but I couldn’t feel a thing.

Meaning the clever trick of the Oath that I utilized during the previous round was utterly useless right now.

In other words, I was scheduled to head toward Round 3 at a hyper-speed pace.

‘No, wait. Hang on.’

Approaching the window, I gauged the height all the way down to the ground.

The ducal mansion was constructed right on top of a cliff terrain, making it an dizzying height that was scarier than most bungee jumps.

However, if it’s Belita’s body, I might actually be able to survive.

Didn’t I turn out perfectly fine even when I leaped off the castle walls?

‘Granted, it looks easily five times higher than back then, though…’

Forcibly pushing open the creaking window, I was right at the exact moment of placing my foot onto the windowsill.

“Cough!”

!!!

Startled by the sound, I almost practically leaped straight down out of nowhere!

As the cold wind seeped through my entire body, it suddenly dawned on me that I had been contemplating a completely insane act.

I hurriedly pulled my foot away from the windowsill.

“Wheeze, cough…”

And so, tracking down the source of the rough coughing sound welling up from deep within the abdomen, I scanned hither and thither around the room.

Wondering if there was another figure inside this room besides myself, I instantly raised my guard to the maximum.

To my absolute amazement, however, that sound did not belong to some unfamiliar stranger whom I didn’t know.

‘What the, he’s alive?’

Because that sound was actually filtering out from Robert, whom I had fully assumed to be a corpse!

Approaching Robert, I immediately verified his condition.

His abdomen was still brutally hacked to pieces and he was erupting into blood-mixed coughs, but he was still alive!

‘Though it looks like he’s going to kick the bucket shortly.’

What I could deduce from this was that I had returned to a specific point in time that was earlier than back during the prologue.

‘What should I do?’

An injury of that caliber could be healed in an instant using a potion.

Which meant that right now, I could actually save Robert’s life.

Narrowing my eyes, I pulled open the shop.

…I Can Hear Your Voice?

If a trait hogs a whopping two thousand points, it usually means it’s something remarkably important.

As it turned out, the shop points I currently possessed amounted to exactly two thousand.

“Groan…”

Oh boy. Robert’s complexion was gradually turning deathly pale, looking precisely as if he were right on the verge of breathing his last breath.

‘I have to choose.’

Whether to let Robert die, or to save him!

‘If I save him, it will act as an immense variable.’

To begin with, the entire story kicks off with Robert’s death.

If that underlying premise falls through, a massive shift is bound to erupt, whether in a positive or a negative direction.

‘……’

My internal debate didn’t last long.

Given that a Round 2 exists, it means this is a system where running multiple playthroughs is fully possible.

Meaning that if things start flowing in a truly bizarre direction, I can simply choose to die and call it a day.

‘But why the hell has the price become so expensive?’

The overall prices of the items had spiked, by a low of 3 times to as much as a whopping 4 times.

‘And the newly updated trait costs a completely ridiculous price, too.’

Although I had a burning desire to unlock the trait right this instant, points can be easily earned back anyway.

‘Let’s hold back…’

Lightening my heart, I purchased an Instant Recovery Potion, poured a single sip into Robert’s mouth, and poured the remainder directly over his wounded area.

Gradually, Robert’s breathing pattern began to settle into stability.

‘What do I do about this pool of blood?’

If Robert doesn’t possess a single injury, the presence of this pool of blood will surely be viewed with suspicion.

Mulling it over for a brief moment, I pulled Ilian’s sword out from my inventory.

‘Since he hasn’t fully regained consciousness yet, it should be fine.’

And then, I drove the blade deeply into Robert’s shoulder.

Perhaps because the medicinal effects included some sort of anesthetic property, Robert didn’t let out a single groan of agony.

The wound attempted to close, but halted halfway through.

‘Perfect. Just the right amount.’

I only just realized it now, but it seemed the Instant Recovery Potion possessed its own separate duration for its medicinal effects.

‘Is it somewhere around 10 seconds?’

Estimating the approximate seconds, I tore the hem of my skirt.

The exact moment I wrapped the wounded area to stanch the bleeding, Robert opened his eyes, seemingly regaining his senses.

“Where is…?”

Looking at Robert, whose mind still appeared to be drifting in and out, I picked my words carefully before opening my mouth.

“Are you all right, Lord Robert?”

Lacking even the strength to budge, Robert merely rolled his pupils to look at me.

“Who are you…?”

The moment our eyes met, I forcefully pressed down hard onto Robert’s wound.

“Aaaaark!”

Sure enough, a refreshing scream was let out beautifully.

“Oh dear me! What ever shall we do! It hurts terribly, doesn’t it? I shall go bring people over right this instant!”

“No, wait a moment… Please explain just how on earth things became like th—”

Pretending not to hear Robert’s final words, I rose from my spot and stepped out of the room.

Down the far end of the hallway, I spotted Sera heading toward my direction, trailing a group of knights behind her.

‘Looks like it truly was a hair’s breadth of a difference.’

Seeing her only arriving just now, it seemed that during the prologue, I had essentially awoken the very moment Robert died, and while I was standing around dazed, the knights had barged right in.

‘Setting that aside, though. Why the hell is she glaring at me?’

Although the distance wasn’t close enough for her expression to be fully visible, a stinging gaze that felt exactly like she was scowling at me was transmitted completely without subtraction.

Without averting my eyes from Sera’s gaze, I cleared my throat.

And then, I screamed loud enough to make the entire mansion shake.

“Aaaaark! Lord Robert has been ambushed!”

“Right. So you were sleeping in the bed inside that room.”

“Yes. I do not remember clearly why I was in that room. Perhaps the culprit forced me to sleep in order to frame me as Lord Robert’s assassin…”

“Is there anyone you suspect as the culprit?”

“I am not entirely sure. However, the last person I saw before losing consciousness was a maid named Sera. If someone slipped me sleeping pills, wouldn’t that maid be the most likely suspect?”

“Sera, you say?”

The man stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

“Right. I have noted your words. They mentioned that thanks to your prompt stanching of the blood, Lord Robert’s wound healed well. Lord Robert wishes to bestow a reward upon you, so drop by his office sometime.”

“Thank you.”

Creeeak, click…

The moment the sound of the door closing echoed, I leaned against the wall as the tension drained away, sliding straight down onto the floor.

“Phew…”

‘Did I make any mistakes?’

The person I had just conversed with was August Bane, Robert Rubel’s aide.

He was also the individual Robert had tasked with conducting the investigation into the assassination attempt against him.

I had sweat bullets trying to make my statement sound as unsuspicious as possible.

Subtly pushing the idea that Sera was the culprit hadn’t been an easy task either.

‘I wonder how Sera will play her cards.’

By now, Sera is likely highly flustered that Robert is still alive.

She must have more than a couple of questions as well.

‘I’ll have to think about how to prepare for the future, too.’

I still have a few more coins left for my life, so I can afford to use this playthrough strictly to gather information.

Meaning I don’t need to be too terrified of dying.

Though, obviously, I shouldn’t recklessly squander them either.

‘If possible, let’s clear the game in this playthrough.’

If there is no limit to the number of playthroughs, it means I’ll have to keep trying infinitely until I succeed in clearing the quest.

If I continue to fail repeatedly, my mental health might shatter first.

‘Honestly, even now in Round 2, just the thought of having to redo everything from the beginning makes me dizzy.’

…For now, let’s head to Robert’s office just as Aide August mentioned.

As for the detailed plan moving forward, I can mull it over calmly once I return to my room.

Since I was covered in blood and in a filthy state, the aide had provided me with a clean maid uniform, and so, thoroughly tidied up, I currently stood before a massive leather door reminiscent of a corporate chairman’s office.

They said this place was Robert’s office.

Though I question why a man who just had his shoulder pierced is sitting inside his office right now…

At any rate, since I must obey orders when told to do so, I shifted my gaze toward the servant standing in front of me.

The servant politely knocked on the door and announced my arrival.

And before long, a low-pitched voice drifted back.

“Tell them to enter.”

Inside the office, the dry scent of wood that one might find in an old book and the heavy aroma of ink brushed past the tip of my nose.

The moment I stepped inside, bookshelves filling up the walls caught my eye, and sitting in the innermost work area was Robert Rubel, looking completely ordinary.

It was precisely as if seeing the man drenched in blood and on the verge of breathing his last breath up until dawn had merely been a dream.

“You’ve arrived.”

Robert spoke, removing his round-rimmed glasses and placing them onto the desk cluttered with documents.

“I have a few things I wish to ask you, you see.”

Robert pulled a wretched shirt out from a desk drawer—torn hither and thither and thoroughly stained with blood—and thrust it right in front of my face.

“This is what I was wearing today. The abdominal area is ripped to shreds as if it were hacked with a knife, and it is drenched in blood. Looking at this alone, it would be correct for my abdomen to possess a wound of this caliber, wouldn’t it?”

“…Quite so.”

“Yet, I do not possess a single injury.”

Of course you don’t.

Because I was the one who healed you.

“I also feel strangely bursting with energy, for some reason… Well, whatever. Since you were the first to discover me unconscious, I figured you might know something.”

“I am not entirely sure, as the only thing I saw was the injury on your shoulder.”

I delivered my statement consistently.

If my words shifted from what I told the aide earlier, it would surely invite suspicion.

“Mmm. Right. And you didn’t spot the culprit?”

“The only person I saw the moment I woke up was you, Lord Robert.”

The victim himself ought to know best, so why the hell is he asking me who the culprit is?

“So you didn’t see them. Very well, then. You may leave now.”

…Leave? Just like that?

This is strange. The current situation is blatantly anomalous.

Setting aside whether this is the correct way to treat the savior of your life.

I have no idea how the victim of a violent, near-death incident can possibly remain this serene.

“Ah, one more thing before you go. Do not act rashly for no good reason. Unless you wish to be heavily punished, you strictly must not run your mouth needlessly.”

Pardon?

“What are you doing? Get out.”

Robert put his glasses back on and shooed me away, waving the hand holding his fountain pen right in front of my face.

I was utterly dumbfounded by the blatant dismissal.

“Wait a moment. Do you already know whose doing this is, Lord Robert…?”

“I believe I told you not to run your mouth carelessly!”

No, has he lost his mind?

I should have stabbed him in the stomach instead of the shoulder. If I had, there’s no way he’d be sitting there perfectly fine right now. My fists trembled out of sheer absurdity.

Should I just knock him the hell out to pry the truth out of him and bolt straight into Round 3?

Right as I was about to throw a punch out of pure rage, the monumental first choice window of Round 2 blocked my field of vision.