Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Preemptive Strike
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The three who arrived in the capital entered a nearby restaurant and ordered food.
The day was cold, so they ordered stew—a hot, warming soup dish—and soon their food arrived.
The restaurant server placed bowls and utensils in front of everyone, and Rachel thought this place had impeccable service.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you.”
With that, the three began eating. The server lingered at their table, as if waiting for a review of the taste.
‘New menu item?’
Rachel pondered as she ate the stew. It was delicious. But just as she was about to say so, a familiar scent—one she’d smelled before—lingered in her mouth.
‘What is it? I remember this scent, but it doesn’t feel good.’
Quite the opposite, in fact. Soon enough, Rachel recalled where she’d encountered it.
It was the scent from the motion sickness remedy Paris Emporus had given her in the 13th loop.
The instant she thought to spit out the food, her eyes shut.
‘Damn it.’
Her upper body slumped forward. Through her closing eyes, she glimpsed Enoch collapsing and Evelyn staggering to her feet, drawing her sword.
-Family member has died. Returning to checkpoint.
***
[Danger Level: 72%]
[Talent Retention System is active. Abilities are inherited.]
[Stamina: 5]
[Strength: 3]
[Agility: 8]
[Mental Strength: 5]
The 19th loop began.
Rachel let out a hollow laugh as she watched the message windows scroll by.
She hadn’t died and returned—her family had, which meant Evelyn’s stew had been poisoned.
Evelyn hadn’t collapsed right away but had staggered; she must have succumbed to the poison afterward.
“Wow.”
“What’s wrong, dear?”
With everyone at the dinner table, Evelyn couldn’t ignore her daughter suddenly bursting into mad hollow laughter and sighing in despair.
But Rachel wasn’t in any state to answer right away.
Paris Emporus had even bribed restaurant servers in the capital.
He’d given them advance orders to spike meals with poison and drugs—without knowing when Evelyn and she might show up.
‘No, this doesn’t make sense! How could he know where we’d go? He didn’t bribe every restaurant in the capital, did he?’
If he had, Evelyn’s death would seem perfectly natural.
She’d gotten clear confirmation of what happened when a wealthy man like Paris Emporus gained power. They had to settle this before the baron became a count.
“Sis, you crazy?”
“Deyner!”
“But Sis is acting weird. With guests here…”
“I’m sorry. I don’t feel well, so I’ll head up first. Dad, looks like I can’t make it to the capital.”
“Alright.”
Rachel rose from her seat and headed to her room. On the way, she spotted a decorative sword mounted on the second-floor hallway wall.
She grabbed it and went out to the courtyard. Wrapping her palm in a handkerchief, she hacked wildly at the apple tree with the sword.
“Why, why!”
She’d never understood smashing things or lashing out in anger, but now she unleashed her rage on the tree. She was that furious.
Only after gouging deep into one side of the apple tree did she stop.
“Fine then. Preemptive strike it is.”
They’d hit Paris Emporus first, before he struck them.
“In the last loop, when I spread rumors of his ties to the Black Sorcerer, the Abyss Merchant Guild started moving but backed off.”
In the 18th loop, she’d leaked the rumors through a maid after the music box incident, but they hadn’t spread far.
The temple caught wind, sent holy knights and priests to probe the connection, found Crow, and executed him.
Paris Emporus, the pseudo-contractor, denied any link to Crow, painted him as a black sorcerer who’d snuck into his castle, and slipped the temple’s suspicions.
A plan took shape in Rachel’s mind.
***
She sent Henri ahead, just like in the previous loop. Then she grabbed Priestess Peace as she tried to leave.
“Priestess, I need to tell you something!”
“Me?”
“Yes. My uncle, Baron Emporus—he’s a pseudo-contractor!”
“This follows from yesterday’s talk, then.”
It was years ago for Rachel, but just yesterday for Priestess Peace.
Rachel racked her brain, trying to remember what she’d said back then.
In front of Henri and Priestess Peace, she’d claimed Paris Emporus was the culprit. Henri hadn’t believed her, sparking all sorts of problems.
“Rachel, what’s that supposed to mean?”
Evelyn, seeing Priestess Peace off, turned in shock at Rachel’s words.
“That’s what I saw back at the restaurant! I couldn’t bring myself to say it—couldn’t believe the uncle who’d always doted on me was the culprit.”
Evelyn traced the holy sign at Rachel’s resolute gaze.
“Care to elaborate?”
“There’s a secret chamber in Harpa Castle with an inactive contract circle. And a powerful black sorcerer too.”
Priestess Peace and Evelyn exchanged nods.
“And my second uncle’s in on it too.”
“We’ll need to investigate. Mind if I call on your sister for help?”
“Of course. It’s my fight too. But… is your father involved at all?”
Her voice trembled slightly as she asked. Rachel shook her head.
“Dad knows nothing about this.”
“Then why not speak up earlier?”
“You wouldn’t have believed me.”
Rachel gave Evelyn’s question a curt reply.
“Huh?”
“Dad doesn’t think my brother would ever hurt us.”
“Well, to him, it’d sound like you saying you’d hurt Deyner.”
Henri, who’d bowed out of succession early, had no bad blood with his brother.
The idea of siblings hating each other enough to kill had never crossed his mind.
“Your father’s a bit too pure-hearted.”
Rachel eyed Evelyn with a clouded gaze.
‘Talk about rose-tinted glasses.’
Rachel shook her head. Then she glanced at Enoch standing behind her.
The short silver-haired boy met her eyes with a clear gaze.
“Something on my face?”
“Yes.”
Enoch fiddled with his face at her answer.
“Won’t do any good touching it.”
“Then will you wipe it off for me?”
“Nope.”
Rachel’s firm refusal made him widen his golden eyes before casting them down.
“Not gonna ask what it is?”
“What’s on my face?”
“Your good looks.”
For an instant, Rachel felt the air chill. Everyone but Enoch let out hollow chuckles at her response.
“My daughter, honestly…”
“I’m outta here.”
Deyner turned his back on his sister and headed into the mansion first.
Priestess Peace gave an awkward smile.
“Haha, I’ll take my leave then. I’ll dispatch an investigation team from the temple and come back.”
“Safe travels, Priestess.”
And so the ones leaving departed, leaving only those meant to stay behind in the mansion.
“Let’s head inside too.”
“Mother.”
Evelyn halted on her way into the mansion and turned at Rachel’s call.
“What is it?”
“Please let me use the clearing in the back hills.”
“When did you find out about it?”
The back hills clearing was Evelyn’s private training spot, which she maintained herself. She even barred the maids during practice hours.
Evelyn knew full well Rachel had never set foot there, yet here she was asking to use it.
“And teach Deyner and me swordsmanship too.”
Rachel made the request instead of answering. Evelyn nodded agreeably.
“Deyner as well?”
“He’s got real talent.”
“I see. You must have your reasons.”
Rachel gazed at the sky as she walked toward the mansion. It was a clear blue, heedless of her mood.
‘This time, I’ll get it right.’
Rachel hardened her resolve.
***
“You’re doing better than I thought.”
Evelyn spoke in a stunned tone. Rachel nodded wordlessly.
The 19th loop’s first stamina training commenced. Thanks to the Talent Retention System carrying over her previous loop’s points intact, keeping up with the inaugural session was a breeze.
“With your normal habits, this stamina shouldn’t be possible…”
“I lift lots of books.”
That’s what Rachel told her skeptical mother.
“Right, your father does too…”
Evelyn launched into stories about her husband.
Tales Rachel had heard countless times—she turned to check on Deyner instead.
‘He really is something.’
In a single go, he’d matched the abilities she’d built over two years of training.
She’d thought him impressive at their first session, but side by side now, it stood out even more.
“Can’t beat innate talent, huh?”
She hadn’t slacked. No matter how diligently she trained, her muscles barely grew. Even with proper meals.
Rachel had no clue what was up with her constitution.
“Great! Time to ramp up the intensity?”
Evelyn’s enthusiasm ignited. She drilled Rachel and Deyner mercilessly, even leaving them gasping despite their familiarity with the routine.
It let them grip a sword after just a week—unlike the previous loop’s year-long wait.
“Better than expected? Rachel, who knows—maybe you’ve got talent after all!”
Evelyn remarked as she watched Rachel swing the blade. Enoch nodded from the side.
“Not bad posture for your first time holding a sword.”
Rachel smirked at praise she’d never heard in prior loops.
Of course it was good.
In the last loop, her form had been so awful that Enoch had pressed his back to hers, hands-on correcting her arms and wrists, guiding her strokes that way for ages.
Evelyn chided her attitude—don’t get cocky—but Rachel mumbled a half-hearted reply.
“This girl.”
A blue message window popped up before her grumbling mother.
[Danger Level: 65%]
The danger level had dropped 7%. Crow was dead. The temple’s investigators must have taken him down.
‘Normally, the baron shows up tomorrow…’
But even the next day, he didn’t appear. No doubt tied up with Crow’s death and the temple’s involvement.
‘One step at a time.’
Crow’s demise marked the start of their counteroffensive.
***
Three days later, Priestess Peace returned.
The outcome matched Rachel’s expectations.
“The baron denied any ties to the black sorcerer.”
He claimed total ignorance of the deactivated contract circle in the secret chamber.
On top of that, no demonic mark of a pseudo-contractor emerged, forcing the investigators to settle for Crow and withdraw.
“The temple can’t do more now.”
Priestess Peace stated. Rachel parted her lips calmly.
“If he stays alive…”
She recounted every family death his survival would cause.
“That’s why he has to die.”
Evelyn had already drawn her sword.
“I’ll handle it. He targeted me with a curse. Evidence aside, his demon ties are certain, right?”
“Yes.”
Rachel felt grateful—her mother stepping up unprompted.
“But one condition.”
“What?”
“We kill him in secret. He denied the contract circle, so if you take him out, it counts as noble slaying.”
“Understood.”
Evelyn accepted Rachel’s terms without hesitation.
“Only the three of us know about this.”
“Yes. Mum’s the word from me on this.”
Afterward, Evelyn and Rachel rode a carriage to the temple.
There, with Priestess Peace’s aid, Evelyn slipped out undetected and headed for Harpa Castle.
Rachel longed to join but stayed behind to conceal her role.
Anxious, she awaited Evelyn at the temple. Two days later, Evelyn returned.
Rachel hauled her in through the window by the arm and demanded an update.
“Mother! What happened?”
“I killed Baron Emporus. Confirmed his last breath.”
At last, they’d safely eliminated Paris Emporus.