Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Can't Clear It Alone
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She had realized something from repeating death and regression.
No matter what, she couldn't clear this on her own.
Her honesty in the 10th round had earned her the title of "the young lady whose mind went strange" and a life of confinement. In short, she had been treated like a lunatic.
However, during that confinement, while reading books, she had a realization. Being completely honest made her seem like someone with a problem in her head, but mixing in a little lie could turn her into a prophet.
"I had an ominous dream. Please call a priest."
In this world, gods truly existed, and those chosen by the gods could wield Divine Power.
Divine Power couldn't heal illnesses, but it could treat external wounds and drive out corrupt or evil things.
Rachel had once thought that maybe the curse of death could be removed with Divine Power.
In conclusion, it had failed. The priest hadn't even noticed the curse. Instead, he had told her something even more terrifying.
He said it seemed like the Demon King was targeting her, so she should be careful.
At that time, she had heard the name of the demon worshipper organization: Daimon. Rachel herself had never actually encountered them.
Even so, the reason she wanted to call the priest now was because of the incident that occurred early in the regression. She could avoid the incident if she tried to dodge it. But in some cases, avoiding it lowered the Danger Level, while in others, it had no effect.
Rachel planned to have the priest investigate the inside of the mansion this time.
If what she said matched what the priest found, her family would believe that she had seen an ominous future.
"Very well."
Evelyn, who believed in the Lux Church, immediately accepted Rachel's request.
"First, when they're repairing the roof, a plank will fall. Tell the maids not to go under my window."
Up until they heard those words, the family wore expressions that couldn't tell if Rachel was telling the truth or lying.
'I should have spoken this calmly in the previous rounds too.'
By the 10th round, the deaths and regressions had happened in such quick succession over just a few days that she hadn't been able to calm down. She had felt like her life was being targeted from all directions, falling into a state of panic.
Because of that, the moment she woke up, she had burst into tears and told them about all these events, and Henri had weakly shaken his head, muttering the word "mental breakdown."
The lens of his monocle had gleamed coldly, and his expression and voice were not so much calm as icy, so she had given up on persuading him.
As morning passed and lunchtime approached, a noise came from outside.
It was the incident Rachel had been waiting for. Thanks to Evelyn's instructions, the maids had gone around the other way, and no one was hurt. A large plank fell from the roof and shattered into pieces on the ground.
Henri and Evelyn came out late. Faced with a situation where they had no choice but to believe the ominous dream Rachel had supposedly had, they couldn't hide their shock.
Meanwhile, Rachel was checking the blue window in front of her.
[Danger Level: 97%]
It had gone down this time. The methods Rachel had used so far to avoid the roof accident were three in total.
Avoid it alone.
Tell the working servants to be careful in advance.
And this time, let the accident happen but warn the maids to be careful too.
Among these, the Danger Level had only decreased in the latter two cases.
'The difference is...'
"It's true! Was there anything else?"
"I want the priest to check when he comes."
Most of the accidents she had experienced were things that could have been avoided with just a little caution. In fact, she could dodge them if she tried.
Even so, the reason she was suspicious was that after safely passing the early accidents, either the curse's effect wore off and no more incidents occurred, or something like that.
If the curse of death continued, there should always be danger, but so far, the dangerous incidents had mostly happened inside the mansion.
The only exception was one carriage accident.
"If I may add one more thing, it would be good to check the carriage wheels."
Remembering it, Rachel added. Evelyn called a servant and had the coachman check the carriage.
A moment later, the servant returned.
"The coachman said the axle on the carriage wheels is worn."
"Rachel, what you said is true!"
Evelyn grabbed Rachel's hand.
[Danger Level: 91%]
The Danger Level had decreased, probably because the coachman had started fixing the carriage wheels.
And Evelyn had come to trust Rachel's words.
'Honestly, convincing Mother is easy. The problem is that she keeps dying two years later.'
Even though she was already dead by the time the game started, wasn't it too much for her to keep dying repeatedly?
This time, she planned to stay close to the priest and keep him by Evelyn's side.
'But for that, I need money.'
Even priests who believed in the gods didn't do free service.
They regularly went to treat the poor, took in and raised orphans, so they charged nobles and the wealthy.
Rachel's family was well-off enough to employ servants, but not extremely rich.
Henri made good money as a doctor who only treated nobles, but he couldn't compare to a lord who wielded vast authority.
After pondering, Rachel spoke up.
"Mother, how about I learn to work in Uncle's merchant company? I can read letters and do arithmetic."
"Why all of a sudden?"
"It's not sudden; I've been thinking about it for a while."
Rachel's maternal family, the Emporus house, was a merchant family. In their great-grandfather's generation, they had bought a barony with money and become nobles, and afterward, they succeeded in trade and accumulated enormous wealth.
The title had gone to the eldest son, Paris Emporus, so the third son, Henri, hadn't inherited it. However, their father, while alive, hadn't spared economic support for his children, and Henri had studied at university, earned a doctoral degree, and was now practicing as a noble-exclusive physician.
In short, Rachel's uncle, Paris Emporus, was an incredibly wealthy merchant. Moreover, in one year, he would become an earl by playing his cards right.
"Since it's Uncle's company, not anyone else's, wouldn't it be good for learning the trade?"
"That makes sense. I'll send word."
Three days later, Paris Emporus visited. The distance between the mansion and the Emporus territory took more than two days by carriage, yet he had come to the mansion immediately upon receiving the letter.
Hearing that Paris Emporus had arrived, Rachel quickly dressed and came down to the first floor. Having nearly fallen multiple times on the stairs between the second and first floors in previous rounds, she descended slowly.
"Uncle!"
Rachel ran toward the man who had just entered the mansion.
Most people might imagine a pot-bellied uncle when thinking of a merchant, but Paris Emporus was lean, with pale skin. Resembling a frail scholar overall, he broke into a bright smile upon seeing Rachel.
"Rachel, it's been a while! You've grown so much!"
"Yes. Have you been well, Uncle?"
Rachel didn't dislike him. With only two sons, he doted greatly on his one niece.
Being human, Rachel naturally felt closer to the friendly Paris Emporus than to Henri, who didn't show affection. It couldn't be helped that she had seen Uncle's face more than Father's during her regressions.
"You've come."
Henri and Evelyn had just come down. Only Deyner, who disliked the baron, didn't appear.
"Yes, I'm here. Why do you always have that expression every time I see you? Aren't you happy to see your big brother?"
"Don't you come too often?"
"Too often? I've been holding back just to see our Rachel."
"Anyone would think she was your daughter."
"Is that so? Rachel, want to be my daughter?"
At his younger brother's words, Paris Emporus joked around. Perhaps because he was a merchant, he lacked the arrogance typical of nobles.
Rachel looked at Henri. His face was stiff. Seeing his younger brother's expression, Paris Emporus patted his back and laughed loudly.
"What, are you scared she'll say yes and become my daughter?"
Henri didn't respond. Instead, Evelyn spoke.
"Welcome. And Rachel's not available. She's my precious daughter."
"That's a shame. Have you been well?"
"Thanks to you."
Evelyn and Paris Emporus exchanged greetings with ha-ha and ho-ho laughter. Watching her father's expression grow increasingly stiff, Rachel shook her head.
"You must be tired from the carriage ride. Please rest."
Unlike usual visits, his attendants weren't carrying luggage to the guest room.
Having experienced his visits multiple times in previous rounds, Rachel found this odd. The answer came from his mouth right away.
"I'm fine. A merchant can't complain about a carriage ride. I was heading down to Hass for a trade deal anyway, and I came right away after getting your letter."
"I'm sorry for inconveniencing you when you're busy."
"Not at all. Rachel wants to learn under me, how could I refuse? I came quickly because I want to let her experience this trade trip. Can I take her now?"
"She hasn't packed..."
"It's fine. I can buy whatever she needs."
He answered refreshingly. Because he seemed in a hurry, Evelyn couldn't hold back Baron Emporus, and the baron took Rachel's hand and boarded the carriage.
"I'll be back."
"Yes, learn a lot!"
Rachel boarded the carriage and waved to her family. She hadn't expected things to move this fast.
Meeting the priest and having him investigate the mansion would have to be postponed.
"I don't know if you get motion sickness, but drink this just in case."
"Thank you."
The baron handed Rachel a motion sickness remedy. She accepted and drank it. But then her eyelids grew extremely heavy. Not just sleepy, but like she had taken a sleeping pill.
"No way!"
Rachel belatedly suspected Paris Emporus. But her eyes closed, and in her hazy dream, an alert sound rang out.
-You have died. Returning to Checkpoint.
When she opened her eyes next, the blue window and familiar ceiling came into view. The 14th round had begun.
"Ah, shit."
"Miss! You're awake! I'll go get the master!"
As always, the maid jumped up and ran out of the room. Even though there was a call cord in Rachel's room.
In that brief moment, Rachel sank into thought. Paris Emporus had drugged her with a sedative and killed her. But she couldn't figure out why.
Her family arrived. Feeling Evelyn hug her, Rachel repeated what she had done in the previous round.
'This time, I won't call him.'
During the 12th round, nothing like this had ever happened. Even when she was alone with him inside the mansion, he hadn't done anything suspicious, so Rachel had never suspected him.
'But in the 13th round, he backstabs me?'
She didn't know the reason, but she had been hit hard in the back of the head.
'I won't be alone with him outside the mansion.'
Rachel engraved it in her mind. She had to find out why the baron had killed her, but he wouldn't spill it easily, so she needed to create an opportunity.
'To do that.'
To earn money and corner Paris Emporus, she needed that much influence and capital, but right after regressing, she had none of that.
'Should I meet Abyss?'
Abyss was a merchant who had always competed with Paris Emporus in previous rounds. She had never seen his face. She had only heard that he was dealt with when Paris Emporus became an earl.
'For now, the priest first.'
Five days had passed since she woke up. Finally, the day had come when the priest she had been waiting for would arrive.
'As expected, it'll be Priestess Peace?'
Rachel recalled the white-haired priest who always greeted Evelyn warmly whenever she went to the temple.
She acted like sisters, calling Evelyn by a familiar title. Evelyn also seemed close to that priest.
The carriage sent to pick up the priest entered the mansion grounds. Evelyn waited with a bright smile for the guest to disembark.
"Huh?"
Rachel, who had been pondering from behind Evelyn how to speak to the priest, unwittingly let out a surprised sound.