Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Family Precautions
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Using the degree of rigor mortis, the guard estimated the time of the coachman's death.
However, Rachel had seen the moving coachman.
He had stopped the horses upon spotting her approach, and only set off after she boarded the carriage.
When Rachel testified to this, the guard wore an incredulous expression.
While Rachel was being held by the guard like that, Enoch came running up.
‘He said he sensed the Black Sorcerer’s aura and gave chase.’
The horses had run too fast, and he’d been delayed pursuing the escaping Crow.
Thanks to him arriving right after letting Crow slip away to follow Rachel instead, she was released from the guards’ interrogation.
‘A powerful Black Sorcerer.’
Manipulating corpses fell under the domain of necromancy among black magic arts.
This realm of tampering with the dead was one that even seasoned Black Sorcerers dared not dream of.
In other words, she heard that it was likely the work of the Black Sorcerer plotting to summon the Demon King.
‘But Crow isn’t that strong. Even if he let his guard down, Deyner and I have killed him before.’
Though he hadn’t shown himself before Rachel, the Black Sorcerer Abyss was seeking had been nearby.
‘The time of my regression in the 20th playthrough is approaching, and now this guy is targeting me, plus that crow bastard shows up.’
She’d luckily overcome the crisis, but it was clear the same trick wouldn’t work next time.
‘He doesn’t seem to remember me, though.’
If there was any silver lining, Crow didn’t appear to remember the time Rachel had killed him.
But he would definitely come seeking her out.
Rachel instinctively knew this as she chewed thoroughly on the food in her mouth.
‘The palace has a grand anti-black magic barrier, so no issues there, but the commute path is dangerous.’
The problem was that Enoch couldn’t stick by her side like before.
Nor could she ask her mother to accompany her on the commute.
‘Now that he’s started targeting me, he’ll go after the family too.’
Evelyn didn’t worry her.
But Deyner and Henri did, deeply.
‘Father’s the most at risk.’
Rachel wondered if she’d been wrong to refuse Enoch’s offer, but she quickly shook her head.
Until they significantly reduced Damian’s faction, Enoch had to stay away from her.
As Rachel’s meal was winding down, Henri entered the kitchen.
“Deyner, haven’t seen him?”
“He hasn’t come here. Why?”
“Ahem, nothing much.”
Though he called it nothing, Anna, who followed behind, came over to Rachel and whispered in her ear.
“The young master caught the two of them in the act.”
Apparently, it had been so intense that Deyner was shocked and fled.
“Tsk, couldn’t they hold back a bit?”
At Rachel’s reproach, he seemed thirsty and stepped fully into the kitchen to gulp down some water.
“We moved to the master bedroom.”
“That can’t be helped.”
After bumping into Rachel, her parents had relocated, but Deyner had apparently barged into the master bedroom without knocking.
Sure enough, Henri’s shirt was disheveled now.
Noticing Rachel’s gaze, he hurriedly buttoned it up.
“While I think of it, shouldn’t Deyner start attending the Academy too?”
Rachel casually referred to it as the Academy, meaning the Royal Academy.
The Royal Academy was Kudath’s premier institution of higher education, attended by many noble children.
True to the founding king’s ideals, it prioritized merit over birth, keeping parents’ titles secret not just from students but even teachers.
However, women and commoners could not enroll, and noble children who didn’t graduate faced difficulties building connections in high society later on.
This was why Damian’s faction nobles stuck together.
Connections formed at the Academy carried over directly into high society, leaving later-entering nouveau nobles unable to break in.
Unable to join the established cliques, they could only band together among themselves.
Since Deyner was certain to inherit the barony someday, attending the Academy would be best for him.
‘Above all, it’s the safest place in Kudath.’
Ancient magic lingered in the Royal Academy, protecting it from external threats, and resident priests ensured immediate treatment for any injuries.
“Indeed, it would be good for him to attend.”
“There are many Academy grads in the administrative offices, so I’ll look into it.”
She’d already researched it thoroughly beforehand, but Rachel phrased it as if the idea had just occurred to her.
Henri nodded.
“Yes, leave it to you.”
‘Send Deyner off to a safe place.’
Today’s events made Rachel feel the urgent need to secure Henri and Deyner’s safety.
“Yes. By the way, things have been quiet lately, haven’t they?”
“Quiet in what way?”
“There’ve been hardly any balls at the palace this year. Seems like tea parties and small gatherings are trending instead, but Father comes straight home every day.”
“It’s not like I worked alone for 15 years. Actually, Viscount Noema invited me to a dinner next week.”
Rachel’s eyes went wide.
Next week lined up roughly with the time of her 20th playthrough regression.
“Alone?”
“No, others will be there too, they say. Intellectuals gathering, so I accepted, thinking it’d be enlightening.”
Rachel rose from her seat.
She headed toward the kitchen passageway and blocked the door with her body.
‘Father in the kitchen, just stay put there.’
Even with so many changes, Henri had still set up his own death trap.
Rachel felt an impulse to lock him inside the house.
But she let out a shallow sigh and stepped aside from the door.
“I see. Have a good trip.”
“We’ve still got five days anyway.”
“Yes, yes.”
Rachel pondered whether Viscount Noema would bother inviting Henri only to attack him in the interim.
‘Normally not, right? Unless they spend those five days rigging traps.’
While Rachel mulled it over, Henri left the kitchen.
Rachel stood and headed to her room, only to spot Deyner hiding at the base of the stairs.
“There you are? Father was looking for you?”
“Sis!”
Deyner threw himself into his sister’s arms.
Rachel accepted him without resistance.
“What? What’s wrong?”
She knew, but pretended not to as she asked.
Deyner’s words then poured out fluently.
“Father and Mother were totally naked! Hugging tight!”
“Yeah, I get it. So you were shocked?”
“Yeah! And Mother was making sounds like she was in pain, but Father wouldn’t let go!”
Unlike kids from her pre-possession world who were exposed to everything online early, Deyner was pure.
Tears welled in Rachel’s eyes at her brother’s innocence.
“I see. Grow up just like this.”
“Sis, what weird stuff are you saying! Father was tormenting Mother!”
For her innocent brother and their harmoniously loving parents, Rachel decided to make excuses.
“Did you think that while learning swordsmanship from Mother? What does she say about Father every day?”
“That Father’s frail.”
At Rachel’s question, Deyner mumbled his answer.
“Right. Father’s frail. Mother’s just pretending to yield.”
“Why?”
“To boost Father’s ego, of course! They probably took their clothes off because they got hot playing around. But since adults don’t play like that openly or people would gossip, don’t go spreading it around.”
“Okay, okay!”
“And from now on, knock before entering your parents’ room.”
“Got it!”
He answered splendidly.
Rachel stroked Deyner’s head.
“By the way, with Sis hardly home these days, aren’t you bored?”
“I am.”
“I looked into it, and there’s this Academy. They say all noble kids have to go.”
“Really?”
She’d only dangled the bait, and the fish was already nibbling.
Rachel nodded.
“I want to go too, but they say only boys can.”
“Sis can’t go?”
“Nope, girls can’t. But Deyner’s a boy, so you can.”
Just a slight shift in nuance, and Deyner’s eyes widened round.
Obviously taking it as ‘Sis can’t go, but I can!’
“You can make lots of friends at the Academy.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Friends you make there stay friends even after they become nobles.”
It wasn’t wrong.
Political ties weren’t built solely on friendship and loyalty, but networks were what you made of them.
Deyner’s eyes sparkled.
Rachel smiled inwardly.
‘Come on, bite. Bite.’
“Ugh, but I hate studying.”
“They teach you how to become a cool knight in the knight division.”
“I wanna go! I’m going!”
“Really?”
“Yeah!”
‘This is why clueless kids are the best.’
The pure twelve-year-old Deyner fell for his sister’s coaxing.
Rachel tossed out a few lines as if envious.
“Must be nice. Getting to go to the Academy. So cool.”
“Hehe. Jealous? Only I can go! I’m excited!”
Before long, Deyner had forgotten all about his parents’ affair.
Humming the Academy song, he vanished into his room.
“Simple as ever, thanks.”
Brother issue resolved.
Now for Henri.
***
Rachel pulled her hood low and scanned her surroundings.
No one was tailing her.
She ducked into an alley and moved with familiar steps.
Moments later, Rachel opened a door in the alley and stepped inside.
No sooner had she entered than a woman pounced on her.
“Miss Rachel! I missed you!”
“Hapi, can’t breathe.”
Rachel shoved Hapi away, idly thinking that if she ever died, Hapi would be the culprit.
“Where are the others?”
“The captain just arrived. Miss Leikeia is probably—”
“I’m here!”
“I’ve arrived as well.”
Before Hapi could finish, Leikeia and Enoch opened the door and entered.
Seeing her in similar attire, Rachel recalled events from three months prior.
At the May ball, Leikeia had observed Abyss, Rachel, Enoch, and Zesty, then approached them one by one.
Though she’d forgotten her 20th playthrough memories, she hadn’t forgotten being executed.
To Enoch, she’d offered to reveal the Black Sorcerer’s identity.
To Abyss, she’d proposed bolstering his territory’s defenses.
And to Rachel...
“I’ll help you rise to a higher position.”
Assuming Rachel desired upward mobility, she’d made that offer.
Rachel had laughed at the absurd proposal.
“Lady Nerus. No need to test me like that. I’m a regressor just like you.”
Her green eyes went perfectly round.
Rachel continued.
“I know your goal. Revenge on the third prince who made that humiliating proposal to you and your family, which you refused, leading to your execution?”
“How...?”
“Because I’m the same. Killing Baron Emporus was just the start. I want to eliminate the Black Sorcerer and the third prince too.”
To the flustered girl, Rachel whispered.
“And that power you think is black magic? It’s actually magic. So don’t worry.”
The moment she corrected her, tears welled up in Leikeia’s green eyes, and she burst into sobs.
Since it happened in the empty lounge with just the two of them, those who later saw her puffy eyes misunderstood that Rachel had made her cry.
‘Marquis Nerus was scary enough, but those brothers of hers were no joke.’
If Leikeia hadn’t declared Rachel her first friend, she might’ve been ostracized from high society.
Rachel ended her brief reminiscence and welcomed the pair.
“You two came together?”
“Hehe, well, you see.”
Leikeia grinned slyly and hooked her arm through Enoch’s, linking elbows.
Enoch clamped his mouth shut in clear displeasure.
In the meantime, Leikeia dropped a bombshell.
“We’ve decided to get engaged.”