Chapter 2
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Rollback
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Unlight.
The Hundred Great Houses that rule over the hundred cities wandering the Labyrinth.
Among them, one was an illustrious house of mages, boasting exceptional power and, above all, a lineage blessed with terrifying talent.
Befitting their reputation, every son and daughter of Unlight was renowned as a genius.
With a single exception: the seventh son, Dion Unlight.
It was less a matter of talent and more the simple fact that a noble failing to Awaken by his coming-of-age ceremony was unprecedented.
Thus, he was called the shame of House Unlight.
Incompetent and pathetic.
Powerless and frail.
Ignorant and timid.
A halfwit with no redeeming qualities beyond a pretty face, falling short not only of noble standards but even those of a commoner.
As a result, there were few in the Unlight household who had never ignored or mocked Dion.
He was a target one could insult without fear of reprisal, and tormenting him might even bring rewards.
But they did not know.
No, they had forgotten.
They had forgotten the significance of Dion being the seventh son of House Unlight.
…Until the rumors spread that Dion Unlight had suddenly gone mad and slaughtered the servants.
***
“Whew, what a fulfilling day.”
The very person who had spent the day scurrying about and turning the house upside down until nightfall.
Dion Unlight finally stopped upon reaching his quarters, tucked away in a corner of the Unlight estate.
And with a clang.
He carelessly tossed aside a shovel caked in blood, brains, and bits of flesh, then leisurely spoke.
“Parsha, let’s go wash up now.”
“I had no intention of letting my already shabby young master look any more wretched. Please wait a moment.”
Perhaps because she had spent the entire day assisting Dion in his “fulfilling” work.
Parsha replied immediately, her usually expressionless face showing a hint of fatigue.
After all, no matter how tired she was, washing the blood-soaked Dion was a hundred times better than cleaning the quarters he had been rolling around in.
But hearing her response, Dion tilted his head.
“Hm? Why wait?”
“If you wish to experience how difficult it is to scrub off dried blood with cold water, I shall prepare it for you immediately.”
“Why would you prepare it? The Grand Bath is there for times like this.”
“…Are you suggesting we use the main building’s Grand Bath?”
“Is there a problem?”
“…”
Parsha, who had only planned to fill a wooden tub with hot water, fell silent.
But only for a moment.
Looking at the blood-drenched Dion and the shovel lying at his feet, she shook her head slightly.
“No, I suppose there isn’t.”
“Right?”
Dion smiled brightly and strode forward, and Parsha followed with a blank expression.
As the two left the annex via a deserted path and entered the main building, the servants flinched.
Normally, they would have whispered about why the likes of the seventh son had come to the main building and tried to pick a fight, but today, they averted their gazes and pretended not to see him.
Dion walked straight to the enormous Grand Bath located inside the main building.
“Y-Young Master?”
“Hello. I’m here to use the Grand Bath.”
“Th—!”
*What nonsense is this?*
The attendant of the Unlight Grand Bath swallowed the shout that almost escaped him.
After a moment of internal conflict while looking at the blood-soaked Dion and Parsha, he squeezed his eyes shut.
“…Please, enter.”
“Oh? You’re not stopping me today?”
“There is no reason to stop you, Young Master, from using the Grand Bath made for the direct family members.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
For some reason, Dion looked rather disappointed by the attendant’s polite response.
And as he brushed past him, he muttered.
“What a shame. I thought I might get another chance to use my shovel.”
“…!”
As the attendant, who could vaguely guess the meaning of that remark, broke out in a cold sweat.
Dion, who had been striding into the bathhouse, suddenly stopped.
He turned to look at the dark elf maid standing stock-still at the entrance and tilted his head.
“What are you doing, Parsha? Aren't you coming?”
Parsha flinched at his words.
But the attendant was even more surprised.
“W-Wait a moment! Young Master, you can’t be thinking of taking that dark elf in with you?”
“And why not?”
“That’s absurd! You may be qualified, Young Master, but to bring a lowly elf into the Grand Bath used exclusively by the direct family members!”
“If I don’t take Parsha with me, who’s going to attend to my bath?”
“Have anyone else do it! Any maid in the main house can serve you better than that elf!”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Dion nodded as if the man had a point.
And then he said.
“Parsha, kill him.”
“Pardon?”
The attendant blinked at the sudden command.
But the dark elf maid, who had heard similar orders several times that day, acted immediately.
SPLAT!!!
“Hiek?!”
“Th-The attendant…!”
A fountain of blood erupted.
A head suddenly vanished.
As the surrounding servants froze, watching the attendant’s body collapse.
Parsha swung her arm, flicking off the warm blood from her steel gauntlet, and asked with an impassive face.
“What is the reason this time?”
“He had the audacity to give me an order.”
“Is that all?”
“Why? If my brothers or sisters had said the same, it would have been more than enough reason.”
“…”
“Well, that was a joke.”
For a moment, he chuckled at the servants who stared at him as if he were a complete madman before hastily looking away.
Dion faced Parsha directly and smiled brightly.
“—For a mere attendant to insult my personal maid as lowly is a crime punishable by death. That includes him dismissing you, saying any random person would be better than you.”
“…”
“Isn’t that right?”
“…I’m not sure about the latter, but as for the former, you are correct according to the house rules.”
“The latter is right, too. There’s no one in the world who could attend to me better than Parsha, is there?”
Certainly, he wasn't wrong.
According to Unlight tradition, the personal maid assigned to each direct blood relative was a partner in fate who obeyed only their master's commands and shared their life and death.
Insulting such a personal maid was tantamount to insulting their master.
This was especially true for Parsha, who was not only Dion's sole maid but also his guard, nanny, and teacher.
…It was just that until now, since her master Dion himself was an object of ridicule, no one had paid the rule any mind, choosing instead to mock it.
“Hmm, it’s been a while since I last used this place.”
Splash!
But things would be different now.
The actions of those who, despite trembling, had prepared hot water and towels before fleeing as if their lives depended on it.
And the attitude of the boy who, after being helped out of his clothes by her, calmly submerged himself in the Grand Bath.
Above all, the acrid blood and filth that immediately began to stain the once-pristine bathwater crimson the moment the boy entered.
It all served as an undeniable sign that, starting tomorrow, many things were bound to change.
That was why Parsha removed the steel gauntlets and steel boots she, as a guard, never usually took off.
*Rustle.*
Her ruined maid uniform sloughed off like a cicada's shell, revealing flawless, smooth skin underneath.
Her beautiful, naked form, like a black pearl, was exposed, the splatters of blood only serving to accentuate its crimson luster.
She stepped into the blood-filled bath where her master was soaking.
***
『Achievement: Atrocious.』
『Achievement: Object of Fear.』
『Achievement: 10 Kills in One Day.』
『Due to the correction of 【Bloodfiend Star】, Class experience has greatly increased.』
『The special effect of 【Bloodfiend Star】 has been activated.』
『Stolen 1-Star Class 【Petty Thief】.』
『Stolen 1-Star Class 【Hunter】.』
『Stolen Unique Trait 【Quick Calculation (N)】.』
『【Murderer】☆ Lv3→ Lv5』
『【Hunter】☆ Lv1→ Lv4』
『【Petty Thief】☆ Lv1→ Lv3』
【Petty Thief】☆
1. Stealth Correction ↑ (Minor)
2. Wicked Deeds Correction ↑ (Minimal)
3. Fame Correction ↓ (Minor)
―Takes only what is desired and retreats unseen. A gentleman of the rafters, upholding his code even when unobserved.
‘Level 5, Proficient-level, on the first day. I'm lucky.’
*Splash.*
Perhaps because the bath was large enough for dozens of people, or maybe because the attendant had meticulously maintained it with his life on the line when he was alive.
Soaking in the bath's still-warm water, despite it being fouled with blood and flesh.
Dion checked his achievements for the day on his 【Status Window】 and beamed.
In this world of Odobaekryeong, the power of Classes and Traits was absolute.
To level up this much overnight was an achievement that went beyond just seeing him in a new light; it was a complete metamorphosis.
It was only possible thanks to the overpowered Trait 【Bloodfiend Star】, his third-life bonus, and the fact that he had mercilessly slaughtered the members of the Unlight household.
‘Still, it's not nearly enough.’
Despite feeling a sense of disappointment at how weak he still was compared to his future self.
Dion did not feel particularly rushed.
He knew that no matter how much he hurried or how optimal his choices were, he couldn't overcome the coming ruin.
‘Still, it's better than last time. If I'd returned a few months later, I would've been forced to go to the Labyrinth Academy.’
Of course, the Labyrinth Academy was a place he had to go to eventually, but there was no need to go right now.
He had only gained a few extra months, but that alone opened up countless possibilities.
More importantly…
‘I can't just go to the Labyrinth Academy as a mere student again.’
Wasting time bound by the status of a student was something he had done twice already. That was enough.
The knowledge from his first life.
The experience from his second.
Dion, who now possessed all of that, knew several ways to enter the Labyrinth Academy besides enrolling.
Naturally, he had much to prepare for that, but even the Labyrinth Academy was just one step in the process.
Dion had a different, ultimate goal he needed to achieve.
‘—Especially if I want to defeat the final Calamity.’
The Calamity.
The beginning and the end of the Calamity War that would one day unfold.
Dion's eyes darkened as he thought of the worst of them all—the one that had killed him twice and would ultimately destroy Odobaekryeong.
In his first life, he failed before he could even reach the final Calamity.
In his second life, he reached the brink of the final Calamity, but he could not overcome that final wall.
Was it because he lacked power?
Of course, that was part of it.
But his biggest mistake was being too cautious.
‘The Voice was always right, but it was too soft-hearted.’
The Voice's method—of being the most cold-headed, the most thorough, of securing fortunes and connections while dealing with the Calamities one by one—was certainly not a bad one.
But it wasn't enough to defeat the final Calamity.
Justice and faith alone were not enough to reach the end.
‘It kept telling me not to trust anyone, yet it was always bound by goodness.’
He was a bothersome nag.
But also the most reliable advisor he'd ever had.
As Dion recalled the Voice, a faint smile touched his lips.
Parsha, who was wiping the blood from the boy's hair, spoke with a blank expression.
“What will you do now?”
“Why? Are you worried?”
“Unlike you, Young Master, who seems to use his head merely as an ornament, I am capable of thought.”
“Hmm, that's a bit harsh. I did think about what I was doing, you know.”
“What exactly were you thinking to arrive at the conclusion that you should suddenly go on a rampage, slaughtering servants, when you should be hiding the fact that you've Awakened?”
The Unlight succession battle already encouraged fratricidal strife as it was.
Dion had only survived this long because he was such an easy target.
But if it became known that he had Awakened, the games would no longer end as games.
To Parsha, who spoke coldly while lathering her long, slender fingers with soap and meticulously washing him from head to toe.
Dion answered leisurely.
“Because nothing would change whether I hide my Awakening or not. It's not like I could build up my strength in secret from my siblings forever anyway.”
“…Are you saying that since you'll be checked either way, it's better to stir up trouble openly?”
“You said it yourself, Parsha. Justification and all that nonsense don't matter. In the end, all you need is overwhelming power.”
*Swoosh.*
Dion leaned back.
Resting the back of his head against Parsha's slender body, he continued.
“So it doesn't matter when or how I get checked. What matters is how quickly I can gather enough power to ignore them.”
“Do you think that's possible?”
“Isn't it the job of a personal maid to make the impossible possible?”
“…”
Perhaps because he'd hit a nerve.
Feeling the tremor that passed through her bare skin, which betrayed her tightly pressed lips, Dion chuckled.
He tilted his head back to look up at Parsha's face upside down.
“Don't be so flustered. I have no intention of making such unreasonable demands of you, Parsha.”
“…There is no need to correct yourself. As you say, Young Master, if I cannot even accomplish this much, then I deserve to be dismissed as a personal maid.”
An Unlight personal maid was their master's first sword, second mind, third hand, and final shield.
In that sense, whether it was perfectly concealing Dion's Awakening or finding a way to make its reveal irrelevant, it was a task she had to accomplish. Watching Parsha state this as her natural duty, Dion smirked.
“Dismissed? What are you talking about? Without you, I wouldn't even have anyone to attend to my bath.”
“Once you gain power, Young Master, you will find more than enough personal maids to replace me.”
“The important thing is that among all those people, the only one willing to lay down her life for me right now is you, Parsha.”
“That is where you are mistaken. I only became your personal maid out of circumstance. I have a duty to risk my life for you, but no loyalty.”
“Hmm, that's a bit of a shame.”
His only possession when he was cast out of House Unlight, the shield who had silently protected him his entire life.
As Dion felt the soft skin of the dark elf maid who had willingly sacrificed her life for him in the end, he asked as if he'd just remembered something.
“By the way, Parsha, how is your family?”
“…For you to ask about my family, Young Master, I wonder if a Dungeon Break will happen tomorrow.”
“Don't say that. It's only natural for a master to look after his personal maid.”
“For you to say that so confidently when you have only ever been taken care of, never the one doing the caring… your shamelessness is already 5-star level.”
“That was because I was struggling to survive, too. Things will be different from now on, so you can look forward to it, Parsha.”
“I shall anticipate it by the breadth of an earthworm's antenna.”
After supporting the boy's back with her smooth body.
Her long, slender fingers gently interlaced with his small ones, softly washing away even the blood between his fingers.
In contrast to her gentle touch, her cold voice held no trace of anticipation, and Dion smiled brightly.
Parsha might not believe him, but his words that many things would change from now on were the absolute truth.
Especially her fate—doomed to live an unfortunate life as a failed traitor in the first life and an avenger in the second—that would most certainly change.
“You really can look forward to it. I've already thought of a way to avoid my siblings' checks.”
“What way is that?”
“First, I'll need some help from a certain sucker... I mean, a valued customer. I have a reliable patron who always gives to me generously, after all.”
“…I trust this 'patron' isn't Lady Elise.”
“It is.”
“…”
“In that case, could you contact Elise for me? Tell her I have something serious to discuss.”
To Parsha, who looked at him with eyes full of pity, as if gazing upon trash, any sliver of anticipation she might have had completely extinguished.
Dion said with a beaming smile.
“And there's something I'd like you to prepare as soon as possible…”