The Scenario Begins
Lobelia, Empress of the Empire, has died of old age.
Lobelia has met an unhappy death.
Excessively intense memories have remained in the soul. Memory removal is incomplete. This will affect the entire scenario.
The scenario begins.
I opened my eyes. The moment the shabby ceiling came into view, I clutched my forehead and muttered a curse.
“Ah, damn it.”
If it had come to this, I was basically a patient. A patient. Save her and she still couldn’t find happiness. Kill her and she still couldn’t find happiness. Was simply existing a tragedy in itself?
My life is the greater tragedy!
The imperial princess Lobelia, who dies in the war against the kingdom. If she fails to meet a happy death, I regress.
This time I had resolved to play the villain and died. The kingdom should have been unable to invade. And if she had passed from old age, she would have lived out her days in bliss with Rogiwell.
What the hell! Just what was the problem?
“...Ugh. This insane world.”
I bolted upright from the bed and immediately pulled on the shabby clothes. Turning my head, I looked into the mirror. A man of utterly ordinary appearance stared back with exhausted eyes.
Hawin.
That was the name of the man I had possessed. Abilities? Talent? I possessed none of it. Through endless regressions I had simply dug up the nobles’ secrets, blackmailed them, flattered them, and clawed my way into the imperial palace. As a result, every piece of corruption among the nobility was already stored inside my head. If I pressed a button, it would all come spilling out.
“Karten… that bastard took massive bribes during trade, Lady Aran tried to poison someone, Ardrine murdered her own parents…”
It really did just come out. I was so startled by my own words that I made a dumbfounded face. Just how many times had I unearthed and exploited this information that it surfaced so automatically? If revolutionaries existed in this place, they would have to recruit me first. With this alone, I could plunge the entire empire into chaos.
If that’s the case, I should have just lived it up in debauchery.
Not that there was anything left to do. I had already gone mad in the early regressions and exhausted every pleasure there was.
I straightened my clothes. I needed to head straight for the Mainas territory. The noble there was hiding a gold vein; the first step was to seize it as leverage and blackmail him.
“How many times have I done this…? I’ve used this route so often it almost feels pitiful now.”
Truthfully, I felt no pity at all. That bastard had slit my throat the first time. The first noble whose secrets I dug up was the lord of the nearby Mainas territory, and I had blackmailed him without proper preparation. That was why I ended up assassinated. It had hurt like hell. At least use a damn gun.
It was fortunate that my sanity returned when I regressed as Hawin. Otherwise I would have lost my mind long ago. I had gone mad once before.
I let out a heavy sigh.
If I kill him this time, my colleague will report it to the imperial palace. So I’ll have to tell him to hand over the money quietly.
I stepped outside. A gentle breeze brushed my cheek. A small village lay before me—windmills turning, sheep grazing across the meadow. The first time I possessed this body, I had lived peacefully in this village. At least until the kingdom invaded and took my head.
“Goodbye, my hometown.”
I waved with a bitter smile. Leaving that small sentiment behind, I set off.
...
I entered the Mainas territory as planned. The route was somewhat unique. After arriving by carriage, I met a merchant named Atin there. There was no way a commoner like me could gain immediate entry to the castle. Even if I forced my way in, Lord Mainas would never agree to meet me.
I hummed a little tune and twirled my dagger in circles.
“You didn’t bury your former wife with your own hands, did you? Oh, and you skimmed gold from the mine, I see?”
“H-how could you possibly know that!”
Atin recoiled in horror. He staggered backward, tripped over a liquor bottle, and crashed to the floor with a loud thud. Even after falling he kept scrambling away, shoulders trembling violently. I met his eyes—eyes shaking with thick, unmistakable terror.
I smiled and pressed the dagger to his throat.
“Emily… Emily… Despite her desperate pleas, you were blinded by greed and ended her life with your own hands before burying her… But you left too many loose ends. Do you remember the look in her eyes at the very end?”
“Stop! Please, stop!”
Atin thrashed and shook his head. His face had gone deathly pale; his terror was obvious at a glance. I let out an exaggerated laugh and wiped the tears that had welled in my eyes. Of course it was all an act.
“Puhaha! Atin, you pitiful young man. I’ll give you a chance to repent. Within today, go to Lord Mainas and tell him that a man named Hawin will report the gold vein to the imperial palace. Also, provide me with some donations… and a few documents.”
“W-will that really be enough?”
“Believe it or not, it’s your choice. But can’t you hear it? The pitiful cries mixed with the resentment and tragedy of the woman you murdered!”
I widened my eyes and glared. Atin could only nod, his gaze desperate.
After that, things went smoothly. The naïve young man Atin truly delivered the message, and the Mainas household fell into an uproar. Eventually Lord Mainas came looking for me himself, unaware it was a trap.
I was sipping tea in my lodging when—
BANG!
The door flew open.
“A lowly commoner like you dares to blackmail me?!”
Lord Mainas gnashed his teeth, breathing raggedly. Given his considerable bulk, it was impossible to tell whether he was panting from having run all the way or from pure rage. Even as I faced his bloodshot eyes, I smiled with perfect composure.
“Oh, if it isn’t Lord Mainas. It is an honor to meet you.”
“You said you’d tell the palace? You dare!”
Mainas advanced furiously. I set the prepared documents on the table with a deliberate thump. The moment he scanned them, his expression froze solid. I smiled and took another sip of tea.
“Those are copies. I’ve recorded every one of your misdeeds in meticulous detail.”
“Copies? Where is the original! Are you mocking me? Cut this wretch’s throat at once!”
Soldiers rushed in with a clatter of armor and thrust their spears at me. Sharp points glinted from every side, yet I merely raised an eyebrow.
“I am not joking. Go ahead and kill me. The moment they confirm my death, my colleague will fly into a rage and deliver every original document to the imperial palace. Lord Mainas, if you do not wish to die, you had best listen to what I say.”
“I’ll kill you and that colleague of yours!”
“By all means, try it. If you refuse to listen, your head will soon be dangling pathetically from the castle walls in a miserable death. Or perhaps that cousin you despise so much will become the new lord…”
“You bastard!”
Mainas shouted, overcome with fury. I didn’t even flinch. My audacity caused his pupils to tremble with growing unease.
Instill fear, then burrow in deep.
The soldiers, too, seemed uncertain of my identity and hesitated.
“Your secrets are far too filthy. Let me tell you one thing. If you simply follow my instructions… you can crush that arrogant cousin and continue enjoying this life of yours.”
“How can I trust your words…”
I could see him beginning to waver. Confusion was seeping into the rage that filled his eyes.
“Believe it or not, the choice is yours. I only hope you will not shed tears of blood in regret. The world moves far too quickly for those who fail to seize their opportunities.”
“....”
Mainas was at a loss for words. He rolled his eyes frantically, searching for a way out.
This isn’t good.
Mainas was, after all, a noble. He might truly go through with cutting my throat. But when had I ever said I would give him time to think?
“This is your final chance. I will count to ten. Once the time is up, whether I live or die, your head will inevitably be put on display.”
One.
Mainas’s eyes bulged. The soldiers pressed their spears closer, but I remained perfectly at ease.
Two.
His pupils shook. Cold sweat trickled down his neck.
Three.
Even the nearby soldiers began to falter. They glanced at Mainas, unsure whether to strike.
Four.
Mainas’s face collapsed. In a mere four seconds he was drowning in despair and helplessness.
Counting really is a wonderful tool.
Even the calmest mind falls into chaos with just a few numbers. An extremely short time limit drives people to the brink.
Mainas bit his lip until it bled and waved his hand. The spears lowered with a clatter. Blood streamed from his lips.
“...What is it you want?”
“A modest sum of money, and a recommendation to the imperial palace. Ah, for the exact details, please consult this.”
I handed him the paper. Detailed instructions were written upon it. The concept of contracts was foreign here, but stamping it with the family seal that served as proof of nobility would make it binding.
Mainas read through the document in a daze.
“This is what you call ‘modest’?”
“It is the price for your life… Or would you care to offer more? Hahaha!”
“Fine… I’ll do it. Wait…”
Mainas affixed his seal. A cruel smile rose to my lips.
...
“Hawin… Who is this?”
“Sister Lobelia?”
She pressed a hand to her throbbing temple and frowned. Something that should not be remembered kept resurfacing. The name Hawin echoed persistently inside her head.
Enduring the headache, Lobelia forced a smile and spoke in her customary authoritative tone.
“Let us go. It has been a long time since I last saw Rogiwell. I am most pleased.”
“Yes!”
With confusion clouding her eyes, Lobelia gazed outward.
...What is this?
Who could it be?