[Attempt Number 7]
'I could have at least done it with my own hands, eh?'
This time, Eclaire opened her eyes to find herself standing in a conference room.
The meeting had just completed. Eclaire had been assigned the duty to head to Gerard's room to assist personally in keeping him occupied while the hotel was under attack.
'As if I hadn't already tried that.'
Irritation - this was the word that best described her emotional state right now.
The death was quick, and relatively painless. While it still tore away at her soul to have been shot in the head again, she could almost say that she was becoming accustomed to it.
Almost.
'Does he think that I can afford to be honorable when my chances of victory are so low even without any honor in the first place?'
He understood nothing.
Someone powerful enough to enforce their own code of honor would never comprehend the struggles of someone weak who had to resort to any means necessary.
When you were weak, the only way to fight was to throw away your honor. This would grant the slightest advantage, hopefully making up the difference for that weakness.
'Those who are strong always talk so much about honor... about morals... about righteousness... but they've never had to even think about losing in the first place.'
Gritting her teeth, the woman clenched a fist as she took a deep breath, preparing herself mentally as she formed a plan in her mind once more.
'I'd like to see you spout words about honor if our positions were reversed, Yakov.'
----
This time, she would hide.
While it might breed suspicion if she ignored the orders that Yakov had given her, by hiding until the invaders approached, she would be able to lurk until Yakov left his post to deal with the enemy, at which she would be free to do as she needed.
All she needed to do was wait things out. Even if the invader was unable to kill Yakov, Eclaire only needed a few moments alone with Gerard to do the deed.
Having locked herself inside a janitor's closet, the woman waited without a sound in the dark.
'How ironic... he calls himself a Janitor, but he isn't actually the one who cleans anything. The women do that.'
Checking her watch, the woman confirmed the time.
It was around 1 PM at the time that the retry point had been set. Right now, it was around 2 PM.
'Based on the last loop, Yakov will leave to face the invader at around 3 PM... meaning that the one who has made their way inside will arrive around then. I can't imagine Yakov would leave his post unless someone has made it inside.'
That meant that she had around an hour until the invader appeared.
'Should I try and find a way around so that I can avoid their fight? I guess I'll take the emergency stairs up to try and avoid any direct route.'
Depending on how things progressed, Eclaire would need to plan out the way she went so that Yakov didn't notice her until she had already made it to Gerard.
If he was distracted by a battle, this was possible for her to achieve.
[Here you are. Sitting in a dark room. Planning... planning... planning.]
'Are you trying to say something, Four?'
[Nothing at all. It just reminds me of my... old life.]
'Huh?'
[Heh. Keep going, Eclaire.]
Four didn't typically say anything, so Eclaire always found it strangely off putting when she did.
[Keep on trying.]
'I can't tell if you're mocking me or encouraging me.'
Standing up, Eclaire looked around her.
Her eyes had become accustomed to the dark, and surrounding her was all sorts of cleaning equipment. Mops, brooms, dustpans, rags, chemicals, and the likes.
'Hm... I guess I could use this stuff to poison him.'
Eclaire was no expert in poison.
Beforehand, she had stolen some tablets from the basement.
Any overdose of drugs would become a poison, after all.
For obvious reasons, the hotel had it's own store of all forms of drugs for the use of the clients, or for the direct sale of such things.
This was the method that Eclaire had used previously in her attempts to poison Gerard, however perhaps that wasn't the best way of doing things.
As she rummaged around that room, pulling one cleaning product after another, the girl's eye landed on one in particular.
The moment she saw it, a smile beamed across her face - and an idea was formed.
'How fitting.'
Bending over to pick it up, the woman slid the bottle into her pocket.
However, just as she did so, the creaking of the door could be heard behind her.
"Now, Eclaire. I did tell you to come with me, did I not. Yet here I find you... playing with rat poison."
A chill went down her spine, and Eclaire immediately shot around, desperately attempting to find a defense for herself.
"Er! I-"
"Could it be that you have a rat you wish to kill?"
The man stood in front of the door, crossing his arms as he blocked her path.
With a disappointed expression, he prevented Eclaire from making any excuses - at which she let out a sigh as she accepted her fate.
She had been found out.
"That's right. I was going to kill a rat. Tell me something, Yakov."
However this time, she wouldn't die like a dog.
This time - at the very least - she would go out with HONOR.
"Do you know everything that I do?"
"I am not omniscient. I am merely human, Eclaire. Why would you ask such a strange question?"
"Then... did you know that I was in this room - plotting to slaughter that rat?"
"That much... I did know."
"Are you going to kill me?"
"As much as I would hate to do so... I believe you've left me no choice."
Taking a deep breath, the older gentleman let out a sigh as he pulled out a silenced pistol.
"After all... it is my duty to defend that very rat from anyone who attempts to exterminate him."
Bang!
And once again, Eclaire fell to the ground as everything became dark.
----
She trembled.
'Stay calm.... stay calm.'
She fell to her knees, terror spreading through her veins as hopelessness overcame her.
'It's only death.'
The desire to add another notch to the wall almost instinctively entered her arm, which twitched viciously as she held it back.
'It's only death... right?'
And with madness in her eyes, the woman held back a laugh, letting out a pained squeal as she closed her eyes in torment.
'It's... only death.'
Bringing that trembling hand to her forehead, she clenched her hair to the point where it was almost ripped out.
'So why am I the only one dying?'
----
Eclaire took a few moments to collect her thoughts, eventually settling down as the trembling stopped.
It was an unshakable feeling - one which she could never possibly hope to forget, and one which she never wished to experience again.
The feeling of being shot.
'I'm losing it...'
'Which one am I on?'
'How many times... how many times now?'
'I've lost track.'
And the fact that she could no longer keep her record only furthered her madness.
'I shouldn't have set the retry point here... I should have just kept it back in the bedroom... I can't even shout or complain... I have to keep everything bottled up inside of me...'
Regret overwhelmed her.
Perhaps returning to that room was the only solace she had - the solace of knowing that no matter how many deaths she experienced, that she would always have some guarantee in this world.
Yet even that had been ripped from her.
'No.... No.'
Nodding her head, the woman rejected such a weak notion.
'That's wrong.'
'Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.'
'WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG.'
'It's all wrong.'
Standing up from that seat, her eyes flickered with madness as a demonic smile overtook her expression.
'I have no need for such pleasantries.'
'I can try again and again... and the fact that I still exist is proof that he will never beat me.'
'No matter how many times he figures out my plans.'
'No matter how many times I lose.'
'No matter how many times I am beaten down.'
'No matter how many times I am KILLED.'
'I will never die.'
'Therefore... there will only ever be one victor in this world.'
'Me.'
'And even if I have to try for the rest of eternity... I will continue to try... and try... and try.'
'Until the day in which my victory comes about.'
Thus, the madwoman once more exited the room - her sanity having been left behind.
----
[Attempt Number 8]
'I can take a break, right? It doesn't even matter... it doesn't matter if I relax, sit around, do nothing, nothing even matters! I can just pull the reset trigger once my death seems imminent, so really I can do whatever I want!'
Such a thing was not true.
Every time that Yakov had killed her, he had done so with such haste that she could not have possibly predicted such a thing.
Yet Eclaire told herself these lies, deceiving herself as she strutted down that hall.
'Information... information. I need to gather information. Forget living. Forget killing him. As a matter of fact, why should I even TRY to kill him?'
Suddenly, a thought lit up the mind of the woman, who grinned in delight.
'That's right! Those people are going to invade, so why don't I just do nothing! If they somehow manage to pull off a victory, then the day is over! If I can just... if I can just wait this whole thing out, then I don't even have to lift a finger!'
With the nod of her head, the woman fed herself lie after lie.
Why had she tried so hard until this point?
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Because she knew that those people needed her assistance.
She knew that they wouldn't be able to overpower both Yakov and Gerard unless she did something to give them assistance - she had to at least take care of one of them.
Yet she denied this notion, instead wiping it off as her own presumption.
'What if they're more powerful than I thought?'
'Everything will be fine then!'
'I'll do nothing.'
'I'll serve that bastard until the last moment... and I'll stand by and watch as he takes his last breath.'
Thus - Eclaire formed her plan.
To do absolutely nothing.
----
"Pour me another, Eclaire! Haha! And one for yourself as well! You're being such a stickler. Drink! Drink all you want! Today is a day to celebrate!"
"Is... is that so? In that case... I don't mind if I do, Sir."
Eclaire found herself in a precarious role - one where she was not quite a ruler, but also not quite a servant.
She was subordinate to this man, and this man alone. To all the other people of this hotel, they were but insects who could never so much as lay a finger upon her - yet in front of this man she became docile and respectful - for such was her position.
Second to the ruler.
"Yakov, why don't you grab one as well? Ah, no... I guess that would be a bit irresponsible. Sorry, but can you sit this one out and keep watch?"
"But of course, Sir. I wouldn't dream of becoming intoxicated while your safety is on the line. Please leave everything to me and enjoy yourself to your heart's content."
Everything had changed.
The very moment Eclaire had given up on killing Gerard, he became unnecessarily vulnerable.
Even so, Yakov still stood right in that room, so Eclaire couldn't pull anything even if she wanted.
Yet she had no intention of doing so.
'I've given up! I might as well have some fun while I'm at it, right?'
Taking a swig herself, the woman allowed herself to fall into a slight daze as she became tipsy.
"Hahaha..."
"That's the spirit! Haha! If the world has to end, then we're going to enjoy it's end! Nothing wrong with that!"
As Gerard slapped Eclaire on the back, he began to shout out with cheer, his face reddening as he became somewhat drunk himself.
"Please excuse me. It seems there is something I need to tend to. I'll be right back."
Suddenly, Yakov's demeanor shifted as he began to slip out, apologizing as he made his way out of the room.
Without a shred of concern for Gerard, the man left Eclaire alone with the man - not so much as taking any precaution at her presence.
'Eh? Why did he leave me alone... with this man?'
Something was strange.
'Eh. Whatever.'
However, Eclaire downed another glass as she pushed off such suspicions.
'I'm not going to kill him this time anyways. No point thinking about it. This is my break from all the pain and suffering.'
"Wonder what that was about? You know, Eclaire?"
Slurring over his words, Gerard glanced over to the woman, who shrugged her shoulders.
"Who knows. Anyways... let's keep drinking!"
Thus, the two ignored the world around them - throwing off their responsibilities as they entered a state of bliss.
----
'Ah... I ended up drinking with that man... even though I was supposed to kill him...'
Around an hour had passed, and Eclaire was sobering up to find herself laying on the floor.
Gerard was snoring from his chair, and he was completely vulnerable in every manner. Even so, the strange thing was that Yakov had not yet returned.
'Should I kill him now?'
Standing up, Eclaire looked around with suspicion.
'Is Yakov waiting around here somewhere to stop me?'
Shaking off the tipsiness, Eclaire immediately stepped out of the room, searching to find out where that man was.
'I need to figure that out before I make any moves here.'
She had allowed herself to fall into a trap - the trap of luxury.
If she wanted to deceive herself and live a comfortable life for the rest of her existence, then all she had to do was submit to Gerard.
She would just continue to do as he said, continue to work for him, continue to do whatever horrible things she was ordered to do without question.
However, was that not the exact thing she was trying to avoid?
Was that not exactly the reason why she had set this day as the day in which she would be freed of those chains?
She wasn't going to merely accept a comfortable life anymore.
She wasn't going to simply lie down before this man and do as he pleased.
She had been granted an ability - and if she didn't go against him now, when she could do so without consequence, then when would she?
'I've been wasting time... time that I could have been using to defeat him.'
Yet the moment the woman stepped into the hallway, her question was answered.
'Eh?'
She froze, terror welling up within her as she witnessed the scene before her.
'Eh? This... this can't... be real... can it?'
Blood was everywhere.
Two bodies laid on the ground, mutilated as if they had exploded into a rain of blood and guts.
The red fluid laced the walls, painting them in a chaotic manner, guts and flesh having sprayed every which direction.
And both of these men - Eclaire recognized.
The first - the older gentleman who had become the very bane of her existence, stopping her from completing her task at all costs.
Yakov.
The second - a red haired man who was a part of the invaders group - Bradley Vendetta.
'These two... so they were at an equal level after all.'
It was astounding.
Yakov was an existence that Eclaire couldn't hope to touch, even as a reawakened with the ability Retry. Number Four seemed to have no intention of taking control of things herself, and even if she did her abilities were completely unknown to Eclaire.
Yet this man had managed to do what Eclaire had considered impossible - at the cost of his life.
'Are they both... really dead?'
The scene before her was obvious.
It should have been obvious.
But if there was one thing that Eclaire had learned since the inception of this new world, it was that logic no longer applied to anything.
These men may have appeared dead, when they were very well alive - such was the madness of this new world.
"Are you-"
"Hey... Eclaire... get me something to eat, will you?"
Suddenly, a man stumbled out of the room behind Eclaire, his words slurred as he spoke in a daze.
"Eh? Yakov, what are you doing on the ground there? This is no time for sleeping."
As he wobbled out of the room, the man made his way past Eclaire, approaching the body on the ground.
"Yakov..."
However as he approached the man, his demeanor shifted drastically.
"You.... how could you die on me like this?"
The flames of anger filled his eyes as he glared down upon the body, hatred overcoming the overweight man.
"After all I've given you, after all we've been through... you go and allow yourself to be killed? And by who? By this man?"
Glancing to the body of the red haired man, disgust filled Gerard's tone as he spit on the body.
"Do you have any idea how much he was worth to me!? I'll never be able to replace him! Who the hell do you think you are!?!?"
Eclaire merely watched the scene before her, unsure how she should even react.
She could never have predicted this result.
At that point, Gerard began to kick the body of the red haired man.
"You piece of shit!!! How dare you do something like this! HAH!?!? What the hell is your problem!? AH! Weren't you the one who was serving under Isabella?"
His mind was still muddled with drink, but his memory was good enough to recall a recent acquaintance.
"Did she betray me? Betrayal... betrayal..."
At that point, the man began to whisper to himself.
"Just like before."
Then his horrible gaze turned upon Eclaire.
"Traitorous woman... you did this, didn't you?"
"Eh!? N-no! I have nothing to do with this!"
Eclaire shouted out in protest at the accusation, though whether that was true or not was another thing.
Technically, she had intended for this result - but she had done nothing of her own for it to come about.
"But you let this result come about, didn't you!? If you hadn't been messing around... if Yakov wasn't the only one who was on his guard... then he would still be alive here."
Holding his hand to his head, the man seemed to be still drunk with rage.
"Kill yourself."
"Huh?"
And with these words, fear spread through Eclaire.
"W-wait a minute, Gerard. I didn't-"
"KILL YOURSELF!!!"
"Don't say such a thing! If you say that-"
"THAT'S AN ORDER!!!"
In that instant, everything was lost.
Eclaire lost control over her own body, and reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a knife.
"No... no... no!!!"
Her hands refused to listen to her as she brought the knife to her stomach, slitting it open as her intestines fell out with a bloody mess.
The girl fell to the ground in a pile of her own guts, having fulfilled the orders of the drunk man who knew not what he had demanded of her.
"Ah... Eclaire... you're dead too..."
And with another mood swing, the man backed away fearfully as he watched the girl do exactly as he had ordered.
"No... this... this..."
The man's breathing heightened, and the last scene Eclaire witnessed in this life was that of a pathetic, overweight man who was terrified out of his mind, his drunken fervor having reduced him to poor decisions.
'Not... like this...'
'I had finally... won...'
'So why?'
'Why can't my victory ever last?'
----