Two days passed, and Eliz was back at the Roseblood estate. Everything was in order. Bishop Dominic had kindly informed Eliz of the events that had transpired. Naturally, he didn't delve into all the details, but in essence, Selene was dead. There were some casualties, but Count Derevell's family was unharmed. They were currently undergoing a process to cleanse them of the curse. Eren had been released for home care, as were Donovan and Chad. The Bishop remained silent about Gray, but Eliz didn't inquire further as she didn't care about his fate, knowing he would likely be cleansed anyway.
Bishop Dominic also mentioned that he had downplayed Eliz's involvement, for which she was immensely grateful. She knew things would become complicated if she were perceived as some "hero." Such attention would bring unwanted scrutiny, and she preferred maintaining her reputation as a wicked individual. It allowed her the freedom to act as she pleased without feigning goodness.
Regrettably, Eliz couldn't escape the loving concern of the Duke and Duchess. They were worried when she returned, and she felt compelled to share some information with them. Given their position, it would be difficult to keep everything to herself. Her mother shed tears and spoke about the difficulty Eliz must have had facing Selene alone, while her father once again blamed himself for not being a good father and failing to protect his own family. He swiftly hired a powerful mage to strengthen the estate's protection, specifically against curses and hexes.
The public was unaware of what had happened; of course, only the higher authorities knew, and Eliz was curious to see what excuse they would devise. They could hardly say the gas had exploded.
Eliz sat on the sunny balcony that morning, enjoying her tea and watching the pretty gardeners. But finally, she turned away and opened her system window.
Name: Elizabeth Von Roseblood Role: Minor Villainess Position: Visitor number 301 -> 143 Cycle number: 1
Number of available revivals: 0 -> 2
1x Replay Sequence
Number of failures: 1 -> 3
Mana manipulation -2%
Mana sealed -5%
Number of followers: 1 Finance: 3321 gold Property: 1 Roseblood Blue Rose Estate in the Eastern Province Achievements: - Big Sister, Coordinator Bonuses: - Potential
She scrunched her face and clicked her tongue in annoyance.
She had gained some nice things, but why were those failures targeting her mana? Is the System trying to turn her into a mana cripple or what? She was already struggling to maintain consciousness whenever she used it. On the bright side, she had obtained a free rewind, which was new but certainly useful. When she screwed up, she could just come back.
But... what the heck were the hidden quests? Was it simply that she had completed tasks she had not received yet? She made a disgusted sound as she recalled the phrasing of one of the tasks that had notified her of the quest's failure. Was she supposed to have a romantic relationship with one of the male leads? What the hell is that? So, in addition to being a world-building game, was it also a dating simulation?
First and foremost, one of the male leads was Eren, her supposed brother, or rather, the brother of the body she inhabited. The thought made her cringe. It was simply repulsive. Then there were Gray, Chad, and Donovan. Gray was definitely out of the question; she would prefer to gouge her own eyes out. Chad was also off-limits due to his volatile personality and troubled family background. Finally, there was Donovan, the only one who came to mind. But...
Eliz glanced at the diligent gardeners, particularly one whom she found appealing. "I'd rather go on a date with that hot, hunky guy," she mused, smiling to herself.
"Ahem." A throat clearing behind Eliz startled her, almost causing her to spill her tea.
With a startled expression, she turned to face Alobela, who stood behind her, observing her. Why did she always appear behind Eliz whenever she voiced her thoughts aloud?
"Yes?" Eliz inquired, placing her teacup down.
Alobela had been different since her return. Eliz noticed she paid much more attention to her now, with her gaze less frequently distant. Eliz wasn't sure what to make of it, but she decided not to view it as a positive change. It felt like she was being scrutinized more, and that unsettled her.
"Young lady, your brother is waiting outside and wishes to speak with you," Alobela informed her.
Eliz frowned, wishing she could simply dismiss him. Now that the matter with Selene had been resolved, she no longer had to worry about him or the others. She didn't even have to take Eren to the Blue Rose estate anymore. However, he was still her follower, so she supposed she had to comply. Besides, he was her brother, so it should be fine. Indeed the system wouldn't present her with any weird quests involving Eren.
At least, that's what Eliz would like to believe. However, there was still one problem: the story's script. What happens next? Selene is no longer in the picture. What about all the planned events?
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Of course, Eliz still remembered them. But she had decided it wasn't her concern. She had no intention of running around to trigger the prearranged events. She would focus on what interested her and disregard the rest. After all, this was a story with male leads. Problems would naturally find their way to them. That was another reason for Eliz to avoid getting too involved with them.
Of course, there was also the mystery of the whole 'Everybody loves Selene' story itself. When she thought about it, the system did not really say that Selene should be revealed. But the mystery of the story. It was not surprising that she was easily mistaken. Given the title of the story, it was an understandable mistake.
"Young lady?" Alobela called out to her.
Eliz blinked and looked at her. She was lost in thought and had forgotten to answer.
"Oh, yes. Good, then let him in. Also, Alobela. Have the carriage ready. I will take a ride to the capital." Eliz had already learned from previous events. She had to act quickly to be prepared for more clichéd twists and turns.
Alobela stared at her momentarily before bowing and leaving to carry out her orders.
While letting the young lord into her mistress' room, Alobela quietly left to report to the duke.
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Eren slowly walked across the room, stepping onto the balcony where he spotted his sister, relaxed in the morning sun, sipping her tea. His mind was finally clear, allowing him to see things as they truly were. His eyes brightened, particularly when they fell upon his sister.
All his memories came rushing back after being cleansed of the curse, or rather, they aligned as they should have been. And those were memories he was deeply ashamed of. Like the incident four months ago, when he had witnessed Selene approaching Elizabeth at the soirée, seemingly to make amends.
Selene had always known how to seize an opportunity. Elizabeth had merely lifted her hand, and Selene had slapped herself. Eren couldn't understand how he had perceived it differently. At that moment, he had seen it was Elizabeth who had struck Selene.
Without hesitation, he rushed to Selene's aid, resulting in a tense scene where he raised his voice against his sister, and she raised hers against him. Elizabeth insisted she hadn't hit Selene, but Eren had seen it with his own eyes. She swore she was innocent and grabbed Eren by the arm, but he pushed her away too forcefully, causing Elizabeth to fall to the floor.
He hadn't intended to harm her, but he didn't feel any remorse then. He stared at Elizabeth and made no effort to help her. Nobody came to her aid. He vividly remembered the hardening of her gaze as she looked at him. With incredible poise, she stood and walked away without uttering another word.
Eren paused, raising his hands and nervously fidgeting with his fingers. Reaching out to her hadn't been easy, but he knew it was necessary. His eyes shifted, and he blinked at the thing that appeared before him, something only he could see.
Name: Eren Von Roseblood Role: Male Lead Position: NPC number 1033 Cycle number: 110263 Number of available revivals: Unavailable Number of failures: 768766 Achievements: Legendary Shooter, Good Brother Bonuses: Male Lead
This phenomenon continued to swim before his eyes when he awakened after the cleansing process. Eren had no clue what it was or how to handle it. All he knew was that only he could see it, and it appeared and vanished whenever he thought of it.
In addition to this peculiar occurrence, Eren experienced bizarre dreams that made no logical sense to him. Just before waking up, he witnessed numerous events that had occurred before but in altered ways, or even events that had never occurred. There were also glimpses of things that seemed to be from the future. However, these were mere fragments, and he couldn't make sense of them. Nevertheless, his sister frequently appeared in these dreams, often depicted in scenes of her destruction.
After waking up, Eren sought confirmation regarding the curse and dark magic, receiving assurance that he had been completely cleansed and was free from their influence. Thus, whatever this mysterious thing was, it didn't seem related to any curse or dark magic.
"What are you doing just standing there? What do you want anyway? I'm busy, and I don't have time to wait for you to make up your mind," Elizabeth's irritated voice reached his ears.
He looked up at her, observing her raised eyebrows as she watched him. "Y-Yes, I'm sorry," he stammered, casting one final glance at the thing and the achievement of the Good Brother.
'I should start acting like that,' he thought, causing the table to vanish and walking over to his sister.
----------------------------------------
Eliz watched as Eren approached her, his fingers fidgeting nervously. She let out a sigh.
"Sit down," she urged, gesturing for him to take a seat. She would have poured him some tea, but there was no spare cup. "You're looming over me like some kind of holy spirit," she remarked, waving her hand dismissively.
Eren sat down but remained upright as if sitting before a commanding officer. Eliz found herself liking that idea. Yes, she was his boss.
"Elizabeth," Eren finally began to speak, his voice filled with sincerity. "I wanted to apologize to you. For everything. We treated you terribly." He lowered his gaze briefly but then looked at her again. "You're my older sister. I should have trusted you. And thank you for trying to take care of me and save me regardless. I can never... ever repay you."
Eliz was taken aback. It was the first time they had spoken since returning home, and Eren sounded much more confident and resolved, lacking the confusion and whininess from before. She picked up her lukewarm tea and took a sip.
"That's right. You have a lot to be thankful for," she stated aloud, placing the empty cup back on the table. Eren straightened up even more, if that were possible, after her words. If he had expected her to respond with something like "You're welcome" or "I'm just glad you're okay," he had come to the wrong person.
"So you're going to have to pay me back for all of this," Eliz continued, folding her hands in her lap and looking at Eren. His determination didn't waver, and he nodded resolutely.
"Of course. I'll do my best," he promised.
Eliz smiled. This was much easier than she had anticipated.
She stood up, and Eren quickly followed, trailing behind her as they returned to the room. Eliz walked over to the desk.
"In that case, you can start now," she said, picking up a piece of paper and writing something on it. She handed the paper to Eren.
"First of all, I want you to continue your training. You were pretty sloppy when you were hitting on Selene. So..." She paused, considering her words, before handing him the paper. "Find this person and hire him as your personal trainer."
Eren took the paper and read the name written on it, looking confused. "Who is Simon Rudderquill?"
Eliz couldn't help but smile. "He's a veteran. A highly skilled sniper. And it's up to you to recruit him for me."
Eren blinked, still trying to process the information. "But didn't you say you wanted him to be my trainer?"
"Yes, that's correct," Eliz replied, waving her hand dismissively. "But I also have other uses for his talents. Now, off you go. You have your assignment. Be a good brother and do it right."
Eren beamed with enthusiasm. "Yes, I will!"
Eliz watched as he left the room, shaking her head with a grin. "Naive child," she muttered to herself.
She remembered Simon Rudderquill as a side character in the story, who was supposed to have died in a future war. He was a renowned sharpshooter who had trained a group of snipers, including Eren, who was talented at shooting but usually used two handguns. A gun for Snipers was much more fitting for Eren. Eliz hadn't expected to have the opportunity to recruit him, but with Eren's involvement, there was a chance. She knew someone like Rudderquill couldn't resist nurturing Eren's talent.
"Hm... ah... if I remember correctly, he's a rather strict teacher. Eren, you're probably in for a lot of suffering. Fufufu," Eliz chuckled to herself, anticipating the hardship her brother would face under Rudderquill's training.