Chapter 3

People look as small as fingernails. Even from this distance, it’s possible to infer what’s happening.

It’s currently sunset. Judging by the occasional fluttering of cloth, they’re probably taking down the laundry before it gets dark.

From the cliff, I looked down at one of the villagers and was amazed.

This is fascinating.

In the game, such distant objects weren’t even rendered. This is a common trick used by game developers to conserve PC resources.

This level of detail is almost indistinguishable from reality.

Even if I, the observer, am not consciously aware of it, someone somewhere is living in the same moment.

After a brief observation, I enjoyed the gentle breeze and warm sunlight.

This place is truly a spot that purifies the heart.

“This is nice.”

As I immersed myself in the view, Selly beside me smiled sweetly.

“Isn’t it? This is the secret place I often visited with my mother.”

“Your mother?”

“Yes, you might not remember, but my mother worked here in the mansion from long ago. She found this place around the time I was born and would always come here to find peace.”

“I see, it certainly does put one at ease.”

The little girl’s story melted my heart. Is this a sense of kinship?

Both she and I must be thinking of our mothers.

We stood silently for a few seconds, a cool breeze blowing. I shivered slightly. Was it because of the wind, or because Selly’s voice came from slightly behind me this time?

“But young master,”

Her tone was quite cold. It’s getting a bit chilly as the sun sets. Did she feel the cold?

“Have you decided on your last words?”

Oh, last words. That thing you say before you die. It’s normal to think about it once in a while in life, so it’s not strange to have one. Although it’s vague and unclear, I can’t say it definitively.

Let’s see. I vaguely remember thinking about that folder on my hard drive that shouldn’t be opened—

Wait. What did she just say?

I turned my head and looked at Selly blankly.

“Why do you look so surprised? Don’t you understand why I’m doing this?”

Suddenly, my body twitched.

When our eyes met, I felt a chill down to my core. Despite the bright sunset, her pupils were filled with shadows with no hint of light.

“My mother devoted her life to the Tenest family. She fell ill and retired.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“I’ve heard that your mother, Lady Rissean, was very kind. But you never treated me that way, did you? Do you understand now?”

There was a glint in the girl’s eyes. I involuntarily clenched my fists defensively.

Why am I feeling intimidated by a girl who barely reaches my chest?

It’s probably because of this. The backdrop of the cliff behind me amplifies my fear.

Surely, it’s not what I’m thinking, right? Like dragging me here for revenge and pushing me off the cliff.

But then again, what could she possibly do?

She’s just a small girl. If I grab her by the cheeks, I can easily subdue her. A good scolding would be enough to stop her from playing such pranks again.

That’s what I thought—until a dagger appeared in her hand.

“Oh no, a knife is cheating!”

A chill ran down my spine. You might think it’s easy to handle a small girl with a dagger, but I know from watching videos on NewTube. Even a professional fighter, vastly superior in size, can end up with countless knife wounds against an ordinary person wielding a fake knife.

Besides, I’m an honor student who’s never been in a fight.

Meanwhile, the opponent was playing with the dagger as if it were a fidget spinner. My instincts warned me that I’d get stabbed if I rushed in!

I gulped. That little brat was licking the side of the knife like a crazed killer.

The small monster in front of me grasped the dagger firmly and advanced towards me, fully aware of my fear.

I decided to try to resolve this through conversation, keeping my composure.

“What do you want to say to me?” I asked again in a gentle manner, but the ‘Noble Blood’s Embers’ trait unintentionally made me come across as arrogant.

Selly, seemingly amused by my bravado even in this situation, let out a scornful laugh.

“Ha! You still don’t get it? Well, you always looked at me like I was a bug, so it’s no wonder.”

I didn’t know what crime warranted being killed by the girl in front of me, but she was targeting the wrong person. This was Hersel’s fault, not mine. You’re about to kill an innocent person!

“…That day, when I begged to go home because of an urgent matter. I even knelt and cried, begging to go home…”

I get it, just stop. It wasn’t me!

“Wait. Stop right there.”

“My sick mother died that day. It was our last moment together. I wanted to hold her hand one last time, but because of you…”

The girl’s nose was wrinkled in anger, her teeth gritted hard enough to crack, and her eyes were filled with malice.

I realized I had to do something to defuse the situation and said the first thing that came to mind.

“It seems like there’s been some misunderstanding—”

“Was that chore so important that it mattered more than my mother’s deathbed?”

This isn’t working. There’s no sign of dialogue even being possible. And no wonder. From what she’s saying, she missed her mother’s final moments because of Hersel.

This was a line crossed way beyond forgiveness. Not even a seasoned animal trainer could calm this beast.

So, what should I do? There must be some way out…

That’s right, I had two bodyguards. I should quickly get them to knock out this brat.

I looked towards the guards, who were supposed to be keeping watch nearby, but I blinked in disbelief at their incredible behavior.

I saw a glint of metal between the bushes. Even in this life-threatening situation, they were just silently observing with bated breath.

And they were smiling broadly, showing their white teeth…

As my mind went blank for a moment, Selly responded with a sneer.

“Idiot. You still don’t get it?”

“It was all ordered by the mistress. I just joined in because it was a great opportunity, and I even got paid for it. Isn’t that great?”

The mistress? Money?

So, my stepmother put a bounty on my head. Judging by the way they’re smirking, they’ve agreed to share it amongst themselves?

Anger boiled within me.

No matter the reason, I won’t die just to make them happy. In this situation, I need to fight to the death. I won’t die alone—I’ll take them with me.

“Not just the mistress. Everyone in the mansion wants you dead.”

I should have realized this sooner. Before I could even steel myself, Selly’s hand was already in motion.

The dagger was a fake. Distracted by it, I didn’t notice her other hand approaching.

That damned brat looked ecstatic, as if she had achieved her life’s goal, smiling with a face of serene satisfaction.

“Goodbye, you piece of trash.”

Thud—

I felt the palm of her hand against my chest.

Like a small domino toppling a larger one, my body was pushed off the cliff by that tiny hand. I watched the cold sweat on my cheek as it flew upward, fixating on the existence of Hersel.

How did he live such a reckless life to end up like this? I’m dying to know.

Who knows, maybe he’s someone I’ve forgotten.

‘The eldest son of the Tenest family.’

‘Trash.’

‘A person doomed to die from a grudge.’

In the extreme fear, my brain strained. The lines of dialogue from over a hundred player characters flashed by in an instant. I fixed a few of their conversation logs in my mind like photographs.

— Hersel? I know him well. He was forced into an engagement he didn’t want because of the family’s position. I hated it. Why does he tell girls to wear dresses instead of armor?

— That’s not all. He always reeked of alcohol. No manners, no effort, and constantly annoying the servants. Once during a meal, he threw a plate out the window because he didn’t like the food, telling us to feed it to the pigeons.

— I went to his funeral once, and it was the same. The mansion servants were secretly grinning. Of course, I laughed with them. I went there to do just that. He once poured wine on my head at a ball, calling me a short idiot from the countryside. This is all karma, pure and simple.

Hersel was by no means an impromptu character. He existed from the start.

However, he was a character who died before the game’s storyline even began.

It’s natural that I had forgotten about him.

The important thing is that the body I possess is known among the playable characters and NPCs as a delinquent and a scoundrel.

Realizing this, my heart sank.

Even so, my face didn’t show any hideous expressions, probably due to the trait. I merely narrowed my eyes, watching Selly grow distant.

As the distance increased, the ‘Noble Blood’s Embers’ deactivated, and my face contorted with genuine emotion.

“Damn.”

A completely useless, trashy ability.

What should I do?

There is one thing I can rely on, but I’ve never used the one-second invincibility before.

This means I don’t know how to activate it.

“Ahhhhh!”

A pure scream that belonged to me, not Hersel, burst from my throat.

The barrier of air slapped against my skin. The cliff felt much higher than it looked.

In the unexpectedly prolonged fall, my brain struggled to find a way to survive.

◇1-second invincibility◇

Nullifies any threat for 1 second.

Cooldown: 60 seconds.

An ability that makes me invincible for only one second.

In that case, I need to use it just before hitting the ground.

There’s no keyboard here, and I don’t know the activation conditions even if I wanted to.

Should I shout the skill name like a childish anime character?

It’s embarrassing, but I have no other choice!

I gulped and glared at the ground as I fell.

Not yet.

The cooldown for the one-second invincibility is 60 seconds.

If I miss the timing even slightly, I might die instantly.

At the critical moment—

Finally, the expected height arrived. Trembling with tension, I opened my lips.

“One, one-second—”

Bang!

***

The main gate of the Tenest estate.

Today’s guards on duty were the two soldiers who had been escorting Hersel. Normally, this wasn’t their job, but they volunteered to discuss their dirty plans.

They stood in front of the main gate, talking about what happened today.

“Jack, I feel a bit bad about this. If we write the report like that, he’ll be dead.”

“Come on, what’s there to feel bad about? That brat wanted to take 80% of the reward for himself.”

They had recorded Hersel’s death as a murder, not an accident. They planned to send this report to the mistress at dawn. The young soldier, feeling a tinge of guilt and uncertain fear, confirmed again.

“Are you sure about this?”

“I asked the mistress myself. If the person who killed him dies, who gets the reward? She said it goes to the other contributors. So, all the money will be ours.”

“Well, that’s true, but what if we get in trouble for failing to protect him?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Though it was a festival hosted by the mistress, it still involved killing a noble. Not just any noble, but the eldest son of the Tenest family.

Even though nobles often kill each other over power struggles, the Tenest family was not an ordinary family. This would inevitably draw public attention.

“Don’t worry. The mistress will be pleased.”

Even if the mistress used her power to cover up the truth, an official cause of death would still be necessary.

Accident or suicide—something that doesn’t involve foul play.

So Selly had conspired with them to stage an accidental fall.

But by writing the report as a murder motivated by revenge, the story changes.

If the report reaches the chief magistrate, Selly will be executed.

The fact that Hersel’s death was murder isn’t the problem. Hersel was despised by everyone in the mansion.

Considering the mistress’s temperament, she would likely welcome this conclusion.

Eliminating the perpetrator would reduce future risks, and the official reason would be flawless.

The scenario of the most hated scoundrel in the mansion being killed by a close servant’s grudge was convincing enough.

“The dead can’t speak. Even if she blabbers about the mistress ordering it before her execution, it’ll be ignored. We just need to take care of our own futures.”

“I just hope everything goes well.”

At worst, they might get dismissed for dereliction of duty.

But they’d have all the money.

“By the way, Jack. You know, right? 50-50.”

“50-50…”

The young soldier’s face, which had been excited a moment ago, quickly turned pale.

It wasn’t Jack’s voice beside him.

It was a familiar voice, but it shouldn’t have been heard. The voice of a dead man.

Turning his head, he saw Jack sweating profusely, and then his gaze locked onto a tall man with disheveled hair and covered in dust.

Despite his disheveled appearance, there was an undeniable air of dignity about him. The two soldiers trembled in disbelief.

“How…how is this possible…”

The cliff was smooth with no branches sticking out. There was nothing to grab onto, not even a ledge to briefly support a body.

And the ground below was so distant it appeared hazy.

Falling from such a place and coming back alive seemed impossible, sending chills down their spines.

While their minds were paralyzed with shock, his lips moved.

“Which one of you wants the first 50?”