IVPCB 18

Chapter 18

In that instant, I definitely saw it. The corner of Juran’s mouth twitched slightly upward when he referred to me as a “splendid person.”

“In the Knights of Heliweka, we are taught to protect the weak. At this moment, to me, the weak is Anis—who, despite trying so hard to gather her courage, is still trembling.”

Ah. So my hands were trembling.

However, this wasn’t from fear; it was due to the anger and excitement that hadn’t yet faded.

‘It seems he’s completely misunderstanding me… but there’s no need to go out of my way to correct him right now.’

By the way, what Juran just said was actually pretty cool. It clearly showcased his upright and noble character as a knight. If this hadn’t happened right after I showed off my true nature through the ‘Maw of Ruin,’ my heart might have even fluttered a little.

Then, Juran took a large step closer to me.

Ah, that warm scent again. Maybe because I had just thought about how cool he was, it even felt a bit hot this time.

“Are you hurt?”

Juran asked while staring intently at me. For some reason, his tone sounded remarkably sweet, completely different from before.

“Uh… no. As you can see, I’m fine.”

I almost used informal speech out of habit, but corrected myself since there were many eyes watching. Whatever the case, I was currently a gardener at Heliweka Castle, and Juran was the young master.

Thanks to wearing long sleeves, I was able to secretly pull down my cuff to hide the marks left by the man earlier. My grabbed wrist still throbbed with pain, but for some reason, I didn’t want to show it.

“It was a realistic and decent self-defense move. Although… never mind.”

‘Is it because he’s a swordsman? It was just a desperate struggle to break free, yet he praises it as self-defense.’

The way his voice trailed off at the end felt a bit shy. Somehow, his earlobes looked a little red, too. I was curious about what he was going to say at the end, but I decided to refrain from asking.

“By the way, after what just happened, I’ve become curious as the future duke about how my gardener plans to live. Could you tell me?”

It was understandable, given that I had just had a huge fight with the reddish-brown-haired man. However, I was grateful that he asked me directly about the truth regarding myself, rather than listening to other people’s mouths.

Juran really seemed like a decent person—so much so that a corner of my heart stung with guilt.

‘Because more than half of what I’m about to say is a lie.’

“Well, first of all, I have no intention of denying my past.”

I let out a slow sigh and continued speaking.

“But after breaking the branch of the Sacred Tree, I suddenly felt regret. I thought, ‘Why did I live such a reckless life?’ So I decided to neatly admit my mistakes and work here as a gardener for 10 years. I was too ashamed of my past actions to say it directly to Lady Luna, but I went to convey my apologies to her as well.”

I added a bit of packaging to the truth. It was true that I tried to settle my past by handing over ‘Uria’s Lily’ to Albireo. Although I felt sorry for Luna, it was merely regret. I wasn’t such a good person as to feel genuine guilt for things I hadn’t actually committed.

‘I’m having just as much of a headache trying to clean up the mess Anais left behind.’

Swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, I continued to speak.

“Perhaps… the Sacred Tree and Goddess Agnes took pity on me, helping me come to my senses and giving me a chance. It’s a bit late, but I’ve come to want to live a diligent life while doing the job of a gardener assigned to me.”

I confessed, lowering my head deeply as if feeling a bit bashful.

From here on out, it was a pure, red-hot lie. I didn’t believe in Goddess Agnes, and being a gardener was simply a profession I chose to survive.

Making the most sorrowful expression I could, I lifted my head and glanced around the surroundings out of the corner of my eye.

The reddish-brown-haired man still had a scowl on his face, looking deeply dissatisfied with me, but the two beastman boys were blushing and couldn’t bring themselves to meet my gaze. The middle-aged wolf beastman was also looking at me with drooping ears, his eyes a mix of half-pity and half-pride.

Just as I was secretly feeling relieved that my heartfelt acting had paid off—

[SYSTEM: To utter such insincere repentance using the name of God—this is a villainous act too painful to watch with open eyes.]

The sudden guidance voice of the system sent a chill down my spine.

It wasn’t unusual for the system to appear out of nowhere, but this time, there was clear emotion mixed into that mechanical voice.

[—Your Infamy Level: 60] [—Your infamy is beginning to spread among a ‘considerable number’ of commoners and ‘most’ of noble society.] [—An executive of the dark organization ‘Albireo’ is starting to pay attention to you.]

Listening to the words that continued to be recited, I became certain that the coldness I felt in the voice was not an illusion.

Cold, icy, and in a distinctly sharper tone than usual.

The system was clearly angry at me.

Last night, lying alone in bed, I had asked the system:

“In this life, it’s certain that I won’t die even if my Infamy Level rises, right?”

I felt the need to clarify the ‘Infamy Level’ at least once.

[It seems I failed to grasp the level of the player’s intelligence beforehand. It is not my mistake, but I will show mercy and let you know clearly.]

It was about time I got used to its sarcasm.

More than that, it was surprising that this money-loving system was providing information for free. But since it offered to tell me, I decided to listen quietly instead of arguing.

[There is no direct causal relationship between the Infamy Level and your death.]

It was the answer I expected, but it was a necessary confirmation to ask the next question.

“Then what does this stat—which used to be the ‘Villainess Progress Rate’ and is now the ‘Infamy Level’—actually mean?”

This was the second question I was truly curious about.

‘If it’s not directly related to my life and death, why does the Infamy Level exist? By what exact standard does it increase?’

[WARNING! WARNING!]

It was then that a sharp warning sound pierced my eardrums, shattering my concentration.

[The player’s ‘Shop Usage Grade’ is too low, so the system cannot fully answer the question.]

Following that, the monotone mechanical voice conveyed the message to me.

“Huh? Is there a connection between the ‘Shop Usage Grade’ and the scope of questions you can answer?”

[Yes.]

It was new information, but looking back, it didn’t seem that surprising. Even in the game, there was a text stating that access to information differed depending on the grade within the dark organization ‘Albireo.’

“Then, can’t you just tell me about the Infamy Level within the range you’re allowed to answer?”

It felt a bit desperate, but since opportunities like this didn’t come easily, I asked the system again. After pausing for a brief moment, the system finally spoke.

[……The system is not a insane murderer. Therefore, it will not kill a ‘human’ simply for being a high-infamy villain.]

It was a concise answer.

However, synthesizing the conversations and situations I had experienced with the system so far, I could deduce a few things.

And now, with my Infamy Level having risen to 60, here in the kitchen of Heliweka Castle, I decided to verify a single question that had been lingering in my mind since yesterday.

‘By what right do you evaluate my Infamy Level?’

Answer me. I need to know.

By finding the method to survive in this world—’Class Change’—the system no longer held the power of life and death over me. Furthermore, looking back, the system was no longer an objective, detached, overarching structure either.

‘If so, why?’

The moment I thought that, everything around me slowed down and came to a complete halt.

The meat sizzling and making sounds on the pan in the corner of the hearth, the reddish-brown-haired man blinking his eyes, and Juran’s gaze looking at me with questioning eyes—everything.

Krrrrrrr— Screeech—

Suddenly, a terrible noise rang out, piercing my ears. It was unmistakably the sound of broken machinery.

And then, a severe pain in my head followed. A sensation as if someone was pressing down hard on my temples.

‘It’s not unfamiliar. Because…’

How could I ever forget it?

It was the exact sensation I felt in the previous 2nd playthrough when I became a complete villainess and was brainwashed by the system.

[You will come to know everything when the time comes. You are being far too hasty.]

Following that, a combination of words flowed into my head.

At the same time, my stomach turned nauseous, and I could taste blood surging up past my throat. My ears buzzed, and my vision blurred as if heat haze was rising.

Rather than describing it as ‘hearing’ a voice, it felt more accurate to say that I was ‘reading’ sentences that were being forced into my mind.

[Rather than asking such questions, why don’t you enjoy the story given to you a little more for now? You’re so good at struggling without knowing an inch ahead.]

The tone of the system delivering the answer to me felt arrogant.

‘It makes me mad that I can’t handle it. But it’s overwhelming.’

Let’s admit what needs to be admitted. I couldn’t handle the system that was conveying its will to me, and it had indirectly proven its authority to me.

[For now, wrap up that situation over there. After all, it’s a situation you staged by using even my name, isn’t it?]

‘As expected.’

The system was now openly revealing its identity.

At the same time, the frozen time began to flow again, and I returned to reality as if nothing had happened. Only the faint lingering pain at my temples reminded me of the conversation I had just shared with the system.

“Ahem, so there was such a story behind it.”

The first person among the kitchen staff to speak up was the middle-aged man with ash-gray hair.

“Anyone can make mistakes when they are young. What matters is not turning away from it, paying the price, and how you overcome it.”

He spoke solemnly like an adult. His amber eyes reflecting my image held a considerable depth.

‘Could it be that he’s empathizing with the story I made up and projecting himself onto it?’

While no one is without a past, I felt a slight curiosity about what kind of story this middle-aged man might have.

“I will watch over how you live your life from now on.”

Looking down at me with a somewhat proud expression, the man patted my shoulder twice.

“I am Nar. I am the head chef of Heliweka Castle.”

A thick, large hand was extended in front of me. Faced with an attitude completely different from the coldness during our first meeting, I instinctively felt that I had moved him far more than expected.

‘It seems Nar-씨 has some sad past of his own, too.’

I began to think that perhaps this Heliweka Castle held far more stories than I had initially anticipated.