“—, …Ah, I see…”
I’ve looped back to three years ago again. And this time, it’s a reset with a massive bombshell dropped by Millie at the very end.
Whether I accept it like with Claire, I end up regretting it, and if I run away, I end up regretting it anyway.
“It’s Desroah again, huh?”
Next time, if it seems hopeless from the moment the protagonists set off, I might have to consider suicide. I need to switch gears and get through this quickly, or my mental state won’t hold up.
The Swordsmanship Club juniors entrusted me with the Cursed Sword, but Millie cursed me with her words. It’s not the sword that’s cursed, it’s me.
The one who told me might feel relieved, but the one who was told will carry that curse for life.
“Switch, switching is key… Since everything’s reset, I need to reset my mind too.”
If I keep adding mental burdens with each loop, there will come a time when I’ll be crushed by them. I muttered to myself, trying to convince myself to discard as much baggage as possible, and then I went to sleep.
“Oh, Geld. You’re up early today.”
“Yeah, well…”
“What’s wrong? You look quite haggard, and your complexion seems bad… Are you alright?”
“Huh? Ah… Yeah, I just had a bad dream, I guess.”
The next morning, I went to the usual career consultation with Father, but it seems I haven’t switched gears successfully. It showed on my face.
“Is that so? Well, have you reached a conclusion about your further education?”
“Yes. I’d like to go to… Desroah Academy in the Royal Capital.”
I don’t want to go. I really don’t want to go. But I have no choice.
“Desroah Academy, huh? It’s a tough one, but it’s the best place to learn magic. But don’t push yourself too hard, alright?”
“Yes. I’ve already completed the preparations, so I plan to take it easy until the exam.”
After finishing the one-on-one meeting with Father, I returned to my room and looked in the mirror.
“Oh… No wonder Father’s worried.”
My complexion is bad, and I lack energy overall. Especially my stagnant eyes, which show no vitality at all. It’s the face of someone who’s given up on life.
In fact, this face isn’t an exaggeration at all; it accurately reflects my feelings. If I didn’t loop after dying, I’d want to cut my own throat right now, that’s how desperate I am.
That’s why, when I saw Shino’s face the next day, I almost buried my face in her chest and burst into tears.
“Lord Geld… Perhaps we should postpone the departure until another day…”
“No, this is a mental burden. It won’t change no matter when we go.”
It’s the usual two-person trip to the Royal Capital with Shino.
It seems I’m getting the hang of becoming friends with Shino, as we’re getting closer faster with each loop. I thought I could spend peaceful days until the entrance ceremony, but this time, from the moment we met, she wasn’t aloof at all and seemed strangely worried about me. Was my face really that bad?
But if that’s the case, then all the better. I’ll let her be as kind and pamper me as much as she wants…!
“Lord Geld, it’s already noon.”
“Ugh…”
“It’s been two hours since you said ‘five more minutes.'”
“Ah… Guess I’ll get up then…”
“Yes, please wash your face. I’ll prepare lunch in the meantime.”
There’s nothing better than waking up to Shino waking me up with an exasperated look after I’ve overslept even though I’m not that tired.
Reaffirming that fact, I nodded vigorously, jumped out of bed with a flourish, and sharply opened the curtains. A refreshing morning… the beginning of noon.
When I looked in the mirror while washing my face, my eyes were swollen from oversleeping, but my complexion was much better compared to right after the reset. Shino therapy is amazing.
“Alright… Time to do my best again this time.”
I wonder how many days it’s been since I arrived in the Royal Capital. I need to start preparing for after the entrance ceremony soon.
Having become an even more energetic and tough guy thanks to the lunch Shino made in the inn’s kitchen, I ventured out into the town to prepare for this time’s scheme.
First, I’ll buy a kidnapping set: a skin-friendly cotton bag and Sleeping Powder. With these, I can at least carry out a kidnapping.
And next is a confinement set. After reconsidering, I concluded that the best way is to restrain both hands and feet on a bed, so I ordered two sets of Hand and Foot Shackles. However, I didn’t ask that rude blacksmith; I commissioned them from a craft shop that handles leather goods. I was met with an accident where they persistently asked about the intended use, but I loudly asserted that it was a noble’s hobby and pushed through.
Up to this point, it’s not much different from last time, but as I apologized to Millie in advance at the end of the previous loop, I’ll be performing a strange ritual this time.
I’ll draw a hexagram centered on the bed where Millie is restrained, and if I put candles at the six vertices, it should look convincing. And if I don’t answer anything and just mutter while reading a book, I should look like a really evil wizard.
“Ah… My stomach hurts… My chest hurts too…”
I imagined Millie crying and screaming in terror at becoming the sacrifice for a strange ritual. Even in my imagination, I feel like revealing the truth and reassuring her. But I can’t. Last time’s Villain Move was just for fun, but this time I have to be a villain to the very end.
The absolute condition is to raise Millie’s Affection for the protagonist.
“Millie’s Affection… for that detestable Harem Bastard…”
Ugh, my stomach feels queasy. My chest hurts in a different way too.
But I have no choice but to endure it. After all, Millie was originally a member of the Harem in the original story, so it’s just returning to her proper place. That’s how I have to rationalize it.
And so, after preparing the supplies and my heart, I welcomed the entrance ceremony… or rather, the day after.
I was putting on the familiar uniform to attend Desroah Academy for the first time.
Shino was waiting to help me, but I accidentally finished putting it on myself in a flash, making a terrible mistake. As a result, Shino became idle and seemed to not know what to do.
“Lord Geld, you seem quite used to it…?”
“Huh? Ah, yeah… I just put it on by instinct, and it seemed to fit.”
Perhaps to differentiate it from the simple Royal Ukyak Academy, it’s a rather complicated type of uniform, but after wearing it alone for three years, I’ve gotten used to it. As a result, I missed the opportunity to replenish the last of my Shino reserves.
“Then, Lord Geld, have a good day.”
“Hmm.”
Can my mind remain safe after going to that demon’s den called Desroah Academy? Will I fall halfway without achieving my goals? My current Shino reserves are a bit unreliable, so I need to replenish them one last time.
“Here.”
“…Lord Geld?”
I spread my arms, urging her for a hug, but Shino is just confused. But that’s fine. This is the negotiation technique of… door… something, where you make an unreasonable proposal first, and then offer something more reasonable later. If I offer a handshake after the hug, Shino will have no choice but to accept—huh?
“Like this?”
“Ah, yeah…”
She just hugged me normally, so I’m hugging her back. I don’t really understand, but my Shino reserves are rapidly replenishing. Or rather, this is bad. If my Shino reserves exceed capacity, I’ll probably turn into an irrational beast and won’t be able to go to school. It’s a shame, but I’ll let go after about ten seconds.
“Alright, I’m fine now. See you in three years.”
“Yes. I’ll be waiting.”
Now, to Desroah Academy. It’s been a month since I last went to school.