I rummaged through my school uniform pocket and took out an item enchanted with defense magic from the sudoku dungeon.
“I got it from the dungeon, take this.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s an item with defensive magic. Since it was an item from the era of the ancient magic kingdom, it seemed to have a fairly high grade.”
It wasn’t quite high; it was superlative.
“Enough. If you have something like this, you should have it. Isn’t this something you got in the first place?”
“I have mine too, so don’t hold back. Ah, this is for stepmother.”
I handed out the brooch to Raul, asking him to deliver it instead of me. Then Raul replied. “She will be happy if you give it yourself.”
It was a very difficult word to agree with.
She might not hate a gift like this since this item is a precious thing that cannot be obtained with money, but wouldn’t she be wary of a gift from Theresa? However, Raul’s expression was full of unknown conviction that I had no choice but to answer vaguely.
I went to Roseanne to deliver the item in person, following Raul’s opinion. She was resting on the bed with a pale complexion. Roseanne saw that I had come to her bedroom, and she fiddled with the blanket for a moment. It didn’t seem like an act of distraction because she felt awkward for me to come.
“What’s the matter?”
I approached her timidly and held out an item. “It’s something I got from the dungeon.”
Fearing she might refuse, I quickly explained that I had several and shared them with my family. Then Roseanne looked surprised for a moment, then said with a moved face.
“Thank you.”
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘Madmania’ has sponsored 100,000 coins.]
[I thought they were having a bad relationship in the beginning, but it doesn’t seem like Roseanne hates Theresa very much.]
Like the Constellation said, I didn’t notice any signs of hating me from Roseanne either. It was weird. How could she not hate Theresa? How could she truly be happy that Theresa went back alive? I thought I knew Roseanne, but when I saw her, I realized that I knew absolutely nothing about this ‘person.’ What I created was nothing but a terribly shallow shell. So, I had no choice but to ask.
“Don’t you hate me, Stepmother?”
Roseanne opened her eyes wide. “Huh? Hate?”
“I’ve been mean to Stepmother all this time.”
Even though it wasn’t something I did, it could be seen as something I did. Because it was me who put those settings in place. I was the one who made Roseanne’s life difficult, so I wanted to apologize for that.
“I’m sorry I’ve been mean to you.”
Then Roseanne laughed with a face that looked so much like Libby. “To hear that from you… I don’t know when you grew up like this.”
We looked so different that I realized all over again that she and Theresa weren’t blood relatives. But Roseanne didn’t think so, she looked at me with soft eyes.
“You don’t remember because you were young, but you didn’t just push me away.”
What does that mean?
“Theresa, you came to my bed regularly when you had nightmares, thunderstorms, or scary stories. At first, you brought a pillow, and then you lay on my arm.”
This was the first thing I learned about because it happened in the blind spot of the scenario. Then, suddenly, a scene flashed in my mind.
[“Did you have a nightmare? Come on, Theresa. You were scared, right?”]
Uh…? Is this the memory of Theresa?
Theresa’s memories were viewed objectively as if seen through the eyes of a third person. And the memories didn’t end there.
“Come to think of it, it reminds me. There was a day when you hit Madam Hellen with an orange. Oh my, how could I have forgotten this?”
“…Pardon?”
“When Madam Hellen bragged about her dress, you ruined her silk dress with a peeled orange.”
[“Isn’t that dress more than 10 years old? Duchess is very frugal. I can’t really control my shopping desires at all. I bought this dress on impulse, you know? The butterfly and bee embroidery is so delicate. It’s like they’re truly alive… Kyaaaak!”
“Loow! Loow ath thhish bug! Whath an odd shhape!”
“Theresa, it’s not a bug; it’s an insect. Pfft, put down the orange. Pfft.”]
“You don’t know how hard it was to hold back my laughter then.”
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘Fact Is Violence’ has sponsored 100,000 coins.]
[She doesn’t look like a person who held it in at all.]
It seemed that the scenes I watched seemed to be visible to the Constellations.
Aside from being naughty by pulling Roseanne’s blonde hair, she screamed quite a bit and overturned a table when the other ladies were harassing her stepmother. Theresa’s scandalous series has passed several times.
Looking at it like this, it’s not like Theresa has been rumored to be the crazy dog in the social world for nothing.
Roseanne in her memory, was suffering greatly due to her excessively steep rise in status. She even lost her own daughter.
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘Mad Mania’ has sponsored 100,000 coins.]
[Now I get it… No matter how vicious Theresa was, she still looked like a child in the eyes of an adult who had gone through all sorts of hardships…]
I see. For Roseanne, Theresa’s bad behavior and harassment must have felt like a child’s prank. Rather, it seems that it would have been better for Roseanne to have Theresa causing a fuss. Theresa’s biological mother was the eldest daughter of a prestigious marquis family. Although the ties are completely cut off now.
That’s the end of her memory.
I finally understood why Roseanne was fiddling with her blanket. She had memories of the childhood when Theresa visited her whenever she was frightened, so she instinctively wanted to give Theresa a seat next to her.
Roseanne hugged me and patted me on the back as if putting a baby to sleep. “You were scared, right?”
“…”
I couldn’t say anything because my throat was choked for a moment, so I gave a small nod instead.
Roseanne stroked my hair as if she knew how scared I must have been.
Among thousands of death routes, Roseanne, who has a track record of actually driving Theresa to death, sincerely comforts me and Theresa. Tears that I thought had stopped flowed a little.
* * *
“…Heung.”
Outside the door of Roseanne’s bedroom, Giuseppe and Libby were leaning side by side, eavesdropping on the conversation. Giuseppe was making a face like someone who was very angry. Still, Libby now knew that this expression was meant to conceal his true feelings.
“What do you think? Older sister is a good person, right?”
Giuseppe’s expression was even more distorted when Libby spoke with a little smugness like the winner of the bet.
“It’s stupid to go over with something like this.”
“Do you know what people who can’t say good things are more stupid?”
“Hey!”
Giuseppe, who had been speaking politely to Libby for a short time, eventually returned to his original speaking habits.
“You’re just like Theresa!”
“What? Really?”
Giuseppe felt crazy when Libby was ecstatic and pleased.
“This stupid Older Sister!”
Then the door suddenly opened, making Giuseppe and Libby startled. It was Theresa who opened the door.
“What are you two doing?”
“…”
“…”
The two couldn’t answer and only rolled their eyes.
Theresa grinned and asked with a hateful look. “Did you come because you missed me?”
Libby nodded passionately, and Giuseppe was furious.
“What an idiot!”
“It’s difficult to play because I’m tired today, so I’ll play with you tomorrow. Now, shall we go back to the room? Mother needs some rest.”
Giuseppe didn’t notice because he was angry at her nonsense. Still, Libby quickly noticed that Theresa had called Roseanne ‘mother’ rather than ‘stepmother.’
Sister has changed.
It was difficult to make sure about it, but Theresa, who had been to the dungeon, had changed somewhere.
I think she has become a little stronger.
She had heard that the crisis of death made a person mature. Perhaps, as Theresa went through a great crisis, a change was taking place inside her?
Libby pressed against her chest. I want to become a wonderful person like sister. For that to happen, she shouldn’t be stagnant like this.
At that time, a faint milky white light formed on Libby’s fingertips and then disappeared.
* * *
Unfortunately, deaths occurred in dungeons, but it was an accident that happened often. However, it was unprecedented for a dead person to come back to life. So now, everyone called me an immortal.
“…Really?”
When I reacted in disbelief, Eloise said in a tone that she couldn’t understand me. “Of course. No one doesn’t know that the dungeon Lady entered has disappeared. Besides, we were preparing for your funeral.”
There were more real problems afterward.
“Isn’t it also mysterious that the rain that had been falling non-stop since the day the lady’s funeral was decided stopped as soon as the world knew you were alive? I think it makes sense.”
“No. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Sigh. Why are there more and more strange nicknames with each passing day?
Eloise pouted at my rebuttal and suddenly smiled. “Lady denies it, but I’m sure the world revolves around Lady.”
Why on earth are you saying such a weird self-assertion to me? Even when I was in middle school, I never thought of that!
“Think about it, Lady.”
“I won’t think about it.”
“Currently, a stone statue honoring Lady is placed in Valhalla.”
“What?”
What does this mean?
“In addition, all the new restaurants and cafes opening this month are named after Lady Theresa.”
Eloise, who did not see my astonished look, continued with a shudder. “Since the Squire Scholarship Foundation has all the rights for its profits, it’s like occupying a place in someone else’s home. That place is even like the enemy’s living room!”
How long has it been since I died, and you’re signing a contract like that?
“As soon as Lady came back alive, you even saved the world from an attack by the group of monsters.”
“What? When did I save the world?”
“Oh my, Lady. You don’t have to be humble. How many people have witnessed the Whale Ghosts who arrived at the Lady’s call?”
Eloise puffed her chest and said with a confident face. “I can’t wait to see the Willows screaming with envy, watching Lady going to school normally!”
At her words, I put my hand on my forehead.
I rummaged through my school uniform pocket and took out an item enchanted with defense magic from the sudoku dungeon.
“I got it from the dungeon, take this.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s an item with defensive magic. Since it was an item from the era of the ancient magic kingdom, it seemed to have a fairly high grade.”
It wasn’t quite high; it was superlative.
“Enough. If you have something like this, you should have it. Isn’t this something you got in the first place?”
“I have mine too, so don’t hold back. Ah, this is for stepmother.”
I handed out the brooch to Raul, asking him to deliver it instead of me. Then Raul replied. “She will be happy if you give it yourself.”
It was a very difficult word to agree with.
She might not hate a gift like this since this item is a precious thing that cannot be obtained with money, but wouldn’t she be wary of a gift from Theresa? However, Raul’s expression was full of unknown conviction that I had no choice but to answer vaguely.
I went to Roseanne to deliver the item in person, following Raul’s opinion. She was resting on the bed with a pale complexion. Roseanne saw that I had come to her bedroom, and she fiddled with the blanket for a moment. It didn’t seem like an act of distraction because she felt awkward for me to come.
“What’s the matter?”
I approached her timidly and held out an item. “It’s something I got from the dungeon.”
Fearing she might refuse, I quickly explained that I had several and shared them with my family. Then Roseanne looked surprised for a moment, then said with a moved face.
“Thank you.”
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘Madmania’ has sponsored 100,000 coins.]
[I thought they were having a bad relationship in the beginning, but it doesn’t seem like Roseanne hates Theresa very much.]
Like the Constellation said, I didn’t notice any signs of hating me from Roseanne either. It was weird. How could she not hate Theresa? How could she truly be happy that Theresa went back alive? I thought I knew Roseanne, but when I saw her, I realized that I knew absolutely nothing about this ‘person.’ What I created was nothing but a terribly shallow shell. So, I had no choice but to ask.
“Don’t you hate me, Stepmother?”
Roseanne opened her eyes wide. “Huh? Hate?”
“I’ve been mean to Stepmother all this time.”
Even though it wasn’t something I did, it could be seen as something I did. Because it was me who put those settings in place. I was the one who made Roseanne’s life difficult, so I wanted to apologize for that.
“I’m sorry I’ve been mean to you.”
Then Roseanne laughed with a face that looked so much like Libby. “To hear that from you… I don’t know when you grew up like this.”
We looked so different that I realized all over again that she and Theresa weren’t blood relatives. But Roseanne didn’t think so, she looked at me with soft eyes.
“You don’t remember because you were young, but you didn’t just push me away.”
What does that mean?
“Theresa, you came to my bed regularly when you had nightmares, thunderstorms, or scary stories. At first, you brought a pillow, and then you lay on my arm.”
This was the first thing I learned about because it happened in the blind spot of the scenario. Then, suddenly, a scene flashed in my mind.
[“Did you have a nightmare? Come on, Theresa. You were scared, right?”]
Uh…? Is this the memory of Theresa?
Theresa’s memories were viewed objectively as if seen through the eyes of a third person. And the memories didn’t end there.
“Come to think of it, it reminds me. There was a day when you hit Madam Hellen with an orange. Oh my, how could I have forgotten this?”
“…Pardon?”
“When Madam Hellen bragged about her dress, you ruined her silk dress with a peeled orange.”
[“Isn’t that dress more than 10 years old? Duchess is very frugal. I can’t really control my shopping desires at all. I bought this dress on impulse, you know? The butterfly and bee embroidery is so delicate. It’s like they’re truly alive… Kyaaaak!”
“Loow! Loow ath thhish bug! Whath an odd shhape!”
“Theresa, it’s not a bug; it’s an insect. Pfft, put down the orange. Pfft.”]
“You don’t know how hard it was to hold back my laughter then.”
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘Fact Is Violence’ has sponsored 100,000 coins.]
[She doesn’t look like a person who held it in at all.]
It seemed that the scenes I watched seemed to be visible to the Constellations.
Aside from being naughty by pulling Roseanne’s blonde hair, she screamed quite a bit and overturned a table when the other ladies were harassing her stepmother. Theresa’s scandalous series has passed several times.
Looking at it like this, it’s not like Theresa has been rumored to be the crazy dog in the social world for nothing.
Roseanne in her memory, was suffering greatly due to her excessively steep rise in status. She even lost her own daughter.
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘Mad Mania’ has sponsored 100,000 coins.]
[Now I get it… No matter how vicious Theresa was, she still looked like a child in the eyes of an adult who had gone through all sorts of hardships…]
I see. For Roseanne, Theresa’s bad behavior and harassment must have felt like a child’s prank. Rather, it seems that it would have been better for Roseanne to have Theresa causing a fuss. Theresa’s biological mother was the eldest daughter of a prestigious marquis family. Although the ties are completely cut off now.
That’s the end of her memory.
I finally understood why Roseanne was fiddling with her blanket. She had memories of the childhood when Theresa visited her whenever she was frightened, so she instinctively wanted to give Theresa a seat next to her.
Roseanne hugged me and patted me on the back as if putting a baby to sleep. “You were scared, right?”
“…”
I couldn’t say anything because my throat was choked for a moment, so I gave a small nod instead.
Roseanne stroked my hair as if she knew how scared I must have been.
Among thousands of death routes, Roseanne, who has a track record of actually driving Theresa to death, sincerely comforts me and Theresa. Tears that I thought had stopped flowed a little.
* * *
“…Heung.”
Outside the door of Roseanne’s bedroom, Giuseppe and Libby were leaning side by side, eavesdropping on the conversation. Giuseppe was making a face like someone who was very angry. Still, Libby now knew that this expression was meant to conceal his true feelings.
“What do you think? Older sister is a good person, right?”
Giuseppe’s expression was even more distorted when Libby spoke with a little smugness like the winner of the bet.
“It’s stupid to go over with something like this.”
“Do you know what people who can’t say good things are more stupid?”
“Hey!”
Giuseppe, who had been speaking politely to Libby for a short time, eventually returned to his original speaking habits.
“You’re just like Theresa!”
“What? Really?”
Giuseppe felt crazy when Libby was ecstatic and pleased.
“This stupid Older Sister!”
Then the door suddenly opened, making Giuseppe and Libby startled. It was Theresa who opened the door.
“What are you two doing?”
“…”
“…”
The two couldn’t answer and only rolled their eyes.
Theresa grinned and asked with a hateful look. “Did you come because you missed me?”
Libby nodded passionately, and Giuseppe was furious.
“What an idiot!”
“It’s difficult to play because I’m tired today, so I’ll play with you tomorrow. Now, shall we go back to the room? Mother needs some rest.”
Giuseppe didn’t notice because he was angry at her nonsense. Still, Libby quickly noticed that Theresa had called Roseanne ‘mother’ rather than ‘stepmother.’
Sister has changed.
It was difficult to make sure about it, but Theresa, who had been to the dungeon, had changed somewhere.
I think she has become a little stronger.
She had heard that the crisis of death made a person mature. Perhaps, as Theresa went through a great crisis, a change was taking place inside her?
Libby pressed against her chest. I want to become a wonderful person like sister. For that to happen, she shouldn’t be stagnant like this.
At that time, a faint milky white light formed on Libby’s fingertips and then disappeared.
* * *
Unfortunately, deaths occurred in dungeons, but it was an accident that happened often. However, it was unprecedented for a dead person to come back to life. So now, everyone called me an immortal.
“…Really?”
When I reacted in disbelief, Eloise said in a tone that she couldn’t understand me. “Of course. No one doesn’t know that the dungeon Lady entered has disappeared. Besides, we were preparing for your funeral.”
There were more real problems afterward.
“Isn’t it also mysterious that the rain that had been falling non-stop since the day the lady’s funeral was decided stopped as soon as the world knew you were alive? I think it makes sense.”
“No. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Sigh. Why are there more and more strange nicknames with each passing day?
Eloise pouted at my rebuttal and suddenly smiled. “Lady denies it, but I’m sure the world revolves around Lady.”
Why on earth are you saying such a weird self-assertion to me? Even when I was in middle school, I never thought of that!
“Think about it, Lady.”
“I won’t think about it.”
“Currently, a stone statue honoring Lady is placed in Valhalla.”
“What?”
What does this mean?
“In addition, all the new restaurants and cafes opening this month are named after Lady Theresa.”
Eloise, who did not see my astonished look, continued with a shudder. “Since the Squire Scholarship Foundation has all the rights for its profits, it’s like occupying a place in someone else’s home. That place is even like the enemy’s living room!”
How long has it been since I died, and you’re signing a contract like that?
“As soon as Lady came back alive, you even saved the world from an attack by the group of monsters.”
“What? When did I save the world?”
“Oh my, Lady. You don’t have to be humble. How many people have witnessed the Whale Ghosts who arrived at the Lady’s call?”
Eloise puffed her chest and said with a confident face. “I can’t wait to see the Willows screaming with envy, watching Lady going to school normally!”
At her words, I put my hand on my forehead.
