Odette's confused expression as she looks at Karl's back is hatred, guilt, and sympathy. Countless emotions were swirling in a tangled mess.
***
While trapped in the prison of time, the dark red sphere looked like a small universe.
With a loud bang, John and Victor smashed it apart, and the small universe shattered into hundreds of fragments and fell to the bottom of the stormwater.
"...!"
Odette's eyes widened as she stared blankly at the debris falling like a meteor shower.
It was because the falling fragments were like mirrors, reflecting certain scenes.
Some fragments show Karl running through the desert. The other fragment shows him slashing Odette's throat with an axe. Another fragment shows Odette holding a bird on her fingertips.
'I... Gun....'
Odette swallowed.
'That it's all from my previous life.'
The scenes contained in each fragment were sinful, things that had never happened in this lifetime.
'Uh, how is that possible? How things happened in a previous life... Is it contained in the fragments of reason...?'
Karl had no memories of his past life. The prison of that time was only created today.
'But how can they reflect their past lives? In addition... Why is every figure I see on the fragment related to me?'
She couldn't understand it. In the chaos, a hypothesis crossed Odette's mind.
'No way... Is my regression related to Karl's reasoning?'
...Nope. Impossible. There were certainly limitations to time control and the ability of time.
Even if it is S-class, it can only turn back a few meters away, at most, for a few days.
Turning back time completely on the entire continent is something that can be done at the level of a monster of a god.
'Yes. That's right. By the way... Why on earth...'
Is her intuition saying that Karl has something to do with Odette's regression?
Her heart was pounding with nervousness.
It was confusing, but at least one thing became clear
'Karl must not die.'
Odette grabbed Victor's sleeve.
"Colonel. I'm fine, can you hurry up and stop him? You can't kill Karl. What about executions... No way."
If Karl was the cause of the regression, he could not be allowed to die. She doesn't know how his death will affect the regression that has already been established.
Victor looked down at her with a complicated expression.
"Odette, calm down. Your stability comes first."
"No, I don't. I can't let Karl die. Please, stop John quickly..."
"I can't leave you alone, Odette."
In addition... Above all, she did not want Karl to die.
If all the things in those fragments really happened in Karl's previous life... So if Karl was just as unhappy as Odette.
"I can't leave you here alone. I can't take you where Karl is."
The moment Victor flatly refused, a savior-like voice was heard.
"Odette... It's all right? Are you hurt?"
It was the voice of Shion who had just flown in at the time of the commotion in the Count's residence
"I know you won't welcome me. But I can't stand by and watch."
He came to the Count's residence without Odette's permission, so he seemed to be watching her.
It was quite pathetic, but Odette didn't look at him, but instead of looking at him, she just grabbed Victor's sleeve tighter.
"Now...that's it, right? Please stopped John. You can't kill Karl."
Victor looked down at Odette for a long time.
"...What?"
Now her voice was more like a plea. Victor, who had been looking down at her for a long time, said in a confused voice.
"Damn. Yes, I got it! I'll save Karl as you say. So please don't be afraid."
Timidity...?
'Am I scared of Karl dying?'
At that moment, Odette saw her own reflection in the green eye. She looked really scared.
"If you look like that, I don't know what to do. I also felt like I hurt you. I thought I was going to ruin it all. That's why..."
Victor stretched out his hand in front of her face a few times with a puzzled expression, and then pulled it away.
"...Damn."
But in the end, he couldn't touch her, and he just said that and left.
"..."
Shion didn't ask any questions in the whole situation. He just smiled bitterly and put a cigar in his mouth. The fire was not lit at the end of the cigar until the end.
"Poor bastard."
She doesn't know if it's to Victor or to Shion himself.
***
Paula climbed the stairs and looked at the atmosphere of the Count's residence strangely.
The Count was in a lot of depression overall. Compared to the time when she had left, there seemed to be fewer than half as many servants and maids.
'I was worried that I would be embarrassed by the employees I knew in the past. You don't know many faces, right?'
Originally, the lower servants of the Count's residence were generally good at their jobs. They had a lot of experience as their weekly wages were high.
However. It seemed that he couldn't afford them, so he fired them all and filled the void with newbies. There was no system in the way they worked.
'After Rolf's death, you didn't hire a new butler, did you?'
She came at the appointed time, but it was so messy. Moreover, the mansion was in a mess. Marble, staircase, chandelier. Everything was broken, but there was no repair. The new furniture was also cheap.
'It's a... It's a...'
Kicking his tongue inwardly. Paula knocked on the door of the room.
"Come in."
Paula entered the room and bent down to Charlotte at the dressing table.
"Hello? My name is Paula, the handmaiden who will be taking care of Lady Charlotte from this day onwards."
"Yes. Nice to meet you."
"I'll do my best to serve the lady. Thank you so much for giving me this great opportunity."
Charlotte held out the bracelet to Paula.
"Come here, Paula. I prepared a gift for you."
"Gifts? Me?"
Paula coldly went to the dressing table and held out her arm. A gold bracelet studded with a large carat ruby hung over her arm.
"Since you have a new job with me, I am giving it to you to see how you are doing. Please take care of me in the future."
Charlotte laughed lovingly as she said that. Paula realized how different this place is from Sasha's neighborhood
'Yes. It's this world. The world that suits me.'
She thought she could get by with this lovely young lady's handmaiden job.
Besides, isn't it only a matter of time before she becomes Viscountess Kodell?
"Thank you."
Paula took a step back in excitement, and then Maleah, who had been carefully brushing Charlotte's hair the whole time, came in.
She was still wearing an apron and a headscarf, and all she had was a pair of coral earrings.
On the other hand, she was wearing plain clothes and even a large ruby bracelet.
'I'm the only handmaiden now, right?'
Maleah was the maid who helped Sasha get out of the monastery. So she didn't have any ill feelings toward her, but she was still flattered.
Woo!
At that moment, a huge explosion was heard outside.
"What, what?"
While Paula panicked, the door swung open.
"Damn. The Transcendents have broken into the dungeon. Go to Karl!"
It was Count Albrecht. He said in an urgent voice.
"Come to the basement of the main building right now and stop them! Charlotte. You're still a purifier, so you can stop the Transcendent, right?!"
Charlotte, who was getting up from her dresser chair, paused and asked the Count.
"Perhaps... Were there black shards in the dungeon?"
"That's right! Do you know?"
"...It takes a little preparation to dry them. Go down first."
A little preparation.
As she pronounced the word, Charlotte's gaze turned to Paula. Paula felt eerie in her eyes.
"Maleah. Would you like to go down with the Count and dry up the Transcendents? I'll follow you soon."
"Yes, I will. Lady Charlotte"
As Maleah and the Count headed out the door, they heard Charlotte muttering in a low voice.
"He's funny. Even when I asked him that, he never told me where Karl was. It's too late... now."
The voice was so eerie that it was unbelievable that it belonged to Charlotte.
"Since Karl has begun to use his intellect... This is the only way to get ahead."
Charlotte muttered and strode toward the door. Paula thought Charlotte would leave, but she simply closed the door.
Slap. With the sound of the door closing. Charlotte suddenly said something out of the blue.
"Paula. Don't you want another bracelet?"
"Bracelet?
...Suddenly bring up the topic of jewelry in this crazy situation? Did you just tell the Count that you were about to get ready and go down?
Paula blinked, puzzled. Meanwhile, Charlotte was returning to the dressing table and taking the jewelry box out of the drawer.
"Miss. I don't think it's the time to do that now, so we'll talk about accessories later..."
With a click, the jewelry box opened. Inside the jewelry box, where she thought there would be a brilliant bracelet, was a small bottle of green liquid. Paula, who was trying to stop Charlotte, suddenly stopped.
It was because the jewelry box was strangely eye-catching.
'This Jewelry Box... Why do I think I saw and where?'
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