After three days, Adele’s face looked less tired than the first time I saw her. Back then, she looked like she was about to collapse, but now she just seemed a little fatigued.
‘That means she’s been through a lot of regressions since then.’
Each regression felt like an experience of pain, so her fatigue must have been much worse. But I didn’t feel sorry for her. After all, it was her own business.
‘..I’ve really lost it too.’
Every time this happens, I realize just how damaged I’ve become.
Still, how did I, a regular college student who volunteered consistently, end up like this?
I could only sigh.
“Is there anything more you want to ask?”
“..No, not really.”
“Then let’s talk about the contract.”
Snap!
As I flicked my finger, a piece of paper appeared in the air and landed on the table. Adele picked it up and examined its contents.
“The contract is bound by gears, so if broken, there will be penalties.”
For reference, the penalty involves the exhaustion of one’s lifespan. It’s a rather dangerous penalty, which is why each contract holds a value similar to that of a decent carriage. Even nobles don’t easily purchase these contracts. They may have money, but it’s not infinite.
Of course, for someone of my standing as a duke, it wasn’t that expensive.
“First, I will be Adele’s fiancé for a year and assist her as much as possible.
Second, in return, the House of Hardenberg will obtain exclusive rights to the Count Este’s trading operations for one year.
Third, the extension or cancellation of the contract can be agreed upon mutually when necessary, and both parties must be in their right minds during the agreement.”
After stating the contents of the contract, I looked at her.
“This is the contract we formed back then. Do you have any amendments?”
“None.”
“Good. Then you can keep this contract, Adele.”
“Why…?”
“For mutual trust.”
For my purpose, I needed Adele’s regression abilities. To achieve that, I needed to build trust first. If giving her the contract alone could earn her trust, it was a worthwhile trade.
“..Thank you for the consideration.”
She said this with a bewildered expression as she tucked the contract into her bosom.
“Oh, I almost forgot to mention something.”
At my words, Adele tilted her head in confusion.
“Come in, Evan.”
Bang.
The door burst open, and a robust man appeared. With black hair and black eyes, he had a diligent look and was so large he could be mistaken for a bear at first glance.
He was the vice-captain of the Black Raven Knights and my escort knight before becoming a duke. Despite being a commoner, his promotion to vice-captain made him an idol among commoner knights.
“Uh…”
Adele looked puzzled at his sudden appearance.
“Did you call me, Duke!”
I shut my eyes momentarily at the booming voice that echoed in my ears. Come to think of it, he was the loudest one in the morning.
“..Lower your voice.”
“Yes..”
Evan replied in a lowered voice. Even after saying this, his voice would probably just get louder again. Although I’m half-heartedly giving up on it, if I don’t say anything, his voice would only grow louder.
‘Why is this good-natured and capable guy so noisy…?’
Adele looked at me and then at Evan, asking, “..Who is he?”
“This is Evan, who will be your escort knight from now on.”
“Pleased to meet you! Lady!”
“..Please call me Miss.”
“Yes! Pleased to meet you! Miss!”
“..I see.”
Her voice lacked strength, probably due to the untrustworthy appearance of Evan. Well, considering what she has seen so far, it’s understandable.
“You don’t need to worry. Despite how he looks, he’s the vice-captain of the Black Raven Knights.”
“..Vice-captain?”
The way she responded, as if she couldn’t believe it, almost made me laugh. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Evan’s hurt expression.
“Indeed.”
“..I’m grateful for the generous consideration.”
“It’s nothing. Your safety is important to me as well.”
“Evan.. I look forward to your support.”
“Yes! I will do my best!”
Adele seemed a bit burdened by his enthusiastic demeanor and turned to look at me.
“Is there anything more you want to know?”
“..No. Nothing.”
“Then I’ll take my leave. By the way, you can ask Allen about your lessons.”
“Understood.”
I said this and left the reception room, heading toward my office. I wondered how many documents awaited me today…
Just thinking about it made my head hurt, but as a duke, I had no choice.
*
How much time had passed?
I had just finished confirming the budget management of the duke’s house and the details of various projects. With that done, I wouldn’t have to handle too many tasks for a while.
While I was thinking this, something suddenly came to mind.
‘..Right, there’s the Count Este trading operations.’
I sighed at the reemerging headache and leaned back in my chair. The exclusive rights to the Count Este’s operations meant I could monopolize the goods they handle.
Of course, if I monopolize too much, it might backfire on me, so I needed to exercise restraint, but that wasn’t my goal.
What I was after was the military supplies distributed by Count Este.
However, given that he deals with royal military supplies, he would likely try to hide that fact. Naturally, I wouldn’t initially try to uncover it either.
The real problem was something else.
Creak!
Turning my head, I saw three assassins dressed in black masks. Did I send a request to the assassin guild? Their visible skills didn’t seem impressive.
“Ugh, it’s a failure!”
The assassins immediately attempted to flee toward the window.
“Not so fast.”
Bang.
As I flicked my fingers, the assassins froze in place.
This was the use of space magic passed down through the House of Hardenberg. They probably had no idea I could wield space magic when they broke in.
‘It’s something to consider as a warning…’
Perhaps just making a connection with Count Este has put the royal family on edge. By the way, what were the knights doing while these fools managed to break into my office?
Bang!
Suddenly, the door was flung open, and a man in full armor rushed in. The lean-looking man knelt before me and said,
“I’m sorry, Duke.”
His name was Ilho.
He was the head of the secret assassination organization Crow created by the House of Hardenberg and also my subordinate.
Naturally, Crow didn’t exist in the original story.
In the original story, the organization was formed from orphans known for their combat prowess. They handle dirty and clean jobs for me.
Thanks to their existence, the influence of the House of Hardenberg has grown significantly compared to the original.
“So, why did these guys make it into my office?”
“I have nothing to report.”
“I asked for the reason, Ilho.”
“The numbers were greater than expected.”
“What about Lady Adele?”
“She is safe thanks to Evan.”
“Thank goodness.”
Boom!
As I lowered my finger, the stiff assassins were driven into the ground.
“Ugh..”
They let out painful groans and struggled to escape. Normally, I’d kill them to put them out of their misery, but…
‘There’s no need for consideration for those who are aiming for my life.’
“Ilho.”
“Yes.”
“Take them away and extract information.”
“I will follow your order.”
Snap.
As I flicked my fingers again, the assassins fainted, mouth foaming. When Ilho gestured, other members of the organization appeared and dragged them away.
“Oh, and there’s something I need to inform you.”
“What is it?”
“Begin investigating the Royal Nest.”
“..Are we starting?”
“Indeed. It will take a long time, but we need to begin now.”
“I will follow your order.”
Ilho bowed his head and vanished into thin air. I sighed and stared at the world map hanging on the wall.
The world map bore a resemblance to that of my previous life, but there was one significant difference: about 70% of the world’s territory was marked as that of the Empire of Arye.
And there was only one individual credited with significantly contributing to conquering 70% of the world’s territory.
‘The Emperor.’
The original version’s original. In the story as Adele perceives it, the emperor appears as a rough grandfather.
Moreover, he actively tries to obstruct the crown prince from confessing to the heroine, often playing the comedic role.
However, the true identity of the emperor is nothing like a doting grandfather.
He is the final boss of [The Villainess Rewinds Time] and the true mastermind.
That’s who the emperor was.
No matter how much I know about the original story, I can’t be certain how effective that knowledge will be against him. After all, in the original, I could never defeat the emperor.
‘..This has been a long time coming.’
Hoping that my plans would succeed, I closed my eyes.
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