Chapter 97

Chapter 96

I rummaged through my school uniform pocket and took out the item with a defensive magic spell that I had obtained from the Sudoku dungeon.

"This is something I got from the dungeon. Please take it."

"What is this?"

"It's an item with a defensive magic spell. It seems to be from the ancient magic kingdom era, so it might be quite high in grade."

It wasn't just quite high; it was top-tier.

"Alright. If you have such a thing, you should keep it. After all, it's something you obtained."

"I have my own, so please don't refuse. Ah, this is for my stepmother."

I extended the brooch to Raoul, indicating that I wanted him to pass it on.

Then Raoul said,

"She would be happy if you gave it to her yourself."

It was a hard statement to agree with.

'Items are precious things that can't be bought with money, so she might not dislike such a gift, but since it's from Tereza, wouldn't she be wary?'

However, Raoul's expression was filled with an inexplicable confidence, leaving me no choice but to reluctantly agree.

Following Raoul's advice, I went to find Rozanne to deliver the item personally.

She was lying on the bed, looking pale.

When she saw me enter the bedroom, she fidgeted with the blanket for a moment.

It didn't seem like she was trying to distract herself because of my presence.

"What is it?"

I approached her hesitantly and extended the item.

"It's something I got from the dungeon."

To prevent her from refusing, I quickly explained that I had obtained several and wanted the family to share them.

Then Rozanne's face showed a moment of surprise before she spoke with a moved expression.

"Thank you."

Ding!

[Throne 'Madmania' has donated 100,000 coins.]

[At first, I thought the two of them had a bad relationship, but it doesn't seem like Rozanne really hates Tereza.]

Just as the Throne said, I had never really felt any hatred from Rozanne towards me.

This was strange.

How could she not hate Tereza?

How could she genuinely be happy that Tereza had come back to life?

I thought I knew Rozanne well, but now I realized I knew nothing about this 'person.'

What I had created was just a shallow shell.

So, I had to ask.

"Does my stepmother hate me?"

Rozanne's eyes widened.

"Huh? Hate?"

"I've been mean to you all this time."

Although it wasn't something I had done, it could be seen as something I had done.

After all, I was the one who had set up that scenario.

As the person who had made Rozanne's life difficult, I wanted to apologize for it.

"I'm sorry for being mean to you."

Then Rozanne smiled, a smile that was so much like Revi's.

"To hear such words from you... I can't believe how much you've grown."

We looked so different, which made me painfully aware that we were not blood-related.

However, Rozanne didn't seem to think so, as she looked at me with a gentle gaze.

"You were young, so you probably don't remember, but you didn't always push me away."

What did she mean by that?

"Tereza, on nights when you had nightmares, or when there was thunder, or when you heard scary stories, you would always come to my bed. At first, you brought a pillow, but later, you would rest your head on my arm."

This was something that had happened in the blind spots of the scenario, so it was new to me.

Suddenly, a scene flashed in my mind.

["Did you have a nightmare? Come here, Tereza. Were you very scared?"]

'What...? Is this Tereza's memory?'

Tereza's memories were seen from a third-person perspective, making them seem objective.

The memories didn't end there.

"Speaking of which, I remember the day you pelted Lady Helen with oranges. Oh, how could I have forgotten that?"

"…What?"

"When Lady Helen was boasting about her dress, you took a peeled orange and ruined her silk dress."

["Is this a dress that's over ten years old? The duchess is really frugal. I can't stand shopping. I bought this dress on a whim. The butterfly and bee embroidery is so delicate, it looks like it's alive... Ah!"

"Jigger! This bumblebee! What a cheeky thing!"

"Tereza, that's not a bumblebee, it's an insect. Phew, put the orange down. Phew."]

"I had a hard time holding back my laughter."

Ding!

[Throne 'Fact is Violence' has donated 100,000 coins.]

[It doesn't look like she held back at all.]

It seemed that the scenes I was watching like a video were visible to the Thrones as well.

There were other incidents, such as pulling on Rozanne's golden hair and flipping the table when other noblewomen were tormenting her.

Several of Tereza's mischief series passed by.

'Looking at this, it's no wonder she became notorious in society as a troublemaker.'

In my memories, Rozanne was suffering greatly due to her sudden rise in status.

She had even lost her biological daughter.

Ding!

[Throne 'Madmania' has donated 100,000 coins.]

[Now I understand... No matter how wickedly Tereza behaved, to an adult who had experienced everything, she was just a child...]

Yes. To Rozanne, Tereza's tantrums and mischief were probably just child's play.

'In a way, it might have been beneficial for Rozanne to have a troublemaker with such a distinguished lineage.'

Tereza's birth mother was the eldest daughter of a prestigious marquess family.

'Although the connection is now completely severed.'

The memory ended there.

I finally understood why Rozanne had been fidgeting with the blanket.

She had the memory of Tereza coming to her whenever she was scared as a child, so she instinctively wanted to offer the space beside her.

Rozanne pulled me into her arms and patted my back as if putting a baby to sleep.

"Were you very scared?"

"..."

I couldn't speak, so I nodded slightly.

Rozanne stroked my head as if she knew how scared I had been.

The Rozanne who had actually led Tereza to her death in thousands of death routes was now genuinely comforting me and Tereza.

A few tears, which I thought had dried up, trickled down.

* * *

"…Hmph."

Outside Rozanne's bedroom door, Giuseppe and Revi were leaning against the wall, eavesdropping on the conversation.

Giuseppe's face was twisted in anger, but Revi knew that this was just a pretense to hide his true feelings.

"How about it? Is your sister a good person?"

Revi, acting like she had won a bet, spoke with a slight air of superiority, making Giuseppe's expression even more distorted.

"Being fooled by something as trivial as this is stupid."

"Someone who can't say good things about good things is even more stupid, you know?"

"Hey!"

Given the short time they had spent together, Giuseppe, who had been trying to maintain his manners with Revi, finally reverted to his old ways.

"You're just like Tereza!"

"What? Really?"

Revi's delight made Giuseppe feel like he was going to explode.

"This, this stupid sister is really!"

Suddenly, the door opened, startling Giuseppe and Revi.

Tereza stood in the doorway.

"What are you two doing?"

"..."

"..."

They couldn't answer and just rolled their eyes.

Tereza smiled slyly and asked,

"Did you come to see me because you missed me?"

Revi nodded enthusiastically, while Giuseppe burst out in anger.

"What a stupid thing to say!"

"Since I'm tired today, it's difficult. I'll play with you tomorrow. Now, let's go back to our rooms. Mother needs to rest."

Giuseppe, too busy yelling at Tereza to notice, didn't realize that Tereza had called Rozanne 'Mother' instead of 'stepmother.'

Revi, however, noticed it keenly.

'My sister has changed.'

It was hard to be certain, but Tereza seemed different after returning from the dungeon.

'She seems more solid.'

I had heard that the threat of death can make a person mature.

Perhaps Tereza, having faced a major crisis, was undergoing a change within.

Revi pressed her hand to her chest.

'I want to be as wonderful as my sister.'

To achieve that, she couldn't remain stagnant.

At that moment, a faint silvery light appeared and disappeared at the tip of Revi's fingers.

* * *

While it was a sad event when someone died in the dungeon, it was a common occurrence.

However, it was unprecedented for a dead person to come back to life.

Thus, I was now immortal.

"…Really?"

When I reacted with disbelief, Eloyse looked at me as if she couldn't understand my skepticism.

"Of course. Everyone knows that the dungeon you entered disappeared. Besides, they even prepared a state funeral."

The real problem came after that.

"Isn't it mysterious that the rain, which had been falling non-stop since the day your state funeral was decided, stopped as soon as you returned? I think there's a reason for it."

"No. There's no reason at all."

Sigh. Why do strange nicknames keep popping up as time goes by?

Eloyse pouted at my rebuttal and then suddenly grinned.

"Even though you deny it, I believe the world revolves around you."

Why are you projecting such a strange self onto me?

I never thought that way even when I was in middle school!

"Tereza, think about it."

"I don't want to think about it."

"Currently, there's a statue honoring you in Valhalla."

"What?"

What is this all about?

"Moreover, the new restaurants and cafes opening this month all have your name attached to them."

Eloyse, not noticing my shocked expression, continued with a shiver.

"Since the Squire Foundation will have all the rights to the profits, it's like they've secured a spot in someone else's living room. And it's even the living room of an enemy!"

How long have I been dead for them to have already made such a contract?

"Immediately after you returned, you also saved the world from the attack of the demon horde."

"What? When did I save the world?"

"Tereza, really. There's no need to be modest. How many people witnessed the ghost whales that descended at your call?"

Eloyse, puffing out her chest, spoke with confidence.

"I can't wait to see the Willow boys tremble with jealousy when they see you attending school normally!"

I pressed my forehead.