Chapter 3 : Chapter 3
Chapter 003
That night, the guest I had been waiting for finally arrived.
“Dilen. Can I come in for a moment?”
It was a woman’s voice. Young and refreshing. Everyone who had visited me so far had been men, so I found myself suddenly curious.
I had always believed that you never turned away a woman who came to see you.
For now, I decided to play along.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and the owner of the voice timidly peeked her head inside. The way she smiled so sweetly was rather cute. She looked about my age, and her flowing blonde hair gave her an exotic charm.
To put it simply, she was beautiful. Absolutely stunning.
Not everyone here was that pretty. Earlier, on the way to the training grounds, I had seen a few women, but they had all looked fairly ordinary.
Compared to them, this young lady was remarkably beautiful.
“I am sorry. I wanted to come as soon as I heard, but I had too much work and could not get away. Are you feeling a little better?”
“I am fine. But who are you?”
“Hm?”
She looked slightly startled. But since she did not press the matter, she must have already heard the rumor that I had come down with amnesia.
“I am Arwen. Do you not remember?”
Arwen, was it? I might as well store that name away in my mind. There was nothing bad about getting close to a beautiful person.
I smiled smoothly and reassured her.
“I am still a little confused. Sometimes I cannot remember people’s names.”
“I heard you could not remember Rohan’s name either?”
“That is how it turned out.”
I listened to what she said while pretending to remain calm, but inwardly, I was intensely focused. Since I could not move around freely yet, conversation was my only way to gather information.
For the moment, it seemed this friend named Arwen was also close with Rohan. She did not seem reluctant at all to talk about him.
It was a relief. It looked like a useful source of information had appeared.
Just then, Arwen carefully took something out that had been wrapped in a handkerchief. It was a batch of appetizing cookies.
“Here, eat some. Young Lady Sapiela gave them to me as a reward earlier.”
They looked like the sort of cookies you could find at any convenience store. But if they were valuable enough here to be given as a reward, they must be somewhat precious in this place. Since I was hungry anyway, I ate the cookie she offered me.
Hm. Dry and not especially good. I found myself slightly skeptical of this world’s baking skills.
Even so, I finished it because I appreciated the thought she had put into bringing it. It was absolutely not because she was pretty. Let us not get the wrong idea.
“Oh. You dropped some.”
Arwen reached out and picked up the crumbs. The moment her hand touched me, I could not help but be startled.
Flash!
Something strange happened.
Letters made of light suddenly began unfolding before my eyes in a complicated pattern.
What in the world was this?
“Hm? What is wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?”
“No, it is nothing, so do not worry about it.”
Startled, I calmed myself and focused on her again. Whatever this absurd phenomenon was that had just appeared before my eyes, I would think about it later.
For now, extracting as much information as possible from my informant came first.
“Arwen. May I ask you a favor?”
“What is it?”
“There is still a lot I cannot remember right now. Could you tell me what kind of person I used to be? I feel like hearing about it might bring my memory back.”
Arwen hesitated for a moment.
“Rohan did not tell you anything?”
“I asked him, but he just kept dodging the question.”
I had asked him back then, on the way back from the training grounds. But the fool had only spoken in circles and had told me nothing at all about that subject.
He probably could not bring himself to say bad things to a friend whose body had not even fully recovered yet.
I understood. I had done the same before.
“What is my reputation like? In this mansion.”
“Well, that is....”
“It must be terrible.”
Judging by Arwen’s awkward smile, I had guessed right. Was it bad enough that she could not even bring herself to say it out loud?
Suddenly, I remembered Yanrof saying earlier that they would decide whether I should continue my apprenticeship or quit. Only now did I understand why. It was easier to pull out a wilting weed than to keep nursing it.
“Even so, you are warmhearted. Do not pay any mind to what people say when they do not really know you.”
“You do not have to comfort me.”
“I am not comforting you.”
Arwen smiled faintly. Rohan and she definitely seemed to be on my side.
“How was I at work, then? Was I any good at my duties?”
“You were diligent.”
“So I worked hard, but I was incompetent. Is that what you mean?”
Arwen’s expression turned gloomy once again. I moved on to the next question.
“Is there anyone who dislikes me? And not just the ordinary kind of dislike. Someone who hates me enough to kill me.”
“To kill you?”
“Yes.”
I needed information about the man who had pushed me off the balcony—the man preserved in this body’s original memories. If I was not careful, I could be murdered again and have it passed off as an accident.
Arwen thought for a moment, then tilted her head.
“I am not sure. Did something happen?”
“Nothing like that. It just bothers me. I cannot remember anything, so it is frustrating.”
Once again, I pulled out the ultimate trump card: amnesia. The effect was tremendous.
“But there is one person you should be careful around.”
“Who?”
“Beron Yogheim. He is infamous for being the subject of bad rumors. He bullies the other maids and apprentices. He was rather cruel to you too. I heard his father is a high-ranking figure in the Arkain Merchant Company....”
If a kind girl like this described him as cruel, then I had a feeling he was the complete worst. I made sure to remember the name Beron clearly. And his father was a senior official in the Arkain Merchant Company?
I could already see the outline of the situation without even looking further. If his family really had that much influence, he was not going to back down quietly.
“Thank you. You did not come here while you were busy, did you?”
“No, I finished all my work, so it is all right. I am on free time now.”
“What kind of work do you do here?”
Arwen looked slightly surprised, then smiled. She must have fully accepted by now that I had amnesia.
“I am a maid. I have been working here for about two years.”
“I see.”
That was perfect. If she had worked here for around two years, then she would know the state of affairs in the mansion quite well.
That day, I spoke with Arwen for a long time.
***
Three days had passed since I opened my eyes in this new body.
The headaches tormenting me had gradually improved. My meals were mostly bread and milk, but I could eat, and I could move my body freely again.
During those three days lying in bed, I spent a great deal of time thinking.
And I gathered information about the original owner of this body.
My childhood friends, Rohan and Arwen, had been a great help. Thanks to them, I was able to obtain a fairly objective picture of the man called Dilen.
He had been so incompetent it was enough to make me sigh.
At least his personality had been decent, which was probably how he had managed to gain allies like Rohan and Arwen.
In any case, the original owner of this body had been looked down on by many people because of his frustrating lack of ability and his weak physical condition. It was not as though he came from a good family either.
Perhaps because of that, I also came to understand, in a rough way, the motive behind the bastard who had pushed me off the balcony.
It was classic bullying.
I knew the type well, because I had gone through it myself in my school days. I had been given a new life, only to find bullying waiting for me here too. It was enough to make a man despair.
But I laughed it off almost immediately.
Because, in truth, my start here was not bad at all.
No, it was actually rather good.
As if it were some kind of welcome bonus, I had discovered that an unknown power dwelled within my body.
Ever since waking up, I had been slipping off to the training grounds late at night to inspect my body.
My movements felt incredibly light, and I could perform every motion exactly as I wanted.
I had always been hopeless in a fight.
But that was no longer the case.
Now I could move with style and agility, like something out of a film.
I had also tried swinging a wooden sword, and it made me feel confident that I could beat down most ordinary fools with ease. The blade moved freely according to my thoughts. I could even infuse it with a mysterious force, like the sword aura that appeared in novels.
And it was not only physical strength.
I had gained a special ability as well.
“Rohan.”
Since I happened to have a suitable test subject right in front of me, it seemed best to demonstrate it directly.
He was sweeping the courtyard, and he greeted me with a grin.
“Well now. Life is treating our dear Dilen pretty well! Maybe I ought to get injured too.”
“What if your words come true?”
I laughed naturally and patted him on the shoulder.
In that instant, something astonishing happened.
As though I had put on smart glasses running augmented reality, all kinds of information began appearing across my field of vision.
Information about Rohan, of course.
This was the same phenomenon that had appeared the other day when Arwen touched me.
○ Rohan Jenerics
Rank: ★★★
Level: 7
Traits: Cleaning A, Information Gathering A, Landscaping B, Cooking C, Administration D, ???
Status: Pine Tree’s Trust
[Not Unlocked]
[Not Unlocked]
......
It was just like playing a game. A rough summary of Rohan’s information floated vividly before my eyes.
Since I was familiar with games, I was able to interpret the information easily—and usefully.
I could not see anything like basic stats, but the interesting parts were clearly the rank, the traits, and the status.
Some parts were hidden behind question marks, and other parts remained locked, but if my experience meant anything, those would probably become visible with time. Maybe a more detailed status menu would even appear later.
The rank seemed, in simple terms, to indicate a person’s overall value. I had no idea how many stars existed in total, but in any case, Rohan was a three-star individual.
The level seemed to serve a similar purpose, though I still did not know its exact function. Presumably, a higher level was better.
As for my own information?
Unfortunately, I could not see it. I did not know whether I simply had not figured out how, or whether it truly was impossible.
I had more or less grasped the conditions for viewing other people’s information. If I made physical contact with someone, their information would be unlocked. But that was not an absolute rule. There were also people whose status window would not appear at all.
Even so, was that not an incredible ability in itself?
“When are you coming back to work? Ever since you disappeared, the workload has doubled.”
“So now you admit it? I thought you wanted me to rest in peace. Be patient a little longer. I am planning to speak with Lord Yanrof later. I think I should be fine to return to work.”
“That is a relief. Really.”
“Because there is less work for you?”
“Hahahaha!”
Rohan really was an easygoing fellow. Bursting into hearty laughter, he gave my shoulder a few pats and said,
“That too, but mostly I am just glad you are healthy again. Do you have any idea how shocked I was when I heard you fell from the balcony?”
“Do not look at me with those clingy eyes. I am not interested in men.”
“Puhahaha! You filthy bastard! Looking at how sharp your tongue is, I guess you really are all better now.”
We could not talk long. He was still in the middle of work.
I wrapped up the conversation at an appropriate point and headed back into the mansion.
Now that I had reincarnated, there was no real reason for me to keep doing butler work.
Still, I thought it would be wise to move carefully. I still lacked too much information about this world. Just because I had gained power did not mean I wanted to recklessly run off.
This was reality, after all.
I had no idea what dangers might be lurking outside, or what kind of civilization—or wilderness—might be waiting for me.
In that sense, this mansion belonging to the Adeline Marquis House would serve as an excellent breakwater.
From everything I had learned so far, the Adeline Marquis House was one of the great noble families of the continent. It possessed both wealth and power.
For the time being, I should stay here quietly.
There was no need to rush the plans that came after. First, I needed to understand all of my latent abilities. Know the enemy and know yourself, and you need not fear a hundred battles.
“First, I should speak with Yanrof.”
Tracing back my hazy memory, I began walking toward the head butler’s office.