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“Happy twenty-eighth birthday, Lancel Dante! Why the long face on such a wonderful day?”
Clap clap clap!
“Happy eighteenth birthday, Lancel Dante! Why the long face on such a wonderful day?”
Clap clap clap!
At the sound of applause, Lancel Dante travelled ten years into the past.
When he first experienced this phenomenon, he thought, ‘Is this what they call a regression?’
He wasn't particularly shaken.
As someone from the 21st century modern society who was suddenly transported to this place, he was prepared to accept any number of regressions.
But after the second regression, things became a little different.
“Happy birthday, Lancel Dante! Why the long face on such a wonderful day?”
The third time.
“Why the long face on such a wonderful day?”
The fourth time
“Why the long face ?”
The fifth time.
“...the long face?”
The sixth time.
“?”
It was only then that Lancel realized the truth of his situation.
‘This is not a regression. This is a prison.’
A prison.
He opens his eyes at eighteen.
Then at twenty-eight, he goes back in time again.
A life that only goes around and around the same ten-year corridor.
It was a literal prison of time.
‘How many times has this happened?’
Frankly, Lancel forgot.
The last time he counted, it was the tenth time he had regressed, and can only remember with certainty that he had surpassed the double digits.
'What have I been doing for over a century?'
If someone were to ask him that, he wouldn't have much to say. Lancel hadn't had a particularly remarkable life.
“Lancel, now that you are of age, you must serve the Empire.”
The Dante family was a traditional knightly family.
Any child born of the Dante family, whether a son or a daughter, was knighted upon their coming of age ceremony.
“Now, tell me. What is the duty of a knight?”
“To eliminate criminals and evildoers hiding in every corner of the Empire, and to eradicate rampant traitors and heretics.”
The 21st century concept of career exploration did not exist here.
1. Be recognized as an excellent knight.
2. Have children and raise them to be great knights.
These alone were the earthly tasks and calling of the people of the Dante family.
Knight.
They lived their lives as if only that one word was stuck in their heads.
“Lancel, you have outstanding talent that will surely lead to your success as a great knight. Be sure not to bring shame to your family name.”
“Yes, father.”
Lancel lived as a loyal knight until his third life.
There was nothing else to do. Being a knight suited him quite well. In the end, Lancel gained the reputation of the “Knight of the Dawn” across the entire continent.
From his fourth life to his eighth life, Lancel lived a fairly mediocre life. He played and lazed around like a punk, occasionally earning enough money for food.
In his ninth life, Lancel lived a wandering life. He mainly traveled around fishing villages and rural areas, lending his strength to places that needed a sword and earning just enough money to continue his travels.
And in his tenth life, Lancel travelled alongside a writer that he had known from a previous life to write a continental seafood travelogue called “Islands and Seas.”
Why? Because the seafood in the region tasted amazing. Otherwise, Lancel wouldn’t have had any other reason to do so.
From the next life onwards...
‘I don’t know. Let’s just live however we want.’
Lancel lived exactly as his heart desired.
But perhaps he went too far.
“La- La- Lancel Dante… Do you know what you just did!”
It was the head of a party in a duchy where terror and chaos had taken place.
The color had long since drained from the faces of other nobles who had frozen in shock.
“Yes. I couldn’t take it anymore so I killed him.”
Blood dripped from Lancel Dante's blade.
“You crazy bastard! The man you harmed is His Highness, the Sixth Crown Prince of the Empire! This is treason!”
“I’m aware. The way he spoke was so disgusting that my hand just instinctively reached for my sword.”
“Disgusting?”
Lancel silently looked down at the dead man.
The floor of the party hall was gradually turning crimson. A sudden burst of laughter escaped from Lancel’s lips.
“Still, isn’t it rather encouraging?”
"What?"
“The fact that even a member of the Great Empire’s royal family can be killed with just one swing of a sword.”
“Huh…”
“They claim that his bloodline was blessed by the gods, yet His Highness the Prince is laying here like a fallen beast spewing bright red blood.”
“...You are no less than a madman, Lancel Dante!”
“I’m glad you see it that way.”
“Seize him! He is the traitor who harmed His Highness the Crown Prince!”
Lancel was subdued without any resistance.
“Gently now, gently. I won’t run away.”
“You rascal, don’t think you’ll die peacefully! You will be burned at the stake! You will be tied to the stake and burned alive!”
“Uh… That’s a bit…….”
He regretted his words, but it was already too late.
Lancel, with his whole body bound, was immediately taken to the Imperial Capital of Rodnis.
‘Come to think of it, is this my first time visiting Rodnis?’
He had been born in the countryside. He grew up and lived much of his life in the countryside. This was his first time visiting the capital.
Lancel always knew that the day would come when he would visit the Imperial Capital, but he never imagined that it would be like this.
‘It’s as big as I heard.’
The trouble began the moment he passed through the entrance of Rodnis.
“……?”
============
<Fallen Noblewoman Simulation>
—July 1, 822 of the Imperial Calendar. Weather: Clear.
—Emergency event triggered! “Lancel Dante the Traitor.”
============
‘What is this?’
Lancel was dumbfounded by the message that appeared before his eyes. It was his first time witnessing such a phenomenon since he awakened in this world. Indeed. Nothing like this had ever happened, even as he recalled his memories over the past century.
‘Fallen Noblewoman Simulation?’
What was that?
It sounded vaguely familiar ….
“Treason. Imperial murder. Insulting the Imperial Family. Contempt of the court. Blasphemy. For these crimes, Lancel Dante is hereby sentenced to be burned at the stake! All citizens of the capital here will witness your death! Tremble in fear, Lancel Dante! You will surely suffer in Hell!”
Even as he was being sentenced to death.
“Bring up the sinner!”
Even as he was being hung from the gallows.
‘What was it?’
Lancel's mind was all over the place with unrelated thoughts.
He had a vague memory hovering just out of his reach.
“Light the fire!”
A spark was thrown onto the scaffold, which was piled with firewood. Flames surged upward in an instant, shooting up a cloud of smoke.
As the dizzying pain enveloped his toes and began to eat away at his flesh, a bolt of realization struck Lancel's mind.
"Ah."
He finally understood.
He had a sudden sense of déjà vu.
‘The romance fantasy game that my sister made!’
"How is it? Is it fun?”
"Well, it’s alright …”
It was an indie game created by his older sister.
The name of the game, which Lancel had felt guilty for so harshly criticizing, was “Fallen Noblewoman Simulation.” It was exactly the same as the words that flashed in his mind as he entered the Imperial Capital of Rodnis.
'Huh.'
This world.
The names of the places.
The names of the characters.
The unnecessarily complex game system and backstory.
Back then, Lancel had only finished the basic ending of the romance fantasy game out of courtesy—memories of the damned game began to gradually come back to him.
It was the moment when everything that Lancel had seen and heard in this world began to come together piece by piece.
He was shaking with fear.
The burning pain that engulfed his whole body was now completely forgotten.
‘If I had known this would happen, I would have visited the capital sooner.’
Whoosh!
Finally, with one question still in his mind, Lancel turned to ashes.
‘But … wasn’t the main character of this game a girl?’
That's right.
The protagonist of this game.
The daughter of a fallen count's family.
The woman who will one day seduce the Crown Prince and become the the imperial consort.
The absolute turning point that will determine the fate of this great Empire—destruction or peace.
Her name is …
* * *
[Fallen Noblewoman Simulation]
-The third week of February has passed for the 21-year-old Marigold!-
Charm: 35 -> 36 up!
Morality: 42 -> 43 up!
Dignity: 21 -> 29 up!
Emotions: 33 -> 38 up!
Allure: 12
Magic: 3
Strength: 26
Stamina: 11 -> 10 down.
Faith: 65 -> 54 down down.
Condition: 37 -> 25 down.
Karma: 0 (Penalties begin at 50 points or more)
- Ranked 32nd in court etiquette class.
- Received praise for cleaning the mansion of a tycoon. Your salary was raised to 8 copper coins.
- You broke a bottle of alcohol while working as a server. 3 copper coins were deducted from your salary. You were severely scolded. Your condition decreased slightly.
- A beggar on the street asked you for money. You had no choice but to give him a coin and leave. Your condition decreased slightly.
- You greeted Captain Altman. Favorability rating has increased!
- Captain Altman introduced you to the Sword Academy. You can attend the Sword Academy starting next week.
- Lancel Dante, murderer of the Crown Prince, disappeared into the mist at the execution grounds!
TIP: Your condition is too low. How about going on a picnic to lift your mood? (costs 1 silver coin)
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[Playtime: 10 years, 0 days]
—Marigold turned 25.
—No marriage partner.
—No achievements.
[Normal Ending 17: The Bold Maid Marigold]
—This ending has been added to the “Album of Memories.”
—Would you like to restart the game?
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