ICSF 09

CHAPTER 09

While everyone was busy giving Hailo advice as he beat Pedro to a pulp, I approached Yoanna, who was trembling in fear because she still couldn’t understand what was happening.

She flinched when I came close, but when I used the hood I had been wearing to cover her body, her expression relaxed.

“Hello.”

“Yes, um…”

“No, wait. I suppose you’re not doing very well right now. Let me explain the situation. I’ve been engaged to that bastard for four years. And the person beating him as if he intends to kill him is my younger brother.”

“What? E-Engaged?”

Yoanna’s eyes widened as though she were hearing this for the first time. Apparently, she hadn’t been told anything at all. Then again, it had been the same in my previous life…

As if she finally understood the whole situation, her eyes began to tremble, and tears streamed down her face. She had given her heart to him without knowing what kind of trash he was.

“I’m sorry. I should have come in more peacefully, but I was afraid that if I did, that bastard would deny everything, so I had no choice.”

“Sniff…”

“I’ll compensate you, though. I know compensation probably won’t make you feel any better, but I can give you a letter of recommendation or provide you with money so that you can leave for whatever city you want and settle there.”

“…Thank you.”

It wasn’t as though I had done anything particularly kind, but from Yoanna’s perspective, perhaps she considered herself lucky that I—a woman who appeared to be a noblewoman—hadn’t harmed the vulgar commoner who had played around with my fiancé.

It seemed that my brother finally felt a little better after beating Pedro until he passed out.

“Isn’t this guy seriously fucking insane?”

“What the hell was he thinking, acting so boldly? He only got into the Knights’ Order as a reserve candidate thanks to your family.”

The knights chuckled as they mocked Pedro. His pride was second only to that of royalty, so if he had been conscious, he probably would have wanted to die of humiliation.

I helped Yoanna get dressed and told her to gather her valuables. There was a chance that once Pedro came to his senses, he might try to harm her to eliminate a witness, so I intended to keep her with me until the annulment of my engagement was safely completed.

I immediately went to the townhouse and, just like last time, threw the trash outside. I even laid the unconscious Pedro on top of it.

After some time, Pedro regained consciousness. When he realized that he had been thrown out with his belongings, he went absolutely berserk, but the moment he saw my brother charging out of the townhouse, he fled for his life.

This time, he didn’t even manage to take his things properly.

Breaking off my engagement with Pedro was easier and faster than before.

There were thirty witnesses of unquestionable status. And although I felt sorry for Yoanna, her neighbors had also witnessed Pedro being beaten after committing adultery. As a result, the rumor spread all over the Imperial Capital without me having to lift a finger.

This time, I couldn’t charge him with having deceived someone into having relations with him or with fraud, but I did receive a substantial settlement for breaking off the engagement. I took half of it and gave it to Yoanna.

After all, I had essentially used her to break off my engagement.

She took the money and left, while Pedro was disowned by his family just as he had been before. However, this time, they didn’t send him to a monastery.

By then, I no longer cared whether he lived or died. To me, Pedro’s betrayal had happened more than ten years ago because I had regressed, so it didn’t affect me very much.

After going to the government office inside the Imperial Palace to submit the engagement annulment papers, I stopped as I passed through a corridor.

I had hoped that perhaps I might meet him, but perhaps it was because the date was different, or perhaps because I hadn’t cried.

I couldn’t see the person I had been waiting for.

After wandering around for quite some time, I eventually returned home.

“I’m never getting married.”

“Waaah, Lovey…! I should’ve just killed that bastard back thennn…! Waaahhh…!”

After breaking off my engagement with Pedro and declaring that I would never marry, my second brother burst into tears. He seemed to assume that I was acting this way because I had been deeply hurt. The rest of my family didn’t cry, but judging by their expressions, they seemed to think the same thing.

There was no way something like Pedro, who had already become a person of my past, could hurt me anymore. But explaining everything in detail would have been difficult, so I decided to let them believe that.

Now that I’ve broken off the engagement… all that’s left is the poisoning incident and the apocalypse, right?

I knew the reason for the poisoning and how to solve it, so that part was fine. The problem was the apocalypse.

I had absolutely no idea where it came from, what caused it, or how it happened…

It probably has something to do with the male lead and female lead… both of them, somehow.

The problem was that I had no idea who the male lead or female lead were. I didn’t know their names or what they looked like. I did know that the male lead was an Esper and that he was blind.

There had been a conversation among the gods mentioning that the male lead had lost his sight because of some incident. So I thought perhaps I could find him by looking for a blind person among the Espers.

However, there was an obstacle from the very beginning.

“Are there any blind Espers? Why are you asking about that, Lovey?”

I asked my second brother, who was the easiest person in the family to approach and also knew the Imperial Palace well, but all I got in return was another question. When I said I was simply curious, my brother looked troubled.

“Your brother wants to tell our adorable little sister anything she’s curious about… but I’m sorry. I can’t tell you this.”

“…Why?”

“It’s top secret. Espers are treated as strategic weapons, so we’re not allowed to discuss them with other people.”

He explained that the Imperial Palace had ears everywhere, and if he were caught telling me anything about Espers, not only could he get into trouble, but I could be punished as well.

In the end, I had no choice but to give up on investigating them.

Instead, I had a good idea.

I’ll make money… and use that money to support them.

The Imperial Palace probably provided them with subsidies and salaries as well, but regardless, the more money I had, the more things I could accomplish.

It was better to have more than not enough. All I could do was hope that the money I gave them would be enough to prevent the apocalypse.

I immediately declared that I was going into business and recruited Visella, who had been working hard.

“Won’t you walk the golden road with me?”

At my proposal, Visella said she had never received such an exciting offer before and took my hand with a dazed expression.

Since I had already walked this path once, there was no need for me to wander around this time.

“Gasal. One basket for one silver coin. I’ll buy all of it. Forever.”

“Welcome!”

I hired pharmacists as well, but this time, there was no need for any experimentation.

“This strengthens the liver and helps with detoxification. Dry it with hot air, grind it, and turn it into pills. We’ll sell it to women as a beauty supplement and to men as a stamina booster.”

“Are you a genius?”

I put the nutritional supplements on the market much earlier than I had in the future I had experienced.

As soon as they launched, I used my family’s name to hold a free giveaway event. People who had tried them with skepticism began seeing results, and word of mouth spread.

“I heard this is actually a rejuvenation medicine?”

“I heard the roots of the viscount’s hair, which had been completely gray, turned black again…”

“…It’s not that miraculous.”

I suspected it was probably just the placebo effect. I sold them without making an excessive profit, just as I had before, but perhaps because they were so popular, I quickly became wealthy.

And the moment I had money, the first thing I did was—

“Sell me the mine and the land where it’s located.”

“But this land has been passed down through my family for generations…”

When I suddenly showed up and demanded that the mine owner sell his land, he looked troubled. I opened the chest I had brought with me.

When he saw an amount of money large enough to buy two or three more mines like this one, he readily sold the land that had been passed down to him from his ancestors.

“Blow it up.”

The moment I bought the mine, I had it demolished.

Visella looked at me as though she couldn’t understand why I was throwing money into the ground, but I had no choice.

If I simply left it alone and someone entered the mine—whether intentionally or by accident—and discovered the disaster hidden inside and released it into the world, then everything I had done up until now would have been pointless.

It was better to collapse it like this so that no one could ever touch it.

Too many people died last time.

Thanks to the nutritional supplements I had distributed in advance, the Empire was relatively safe, but that didn’t mean it suffered no casualties at all. If even the Empire suffered losses, then the other countries, which had made no preparations whatsoever, lost nearly half their populations.

As a result, even after the poisoning incident was resolved, it had been extremely difficult for the world to stabilize because of the shortage of people.

“Now, is there only one thing left?”

The apocalypse.

I immediately packed up my money and headed for the Imperial Palace.

“…So what is it that you want to do, Young Lady?”

“I want to use the money I’ve earned for the Espers.”

When I said I wanted to become their patron, the Emperor slowly studied me. His sharp eyes seemed intent on seeing through whatever ulterior motive I might be hiding.

“Why? Why would you want to spend money you worked so hard to earn on something like that?”

His voice was filled with suspicion, as though he wondered whether I intended to use the Espers’ powers for some ulterior purpose.

But I truly had no hidden agenda.

I was doing this simply for the sake of peace.

“I have always respected those who work tirelessly, day and night, for the peace and security of the Empire.”

“Have you ever met an Esper?”

“No. I’ve never met one. However, as someone born a noble of the Empire, I want to contribute to the Empire. Since the only talent I have is making money, I want to help them by supporting them financially.”

The Emperor still didn’t let go of his suspicions, but it seemed difficult for him to refuse when I claimed it was for the sake of the Empire.

He had nothing to lose by accepting, but if he refused, it could be interpreted politically as him being hostile toward House Estarotte. The Count of Estarotte was firmly pro-Emperor. There was no reason to reject an ally and deliberately create tension.

Anyway, the only thing I could do was work hard, make as much money as possible, and pour it into their cause.

I didn’t care whether the male lead and female lead used the money to go out having fun or to buy snacks.

Please. Just make the world safe.

I wasn’t asking for much.

As long as the world could remain safe, I wouldn’t mind giving them money until the very moment I died.

And so, one day, while I was working hard and contributing to world peace, that day finally arrived.

At the same time, panels covered in prophecies suddenly appeared one after another, popping up chaotically until they completely filled my field of vision.