I Regressed and the Genre Changed

The Duke of Winfred, Velzer Winfred, headed towards the Winfred mansion.

“Damn it…!”

As he passed through the shadowy entrance and entered the mansion, the Duke walked briskly to his office.

When he thrust the torch in his right hand forward, the cracks etched into the stone walls glimmered mysteriously.

“…”

Kyle Winfred was dead.

Of course, his death was not a significant issue.

He was merely an illegitimate son, not even the heir to the family.

Even though the Empress and the Princess had discovered that he was a member of the Royal Family, that too wasn’t a big problem.

Attacking Winfred to reclaim an unheard-of royal branch would be a considerable burden for them as well.

Thus, his death was a boon.

Winfred’s disgrace had taken his own life, so it was naturally advantageous.

However, he had never anticipated this situation.

“Luna Winfred…”

The family’s eldest daughter had caused trouble.

Not only had she been imprisoned by the Papal See for attempting to assassinate the Saintess, but now she had even drawn her sword against the Princess.

And this occurred while the Royal Family was already closely watching Winfred due to the concealment of Kyle’s birth.

“…This is no ordinary problem.”

Luna Winfred was missing, and all the blame fell on the Winfred family.

Too many calamities had struck at once.

This wasn’t something that could be brushed off as mere ill fate.

— Winfred has crossed the line.

The Princess warned in a cold voice.

— Insulting royalty, and treason.

— There are talks of exterminating the Winfred family.

— Do not think you can cover this up with Luna Winfred’s execution.

She then elegantly laughed while speaking of exterminating the Winfred family.

It was infuriating.

— A solution, you say…

— Who knows? If you bring something that tempts me, the story might change.

— Although, I doubt Winfred possesses such an item.

What the Royal Family desired.

Simple wealth wouldn’t satisfy them.

There was only one option.

“The Holy Blood…”

The Holy Blood.

The blood containing divine power.

The Royal Family didn’t know about the existence of the true Holy Blood.

To be precise, they didn’t know that what they had was genuine.

The Duke family had conducted a deception long ago, creating a counterfeit, and the Royal Family had turned a blind eye.

It was an age-old secret between the Royal Family and the Duke house.

However, the Holy Blood currently kept by the Duke house was genuine.

They couldn’t possibly imagine.

That Winfred had preserved the original Holy Blood lost thousands of years ago.

Therefore, he would use the Holy Blood as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Royal Family.

Doing so would grant immunity from the Princess’s accusations.

“…”

The Duke gritted his teeth.

His anger at his predicament boiled like molten lava.

He exhaled deeply, cooling his head.

Then, with a clenched fist, he touched the crack in the wall…

Thud—

The wall trembled with a faint vibration.

After a moment, the wall slid to the side with a rumbling sound.

The Duke walked in without hesitation.

Passing through the pitch-black darkness, he saw the knights guarding the door.

“Open it.”

At the Duke’s low command, the knights stepped aside and opened the door.

Tap, tap, tap.

After walking for several minutes down an endlessly extending corridor, the Duke finally reached the depths of the vault.

“Tch.”

Clicking his tongue, the Duke moved forward.

At the end of the path, under a soft light, a hexagonal glass case sparkled in his view.

As he approached and infused it with magic, the finely engraved Winfred crest on the surface emitted a subtle blue light.

And then.

Click.

With the sound of something unlocking, the glass case opened.

“Whew.”

The Duke carefully picked up the glass bottle containing the Holy Blood.

As he was about to turn around…

“…Hmm?”

A strange unease crept up the back of his neck.

The Duke stood still, examining the glass bottle.

What is this feeling?

This ominous sensation…

“…!”

He almost screamed.

It was gone.

The magical essence he had hidden away was gone.

How could this be?

Countless possibilities flashed through his mind like a film.

A sudden realization struck him like lightning.

Kyle, that bastard had crawled back into the mansion of his own accord.

And he had demanded that the Duke leave the mansion for a while.

All of it was for this moment.

For the destruction of the Winfred family that he had always spoken of.

The Duke’s lips parted.

And, with a voice laden with anger, he muttered.

“That son of a…!”

* * *

After meeting with the village chief, a period of tranquility followed.

“Yawn.”

No concrete plan had been set yet.

Whether to waste time until the day of the ceremony and leave, or to use the disguise artifact.

Nothing was decided.

Everything would be handled flexibly depending on the mood and situation of that day.

There was about a week left before the Papal See arrived here.

It felt overwhelming. What could be done to pass the time over the next seven days?

As I stared blankly out the window, I saw unfamiliar faces bustling in the streets.

They were mercenaries, decently armed, led by merchants.

The reason for the new winds blowing through Asven, which had been completely cut off from the outside world until now, was obvious.

The Papal See, more precisely, the Saintess.

News of their impending visit to the Kingdom of Asven had spread.

‘It’s a frenzy.’

The Papal See had abandoned the Empire.

And they had chosen the Eastern Continent.

The Black Mist was still growing.

Various grotesque monsters continued to emerge from the Black Mist, causing numerous injuries and deaths.

In such circumstances, the Papal See’s influence would only grow, appearing as a divine miracle to many.

Priests would soon be stationed in every city, and mercenaries would fill the gaps left by the lacking knights.

In modern times, just as in the game world, faith turned into money, and where there was money, people gathered.

‘Miracle, my foot.’

I lazily observed the procession of the merchant guild.

The line was unusually long, as if it included groups other than the merchant guild.

“…”

I didn’t pay much attention.

There was already enough to worry about without adding more.

I slowly prepared to go outside.

We were running out of ingredients, and I couldn’t always rely on Diana for everything.

That was enough reason for an outing.

“Let’s head to Arokan.”

Arokan was a restaurant on the outskirts of the village, though it was more like a tavern.

After mentally listing what I needed, I set out alone.

I passed through the busy crowds and slipped into a quiet alley.

‘Is this it?’

When I opened the door and walked in, a savory aroma greeted me.

As I navigated past the rowdy men enjoying their food and drinks, a woman who had been glancing at me approached.

“Oh my, Mr. Birken!”

“Shizuki?”

“Yes! You remember my name?”

Shizuki was the woman who had guided me to the village chief’s house where Diana stayed.

She blushed and asked shyly.

“Did you come here on behalf of Miss Minette?”

When I nodded slowly, she led me to a secluded spot.

In a cheerful voice, she said,

“Would you mind sitting and waiting for a bit?”

“Take your time.”

She smiled brightly.

After a short absence, she returned with a tray of food and drinks.

“Please, feel free to enjoy!”

Shizuki mentioned it might take a while and then hurried back to the kitchen.

I stared blankly at her retreating figure before turning my gaze away.

The inn was bustling with people continuously arriving.

Men sitting at tables laughed and chatted as they enjoyed their drinks.

As I watched absentmindedly, the door opened, and a woman covered in a robe walked in.

Click, click.

Her lively footsteps added to the noisy atmosphere.

I sat quietly and watched.

More precisely, I watched the golden hair peeking out from the robe.

The woman looked around, then pulled out a chair next to me and sat down heavily.

Then, our eyes met as she turned her head.

Golden hair flowing smoothly, blue eyes like sapphires.

“Oh?”

She gasped.

Her innocent, cheerful voice filled the air.

But I couldn’t utter a word.

“Kyle Winfred?”

A dream?

No, everything before me was too vivid for that.

A hallucination? Or had I gone mad?

My lips moved several times without sound, and the woman frowned.

Her familiar cold gaze swept over me, and she asked again.

“Why are you here?”

Her voice was mixed with a sigh.

Her fierce, upward-slanting eyes.

Too familiar.

No, they had to be.

What was this? What was going on?

The Papal See’s arrival in Asven was still… a week away…

Ah, maybe it’s just someone who looks similar?

No, that couldn’t be.

The woman in front of me…

Was undoubtedly…

“Could it be… did you chase me down all the way here?”

Isabel Yustia.

Without a doubt, it was Isabel Yustia.

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