"As you wish."
"Oh? Aren't you going to protest?"
To be honest, he wanted to. But with his regression, opportunities were plentiful. He simply had to be careful when a point became fixed.
"I've failed your expectations, young miss. I cannot possibly trouble you further." Xian didn't need to protest. Both of them would see each other again.
"You should have been like this from the start."
"Then, if you'll excuse me, I wish you a smooth sailing life at the academy."
With that, Xian turned his back.
The two swordmaidens were together again now that Serika had stopped sparring with him.
'Why didn't he try harder?' Serika was certain that somewhere during their spar, Xian had been capable of reading her openings and land a hit, even if only enough to leave a scratch.
A small but undeniable wound. That was all it would have taken.
She clenched the hilt of her sheathed blade. The motion did not go unnoticed. Lucinelle patted her shoulder and shook her head slightly. Serika only nodded, unable to find the words to express her frustration.
In the end, the other girl, Lucinelle, did not pay him any attention.
Meanwhile, Xian leisurely walked toward the training grounds. A week of training had become two weeks of memories for him.
He picked up a longsword and practiced the basic movements and techniques he had learned while sparring with Serika. During their spars, Serika had remained silent and forced him to learn through his body. Still, he managed to grasp bits of posture, the weight shifting of the sword, and the
footwork from it all.
The wind it produced made his uniform flutter and scattered the dust on the ground. He estimated that his power now reached those in the level 20's.
Such was the effect of stat dumping. But if he got hit even once, his body would break. It was not that he had a fragile body. In fact, his [HP] and [END] were above average.
Each stat in the character sheet had a potential growth rate and base value. However, he was severely disadvantaged when it came to earning bonus stat points because of his absurd zero luck.
Once he obtained the [Glimpse Lens] in the academy, it would allow him to analyze his own and other characters' potential and stats. Without it, the most he could do was infer their stats based on what he remembered from certain points in the game.
It had never been completely fixed in the game. Sometimes there was even a difference of five levels during the same encounter with a particular character.
Players theorized that the game randomly assigned levels within a certain range. Because of that, players could occasionally get lucky with a party member or a boss fight.
Next, Xian fiddled with the pair of daggers. Unlike the daggers he often saw in edgy games or manga, their blades were not curved but straight and pointed, specialized for stabbing and throwing.
'How fitting.'
He could easily imagine himself carrying several of them and throwing one at an enemy's eye, neck, or even heart. That made them quite an underhanded weapon, especially since they were difficult to see once thrown.
He had never used daggers in his past life, but Xian felt a strange familiarity while holding them.
'Tonight should be when Miri poisons Carmillia.' He did not plan to stop her. His goal of unsealing his trait through fulfilling conditions was still in progress. More regression were still necessary.
Later that night, instead of leaving, Xian stayed one more night with Moris and Carmillia's permission using recuperation as an excuse.
"If you won't leave, I'll make you do so." Carmillia indifferently warned him. Xian could only form a wry smile once she was no longer looking. Serika was staring at him intensely for unknown reasons.
While waiting for the incident to happen, he headed toward the maids' quarters, where he found Miri and the chief maid talking. Out of curiosity, he wanted to ask a few questions.
The chief maid sat at a table as she did some sewing. What it was for, Xian didn't know and didn't bother to ask. There was only one thing he came for. Something useful that, if possible, he would like to acquire once he regressed.
"Hello there." It was quite a rude greeting, but the chief maid didn't even show the slightest hint of surprise. She turned in his direction, then stood with calm composure before striding over to face him.
"I've had the pleasure of meeting the 'special butler'." she said with a respectful bow.
'Hoh? What's this? Is my standing that high?' He was impressed at the level of respect she showed.
"I'm about to leave though. Didn't you hear the news?"
"Even so, a special butler dispatched from the Dukedom itself holds special standing among all of the household's servants. Much like Head Butler Moris."
'From their information, I came directly from the dukedom? That seems about right.'
"Do you know why I'm here?"
"I'm not privy to matters outside this estate, unfortunately."
'What a boldfaced lie. You just mentioned information that a maid supposedly unconcerned with outside affairs shouldn't know.'
"Psh! Haha! Alright, if yo say so." He laughed, but quickly stopped upon hearing himself. For a moment it sounded like the laughter of a madman amidst slaughter.
"Let's take a seat first. There's something I want to talk about." Is she going to follow him? Chase him away? Or make some excuse about being busy? Xian neither cared about any of those, today, he's going to play around and try out some tricks.
"Did any of the maid displease Sir Xian?"
"Nothing of the sort. In fact, the maid you sent was a great relief."
"… I'm not sure if I'm the one deserving your praise, but I'm glad our maids pleased you."
"Right. She's also an amusing one. She listens very well to any orders I give. She even seemed to like it."
"…"
"As if… She's in a trance." Xian set the bait down, revealing a hint of what he knew.
"A trance you say… Would you happen to know the name of that maid?"
"Does someone come to mind? I didn't bother learning her name you see." He beat around the bush. But this is all necessary to instill confusion, curiosity and pressure.
The more misleading questions he asked, the more restless the chief maid would become. Eventually, she wouldn't know which answers were safe and which might expose her.
"…No one in particular, unfortunately. A few silent ones come to mind, but that's simply how they are when focused on their work."
"Then who's the same maid assigned to me every night?"
"…"
"Do you not know? Aren't you in charge of their schedule?"
"While I may oversee them, the maids in the household distribute their workloads among themselves. So no, I wasn't informed who tended to Sir Xian."
"Is that so? That's really convenient, don't you think?"
"Indeed. It reduces my workload a lot."
"Then do you know Miri?" Xian spoke the name deliberately, knowing it was a lie. She must be wondering, 'Why would he do that? Is he simply playing with me? Or is there something else behind it?'
"… Yes. I know the maid named Miri." A chief maid's tact. They do not question a lie outright and simply answer the question. Yet it is also a way to reveal small hints of involvement when speaking with someone who might already suspect their scheme.
"I found myself really fond of her these past few days." It was time to deal the lethal blow that would shake her composure.
"I see… Excuse me?"
"You heard me. She was just too cute. I think… I'm going to be a father."
"What!?… What are you saying, Sir Xian? Did you make some kind of mistake?"
Disorientation through absurdity. An unexpected situation that shattered the careful mental defenses she had built while being probed.
'If she still had any conscience, unlike the bloodthirsty avengers pursuing Carmillia, she wouldn't be able to ignore this.' If Miri were exposed as the culprit, by the time her punishment was decided she might already be showing signs of pregnancy.
An execution that affect two lives... Or perhaps they will allow the child to be born in exchange for the mothers life.
"Is that true?" The chief maid stared at him, clearly incredulous.
"It is. We became passionate and did it many time's every night."
"No, no! There's no need to elaborate. Please stay here for now, I will handle this matter." The chief maid, pale faced, hurriedly stood up but Xian grabbed her arm.
"Sir Xian? Didn't you hear what I said?" Her facade was no longer present, as a mix of disgust and annoyance laced the way she addressed him.
"You only need to talk to me, chief maid. About what you used to make her like that."
"… I don't know what you're talking about."
"Come on. It's a coincidence but the moment I touched her cheek… She became obedient as a sheep and did whatever I wanted. It's really amazing."
Xian released his grip but walked slowly in reserved steps towards the exit of the room, blocking it.
"There's no way I'm leaving this household without learning who's responsible for making her like that."
"This scumbag… Right now, it is imperative to have a talk with both of you. Any queries you have will be answered later. We must confirm the truth of the matter at once."
"Why are you so concerned? Because she's going to poison the young miss soon?"
"That's r—!…" She held her mouth with a stunned expression, staring at him venomously.
"That's right—you meant to say?"
It was the point of breakdown and confrontation. The chief maid expertly sent a kick towards Xian to which he merely caught with his hands.
'Not as strong as Serika. Even weaker than me.' Unlike players, the system did not allow NPCs to choose where to distribute their bonus stat points. Their potential followed their training and discipline, or faded over time if they remained stagnant.
The chief maid, embroiled in chores her whole life and lacking in battle experience is not a match for Xian who had an almost perfect 1:1 ratio of [STR] and [AGI] dumped. The two golden stats that influenced combat the most.
If this were the usual Rozenfall gameplay, each attack would reduce his endurance until he eventually collapsed. But now things were different. Instead of relying purely on endurance, his strength allowed him to physically intercept and stop his opponent's attacks.
There's a strain but it's almost negligible. This is a discovery he made while he fought Serika, who surpassed him in nearly every aspect.
'I wonder what else changed?' He thought in excitement, dodging a chop aiming for his neck.
The attack carried sharpness that would probably rip his throat had it reached.
The chief maid realized that Xian is deliberately trying to confuse and mess with her to bring her guard down. She didn't know how Xian found out, but she can still salvage the situation by eliminating him.
She can just hide his body while the others investigate the death of Carmillia.
Miri was a scapegoat she had begrudgingly sent in order to escape punishment. She was a good and diligent girl, but far too gullible for her own good.
What Xian had said made her heart falter. If it was true that Miri had been intimate with this man, then by the time of her execution she might already be carrying a life in her womb.
She can sacrifice Miri like a clueless lamb, but if she had to include another innocent life? Or make a child grow without a mother? She felt vomit rising on her throat just thinking about it.
"There's no need to be hostile. I only need the potion."
But the chief maid didn't listen and took out, thin long needles instead.
A total of six glistened sharply on her hands and thrown towards Xian. He used his left arm to swat the three needles coming at him as the three other aimed on his flanks missed completely.
Usually, people who used needles laced them with lethal poison. Xian carefully caught one of the needles as he lunged forward. Inside the room, where there was little space to dodge, the chief maid failed to escape Xian's long reach. He pinned her down with his right arm.
Then he raised the same needle to her neck, stopping mere centimeters from her skin.
Xian was pleased that he could already overpower someone in this world, even if it was a woman in her forties.
"Like I said." He whispered, glaring at the chief maids eyes. Her glasses reflected his sinister appearance and piercing gaze.
"I only need the potion you used. Tell me where you hid it." He was hoping to settle this peacefully without a fight by pretending to be a neutral party, but the chief maid reacted strongly.
Without subtly revealing what he knew and raising her suspicion with indirect questions, this woman might have attacked him immediately. The confusion he had planted in her mind was also a way to ensure victory.
He was confident in a confrontation, but there was still a chance he could lose against her if she had remained calm. Right now, her mind was in disarray. It affected the efficiency of her movements, allowing Xian to gain the upper hand.
Well, where did he learn all of this? Just in the game itself. Sometimes, dialogue's with bosses can mess with their heads, affecting their fight patterns. Xian had done it often and when he applied it in reality, the results were surprisingly effective.
The key in all of this is a certain information about the chief maid from Miri last night.
'This old woman had a miscarriage in her younger years.' Whether Carmillia or her parents had been connected to that was unknown to him. But it was far more likely that the duke had been responsible.
What would Carmillia as a kid even know? Surely she isn't some girl with villain complex and tendencies right? That was also one of his greatest curiosity in the game. What made Carmillia become the person she was now?
From then on, the chief maid's motive for revenge was easy to figure out. And using a situation similar to her past happened to work perfectly.
That fact proved useful to him. By evoking her sympathy for Miri, whom she believed would be executed while carrying an unborn child.
'She must've felt the need to save her. To make herself feel better maybe?' Xian only had a sneer to offer at that.
"What… what do you need it for?"
"None of your business. Oh, is the coachman your ally by any chance?" The chief maid's intensified glare only proved his suspicion to be right.
Just then Xian felt his left arm twitch. Even though he had swatted the needles away, the poison still seeped into his skin, turning his veins dark. The spread was slow, but painful.
"Aarghh! NO!" Seeing that, he pressed the needle at her neck and proceeded to put the two other's as well. Veins on her neck and face quickly darkened as she lost her life.
'This is revenge to poisoning me before Carmillia dies!'
[Level up! +1] He found no reason to bother with the system since he's dying already.
Now that the chief maid was taken care of, Xian flipped over the whole room.
'Fuck. Where is it? Wait a minute.' After failing to find anything resembling the potion, he facepalmed and searched through the old woman's clothes instead.
He found some more needles and familiar antidotes in her person. He drank it, then proceeded to search her body until he found something covered carefully with parchment.
The contents cluttered as he unwrapped the cover, revealing two used vials.
One has dark violet hue and the other had a dark red hue. There was a variety of potions like this in the game, some recipes of which he still remembered.
'In the end, I still have to kill her next time.' That's alright though, he will savor the exp drops.
Xian felt that event's had dragged long enough and laid down on the chief maids seat.
"Haah." He felt more tired than he should. Looking at his arm, the poison had slowed significantly, but it hadn't stopped.
'Looks like I'm going to die even if Carmillia lives.' He doubted it but there's always a chance.
He leaned back on the sofa and peacefully closed his eyes, waiting for regression to pull his body away.