Involvement (5)

Nine didn't know what she was doing anymore. Browsing the shop for the elixir, she saw many other items that could be used to revive the dead. Most of which at a price that far surpassed some simple elixir.

[Life Pill]

[Description: Grants vitality to the body]

[Drop of life]

[Description: Sap from the world tree, can rid the body of any negative ailments-- and in some cases, bring the dead to life]

[Elixir of Life]

[Description: Elixir in a goblet that when fed to a dead body that hadn't passed an hour, can bring the said person back to life.]

Elixir of Life.

"2250 points.."

The cost of reviving someone using the revival widget is 10000 points. But the reason why it's so expensive is because of its function to revive someone whose corpse had long gone.

Nine took the golden goblet into his hands, a sparkling mint coloured liquid-- glowing in a radiant light.

She poured it down Shyna's throat-- all of it.

Some leaked from the edges of Shyna's mouth, Nine used her fingers to lead it back in.

One hour.

Had it passed an hour?

It had passed.. hadn't it

"Shit.."

Nine poured the last drop into her mouth when it hit her.

She didn't check the time-- she didn't know.

Five seconds, ten seconds.. twenty seconds..

"Are you fucking kidding me.. you fucking.."

Nine's body was shaking, tears traced her cheeks, to her chin, dripping onto Shyna's clothes.

45 seconds had passed.

Nine laid Shyna's corpse back on the ground.

She should've picked the Drop of Life.

She should've picked something else.

If only she had stayed calm, if only she checked the time elapsed, if only she had made a better choice..

"What are you trying to do.." Elaine, who had been standing there silently watching the entire process, finally spoke.

"Nothing."

"H-huh.. what you.."

"I give up," He, Nine replied with an expressionless face.

He walked out of the room.

Elaine looked at him bewildered. She.. did she just see what she thought she saw.. that the girl changed to Nine..

"No way you.." Elaine staggered.

No. It wasn't that the girl changed to Nine..

It was that she-- he was Nine all along.

Elaine glanced at the corpse once more.

\\

\\

\\

"R-Rin-aneesan.." July, the noble who had the same grey hair as Rin.

Rin showed a troubled expression.

"I'm sorry.. I'm truly.. sorry," July lowered his head.

"No, it was my decision after all.."

"You don't understand.. I'm too weak, too ignorant.. I let someone die I.."

Rin came up to him and gave him a hug. Owh.. how sweet. Is she a brocon by chance? My instincts were ringing.

"Noel, could you go receive Nine?" Liliath spoke.

"Nine? What about him? You mean.."

"I'll attend to things on this side, you should take care of him."

"Okay, got it."

I pulled up the map-- which usually comes together with the daily quest board and.. holy mother of f..

What the hell did Nine just buy?! 2000 points just went down the drain!

"I get it," I said to Liliath with a strained voice and made my way into the mansion.

"I'm following," Jennifer-chan tagged along.

"Are you sure? Is your mother alright with you coming along.. I don't know what happened to him.. her so.."

"Mommy wouldn't mind, let's go."

"Right."

"I'm coming too!" Gabriel tried to join. Liliath held her back and gave me a nod. I returned a nod in response.

Nine was currently at the mansion garden that overlooked the lake. His marker was moving-- then stopped. I know where that place is.

"Noel, what happened to Nine-san? Any inkling?" Jennifer-chan asked.

"I don't know. She said something about a maid dying."

"Maid? Don't you have the map to search for the maid?"

"There's a limit to what it can do with the map."

I'm still concerned about the orange dots scattered around the Earldom.

A few minutes passed as the bench came into sight, there was Nine leaning against the bench, head hanging limply towards the back.

So it's 'him' now.

"Nine-san!" Jennifer-chan called.

"Shut up."

Harsh.

"What happened exactly? Hey," I tapped his shoulders.

"Shuut up."

"Who is it that was killed? Tell me."

"I said shut up."

His tone was just flat. Not provocative nor judgemental-- just empty.

Jennifer-chan sat beside him silently. She would flash glances of concern at him.

I stood beside him and opened up the store catalog-- the purchase history.

[Elixir of Life]

So he tried to revive someone.

Wait.. Vincent, that assassin went where before this?

I zoomed in on the map, and then located that room. I typed in the keyword: corpse.

Huh.. it's gone.

Wait. It's gone? I thought the marker showed up right here.. I panned the map a bit and scanned the entire mansion. There were no corpses being marked on the map-- that didn't mean the Earldom was free from corpses of course.

"Nine, there are no corpses in the mansion vicinity. Which maid are you talking about?"

"Corpse?" Nine in mechanical movements raised his body and looked at me. His eyes were swollen.

"Seriously, look."

"Wait," he pulled up his own UI and typed something into the search bar.. then he dropped back on the bench. He took a fistful of hair, tears made a line down his cheeks, "Fuck.. Damn it I knew it..."

Shyna-- was the name I saw in the search bar.

\\

\\

\\

I held Gabriel's arm as Noel left for Nine.

I also played a part in this failure. I knew, but didn't take into consideration steps to resolve this.

I unfortunately didn't know who the person Nine had failed to save was, however, this could've been avoided if we had decided earlier to mutilate Vincent's status.

Rina-san held July; July weeping on her shoulder.

"Why can't I go?" Gabriel, who gave up squirming, turned to me and asked.

I shook my head. I only knew that to be for the best. Too many people accompanying Noel would result in confusion. More so when Gabriel had the least of a clue to the situation.

"What did Nine spend the points on?" Prune asked.

"I don't know either."

However reticent Nine may be, it must certainly be something serious.

"Shyna-san died.."

"H-Huh.. you can't be serious.." Rina-san said in disbelief.

Shyna? That maid?

I checked my map. Hm? Her marker was on the map? What was going on?

"Rina-san.. that maid of yours?" I said, tilting my head.

"She.. was killed," July whimpered.

"She's still alive?" I said.

"What?! T-that's impossible. I saw her die in front of my eyes.."

"Noel's Unique Skill says otherwise though?"

"Where is she?" Rina-san asked.

"Follow me.." but before I do that, "Miss Margrett. I apologize but could you remain somewhere safe? There are no threats in the Earl's mansion as of the moment, I suggest everyone remains here as of the time being. Do inform any higher authority of the death of the individual named Vincent."

"Thank you for your consideration, Liliath-san."

"I'll stay back then.." Prune said.

"What about me??" Gabriel remained indecisive.

"Prune, take care of her and don't let her run about."

"Hah? Me? Why.. no!"

Prune grabbing hold of Gabriel's arms was the last thing I saw before I left for the marked room of the map.

"Who are you," July asked in a harsh tone. Clinging to Rina-san.

Both of them followed me from behind.

"Liliath Bougainvillea."

"Bougain.. you're lying!"

"I belong solely to Noel. It's unfortunate I had to hide our family name due to this unexpected circumstance."

"Rin-neesan, you can't believe her, she can't possibly be our relative.."

"July-sama.. that's not the issue.."

I halted at the sight of the broken door. A few maids crowded the outside-- the distinctly pleasurable smell of blood.

"Excuse me, may I pass?"

The maids made a path. I entered to see a pool of blood on the floor-- and the maid, Shyna sitting on the ground close to it with a dazed expression. Her clothes soaked in blood.

The viscount's daughter which I met during the first day's banquet was cleaning the blood from the maid's mouth with a wet cloth.

"No.. way.."

"W-What happened.."

The maid eye shifted to Rin, it regained clarity.

"Rina.. san," she called out weakly.

Her vitality was at a low 43%.

I decided to assist by casting a heal spell. A soft green glow enveloped her.

In her title column, I saw [Second Chance].

Rin came up to the viscount's daughter and asked if she could do the cleaning instead, she relented.

The viscount's daughter, Elaine turned to me.

She bowed.

"I'm sorry for doubting Nine-san," she said in a bitter tone.

"Doubting? Could you start from the top? There were many things that I am not certain of even now."

"Ha.. Nee-san.." July looked over to the bed and saw his elder sister. April was her name. I don't know if she was under any form of negative ailments, but seeing how her vitality was not decreasing, I can only assume so. Nevertheless, I should pay attention to her in the meantime.

"I thought Nine-san was the killer.. I instigated him as the killer.. I didn't know he was just trying to save her.."

"I see. It must be hard on you too."

"Take care of him.. and if possible please pass on an apology on my behalf," she bowed again. Scanning the room once more-- she left. I didn't forget to evoke a quick magic to clean the blood stain on the hem of her dress.

I also made sure to tag her in the map.

I have a feeling she would have good affinity with someone like Nine-- that is but my opinion.

"Nee-san.. wake up," July tried to shake April awake.

"Her condition is fine, for now," I said.

"Why.. do you know that?"

I pondered for a moment before replying, "Appraisal."

"Does everyone.. in your party have [Appraisal]?"

I nodded.

He took some distance from the bed April laid.

"I'm not giving Rin-neesan to you."

"Huh? I'm hearing something here.." Shyna stopped and started coughing blood.

"D-Don't talk! Rest.. just rest.." Rina panicked.

I should've cleared her airway from the blood.

"Rina-san, could you move away from her for a little while? I'll see if I can remove the remaining blood stuck inside her."

"P-Please.."

Removing blood stuck inside the esophagus or trachea was something I would've never come up with if it were not for my knowledge in biology. I know it is common knowledge in my world, however, knowing the actual science behind it was different from blind knowledge.

I drained the blood out.

"Take a deep breath."

Shyna's chest rose upwards as the sound of inhalation resounded.

"And exhale."

She breathed out.

"Better?" I asked.

"Yes, thank you very much.. I thought I died?" she said quizzically.

"If there's someone you should thank, it would be Nine."

Nine.. things were starting to become confusing. Why did he leave? The revival was a success wasn't it?

'The maid is alive.'

'Nine knows that already. I guess there's a short delay for the Elixir to take place.'

"Excuse me, what happened here?" A senior butler came in to inspect the situation.

"Apologies for the mess that had happened." I said, "There happened to be an attempt murder."

"Murder? Who was it? Did the culprit escape?"

"The culprit had been dealt with appropriately."

"Whose blood is that?"

"Here," Shyna raised her hand.

The butler placed a finger to his forehead.

"L-Liliath-sama.. y-you said that guy was dead right?" Rin asked.

"Are you referring to the assassin?"

"Yes.. I'm referring to him.."

"He should've been eliminated."

"Then.. Rin-neesan is safe right?" July asked.

"I believe so?"

"I apologize for the interruption. One of you here must take responsibility for this," the butler said.

July brows arched.

The broken door-- large blood stain that covered the carpet..

It was worth a dozen gold to fix at least.

"I'll do it," July said.

"I'm grateful for that." I said.