Reincarnated in the Same World for the Nth Time - Chapter 3

“May I come in, priestess?”

The door opened, and a man entered.

It was the same young man who had been holding Claude and crying loudly.

His eyes were still red, but he had composed himself to some extent, and he looked better than when Claude had seen him before losing consciousness.

“Are you alright, Young Master?”

As soon as he came in, the young man, looking worried as he looked at the bed, poured tea into the cup he was carrying.

The way he said “Young Master” and the way he acted as if he was used to this, he seemed to be a servant who served this body.

Yuzelia, who had been praying, raised her head at the fragrant smell.

“Um…”

“Please, just call me Shen.”

“Ah. I am Yuzelia, a priestess serving the Sun God Rasphallara.”

After the brief introduction, hesitation flickered across Yuzelia’s face.

She must have been worrying about how to explain the Curse of Deadly Poison.

She hesitated and looked at the bed.

“The young master is stable for now. He won’t cough up any more blood for the time being.”

Though this statement wasn’t entirely accurate since the curse remained unresolved her words were technically true for now.

Hearing Yuzelia’s reassurances, Shen finally exhaled the breath he had been holding, relief shown over his face.

‘It seems his relationship with Young Master is not bad.’

Claude briefly thought about Shen’s face right before he had lost consciousness. Shen’s crying face and current appearance didn’t feel insincere or like a lie.

“Bishop Martio…”

“The head of the household is currently away. The bishop only briefly reported the young master’s condition before returning to the temple. He said that Priestess Yuzelia would handle the young master’s treatment much better.”

At those words, Yuzelia’s face darkened instantly.

It seemed that the pot-bellied bishop from before had pushed everything onto Yuzelia and left.

‘Bishop Martio, huh…’

Before the method to remove the curse was made public, there had been rumors that there were people within the Sun God’s order who were secretly collecting money under the pretense of treating the Curse of Deadly Poison.

The Curse of Deadly Poison wasn’t common among commoners.

Because the commission cost a fortune.

Of course, since the person receiving the curse was also a noble, it would have been easier for the order to collect in money.

If it was the main temple near Reshenhardt, it would probably be the one belonging to Port Plum, called the city of transportation and trade.

Claude was briefly gripped by a nostalgic feeling.

That was because in one of his past lives when he lived as a priest, he had belonged to the Port Plum Temple.

Of course, back then, it was after the removal method had been announced, so all the guys who had been trying to make a fortune off the Curse of Deadly Poison were immediately expelled.

If so, then that pot-bellied bishop would be the same.

“Damn bastard…”

While Claude was lost in thought, Yuzelia suddenly muttered a curse.

Her voice was so small that Shen wouldn’t have heard it, but Claude, who was nearby, had heard it very clearly.

This priestess seemed to have a more short-tempered personality than he expected.

“Thanks to Priestess Yuzelia’s power, the young master’s coughing stopped earlier. I’m truly grateful for what you’ve done.”

What she had done wasn’t erasing the curse’s energy, but a process of forcibly patching up the mana cracks, but Shen’s face was so bright that he couldn’t correct him right away.

“And despite the long journey in the carriage, you still came all this way to help… Thank you so much.”

Shen bowed deeply, his expression full of genuine appreciation.

“It’s nothing. I will do everything I can to aid a member of Reshenhardt family, but…”

Her voice trembled slightly when she mentioned Reshenhardt.

It seemed that she was feeling the burden that the name gave off.

And that was no wonder, as who was Reshenhardt anyway?

The Reshenhardt were one of the four great houses that had helped unify the continent of Delbion and establish its kingdom.

The symbol of unbreakable strenght.

The pinnacle of martial arts.

But above all, Reshenhardt most brilliant achievement was that they had been blessed by a dragon.

As evidence that they had been chosen by the Red Dragon, they were the only humans born with red hair.

‘Not even powerful connections can afford to dismiss the Reshenhardt lightly.’

In the first place, why would a Reshenhardt descendant be cursed?

Since the Curse of Deadly Poison is the most powerful curse that humans can inflict, it was clear that someone held a clear malice towards Reshenhardt.

“Will… Will Lord Aquila recover?”

Translator’s Note: 아퀼라님” (Aquila-nim): The name “Aquila” is followed by the honorific “님,” used to show respect or reverence. It conveys the speaker’s acknowledgment of Aquila’s higher status or importance, equivalent to “Lord Aquila” in English, though context may influence the translation.

Shen asked cautiously.

It seemed that this servant, who had never thought about curses, thought that the reason his Young Master had vomited blood was due to an illness.

Yuzelia couldn’t answer this question right away either.

It would be difficult to tell someone genuinely worried that their master would die within a few days.

‘Who is Aquila Reshenhardt?’

Claude recalled the question that he had felt before losing consciousness.

He remembered all the main characters involved in the main story.

They were generally fixed, so there was no way he could forget them.

The only thing he couldn’t properly remember were things unrelated to the story, so it was certain that this person wasn’t a main character.

Even if he tried to recall his memories, he had developed a habit of not remembering unimportant parts after repeating cycles so many times, so it only appeared as an ambiguous lump for now.

He knew that the best way forward was to gather information and head toward the main storyline, but the frustration of the early stages never seemed to grow familiar.

As Claude rose from his bed, having had enough of the frustration, Yuzelia, having made her decision, spoke.

“Phew. I have something to tell you. The young master wasn’t sick, but cursed…”

“Young Master!”

Shen screamed at the perfect timing.

As Shen yelled in shocked, Yuzelia also turned to look at him with a surprised face.

“Hey…”

As Claude frowned and put his hand on his neck, Shen quickly returned with a cup of tea.

He immediately drank the tea and coughed a few times.

“Young Master, are you alright? Is there anywhere else that hurts? Drink slowly…”

“…Is my hair red?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking if my hair is red.”

Shen’s eyes widened.

“Why are you asking that…? Oh, yes. Of course, you possess the Reshenhardt family’s proud red hair.”

“I see.”

Claude swept his hair back.

‘So, I’m not a bastard, but the direct descendant?’

Of course, if that was the case, then the situation was even more serious.

“Is there something wrong with your hair…?”

Shen’s question made Claude shake his head.

There were countless problems, but nothing he could discuss with this servant.

As Shen stumbled over his words, he carefully added, “Don’t worry, Young Master Aquila. The Red Dragon will protect you. You were born with the greatest blessing in the Reshenhardt family.”

The greatest blessing!

At those words, Claude quickly lifted his head.

The Curse of Deadly Poison was originally a secret curse that was only circulated among the nobles, but the reason it spread to the commoners was due to one incident.

That was the tragic death that had occurred within the Reshenhardt family.

The name of the person who died from the Curse of Deadly Poison in every cycle was ‘Aquila.’

Ting!

【Opening information on the keyword ‘Aquila Reshenhardt’!】

【Aquila Reshenhardt’— The third son of the Reshenhardt family.
Activities before the 29th cycle: Died in the previous cycle from the venomous curse. No further data available.】

“Young Master? What’s wrong?”

Claude stared intently at the system window that had appeared.

The reason why the Reshenhardt family had locked their doors and turned their backs on humans, despite their powerful strength, was because of Aquila Reshenhardt’s death.

And the genius alchemist who discovered the antidote to the curse.

He was also a descendant of Reshenhardt’s.

‘So this is why the antidote wasn’t publicly available yet.’

It was because Aquila Reshenhardt hadn’t died, that there was no need to research the Curse of Deadly Poison.

Claude pulled back the blanket and got off the bed.

Shen, startled, tried to support him, but Aquila stopped him.

Thanks to Yuzelia who had patched up the cracks, and the blessing, he was only a little tired, but there was no issue with him walking.

He approached the mirror hanging on the wall and looked at his reflection.

His fiery red hair.

His black eyes.

‘…It’s intensely red. It’s even more striking than the head of the family.’

He stared at his black eyes in the mirror.

In past cycles, he had mostly been turned away when visiting them, but there had been cycles where he received help.

And in those cycles, the story had been unlocked, and he was able to go to the dragon.

But what if Aquila Reshenhardt hadn’t died and the Reshenhardt family hadn’t closed its doors?

【30th Cycle Reincarnated Character: Aquila Reshenhardt】

【Status Abnormality: Curse of Deadly Poison (Restricted)】

【Time Left Until Next Death: 6 days】

Although his physical condition didn’t seem bad, the remaining time was now shorter, likely due to having fainted all day.

He glanced over to the nervous Schen and Yuzelia, who was eyeing him cautiously.

‘Aquila Reshenhardt, huh… So this is my name now.’

It was time to abandon the name Claude.

Aquila took a deep breath and brushed his hair back.

His luscious red hair tangled through his fingers and flowewd back.

Aquila Reshenhardt turned around and looked at Yuzelia.

“Priestess, I need your help.”

This time, he would clear the cycle no matter what.

***

“Is this really the correct antidote?”

Yuzelia muttered, sounding doubtful.

“That’s the seventh time you’ve asked that, Priestess,”

Aquila replied without taking his eyes off the book he was reading.

Despite the darkness under his eyes, his cool and delicately sculpted features stood in stark contrast to his fiery red hair, making even the shadows seem intentional.

Though slightly pale after coughing up blood, there was no hint of crisis in his face as he turned the page of the book.

Even his gestures were filled with calm confidence.

“It seems that you do not understand this curse, young master…….”

“I’ve heard that explanation already ten times.”

Even with Aquila’s words, Yuzelia kept glancing at him, unable to hide her anxiety.

Shen, who was standing nearby, nervously asked him,

“I… I never thought that such a terrible curse would be cast on Young Master… Are you really not hurting anywhere?”

“Yes. There’s still time before the next critical phase arrives.”

This servant had almost fainted when he heard the explanation about the Curse of Deadly Poison, and barely managed to regain his senses.

Even after Aquila assured him that everything was fine, he rushed outside, crying out that he would contact the head of the family, who had gone monster hunting, but was stopped by Aquila and gloomily returned.

It seemed that the reason why the head of the family was absent was because he had gone to monster hunting that had been rapidly increasing during this time.

‘They must have targeted this time on purpose.’

Aquila thought indifferently.

“Is this really the method that the Red Dragon told you?”

Yuzelia once again asked the same question that she had asked countless times.

Along with her anxious eyes, Aquila, who had received Shen’s gaze as well, finally closed the book

“I heard about it when I was young, and I’m sure of it.”

“…When you were nine?”

“At first, I didn’t understand what they were saying, but how could I ever forget what the Dragon said?”

Aquila received their gazes without even a twitch.

His black eyes were more serious than ever before.

Anyone who met those eyes would find it difficult to believe that Aquila was lying.

Besides, everyone knew that those from the Reshenhardt descendant went to the Red Dragon’s nest before they turned ten years old.

There, they would receive the blessings of the great being.

Of course, he wasn’t Aquila Reshenhardt from the beginning, so he didn’t know what the dragon had said, but those who didn’t know just nodded their heads.

“Or, are you perhaps doubting me?”

At the mention of doubting the Dragon, Yuzelia flinched and quickly shook her head.

“It’s not that…!”

She held out the item that was most important for the antidote.

“This, this is something that anyone would think is strange!”

“Yuzelia was holding a small shovel and a watering can.”