Reincarnated in the Same World for the Nth Time - Chapter 9

“Then, he ordered the carriage to be prepared and left for the temple right away?”

One of the maids, who was dusting the window frame, lowered her voice and whispered.

“That’s what I’m saying. It was five in the morning, when we’re just about to get up, but the third young master was already completely dressed and ready to leave.”

Merryl, a maid wiping the table, replied to that.

She flipped over the dust-covered rag and recalled the time she had encountered the third young master in the still dark hallway.

For cleaning, the task of opening all the windows in the hallway to air out the place first and collecting the laundry was operated on a rotation system.

And today was Merryl’s turn.

When Meryl came out of the room before the other servants and yawned while opening the windows of the first floor hallway, he appeared.

It was Aquila Reshenhardt, whose face was covered with his black hood pulled all the way down to his chin.

“At first, I didn’t even realize it was the third young master because his face was hidden under the hood. I only figured it out thanks to Ashent.”

Translator’s Note: Shen (셴) and Ashent (아셴트): While “Shen” (셴) and “Ashent” (아셴트) may appear as two separate names, they refer to the same individual character: “Shen” is his given name, used in informal settings or by those close to him, while “Ashent” is a formal title indicating his position or role, often used by those of lower status to show respect.

When they started talking, the other two maids who were tidying the room subtly joined in, continuing the conversation.

“That’s unusual, isn’t it? He’s not the type to wake up early! Did he say why he was going to the temple?”

“Why else? Don’t you remember the party a few days ago? They said he coughed up so much blood that it soaked his clothes. He must’ve gone because he’s unwell.”

“But hasn’t he fainted plenty of times before? And even then, they said he never went to the temple after he was a child.”

They gathered in a close circle, exchanging words with each other.

They had been itching to talk about this since the morning, after all.

While they were doing so, one of them peeked her head and looked around, and then lowered her voice further, as if she was telling a secret.

“I think… the third young master might have some incurable disease.”

“…What? Why?”

Everyone’s attention instantly turned to her.

“Remember yesterday when he briefly came down to the kitchen? I couldn’t hear anything because I was far away, but the assistant head chef overheard a few things clearly.”

The maid nodded, savoring their attention, and whispered in a dramatic tone.

“The priestess told the third young master that ‘a shadow of death looms over him.’”

“What?”

“…Oh my gosh!”

All the maids screamed in short surprise.

The phrase “a shadow of death looms” was a term used exclusively by the Sun’s priests to refer to individuals with a terminal illness.

After glancing over the surprised faces of the others, she recalled what had happened in the kitchen yesterday.

“And after hearing that, both the priestess and Ashent were in tears! I couldn’t hear the conversation, but I saw them crying with my own eyes.”

“Even Ashent? Surely not!”

“No, It’s certain! I can swear on it!”

At her words, the expressions of everyone changed to become serious.

Everyone knew how devoted Ashent was to the young master, Aquila Reshenhardt.

Besides, he was closer to indifferent unless it was related to the young master’s matters.

If Ashent was shedding tears, everyone here thought that something big must have happened.

“But he wouldn’t get most diseases because of the blessing from the great being. They said that even the other young masters grew up without any fatal illnesses.”

“If it’s not just any disease, but a fatal one, maybe the blessing wouldn’t work…”

“Is that why he was wearing a hood as well, to hide his complexion? He usually doesn’t show it much even when he’s in pain.”

At those plausible words, their expressions changed every moment.

The speculations that they had exchanged among themselves became accepted as the truth at some point.

The maids, faces pale with anxiety, quickly finished tidying up and hurried outside.

They had a sense of duty that they needed to tell someone about what had happened to the third young master.

The news that Aquila Reshenhardt had gone to the temple soon change into a rumor that “the third young master is suffering from a fatal illness” and spread rapidly throughout the mansion.

***

The carriage bumped slightly.

“It seems that we’ll arrive at the temple in about five minutes.”

Shen, who had peeked through the curtains that were covering the window, raised his head.

“This is the first time that I’m going to the Sun Temple in Igrail.”

Yuzelia shook her head at Shen’s words.

Igrail, the land that was ruled by Reshenhardt.

Geographically located in the north, Igrail was positioned closest to the Frost Forest, where the strongest monsters among the Delbion Empire appeared.

The reason was that the first head of the Reshenhardt family, who had received the order of the first emperor of Delbion, had placed his territory where it was strategically important.

At the moment the dragon’s great breath touched it, the surrounding land softly melted, and its great wings covered the whole territory, blocking the sharp, cold wind that blew from the Frost Forest.

And thus, it was said that it had become a mild and prosperous land all year round, thanks to the blessing of the ancient dragon, Yggdraine, who has existed since the creation of this world.

“It’s still clean and pleasant here. Although it’s too small to compare it to the Great Temple of Port Plum.”

“Compared to the Great Temple of Port Plum, everywhere would be small. That’s because it is one of the most enormous places in the continent.”

Yuzelia, who had folded her hands together, carefully chose her words and then bowed her head.

“……They probably won’t make a move right away, right?”

Aquila, who had been deeply buried in the chair due to the shaking of the carriage, finally raised his head at her words.

“Since there haven’t been any previous cases of removing the Curse of Deadly Poison, they won’t suspect us right away. Because they’ll see that heading to the temple right now is just you desperately struggling to remove the curse.”

Yesterday, Aquila revealed during their discussion that the Priest of the Night was involved with the Curse of Deadly Poison.

Since everything would be revealed later anyway, he had wanted to tell the truth in advance and ask Yuzelia for help.

Besides, based on his past attempts, using the Temple of the Sun to counter the Temple of the Night had always been the most effective strategy.

And in the process, he discovered a shocking truth.

“I still can’t believe it. To think that the Priest of the Night was involved… and that Lady Celsia herself…”

The truth was that Celsia Reshenhardt was a follower of the Night.

The reason Shen and Yuzelia were able to quickly gather moonflowers from Reshenhardt’s garden the other day was because the garden was nearby.

Moonflowers are frequently offered as tributes to Helitica, the Night God, as they are symbolic of her.

“The person who cursed you, young master, is clear. She’s always considered you a thorn in her side.”

As soon as Shen had heard Aquila’s words, he had immediately concluded that Celsia Reshenhardt was the culprit.

He hadn’t been hiding his emotions much before, but since yesterday, Shen did not hide his contempt and disgust whenever he mentioned Celsia.

Aquila was unaware now, but it was certain that it was related to why his heart would feel chills whenever he heard Celcia’s name.

‘Still, at least we agree that Celsia Reshenhardt is the culprit. Judging by my previous attempts, the story of this world is not that complicated either.’

Aquila Reshenhardt was someone who was supposed to die.

He had perished in all twenty-nine previous iterations of this timeline, even before Aquila had taken over this body.

So, the odds of any complicated new twists or hidden motives being introduced were low.

‘The real question is why she targeted Aquila. If it were about the succession, Aquila is just the third son with no real chance of inheriting.’

Thump.

The carriage shook violently once more before gradually slowing.

The sound of a horse snorting and whinnying was followed by a knock on the carriage door.

It was a sign that they had arrived at the temple.

At that sound, Shen straightened up and turned towards Aquila.

“Hoo…”

Aquila let out a small breath.

One of the benefits of this world being a game was the ability to access detailed settings and storylines through the system after completing certain objectives.

‘…Right. For now, I should focus on the quest at hand. Once I clear it, everything will become clear.’

Aquila pulled his hood down deeply, as he had done when he got on the carriage.

Now was the time when he was going to find the miracle on his own.

***

The Sun God’s priest, Humbert, forcefully opened the shutters.

Now that it was March and spring had arrived, the already clear weather felt even sunnier.

Humbert diligently swept and cleaned every corner of the temple.

‘Another peaceful day. Just how I like it.’

The Sun Temple in Igrail wasn’t particularly large compared to others, and and there weren’t many people coming and going.

That was because the majority of the people of Igrail worshipped the Red Dragon.

That was why the temples that were part of Igrail, where the presence of other great beings were weak, showed a unique aspect that was different from other places.

Because of this, the temples in Igrael had developed a unique focus on roles like providing medical care or serving as orphanages.

Humbert himself was an orphan who had grown up in one such temple.

‘If I finish cleaning and prepare today’s snacks, I might just make it in time for the kids’ lessons…’

Humbert looked around the quiet temple.

Since the current head of the Reshenhardt family had recently left for a monster hunting in the northern Frost Forest, the temple would remain especially quiet for a while.

He blankly enjoyed the quiet and then, suddenly snapping out of it, he shook his head.

‘No, I need to be more focused, especially in times like these. Let’s move quickly!’

Humbert’s role was to protect the temple and take care of the children until the other priests returned.

If he finished his tasks well, then everything would be calm and peaceful in this beautiful temple today as well.

That was what he thought.

However, the peace that Humbert desired ended about ten minutes later, when a large carriage stopped in front of the temple.

Two knights dismounted their horses and escorted the people stepping out of the carriage.

There were three people in total: one was wearing a white robe like Humbert, and another was wearing clean but high-quality clothing made of fine fabric.

But among those people, the one who stood out the most was a tall person who was wearing a black hood.

That person was holding the hand of the priestess who was wearing the white robe.

Even though he couldn’t see his face properly, Humbert was startled as if he had been struck by lightning.

It was because he had seen a glimpse of bright red hair through the hood as he was walking closer.

Shen, who had stopped in front of Humbert, slightly nodded his head.

“My apologies for intruding at this early hour before the sun is fully up. The young master wishes to borrow a crystal orb that can be used to communicate with other temples.”

“Huh? Wh-what? The crystal? For what reason, and where…?”

Humbert, not being able to hold back his fluster at this sudden situation, spoke confusedly.

“If you intend to contact another temple, you must clearly state the temple’s name and the purpose for doing so, and…”

“To the Grand Temple of Port Plum.”

A cool voice cut through the awkward atmosphere.

Humbert, who had been faltering and stammering, stopped his words.

The man in the deep hood, Aquila Reshenhardt, spoke calmly.

“There is only one purpose to borrow the Holy Relic of the Sun God Rasphallara stored there, the Right Hand of the Halo.”