“Let me remind you once again that it would be wise to avoid any rash actions. Information is being relayed through a mage to the knight accompanying Erika Twain. If this signal is interrupted, there will be undesirable consequences.”

The threat was unmistakable. Rachel glanced at Duke Bermund’s reflection in the window glass. With Erika held hostage, she had no choice but to yield to his threats, yet she couldn’t simply wait until Erika was safe.

What if the Duke had set a trap to test her? What if Erika hadn’t actually returned to the Pluret estate but had been moved to another location under the Duke’s control? Ominous thoughts continuously flashed through Rachel’s mind.

Certainly, as the Duke said, without creating the Tears of Licorice, she couldn’t guarantee Erika’s safety. Nevertheless, Rachel refused to hastily accept his proposal. Despite Erika being in the Duke’s grasp, she needed to wait until her sister was as far from the mansion as possible.

Duke Bermund, seeing through Rachel’s thoughts, waited patiently. He knew that rushing her would only hinder his goals. Simply getting Rachel onto his chessboard according to his intentions was already satisfying enough. He only needed to wait a little longer.

Despite knowing the Duke’s intentions, Rachel eventually turned to face him. Considerable time had passed since Erika had left the Bermund estate.

“Have you finally made your decision?” Duke Bermund asked.

Rachel’s dry eyes turned toward him. Though her eyes had always revealed little emotion, now they were even more so—seemingly devoid of any feeling, completely barren. The Duke found her unusually cold gaze unsettling but paid it no mind.

Rachel was like a mouse in a trap. The mansion was surrounded by the Duke’s private soldiers, and a demon contractor stood guard behind her. He prided himself on being able to isolate Rachel completely, even without Erika as leverage.

Of course, rather than engaging in a pointless war of attrition with Rachel, concentrating his forces for the upcoming rebellion was more important, which was why he had taken Erika hostage in the first place.

“Yes, I’m ready,” Rachel’s answer was brief.

Duke Bermund barely managed to suppress his rising smile, realizing that antagonizing Rachel wouldn’t be wise.

“Excellent. Then would you please proceed?” The Duke gestured toward a small dagger on the table.

Rachel carefully approached the table and picked up the dagger’s handle. When she drew the blade from its sheath, a cool sound of metal sliding against metal filled the air. She stared down at the sharply honed blade for a moment. Just like when regressing—that’s all she needed to do.

To create the Tears of Licorice, she needed to end her life in this timeline by her own hand. Having done this over twenty times already, the task wasn’t particularly difficult for her. The pain would be intense, but she knew better than anyone that it wouldn’t last long.

She swallowed dryly and adjusted her grip on the dagger. Many eyes were watching her. This was the first time she would do this surrounded by so many people. Biting her lower lip firmly, Rachel raised the dagger high. Naturally, everyone’s attention shifted to the blade in her hand.

At that moment, commotion erupted from beyond the door. Duke Bermund turned his gaze from Rachel toward the door. Multiple footsteps mixed with screams could be heard. Something had gone wrong.

The Duke instinctively realized things were unraveling—the previously quiet hallway beyond the door had become noisy.

He jumped to his feet and strode toward the window where Rachel stood. Only then could he see the groups of people advancing on the mansion. At the forefront were knights wearing Imperial Knight armor, followed by soldiers rushing forward.

‘How could no one have noticed?’

With that many people approaching, there should have been tremors in the ground or noise. Yet he hadn’t detected anything until the soldiers were already upon them. Only then did Duke Bermund realize Rachel had deceived him.

“Lady Pluret!”

Duke Bermund turned to glare at Rachel. His narrowed eyes looked almost beast-like, but Rachel remained completely unfazed.

“You’re too late, Duke. The soldiers will soon storm this place,” Rachel replied calmly, seemingly having anticipated the soldiers’ arrival.

* * *

Rachel hadn’t initially sought out Duke Bermund with the intention of subduing him with imperial soldiers. When she first resolved to create the Tears of Licorice under his threats, she hadn’t anticipated this outcome at all.

However, while watching Erika depart in the carriage, she spotted imperial knights and soldiers waiting in the distance. At their head stood Ryan, Tervan, and Edward. Rachel had no idea how Edward had ended up among them, but she could at least recognize that the situation was turning in her favor.

From afar, Edward raised his index finger to his lips, signaling her to remain quiet for now. Fortunately, Duke Bermund seemed to think Rachel was taking a final moment to collect herself as she watched Erika leave. This made buying time relatively easy.

Despite the imperial knights advancing, there was no sound whatsoever. Rachel realized this must be the work of Edward and the Magic Tower mages.

The sight of imperial knights moving silently, without even torches lit, was truly magnificent. Rachel found it rather unfortunate that she alone could witness this spectacle, though she had no intention of inviting Duke Bermund to enjoy the view with her.

Next, she saw Erika’s carriage being safely rescued by the imperial knights. Rachel could clearly see Erika crying. Ryan promptly placed Erika back in a carriage and sent her in the direction of the Pluret estate.

After confirming Erika’s safe departure, Ryan looked back at Rachel. Their gazes met across the distance. Ryan nodded once, indicating everything was fine. Rachel wanted to nod back but decided against it due to Duke Bermund standing behind her.

Eventually, when she felt enough time had passed, she turned around. Pretending to be someone facing death before Duke Bermund wasn’t difficult. Having experienced death multiple times, she knew exactly what she looked like when facing it.

She recalled her most recent death before transitioning to this timeline—a surprisingly calm and composed end.

Drawing on those memories and emotions, Rachel gripped the dagger tightly. In truth, she wouldn’t have minded meeting her end here. Just as she raised the blade high, the image of a certain person flashed through her mind. That brief moment shook her resolve.

The imperial knights’ infiltration of the Duke’s mansion came at the perfect timing. Rachel had nearly revealed her vulnerability in front of Duke Bermund.

“So this was your doing,” Duke Bermund growled, lowering his voice like a beast about to pounce.

Rachel gripped the dagger handle firmly, preparing for any eventuality. She hadn’t only learned magic during her repeated regressions. Though she hadn’t formally trained with a sword like knights, she had learned basic blade handling to kill Witch Sara.

While she couldn’t match Duke Bermund, a swordsman, with her magic she could certainly handle him.

“You seemed to think you were observing everything alone. I merely awakened your vigilance,” Rachel replied calmly.

Duke Bermund gritted his teeth at her composed voice. “Are you saying you don’t care what happens to Erika Pluret?”

“No, quite the contrary.” Rachel stepped toward Duke Bermund as she answered. “I’m being this bold precisely because I’ve confirmed Erika’s safety, Duke.”

Rachel wore the same sly smile that Duke Bermund had shown when she was cornered.