Chapter 39
The Count of Bluewood had been completely stunned by how quickly his circumstances had collapsed. But belatedly, he began to thrash in panic.
“Y-you can’t go in there! Never! Those are the treasures I’ve collected my entire life—!”
“Stay still.”
Edmund’s sword pressed against the count’s neck, freezing him in place.
The boy who had been silently standing guard like a knight finally opened his mouth.
“If you keep being noisy, I’ll make you end up like your knights. I’m only treating you politely because you’re a count—at least in name.”
Edmund spoke like someone already using enormous restraint by not knocking the man unconscious on the spot.
The count was outraged, but with that sharp blade grazing his throat, he couldn’t even breathe properly.
It was the only possible outcome.
✦ ✦ ✦
The treasure vault of the Bluewood estate was sealed so thoroughly that not even a sliver of air could slip through. Its door was a massive slab of reinforced steel.
To enter, one had to rotate the handle in a specific sequence and direction—something that required considerable strength.
Even if one knew the correct pattern, a little field mouse could never open it with their strength.
And, of course, knights always guarded the entrance day and night.
“I finally get to see inside…”
Elodie looked around the treasure vault from within Sera’s arms.
But—
Nothing in particular dazzled her.
Her excitement vanished as quickly as it came.
She had wondered what sort of extraordinary relics were kept under such strict surveillance, but…
Well, I guess it makes sense.
For ten years, she had lived surrounded by the most extravagant splendor in the entire kingdom. How could such things possibly impress her now?
Her standards had been raised to ridiculous heights.
As she sat quietly watching Sera gather her late mother’s belongings—
Hmm?
Elodie spotted a rather striking bracelet tucked away in a corner.
At its center was a crimson gemstone, shimmering like a flickering flame, cut in a perfect round shape and set into a clean, elegant design.
No ornate patterns. No crest. No engraving.
Just the gemstone, brilliant and unadorned—making it all the more beautiful.
Other than Sera’s mother’s heirlooms, this one looks like the most valuable item here.
It was displayed inside a perfectly rectangular glass case—clear proof of its worth.
Not on the level of the Wiltshire marquisate’s ancestral treasures, of course, but at an auction? It would fetch an outrageous sum.
But just then—
“……!”
A stabbing pain pierced through Elodie’s skull, as if needles were pricking her brain.
She let out a small groan as her vision blurred.
“Elodie?”
She could hear Sera calling her, feel Sera hugging her tightly—but the piercing ringing in her ears drowned everything out.
And then—
A fragment of memory flashed by.
“Blessings upon the noble birth of Lady Ratson.”
“I, Nyx Basilisk, swear eternal loyalty—unchanging and everlasting.”
A man bowed deeply, his jet-black hair falling over his shoulders.
With a deceitfully silky voice, he pledged loyalty, placing his gloved hand over his heart.
A bracelet fit snugly around his wrist—the same one, with the crimson gemstone glowing like fire.
And when he lifted his head—
His blood-red eyes, the exact same color as the jewel, fixed on her with chilling precision.
Elodie instinctively knew.
This was a piece of the memory she had lost.
—
The scene warped.
She was being carried in someone’s arms—dragged away.
She struggled as hard as she could, but she couldn’t escape.
No matter how desperately she reached forward, she grasped only empty air.
Through the sleeve of the person carrying her, she glimpsed that same bracelet, just for an instant.
“Uwaaah—!! Mom, Dad—!!!”
Her screams filled the world.
It was unmistakably her own voice—her voice as a child.
“Now, now. Don’t cry, young lady.”
A black leather-gloved hand clamped over her mouth.
The voice that followed held an inexplicable hint of anticipation.
“You shouldn’t cry so soon. You’ll have a lifetime of tears ahead of you.”
“Mmmpf!”
“If the gods are watching you, I’m sure they’ll reach out their hand in salvation. After all, you’re a Ratson, aren’t you?”
It was mockery.
Pure, vicious mockery.
“Hahaha… Will the heavens punish me, I wonder?”
“Hah—!”
Elodie gasped sharply as she came back to herself.
Cold sweat dripped relentlessly down her forehead.
“Elodie! Elodie, are you conscious?”
Sera was crying, kneading Elodie’s cold hands desperately.
Edmund had appeared at some point, his face tight with alarm as he rifled through the inside of his jacket.
“I’ll activate an artifact to return us to Valkyrisen immediately.”
“Please, hurry!”
“You might feel dizzy, but endure it. It’ll be much faster than taking the carriage—”
“No!”
Elodie shot out a hand, stopping him.
“W-wait. Jus… just wait.”
Gritting her teeth so her words wouldn’t slur, she forced each syllable out clearly.
“That… bracelet. Where did… you get it.”
Sera and Edmund both turned toward the bracelet instinctively.
There was no family crest on it. They had no reason to recognize it.
But Elodie did.
She knew exactly who it belonged to.
Nyx Basilisk.
That was the name he’d given her.
The man who kidnapped her.
The man who cursed her.
And very likely the one who cast the curse on the entirety of House Ratson.
And his bracelet had turned up here—
Of all places… in the Bluewood treasure vault.
And Elodie had awakened from memory loss right here, in this very estate.
It was no coincidence.
Clenching her jaw, Elodie asked,
“Did you… trade with the bastard who kidnapped me and get that as payment?”
The moment the words left her mouth, Edmund’s eyes turned lethal.
He drew his sword and leveled it at Claire, the countess.
“Answer.”
The woman collapsed to her knees, trembling so violently her voice barely came out.
“T-there was… no such thing. You know this. We didn’t even know Lady Ratson was in the manor.”
“There’s no way to be sure of that.”
Edmund spoke harshly, but Elodie knew that particular statement was true.
The Bluewood family had truly been oblivious to the fact that a highborn mouse beastkin lived in their home.
If they’d known, they would never have behaved as they had—not in her past life, nor in this one.
“The bracelet was given to me two years ago. By a man wearing a mask. He said it was a gift.”
“And you expect us to believe that?”
“I-it’s the truth! He said something ridiculous—told me to exterminate every rat in the estate. Then he laughed to himself and left.”
If he truly wanted the rats exterminated, he would’ve waited to confirm the results before gifting the bracelet.
Meaning—
He had only said it to mock them.
To mock the Ratsons.
He’d left while laughing at her misery.
Elodie lifted her head and took a deep breath.
Of course.
He had said the gods would reach out to save her.
I don’t know why seeing that bracelet triggered my memory…
But the kidnapper himself had left behind a clue.
A clue that returned a crucial part of her missing past.
And, more importantly—
I remembered the most important piece of all.
Fifteen years’ worth of memories in the future.
Fifteen years… more than enough time to complete my revenge.
So—
“Heaven’s punishment? No.”
A chilling calm settled over her.
“I’ll be the one delivering it.”
