"I see, I see. So Uppi inherited Ro-chan's legacy and took over the land. That's why you found my villa and came poking around."
"……That's the gist of it."
Shoko let out a soft hum, a slightly forlorn expression crossing her face. Rest had disclosed this information not because he was being overwhelmed by the girl’s physical presence, but as a calculated move to move the negotiations forward.
"Right, right... So Ro-chan really is dead. I feel a bit bad for the guy."
"……Is that all? Don't you have anything else to say?"
Rest had already confessed to Shoko that he was the one who killed Rodel. He had intentionally offered the information to gauge her reaction, yet despite her claim that she had doted on her grandson, she showed no hint of anger or hatred toward him.
"The fact that the boy died was my fault—or rather, Frederica's. I have no right to hold a grudge against anyone."
"……I see."
In contrast, a flicker of irritation appeared on Rest's face. If she felt no hatred, did she also feel no remorse? If she truly was the Queen Dowager, then her indulgence was the very thing that had allowed Rodel to stray so far from the path of righteousness.
"Sorry about that. I'm essentially just a Residual Thought based on my previous life's personality. I don't really share Frederica's feelings. I know about Ro-chan, sure, but... it's like watching a character in a drama or a movie."
"……So you lack the perspective of the person actually involved?"
"I guess so?"
Shoko stood up from the bench. She took a theatrical wind-up and tossed her empty strawberry milk carton, landing it perfectly in a trash can several yards away.
"Since Uppi told me his story, I'll tell you mine. I died in an accident."
"An accident……"
"Yep. Then, next thing I knew, I’d been reborn into this world."
Shoko sat back down on the bench and crossed her legs.
"I was born and raised in this rural town... I was supposed to start university in the city soon. But then... I died without ever getting the chance to be an adult. I hadn't even had sex yet."
"…………A girl shouldn't say such things."
"That's a bit sexist, don't you think? Girls are just as interested in perverted stuff as guys are."
When Rest made a face of pure disgust, Shoko bared her teeth and made a mock-angry face, letting out a sharp, "Eeee!"
"Anyway, I was reincarnated here. As a Noble Lady, no less."
"…………"
"My new family cherished me. Papa and Mama were wonderful, my little brother was adorable, and I even had a handsome, kind fiancé. To top it all off... I even had a Reincarnation Gift. A cheat."
"A Reincarnation Gift…… A cheat……"
"Uh-huh. It was called 'Skuld's Eye.' It let me see the future. Pretty amazing, right?"
Shoko gave a playful giggle, disclosing the secret without a hint of hesitation. As suspected, she had indeed possessed a reincarnation cheat, specifically the power of precognition.
"……By the way, did you also have some kind of 'Charm' power?"
"Oh, so you're one of the people who suspected that? It's true I was super popular with the boys, but that was just my natural talent. I didn't use any weird powers for that."
"……Is that so."
"It is. That other guy... Gascoigne, was it? He suspected me too."
"Gascoigne…… You mean Leonardo Gascoigne?"
The Chairman of the Council of Sages. It was the first Rest had heard of him having a connection to the Queen Dowager.
"According to him, there are tons of reincarnated people in this world. About seventy-eight of them."
"That's a remarkably specific number……"
"I thought so, too. He said the number of reincarnated people is always seventy-eight. If one dies, another is born. Even the Reincarnation Gifts are recycled and passed down."
"…………"
Seventy-eight. That was the number of reincarnated souls, and likely the number of unique cheat abilities. Shoko had the precognitive "Skuld's Eye," and Rest had his source of infinite mana—the power apparently known as the "Ouroboros Circle."
"Apparently, it's one Reincarnation Gift per person. That's why there are seventy-eight people. He said all the big shots in the Council of Sages are reincarnated."
"I see…… So Gascoigne really was a reincarnated person after all."
"Yeah. Well, it doesn't really matter to me anymore."
Shoko reached into her pocket and produced a lollipop. She unwrapped it, popped it into her mouth, and began to lick it with a rhythmic smacking sound.
"Anyway, back to the story. I was reincarnated into this world, but I’d forgotten something. I’d forgotten that life is incredibly cruel."
"…………"
"I died in my first life before I could become an adult or fulfill my dreams. I never even got to pay my parents back for everything they did. And yet, I made the mistake of thinking this world would be different. Honestly, I was such a fool."
Shoko’s tone, which had been light and casual until now, suddenly turned sharp and cold.
"And that... was how I lost everything. The King at the time forced me to become his wife, and my family and fiancé were murdered for the crime of resisting."