Chapter 27
Seria chuckled and took a handkerchief from her pocket, offering it to Abigail.
“If the Commander of the Knights, who is obligated to punish others, doesn’t file a complaint, won’t he face aggravated punishment? You don’t have to commit a crime like that for me, right?”
Elliot was an open-minded person. Of course, there was very little incidence of him clashing with Seria in the original story. But despite hearing about Seria's violence, he opened up to her without difficulty.
If it weren’t for the fact that Elliot was a nobleman who believed that those who were repentant deserved another chance, and if it weren’t for being a knight of Berg who had no choice but to be innately weak for Stern, he would have hated Seria for the rest of his life.
“But thank you for saying that, Sir Elliot,” Seria said, a bit embarrassed.
“Bibi, let’s go to the inn. I’ll take you there. Sir Elliot? I heard that Bibi’s rooms have been changed. Where are they?”
“I will take her there personally, Lady Seria.”
Seria nodded.
Seria pondered as she looked at Abigail's sword, which she had just received.
But Bibi’s words aren’t entirely wrong.
Abigail’s words were a bit violent, but there were times when her response was correct. It was to kill those who wished to harm her (Seria). There was no better solution than that. Of course, she didn’t want to kill Lina and Kalis. She didn’t want to kill them at all.
However, over the past year, she overlooked something very important. She believed that if she acted differently from the original Seria Stern, everything would be fine. Don’t be evil, don’t hit anyone, don’t be picky, don’t spill wine on people, don’t be mean to low-ranking nobles just because you’re a Stern.
She thought that if she did good and tried her best to repent for her terrible past (not that she did any of that, of course), she would avoid the tragic fate of the original story assigned to Seria.
She knew it wasn’t true.
And yet, she still thought the world of the novel was only made of ink. No, she was trying to think. Suddenly, the world that was supposed to be real changed, and she was assigned a role to play. Was she surprised by the fact that it was a “fixed” role?
As long as she breathed here, this world was her reality. She had to accept the fact that just as she was alive, so were the people around her, all the characters of the original story. Lina, Kalis, and also Lesche Berg. They were all living people.
It was her arrogance to predict that if she treated them kindly, they would return the favor, and if she treated them poorly, they would throw harmful things at her. She read the original story, but she didn’t read each and every one of their lives… So she changed her goal. She just had to hold the rope a little tighter to help herself.
Buy an island.
This Glick Empire was very large. It was natural since it had the strongest people on the continent. She was told that the southernmost part of the Glick Empire was bordered by beautiful tourist islands surrounded by beautiful coral and emerald seas.
I’ll pick one and buy it.
She would buy an entire island in the south and leave that place. More than anything, it was her long-time desire to travel to that place. Before possessing Seria, she was a poor graduate student. She lived on her lab salary and barely managed to cover the tuition with her research scholarship.
But even when she tried to get a job, her specialty almost always required her to go to graduate school. In the past, she was a zombie in the lab room. But even zombies had dreams, and she envied them as she searched and browsed the photos, one by one, of the occasional vacation spot she could afford. She even saved some of them in her gallery.
But now she was a Stern and knew the original story. Did that mean, strictly speaking, that she had many more chances to make a fortune than when she was a graduate student in her previous life?
‘I’ll earn a lot and save a lot.’
If Lina returned to the real world, she would come back here in a year. So, in the meantime, Seria could save money steadily, build her base, prepare funds, and flee. Of course, if somehow her neck was still cut off like in the original story… She had already made a plan to deal with that.
“I have to diligently inspect the glacier from now on.”
The more diligently she worked on the frozen lake, the glacier, and the Berg estate, the higher Seria Stern’s reputation would be. The rise in fame would also save the lives of nobles who were sometimes beheaded. It was the only thing she could do.
To do that, she would have to go to the temple and ask another Stern for permission. Mind you, Seria and most of the previous Sterns didn’t like visiting glaciers. Visiting other places wasn’t so difficult due to the good weather, but the glaciers, bordering the northern part of the Berg estate, were avoided by everyone due to the cold. Because of this, if she wanted to see more glaciers, they would be happy to oblige. She knew it was a matter of formalities and that she had to see a Stern in person at the temple and ask for permission.
The other Stern was probably Miyot. Had she ever met Seria?
The Sterns were close friends for generations. If the stars were solid, only the Milky Way would exist. Because it wasn’t the stars that would be noticed, but the path drawn by the stars that would be. The arrogant Stern and her friends preferred to shine alone. Well, even if they were arrogant, they were quiet, given that there were no rumors of them being as evil as Seria.
Seria hurriedly stood up, thinking she would write a letter to Miyot.
The knights' lodging was the largest building except for the main one.
“This way.”
“Did the floor change?”
“The knights have left. The rooms that were occupied were all good rooms, so while they were available, I made sure to assign one to Lady Abigail.”
When Kalis and Seria arrived at the main castle here in Berg for the wedding, there weren’t many guests in Berg Castle, so they were able to use the best annex. Abigail couldn’t accompany them at that time. Since she arrived at the Berg territory a bit later than expected, Abigail couldn’t pass through the main castle and had to join the group of Holy Knights in a hurry to defeat the monsters.
Actually, she didn’t know that at the time. When more than 20 families sent their knights representing their homes instead of their masters, Seria hurriedly secured a room for Abigail in the knights' lodging in the main castle, but the best floor was already full.
How she regretted lowering the rooms even less prestigious! She didn’t consider Abigail’s liking at that time.
Next time, I’ll keep that room.
She was too considerate of those knights; she wouldn’t do that next time.
“It’s warm!”
A trace of satisfaction leaked into Abigail’s voice. The mattress was new. The blanket was also new. It was nice. And the room was warm. Seria told Abigail not to go out and to rest a bit.
When Elliot followed Seria outside, Seria asked.
“Sir Elliot, I heard from Linon yesterday, is Laurel Manor really off-limits to the knights?”
At first, Seria thought Linon was joking because she couldn’t understand why a place like the venerable Berg Cradle was off-limits to the knights.
“Yes, my lady. It’s been years since I also entered the manor.”
“Why?”
Elliot seemed perplexed.
“Nothing about the manor is easy to say.”
“Oh, you’re right. It would be hard to tell a stranger.”
Then Elliot immediately denied it with a stern look.
“That’s not what I meant. You’re no longer a stranger.”
Elliot said it so solemnly that Seria felt quite embarrassed. She chuckled, and Elliot’s expression softened a bit.
“There is an unwritten law that none of the manor’s work should be talked about with those who have never visited the manor before. My lady will know when you go there today.”
“I understand. Oh, you don’t have to see me off. I’m going back to my room anyway.”
“Yes, my lady.”
After Seria left the knights' building with a relaxed step, Elliot pondered for a moment, then knocked on Abigail’s door before entering.
“Sir Abigail.”
Abigail, who was glued to the window and enjoying the sunlight, looked back.
There was a faint hint of something wrong on her cold, expressionless face.
“I came to warn you about what you said earlier. It was inappropriate to ask Lady Seria if you could kill the Saint and the Marquis. It could be misunderstood as a conspiracy to commit murder.”
“There was no one else but us.”
Abigail’s eyebrows slowly furrowed and then raised again.
“Is Sir Elliot going to press charges?”
“No, I won’t, but I knew Lady Abigail’s words weren’t a joke.”
“Nothing happened anyway, right?”
It was an insincere response. Abigail continued to try to ignore Elliot’s words, as was her habit, and then recalled something Seria had noticed earlier.
Now that she thought about it, this man had been watching her with sharp eyes as if trying to figure out what she was capable of in her spare time, and he was also the Commander of the Knights of this vast land. He was certainly outstanding. Abigail could count on one hand the number of knights who were that good.
The idea of becoming stronger crossed her mind.
“My grudge is the honor of a knight. Aren’t the insults my lady suffered enough?”
“Sir Abigail, you’re too blunt. If you go up to the capital with Lady Seria, many knights will be watching you.”
“So?”
“You should be careful. The knights of Berg are reticent, but those in the capital are not.”
Abigail lifted one side of her mouth.
“Why should I listen to Sir Elliot?”
