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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Blood Witch Roselia
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Why did the bed feel especially cozy today?
My body felt strangely comfortable. It was like slowly floating up on a cloud.
My mind was gradually clearing, but the sensation was so peaceful that I just wanted to drift back to sleep.
"Heh heh."
There was no musty moldy smell tickling my nose. The fresh floral scent wafting in from somewhere was unlike any I'd ever smelled before.
Did the orphanage get new beds? Had that greedy director finally decided to give us even a little of the funding?
What a miracle. That miserly woman knowing how to give.
Yeah, no.
Wait a second.
Something had definitely happened.
Right.
A horrific scream, and blood spurting up like a fountain.
In that chaos, what stuck in my memory was...
Hair like molten gold painted on, and between the strands, two gleaming red eyes.
As my hazy consciousness sharpened, the memories started flooding back.
"Gasp...!"
I shoved off the blanket and sat up.
This soft, cozy bed that made me want to sleep forever wasn't from the orphanage.
I frantically looked around the room.
From the carpet on the floor to the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Everything decorating the room was luxuriously elegant.
Not just the orphanage—even in all of Binhel village, I'd never seen such an opulent room.
There weren't many places to doubt.
Did that countess woman bring me here?
Platinum hair flowing smoothly like silk. Even without jewels adorning her, she had an antique elegance.
I'd never seen anyone so glamorous in my life.
But more than admiration, it felt off.
Flawless porcelain skin with eerie, shining red eyes.
I'd definitely seen her somewhere before.
It couldn't be from this life. Unless it was the empire, a girl raised in an orphanage her whole life wouldn't meet people like that.
Probably from the Kairen Chronicles.
I sifted through all my resurfacing memories.
With its vast world, plenty of characters in Kairen Chronicles had golden hair.
But if my memory was right, only one had such vivid red eyes.
"Uh, um..."
The moment her name surfaced in my mind, a chill ran down my spine.
Kairen Chronicles has colorful bosses.
Liches that resurrect endlessly, a spider queen that makes you gag just looking at her, a minotaur so massive it doesn't fit on screen.
And countless more.
From all origins and races, over three digits in number.
But only about twenty directly involved in the main story.
The rest appear in side quests or hidden events.
Some take human form.
And among those humanoid bosses, one annihilated parties with a flick of the wrist, becoming a wall of despair for countless players.
A hidden boss and black, only reachable by unlocking the hidden storyline and special route.
The Blood Witch Roselia.
Most players avoided her due to her absurd difficulty.
Coincidentally, the only one in my memory with platinum hair and red eyes was her.
"...No way."
I shook my head vigorously, denying the reality before me.
How vast is this world?
Even if she didn't appear in the game, a woman with platinum hair and red eyes could exist anywhere without issue.
It had to be someone else. It must be.
The Blood Witch was definitely part of a count family.
I didn't remember the family name, but Roselia hid her identity while maintaining the facade of a harmonious count household.
But the reality was a family with a madness-consumed mother and a psychopathic daughter bent on burning the world to ash.
...Come to think of it, the director mentioned a countess.
The situation fit too perfectly, and I swallowed dryly.
It must be coincidence.
It has to be. It must be.
Even if I'm cursed with bad luck, reincarnated yet still an orphan.
I don't think I'm unlucky enough to get caught by the black who pops people like balloons.
That'd be too tragic a fate.
"You're awake?"
Lost in my thoughts, her voice flowed into my ears, freezing my entire body.
I barely turned my creaking head toward the voice.
"Hic!"
Meeting those eerily gleaming blood-red eyes, I hiccuped involuntarily.
"How's your condition?"
She took one step, then another toward me.
The rose scent brushing my nose grew thicker, and the choking killing intent drew closer.
No.
I pushed away the thought that she might be the Blood Witch and suppressed my inner fear.
"Your color doesn't look good. The doctor said there'd be no issues, but are you still hurting?"
She asked with a faint smile.
It seemed kind, but her sharp features made even that smile feel ominous somehow.
"...Are you okay?"
She cautiously extended a hand.
In the approaching shadow, I instinctively scooted to the edge of the bed.
"..."
Her hand hovered in the air, aimless.
Worried she'd misunderstand, I spat out excuses hurriedly.
"Sorry... I... I'm scared of being touched..."
"..."
"It's not that I hate it. It's just... my body... rejects it on its own..."
"I get it, so stop talking."
Was it my imagination? Her eyes seemed to darken a bit.
Had I upset her?
"But this should be fine."
Suddenly, her hand shot out and grabbed the back of my collar.
Then, like picking up a kitten by the scruff, she lifted me lightly.
In an instant, my arms and legs dangled in the air.
"I didn't sleep a wink last night, you see. So forgive me if I'm a bit sensitive."
"Y-yes...?"
"I thought it'd get better, but after one good sleep, the insomnia bugs me even more."
Her red eyes gleamed chillingly at breath's distance.
A cold killing intent swirled, ready to devour me anytime.
But maybe because it wasn't the first time, it wasn't suffocating like before.
"Did you... get me out of the orphanage?"
"Yes. It was what you wanted, right?"
The woman smiled gently with her eyes.
Her lashes were so long, I absentmindedly thought they were beautiful.
"Thank you so much for helping. Um, could I ask your name?"
The black boss with platinum hair and red eyes was definitely Roselia. I desperately hoped it wasn't that name.
But as if mocking my wish,
The most dreaded name slipped from her lips.
"Roselia Rahel Tani. Just call me Lady Roselia."
"..."
A second hiccup burst out uncontrollably.
"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
No. This is the face of someone who saw the future mass murderer of hundreds of thousands.
"You've been like this from before, not answering questions well. Is that a habit?"
Her sinking gaze chilled my whole body.
"N-no! I'll answer properly!"
In my desperation to live, my voice came out louder than intended.
But that earnest cry only made her expression colder.
"...Tch."
Roselia glared sharply, visibly annoyed.
"This won't do, you."
With those words, the strangling killing intent intensified.
I'm dead.
Going to die.
Even a fake cough, and I'm gone.
Displease her even a little, and she'll burst my head. That's Roselia's nature.
My body trembled. My mind went blank, breaths quickening.
I have to beg. I don't want to die like this.
At least not before proving I can do something on my own.
I squeezed my eyes shut and forced out my voice.
"Pl-please spare..."
"Let's wash up first. You reek of the sewer."
The unexpected reply came.
I cautiously opened my tightly shut eyes and looked at her.
"Huh?"
"Hard to talk with the smell right now."
At her playful smile,
My face burned with shame.
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