Hard as it was to believe, it wasn’t a dream.
The sensation of my rice-cake-soft cheeks springing back.
And, at the same time, a faint, tingling pain.
There was no trace of the dry, sagging skin that had held not a hint of elasticity.
I finally stopped tugging at my cheeks.
At last, I was certain.
“Possession…? Are you serious…?”
Beyond the mirror, a blond girl muttered with a deep sigh.
She wasn’t someone I had never seen before.
In a situation like this, one could say she was a rather familiar existence.
“Elysia Lawrence…”
That was the identity of the girl in the mirror.
Her defining traits were…
First, she was cute and pretty.
Second, she was a character from the orthodox hero web novel I’d been devotedly reading for three years.
And third, she was the crazy bitch who had spectacularly ruined the ending.
There were some differences between how she looked now and the illustration in my memory.
The first time Elysia’s illustration appeared was when the protagonist was attending the academy.
Back then, unlike the harmless little pipsqueak she was now, she had been closer to a lady flaunting mature beauty.
Her eyes had been far more vicious than the round, innocent ones she had now, too.
In other words, this was before the main story.
“That aside.”
Why.
How.
Why, of all people, did I have to possess this woman?
“At least make me a supporting companion or something.”
Grumbling, I moved my clear green eyes.
The first thing I saw was a pair of pajamas full of frills, befitting a young lady.
Next was the bed placed all alone in the middle of an excessively large room.
Why is this room so empty?
Does this world have a minimalist philosophy too?
A small sigh slipped out of me, but perhaps thanks to those idle thoughts, my heart calmed a little more than before.
Once I regained my composure, the most fundamental question finally came to mind.
“Why did I become Elysia?”
“Why” did I become Elysia?
Why did “I” become Elysia?
Why did I become “Elysia”?
All three were questions.
But no matter how carefully I combed through my memories, nothing suitable came to mind.
The only suspicious thing was…
The memory of cursing out the author because of the final chapter?
“No, that’s totally unfair…!”
It’s not like I insulted their parents or said anything unspeakable.
I simply exercised my rights as a devoted reader to offer legitimate criticism.
And I didn’t even leave it as a comment. It was all in my head!
If anyone was going to be possessed, it should’ve been those guys in the comment section, so why me…
“Uuuuuugh!”
The more deeply I thought about it, the more I felt my temper rising again.
Calm down. Calm down.
I don’t know who the culprit is, but they’re definitely enjoying watching me fume.
Pshooo.
A sound like air leaking from a balloon slipped between my lips.
I stopped rubbing my face and started to plop down on the floor… only to awkwardly squat when the floor touching my bare thighs turned out to be cold.
Let’s put that question aside for now.
The brain has a maximum capacity for what it can process at once.
Rather than allocating space to a worry with no answer, I should invest it in something even slightly productive.
When I lifted my head, my eyes met Elysia’s in the mirror.
Elysia, squatting in the barren room, looked less like a young girl and more like a child.
“…!”
An idea flashed through my mind.
That’s right, a child!
A child whose baby fat hadn’t even gone away yet, whose arms and legs were stubby, and whose round eyes were adorable!
Not the witch who would later run wild with terrifying competence, but an innocent child who knew nothing!
“The past, huh… Hmm, hmmmm.”
The one who ruined the novel’s ending was Elysia.
And the one who obstructed the protagonist, the Hero, at every turn was also Elysia.
At the academy.
In the battle against the Demon King’s army officer.
In all sorts of incidents, big and small, Elysia became an obstacle.
In other words, if I looked at it another way…
“If Elysia just stays quiet, doesn’t that mean the protagonist’s future will be bright?”
A lightbulb flashed above my head!
It felt like I absolutely had to shout Eureka!
“Heheh.”
A nasal laugh slipped out on its own.
Let’s live an honest life. An honest one.
I’ve gone through all this trouble and become the daughter of a count, so I might as well eat good food, travel around, and enjoy power in my spare time.
And then, well, if I get bored, I can help the protagonist find some fortuitous encounters.
I still don’t know how to leave this world, but at least until I find a way, I can enjoy a leisurely healing life.
Clap—
I patted both cheeks with my palms and got to my feet.
Since this body was clearly fresh and overflowing with vitality, unlike usual, I didn’t hear any cracking from my knees.
One more thing to be satisfied with.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Heh?!”
Just as I was thinking I might as well try some stretches I’d never dared attempt before, a sudden knock rang out.
I reflexively sucked in a breath and shuddered.
When I turned my head toward the door, a monotonous knock sounded once again.
A butler? A maid? Or… Elysia’s family?
“Mm… The first trial is quick…”
How should I react?
In this kind of situation, the golden rule of possession stories is that you get suspected because you act poorly.
I worried for a moment, but soon shook my head.
This was my biggest flaw.
There were times when things could only be resolved by charging in first rather than worrying, but I always had the habit of endlessly fretting over meaningless things.
That was why I always ended up getting nowhere and missing my chances.
New wine should be put in new wineskins.
Whether I liked it or not, I had a new body now, so my mindset needed to become new as well.
“Ahem, ahem!”
I cleared my throat and put on what I thought was a solemn demeanor befitting the young lady of a count’s family.
Anyway, well… who would suspect a little baby like this just because she acted a little different from usual?
At most, they’d laugh it off, thinking, “Our young lady is in a good mood today~”
I checked my expression in the mirror a few times.
As naturally as possible, so emotions like panic or awkwardness wouldn’t show on the surface.
Then I toddled over on my short legs and stood in front of the door.
After taking a small, deep breath, I pulled on the firmly closed doorknob.
“Yes. What is—”
I succeeded in speaking naturally, but I didn’t manage to finish.
Because the person standing in front of the door was someone completely unexpected.
It was a girl.
A small, delicate girl who looked at most two or three years older than this body.
But the atmosphere the girl gave off was not light at all.
Her blue eyes, which should have sparkled like a sea holding starlight, had sunk darkly like an abyss where not a single ray of light entered.
So much so that simply meeting her gaze sent a chill through my entire body.
“Elysia.”
A mechanical stare, an emotionless voice.
The girl gazed at me and brought her hand to her waist.
Shing—
A sword was drawn from the sheath at her waist.
“…Huh?”
At that chilling sound, my heart dropped.
I knew who the girl was.
Of course I did.
She only looked a little younger, but just like me, her appearance was the spitting image of the illustration from the original work.
The protagonist of this world.
And the one who would, in the future, lose all her companions to Elysia and meet a bad ending herself—
“V-Veronica…?”
Without thinking, I uttered her name in a trembling voice.
“…”
At that moment, her movement came to a sharp halt.
For a brief instant, I thought I saw an extremely faint ripple pass through her eyes.
“…Hm.”
As if gauging something, Veronica silently stared at me with cold eyes.
Since she was a head taller than me—no, perhaps about half a head—it was enough to feel oppressive.
I desperately racked my brain while doing my best to ignore the goosebumps rising over my skin.
Why is Veronica here…?
Something had clearly gone wrong.
In the original, the protagonist, Veronica, first met Elysia during the first sparring class after entering the academy.
That was supposed to be far in the future compared to now.
Only fifteen.
Elysia’s talent, which allowed her to enroll early a full three years before the normal admission age, was truly overwhelming.
It wasn’t something Veronica, who had lived her entire life as a commoner and had only just awakened as the Hero before entering the academy, could handle.
In the end, Veronica was helplessly defeated by the magic of Elysia, who was much younger than her, and received the lowest score in the very first practical exercise.
And that defeat was the important event that awakened Veronica’s competitive spirit and pushed her to begin growing in earnest… so.
What the hell is this situation?!
Why is the protagonist right in front of me?!
Why is a kid who should be playing house in the neighborhood already holding a sword?!
“Hm…”
At that moment, the corners of Veronica’s tightly closed lips curled up slightly.
What I felt from that was an indescribable chill.
A sense of foreboding came over me, and I unknowingly stepped back.
However, before I had even retreated two full steps,
Veronica’s lips moved lightly.
“I thought there wouldn’t be anything left to surprise me anymore.”
Thwack—!
Something dull rang out, and my vision instantly went dark.
***
When she headed to the reception room while dragging the unconscious Elysia behind her, the pale-faced count shot to his feet.
Perhaps belatedly realizing he had failed to maintain his dignity, he cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
“…It is done, then. The cleanup will be handled by those who know how to keep their mouths shut, so there is no need to worry—”
“That won’t be necessary. She’s alive.”
When she dropped Elysia with a thud, Elysia let out a faint groan.
Only then did the count’s gaze, which had been fixed solely on her until now, turn to his own daughter.
In those eyes, there was none of the concern or anger that a father ought to have.
There must have been some personal history there, but she wasn’t particularly curious.
“Why?”
“The Goddess gave me her word.”
“Then what do you intend to do?”
“I will take her with me. That is the Goddess’s will.”
“…Mm.”
Perhaps Elysia was already about to wake, because she twitched with a frown on her face.
Thwack.
When she lightly struck the back of Elysia’s neck with her scabbard, Elysia quieted down again.
The count took his eyes off his daughter and looked at her.
“Do as you wish. However, what was promised…”
Promised.
The count was a man more obsessed with such things than with whatever happened to his own daughter.
In the previous round, and the round before that, always.
“…What the Goddess was concerned about was merely the disaster this witch would bring. She will not hold the faithful House of Lawrence accountable for the sins of one fallen individual.”
“Thank you. Take care on your way.”
In the count’s voice, she could sense his desire to drive her out as quickly as possible.
She felt the same.
She had no desire to exchange words with a beast less than human.
Instead of answering, she lightly bowed her head and left the reception room.
When she exited the mansion while dragging Elysia by the ankle, the coachman who had been waiting while leaning against the carriage opened his eyes wide.
It was probably because of the sight of Elysia being dragged along limply.
He roughly put out the cigarette he had been puffing on and hurried over.
“M-My lady. The witch’s corpse—”
“She’s only unconscious. Tie her up and load her into the luggage compartment so she can’t run even if she wakes.”
“Mm. As you wish.”
Leaving behind the coachman, who began searching the luggage compartment for rope without complaint, she climbed into the carriage.
“…What is this?”
As soon as she sat down, what came to mind was, of course, what had happened just moments ago.
There was a routine she never omitted in any regression.
Obtaining fortuitous encounters, laying the groundwork by earning the gratitude of those who would help her later…
And among them, the very first routine that had come into being was the removal of Elysia Lawrence.
She had not tried to kill her from the beginning.
In truth, if one excluded that twisted personality of hers, Elysia was a companion who ought to have been recruited as the top priority.
Magical talent without precedent.
Her overwhelming ability, which let her reign at the top even after entering the academy three years earlier than others, was undeniably alluring.
She had tried everything she could to make use of Elysia.
She had coaxed her with sweet words, and she had threatened her into obedience by force.
There had even been a round where she destroyed the House of Count Lawrence, sold Elysia into slavery, and broke her mind so that she would depend only on her.
But no matter what choice she made, no matter what branch she entered, Elysia was ultimately nothing more than an obstacle aiming for her neck.
Even if she initially joined her side as a reliable comrade, in the end, she would lose her mind, fall, and drive the world to ruin.
There were already more than enough variables to calculate in order to defeat the Demon King.
In that situation, it was impossible to deal with the ticking time bomb that was Elysia as well.
At least for her, it was beyond her abilities.
From the moment she concluded that Elysia could not be controlled, she decisively excluded her.
To ensure not even the bud of a variable remained, she killed Elysia in her childhood, before she awakened to magic.
With the memories of a regressor and the position of Hero chosen by the Goddess, removing the youngest daughter of a frontier count’s family was an easy matter.
This round had been the same.
The fate awaiting Elysia was for her head to be cut off in a single stroke.
Then she should have been burned as the future witch named by the Goddess.
However…
“V-Veronica…?”
Elysia’s voice kept circling in her ears.
“She recognized me…”
To obtain fortuitous encounters, to build her reputation.
In this round as well, she had steadily acted as the Hero from childhood.
But only her name and position were known, not her face.
There was no way someone she was meeting for the first time would recognize her identity as the Hero just by seeing her face.
In fact, throughout the countless regressions until now, Elysia had died without recognizing her even once.
And yet, Elysia in this round had clearly recognized her, and had even reacted as if flustered.
There were two hypotheses that could be inferred from the current situation.
Either there had been some variable caused by a mistake she made.
Or.
“She regressed, like me.”
If it was the former, then she could correct the mistake in the next regression.
But if it was the latter…
Tap. Tap.
As she tapped the hilt of her sword with her finger, a voice came from beyond the coachman’s window.
—I have loaded her into the luggage compartment as you ordered. Then we shall depart for the manor.
It was an answer she could not obtain while Elysia remained unconscious.
She shook off her thoughts about Elysia.
Instead, she closed her eyes and leaned back against the plush backrest.
Her mind filled with the urgent incidents she needed to resolve and the armaments she needed to obtain.