Chapter 7.2

Even in a time loop story, how can there be such a lack of dreams and hope?

‘I’m getting off this ride~’

As a reader, I would have chosen to quietly exit this story. But infuriatingly, I am a character in it! And not just any character, but the protagonist!

Of course, if I keep dying over and over, I might find a way out.

But…

“Ugh.”

I gently rubbed the area around my heart.

There was no wound, but just touching it brought back the shock of being stabbed by the sword.

I don’t want to die.

And if I have to die, I want it to be as few times as possible.

Enduring such pain repeatedly would surely kill my spirit, even if my body survived.

‘There must be a way.’

The author must have had some plan in mind. Surely.

<…So the female lead kills the male lead and then commits suicide.>

I did recall the preference of a girl who picked out chilling stories from the rental shop shelves.

And I remembered that the story I’m in now, <Untitled>, came from that very girl’s drawer.

Still, I decided to trust the author of this story once more.

‘Hmm, there must be a way… there must be… Ah, right! That’s it.’

I looked at the bottom of my status window.

When I checked last time, it had a grayed-out message below it.

But now, that message was gone, replaced by another.

‘Yes, yes! I can use this!’

I felt like throwing an uppercut into the air.

It was a piece of equipment I could use only three times.

But I was confident there wouldn’t be anything more ‘obstructive’ than this in the story.

‘Use it.’

As soon as I agreed to use it, a silver pistol appeared in my hand.

The gun, fitting snugly in my hand, was a revolver type, like the ones used in Russian roulette, with a cylinder for the bullets.

And inside it, there were three bullets loaded.

It seemed that shooting something with this gun would remove it from the story.

‘But how do I use it?’

The thing I wanted to remove wasn’t a person or an object.

To eliminate the setting that women can’t use magic, it was unclear where I should aim the gun.

‘Whom do I ask? There’s no customer service here.’

So, I tried to articulate my command, as if speaking to an AI speaker.

‘I want to use this gun to eliminate the setting that women can’t use magic.’

The good news was this form of communication worked. The bad news…

The very thing I wanted to eliminate most couldn’t be removed.

‘Then what can I use it on?’

An immediate response followed.

‘There’s the answer.’

Given those conditions, there was one clear target to eliminate.

‘Dad.’

If I could remove Simon Dayton from this story, at least the threat of death would be gone.

I looked at the clock, glowing in the dark through magic.

The hands pointed to 3:30 AM.

In my last life, it was around this time when everyone was asleep that I sneaked out of my room, and soon it would be the time when I met my first demise.

‘What could Mother’s letter possibly say?’

I had at least tried on the ring, but I was killed before I could open the thick letter that came out of the drawer.

I was itching to cross the hallway and retrieve it, but…

‘First things first, I need to eliminate the Marquis.’

After that, I would have plenty of time to enter Mother’s room, get the ring, and read the letter.

So, calming myself, I forced myself to sleep.

“Miss, breakfast is ready downstairs.”

However, when I finished preparing and left my room, following the maid Ethel’s guidance, the end of the corridor where Mother’s room was located was already enveloped in a bluish hue.

“Ethel, do you know what that is?”

“No, I’m not sure….”

Ethel shook her head.

As I approached the door, I felt a pressure pushing me back, similar to walking against a strong wind machine.

Still, I forcibly reached out for the doorknob.

“Ack!”

A sudden shock made me cry out. A searing pain spread throughout my body from my fingertips.

“Miss, are you alright?”

I flexed my tingling hand, gritting my teeth in silence.

‘He must have spent the night finding a way to destroy the evidence.’

There was no need to wonder who was behind this.

The bluish light covering the door was the same color as the opaque sword that had pierced my heart.

“Yes, I’m fine! Let’s go downstairs now.”

I reassured Ethel, while fumbling in my pocket, confirming the presence of the gun.

The way to open that door could wait until after I had eliminated Marquis Simon Dayton.

“Good morning, Edith. Father said he would skip breakfast.”

At the breakfast table, only my brother Johan was sitting, but I wasn’t disappointed.

I had no intention of aiming a gun in such a public place.

I had only one chance.

I had to aim correctly and shoot without hesitation. But first, I needed to understand my current situation.

I glanced at the butler Samuel, giving orders to other servants.

Considering the meaningful words he said in my previous life, Samuel was likely a loyal minion of the Marquis.

Anything slightly suspicious I say or do would probably reach my father’s ears immediately.

My younger brother Peter, who had left for the Academy, might have grasped the truth about Mother’s death, but he didn’t seem inclined to help me.

So, what about the brother Peter mentioned he would write to about my situation, my elder brother Johan?

What would Johan’s stance be?

Just then, Johan, who had been silently tearing his bread and putting it in his mouth, finally spoke.

“I heard from Peter…”