Chapter 232: The Sword Maid
"Uncle, thank you!"
Susan stood up and walked back along the street where she had come from.
"Was it another fruitless day?"
Walking down the street, Susan's face was filled with disappointment.
She couldn't afford to waste any more time.
The assassin would act tomorrow afternoon.
If she couldn't find Silver Mask before then, it would lead to another bad ending.
When Susan returned to the mansion, the sky was gradually darkening.
That night, the dining hall of the mansion was brightly lit.
"Elisa, when will Earl Bard return?"
Susan's words caused Emma and her sister to exchange subtle looks.
"Lord Bard went to the Garrison Fort; he probably won't be back for several days."
Although she knew Bard wouldn't make it back in time.
After all, in every previous death rewind, Bard had never returned.
The assassin always took advantage of Bard's absence to invade the mansion.
But Susan couldn't help but ask.
Susan looked disappointed, eating dinner absentmindedly.
"Susan, did you find something you like doing during the day?"
Susan didn't answer and just sighed.
Seeing Susan's lifeless demeanor, Elisa smiled faintly.
"Don't worry, take your time."
Time passed little by little, and the night deepened.
As the lights in the mansion went out, everything fell silent.
The mansion was eerily quiet in the dead of night.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor.
A staggering figure emerged from around the corner.
Her pupils were dilated, and she was covered in blood.
Her left arm was gone, with blood pouring out in torrents.
Wherever she passed, the floor was stained with a long trail of blood.
"Why, why, Emma, why is this happening?"
Susan ran in terror, muttering to herself.
Gentle Emma had attacked her tonight.
This had never happened in previous death rewinds.
She thought she had gained Emma and her sister's trust.
It turned out she was too naive.
As she ran, Susan grew weaker from excessive blood loss.
She stumbled and fell to the ground.
Using the last of her strength, she propped herself against a wall.
In her dimming vision, a graceful figure emerged from the darkness.
Still dressed in her maid uniform, she held a gleaming silver sword.
Her face was icy cold, and her eyes were filled with murderous intent.
"Emma, why?"
Susan looked at the approaching Emma with despair.
Emma's crisp footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Standing before Susan, Emma said nothing.
Expressionless, she slashed down with her sword.
Under the moonlight, the shadow on the wall split in two.
---
Morning, Earl Bard's Mansion.
In a room on the second floor, a girl on the bed suddenly opened her eyes.
"Emma, why?"
Tears streamed down the girl's face.
She turned over and curled up on the bed, crying.
Dying over and over again had left Susan in despair.
The pain before death tortured her spirit.
Susan had never hated her ability so much.
Experiencing death once was enough.
Why did she have to die repeatedly?
Was her transmigration to this otherworld meant for her to experience different ways of dying?
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Before long, the expected knocking came again.
Susan wiped her tears, got out of bed, and opened the door at the same time as always.
Outside the door, Susan saw Emma once more.
But this time, a trace of fear flashed in Susan's eyes as she looked at Emma.
"Miss Susan, what's wrong?"
Noticing Susan's odd gaze, Emma felt a bit concerned.
As an advanced swordswoman, Emma was sensitive to looks.
Miss Susan seemed to be afraid of her.
Why?
"N-nothing. I'll change and come down shortly!"
Not overthinking it, Emma placed her hands on her abdomen and curtsied to Susan.
Then, she turned and left.
Watching Emma's departing figure, Susan's expression was complex.
She didn't know what mistake she'd made to provoke Emma into killing her.
Susan returned to her room, looking lost.
The despairing Susan numbly changed out of her pajamas.
Though young, she already had a charming allure.
Over the next two days, Emma did nothing unusual.
Susan spent her days in a daze, eating in the dining hall before returning to her room to lie down.
"Emma, what's wrong with Susan?" Elisa asked, watching Susan's departing figure with concern in the dining hall.
Since yesterday, Susan had seemed off, as if she had no energy and was harboring a secret.
When asked what was wrong, she wouldn't say anything.
Emma and Aya exchanged glances, both looking at Susan's graceful departing figure.
"Your Highness, women always have a few uncomfortable days."
Hearing this, Elisa's face turned slightly red.
But was that really the case?
That night, Susan lay exhausted on her bed.
Even after sleeping for two days, she still didn't want to move.
It wasn't her body that was tired but her spirit.
"Is this really okay?"
A voice roared within her.
"Run, escape the mansion. Surviving is what matters most."
Another voice tempted her.
Burying her head under the blanket, Susan held her head in anguish.
The night deepened.
Even the longest night would eventually give way to dawn.
As dawn broke, heralding a new day, a strange figure appeared outside Bard's mansion.
He was cloaked entirely in black.
"This should be the place!"
Looking at the mansion, Li Meng muttered to himself.
In the last time rewind, that girl's death had occurred earlier.
The rewind had triggered on the previous night.
At that time, he had just arrived outside Obenlo City.
Without hesitation, Li Meng rang the bell outside the main gate.
The ringing echoed loudly.
Before long, the mansion's gate opened.
A maid in a Gothic-style uniform stepped out.
[Crystal Apostle (Elite)]
[Level: 67]
[Strength: 710]
[Defense: 647]
[Agility: 747]
[Magic: 517]
[Crystal Magic (?)]
[Crystal Magic (?)]
[Crystal Magic (?)]
Judging by the stats, she was likely a swordswoman.
"A sword maid, huh?"
Li Meng watched with interest as the maid walked toward the gate.
A mere maid turned out to be an advanced swordswoman.
Li Meng grew increasingly curious about the mansion's owner.
"Who are you?"
Seeing the suspicious figure outside, Aya frowned.
The person outside was too peculiar.
Dressed in a black cloak, with only a silver mask visible under his hood.
Li Meng extended his bandaged right hand from under the cloak and placed it over his chest in a salute.
"Beautiful maid, my name is Silver Mask. May I ask if a girl named Susan resides here?"