Chapter 10: Chloria

Time passes so quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was the autumn of 1457. This year, I was seventeen.

My name is Rekulai Katrana, an utterly ordinary young master of a viscount family–no, to be precise, a wastrel. But compared to the true wastrels of the Royal Capital, I am far behind; at most, I am a follower-level one.

I have always hidden a secret: I am actually a reincarnator. My dream? To become the kind of Knight Passing By who “just happens to pass by, saves someone along the way, and then leaves coolly.” For that, I have been secretly training.

But now, I am troubled by one thing.

“Hey, you brat, where do you think you’re sneaking off to? Do you want to bring shame to the Katrana family?!”

“For something like the princess’s banquet, shouldn’t the heir to the title go? Logically, my older sister should go. Why should I join in?”

In this world, beautiful girls have high combat strength and strong learning ability, yet their social status is not as low as in the normal Middle Ages, and social recognition of them is very high. As a yuri work, girls flirting with each other, or even forming families after getting pregnant, is not unusual. So you see, magic really is wonderful.

“Your sister has gone to the academy for further study! Unlike you, all you know how to do is procrastinate all day. Every time I tell you to go to school and learn something, you find an excuse to refuse. What will you do about starting a family and building a career in the future? I’m asking you?!”

“This time, I won’t let you run away no matter what.”

“Is that really so?”

“I’ll cut your allowance.”

“…This, too, is unavoidable.”

I made an expression like I was about to march to my death, which made Viscount Katrana furious. He grabbed a feather duster and gave my backside a thorough beating.

“Show a sincere attitude!”

……

That is how it happened.

Sigh.

Why is it so exhausting to just be a Knight Passing By in peace? The real reason I won’t go to school, and don’t want to go to the princess’s banquet, is only one–Phoenix Proud Heaven.

“Chloria Aurora.”

Story-wise, she should be starting the main plot on this timeline and gradually becoming active. And as the number one rival in the early part of the script, I am clearly a thorn in the side of Phoenix Proud Heaven. Wanting to stay nicely hidden as my dark-night hero, being noticed by a Phoenix Proud Heaven like her, feels uncomfortable no matter how I think about it.

It’s not that I can’t beat her, it’s just–troublesome.

If I remember correctly, Phoenix Proud Heaven will also appear at this princess’s banquet. That is the first act in her script where she makes a name for herself.

A wastrel viscount who doesn’t know his place tries to hit on the princess and confesses to her in public; after the confession fails, love turns to hate, he erupts emotionally in public, and then Phoenix Proud Heaven intercepts him with a face-slap.

If I go, even if I don’t hit on the princess, I will still affect the later plot. Based on the past-life memories Phoenix Proud Heaven possesses, she will definitely fix her eyes on me.

On one side, I’d be on Phoenix Proud Heaven’s radar; on the other, my allowance would be cut. It took me less than a second to make the difficult choice–

I’ll still go.

Although Phoenix Proud Heaven is indeed a troublesome person, my allowance is one of the necessary startup funds for being a night vigilante. It is extremely, extremely important. It absolutely cannot be touched.

……

“I hope nothing goes wrong.”

I rode the steam train that has risen in popularity in recent years, heading from the countryside to the Royal Capital. Sitting on the soft leather seat, I felt very curious.

“I didn’t expect this other world to have introduced steam trains too. The original work never mentioned it. How strange.”

“So comfortable. It’s a hundred times better than the carriage we used to ride at home.”

Woo–woo–

The train’s arrival announcement reminded me to get off.

“From the looks of you, this is your first time riding our train.” The conductor reminded me to get off, and seeing me eagerly examining the train’s structure, he spoke without thinking.

“Yes. The design is super awesome.”

“First time in the Royal Capital? Do you need me to recommend a guide?”

“No need. I’ve been here many times.”

I answered casually a few times, whistled, and got off the train. After leaving the station, I still had to go to a clothing store to buy a formal suit, and buy one as plain as possible. I can’t be too conspicuous–this is a necessary quality for a Knight Passing By.

But I didn’t know that after I got off the train, the conductor smiled and looked toward a silent girl on the other side.

“Miss… are you not getting off at this station?”

The girl stood up and looked coldly at the conductor, a trace of killing intent in her eyes.

The conductor was so frightened that he immediately stepped back a few paces.

“Sorry.”

After saying that, the girl turned and left.

…..

“I didn’t expect to run into him the first time I rode a train. It really is him! Although his aura has changed a lot, even if I were reduced to ashes, I would still recognize that look of his!” The girl’s face darkened; her good mood for the day had vanished the moment she saw Rekulai.

The girl was none other than Chloria, full name “Chloria Aurora”.

In her previous life, she had worked hard her whole life, constantly climbing upward from a baron family at the bottom of life, only to unfortunately meet a sticky piece of candy that always obstructed her life’s path.

She had thought he was just an ordinary small fry. Compared to her, who kept working hard to improve and had talent, this sticky candy would sooner or later be crushed to death by the tide of the era. She would roll over him, use him as a stepping stone, and finally stand at a new height, challenge new enemies, become a winner in life, and marry a beautiful rich woman.

But life is always so unsatisfactory. That sticky candy just kept pestering relentlessly, unshakable, as if just when you finally became a little stronger, he also raised his difficulty level.

In the end, she finally cornered that sticky candy and buried him at the bottom of a Secret Realm.

Unexpectedly, he obtained the inheritance of evil power inside the Secret Realm, made a comeback, and joined forces with the cults of other demon gods to slaughter freely in the Royal Capital. In the end, she died miserably in that cult ritual that affected the entire Royal Capital, and in her very last glance before death.

It was none other than Rekulai’s pale, disgusting face covered with corpse spots, stepping on her head, picking up a knife, and forcibly severing her head on the spot.

Even at the very end, Rekulai’s merciless mockery still echoed in her ears.

“How pathetic, Chloria.”

Bang!

The wall cracked slightly. As soon as Chloria recalled that scene, she clenched her teeth and punched the wall, and the wall let out a rumbling sound as if unable to bear it.

“One day…”

“I’ll kill you!”

Recalling the past life she could not bear to look back on, fortunately, when God closes a window for you, he opens a door for you.

She was reborn.

She was reborn to a time before everything had happened, reborn to a time when she was still immersed in the breakthrough in strength she had gained from awakening the Hero’s Sword.

In her previous life, in order to become stronger, she had constantly raised her power and abandoned those female confidantes, ultimately ending up alone and dying miserably.

In this life, she would take the direct approach: not only would she build a harem, but she would also crush everyone who had bullied her in her previous life!

“However, this world seems somewhat different. And what kind of transportation is a steam train? Did this thing exist in my previous life?”