Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 46: Visit

Chapter 46: Visit

It happened shortly after 《Scarlet Wind》 set out to search for the Sky City.

At the Lightless family’s villa where Rofus resided, there were visitors.

They were a pair of women.

One was Yurika, a dark knight.

The other was a petite girl dressed in white clerical robes, her face hidden by a plain veil.

Yurika had brought the girl in white to this villa under the pretext of introducing her to Rofus.

Rofus, who was receiving them in the guest room, frowned at the unexpected visitors.

They had no prior appointment.

Normally, Rofus would not entertain visitors without prior notice, but since Yurika had brought them, he reluctantly agreed.

However, even after facing them, the girl in white did not introduce herself or even show her face, merely accompanying Yurika. Rofus, of course, could not treat her kindly and maintained a sullen expression throughout.

Sensing the atmosphere, Yurika prostrated herself at the feet of Rofus, who was sitting on the sofa with his cheek resting on his hand.

“Young Master, I thank you for receiving us despite our sudden visit. Please forgive us for not contacting you in advance.”

Rofus looked down at the bowing Yurika and responded with a sigh.

“…Since she is your companion, I won’t turn her away. But I would like to at least know her name.”

Rofus glanced sharply at the girl in white.

Yurika hastily raised her face.

“Young Master, I must ask for your forgiveness. This person has reasons for not revealing her identity…”

The girl in white stopped Yurika’s words with her hand.

“It’s alright, Yurika-sama.”

The girl in white turned her pale eyes, visible through the veil, to Rofus and removed the veil.

Her porcelain-like, fine white skin and long platinum blonde hair.

Seeing her face, Rofus widened his eyes.

“Thank you for accepting our sudden visit today, Rofus Ray Lightless-sama. I apologize for the late introduction. I am Fran, a saint from the Six Gods Church Headquarters. I have come today to treat your left eye and left arm.”

The saint Fran, with a gentle smile, bowed her head.

She was a girl counted among the companions of the protagonist Abel in the story.

＊

A sudden visit from a saint.

And this saint had come to treat Rofus.

It was none other than Yurika, the dark knight, who had brought her.

Rofus suddenly recalled the time when Yurika had treated him in Rougvelt.

After treating his left eye and left arm, Yurika had said:

“I will arrange for a more skilled mage than myself to be sent shortly.”

Rofus had thought she was referring to the knight captain Alba or the head of the family, Rudens, but it seemed he was mistaken.

Although quite some time had passed since then, it made sense that it would take three months if a saint, a symbol of the church, was the one moving.

Rofus glared at Yurika.

“…Yurika. Were you a part of the church all along?”

Yurika flinched at Rofus’s words.

Saint Fran stepped forward as if to protect her.

“Please do not blame her. Yurika-sama is genuinely concerned for Rofus-sama.”

Saint Fran bowed her head in place of Yurika, and Rofus snorted and looked away.

He had already sensed it when Yurika brought Saint Fran to treat him, revealing her connection to the church.

However, Rofus could understand.

If Yurika was from the church, it would explain her exceptional healing magic skills.

Though, there probably weren’t many in the church with healing magic as proficient as Yurika’s.

Rofus exhaled lightly and glanced at Yurika.

“You said you would bring a more skilled mage, but to think you would bring a saint.”

Saint Fran gave a small laugh at Rofus’s words.

“Yurika-sama’s healing magic skills are unparalleled even within the church. I cannot compare.”

“What is a saint, the symbol of the Six Gods Church, saying?”

Being an atheist, Rofus did not regard the church’s ways of worshiping something non-existent as right.

Hence, his words carried a slight tone of sarcasm, which Saint Fran seemed to notice, as she gave a bitter smile.

“The title of saint is just a decoration given by the church. I was chosen simply because I can handle a somewhat unique type of holy magic. If the position of saint were decided by pure healing magic skills, Yurika-sama would have become the saint.”

“…Is it alright for a saint to say such things?”

“It’s not. So please keep this conversation between us.”

Saint Fran smiled mischievously, and Rofus shrugged his shoulders.

Rofus recalled the story and understood.

That’s right, the saint was like this.

Saint Fran in the story was not like a typical saint.

To put it positively, she was down-to-earth; negatively, she was worldly.

Despite being a saint, she was not bound by the church’s doctrines, yet her holy magic skills were worthy of the saint’s title.

That was Rofus’s impression of Saint Fran.

And Saint Fran was one of the protagonist Abel’s companions in the story, which meant she was also one of those who had killed Rofus during the Four Heavenly Kings battle.

However, though Rofus was surprised by the sudden appearance of the saint, he did not feel any hatred towards her.

This might have been because Saint Fran was a pure healer and was not directly involved in Rofus’s death.

He had only been irritated by the fact that whenever he attacked Abel’s group, they were immediately healed.

Rofus was able to have a normal conversation with her because of this.

Saint Fran smiled and looked into Rofus’s jade left eye.

“Let’s begin the treatment right away. I’m actually here without the church’s knowledge, so I can’t stay long.”

“What? So you came all the way from the capital to Lightless territory, avoiding the church’s eyes? You managed to come despite being a saint?”

“Yes. That’s why it took some time to prepare. Although Yurika-sama consulted me quite a while ago… I apologize for the delay.”

Rofus stopped the bowing Saint Fran with his hand.

“No need to apologize. Frankly, I didn’t have much expectation to begin with. But, if that’s the case, I don’t feel the need to owe the church anything.”

As an atheist who didn’t hold a good impression of the church as an organization, Rofus felt relieved that he wouldn’t have to get involved with it.

Saint Fran smiled broadly in response.

“Please feel free to owe me and Yurika-sama, not the church.”

Saint Fran, who said such a frank thing despite being a saint, made Yurika nervously watch Rofus’s reaction.

However, Rofus didn’t seem offended; rather, he smiled as if in a good mood.

“Quite bold. Alright, let’s begin the treatment. If you can completely heal me, I promise to show my utmost gratitude.”

“Leave it to me. As a saint, I promise to provide the best treatment.”

A holy light-emitting magic circle unfolded behind Saint Fran.

Thus began the treatment of Rofus’s left eye and left arm by Saint Fran.

＊

The holy magic circle that had been deployed dissipated and vanished.

Saint Fran, her face pale, hung her head.

Yurika, who had assisted with the treatment, also looked down in an indescribable manner.

The gloomy atmosphere was like that of a funeral.

“Ah… don’t be so disheartened.”

“To think I boasted about providing the best treatment as a saint, only to end up so incompetent…”

Saint Fran was so deeply depressed that Rofus, who should have been the one being treated, ended up worrying about her.

In conclusion, even with the power of the saint, they couldn’t heal Rofus’s left eye and left arm.

Saint Fran was capable of handling all types of holy magic at a high level.

While her healing magic was slightly inferior to Yurika’s, Saint Fran specialized in dispelling and purification.

She was indeed the right person to treat Rofus’s left eye and left arm.

However, she couldn’t remove the strange magic that clung to Rofus’s left eye and left arm, obstructing the healing magic.

This foreign magic had been sealed by Yurika’s spell, so it wouldn’t harm Rofus directly, but what would happen if it were released was unclear.

Saint Fran, with a serious expression, looked at Rofus.

“The creature that inflicted these wounds on you was a whale-like monster, correct?”

Saint Fran spoke with a grave expression.

She seemed to have heard the details from Yurika.

“Yes,” Rofus nodded.

“This strange magical power, similar to a curse, residing in your left eye and left arm… I’ve tried my best, but it’s beyond my power to completely dispel it. In fact, meddling with it further might alert ‘the enemy’ to our location, so I can’t afford to take risks.”

“The enemy?”

“Haven’t you heard from Yurika? The one who cursed you. It could be the whale monster itself, or perhaps someone behind it.”

Yurika had mentioned before: 

The monster was akin to a god, an immortal being that could not die even if killed—or perhaps it was like a familiar, with its true form elsewhere.

In any case, it was certain that someone was cursing Rofus.

The wound from the demon whale was the cause of the curse.

The fact that the curse persisted even after killing the whale suggested there was someone behind it.

“Yurika’s sealing is perfect, but the curse is so strong that the seal is starting to fray over time. This time, Yurika and I reinforced the seal together and added another layer, so it should be safe for a year.”

“A fraying seal? Does that mean the seal needs to be reapplied every year?”

Rofus frowned, finding the idea troublesome.

Saint Fran shook her head in denial.

“I said it would be safe for a year, but that’s only an estimate. At the very least, I need to check it once a month. However, I can’t easily leave the capital. I’ll leave the periodic inspections to Yurika.”

Yurika nodded at Saint Fran’s words.

“Out of curiosity, what happens if the seal breaks and the curse is released?”

After a brief silence, Saint Fran answered Rolfas’ question.

“If the curse takes over, you will either die or…”

She paused, lowering her eyes.

“…or be taken over by the curse.”

“So the outcomes are either death or possession. How amusing.”

“This is no laughing matter… but you are quite bold.”

Saint Fran murmured, exasperated at Rofus’ small chuckle.

“Well then, see you in a year. Of course, if you come to the capital, there won’t be any need to adjust schedules.”

“It’s not that I mean any disrespect to a saint, but I’m also quite busy. I can’t leave my domain for long.”

“It’s hard for both of us with our responsibilities. But despite your youth, you seem to bear a lot.”

Saint Fran, who appeared about the same age as twelve-year-old Rofus, was already an adult despite her petite stature.

Rofuss stared at Saint Fran.

“I’m grateful. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“We’ll likely have a long association, until this curse is gone. If I need help, I won’t hesitate.”

Saint Fran smiled warmly, and Rofus allowed himself a slight smile in return.

After a brief farewell, Saint Fran left the villa with Yurika.

Rofus’ left eye remained blind, and his left arm was still missing, but they had gained valuable information.

The curse’s power was stronger than expected, and regular re-sealing was necessary.

If left unchecked, the curse would have caused severe trouble.

Rofus couldn’t sense the strange magical power of the curse, so he couldn’t notice the fraying or changes in the seal.

“Still, it won’t heal for a while. Maybe I should get a prosthetic arm.”

Alone in the guest room, Rofus mused while looking at his missing left arm.

Carlos entered the room.

“Have the guests left? And what about Yurika?”

“The connection with the church…”

Rofus wasn’t surprised that Carlos knew about the conversation despite having stepped out. He must have listened from the next room, ready to act in case of emergency.

This was part of Carlos’ job as Rofus’ personal butler and bodyguard.

“Nothing needs to be done. Yurika is a dark knight. Her background should be clear. Father probably knows about this.”

“But,” Rofus smirked as an idea came to him, “using this as leverage to make her resign from being a dark knight and become my personal attendant might be a good idea.”

Given the need for regular inspections by Yurika, having her close by was convenient for Rofus.

Carlos tilted his head.

“You seem to like Yurika a lot. Why do you want her close by? Any special reason?”

Rolfas gazed at the ceiling.

“Her black hair is beautiful.”

Carlos’ face twitched at Rolfas’ mumbled answer.

“Pardon?”

“What is it?”

“That’s all?”

“Is it a problem?”

“No… it’s just quite surprising. You like black hair?”

“Of course, I also value her exceptional healing magic skills. Holy magic users are rare.”

Carlos sighed, looking at Rofus.

“May I ask, do you intend to make Yurika your consort?”

“Consort? A mistress? I have no such plans… why do you ask?”

“Choosing a maid personally and keeping her close might be seen that way. Yurika might think so too.”

“Huh? When I asked her to be my aide before, she eagerly agreed… was she thinking of becoming a mistress?”

“No one would blame you for taking a maid as a lover at your position… but you are still a bit young.”

Rolfas turned away, looking annoyed.

“I said I have no such intentions…”

“Besides, your future wife might dislike it.”

“A wife? That’s years away.”

“Is it? You might marry as soon as you reach adulthood.”

“Who would I marry?”

“Whoever comes to mind, I suppose.”

“Ridiculous. A trick question? Besides, I told Fol to become a noble. A commoner can’t become a noble in three years.”

“I see. So Lady Falatiana came to mind, not the sky pirate girl.”

Carlos seemed relieved, and Rofus’ expression hardened.

“You seem eager to meet your end.”

Carlos paled at Rofus’ unusually low tone.

“I was only jesting—”

The spot where Carlos had stood was obliterated by Rofus’ dark magic, leaving the floor gouged out and dust rising.

Rofus glanced at the half-destroyed guest room, snorting.

Carlos was nowhere to be seen.

“Well, I saw my life flash before my eyes for a moment.”

Carlos stood behind Rofus, cold sweat dripping but unharmed.

Rofus narrowed his eyes.

“…I missed on purpose. Next time, I won’t.”

Rofus left the guest room, shutting the door coldly.

Carlos, left alone, wiped his brow and sighed.

“That was no miss… he meant to hit.”

Carlos looked at the gouged floor where he had stood, muttering.

After confirming Rofus’ departure, Carlos took out a notebook and pen.

“…Hmm. The sky pirate girl, Riruka, was it? Whether they’re lovers or not, they’re close. Rofus-sama still leans towards Lady Falatiana, but we can’t be complacent. And… Yurika…”

Carlos wrote something in his notebook.

“It’s the first time Rofus has shown interest in a woman. We can’t overlook this. Lady Falatiana has many rivals.”

Closing the notebook, Carlos scratched his head in puzzlement.

“Well, a heroine always has rivals. But Rofus in a love triangle… no, quadrangle?”

The notebook went back into his pocket.

The cover was boldly labeled “Sequel Notes.”

The nonfiction romance novel “Dark Noble and the Sailor Girl.”

Author, Carlos Idea Coldvak.

Secretly on sale in the Lightless Territory.