HSRD 03

Chapter 3

And then I saw it.

Izancel Lafmen, who had been standing so majestically just a moment ago, had collapsed lifelessly.

“…Wait, hold on.”

What’s happening all of a sudden?

The banquet hall instantly turned into chaos.

Everyone screamed, dropping the wine glasses they held, and ran.

A few approached Izancel Lafmen to check her condition.

‘Though honestly, it seems unnecessary to check.’

Blood—so much blood—had clearly flowed from her, pooling around her limp body.

No matter how strong a black panther beastman she was, there was no way she could survive bleeding this much.

But… a murder all of a sudden?

Has the genre suddenly turned into some kind of detective mystery without my consent?

Could all this have been happening while I wasn’t looking?

I tilted my head, surveying the situation.

‘With all this chaos… where is Duke Lafmen?’

I quickly scanned the chaotic hall for him. Luckily, he was tall enough to stand out easily.

But something about his reaction seemed off.

‘Why is he acting like that?’

His mother just died, and he’s not even showing sadness—he isn’t even checking on her?

That was when it happened. Duke Lafmen frowned and swept his gaze around the room sharply.

His stare was so intense that everyone, including me, froze in place.

Not hiding his fierce demeanor, the Duke swiftly moved his long legs and left the banquet hall.

Everyone who saw it, myself included, couldn’t help but be shocked.

‘What an unfilial son…’

At the very least, shouldn’t he be attending to his mother’s body? Is it enough just to glare and glance around?

With Duke Lafmen gone, someone who should have stepped up to manage the situation, the hall descended further into confusion.

“Call a physician at once!”
“We can’t leave Lady Izancel like this!”
“Where did Duke Lafmen go? I don’t understand what he’s thinking!”

Those who seemed closest to Izancel took charge of her care.

I gently patted Pine, who was still trembling in my arms, while staring at the entrance Duke Lafmen had exited through.

‘Should I follow him, even now?’

No matter how I looked at it, his behavior was strange.

I had never heard that Duke Lafmen and Izancel Lafmen had a bad relationship.

Even if they did…

With so many people watching, shouldn’t he at least make some kind of move?

Even if he couldn’t show concern for Izancel, shouldn’t he at least pretend to investigate the perpetrator?

Of course, all this confusion and doubt could be resolved by one assumption.

‘Could it be that Duke Lafmen knows this day repeats as well?’

If he knew, maybe he didn’t act because things would reset anyway…

To confirm this, I decided I should follow him.

Just then, Pine’s family approached.

“Pine! Where are you?”

Hearing their voices, she wriggled free from my arms.

“I’m here!”

She called out and looked at me.

“Aigle, thank you. I’ve never been in a situation like this before…”

“It’s okay. Go to your family now.”

“What about you? Where’s your family?”

“My family? Oh, my uncle is over there.”

I casually glanced around as Pine spoke.

There was Lily crying in a corner, comforted by her aunt, and her uncle was seriously talking with others nearby.

“They look fine.”
“I didn’t ask if they look fine!”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’ll go first!”
“Aigle!”

I patted Pine’s shoulder a few times and weaved through the crowd.

Where could Duke Lafmen have gone?

I hurried toward the entrance he had exited, when suddenly the world spun around me.

That feeling… I knew it!

I couldn’t withstand the sudden dizziness and collapsed onto the floor.

‘Ugh, I delayed too much trying to assess the situation.’

I should have followed Duke Lafmen immediately after he left!

Forcing my eyes open, I checked the time.

Just before the day would end.

‘Time for the reset…’

With that thought, I completely lost consciousness.

Chirp chirp—

The sound of birds woke me.

Rubbing my sleepy body upright, sunlight poured in through the window.

As usual, I checked the calendar and hung my head low.

“Okay… this is already the fifth reset.”

…But today’s reset morning isn’t going to be ordinary!

I jumped out of bed and threw open the window.

“Hello! Dazzling sunlight I see again! Chirping birds I hear again! Refreshing air I breathe again!”

Discovering the keyword “Duke Lafmen” as a clue for the reset was a major breakthrough.

I didn’t have solid evidence yet, but I had a feeling Duke Lafmen knew something.

So let’s get moving!

“It’s stressful that it’s Duke Lafmen, but there’s no choice!”

As in previous days, the maids came in to help me with my morning routine.

After a quick prep and a rushed breakfast, I dismissed them.

No one would be coming to my room for the time being.

With time to myself, I pulled out paper and pen and scribbled what I knew.

‘The first reset passed without me learning anything. The second, I snuck into my uncle’s study to find related info, but found nothing. The third, I researched resets in the palace library, but found nothing similar.’

Yesterday, the fourth, I had no energy to do anything.

After all, I usually lived leisurely, then suddenly rushed around searching everywhere—it’s no wonder I was exhausted.

Normally, one should sleep to recover, but here, at midnight, I was forcibly reset to the morning. Physically fine, but mentally drained.

‘Still, I need to find something to fill in on paper…’

Honestly, I hadn’t uncovered much, so I kept writing Duke Lafmen’s name over and over.

“I really need to meet Duke Lafmen.”

But where should I meet him? Should I go immediately, or wait for today’s banquet to approach him?

“I really don’t want to…”

I scribbled absentmindedly and sighed.

There was another notable fact about Duke Lafmen—his personality.

He was extremely sensitive and difficult.

Many young women, dazzled by his handsome exterior, approached him only to retreat in tears.

‘I’ve seen it happen firsthand.’

I recalled an incident from last year.

During the height of rose season, Pine and I attended a banquet at a beastman family estate.

While admiring their rose garden, we overheard a strange voice around the corner.

“If you’re looking for a partner, find someone else. I don’t have time for you.”
“You’re too harsh! We’re working on a business with your family! How can you treat me so coldly?”
“Tch, pathetic. I have no time to listen. What does that business have to do with you? Do I look idle enough to waste time on nonsense?”

The voice was bone-chillingly cold.

The sound of large footsteps faded, followed by a woman’s sobbing.

Frozen at the corner, Pine and I couldn’t move until the sobbing stopped.

I was just embarrassed, but Pine, as a rabbit beastman, had been overwhelmed by Duke Lafmen, the black panther beastman’s presence.

“Ha… Duke Lafmen. Definitely main male lead material.”

The arrogant, cold male lead is a romance classic.

I wasn’t sure if he’d be kind only to my girl.

Given his personality, rumors circulated: “Even a woman with orange eyes doesn’t show up because the Duke is nasty.”

‘Actually, she avoids him because it’s overwhelming, not because he’s nasty.’

Someone should tell Duke Lafmen to clearly state their purpose when seeking someone.

I continued doodling circles on the paper, then looked up and dropped my pen.

A quest from the messenger of God has been prepared for you, troubled one.

“…What’s that?”

I stepped back from the semi-transparent rectangular window floating in the air. It was like…

Yes! Something like the ‘info boxes’ from game fantasy novels!

‘After resets, now a floating window? What is this world?’

The message changed with a chime, regardless of my confusion.

The gift of the messenger of God, visible only to the chosen!
Main Quest!
~Meet Duke Lafmen before the day ends and stop the reset!~

Three sub-quests accompany the main quest for smooth progress.

Sub-quest 1
~Discover the “Lethe Stone” and “Altruistic Luck” from Nyx’s relics!~

“Nyx?”

Nyx was my mother’s name. Why her relics all of a sudden?

I sat silently, staring at the window.

No additional instructions appeared.

Frowning, I reached out and tapped it; the window vanished without a sound.

‘Where did it go?’

I looked around and waved over the spot it had appeared—suddenly, the window returned.

Three sub-quests accompany the main quest for smooth progress.

Sub-quest 1
~Discover the “Lethe Stone” and “Altruistic Luck” from Nyx’s relics!~

“So… the world I possessed wasn’t a romance fantasy, but a game fantasy?”

I titled my current situation like a novel.

After all, who am I?

A web novel heavy reader, accumulating big data from my previous life.

If I couldn’t adapt instantly, my expertise would be useless.

I calmly stared at the window again.

‘The messenger said this is a gift?’

Some temples existed in this world, worshiping deities, though not strongly present.

‘Classic fantasy world: dragons, nymphs, beastmen, and now a messenger of God.’

Scratching my cheek, I vanished the window using the same method as before and stood.

‘Well, I have no set plan anyway. With daily resets, what’s there I can’t do?’

Thinking that, I left my room and headed to my mother’s room one floor down.

Creak—

I opened the door and entered a sparse room with only simple furniture.

No one used this room anymore, so it had been a while since I entered.

‘Since my mother’s funeral, I rarely came here.’

I trudged to the bedside table and opened a drawer.

Inside lay a small box.

As my mother wished, everything else had been burned.

Thus, this box was her only remaining possession.

‘Aigle, don’t open this box until the time comes. Understand?’

“Mom… I guess the time has come.”

I answered my mother’s sudden memory and took the box from the drawer.

My mother’s relic, sealed here for the past eight years.

“Now! I reveal it!”