Chapter 4…
“…Are you kidding me?”
You’re telling someone who already died of a terminal illness that they’re doomed to another terminal life?
If I just purified the contaminated land and lived properly, wouldn’t I avoid getting an incurable disease?
Or is it the system… are you also bullying Muriel now?
｡:ﾟ(;´∩`;)ﾟ:｡ Nooo~! That’s not it!
…So it says.
Then what the hell is this?!
As irritation surged up, I demanded an explanation, and the system even added emoticons as it emphasized its response.
Please quickly gather coins and purchase the ‘Fate Distortion’ item to apply it! (T△T)
‘Fate….’
I rolled that unpleasant word around in my head.
Does that mean Muriel’s “fate” is to die of an incurable disease and remain as Raul’s lifelong regret?
But I can change that fate with my own efforts?
Correct~! o(^▽^)o
“…….”
It said there were 99 days left.
I should probably find out how much that so-called Fate Distortion item costs first.
I quickly opened the shop window and searched for “Fate Distortion.”
And then…
Myth-grade items can only be purchased after opening the Hidden Shop!
Instead of the item, only that message appeared.
‘What the hell is a Hidden Shop now?!’
5,000 coins are required to open the Hidden Shop.
“Hey, you son of a—”
Quest generated! <Let’s Gather Coins!>
Just before a string of curses could escape my mouth, something else popped up.
…A quest?
<Let’s Gather Coins!>
Would you like to accept this quest?
Accept
“W-What… is this?”
A chill shot down my spine, and my body froze on its own.
“Master! What’s wrong?”
“Ah—no, it’s nothing….”
Only after hearing the spirit’s worried voice did I calm down a little.
Is this system insane…?
Even now, the [Accept] buttons were endlessly scrolling upward. It looked like it had no intention of stopping until I pressed one.
‘I’ll press it, so calm down… this is scary.’
I have to gather coins anyway, so there’s no choice but to accept the quest.
What’s suspicious is why the system is this obsessed with me collecting coins….
No—more precisely, with collecting coins to buy the Fate Distortion item.
‘…Does it want me to change Muriel’s fate?’
Staring suspiciously at the bluish window, I pressed [Quest accepted!
Coin acquisition method:
Synchronization of ‘Muriel’s Memories’
…What?
Downloading partial memories from the backup server.
Progress: 67%
Completion imminent.
‘Synchronization?’
Download complete!
Beginning synchronization of partial memories.
Please brace yourself for shock.
Hey, wait a second—
Startled, I reached out into the air.
But in the next moment, my vision went completely black.
Thud.
My consciousness cut out.
I was clinging desperately to the hem of a man’s clothes.
“Please… please listen to me. I didn’t do it. This is all a misunderstanding—”
A frigid gaze pierced down at me.
My husband, Raul Winterberg.
He hated me, the daughter of his family’s sworn enemy. In truth, I was the one abused and mistreated within the Terni family—but he didn’t know that.
No, he didn’t even try to know.
Whenever I tried to tell him what my life in Terni had been like, the abuse I’d endured since childhood, he never listened.
Not once.
“I’m sick of that tearful performance of yours.”
He dismissed the tears pouring from me—tears born of genuine sorrow—as an act. There wasn’t a shred of warmth in the way he looked at me.
…Did he not even feel pity?
“We have secured testimony from multiple servants stating that you were the one who defaced my parents’ portraits. Don’t think you can wriggle your way out of this by clinging to me so pathetically.”
“No! I really—I really never did anything like that…!”
“When the horse I cherished died,”
The murderous chill radiating from him made my body tremble involuntarily.
“You claimed it wasn’t you then as well. Yet clear evidence was found in your room.”
“N-No, that was, I—”
“And when the documents calculating troop deployments for the dungeon raid were stolen.”
“…….”
“You said it wasn’t your doing.”
All of it had been false accusations. And the last incident had been orchestrated by a maid planted by my own family, the Terni.
I swear to heaven, none of it was my doing—yet I bore every accusation.
Because everyone hated me.
Because here, in Winterberg, I was the daughter of an enemy who deserved to die….
And in Terni, I was nothing more than a disposable tool.
In this world… was there even a place for me?
“I can no longer tolerate you.”
“…….”
“A decision regarding your punishment will be made today. Return to your room and remain quiet, doing nothing. If you cause another disturbance, I may have no choice but to lock you in a storage room—even if you are a duchess in name.”
It was only then that I realized—
I no longer wanted to live.
And so that night, I took out the poison I had hidden away and swallowed every last drop.
“H-Hah…!”
My heart thudded violently, as if it were about to burst.
Coming to my senses, I blinked rapidly while gasping for breath.
‘What was that? A dream? A hallucination?’
But it was too vivid to be either.
It felt as though I’d lived through it myself….
The emotions. The tears. The pain crushing my heart….
“…….”
A single tear slid down my cheek. Absentmindedly, I raised my hand and wiped away the moisture. Only then did I realize I was crying.
The tears kept falling, regardless of my will, as if my tear ducts were broken.
‘…Did it transfer not just Muriel’s memories, but her emotions too?’
“Master! Are you okay?! Oh my goodness! You suddenly collapsed—what in the world happened?!”
The spirit’s panicked voice pierced my eardrums.
I grabbed the water-droplet-shaped spirit flitting around me.
“You’re making me dizzy… stay still for a moment.”
“S-Sorry! Would you like some water?”
“…Yeah.”
After drinking the water Ninabel created, my head cleared a bit.
While the spirit fidgeted anxiously beside me, I opened the status window and checked the quest.
<Let’s Gather Coins!> Quest completed!
100 coins have been awarded as a reward!
…You hit me with a mental attack and all I get is 100 coins?!
And how is this a “Let’s Gather Coins” quest, you bastard?!
<Let’s Gather Coins!> Quest generated!
Would you like to accept this quest?Accept
Accept“Hey, you piece of—”
I was about to curse again when the next line made me freeze.
<Let’s Gather Coins!> Quest♡
Purify contaminated land (0/9)
Cultivate crops (0/9)
Success reward: 50 coins
Failure penalty: None
This time it was a normal quest, with a proper explanation.
Though the heart symbol inexplicably pissed me off.
‘And the reward is way too small.’
Who am I supposed to use 50 coins on?!
You said it takes 5,000 coins just to open the Hidden Shop!
‘And the Fate Distortion item has to be even more expensive. You only give me 99 days…!’
I let out a long sigh and took another sip of water, then slowly took a deep breath.
“…Alright. Calm down.”
The mental shock gradually eased, but soon I realized something that threw me into even greater confusion.
‘…Muriel’s memories are way too clear.’
Just like my own.
So that’s why it’s called synchronization….
Even after possessing Muriel’s body, I was still me. I thought I just had to live on as myself….
But if this kind of “synchronization” keeps happening, won’t the boundary between Muriel and me become blurred?
“Hoo….”
What a headache….
The system I thought was a possession perk might actually be a trap.
‘You… what the hell are you, really?’
I glared at the bluish window, but it continued to display nothing but quest guidance.
About a week passed after the “synchronization incident.”
The system was still suspicious, but there was no denying that it helped me a lot.
Thanks to it, the farm had taken on a fairly decent shape, and my stats had improved as well.
For one, the ‘Holy Touch’ skill had reached level 3….
And it gained this useful option:
When consuming crops affected by ‘Holy Touch,’
a random stat increases.
Since it’s random, there’s no telling which stat will go up—but given Muriel’s trash-tier status sheet, it was good news for me.
As a result, my current stats were as follows:
HP: 1
Mental Strength: 52
Luck: -190
Charm: 26
Talent: 0
Mana: 0
Holy Power: 357
All stats MAX: 999
Compared to when my HP was in the negatives, having even 1 point could be considered huge progress.
And luck, too—it had gone up(?) to -190.
Holy Power seemed to increase probabilistically whenever I used skills, and among all stats, it was growing the fastest.
However, mana didn’t increase at all, even when I ate vegetables with the “Mana Increase” option.
I don’t know the exact reason, but it seems incompatible with me.
And if I’m being honest about one more thing….
“Master~♥ Would you like to eat first? Or… should I go first?”
…Our farm gained an extra mouth to feed.
And they’re a complete lunatic….
