Volume 1 Chapter 7 Catherine - The Gears Of Fate Begin To Go Awry
"Ah, this is the best!"
Floating on a rubber ring, she couldn't help but shout towards the blue sky. Everything was going just as she had hoped. It was okay to scream in joy. She had been reincarnated into a world similar to the otome game "The Saint of Destiny and the Rhapsody of Calamity (Unmei no seijo to yaku wazawai no rondo)"──commonly known as "Useyaro"──and she had wondered what to do when that happened...
"Just like I thought, the beloved heroine, Cathy!"
From her floating ring, she glanced back at the beach. There were the boys, the targets of her affection, shining in their swimsuits.
The Crown Prince, Edgar Roa Alexandros.
The Prime Minister's son, Dario Weissman.
The Minister of Justice's son, Chris Row.
The Knight Captain's son, Arthur Lance.
Each of them was promised to inherit their father's position and become important figures in the country... The only route that had opened so far was for Crown Prince Edgar, but that was no problem. In fact, there was nothing to strategize with Edgar.
Because the main story couldn't even begin until his fiancée, Elizabeth, was exiled.
Poor Elizabeth (laughs)... She was probably wandering in the Beast Forest by now. No, 'she was likely taken in by a nearby poor viscount's family'.
In the game, Elizabeth, who faced exile, was led into the Beast Forest by her guards, who had ulterior motives, and was about to be attacked. When she hit one of the guards with a nearby rock, the guard, thrown back, ended up breaking a shrine that was part of the seal.
Then, she would be possessed by the game's final boss, the witch Eleonora. After killing all the guards along with the maid, Elizabeth wandered the forest in despair and was picked up by a nearby poor viscount.
But slowly, her soul was eroded, and she eventually revived as Eleonora, leading to the destruction of the Dukedom.
Then, the targets of her affection, who had connected with her heart, would defeat Eleonora... no, Elizabeth, and the world would have a happy ending. It was that kind of game. She had played it many times, so she remembered all the events and choices.
And starting from the second semester, she had to deepen her bonds with the targets while also gaining combat experience to defeat Elizabeth. Well, everyone over there would be the ones fighting.
She would just heal everyone as the saint.
Leaving the fighting to everyone else, she would relax and watch from the back. After all, how could she, who grew up in peaceful Japan, possibly fight? In the game, Cathy only healed everyone from the back, so it would be fine.
More importantly, ah. Really, really, how annoying Elizabeth was. She bullied her... even though she hadn't actually done anything. She hated that high-and-mighty attitude. The kind of woman who pretends to be independent and can do everything herself. She hated it... ah, just remembering it made her angry.
Being told she wasn't ladylike.
Being told to have awareness as a saint.
It was incredibly annoying. So it served her right. To face something scary, to be possessed by a witch, and in the end, to be killed by her fiancé. Oh, her former fiancé.
However, one thing that bothers her is that Elizabeth seemed to argue a bit more in the game. Of course, she remembers the choices related to that, so it wouldn't be a problem if Elizabeth did argue, but it feels a bit creepy that she just stayed silent.
Maybe Elizabeth is also a reincarnator like her... but that's unlikely. If that were the case, she would be way too weak, and the normal Elizabeth would be tougher to deal with.
Well, because of that, the punishment for the Marquis Braubelg family might be a bit weaker, but that doesn't really matter. Eventually, rumors about Elizabeth's death will spread, and that family will get angry and start a rebellion.
"Hey! Cathy!"
"Yesss!"
Edgar the Crown Prince is calling her. She has to go. For now, she gets off the float and walks through the shallow water, where Edgar runs up and takes her hand.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine!"
Nice. As expected of a high-spec handsome guy. The way he naturally offers his hand is just the best. She feels like a princess. While being led by Edgar, she gracefully returns to the sandy beach, where she hears the words, "We've been waiting!"
"It seems there's an old ruin nearby."
"From the second semester, we'll have dungeon practice too."
"I was thinking we could try to conquer it together."
Hearing them talk excitedly, she can't hide her inner fist pump. This is one of the major events, the [Combat Tutorial] and [Status Window Expansion]. It's not a side event but a main event, and since it happens outside of school, she was a bit worried if it would actually take place.
It was worth asking Edgar to come to the resort. But she can't just nod right away.
"Umm, ruins? Aren't they scary?"
"Don't worry. I'll protect you, Cathy."
"I'm here too!"
"I have some knowledge of magic as well."
"I-I do too!"
The future king, the captain of the knights's son, the prime minister's son, the minister of justice's son... Ah, it feels so good. High-spec handsome guys are working hard for her. It's so amazing it gives her goosebumps. From the second semester onward, she has to put in more effort to get rid of their fiancées. After all, she is the one who truly deserves them. Those Elizabeths number 2 and 3 are just not good enough for them.
But for now, she should focus on advancing the event.
"Don't worry, Cathy. Trust us."
"If you all say that..."
When she looks up at everyone, they all have red faces. Hehe, reacting like this to such a small thing is too easy.
For now, she puts on a top over her swimsuit, and the handsome guys in the same swimsuit and top surround her and start walking.
"Is it okay to stay in this outfit?"
"It's fine. According to the villagers, only goblins and slimes will show up."
Edgar, holding a sword in his swimsuit, looks just like the still images she's seen many times. The droplets running down his chiseled abs... being able to see this in real life is a blessing.
"If Edgar says so..."
She smiles softly, and that should be enough. In the game, only weak enemies appear in the combat mode tutorial stage anyway.
Wow. What a dirty ruin... She just wants to grab what she needs and relax back on the beach.
"It looks kind of scary..."
"Don't leave my side, okay?"
Ah, Edgar is so kind. A high-spec handsome guy like him really deserves a girl like her. Surrounded by such high-spec guys, she feels completely safe and in a good mood. She feels more like a queen than a princess right now.
It seems her buffs are working well, and the 4 strong ones are so reliable that they could probably defeat a witch right now.
After exploring the ruins, they came to the last door she recognized──beyond it, there's the craft that expands the status window and a bonus copy scroll.
The craft will allow them to make items in the future. Until they get the item box expansion in the middle of the game, she can make a magic bag, and it's also good for making money.
She heard that they can create the strongest weapons for extra play, but against Eleonora, her holy magic is so effective that she doesn't even need the weapons.
Besides, she already has an item box, even if it's not expanded, and she got a magic bag too. So, she doesn't really need the craft itself, but there's actually a copy scroll with it.
Normally, it's common to copy her light magic and teach it to Edgar, but if she uses the craft copy, she can use a cheat bug to double the craft.
Just using this makes early-game money-making much easier, so it would definitely be helpful to have. Hmm. But crafting is a hassle. They marketed it as something you can do freely, but it doesn't really appeal to otome game users.
Since it's just an ancient magic scroll, she could sell it for a good price, so maybe she should sell it.
While she was lost in thought, something caught her eye...
"Huh? Is it moving...?"
...It was definitely a coffin that had been moved. Of course, the scroll that should have been underneath it was gone too.
"What the heck, it's empty."
Arthur kicked the center of the coffin. Yeah, She knows that. Normally, a kick like that would make a weird sound, and you'd know there's space underneath it, right?
After all, isn't this something that should only move when all 4 of her buffed knights push it together?
Unlike her confusion, her knights were saying, "What? It's just a beginner dungeon," and they seemed fine with there being no treasure.
She didn't get it. She wanted dresses and jewels, and there were so many! What was she going to do about 'her money'?
She bit her nails without thinking, and Edgar and the others tilted their heads, asking, "Cathy?"
"N-no. I just think it's a shame that you all worked hard."
"You're so kind."
That's not it... But it's okay because Edgar gently patted her head. Handsome guys really are innocent, aren't they? Plus, if she tells everyone about the dresses and jewels, they'll buy them for her, so it's fine for now.
She understood their strength, and even though there were some differences from the game, it should be okay.
* * *
Meanwhile──
"Wow. Lord Victor finally hired a craftsman, huh?"
"Well, something like that."
In front of the smiling merchant, Randy couldn't help but smile back. With Elizabeth by his side, they were very pleased with the results of turning pieces of corpses into low-quality materials. The price was still not very high, but it was clear that the buying price had definitely increased.
(Summer vacation is going to be busy.)
Catherine didn't know. While it was true that Elizabeth was being protected in the Viscount's territory, she had no idea that an ancient great magician and an incredibly strong reincarnated person were fully supporting her. She had no way of knowing that this was greatly changing the gears of her fate.
*The name of the Prime Minister's son has been changed from Victor to Dario. In previous discussions, if you see "Victor," it refers to Dario.
This change is to avoid confusion with Victor and the Victor family.
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