episode_0007

Lately, I’ve been feeling more and more convinced that the ability to turn back time is truly an unbelievable scam skill.

Ah, of course, to those who hear it, it might sound like a ridiculous story. But the fact that this ability can make one’s mistakes disappear just by using it is enough to make anyone suspicious.

What I’m trying to say is that the scope of this ability is unbelievably wide.

Anyone who receives this ability can easily correct their mistakes, as one would naturally think.

For example,

“Eek!”

“Huh…?”

…when my ‘adoptive brother’ suddenly slashed me with a sword.

In the original work, Claire becomes one of the Emperor’s children. This means she becomes one of the evil executives who wields a ‘whip-like sword,’ a common trope in Japanese subculture.

Although it’s called a whip-like sword, it doesn’t mean the blade is flexible like a whip. Rather, it’s a sword with sharp edges that are connected by sturdy strings, allowing it to extend like a whip when needed, though I’m not exactly sure how it works. It’s a sword shape that doesn’t exist in reality but is frequently seen in subculture circles for some reason.

Furthermore, despite its sadistic appearance and high-pitched voice, it exuded a decadent atmosphere that somehow resonated with its unique dead eyes. It was a popular character, often appearing as a guest character in the protagonist’s party, sometimes leading to special events due to relationship gauges, but ultimately meeting a tragic end in the story.

Well, since the game developers were known to revive popular characters for various reasons, there was a possibility that she could return in the sequel, but in the latest game I played, she died…

Of course, not anymore.

Claire is now safe in the orphanage run by the Marquis Grace. I don’t know how the original story will unfold, but at least in this world, Claire doesn’t have to endure the horrific pain of dying. And she doesn’t need to become an evil executive. There’s no reason for that.

…The problem is, I took over that ‘evil executive’ position.

My impression has changed a lot since I first came here. I tried to change. I decided that it was safer to be stuck here than to be cast aside by the Emperor. I always kept my appearance neat and tidy, maintained a respectful attitude towards my superiors, and kept my long, troublesome hair short and neat.

But, well, looking at the situation now, I wondered if I really needed to make that effort.

After all, there was a living example right here, living the opposite of me, yet not being cast aside by the Emperor.

“Hey, are you okay?”

I heard my ‘adoptive older brother’ asking.

“….”

My body didn’t completely split in half. It wasn’t a sincere attack.

But it was a deadly blow that didn’t cause much pain. It seems like my brain is flooding my body with endorphins to prevent me from going into shock.

But from my experience, this state doesn’t last long. Soon enough, excruciating pain will flood in, and screams will escape my lips.

And when that happens, not only will my life be in danger, but my ‘value’ in the eyes of the Emperor will plummet.

That would be troublesome.

“Hey, just a moment, the blood…”

Didn’t you say that, you crazy bastard?

I thought, glaring at my adoptive brother.

Again.

Well, anyway.

If you rewind time like this, you can avoid the sword that should hit you.

You can even avoid it without even seeing it.

Ah, of course, the faster the opponent’s sword is, the harder it is to avoid, and the more “mistakes” you make, and naturally, you end up retrying more often, but it doesn’t matter. I can rewind time as many times as I want.

Not only can I simply avoid it, but I can retry as many times as I want until the avoidance becomes the way I want it to be. Whether it’s rolling on the ground in a hurry to avoid, or effortlessly dodging by a hair’s breadth. It all depends on the number of attempts I make.

…And, in the seven years since I became “Silvia Black” to “Silvia Pangryphon,” I have avoided the sword strokes of these brutes countless times a day. Even if my physical eyesight doesn’t improve, avoiding the sword strikes of the world’s strongest swordsman dozens or even hundreds of times a day, in my standards, will inevitably sharpen my senses.

Now, I can avoid even the sword strikes that lack sincerity by just a step.

No, is it even reasonable to be slashing at a two-year-old like this?

I appreciate that this brat has brought me this far in his own way, but this guy is not in his right mind.

He was like this even in the game. The reason he brought me here under the Emperor is so that he can compete with more people and wield a sword.

“Hwiyou.”

As I dodged the blade flying towards me by moving forward, I heard the sound of a whistle blowing.

I immediately pulled out a gun from the holster under my left armpit and turned my body around.

After becoming the Emperor’s daughter, I pondered for a while.

I had the ability to turn back time, but my physical abilities were not that great.

I’m just like any other kid my age.

A body too weak compared to the other monsters under the Emperor.

Of course, to others who don’t know that I have the ability to turn back time, I can only appear as a monster with insane physical eyesight and hearing, and senses that surpass humans. Dodging every sword strike that comes at me, noticing the assassin’s position before they even enter the room, or recognizing who is outside the door in advance.

Of course, I just act based on what I’ve seen in advance, but to others, it looks like I’ve noticed it all with just my senses.

In a way, it’s like real-life TAS.

But no matter what, the Emperor wouldn’t be satisfied with just this ability. As someone who dreams of world domination, he would want combat skills that can definitely defeat someone.

So, what I chose was a “gun.”

The developers announced that the game was based on the Industrial Revolution era.

However, it seems that the developers thought it wouldn’t be fun to stick to the actual history, so they made various differences from the real Industrial Revolution era.

The design and general technological level are depicted as similar to the mid-19th century, in line with the era background. However, as a fantasy genre, the steampunk genre, in reality, the technology is much more over-the-top, so all kinds of mass production of items or press methods, anyway, what was originally a very rudimentary and just starting technology in the original world, was very commonplace in this world. There are computers in their own way, and in some sense, there are parts that remind you of the 21st-century modern society. Especially school uniforms.

Fantasy-wise, some of the technological advancements in this world closely resemble those of the late 19th to early 20th centuries. The firearms in this world look similar to the guns commonly used in World War I and II, with metal cartridges. While some technologies may not yet reach the same level as Earth’s at the same time, considering things that were not present in the original work, they will likely be resolved within a few years.

However, even with mass production becoming more common and the introduction of press methods, revolvers are still more popular than automatic pistols, and bolt-action rifles are more popular than semi-automatic or automatic rifles. This is because the design of more complex firearms has not yet been stabilized, and the simplicity of simpler firearms provides much greater stability.

The revolver I carry, made by Wexler Firearms, is a military-grade weapon. It is a single-action revolver, where the entire gun body is fully extended forward to remove the cartridge, then reload by replacing the six bullets loaded in the moon clip like a magazine. It was made to fit the hands of adult men, so it is not quite the right size for my still growing hands.

Naturally, I dropped it several times at first. But then again, I always have infinite opportunities.

After turning back time many times, I found the optimal posture for drawing the gun.

Turning back time also reverses all the physical training I did, such as strength training or running. My body condition also reverts back to that time.

But the sense my mind remembers remains.

Drawing the gun was something I could practice thousands or even tens of thousands of times. If it was difficult, I could turn back time until I became familiar with it.

Shooting was the same. If I loaded even a single bullet into the gun, I could practice shooting at anything, anywhere, as many times as I wanted. Whether it was a revolver or a bolt-action rifle almost my size.

Moreover, even if I missed, I could keep practicing until I hit the target. If necessary, I could hit the same spot with bullets again and again until only one hole remained. I could do that by turning back time several times until it happened.

I can confidently say that no soldier in the Empire has undergone as much shooting training as I have.

Bang!

I felt a strong recoil from the revolver in my hand—

“……Huh?”

“……Ah.”

Do you know that? If a person practices hitting the bullseye continuously, it becomes more awkward to miss when they actually shoot.

…There was a hole the size of a bullet in the forehead of my brush brother.

Uh, um…

Again.

*

In Norse mythology, there is a god named Baldr.

He is a god who does not get hurt no matter where he is hit with any weapon, so the gods played with him by throwing various things at him.

…Just to clarify, they didn’t really torment him, it was more like playing with Baldr in that way. Anyway, Baldr doesn’t get hurt by anything.

That’s exactly how my brush siblings looked at me.

Suddenly jumping out and swinging a sword, shooting an arrow, or even knowing in advance and avoiding it, it seemed like a joke to them to swing a sword at me.

Of course, the crazy guy who does that every time is only one guy who was shot by me a while ago.

Hmm.

Since I turned back time completely before he was killed, there’s no need to consider that as a murder, right?

Bang!

With the sound of a gunshot, his movements stopped.

If he dodged the first strike, let’s call it a day with that. The crazy guy seemed to be preparing for a follow-up attack.

His red hair was singed, or more precisely, the side of his temple was slightly burnt. It was where the bullet passed through.

I didn’t aim for that spot exactly, but well, it seems like a proper warning, so I’ll be satisfied with that.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down, little sister.”

“… Sister, what’s with the harsh swordplay towards her?”

“Well, no matter how many times I swing, she always dodges. I knew she would avoid this much.”

With that, he casually sheathed his sword with a slightly exaggerated motion.

Couldn’t dodge that one, you crazy bastard.

Even if I explain, he won’t believe me.

“What if she couldn’t dodge?”

When I asked, he furrowed his brow for a moment and then said, “Huh? But she did dodge.”

That’s right.

This guy seems to lack a brain proportionate to his swordsmanship. No wonder he got shot by me when he let his guard down.

No matter how skilled I am, I can’t match the skill of this swordsman. Of course, no one thinks that way because I can manipulate time to achieve the best results.

To avoid his sword strikes every time, I had to exercise daily to maintain at least a minimum level of physical strength. If not for that, I would have just played the role of shooting from afar and running away. Damn it.

And there are still three years left until the main story begins. The game’s setting involves selecting exceptional 15-year-olds and sending them to the academy, so this guy still has some room to grow, mainly in terms of intelligence.

He didn’t let his guard down to the point of getting shot in the main story.

He’s only twenty-two years old, so let’s make him think he lacks experience.

… If we go by that logic, I’m only twelve.

Damn it.

“Whoa, whoa, Silvia.”

As I stared at him sharply, as if finding me adorable, he raised his eyebrows and said, “Calm down. I’m your older brother. Do you think I would harm my little sister?”

I wouldn’t have a word to say if he said my body wouldn’t be in two pieces if it wasn’t genuine.

And the fact that I’m not genuine is also true.

“… Lucas.”

“Hey, sis. Do you want to call me by my name like that? Try saying ‘brother.’ Huh? Honestly, you’ve known me longer than Father.”

Although it was only a few hours longer.

The emperor had been observing the orphanage from the beginning.

Of course, he wasn’t trying to find talented children like Claire or Anna in advance. Rather, Edward, who was connected to the orphanage, was investigating the nobles to find a weak point.

And the one who received the mission to observe the orphanage was this ‘Lucas Pankrion.’

After the orphanage caught fire, Lucas saw me escaping with the orphan and, without encountering any difficulties, brought me directly to the emperor, judging me as ‘talented.’

And he swung his sword. You crazy bastard.

At a five-year-old.

In the end, after several attempts, I barely managed to dodge.

No, I entered the Millennium Saga game, not some f***ing software game.

Well, thanks to that, I caught the emperor’s eye and could become Silvia Pankrion.

“… Lucas. If you do that again, I will not only dodge your sword strikes but also show the emperor the wounds I received.”

“Oh, really? Are you going to tattle on me to Dad? You’re going to cry to him?”

“….”

Should I kill him?

Should I just kill him?

I pondered seriously while caressing the gun in my hand.