<Episode 2>

First Option:

Run away after skipping the prayer meeting.

Failure.

What’s the point of running? The ending is the same: the destruction of the family, confiscation of property, and execution of all relatives. Plus, with the Empire’s watchful eye, there’s no chance of fleeing to another country. Even the original Redria, who knew this world better than I do, was eventually found and killed after being hunted down.

Second Option:

Report Hayton’s crimes to prevent the family’s downfall and execution. At first, I thought it was a brilliant idea and patted myself on the back.

That was until the maid, who was bringing in breakfast, saw my grin and looked terrified, as if I was plotting something again, dropping the tray in her panic.

For the record, the Redria I’ve possessed is one of the most notorious troublemakers in the Empire.

One of her “great achievements” includes hunting down a noble lady who mocked her at a social gathering and ruthlessly smashing her forehead with a shoe, telling her she’d spare her life if she barked like a dog.

It’s widely known that Redria spent a lot of time in prison because of her violent tendencies.

So, who in their right mind would believe anything she says?

‘Then how about locking Hayton up before the prayer meeting?’

The thought crossed my mind, a bit impulsive but honest. Unfortunately, after being expelled from the Tower of Magic, Hayton disappeared, and no one, not even his own family, knew where he was.

So that leaves only one option.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

The final option is to save the male leads before the saintess does, earning a pardon for my family’s crimes.

If I can save key figures of the Empire, even a family guilty of treason might be spared, and I could gain the favor of the male leads. That way, I can avoid the gruesome death I’ve been dreading.

‘Yes, let’s give it a shot.’

If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well take a gamble.

‘But what were those male leads like again…?’

As I racked my brain, my thoughts quickly turned complicated.

The male leads in the original story become fiercely protective and possessive, only showing warmth to their love interest, after the trauma they experience in the zombie zone.

The problem is that even before that, they all had temperaments that were nothing short of explosive.

‘Damn it.’

But what choice do I have?

‘Once you’ve made up your mind, you have to follow through.’

I spent the entire night organizing everything I could remember about the male leads’ personalities and backgrounds.

After writing it all down, I collapsed onto the desk in exhaustion.

‘So sleepy.’

Then, for some reason, despite my foggy mind and fear of nightmares, I felt like I might actually be able to sleep this time.

I closed my eyes and drifted off.

And, as it turns out, that night, I didn’t have any nightmares.

Nor did I the next night. Or the night after that.

It was almost as if the path I’d chosen was the key to survival.

* * *

“My lady, what are you planning to do with the young master’s belongings?”

The maid trailing behind me asked cautiously.

The first thing I had to do after regaining my strength was to raid Hayton’s research materials.

Sure, he was a quirky magician who got kicked out of the Tower of Magic… but there’s a saying, right? Eccentricity often goes hand in hand with genius.

And indeed, some of the magical engineering devices Hayton developed during his time as a trainee at the Tower have contributed significantly to the advancement of the magical industry and are widely used in everyday life.

In the original story, Hayton mentioned during his testimony that all his other undisclosed inventions were stored in his bedroom.

With a creak, the door swung open, and, just as I expected, the room was a chaotic mess, piled high with dusty junk. So much for someone who supposedly hated having his personal space invaded—his room was a disaster zone.

I turned to the maid with a determined gleam in my eyes.

“Bring me a box.”

I’m going to sweep it all up.

* * *

30 days passed in the blink of an eye, and finally, the day of the prayer meeting dawned.

The morning sun blazed as fiercely as the anxiety burning within me. A ceremonial event had been set up in the middle of the cemetery in the holy district.

In preparation, I had armed myself with enchanted scrolls, magical items, and lightweight, compact weapons, all layered with various protective spells.

Not content with just that, I spent the days leading up to the meeting training my body and receiving combat lessons. The count and countess watched with concern, worried I might kill someone, but relieved that I no longer seemed intent on taking my own life.

This morning, I handed them a two-person teleportation scroll I had purchased in advance.

They looked bewildered but, when I threatened not to attend the prayer meeting if they didn’t take it, they reluctantly accepted.

For context, these two meet their end during the zombie outbreak.

Losing a daughter was tragic enough, but even though they weren’t my real parents, I had no desire to see them die. Especially since, despite everything, I had grown somewhat fond of them over the past month.

“Is this our spot?”

Upon arriving at the holy district, I navigated through the gathered nobles and took my seat alongside my parents.

I looked around, feeling a strange mix of tension and nostalgia as I observed the setting, which was just as described in the original novel.

‘Stay focused. This is just the beginning.’

I clenched my fists and narrowed my eyes.

‘I will survive this. This crazy apocalypse novel isn’t going to kill me.’

Just as I steeled my resolve, I noticed the surrounding nobles whispering about me.

“What’s with her outfit?”

“Yes, it’s quite improper, isn’t it?”

For the record, I was dressed in a plain white shirt and pants, so I could understand their comments.

“I heard she’s been swinging a hammer around the estate lately.”

“Shh, keep your voice down. There’s a rumor she’s planning to kill someone with her bare hands today.”

Wait a minute, where did that come from?

I crossed my arms and shot them a glare.

The young ladies who met my eyes quickly looked away as if they’d received a death threat.

I clicked my tongue and turned away.

‘All talk, but they can’t even look me in the eye.’

Then again, how could these carefree noblewomen possibly understand my situation?

‘Wait…’

Suddenly, I felt a pang of frustration.

I had been so focused on surviving that I had momentarily forgotten I was a character in a romance fantasy novel.

‘Other reincarnated characters get to hold fans, teacups, or opera glasses. So why am I stuck carrying a sledgehammer? And why is the scandal surrounding me about murder rather than luxury or debauchery?’

Just as I was lamenting my absurd situation, the atmosphere abruptly shifted as a shadow loomed over me.

Feeling an inexplicable chill down my spine, I turned my head.

The first thing I saw was a sword with a golden ornament shaped like a bird, symbolizing the temple.

I slowly lifted my gaze.

A man in a pristine white uniform stood beside me. He was a handsome figure with calm gray eyes, neat and tidy, with dark blue hair swept back to reveal a prominent forehead and a lightning-shaped scar across one eyebrow.

I recognized him instantly.

‘Duke Jaeger Munich?’

I was taken aback, not expecting to meet one of the male leads in person before the main events unfolded. Jaeger glanced at me with ice-cold eyes before looking straight ahead.

“The saintess has been looking forward to this event.”

“…”

“Don’t do anything foolish.”

His perfectly manicured thumb lightly traced the gleaming gold decoration on his sword before he turned and strode through the rows of seats, his white cape billowing behind him.

Only after he left did the nobles begin to chatter excitedly about him.

‘Hmph.’

I watched his retreating back with a mix of amusement and irritation.

‘What a jerk. Maybe I won’t bother saving him.’

But then, the trumpet sounded, signaling the start of the prayer meeting.

Unfortunately, the moment I had been dreading had finally arrived.

With a flourish, the curtain embroidered with golden threads was raised high. Moments later, the saintess, escorted by Jaeger, ascended the platform.

I crossed my arms and watched the proceedings with little interest.

The saintess, devoted to the gods, and the knight who loved her so much that he gave up his power for her—how fitting.

Not that I cared about romance when survival was my top priority.

Priests gathered around the saintess on the platform, conducting the solemn ceremonial rites.

I’m not sure how much time had passed as I observed, arms crossed, when suddenly—

Boom!

The ground shook violently, signaling the beginning of the original story.

“Ahh!”

“What’s happening?”

“What’s going on?”

People leaped from their seats in a panic.

Remaining calm, knowing what was coming, I ducked under the table, trying to avoid any flying debris or collapsing pillars.

The ground cracked open, and the altar and several people plummeted into the chasm, their screams echoing through the chaos.

Skeletons began to rise from the graves surrounding the event, assembling bone by bone, and the sight alone caused many to faint in terror.

It was utter pandemonium.

Crash!

‘Ugh, damn it…’

The violent shaking rattled my brain, making me nauseous. I crouched beneath the table, clutching my head.

‘Just hold on a little longer.’

In a short while, the saintess would faint, the priests would begin evacuating people back to the Empire, and they would try to teleport the male leads and me out, only for the clash between the zombie virus and holy power to ruin everything.

‘It should be about time.’

I waited for the right moment, intending to catch a priest’s attention, and crawled out from under the table.

Just as I started to stand, someone grabbed my wrist urgently.

“Redria!”

I turned to see who it was and my eyes widened in shock.

The Count and Countess of Arios? Why are they…?

“Didn’t you use the warp scroll?”

I asked in a panic, as the countess handed me the warp scroll.

“Go, Redria! Quickly!”

“What…?”

Their eyes held a silent message, as if they had accepted their fate and clung to each other in their final moments.

Seeing them like that stirred something within me.

Maybe it was because they had been my parents for the past month.

A complicated mix of emotions washed over me—something akin to pity, or perhaps envy of the real Redria.

‘Why was she so dissatisfied with parents like these…?’

Crash!

Ugh! Another powerful tremor hit, and in that moment, I tore the warp scroll in half and placed it in their hands.

The scroll recognized them as the warp targets and began to glow.

As their bodies were enveloped in a bright yellow light, they gasped and reached out for me.

“No, Redria!”

I smiled at them, trying to reassure them.

“Redria! My dear!”

With a flash of light, they disappeared.

‘Good. They’re safe.’

A few seconds later, I too was engulfed in a warm, bright light. Relief washed over me, knowing I had ensured their safe return, and I began to feel dizzy as the warmth spread through my body.

‘Ugh, I feel like I’m going to throw up…’

My vision flickered before everything went black.

When I finally snapped my eyes open, I found myself lying in front of a small hut.