The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Chapter 359: It Seems Like There’s Some Hope

A moment of tense staring.

The first to move was Miria. She cautiously approached Lavienne, feinting left and right to gauge her reaction, then swung down her dagger with her right hand.

“Not a bad aim, but a bit slow, don’t you think?”

“Ugh!!”

However, Lavienne effortlessly deflected Miria’s descending dagger and, possibly due to superior strength, sent Miria flying before she could even plant her feet on the ground. Miria managed to regain her balance mid-air and landed some distance away.

“You’re surprisingly strong, huh?”

“Yeah, that’s what they often say. Well, I can compete in a strength match with Ruu-kun, so you might want to give it your all!”

“I’ll take that under advisement.”

Upon hearing this, Miria swiftly adjusted her strategy and closed the distance, tossing her dagger to limit Lavienne’s movements.

Seizing the moment when Lavienne’s focus shifted to the dagger, Miria cast wind magic to propel herself backward, using the acceleration to dart into Lavienne’s personal space and crouch down for a leg sweep.

“Oh wow, that might’ve been a little too fast!”

But once again, Lavienne easily dodged Miria’s attack by jumping, placing a hand on Miria’s shoulder to gain extra height, twisting her body mid-air for a perfect landing.

“Hmm. Miria, you seem a bit like me, but fundamentally, we’re different. I excel at killing, whereas your skills resemble those of someone who gathers information or collects herbs.”

“How can you tell?”

“It’s obvious! Our styles are just that different. You’re more about stalling for time or gathering intel rather than outright killing, so I can tell you’re a different type.”

“I see. You’re probably right.”

Miria herself had sensed this difference. While she specialized in poisons and information collecting, Lavienne excelled in assassination and murder—though both operated from the shadows, their core roles differed fundamentally.

In Miria’s case, she was trained to buy time for her comrades to retrieve information, even if it meant her own demise. When alone, her goal shifted to survival to ensure the info got back safely.

In contrast, Lavienne’s goal was to eliminate her target, regardless of how many enemies stood in her way. Her focus was solely on killing, without any regard for her own survival or that of her companions. This was the method ingrained in her at the Albani Count House.

As such, even though both utilized the same dagger, the differences in their fundamental approaches would inevitably manifest in their practical combat.

“From what I see, poison seems to be your forte, Miria. So don’t hold back using it on me. Continuing like this will only result in a swift end anyway.”

“Then I shall oblige.”

Recognizing that continuing in her current state would lead to loss, Miria readied a dagger in her right hand and a small vial of homemade poison in her left. After opening the vial, she coated her dagger before tossing the empty container away.

“Ready! Here I go!”

“Anytime you’re ready~”

Lavienne, waiting for Miria to finish preparing, flashed a smile back in response.

With her guard now raised due to Lavienne’s feigned vulnerability, Miria cautiously closed the distance and launched a flurry of strikes with her poisoned dagger.

“Ah ha! I was looking forward to seeing what you’d show me, but revealing you coated your dagger in poison right in front of me feels like a mistake. It’s like telling me it won’t mean anything unless it hits!”

“…………”

Yet, as Lavienne pointed out, Miria’s dagger failed to even graze her, rendering the poison pointless.

Still, Miria did not stop her assault, persistently swinging her dagger at Lavienne, but each attempt ended in failure, never reaching her target.

“Kuh!”

And in the same manner as before, Lavienne skillfully avoided Miria’s attacks until she landed a spinning kick right into Miria’s abdomen, causing her to groan in pain and drop to her knees.

“Well, if that’s all you’ve got, I’m a little disappointed. I thought being Ruu-kun’s maid you’d have more tricks up your sleeve, but this is underwhelming.”

“My apologies. But it might be a bit too early to jump to conclusions.”

“Huh? Is my body feeling a little sluggish?”

“It seems the poison is finally taking effect.”

Holding her abdomen, Miria stood unsteadily, watching Lavienne opening and closing her hands as she tested her sensations, a slight smile of satisfaction breaking her usually stoic expression.

“Poison? But I never touched your dagger.”

“That’s true. However, as you know, poisons exist not just in liquid form but also as powders or gases. The poison currently affecting you is my specially crafted powdered toxin, called ‘Piri Piri Stimulation.'”

“Piri Piri Stimulation?”

“Yup! In simpler terms, it’s a paralyzing toxin, but I’ve fine-tuned it through research, and its effects surpass that of regular paralysis poisons. Though, it seems it hasn’t hit you as hard as I’d hoped.”

Normally, if one were to fall victim to Miria’s Piri Piri, it could lead to heart failure or even respiratory arrest. Yet, Lavienne only felt a slight delay in her movements even after the toxin took effect.

“Ah ha! Now that’s interesting! When did you even slip that poison in?”

“When I first coated my dagger in poison. That vial had a double bottom; the real stuff—Piri Piri—was at the bottom, while another poison sat on top.”

“So, you showed off poisoning your dagger in front of me as a bluff. The real plan was to shatter the discarded vial, releasing the Piri Piri toxin into the air! I see now. Heh… hehehe!”

Finally understanding Miria’s cunning scheme, Lavienne began to laugh, a predator’s gaze fixating on her prey, contrasting her earlier demeanor.

“Ah ha! I’ll take back what I said earlier. You truly are a worthy maid for Ruu-kun! You managed to deal damage to me with poison; that’s fantastic!”

“Thank you very much.”

“But alas, it’s a shame. I have a high tolerance for all kinds of poisons. Even unknown ones, I adapt to almost instantly! Look, that poison’s already lost most of its effect, hasn’t it?”

With her words, Lavienne moved her body, showcasing that the sluggishness had completely vanished, her movements reverting to their original speed.

“You also seem quite monstrous yourself.”

“Hehe, I’ll take that as a compliment! Now, in return, I’ll take the offensive on you!”

Lavienne had initially not planned to attack Miria, but after being entertained by her, she shifted her intent. She closed in on Miria in an instant, unleashing a flurry of attacks with both her dagger and combat skills.

“…!”

At first, Miria managed to dodge Lavienne’s rapid attacks, but gradually, they began to graze her more and more, signaling that hits would be landing for sure.

And then…

“Kah…!”

“Fuu. This is where it ends.”

With a direct knee strike to her solar plexus, Miria expelled all air from her lungs, gasping and clutching her abdomen as she crumbled to the floor, prompting Lavienne to declare the battle’s end.

“The poison that burns your skin and causes agony, the one that numbs your fingertips like frostbite—so many fascinating poisons! But unfortunately, it seems you and I just aren’t compatible. Still, I truly enjoyed this. Thank you!”

With one final remark, Lavienne struck the hilt of her dagger across Miria’s neck, rendering her unconscious as she fell face-first to the ground.

“Ah ha. With this, I reckon the others may entertain me beyond my expectations!”

Thus, the initial battle between Miria and Lavienne ended in an overwhelming victory for Lavienne. However, this was enough to change her initial perceptions, so in that sense, it was also a win for Miria.

Meanwhile, the next fighters, Iris and then Fiera, who would soon battle, felt a surge of determination rather than fear, etching Lavienne’s movements and fighting style into their minds, replaying them over and over again.