"I see~. So Uppy inherited Rody-chan's estate and took over that land. That means you came looking for my villa to investigate."
"...That about sums it up."
Rest had revealed information as a negotiating tactic rather than... well, rather than being pushed by the sailor suit's chest — and Shouko put on a slightly sad expression, murmuring, "Hmm..."
"I see, I see... So Rody-chan really did die. I went and did something terrible, huh~"
"...That's it? Nothing else you want to say?"
Rest had also told Shouko about killing Rodele.
He had deliberately put the information out there to observe her reaction... but even though the grandson she supposedly doted on had been killed, there was no sign of her directing any anger or hatred toward Rest.
"That boy died because of me — well, because of Frederica, really. I have no right to hold a grudge against anyone."
"...I see."
In response, Rest showed a faint flicker of anger on his face.
If she truly harbored no hatred... then did she perhaps feel no remorse either?
If she really was the queen dowager... had she not spoiled him, Rodele would never have strayed from the right path.
"Sorry about that. I'm a reincarnated person based on a past life's personality, so I don't really have Frederica's emotions. I know about Rody-chan, but... he's more like a character from a drama or a movie, you know?"
"...So you're saying you have no personal feelings about it?"
"Something like that~?"
Shouko stood up from the bench.
She swung the strawberry milk carton in a wide arc and tossed it, landing it perfectly in a trash can a short distance away.
"Since Uppy told me his story, I'll tell mine too. I actually died in an accident."
"An accident..."
"Right, right. So basically, it was the type where I woke up and realized I'd been reincarnated in this world."
Shouko settled back onto the bench and crossed her legs.
"I was born and raised in this little rural town... and I was supposed to be heading off to a university in the city before long. But before that could happen... I died without ever becoming an adult. I hadn't even had sex yet, you know."
"...Don't say things like 'sex' when you're a girl."
"That's a pretty sexist thing to say, you know. Girls are interested in lewd stuff too."
Shouko bared her teeth and made an exaggerated angry face at Rest, who was rubbing his in disgust.
"Anyway, I was reincarnated in this world. As a noble named Reijo."
"..."
"My new family treasured me. Mom and Dad were good people, my little brother was cute, and I even had a handsome, kind fiancé. And on top of all that... I had a reincarnation bonus cheat, too."
"Reincarnation bonus... cheat..."
"Right, right. It's called the 'Eyes of Skuld,' and it lets me see the future. Amazing, isn't it?"
Shouko grinned sheepishly and casually revealed that information.
So she did possess a reincarnation cheat after all. It appeared to be the ability of precognition.
"...By the way, didn't you have some kind of 'charm' power or something?"
"Oh, so that's the kind of thing you'd get suspicious of. Sure, I was super popular with boys... but that was all my own doing. I wasn't using any weird power."
"...Is that so?"
"That's right. He suspected me too... that guy Gascoigne."
"Gascoigne... Leonard Gascoigne?"
He was the chairman of the Council of Sages.
That he had any connection to the queen dowager was news to him.
"According to him, there are a ton of reincarnated people in this world. About seventy-eight of them."
"That's a remarkably specific number…"
"I thought so too… Anyway, the number of reincarnated people is seventy-eight. When one dies, a new one is born, apparently. The reincarnation bonuses carry over too."
"……"
Seventy-eight. That was simultaneously the number of reincarnated people and, perhaps, the number of overpowered cheats granted by reincarnation.
Shouko possessed a future-seeing ability called the "Eye of Skuld," and as for Rest… he had infinite mana, along with what seemed to be a power called the "Ring of Ouroboros."
"Apparently, each person gets only one reincarnation bonus. So that means seventy-eight reincarnated people, too. The higher-ups in the Council of Sages are all reincarnated people, apparently."
"Is that so… Then Gascoigne really was a reincarnated person after all."
"Yep. Well, not that it really matters. To me, anyway."
Shouko slipped a hand into her pocket and pulled out a stick candy.
She unwrapped it, popped it into her mouth, and began licking it with little sucking sounds.
"Anyway, back to the topic. So I got reincarnated into this world, but… I'd forgotten something. That the world is absurdly unfair."
"……"
"Even though in my past life I never grew up, never fulfilled my dreams, and died. Even though I never got to repay my parents for their kindness. I went and deluded myself that this world would be any different. No, I was truly an idiot."
Shouko, who had been speaking calmly up until now, suddenly adopted a harsh expression.
"So… I had it stolen from me. The king at the time forced me into becoming his consort, and when my family and my fiancé resisted, they were all killed."