Chapter 79: Become Frugal
[A/N: Previous Chapter TLDR: Vincent went through his Fate Archive I ability and got his memories and experiences back.]
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"Do you need a physician to examine you, My Lord?"
Leona’s crimson eyes lowered toward Vincent’s chest.
"If there is pain around your heart, it shouldn’t be ignored."
Vincent stared at her.
Beside him, Anastasia did the same.
Leona’s expression remained calm. There was concern in her gaze, but he couldn’t see any hidden understanding or an attempt to probe into what had happened.
Vincent felt the tension in his shoulders ease slightly.
’She doesn’t know.’
He glanced at Anastasia.
The slight stiffness around her eyes disappeared as well.
"I’m fine." Vincent lowered his hand from his chest. "Maybe my body is finally showing signs of exhaustion."
That wasn’t a lie.
He had spent the past few days sleeping on trains, tents, tables, and floors while trying to stop his house from collapsing.
Even without experiencing his own death through the Fate Archive, exhaustion was probably the most believable explanation for his current state.
Leona stared at him for a few seconds.
"Then please rest after this discussion."
Vincent nodded.
Anastasia finally released his wrist.
"I’ll get some tea."
She collected the empty cups from the round table and walked toward the small pantry at the side of the main hall.
Click.
Click.
The telegraph machines continued operating nearby.
Clerks moved between long rows of desks with reports held beneath their arms.
A young worker hurried past the table and almost collided with another carrying a stack of ledgers. The two apologized, exchanged the documents that had fallen, and returned to their work.
Gold Town’s administrative building had barely slowed despite everything that happened.
Vincent leaned back in his chair and glanced around.
Members of the First Unit remained stationed throughout the hall.
One guarded the staircase. Two stood near the entrance while several others were positioned beside the windows and telegraph section.
The Knight Order had already been dissolved, but this unit continued protecting him because there was nobody available to immediately replace them.
Vincent would not have thought much about it, but now he remembered a sword passing through his heart.
The Northern Commander had killed him.
That was all Vincent knew about the man.
He did not know why and he did not know whether anyone else was involved either.
Worst of all, he had no idea how many people wearing the same uniform could eventually decide to do something similar.
’Who the fuck am I supposed to trust now?’
The Railguards?
He trusted them.
They were a talented bunch who could make trains move or manage disaster relief, but they did not have the strength of a knight to fight someone.
They were weak.
The monster tide from his memories would have torn through them without Vanessa, Leona, Anastasia, and the former knights helping.
Vincent rubbed his forehead.
Getting rid of everyone he distrusted was not a solution when those same people were needed to keep the county alive.
A porcelain cup entered his vision.
"Tea, young master."
Anastasia placed the tea in front of him.
"With two sugars."
Steam lazily curled upward.
"Thank you."
Vincent wrapped his hands around the warm porcelain cup.
"So," he said and took a small sip. "What’s next?"
Leona lifted her own cup.
"We work with the assumption Anastasia’s right."
Vincent’s attention returned to the discussion.
The conversation proceeded almost exactly as he remembered.
Duke Brunelle had been the first noble to provide meaningful aid when House D’Arc requested grain. That could have been genuine goodwill, or it could have been a convenient mask.
There was no proof either way.
Silver Town remained their best lead.
"The bandits took the town within a precise window," Leona said. "The reinforcements they expected are now unable to reach them. There is no better opportunity to act."
Vincent slowly nodded.
"What about the civilians?"
Anastasia answered this time.
"There is a way to recover the town without forcing the bandits into a desperate fight."
Vincent listened to the familiar explanation and acted the frown in response.
The plan was to get Vanessa’s help.
He knew what came afterward too, and her help wasn’t really needed.
However, he did not interrupt or change anything.
Nothing about this plan had caused his death and changing something simply because he knew it wouldn’t result in much, might end up creating problems he knew nothing about.
Vincent believed in the butterfly effect. He was also somewhat superstitious.
Once Anastasia finished, Leona leaned back.
"Then our first objective is confirmed."
Her crimson eyes settled on the reports across the table.
"Capture the bandits."
"Recover Silver Town."
"Find proof."
Vincent and Anastasia nodded.
The matter was settled.
...
In the previous iteration, Vincent had walked toward the bedroll in the corner after the discussion and pretended to take an afternoon nap.
He remembered lying there and opening the rewards from Event #001.
His gaze moved toward the same bedroll.
Then toward Anastasia.
"Anastasia..."
Vincent placed his teacup down and stood up.
"I want to check something in the strange ore room upstairs. Come with me."
Leona did not question Vincent or asked about the matter. She continued to busy herself with the reports on the table.
"We’ll be back in a few minutes," Vincent said to Leona.
"Take your time," she said lightly.
Being a maid, Anastasia did not have the choice to question Vincent. She quietly followed him.
The two climbed to the third floor.
The noise from the telegraph machines grew fainter with every step. By the time they reached the storage wing, only the occasional footsteps of a clerk could be heard from the distant staircase.
The dusty door remained where Vincent remembered it.
Anastasia unlocked it.
Vincent entered first.
The room was still clean despite the neglected corridor outside. Sunlight passed through the tall windows and illuminated the dust floating lazily through the air.
The old table remained against one wall.
Vincent waited until Anastasia entered before closing the door.
Click.
He locked it.
Anastasia turned toward him.
Neither spoke.
The silence lasted long enough that Anastasia’s fingers slowly curled against the sides of her skirt.
’What was the young master trying to do? He did not do this before...’
Anastasia could vividly recall everything and knew this behavior was odd.
It made her slightly nervous.
Vincent walked toward the old table and sat on its edge.
He looked at her for a while.
Then he smiled.
"You called me by my name."
Anastasia blinked.
"What?"
"I said you called me by my name."
Anastasia shook her head. "Young master, I dare not call you by your name. I’m afraid you must’ve misheard."
Her face was perfectly composed.
If Vincent had not lived through the erased memories himself, he might have believed her.
His maid was a really good actor.
Vincent raised his hand and let her eyes be fixated on it.
He then moved it toward his chest. Her eyes followed.
He gently rubbed the left side of his chest.
"It was the last thing I heard before everything went dark."
Anastasia’s pupils contracted.
She took a step behind, and her back struck the door.
The faint sound was louder than it should have been inside the quiet room.
"You..."
She stuttered.
Her lips parted again.
"Y-Young master, how did—"
Vincent raised his hand, gesturing to her to be quiet.
Anastasia stopped and continued to stare at him with wide eyes.
"I think you understand what I’m saying."
He lowered his hand.
"And judging by that face, I understand enough too."
Anastasia remained against the door.
Her breathing was no longer completely steady.
She looked haggard and it pained Vincent.
He had seen this woman walk through monsters without panicking.
He even saw her behead the Northern Commander and heard her shout his name before he died.
But, seeing her current shaken state felt strangely worse.
Vincent sighed and shook his head.
"Come here."
He extended his hands out, calling her in for a hug.
Anastasia looked at him with a stupefied expression.
"This is an order," he said sternly.
Anastasia lowered her head and obeyed, the shock still lingering on her face.
Vincent wrapped his arms around her and hugged her firmly.
He could smell her sweet natural odor mixed with the refreshing scent of black tea.
Vincent patted her back.
"You have your secrets. I have mine."
"I don’t think we should know too much about each other’s secrets."
He kissed the top of her head.
"Or at least, we shouldn’t put everything into words."
Anastasia’s brows slowly eased.
Only now did she wrap her arms around him.
Vincent placed his chin on top of her head and gently tapped it a few times.
"I don’t know what kind of weird abilities exist in this world, but I am sure someone can search memories or even search souls."
"Maybe there’s an old bastard somewhere who can look at us and know what we ate for breakfast ten years ago."
"Mm..."
Anastasia’s faint voice resounded in his ears.
The absurd example probably helped her relax.
Vincent felt at ease. He continued, "If I don’t know everything about you, nobody can pull anything out of me. The same applies the other way around."
"Let’s not discuss anything about this anymore. Just know that..."
Vincent kissed the top of her head again and held her more firmly.
"...I’ll be relying on you more from now on."
A few seconds passed.
"Sniff..."
Anastasia’s faint sob reached him.
Vincent caressed her hair.
The two did not speak for a good few minutes.
"Do..."
Anastasia’s voice was faint.
Vincent rubbed her back and tried to soothe her, letting her converse at her own pace.
A few seconds later.
"Do you... do you love me, young master?"
A thin smile formed on Vincent’s face.
He broke the hug and had her look up at him.
Her face was covered in tears and smudged makeup. She was a total mess, and her eyes were hazy.
Vincent couldn’t care less about it.
This was the prettiest face in the whole world for him at this very moment.
He leaned in and kissed her lips.
Clarity returned to Anastasia’s eyes.
She kissed him back.
The two basked in each other’s warmth for a solid minute, neither rushing to finish.
Anastasia realized, at this very moment, that there was someone who wouldn’t forget her.
Someone who, despite everything being reset, would never forget any moment they shared.
She would never have to be lonely again.
She would always have someone to come home to.
Her whole life, she had been running around, trying to do this, prevent that, and fight those. She had never had a moment’s peace as much as she did now.
From the moment Vincent clutched his chest, she knew he was aware of everything. But finally being reminded that she was loved was the closure she needed to fully assimilate her chaotic emotions.
Truly, she would never forget this day.
The kiss soon broke.
Anastasia’s eyes were clear. She used a handkerchief to wipe the mess on her face.
Vincent let her be for another minute, then got off the table and paced around the dusty room.
"I don’t know what happened after you called my name," he said softly. "I couldn’t see anything after that."
Anastasia looked at him.
"Young master, you—"
Vincent raised his hand. "Don’t answer. I’m sure that whatever you did..."
He stopped before her and looked up, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"...it wasn’t cheap."
Anastasia was silent. There were many thoughts in her head, but she chose to keep them to herself as Vincent asked her not to share.
Vincent gently placed his palm against her cheek and looked her in the eyes.
"Whatever you paid... I hope I become rich enough someday to not let you spend your own money."
Vincent smiled.
"But until then, please promise me you’ll become frugal and not pay such a hefty price again."
Anastasia stayed silent once again.
Eventually...
She took a deep breath and looked at her young master with absolute conviction.
"No."
"..."
Vincent blinked.
"What?"
"I refuse."
Anastasia’s voice was calm.
"If my master is broke, as his maid, it’s my duty to pay for him. So I refuse to be frugal."
Vincent knitted his brows.
The palm on her cheek switched to pull it.
"You dare refuse your master’s command?"
Anastasia nodded.
"I do. This one’s a bad maid, young master. I am ready to accept any punishment in return for my insolence."
There was no apology in her eyes.
"You dare?" Vincent squinted his eyes.
"I’m afraid, I do."
Vincent took his hand off her face and put it on her waist.
"You’ve gotten quite naughty, haven’t you?"
He turned her and bent her over the table.
His hand then moved.
PAH!
"Ow..." Anastasia felt a sting at her behind.
She turned to the side and looked at her young master with a face that expressed she had been wronged!
Vincent harrumphed and adjusted his shirt.
"That was a warning."
Anastasia slowly raised her eyebrows.
Vincent turned around and went to the door.
"I am a busy man. The actual punishment will be at a later date."
Click.
He opened the door and tried to leave, but almost stumbled at the doorstep.
"Hmph!"
He harrumphed again and skedaddled.
A faint smile crept across Anastasia’s face as she watched him leave.
She did not get up from her bent position for a while, letting every emotion and this chaotic day fully sink in.
Eventually, she stood up, dusted her clothes, corrected her makeup, and walked toward the open door.
It was a new beginning from this moment onwards.
She looked forward to a whole new set of experiences.
Click.
The door closed behind her as she went downstairs.