I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 61

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[061] Distorted Past
A corruption of memory.
How much of what I remember is truly real?
‘My name is Doran. I died in a fire on Earth and was reincarnated into this world.’
That is an undeniable, immutable fact.
An ironclad premise that forms the foundation of my very being.
Yet it is abundantly clear that somewhere beyond this, a fatal distortion exists.
In a distant past I cannot recall, in a strange place I have never set foot in before, traces of my presence unmistakably remain.
‘Then where exactly did things go wrong?’
Perhaps the very first button was fastened incorrectly.
I had been absolutely certain that I was reincarnated into this world immediately after burning to death.
But what if there exists a gap in my awareness between those moments?
What if, rather than arriving here directly after my death, I had already died and been resurrected countless times in this world?
‘…It’s not entirely impossible.’
Having already died and been brought back once, there is no law preventing me from being revived again.
The mere fact that information about reincarnators is so widely known in this world proves that the timing of rebirth is arbitrary.
If that’s the case, then the crystal orb I saw and this note written in my own hand—everything makes sense.
“Damn it….”
I thought it was reincarnation, but it was possession? And on top of that, regression was added to the mix?
The trinity of possession, regression, and reincarnation. Plus a status window. This is maddening.
As I pressed my forehead and sighed, Radi asked with an innocent expression.
“Are you alright, Doran? Is something wrong? Your expression has looked serious since earlier….”
“No, it’s just… I have a headache. Radi, Malton—have you two found anything?”
“No, most of the journals are written in an unfamiliar language… When I asked Karen about it, she said it appears to be a workshop used by a great mage.”
“I see. It’s clear this mansion is a more historically significant place than it appears. I’ve come across ancient documents that seem to date back several centuries.”
“A great mage… An old building… Well, that makes sense.”
If my suspicion is correct, then the previous owners of this mansion are….
I turned my head and called out to the red-haired mage.
“…Karen.”
“W-what is it? Ugh… I mean, Adventurer.”
“From now on, don’t cast fire magic in this place.”
“…Why?”
“Just don’t do it.”
It’s my home.
I drove the point home firmly, then shoved the note deep into my pocket and turned to leave the room.
That was when it happened.
｢Do not take it with you.｣
Ding—!
｢A Quest has been updated!｣
｢Hidden Quest: Uncover the secrets hidden within the mansion.｣
“Reward: ???”
“….”
Ah, now it doesn’t even bother hiding anymore.
On top of the shocking truth, the status window that had always felt off now openly reeked of suspicion—enough to make my stomach churn.
I slipped the note back between the pages of the book and left the room.
‘My objective has changed.’
Originally, I’d planned to simply seal the Distorted Space and claim the reward, but not anymore.
I had to uncover the truth hidden within this Mansion, no matter what.
As I descended the Staircase again, Malton, who had been following me down while gripping the railing, casually spoke up.
“That was quite a mysterious place. Having passed through no small number of Rooms so far, it wouldn’t be strange to reach the core area soon. Do you intend to continue pressing forward as planned?”
“Yeah, if we keep exploring like this….”
I was about to brush it off as usual when I suddenly recalled the words from the note.
[Bel
ieve. Trust
your allies.]
A sentence that seemed to urge me to have faith in my companions.
I hesitated for a moment in silence, then decided to be a little more honest than usual.
“…From now on, I’ll move more carefully. This Mansion seems to be hiding secrets we don’t know about. I’m going to make uncovering them my top priority.”
“Such as?”
Radi asked sharply.
“Well… what I mean is….”
As I was deliberating over my response, a new door suddenly appeared and a rulebook materialized in the air.
[Caution! This is a Rest Room!]
[To ensure a pleasant and safe tea time, please strictly adhere to the following rules.]
[When the Maid offers black tea, you must absolutely request “two sugars.”]
[When the Maid approaches with a teacup, do not stare directly at her face. They are quite shy.]
[If you hear piano music from somewhere, you must applaud even if the performer is not visible. They are sensitive to audience reactions.]
[Never sit in the seat of honor with the red velvet cushion. That is the Master’s seat.]
A space furnished with a long wooden table and plush chairs. Soft violin music drifted from an unseen corner, and a large Fireplace blazed in another.
Aside from being decorated entirely in red tones, it was identical to the other Rooms.
‘Ah… now that I think about it, this rulebook is written in my handwriting too.’
Now that I knew this Mansion was no mere Distorted Space, everything looked different.
As my companions and I took our seats at the table, a heavy door swung open and a Maid Golem—her entire body sleekly molded from polished metal—appeared.
As the two Maids approached with sharp blades gleaming at their fingertips, Radi lowered her gaze and whispered in a tense voice.
“Th-these automatons look incredibly powerful…? I don’t think we should provoke them carelessly!”
“…Be careful. They slaughtered my senior Mage in an instant.”
Karen also warned with a disgusted expression, and the Maid intoned in an eerie, metallic voice.
─Please state your order.
The moment I carelessly raised my gaze, the automaton severed the chair clean in two with her finger blade.
Screeeech─!
“You were about to break the rules!”
[Do not stare directly at the maid’s face. She is easily embarrassed.]
‘Damn it…’
If I hadn’t reflexively pulled back, my head would have been severed.
Fighting her head-on is going to be brutal.
I immediately averted my gaze and ordered tea according to the rules.
“Earl Grey with milk. Just two sugars.”
─Please wait a moment.
As one maid gracefully poured the black tea, the other automaton watched us with a blade held at the ready.
I kept my head lowered while rolling my eyes to steal a glance at my surroundings.
‘What is hidden in this space?’
The previous owner of this mansion—presumably my past self—would never have created such rules merely to trick visitors.
There had to be a legitimate reason for enforcing such bizarre regulations.
If I were designing this mansion’s rules now…’
‘A kind of filter, perhaps?’
Leaving behind a mark that only I could recognize for when I eventually returned.
If that were the case, then somewhere within these rules lay an intention to distinguish between ordinary visitors and the true master.
“Karen, do you have any unused magic scrolls and a quill pen I could borrow?”
“…I don’t know what you’re planning, but here.”
I transcribed the rules I’d seen upon entering the room onto the back of parchment, then carefully examined each one.
‘The first two are just introductory text, so I’ll discard those…’
[Caution! This is a Rest Room!]
[For a pleasant and safe tea time, please strictly adhere to the following rules.]
1. When the maid offers black tea, always insist on “two sugars.”
2. When the maid approaches with a teacup, do not stare directly at her face. The maid is easily embarrassed.
3. If you hear piano music from somewhere, applaud even if you cannot see the performer. The unseen musician is sensitive to audience reaction.
4. Do not sit in the seat with the red velvet cushion. That is the Master’s chair.
‘Why specifically two sugars? Mere preference? I’ll set that aside for now. And not staring directly at the maid’s face…’
I quickly reflected the maid’s face in a silver plate, but found only a flat, featureless surface with no distinctive features.
‘Then that’s also inconclusive. The third item… the sound I’m hearing now is a violin, not a piano.’
Clap clap clap― I tried applauding just in case, but Karen only gave me a strange look, and I noticed nothing different.
That leaves only the fourth and final item…’
[4. Do not sit in the seat with the red velvet cushion. That is the Master’s chair.]
‘The Master.’ Before, I would have simply assumed it meant the leader of these creatures, but not now.
‘If these maids have a master… it’s highly likely to be the Previous Household. A place my past self used when receiving guests.’
But they show no sign of recognizing me.
Then, how could I make these two automatons recognize me as their master and uncover the secrets hidden in this place?
Suddenly grasping a crucial insight, I reversed the order of the sentences in rule four to extract its true intention.
─Whoever sits in the seat with the red velvet cushion is the master of the mansion.─
At least within this room, whoever occupies that seat is acknowledged as the household master.
Of course, the automaton wouldn’t possess the intelligence to distinguish between my reincarnated self and a native of this world.
The moment that realization struck me, I understood what I had to do.
“Listen up, everyone. No matter what, we need to get someone seated at the head of that table. Malton, draw its attention for a moment. If the automaton interferes, block it.”
“Leave it to me. …Oops, here we go!”
Clang! When Malton struck the table and sent the teacups clattering, both maids’ gazes snapped toward him.
Seizing that opening, I rose quietly from my seat and crept toward the head of the table.
But before I could take two steps, the Maid Golem spoke in a monotone voice.
─It is currently teatime. Please be seated.
“That crimson vase on the table is quite striking, isn’t it? Might I take a moment to admire it?”
─It is currently teatime. Please be seated.
The automaton issued its warning with coercive force, as though it might descend upon me at any moment with blade drawn.
I feigned lifting my teacup, then hurled it directly at the Maid Golem and bolted.
─Abnormal behavior detected. Switching to intruder purge mode.
Whirrrr! Beneath its skirt, gears spun with a grinding screech as gleaming blades shot forth.
Maid automatons armed with glittering silver knives and forks.
In the blink of an eye, they cut off my escape route and wielded their weapons with breathtaking speed.
“Gah… Damn it!!”
I twisted desperately to evade, but the automatons’ assault came down like a tempest.
With an eerie mechanical whine, they surged forward as instruments of steel slaughter, weapons flailing in all directions.
Malton quickly swung his mace to knock one back, but in that instant, another unit slipped through the gap and closed in from my blind spot.
In a heartbeat, a blade ejected from the Maid automaton’s waist pierced toward my chest.
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring accompanied a shower of sparks that filled my vision.
｢[Abos’s Scale Breastplate] has negated the fatal blow!｣
Under normal circumstances, that strike would have run me through.
Just as I was being pushed back by the unexpectedly formidable automatons, a soft voice reached my ears.
“Shadow Leap.”
A small shadow bounded off my shoulder.
Radi, who had crossed the space and emerged from the automaton’s shadow, accelerated straight toward the head of the hall─.
Ding!
｢Your ally Radi has taken the seat of honor!｣
｢You have discerned the loophole in the Mansion’s rules!! All party members’ Insight permanently increases by 1!｣
The moment Radi collapsed onto the velvet cushion, something miraculous happened.
─…We greet our Master.
The automatons, which had been thrashing about as though ready to tear us to shreds, came to an abrupt halt in unison and bowed their heads to her.
I rubbed my aching chest and broke into a grin.
‘Fortunately, the rule treats whoever sits at the head of the table as the master, regardless of who it is.’
I was reminded once again—in Belheim, there’s no exploit quite as broken as the movement skill.
“Well done, Radi. Is there anything that catches your eye from that seat? A note, perhaps?”
“A note? Just a moment, let me look around.”
Radi awkwardly rummaged through the cushion crevices while receiving the Maid Golem’s meticulous service.
After fidgeting for a while, her gaze settled on the pastry plate placed beside the teacup.
“Could it be that one…?”
When Radi picked up a crispy-baked fortune cookie and bit into it with a crunch, a tightly rolled slip of paper emerged from within.
However, as Radi unfolded the note, her expression subtly stiffened.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing really…”
She glanced at me, then exchanged a covert look with Malton beside her.
If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, she’d just torn off a corner of the note and hidden it.
Radi cleared her throat as if nothing had happened and recited the contents.
[Search the fireplace thoroughly.]
“That’s quite an unusual rule. Or rather, I’m not even sure if we should call it a rule…”
We approached the fireplace, but the ferociously blazing flames made it impossible to see inside.
“Then try using this.”
Malton tore down a thick curtain and draped it over the flames, but the fire only surged more violently.
Whoooosh—!
“…It got worse?”
“Hmm… It doesn’t seem to be ordinary fire. It appears to be magical.”
“Move aside.”
At that moment, Karen, who had been standing with her arms crossed behind us, stepped forward.
As she flicked her fingers with an air of annoyance, the flames that had been roaring as if to devour everything subsided like a lie.
‘Impressive…’
Truly befitting a Mage blessed by flames from birth.
Had she merely learned to control her overflowing magical power, she would already be called an Archmage.
Yet Karen’s expression after suppressing the flames was far from pleased.
“…Something’s off.”
“What is it, Karen?”
“These flames… The spell structure feels strangely familiar. It’s almost identical to the method my family uses… or rather, the method I prefer. What on earth is this…?”
“Is that so?”
I replied casually and thrust my head into the fireplace.
That was the moment.
“Wait, it’s dangerous!!”
Kaboom—!!
Just as Karen roughly grabbed the back of my neck, crimson flames erupted from inside the fireplace.
Sitting on the floor, staring blankly at the interior that had become a complete mess in an instant and the automaton spraying extinguishing powder everywhere, Karen spoke bluntly.
“It’s a trap. Designed to detonate with a time delay, targeting the moment the disarmer lets their guard down. …Don’t get the wrong idea. I only saved you because I need you to clear this mansion.”
“Thank you. I owe my life to you this time.”
So this carnivorous plant finally did something useful.
I patted my startled chest and peered into the fireplace once more.
On the surface, it was merely an ordinary brick wall covered in soot.
But problems like this typically have established solutions.
“I’ll dramatically amplify my mana sensitivity through Secrian’s Ring!”
“Temporarily, I can now perceive mana traces with my naked eye!”
In that instant, my mind sharpened with clarity, and delicate threads of mana wove themselves across my vision like gossamer strands.
‘Found it.’
…Rumble rumble rumble!!
Like a cliché straight from a spy thriller, pressing the protruding bricks in sequence caused the wall to begin rotating.
And what emerged was a spiraling staircase descending into the deep underground.
“So there really was a secret passage hidden here.”
No matter how thoroughly I appeared to search on the surface, adhering to the mansion’s prescribed rules would never grant me access to its true depths.
The reason countless mages conducting their search here came up empty-handed.
‘What on earth did I hide in this mansion back then…?’
I composed my turbulent thoughts and spoke.
“…Be careful. There’s no telling what might be lurking down there.”
I descended into the darkness alongside Malton, who nodded with a smile, Karen, whose gaze remained skeptical, and Radi, who followed silently behind.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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