The Necromance of Love and Death: Defeated Early in the Game, I Reincarnated as a Tragic Villainous Noble and Rebel Against the Scenario with My Beloved Using My Modern and Game Knowledge - Chapter 22

“Thank you very much.”

With a farewell from the store clerk and a sturdy security guard, we stepped out of the accessory shop.

“Hehe.”

Walking beside me, Vio happily touched the back of her head. There, a barrette adorned with a purple gemstone rested—the one I had just gifted her.

Vio has silver hair and pale skin, making her seem almost colorless. The only color she truly possesses is in her purple eyes.

Her violet eyes are breathtakingly beautiful and incredibly rare. I’ve never seen anyone else with the same eye color as Vio.

I was so captivated by their noble radiance that, as a child, I often praised her eyes and gave her gifts in purple.

Maybe because of that, Vio grew to love the color. Whenever she picks out dresses, they’re usually either purple or white, and most of her accessories are purple as well.

Well, about half of those accessories are gifts from me anyway.

So, this time, I chose a barrette with a touch of purple.

“How does it look, Kuro? Is it cute?”

“The way your hair is styled now gives you a different kind of charm, Vio. You look wonderful.”

“Hehe.”

Seeing Vio laugh so freely makes my heart race a little.

But even though I feel guilty about this…

“Vio, I’m really sorry, but would you mind coming with me for a bit today?”

“Kuro? Of course, I don’t mind.”

“Thank you!”

I felt bad asking this of her when she was smiling so brightly, but I had to do it.

A true gentleman should properly escort a lady on a date, but just for today, I needed to set that aside. This was my only chance!

Now that Vio had agreed, I immediately changed our plans.

“Arnaud, I want to find some artifacts. Locate a store for me.”

“Understood.”

As expected of my old butler’s son—despite the sudden change in plans, he remained completely unfazed and promptly set the carriage in motion. My respect for Arnaud shot up significantly.

The carriage traveled through the bustling lower town, packed with people no matter where we looked.

Eventually, we stopped in front of a particular store.

“This should be the place.”

“Hmm.”

As Arnaud opened the carriage door, the store that came into view had a somewhat worn-out exterior. It wasn’t exactly rundown, but it had an atmosphere to it.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

I escorted Vio as we stepped into the shop.

However, the interior was small, and there wasn’t a single item that looked like an artifact. Just a wooden counter stood in the middle of the room. There were no customers, and not even a shopkeeper in sight.

Is this really a store?

Looking closely, I noticed a handbell placed on the counter. Picking it up, I rang it with a “chirin-chirin” sound.

Shortly after, a lively old man emerged from the back.

“What is it? A customer?”

Well, technically, this is a shop… but is that really how you greet customers?

I was used to dealing with formal and courteous shopkeepers, so this kind of response caught me off guard.

“I’m looking for artifacts. Do you sell them here?”

“Yeah, we got ’em. Come on in.”

With that, the old man opened a section of the counter for us.

So, the real business happens in the back?

“This way.”

“What’s with that attitude?”

“Well, well, let’s just go with it.”

I gently soothed an irritated Vio and followed the old man inside.

The room we were led to was surprisingly stylish.

“Sit.”

This old man sure is bossy…

I ran my hand down Vio’s back to calm her down as we took a seat on the sofa in the middle of the room.

“So, what exactly are you looking for?”

“Elixir.”

Elixirs are rare potions occasionally found in ancient ruins. Their effects are extraordinary—they fully restore HP and cure all status ailments.

I had pinned my hopes on this elixir.

In the game, Clovis—the character I had become—contracted a terminal illness upon graduating from the academy at fifteen.

If I knew the cause, I might be able to prevent it. But the source of the disease was unknown. Chances were, I would suffer from it as well.

In the game, Clovis clung to a single hope after falling ill.

He wanted Vio to keep moving forward, even after his death.

Clovis wished for Vio to continue living, even if it meant preserving her in a lifeless state.

To achieve that, he betrayed humanity, selling information to the Demon King in exchange for knowledge of an alchemic artifact.

That artifact was the Black Orb—a relic from an ancient civilization that absorbed and stored mana from its surroundings.

Clovis intended for Vio to use it, ensuring that she would never run out of magic.

However, his plan ultimately failed.

The protagonist defeated both Clovis and Violette, and the Black Orb was taken as a prize.

Clovis had betrayed all of humanity for Violette’s sake. To him, she was far more important than the entire world.

I understand that feeling all too well.

If I were in his place… I would probably do the same.