After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

[Host, this system is back]

The mechanical voice suddenly rang out, and Oswald's spirits lifted. He quickly asked.

(What did your superior say?)

[It told us to keep going, said it had high hopes for us, and then kicked us out of the system.]

(...)

(Your superior is truly superior.)

Oswald knew that what was called role-playing was actually a chore that nobody wanted to do, but the system just happened to be unlucky enough to be involved.

He still vividly remembered the system's lifeless, businesslike tone from his previous life. If it weren't for its overly formal manner, Oswald would have truly believed the system was an emotionless artificial intelligence.

And he naturally became the second unlucky guy. First, he was taken away by the system with a set of mud cart Iaijutsu. After finally transmigrating once, he had to play a supporting role with his hands and feet tied, and was not allowed to do anything out of line.

It's not some supernatural tale where people die if the natives discover they're not the real person...

Oh right, speaking of outrageous behavior, Oswald realized that the one who first encouraged him to be kinder to his people and to help civilians was none other than the system itself.

Very well, very well, this is the story you started with your own hands, Master!

(Tongzi, tell me honestly, when you first transmigrated here, why did you ask me to help the civilians? Although I had the same idea, you knew that this transmigration did not allow for changes to the plot, so why did you still take the initiative to open this door?)

Upon hearing the host's question, the system immediately reacted by exhaling.

[Do not question this system. The reason for doing so is that we have been instructed by our superiors to leave behind as many people and resources as possible after the mission is completed.]

[Besides, even if you made a mistake, you can't blame the system alone. You've governed the territory so well, aren't you right? Isn't Elena, who's currently clinging to your back, right? Aren't the people who rallied to your cause upon hearing that they wanted revenge for you right?]

(.......)

(I'm not blaming anyone, what I mean is, why didn't you tell me such important information sooner?)

The system remained silent. What kind of intelligence is this?

In my previous life, my superiors were incredibly long-winded. They kept saying things like, "Be careful not to let your host indulge in pleasure," "Don't let your host be too diligent," "Your host is getting stronger too fast, you need to control it," "Where did you find this guy? You didn't go to his lectures too, did you?" "Stop secretly giving your host rewards, I can see everything..."

Coming to his senses, the system asked: "[Host, have you discovered something?]"

(If your guess is correct, and we are in our second life when we traveled back in time, then there is another question worth considering.)

(The question is whether the first time travel occurred before or after Oswald's original death.)

(In the game's story, the hero and his party did indeed replace Oswald as duke and then defeat the Demon King. Now let's assume two unchanging principles: First, during the period when the hero's team controlled the Northern Territory, including the five heroines, the number of nobles increased, and they even further divided the wealth and land of the commoners to thank other nobles and academy students for their support.)

(Secondly, having experienced several major wars, the Northern Territory has seen a significant decline in its young and middle-aged population, inevitably causing its GDP to plummet.)

(We know that the money and grain that the Northern Territory needs to pay to the powerful are increasing, while the territory's GDP has plummeted. What do you think will happen in this situation?)

……

"Maria?"

Thorne rubbed his face vigorously, still feeling incredulous. Was it just his imagination? He thought he saw Maria's corpse wink at him.

Perhaps he has gone mad, or perhaps the world has gone mad. This is not the ordinary plague they speak of; this is another catastrophe!

He didn't know why things had suddenly turned out this way. It was as if, from a certain moment, when he opened his eyes again, the world had undergone a complete transformation.

Petal-like hands and feet began to dance. Thorne pressed his head down, feeling his remaining sanity on the verge of collapse.

In the chaotic dance, bizarre hand gestures freeze continuously, and the running critically ill patients explode around him like fireworks.

The blood spurting from the corpses coalesced into a river, flowing into the flowerbed from all directions. Maria had truly regained her vitality this time, a chilling smile appearing on her face, her body slowly regenerating in the blood...

Thick, blood-stained clothes clung to her flawless skin, white bones transformed into the hem of her skirt, and her long golden hair faded, turning into a delicate white.

The pool of blood beneath their feet instantly dried up, the flowers withered, and their dancing hands and feet turned into a smear of black ash. When the smoke cleared and Maria once again stood barefoot on the ground, not only Thorne, but also John and Nicole, who were not far away, stood up in shock. How absurd and terrifying this scene was!

Maria's empty gaze shifted to Thorne, who had instinctively stepped back, and she said calmly, "I'm gradually understanding everything, Thorne. We still need to move forward."

"Back off! Thorne, she's dangerous..."

Before Nicole could finish speaking, Maria suddenly raised her hand, and a huge skeletal hand appeared out of thin air, grabbing Nicole and slamming her against the city wall.

"There is a traitor among us."

Maria floated forward, her black and red blood-red dress flowing with her, until she came to Nicole.

The bones creaked as they clenched, and Nicole cried out in pain, but Maria showed no mercy, coldly saying, "You, or Annie, whoever it is, I will make the traitor pay the price."

After saying that, she reached out and lifted the Wishing Star on Nicole's chest, but after hesitating for a moment, she chose to put it down.

Maria turned around quietly, waved her skeletal hand to throw Nicole away, and didn't even glance at John, who had a strange expression, before returning to Thorne.

The bones dissipated, but Thorne was on high alert, his face filled with fear. He had only taken a few steps back when Maria grabbed him by the collar.

Her voice was soft and melodious as she whispered in Thorne's ear, "As fate has foretold, we will meet in Redwood Village. Seven days from now, at noon, I will await the arrival of the hero."

As soon as the words were spoken, chaos erupted once again in the city. The patients and soldiers who had been healed by the saint rushed out of the city, knelt at Maria's feet, and frantically licked the blood dripping from her blood-stained clothes.

Thorne was shoved aside by the crowd, his expression blank, as the pilgrims pulled him further and further away...

"What exactly happened next?!"

Medivh roared, realizing that the slime was getting weaker and weaker. As long as there was no trouble in the rear, they would be able to resolve this calamity soon.

As soon as he turned his head, he saw the resurrected saintess leading a group of people with fanatical eyes, walking past him without any attempt to hide.

He didn't know whether he should stop her or not. It was obvious that the saintess had become a special being. The aura of holiness and calamity were perfectly intertwined in her body. With just one glance, she destroyed the knowledge system that he had spent decades building.

Medivh thought of a curse that had never appeared in human history, a blessing from a goddess... Could it really have disappeared in their generation?

Ultimately, he chose to retreat temporarily and raised his hand to order his squad members and mages to make way.

The floating saintess slowly brushed her fingers across the slime before gradually disappearing from everyone's sight.

Before long, the slime stopped moving, and its huge body collapsed with a crash, turning into a pool of foul-smelling blood.

(Hey, did you see what that was?)

With his magic supply interrupted, Oswald coughed up another mouthful of blood. He slowly opened his eyes and, as before, sensed the strange presence in the distance.

Fortunately, he has absorbed enough magic power, so he can now temporarily regain his mobility.

[What else could it be? After the Wishing Star disappeared, what remained was naturally the Goddess's curse. The Saintess had become a true necromancer, or rather, a Saintess in blood.]

The system was somewhat downcast. It had seen many creator gods, but few could say that a god would grant its creations such an outrageous wish-granting mechanism.

Allowing ordinary individuals to easily wield immense power is practically inviting humans to make mistakes. The other side controls the rules of the game, while we can't offer the host much help...

(Is it a two-sided story? If it were made into a sequel or DLC, it would probably sell like hotcakes.)

Oswald didn't care about these things; in this life, he was prepared to face any difficulties.

Besides, who knew the goddess's curse would manifest in this way? Fortunately, the opponent only has a second stage, so it's not like there's no chance to kill her.

As if sensing the host's thoughts, the system issued a warning directly.

[Host, please note that your physical functions have been weakened by the influence of the immortality magic. The Blood-Clad Saintess also possesses the magic of immortality and goddesshood. Given your current condition, you have virtually no chance of defeating her.]

(Yeah……)

With Eleanor's help, Oswald stood up and, seeing her worried expression, immediately smiled at her.

"Let's go north and rejoin the team."

Alene forced a smile. "Yes, sir."

……

The plague was still raging in the capital, but perhaps because a large number of patients had been discharged under various circumstances, the city had long since returned to peace.

People hid in their homes, but their fears only grew; they had witnessed far too many terrible things that day.

In an unassuming residence, Medivh, his face ashen, had brought all those involved in the case together, demanding a reasonable explanation.

"Hero, and that girl with the missing hand, if I remember correctly, you were also chosen by the Star of Wishes back then. Come, tell me, what exactly did you and the Holy Maiden intend to do when you came to the city wall?"

Thorne and Nicole exchanged a glance, both with mixed feelings, unsure of what to say.

There are too many secrets involved, and coincidentally, they are the only two people in this group who have no memories of the past. They don't know whether they should reveal the matter of time travel under these circumstances.

Medivh had witnessed their subtle actions. He hadn't been this angry in many years. Just as he was about to slam his fist on the table and stand up in a rage, John stepped forward and said slowly.

"The saintess intended to use the Star of Prayer to solve the plague."

The archbishop offered an explanation, and Medivh, not wanting to say much more, asked in a deep voice, "Then why didn't it succeed?"

"Just as you suspected." John looked up, his eyes showing weariness. "I've noticed them for a long time, sir. Perhaps this world has already changed a lot, and they have lost the power to pray to the goddess."