'A message?'
Moris handed him a letter with an unreadable expression.
"Read it when you arrive at the academy. Some gifts have been prepared for you and the two swordmaidens."
'A gift from the duke?' There was a fifty-fifty chance that it was either a gift to the afterlife or a very good gift. The duke was one of the strongest bosses in the game, just like Carmillia. What made him different was the scale of conditions players needed to fulfill in order to defeat him.
With this message, it meant the duke was aware of his existence, which made him feel apprehensive.
"… Thank you."
But why would Xian feel fearful?
The duke's plans were elaborate and precise, as shown in the game scenes when the player began crossing paths with his schemes. Every action he made carried deeper meaning and intentions that couldn't be easily interpreted.
While Xian knew the future and the actions the duke took in other routes, in Carmillia's route he knew nothing. The attention of someone like the duke was unwelcome to him.
Xian felt a soft thump in his shoulder.
There, someone he hadn't expected was coming with them to the academy under the head butler's orders. Miri, with dark circles under her eyes, had fallen asleep. She hadn't been able to sleep properly ever since the chief maid's death.
[BLUE HEART: 36]
At first, he thought Miri was about to bid them farewell. But Moris told them that the duke required Carmillia to have a trusted maid accompany her. In the game, all the maids serving Carmillia were academy attendants, or sometimes even the swordmaidens.
'Is this also part of the duke's plan?' It might be a stretch, but he couldn't afford to be careless from now on. Everyone in the academy had to be doubted, and not a single sentence should be believed.
Even the heroines. There was a reason why Rozenfall wasn't only about romance, but also ruin, and why players had something called the 'Ruin End'. Compared to the truly happy 'Romance Endings', there was more than one version of bad endings for each route and heroine.
There were even endings outside those routes, such as dying as a convicted criminal at the hands of the kingdom or empire, or tragic endings where the heroine left the protagonist for another rival.
All in all, despite being a dating sim game, there were far darker aspects scattered throughout the player's gameplay.
It was ironic that he was going to destroy the life of the character he once played, should he exist and stand in the way.
'The academy…'
Once he stepped foot there, Xian wondered if he would even be able to rest.
His calling made him want to focus on understanding Carmillia better. Why her actions led to such extreme decisions of execution, and what kind of life she had lived. As a sub-boss, she existed in the game without much backstory.
Only her bad ends and antagonistic encounters remained, as if the game itself was screaming that she was a villain.
At the same time, the other heroine's he knew too well and similarly liked now exists in reality.
Right now, Xian felt torn on whether he will continue playing on the side of the villainess or forge his own route.
There was one more thing he wanted try. An arrogant notion that punished players for their greediness with a guaranteed Ruin End.
'A harem route…' Smirking, he wondered if that will be possible now. With his power of regression backing him, he could try it as many times as he liked. Furthermore, he can make more flexible choices unlike when he's behind the screen.
Xian shook his head to clear his thoughts. Right now, he was waiting for something.
'When is it appearing?'
The skill window. Another function of the system that players enjoyed, listing the skills players possessed and could learn. Upon stepping into the academy, the window was supposed to appear and guide the player.
There were skills that could be obtained through training, skills one was born with, and these were classified into techniques and spells. If it was martial arts, then Technique was the term used to denote the skill. If it was magic, then Spell was used instead.
If one learns a dark attribute spell, they build up mastery over dark affinity as a passive. Same goes for someone who starts training with a sword and develop either a stance or form. In this case, the naming makes it pretty explanatory, labeled as mastery if it was something they trained for.
Some technique's and spell, resulted in a passive trait, acquired not through inheritance but training. Meanwhile his [Defiance] is a special case. The [Defiance] for bosses didn't have a berserk triggered in their description unliek him.
Meaning, this body had lived a life embroiled in madness of battle. There was no noticeable scars in his body or maybe he just didn't look enough? The description of the skill often reflect the characters characteristic itself.
[Xian Level 14 Trainee]
Montagne Specialized Butler, Conqueror, Dedicated One, (Transmigrator), (Regressor), Shackled One(Sealed Traits Locked: ??? Lvl 18, ??? Lvl 28, ??? Lvl 38)
HP 330/330
MP 108/108
AP 193/193
Strength - 44(+21)
Agility - 45(+21)
Stamina - 22
Endurance - 22
Mana - 18
Luck - 0
Passive Traits
[Strong Blood: Traits pass on more easily on kin or descendants]
[Conqueror's Eyes: Allows affection level tracking]
Magic - Circle 4 Potential.
Bonus Points: 0
REGRESSION COUNTER: 5
He looked at his starting stats with a satisfied smile. With this, he was definitely stronger than the protagonist and the starting characters.
Still, he needed to keep his guard up. The growth rate of the protagonist's party was no joke. Compared to villains, they leveled up at a frightening pace.
Xian wondered how the stat distribution worked in this world, and whether someone would eventually explain it. The professors rarely gave glimpses of lectures despite this being an academy-based game. Instead, the focus was usually on activities and character interactions, while lore like that was often brushed over.
He was aware of the existing concepts such as Mana and Aura, Magic and Martial Arts, Spells and Techniques. But he had never actually tried using any of them in this life so far, relying only on his physical strength. Xian felt excited to learn all about Magic and Techniques.
It was a concern he hadn't really thought about until the academy was right at his doorstep. Explaining his strength and strange condition was the least of his problems.
An hour quickly passed by, the most peaceful Xian had been apart from sleeping in his room.
They entered what appeared to be the inner walls of the academy city. The gate guards briefly peeked inside the first carriage and let them through without any problem.
The streets were wide, almost like highways back in his world, yet they were paved with expensive-looking bricks. Likewise, the houses were built from beige-colored stone, their windows framed with dark, chiseled wood that matched the ornate street lamps lining the road.
It was the very same scenery he remembered from the game. Rows of houses crafted with stones, tiled rooftops stretching neatly along the street, and people bustling about with surprising energy. Lantern posts illuminated the roads, casting a warm glow that turned the academy's main avenue into a beautiful nighttime vista.
'What time is it? It's almost past midnight.' Yet the people of the academy city were still busy. Perhaps there was much to prepare for the arrival of new students.
"Hoho, it's a rather peaceful night isn't it? I thought for sure that I'm going to step out in the middle of the forest." Moris let out a rare chuckle as he stroked his mustache and seemed pleased.
Their carriage stopped in front of a several-storey inn that might as well have been a hotel in Xian's eyes. Inside, there was a bit of commotion because only two rooms remained available.
He had thought Carmillia might simply order the vacancy of one of the tenants. However, it seemed that many entrants with special backgrounds had also chosen to stay here. Nothing of the sort happened in the end.
'She's surprisingly not as aggressive as she was portrayed. Does she only go crazy for the protagonist?' Xian clicked his tongue, wondering what was so unique about the game protagonist that earned both her ire and attention.
Moris were done with escorting them safely and soon departed with the caravan, returning to the estate. Only then did Xian realize he had been left in a rather awkward situation.
"U-uhm…" Miri, with dark circles beneath her eyes, blushed deeply. She seemed unable to speak properly, stammering as she tried to form words.
Probably because they were sharing a room. Xian had forgotten about it entirely due to the sudden surge of killing intent he felt from Serika earlier. It seemed his skill didn't block such pressure completely, but instead allowed him to remain calm beneath it.
"Hey. You, butler. Don't you dare do something weird right next to our room." With bulging veins on her temples, Serika uttered those words, leaving him speechless. Recalling that made him smirk sinisterly, even though he simply found it amusing.
'Just what does she think is going on between us?' Xian mused at her active imagination.
"Sir Xian… Why are you smiling like that?…"
"Oh, right. You can sleep on the bed Miri." Xian stood up nonchalantly and headed for the living room.
"I can sleep on the sofa. Sleep comfortably." He was about to leave when Miri grabbed the hem of his clothes.
[BLUE HEART: 50]
"Hm?"
"I-I don't mind if it's with Sir Xian! Ah! No! I mean, sleeping together… Ah!" Miri was confused and unable to handle her own reactions. Xian realized she was the easily embarrassed and cutesy type of heroine.
'I really need that glimpse lens.' He was curious to see exactly why Miri had fallen for him so quickly. He had only been casually kind, yet even that had already raised her affection to fifty.
At this rate, she might reach [RED HEART] within a week in the academy.
'There's also her yandere tendencies… induced by the potion.' Xian didn't forget that crucial fact.
He's truly living in a dating sim world.
He reached out his hand to the maid who flinched and closed her eyes, as if waiting for something. Normally, such responses would only appear at the purple or even pink levels.
Even the warning that Serika gave, can be taken as some form of jealousy or consciousness on him, but that wasn't supposed to appear at [Green Heart]. The reality is really veering off from the mechanics he relied on.
Xian patted Miri on her head. The best he could do now was make sure her affection continued rising, to the point that she would willingly give her life to save him.
Perhaps, she might even be his first time. He didn't mind polishing his skills before Carmillia's turn. After all, wasn't he in this world to indulge in what he loved?
He stroked her head for a bit and spoke.. "I know what you meant. There's no need to be jumpy."
Then he touched her cheek, his rough hand brushing against her soft skin. Had she drank the potion of the chief maid, she would've fallen over to him, listless. But her state right now was no different anyways.
"You've been unable to properly sleep right? Sleep comfortably today. I'll stay with you."
"… Mm. Okay." Miri buried her face in his chest. At this point, his intentions and treatment were pretty clear and the maid isn't resisting it. Whether this would become poison or a boon was something to discover in the future.
As Xian said, he slept beside Miri without anything happening. The maid woke up just as flustered as before, but with newfound trust toward him.
[BLUE HEART: 69]
'Nice.'
He could've just gone all the way through and did the deed with her all the way. Certainly, her affection would shot up that way and tie down their relationship. But, the same could be said once he starts paying attention to other heroine's.
It's another screw around and you're screwed up move by the devs. Affection that rose too quickly also dropped just as easily, like a flimsy foundation. Raising it slowly in small increments was far more reliable.
He didn't know the game parameters that made it that way but he's certain. Since, he experienced it himself during his greedy attempts.
After preparation, they took a different and much grander carriage to the academy. This time, it bore the heraldic family crest of Montagne family.
A lion's head gazing upward toward a crown.
Some even said that the Montagne's family crest was disrespectful, as it can be interpreted to be eyeing the crown position itself.
Despite that, opposition could only bark at them. Almost half of the kingdom practically heeded their call.
Xian soon saw the glorious gates of the academy, gilded in gold and quartz, towering over them like the entrance to a kingdom from a fairy tale.
In the game, this was where the opening song would begin, with each heroine's silhouette teased in flashes during their journey to the academy.
The carriage came to a stop in front of the gates.
Beyond this point, the academy claimed to strip away status. Students walked as equals, whether noble or common, servant or heir. But reality was always messier than ideals. Student's who willingly joined faction and acted as their servants were not unheard of.
Just like right now.
Lower ranking noble's still walked in their masters' shadows. Not because they had to, but because they were paid to. Bought and placed like chess pieces. Even now, entire retinues of maids, knights, and robed magicians followed behind students like personal courts on parade.
It was easy to distinguish those from lofty backgrounds and those who arrived alone.
Fortunately, the academy grounds were more than large enough to accommodate them all.
And Xian was already spotting several familiar characters from where he stood.
The feeling of nostalgia hit him, as a rush of excitement coursed through his body.
'Finally.'
[Skill Window Unlocked]
'I'm here, once again.' Like the many times he had done before. But this time, he stood here in the flesh.
Carmillia walked past him, followed by Lucinelle in her usual dark armor. Serika, moving in disciplined step, paused only to pat his shoulder as if telling him to hurry along. She tended to speak less whenever she wore her armor.
Finally, Miri remained standing beside him, even though the woman she was meant to serve had already walked ahead.
With a quiet exhale, Xian took his first step into the academy.