Xian felt a sense of déjà vu. When he first arrived in this world, Carmillia had been in the very same foul mood. But this time, the one she was facing was a special heroine rather than a villainess. Then again, from his current position, would that make Carmillia the heroine and Casteryja the villainess?
Although he had said that they shared similar circumstances, hers was a little different. Unlike him, who could regress as many times as necessary, this particular heroine had regressed years past the beginning of the story.
She carried a special fate and a goal waiting at the end of her journey. Like most regression protagonists, she had already reached a formidable level of skill before being sent back, almost to the point of realizing her full potential.
'But it doesn't make any sense.' Xian felt unsettled. The anger and bloodlust she was directing at Carmillia was far too intense.
He was also irritated, because there was no way for him to know what kind of previous life she had lived. In the game, she was an inaccessible heroine unless the player fulfilled a special condition: finishing a playthrough while being present for all of her observations and events.
It didn't matter if the protagonist reached a bad ending or chose another heroine. What mattered was participating until the very end. With the game merging into reality, Xian had believed that his newfound freedom would allow him to influence the heroines in advance, especially those he favored.
But things had turned out differently. Now there was another regressor thrown into the fray, and he had no idea what her involvement would bring to the main storylines and routes, how she would act around the other heroines and Adrian, which events she might interfere with, or what exactly her grudge against Carmillia was.
In the game, only from the second run onward would there be a route and story specifically for her. It was a special condition much like Carmillia's, although it was easier to achieve and encounter. From the second playthrough onward, players had a chance of encountering Casteryja, who had already regressed. That was the extent of what Xian knew.
He had never attempted her route, because he heard that by far her story had the longest playtime compared to all the other heroines. So he never touched it.
There was also the simple fact that she wasn't to his tastes. Xian's basis when choosing a heroine's route was appearance. And while this heroine was certainly pretty, she was far from what he actually wanted.
He only played the routes of heroines he liked, and only caught brief glimpses of the other routes by watching playthrough videos on the internet.
Now his bias was coming back to bite him. He had general knowledge about most heroines, but this particular one was tricky even with the information he knew, because her actions were based solely on her past life and the things she wanted to change.
'No, I can still make this work.' Xian thought that if she was present in this timeline, then surely she would act based on the decisions of her past life.
Of course, there would be a certain margin of error in his guesses, since the events weren't exactly uninfluenced by external factors caused by other characters. She might seek out former allies, uncover hidden treasures meant to be found later, or eliminate future threats in advance.
'Shit.' But the more he listed the things she might do, the more he realized just how much of a threat she was to the known storyline diverging.
'If she followed the "True Route", then she's no different from the others.' If her previous life had simply followed a the usual plot without the player's external influence, then the situation was still manageable. That would mean she was just another heroine drawn to Adrian, the protagonist. Of course, further observation in the meantime would still be required.
However, there was another problem. What role did Carmillia play in her past life? In which events did she come into play? One thing was certain: she must have done something terrible enough to incur this regressed heroine's wrath.
While Xian was deep in thought, Carmillia stood undeterred by the killing intent directed at her. With an air of superiority, she returned a brief, uninterested gaze toward the other heroine, as if looking at something beneath her notice.
To her, it was likely just another nameless commoner harboring a grudge against the Montagne family. Ever since her mother's death and the massacre, countless had attempted to take revenge, only to be beheaded at her orders.
Today would be no different, with Serika and Lucinelle, her personal guards standing quietly by her side.
"…" The other heroine did not move. The two guards beside the villainess did not even enter her sight. Her gaze remained fixed solely on Carmillia.
The standoff silenced the surrounding crowd. Some gulped nervously while others smiled, expecting a bloody spectacle.
Serika was about to draw her blade first as always when Xian suddenly stepped forward and blocked their line of sight.
At that moment, the other heroine finally tore her gaze away from Carmillia.
'Let's see, do you know me or not?' Xian planned to gauge the heroine's reaction, whether he existed in her past life or not. In this way, he could confirm it with her reaction.
Unlike her, who had only regressed once, Xian could regress as long as Carmillia died. As if it were set up so that whenever he failed to protect her, he was given another chance. Revealing himself wouldn't matter much.
For now, her past life can be treated as a reference to the 'canon' route of the game story. Players had argued among themselves what the canon route of the game is for several years, but the strongest contender was…
'Casteryja.' Being a regressor and having the longest route after all meant that her existence was special.
Xian put on his most intimidating expression and looked at her.
However, while he observed Castreyja, her only expression was… of bewilderment and irritation even.
'She doesn't know me.' That confirmed that this body had never entered the academy or done anything significant enough to be memorable. Yet judging by this body's unusual skills, he clearly wasn't a simple NPC.
"Move aside. You're in the way." Xian's attitude went against a butler's etiquette, something Moris had drilled into him. But this was the academy now. If he wanted to avoid being bothered by reckless individuals harboring grudges against Carmillia, showing weakness and politeness would not help.
It would only make them approach carelessly. While that might be useful in some situations, the inconvenience outweighed the benefits. Besides, his appearance suited arrogance perfectly.
Looking at the tall figure blocking her view, Casteryja's expression remained twisted, now tinged with confusion. "… Who the hell are—?"
Before she could finish, the academy grounds shook and an overwhelming sense of oppression swept across the entrants. Some trembled. Others fainted and collapsed on the ground.
It felt no different from a warning assault. Various entourages from noble families raised their weapons while magicians began chanting spells.
"Silence." A single word, spoken without raising or lowering his voice, echoed through the ears of everyone present. Instantly, everyone's intention to fight dispersed. Such displays were not new to those familiar with how Rozenfall operated.
Xian was just fine, because this is ecatly what his trait [Defiance] resists as long as the level gap with the perpetrator isn't too large. But the other entrants were not even level ten yet.... In the game, when this instructor appeared, the protagonist collapsed to his knees as a mere level one.
A man hovered above the entrants with fluttering robes and wavy long black hair. Behind him, is an entourage of similarly uniformed figures, each with their own unique appearance and disposition around them. They were the selected faculty of professors to preside over this years examination.
Carmillia's eyes winced as she looked up at the figure above. One by one, doors began to appear before each of the entrants as papers floated out from their persons and burned to ash. Similarly, two rose from Carmillia, with the other drifting toward Xian.
A faint 'tsk' escaped her lips when that happened. It seemed she hadn't planned to give it to Xian at all.
"The entrance examination shall begin. Entrants, enter the corresponding doors before you. Only one person may enter each door. Servants may wait for their masters' results where the academy staff directs you."
The crowd buzzed with various factions talking amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Xian and Miri gathered beside Carmillia and the two swordmaidens.
"Then, I wish you luck young miss." Lucinelle faintly bowed. From this point onward, Lucinelle and Serika would be separated from Carmillia. They had come to the academy not as enrollees, but as servants.
"It's up to you now, Xian. We'll be assigned as the young miss's personal attendants and see you later." Serika patted his shoulder before pointing toward the girl who had blocked them earlier. "If you see her, make sure to teach her a lesson." She added with a smirk.
"…" Xian was speechless. If anything, she was the one who would teach him a lesson given the difference in their skills. He hadn't even seen his own skills yet.
Silently, Carmillia observed the door before her, realizing that such a day had finally come. From the moment she stepped into this academy, she would be forced to do things she was neither used to nor had ever expected.
Her life as the young miss, followed by servants at every step and executing anyone who displeased her, was no longer possible here. While she may be known by her reputation in wantonly executing servants back then, she was under no illusion that no one could touch her.
Here, in this academy, she can change that. If she gathered power within its walls, then no one would be able to defy her no matter where she stood in the world. Still, with the lack of royal retainers, except for the two swordmaidens, things would be troublesome.
The household's personnel who would normally heed her every command were not present within the academy. It called itself an "impartial" institution, but if she secured enough influence here, then she could live as she pleased.
Her gaze shifted to the people behind her.
Previously, Serika and Lucinelle stopped their studies for the sake of training to the limits and completing a pact with her. A pact that went beyond subordinate and master, entrusting their life in her hands.
Then her eyes turned to the tall, irritation-inducing butler who persistently clung to his duties despite her obvious desire to be rid of him. If he left after protecting her a few times, Carmillia would be more than thankful.
Yet he remained, stubbornly trying to prove himself despite being given an almost impossible challenge. He's probably someone sent by her father to monitor her movements, but killing him was not an option. He came from her father's side, and for all she knew, that butler might carry some sort of signal within his body.
'There aren't enough variables yet.'
Every action her father took carried a purpose.
She didn't know why the butler stayed, but she trusted her two swordmaidens who had sworn a pact to protect her with their lives. At the very least, he lacked the same 'filth' that clung to the men serving her father.
And the way he gazed at her… there was always something unsettling about it. It reminded her of the way her mother used to look at her. Whenever their eyes met, she felt a strange mixture of nostalgia, disgust, and anger. Even his neutral expression made him seem like the kind of man who brought trouble wherever he went.
Carmillia cleared her muddled thoughts and reached for the door, only to sense a presence approaching.
A familiar one she would rather avoid.
"The two of you, follow me." The man who had just hovered above the entrants and intimidated them alone now stood before their group, beckoning Serika and Lucinelle. Carmillia recognized him immediately.
Once, her mother had taken her to visit the academy, where she met him. He was her uncle from her mother's side and a high-ranking instructor of the academy. The fact that he presided over the entrants with the other instructors behind him was proof of how much the academy trusted him.
His eyes brushed over Xian before settling on Carmillia. "Enter with the lass already." He reached out his hand and both doors of Carmillia and Xian opened, pulling them in with force.
"Tch! This old man—" Carmillia had meant to curse, the sudden pull ruining her dignified image, but the instructor silenced her with a condescending glare. She knew well what it meant and could only bite her lip.
Xian did not miss it and simply allowed the force to take him. He knew the relationship between these two characters and had to be careful. This instructor was the sibling of Carmillia's mother, who died during the duke's massacres. It was never explicitly stated in the game, but he might harbor a grudge toward the wrong person just like the others.
Glaring, Carmillia passed through the door with a gloomy expression, her eyes never leaving the man who shared the same blood as her mother.
With her and Xian gone, he turned his attention to the two swordmaidens. He snapped his fingers, encasing Serika and Lucinelle within a barrier.
"What's the meaning of this?" Lucinelle asked, prepared to draw her sword anytime. The chance of an instructor attacking them is very unlikely but never zero.
"Your guise is of no use. Hm, it isn't a guise now that I look at it." Spoke the instructor who seemed interested. "Under the headmaster's order and the Duke of Montagne's request, both of you are to come with me into the academy."
"1st year, 2nd seat, Serika Cranel. Second year, 1st seat, Lucinelle Broquia." He took out two forms that floated in front of the two. "You two are to attend the academy once again."