How shitty can your life be?
"To the Esteemed Nobility and People of the Kingdom,
It is with great shame and disappointment that I, Duke Alistair Veyne, head of House Veyne, hereby declare that Cedric Veyne is no longer a member of our noble bloodline.
For the heinous crime of assaulting an innocent commoner, a crime most vile and unforgivable, I strip him of his name, his titles, and his right to the Veyne inheritance. His actions have tainted the honor of our family, and such filth shall not be tolerated under the banner of House Veyne.
From this day forth, Cedric Veyne is no longer recognized as a noble. He is to be exiled from our lands, and none shall offer him shelter under penalty of treason. Should he resist or attempt to reclaim his former status, he will be met with swift and severe punishment.
Let this decree serve as a warning to all who dare disgrace the nobility. House Veyne shall not falter, and our honor shall remain unstained.
Signed,
Duke Alistair Veyne"
A letter reading the above words lay before me.
I, Cedric Veyne, was disowned from the Veyne Family due to my actions.
I stared at the letter, my fingers trembling as I traced the edges of the parchment.
The elegant script, written with calculated coldness, felt like a blade slicing through my very existence.
Disowned. Exiled. Condemned.
The weight of those words pressed against my chest, suffocating me.
I let out a dry, humorless chuckle.
It was as if, everyone around was taunting me.
I wanted to retort, because I was not Cedric Veyne, the scum noble, trying to get away with anything due to his family's influence.
And, now he got punishment, which he deserved
The parchment crinkled in my grip as I stared at the words one last time.
Disowned. Exiled. Homeless.
And apparently… kicked out of my own dormitory too.
"Master Cedric," the head butler, Bernard, said with a face so blank it could be used as a template for disappointment.
"Your belongings have already been removed from the premises."
I raised an eyebrow. "Already? That was fast."
"We anticipated this outcome."
"...Wow. Thanks for the confidence."
I turned toward the entrance of the dormitory at the prestigious Arcadia Magic Academy, where students from noble families refined their talents.
A towering, elegant building where young aristocrats honed their spells, studied ancient grimoires, and most importantly—judged anyone beneath them with the intensity of a thousand suns.
And I had just been declared the lowest of the low.
Before I could even process my next steps, a pair of senior students in academy uniforms approached, each carrying a crate filled with my stuff.
With all the delicacy of someone tossing out rotten vegetables, they dumped my belongings at my feet.
Thud. Clatter.
I looked down.
One crate was literally just books.
Another had exactly one pillow.
"…Where's my mattress?" I asked.
"Property of the academy," one of them replied.
"My uniform?"
"Confiscated."
"...My toothbrush?"
"Donated to charity."
I paused. "You're telling me some poor orphan is brushing their teeth with a disgraced noble's toothbrush?"
"That is not our concern."
I ran a hand down my face. "Wow. You guys really committed to this."
Just then, Professor Reinhardt, the dormitory supervisor, strolled up with a letter in hand.
He adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.
"By order of the Arcadia Academy Council, Cedric Veyne is hereby expelled from the noble dormitory effective immediately. Furthermore, he is barred from using the academy dining hall, restricted from entering the library, and—"
"Wait, wait, wait," I interrupted, holding up a hand. "You're kicking me out of my dorm, barring me from food, and banning me from studying? What exactly am I supposed to do here?"
"Not our problem," Reinhardt said, already turning to leave.
The students watching from the dorm windows burst into laughter.
Some even threw bread at me—which, honestly, was a blessing at this point.
I sighed and grabbed a piece of bread from the ground, brushing off the dirt.
"Welp. Looks like dinner's settled."
The moment I turned away from the dormitory, the gates slammed shut behind me.
I was officially homeless.
No family. No noble status. No dorm. No food. No toothbrush.
I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and muttered,
"Well, at least things can't get any worse."
And that, dear reader, is when it started to rain.
It was really funny, how I went from a normal, game loving adult to a fallen noble, who has lost everything.
Arcadia Magic Academy.
A game centred around this academy, named, The Academy's Strongest Mage Hides His Past.
And Cedric Veyne, a third rate villain character, who was disowned from his family, due to assaulting one of the heroines.
It all seemed surreal to me, as I couldn't find a single site to shelter from rain, carrying two bag packs on my shoulder.
As I trudged toward the main gate, my boots squelching in the rapidly forming puddles, the whispers and laughter of students reached my ears.
"Look at him. From noble to beggar in a single day."
"I heard he tried to plead his innocence, but even his own father didn't believe him."
"Serves him right. Scum like him doesn't deserve a place here."
I sighed. My reputation was already in the gutter, and the mud splattered on my now-plain, soaked clothes wasn't helping.
One particularly enthusiastic onlooker, a first-year student with an annoyingly punchable smirk, cupped his hands and shouted, "Oi, Cedric! Need a carriage? I hear the beggars' guild is recruiting!"
The crowd erupted into laughter.
I clenched my jaw and kept walking, determined not to give them the satisfaction of a reaction.
Then another voice piped up. "You should be grateful, Veyne! At least now you don't have to worry about grades. Dropouts don't take exams!"
I wanted to retort because I hadn't dropped out yet.
I exhaled, watching my breath fog up in the cold night air.
The weight of my wet clothes pressed against me, and the two backpacks on my shoulders felt heavier with each passing step.
This was it.
I had officially hit rock bottom.
No wealth, no family, no home, and no future.
Even the academy, the place where I was supposed to hone my magic, had tossed me aside like yesterday's garbage.
And yet, there was something oddly liberating about it all.
I had no expectations to fulfill anymore.
No title to uphold. No family name looming over me like an iron cage.
In a way, I was free.
Of course, that didn't change the fact that I was currently a homeless, jobless, and soon-to-be penniless former noble in a world where status meant everything.
I stopped at the academy's main gate, glancing at the towering iron bars before turning back to the distant dormitory buildings.
The laughter and jeers had died down, but the sting of humiliation still burned.
I ran a hand through my drenched hair and muttered, "Alright, Cedric. Time to figure out your next move."
The streets beyond the academy were a mix of cobblestone roads and dimly lit alleyways.
Arcadia's noble district lay far from here, and even if I wanted to, returning there was a death sentence.
The slums, on the other hand…
I grimaced.
Going there without a plan would be just as bad.
A fallen noble was easy prey.
I'd be robbed, beaten, or worse, sold off the moment someone recognized my situation.
"Which leaves me with exactly zero options," I muttered to myself.
As if to mock my plight further, the rain intensified, and a particularly strong gust of wind made me shiver.
But, I knew that there is no use crying over spilled milk.
This is a game world, and I have possessed a villain character.
It was only natural to expect such a fate for this doomed character.
This romance fantasy game was really popular in my world.
Due to its characters, and intriguing plot for such a common troupe of a story, the game rose in popularity really quick.
And talking about the fate of Cedric Veyne, well, he was never really mentioned in the storyline after his exile.
The rain continued its merciless assault, drenching me to the bone.
My boots squelched against the cobblestone as I trudged forward, my two backpacks hanging heavily on my shoulders like anchors.
The noble district was out of the question.
The commoner district wasn't exactly welcoming.
And the slums?
Well, I wasn't too keen on getting robbed blind before I even had a chance to figure things out.
Which left me with one solid option: finding a nice, cozy alleyway to collapse in.
With a sigh, I turned down a side street, dodging a particularly large puddle.
A stray dog gave me a once-over before deciding I wasn't worth the trouble.
Even the strays had standards, huh?
Finally, after wandering aimlessly, I spotted a narrow alley with just enough overhang to keep the worst of the rain off me.
"Alright," I muttered, shaking out my soaked hair. "Not ideal, but better than nothing."
I dropped my backpacks onto the damp ground and leaned against the wall, exhaling.
My body was beyond exhausted, and my mind wasn't faring much better.
But there was one thing I had been waiting for.
I glanced at the night sky. "Anytime now…"
As if on cue, a familiar blue screen popped up before my eyes.
[Status Window Loading...]
I let out a tired chuckle. "Finally. Took you long enough."
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Author's Note:
Interested in the story?
Then add it to your library, and comment down your thoughts.
Next chapter : The Bare Minimum
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