The professor cleared his throat loudly, snapping the room's attention. "Please, I want your eyes peeled on me. Focus on the class, Eowyn Spade."
" Of course, professor."
I heard a soft chuckle behind me before Eowyn leaned forward slightly and whispered, defying all sense of caution, " Representatives are usually the sons of dukes, while dukes are typically the presidents of their respective guilds."
"Basically?"
"If a duke doesn't have a son, or a daughter, a person of his choice– or the Rushodovel's– will be a representative."
I gave the faintest nod of acknowledgment, pretending to focus on the professor's lecture. Eowyn might actually prove useful. A faint smirk tugged at my lips at the thought.
Might be worth keeping him around for intel. Though, for a moment, it was pretty weird. Why wasn't he giving me strange looks or judging me for not knowing basic things about the empire I was supposed to be from? Most people would have at least raised an eyebrow by now. Yet, he seemed perfectly fine just filling in the gaps, no questions asked.
'Weird… but convenient.'
'Ah, of course. He must be one of those "guide" stereotypes you always see in these kinds of games', I thought, glancing briefly in his direction.
'You know the type. When the protagonist is clueless, the guide conveniently shows up to spoon-feed them all the crucial information to keep the story moving, often when not given any information about the game.
It made sense, really. How else was I supposed to navigate through this world without someone like him? Still, I'll have to make sure he doesn't figure out just how little I actually know. Otherwise I'm in real trouble.
***
" psst… have you heard? " there were whispers. "what! No way!" a lot of whispers.
I was normally walking – passing through the halls with a slow, steady pace. Trying to act normal. Well, it's not like this feeling was the first. This happened before too. It was only the first week – so what happened?
I began walking faster.
' This is so weird. it's just like back… home.'
[ You have <10 days> left to conquer one of the
' Ugh! Not this again. Stop bringing it up!'
Lately, this stupid system keeps nagging me about 'conquering' the seven main leads. I've only encountered one so far – I think?
'I don't even want to know what the penalty is!'
"Ah, and so it is… The rats in the walls have found their way out."
A voice, delicate yet laced with slicing sharpness than mere elegance. She stood there, princess Leonthea Beatrix, back straight, eyes half-lidded out of pity. 'Wait… how did I know her name?'
The two girls; Lady Rosa and Lady Aloy visibly stiffened. Leonthea had caught them in their idle.
"Y-Your Highness…!" Rosa stammered, her lips twitching into a nervous smile. "We…we would never speak ill of you, Princess Beatrix!"
"Ah. Mhm." Beatrix exhaled, as if disappointed but not surprised. "Lady Rosa, Lady Aloy, then let it be known… I shall no longer extend you the courtesy of my presence. My invitations, my regard… all gone. Shall I say it louder? Shall I get my servants to sing it, perhaps?"
A hush fell over the hallway. I, too, felt it. Judgment. Retribution. And yet, it was still strangely merciful in the way she did it, as though she mourned the smallness of their souls rather than rejoiced in their humiliation.
"P-Princess Beatrix, please…We did not mean anything!"
Beatrix turned her gaze to her, eyes narrowing just slightly, and in that instant, I saw it.
"Did it mean nothing at all? You didn't mean anything?" she repeated softly. "How fragile you must be, Lady Aloy, to think meaning is enough to shield one from consequence. If nothing else, at least try not to bury yourself in that grave you dug up."
" It's inappropriate to use your rank in a school. Miss Beatrix."
A hand tugged at her shoulder. It was her brother.
" hmph. Dont touch me."
And with that, she turned and walked away. The silence in the corridor stretched long after she had gone.
[ <9 days> left to conquer one of
Fuck yourself.
[ ERROR ]
[<8 days> left to conquer one of the [seven main leads.]
I stared at the notification, my vision blurring at the edges.
...Was this thing serious?
A sharp lump formed in my throat. I could almost hear the system laughing; if it had a voice it would be cold, clinical to the way I was suffering; indifferent. Did it take pleasure in this? Meddling with the time limit to see me in small bits just because I insulted it?! 'You know what, system? Fuck you and your ****! **** *** ****! ****#&&#" &_+**(#! %¥€$%%**!'
[ ERROR ]
[ 5 days left to conquer one of the
I wanted to grab this cursed thing, shake it, smash it into a million unrecognizable pieces. ' I am officially doomed.' But of course, that was impossible, and the system knew it was.
Hmm. Gealach Beatrix. The guy from earlier. His name came to me as naturally as breathing, if it had always been nestled somewhere in the recesses of my memory. Was this the system's doing? Automatic character recognition? Then why – why couldn't I recognize Eowyn Spade?
Perhaps, it must be a useless thought. Dwelling on it wouldn't change anything.
Instead, my gaze flickered back to Gealach. Compared to Leonthea, there was barely a resemblance. Where she was poised like a blade hidden in silk, he carried himself with an effortless sort of ease, river flowing unbothered around obstacles. Chill. That was the word that came to mind. His swordsmanship was unreal. He moved like the wind, fluid and unhesitant.
A prodigy, through and thorough.
And not just with a blade. There was no denying it. Gealach's presence was striking. Even with the sweat from training clinging to his skin, his every movement carried an effortless elegance. The kind of presence that made people stop, look, and wonder if their existence was pointless all along.
I exhaled slowly. 'Yeah. Some people really have it all, huh? Hmph. This is what happens when god has favorites.'
"Naomi?",
I jumped, nearly tripping over my own feet. 'Who…huh?!'
A voice, low and measured, like the kind that belonged to someone who rarely raised it but was always, always heard.
"I've been looking for you",
'Huh? Who are you?!',
Before I could react, his hand was already at my back, firm yet unhurried, guiding me, or rather could I say pushing me through the doors of the library.
'What the hell is happening?',
The space was strangely empty, surely, the air itself held its breath. The golden light filtering through the high windows barely reached the dust-speckled corners.
And then, he spoke again.
"Naomi. When are you considering taking my offer?",
…???
I blinked at him, my mind blanker than a freshly wiped slate.
"What offer?" I wanted to ask but the words stuck to my throat.
Instead, I stared. Tall. Eerie. Eyes like deep water, unreadable, staring into me. Even so, it felt as if he already knew exactly what I was thinking. And, that hair. I felt like I've seen it somewhere.
"We've been going back and forth. " He continued, merely resuming a conversation I guess we have had a hundred times before.
A slow, creeping realization crawled up my spine. This man… knows me. Not in the way strangers claim to know someone, not through rumors or secondhand stories, no. My pulse thudded in my ears.
He sighed, long and heavy, as if he had long since exhausted every ounce of patience yet still found himself tethered to this conversation. "Naomi. Have you lost track of time?" His voice was steady, deliberate. The voice of someone accustomed to giving orders and having them obeyed.
"You're supposed to end him as soon as possible. I can't have you dazed off."
And before I could recoil, his hands were firm on my shoulders. His gaze bore into me. It was close to staring into a mirror that reflected nothing at all.
'This… is overwhelming.' Even so, a strange part of my body– no. This wasn't my body. A strange part of this strange body felt weird every time he muttered out my name.
I forced a breathless laugh. Keep it together. Keep it together.
"Ha, haha… Calm down. I've got it all under control." I didn't. Not in the slightest. "I'll get the job done quickly." Blatant lies. I wasn't even sure what job he was referring to. 'Well, I was, kind of? But, who am I to kill? Must I really bear the blood remnanting the death of a person in my hands?'
His expression did not shift. If anything, his grip on my shoulders tightened, just slightly.
I swallowed. Too much silence. "So, whose life was I supposed to… end… again? Haha, I forgot. Excuse my ignorance."
A sharp exhale. He dragged a hand down his face, muttering something incomprehensible under his breath before clicking his tongue, kissing his teeth in clear frustration.
"You – haa… I cannot, seriously… Finish your job with Eowyn as soon as possible, Naomi."
My mind blanked.
"I really have to inherit the title. Then, if plans go well, we could definitely marry. You would do this for me, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you cause a person to fall into a doom… for the benefit of your dear lover?"
There was something almost hypnotic in the way he spoke, his voice was definitely laced. His breath was warm against my skin. Suffocating me slowly with his presence. He got close to me and spoke in a manner I didn't feel comfortable with. 'My lover, huh…'
This was unsettling to me. Or rather, everything. I was a pretty much touch starved teenager with little to no human contact as in hugs and similar. I must… resist.
'What's wrong with this sudden lore dump… ? Though, it quite makes sense now as to why I felt aroused even though I've never met this guy.' The strange way my body reacted to him, while my mind rejected him outright. 'Is this the system's doing? Is the system unable to control our mind, what makes me a human, and able to control my body, that possibly makes me a puppet?'
'Why Eowyn Spade out of everyone? Unless… ah. This guy. He said he needs to inherit the title. So, which concludes that Eowyn might be the next heir to some throne, and this guy is his little brother. But what about Eowyn's surname? Why's it different? Who is he exactly? Is my theory correct?'
Just as I was distracted with untangling my thoughts, this man unexpectedly leaned in, forcing his face onto mine. His demeanor changed so suddenly that I flinched, my shoulders jerking back on instinct. Too fast, too much, too soon.
In the end, his lips never met mine. Instead, he paused, hovering mere inches away. And then, with a slight tilt of his head, he regarded me with something almost… curious.
"Why did you flinch?" His voice was softer now, but not gentle."What's wrong?"
I barely had a second to process before he moved in again, his presence overwhelming, his eyes sharp, unreadable, they were searching for answers I didn't have. I turned my head, exhaling a shaky breath. "You're… too close."
His stare didn't waver. And for a moment, neither of us moved.
[ERR0R]
'Ah, the system!'
[#-£7You must ext3£minate the ch#£acter
I saw the notification. My mind was grinding to a halt. Ridiculous. Horrendously,atrociously ridiculous. 'Who even is that?!' There was too much. Too much to process, too much to do, too many damn missions. I could feel my frustration bubbling over, a tight knot forming in my throat. Overstimulated, overwhelmed. I didn't sign up for this. Why me? Why was it my hands that had to be dirtied, my conscience that had to bear this weight? Who even was this Danrovenallius person? Why did he have to die? Was there no other way?
[ The character