On the way back, neither Xian nor Vica spoke about what happened, they walked side by side with their footsteps as the only noise around them. Upon coming back, the previously empty grounds of the lobby was now filled with entrants, future students of the academy.
Xian's eyes scanned around as he saw quite a few familiar faces. Including Carmillia, with plenty of space around her. No one dared to come close to the infamous villainess in fear of offending her despite the absence of her entourage.
Meanwhile Astor, being the kind of man he is, only had a short piece for the new students to hear.
"All of you standing before me. Congratulations. It must've been hard finding your way through those labyrinths."
Astor swept his gaze over the crowd.
"Some of you fought for your place. Some stepped over others to get here. Some were simply lucky."
"But none of that matters."
"Whether you remain in this academy won't be decided by today's success, but by what you do tomorrow, the day after, and every day that follows."
'Or deep pockets.' Xian thought with a sneer. Untalented individuals can stay up until the Heath rank for years, exploited by the academy for as long as they have money. They filled the role of lackeys and mobs in the game.
"For here, you'll learn to bleed on your papers, spill blood on the field and grit your teeth to keep moving on."
"Who knows, some of you might become a more than useful cog in the grand scheme of things."
"And for those of you who came here, thinking of starting your own legends… Rozenfall will cure you of that soon enough."
Xian ignored all the words he heard and waited for it to conclude. Afterwards, everyone was led by the attendants towards the dormitories and keys for their rooms were distributed.
To avoid problems and clashes between students of vastly different capabilities, the academy was separated in four layers respectively, connected by four grand roads pointing to cardinal directions.
The first year zone were dedicated with the facilities for the first year classes, including dormitories, training zones and gardens, labeled as the 'nest' by players.
As a player, he knew the rough layout of the male dormitory and its surroundings. For each student sections, there were separate dormitories that also differed from quality and functions.
The room designated to the first placer was at the very top of the dormitory, with its own balcony garden, living room, separate bedroom and a personal bathroom with walk-in closet.
Inside, the floors were made of dark wood layered in leather carpet, muting his steps. The walls were pristine white, framed with wood accents and random exquisite paintings.
What impressed Xian was the comically large wardrobe and multiple sets of academy uniforms inside. He tried one and realized they fit perfectly to his size.
After looking at the other furniture and even beneath the bed and sofas, Xian didn't find anything strange or dirt left by the previous owner.
'It's like this place was designed for a prince to live in.' Fortunately, in the protagonists batch, there was no prince and princesses of the same year.
His attention turned to the two objects that greeted him when he entered the room. Somehow, there were two butler cases inside One old and trusty wood case, and the other, made of much shinier dark material, gilded in silver.
He first opened the old butler case. Inside were the sets of butler uniforms and stuff he packed. There was even a handkerchief and packed lunch that had gone cold, probably sneaked in by Miri.
'I wonder how she's doing…' She came with them to the academy and will most likely have to be part of the attendants taking care of Carmillia's needs. Unlike him, she wasn't enrolled as a student supported by the duke.
'Poor Miri.' They might never have time to meet each other again.
Xian rummaged through the silver gilded case and found the duke's letter. Its contents had been bugging him since they separated with Moris so he opened it without further ado. The paper was slightly old as if it was already written a long time ago. Or maybe the duke just didn't have any spare paper to use.
His eyes scanned the first string of sentence at the very top.
'The fast that you are reading this means, you have withstood the three unknown deaths that will claim my daughter. That is well. It tells me you are not without merit.'
Xian's thoughts gradually cleared. The duke was truly aware of the threats to Carmillia's life and he played the role of a countermeasure. How that came to be was another mystery for him to figure out.
'To be capable of preventing it, proves that you may bear the weight of your own words and keep the promise to deal with the succeeding crisis to come.'
'Now, I present you a choice. To stay as my daughters butler, keeping her safe from all the threats by her side. Or to resign and leave behind all your connection to me and my family.'
'Should you choose to stay, press your thumb at my ducal emblem. My 'hands' will approach you at an opportune moment to carry out your orders at a certain degree.'
Xian didn't really have an option but to choose the former in order to pay close attention to Carmillia and prevent any unwanted regressions. Perhaps, his life from now on would be tied into daily chores and tea brewing for the villainess, with the occasional death events.
Xian clicked his tongue at the inconvenience the history of this body brought. The information about him was way too sparse.
'The groundwork in the academy has been set and plenty are willing to do my daughters bidding, of course, at your behest, giving you the real power and merely giving her a false sense of control.'
'But she is, after all my daughter, she will realize it sooner than you think. The consequences will also be yours to bear. She might already be feeling quite resentful as you read this letter.'
"For fucks sake." A curse escaped from his mouth, partly due to the fact that no one can hear him right now and mostly because theres a chance of a resentful villainess in this weather.
'As for the other matter… You know it cannot be granted if my daughter remains set in her ways. In the first place, it's the long-term goal of the contract between us. If you manage to succeed, then you will receive my full blessings and backing of Montagne household regardless of your status.'
"Blessing?" There are several key phrases that caught his attention such as 'her ways', 'long term goal' and 'contract between us', but he wondered the most what kind of situation warranted a duke's blessing. Moving on, Xian read the last lines of the letter.
'Only then will I permit an engagement between the two of you.'
"Engagement!?" Xian couldn't take it anymore as he stood up in agitation. This punk that he possessed actually had the balls to ask for Carmillia's hand in marriage, from the father himself?
'What a madman.' He could do the same, but his confidence would be backed by the power of regression, just in case Renedon killed him on the spot.
He wondered if Carmillia knew what this 'body' had done, causing her massive displeasure when they first met. All her initial hatred and displeasure might be all because of this marriage proposal!
'This is troublesome. I'm not in this world for a wholesome marriage life. I doubt it will be wholesome if it's with Carmillia anyways, more so if she's not under my control.' The end goal he wanted was to build a harem after all, and he didn't want to stop at just Carmillia. That marriage will just tie him down in the future. Luckily, he still had several years worth of time.
For now, he pressed his thumb on emblem at the end of the letter. A sting ran through his thumb as the mark of a lion and a rose appeared but slowly faded away.
Similarly, the paper in his hands slipped away and burned into ashes, leaving only smokes behind. It stunned Xian for a moment, then he shrugged in understanding as his attention turned to the contents of his new butler case.
Inside, he found the familiar daggers and tea sets with the matching tea leave pouches neatly rowed. Additionally, there was a strange weapon. A type of weapon he seldom saw in his whole life.
But he felt a sense of familiarity and belonging when he held it in his hands.
It was a strange blade with more than half of its body curved facing outward. Making a letter 'P' shape on its contour, except its edge was in an intentional jagged pattern as if intended to cause rupture and tear apart the flesh.
'What a strange weapon.' Xian found that in his hands, the blades felt familiar and easier to wield than a longsword. The irregular balance of the weight didn't disorient him whatsoever and even helped with maneuvering the blade from its handle.
It also came in a set of two. 'Is this meant to be wielded at the same time?'
But for now, he kept it hidden in his new butler case. After all, lethal weapons aren't meant to be carried around in the academy without 'seals'.
Closing the lid of the butler case, Xian sat down on his table and took out some notes. To pass time, he wrote about what he remembered. He took this chance, since in the estate, he basically had no privacy, unlike here in the academy.
Of course, he didn't forget to write in a different language. No matter how much anyone tries to decipher his notes, they'd take forever to understand it.
Halfway through, Xian realized that the sun had set. He left his notes in the locked drawer, his mind at ease that no one will be able to read it.
With anticipation and various thoughts in his head, Xian walked towards his destination.
Leaving the premises of the dormitory, he walked along the gardens and stone paths separating it from the female dormitory. The leaves rustled softly from the wind as a full moon behind the clouds greeted him when he looked up.
The visage of the academy's highest point, where the headmaster's office is located shone brightly like a beacon from afar, a symbol that put the academy city at ease. For as long as it is brightly lit, the peace that the academy has known all these years will never be broken, all thanks to the existence of an eccentric but powerful individual.
Xian reminisced his days playing the game. The sceneries, the events and tales of the characters fleeted by in his mind. In the end, he didn't manage to complete the other heroines routes due to his obsession with Carmillia.
That's how he's always been, focusing only in the things that mattered to him. Everything else was just a distraction. To the point that it ruined his life and connection around him.
But in this life, he will be forging connections that couldn't be broken. He will make it so, no matter what means it takes him to accomplish it. Luckily, even if he didn't have the full knowledge of other heroines, he finished the game twice at with the two main heroines and watched videos of playthrough of others.
Soon, he arrived before a familiar building.
"Halt. What's a guy's business here?" A female student, crossing her arms with a haughty expression stood in front of him with a sharp glare.
In the academy, separation between the opposite sex were strictly enforced in the dormitories, and this girl who just stopped him was the usual no name student in charge of guarding the entry. Xian didn't like this implementation of rules, since it reduces the thrill and encounters of the protagonist and the heroines.
"I came here to meet the mistress I serve."
"You're a servant student? From which household and master do you serve? Don't they know that bringing a manservant in the dormitories is forbidden? Hah, girls these days…" It wasn't an unheard of situation. Some nobles who had favorites, brought their servants with them in the academy under the guise of an enrolled student.
Those servants, were often from lower households or personally brought merchandise from the slave market with an uplifted status. These scandalous acts were not in the academy's gaze when it comes to regulation despite the strict separation. This is why Xian found the separation of dorms pointless, if its going to be this chaotic anyways. Well, it is less chaotic in this way indeed. Still, some nobles treated the academy as an opportunity to 'live with freedom'.
'Of course, it comes at a cost.' It became the cause of their own downfall for many individuals. Those pairs of master-servant usually don't remain for long in the academy anyways, since the servant would fail even at the common class and the master would be too distracted to keep up in the higher classes.
None of those applied to a Royal class student like him though, he is in an inconceivable standing compared to any servant in the history of Rozenfall.
As for the servants, some treated it as an opportunity, while some were simply devoted to their masters, noble or not. And for what purpose they were brought here, well… Xian could only say that most nobles in the game are passionate and well experienced, save for maybe a quarter of their population.
Rozenfall also acted as one of the focal point of establishing political marriages and ties between families, heralded by the young heirs themselves. But it usually ends in 'ties' like that, as most of the time, 'political couples' live separate lives anyways.
"I'm a butler of Her Highness, Carmillia Montagne." In order to make things easier, Xian dropped the ominous and untouchable family name of his master.
"Ugh. From that family?" The girl hissed, her expression mixed with annoyance and disgust. "This is the academy alright? Tell your master not to cause too much trouble. I'll be watching both of you." Xian was perplexed at her choice of words and frowned at her. She made a gesture as if to say 'what?' in return.
Montagne household still held influence on a decent amount of allies from the previous civil war, meaning some of their children that are still enrolled in the academy would bow down to Carmillia's orders and join her faction. As for the opposing factions heirs, it was clear to see that they didn't find her agreeable in the slightest.
While the 'household hunt' ended at the kingdom's crowning of a new king, the accomplices loyal to the old king and Duke Montagne still remain. Their forces were not easily uprooted by the New King's faction due to their sheer numbers and influence.
'Although, I doubt that's still the case.' If the duke really cut Carmillia's influence, then she basically lost the force that made her a villainess, apart from her advanced level and formidable guards.
Xian walked past the student without so much as an acknowledgment. He didn't need to bother with the opinions of potential enemy npcs. Especially that girl who only appeared briefly and served as a deterrent to accessing the girls dormitories.
His destination was at the end of the corridors in the very top floor of the dormitory. Just like him, Carmillia had placed first among all the female entrants and was granted the best room the academy has to offer.
"I have arrived, young miss." Xian knocked on the door gently. He then heard Carmillia's faint voice of acknowledgment and proceeded to open the door.
'Here goes nothing.' A similarly furnished and decorated room greeted him. Perhaps, because it's a girls room, the design of the furniture gave a more feminine impression. But with it, came the faint smell of alcohol and mess.
Xian's eyes scanned the room and found Miri slumped in the corner, with bruises and bleeding wounds, unconscious. A slight mess had been made around that corner and there were signs of magic being used. Inside, he found Carmillia sitting at the sofa, cradling what seemed to be a glass of… wine?
"You're finally here, you bastard butler."
Heavy steps echoed as Carmillia strode over to Xian. Her hair had become somewhat messy and her pale complexion was dyed red. Despite his rather tall figure, she managed to reach out his collar and pull him down near her eye level.
"Was it you? Is this predicament your idea?" Carmillia asked questions with heated breath. "What kind of goddamn scheme are you trying to accomplish?" With a half crazed glare, Carmillia's dark green eyes met his gaze.
"Please calm down, young miss. First, tell me what happened." Xian felt the unsettling tone of Carmillia's voice. Usually Serika and Lucinelle would be there by her side, but now, only an unconscious Miri remained.
'Don't tell me, they're gone too?' If that really happened and all that she was left with is him…
"Pftt! Ahaha! It's because of you! All because because you arrived!" Carmillia broke out in an uncharacteristic laugh, stepping away as she let go of Xian. He recognized the tone of her laugh as the one he'd heard many times when she lost reason.
With a sweet smile, she tilted her head and spoke. "Tell me, did you isolate me to make me feel despair? To make me feel fear? Are you one of those who wants to bleed me to death?"
The words she said didn't register with Xian as he quickly observed her affection level and his sight was assaulted by a dark red miasma.
[CRIMSON: 90]
It was one of the very rare moments that Xian ever saw a crimson shade of affection level. Although, something like that would be more fitting to call as the 'Hatred Level'.
Amidst his astonishment, a magic circle began to whirl around Carmillia, he wanted to flee at first but his heightened senses noticed something odd. It wasn't a magic directed to him but a magic directed towards herself!
"This is what you all wanted isn't it?"