0.0

Today was the first day of a new semester. 

Lowe, in Oben Academy’s iconic uniform, made her way down the Renaissance-form streets. 

Cobblestone pathways glisten under the soft glow of the morning light, buildings with timber-framed facades adorned intricate carvings and colourful banners which promoted various items.

The smell of sweet butter bread caught the attention of her nose. She stopped by just outside the bakery, looking at the various pastries through the glass partition. Catching her focus wane, she shook her head. 

In order to survive academy life, she had to be frugal. She didn’t have all the money in the world right now, so buying a snack was unacceptable. 

Then again…it didn’t hurt to simply ‘look’, right?

Opening her eyes again to look, she saw her own reflection in the glass. For a moment she thought she was looking at someone else.

Beautiful pink hair tied into a half ponytail, jewel-like golden eyes which sparkled with a gentle excitement. The academy uniform which consisted of the uniquely sky-blue ribbon-tie and short grey pleated shirt, added an innocent charm to her bespectacled appearance. 

Her hands, both grasping tightly on the handle of the leather briefcase, trembled slightly in nervousness. She twisted her body several times to confirm her appearance before nodding to herself, satisfied.

Then, she resumed walking. 

Truly, today was a special day.

“Ugh…”

“...”

Or so she thought.

Her body locked up, ears leaned towards the narrow street where a sense of unease shackled her.

Tempting her curiosity, a void-like alley drew her in.

Against the better judgement of her mind, her body moved towards the groaning source.

Battered crates and broken furniture messily strewn across the uneven ground. The smell of moss and blood hit her. Her pace grew hurried.

Nearing the end of the alley was a man covered in blood. A face that left an indelible impression to anyone who saw, and a sculpted 6-pack body that was impeccably riveting to the eyes; the man laid painfully against a shattered barrel, an inky black aura surrounded him.

Sleek black hair, blood ran from his head down to his sharp angled jawline. Lowe swallowed back her anxiety.

No matter how appalling his appearance right now, he was a man that needed help. 

Between the fear of possible danger, and knowing that someone was in need of help, the latter overrule the other.

Lowe made up her mind and went over to him.

There was a kind of black-inky substance that covered his body, a contamination caused by the curse of ‘blight’. She timidly held out her hands, a ripple of golden light quickly spread across. 

First, the black aura surrounding him dissolved into nothingness. Wounds which couldn’t heal because of the blight corruption eventually started to close up. Dried blood which left stains on his body quickly peeled off, sublimating into sparkling gold dust.

The whole process didn’t take long. However, by the end of it Lowe had spent most of her mana, sweat dripping from her face.

The wounds were worse than she thought. It wasn’t just those outside, he had many unseen internal wounds that had to be dealt with too. Nevertheless, she managed.

Now that his life had been saved, she decided to leave before he regained consciousness and caused any more trouble.

As Lowe turned her back towards him, she didn’t notice that the man had opened his eyes. In his hazy consciousness, he managed to catch Lowe’s fleeing figure.

The man was Drew Raven.

One of the four male leads fated to become the protagonist’s companion.

❧•.¸♡¸.•❧

Despite the unexpected encounter, Lowe turned up in time to the academy without being late.

She was ushered into the assembly where a welcoming ceremony was offered. Unfortunately, the ceremony consisted of boring speeches layered upon even more boring speeches.

In the meantime, Lowe spent the time observing her surroundings. There were close to a thousand new students enrolling this year, most of them were nobles. Commoners normally didn’t have the opportunity to attend the school, let alone pay the fee.

Aware of the fact, she tried to comfort herself.

A roaring applause spread through the crowd, she focused her attention back towards the stage.

Her eyes widened.

A special guest had been inaugurated to give a welcoming speech to the attendees.

Striking blonde hair with a uniquely blue tint, and gentle aquamarine that held your interest. Confident and self-assured, he possessed a magnetic allure that commanded people’s attention without effort. 

Estelle Empire’s crown prince, Isodor Estelle.

Who would’ve thought that a prince of all people would be in the same year as herself?

Then again, it was the protagonist’s fate after all.

❧•.¸♡¸.•❧

The assembly was finally over, and the students were dismissed.

Lowe, still in awe of everything, was slightly drunk on the mood. It hadn’t even been a day, and yet she had already experienced more than a dozen things beyond her wildest imaginations.

Making her way to the class assigned to her, she noticed a noisy crowd of students approaching her from the front.

She stretched her neck cutely to see, realising that the source of the crowd was the crown prince Isodor Estelle, and his notorious fiance.

Lowe didn’t know why the word ‘notorious’ came to mind when describing his fiance, but it seemed fitting for the cold beauty that was Astraea Winterfall.

Timid Lowe lowered her head nervously as the two parties crossed each other’s paths. Yet, just when she thought the storm would pass calmly, something caused her to trip.

She fell to the ground with a hard thud.

Loud gasps quickly spread amongst the crowd.

The first thing Lowe saw when she tried to get up was Astraea’s cold, condemning gaze. Holding a luxurious fan that covered her nose and lips, she stared down Lowe as if she were looking at a worm.

Lowe felt blood drain from her face.

That was until a swooping grace of the crown prince defended her for her innocence.

“Are you okay?” Isodor came in between and shielded Lowe from Astraea.

“I-I’m-I’m sorry…!” Lowe couldn’t think properly and apologised as if her life depended on it.

“Why did you do that?” Isodor turned behind to look at Astraea.

“What? That commoner was looking at you with a lecherous gaze. I found it unnerving, so I did what I should as your fiance. She should know her place,” Astraea spoke in a tone as if it was a matter of fact.

“You…” Isodor clenched his teeth. He turned his back against Astraea and placed his arms under Lowe’s frail body.

“Eh?” Lowe blurted cutely in confusion.

That was because Lowe was now in Isodor’s embrace. Noticing the awe-inspired crowd, her face swiftly flushed red as a strawberry.

“Isodor! How dare…” Astraea cursed, “...you.”

But her complaints were left to disregard as the prince departed with Lowe in his arms, leaving the villainess standing there in the limelight of disgrace.

In frustration, Astraea spat a cursing breath and stormed off in the opposite direction where Isodor left. The crowd, watching her fleeing figure didn’t give chase, merely standing there in shock of what they had just witnessed.

❧•.¸♡¸.•❧

._ Astraea’s POV

As I walked away from the crowd, heart thumping from the linger tension and excitement, I repressed the twitching smile that was dying to show.

Perfect! That was too perfect! 

100 out of 100, splendid! I behaved exactly like a villainess should! I’m glad I gave them a good show.

And most importantly, I was glad Isodor took the bait and decided to bring Lowe to the infirmary with the most perfect princess carry ever.

I could barely remember how the original cut-scene looked since it had been so long since I last saw it. That said, in my eyes at least, the way Isodor confronted me and protected Lowe was picturesque.

While I felt somewhat stung by the way he treated me, I knew I completely deserved it.

After all, this was for Lowe’s sake.

Lowe is the protagonist of this visual novel called <Devouring Blight: Estelle’s Flower>.

I am the villainess who eventually meets her doom.

…I get it, you have concerns. If Lowe is the flower-girl, and I am the villainess destined for death, why am I so happy that Lowe was taking away my fiance, pushing me ever closer to my fated unhappy-ending?

Well, the answer is simple.

That’s because this is my second round. Or to put otherwise, I first reincarnated in the game, and then regressed. I fucked up the first world.

In my first life, without even trying, I took away all the attention Lowe should’ve possessed in the original. You know, it’s typical for these ‘villainess tropes’ to happen like this.

During the third year of the academy, because those that should’ve been there to protect Lowe weren’t, she was killed.

Worse, because she was killed, the difficulty for the final development of the novel: defeat the Dragon of Blight, exploded past the heavens.

I became the most powerful mage alongside the male protagonists, yet we couldn’t save the empire from ruin. It was a harsh reality, and I had to admit I made a big mistake.

Lowe needs to survive if we want to get through this ordeal together.

To prevent the impending doom coming in three years time, I need to make sure Lowe receives the growth and support she needs.

So assuming the male leads would turn a blind eye on her if I didn’t act like a villainess, I chose to fake my personality.

I already had the notoriety from my pre-reincarnation behaviour before I woke up in the body, taking advantage of what existed was all I needed.

Since I had knowledge from the previous iteration, I was confident I could prevent my death even if I became the bitch of the empire.

Well, I was already the bitch of the empire. I just needed to rebuild everything from scratch again.

Oh yeah.

As for how Lowe died…

A light breeze blew slightly, ‘his’ presence brushed past me.

I didn’t turn around, nor did I stop walking. I simply knew.

A third-rate sub-villain, who I thought should’ve been removed from the story during the academy's first year, somehow assassinated Lowe later during the third year.

Kairen Copper, I spared you in my previous life.

This time I won’t be so kind.

You son of a bitch.

1.1

The first rays of the day’s annoying sunlight come through the tall glass windows, illuminating the room in a soft glow of twilight. I stirred from my slumber. 

A subtle fragrance of flowers, the frosty air which circulated the room. With a languid stretch, I sat up on the bed with a sigh.

Looking towards the glass door opening onto the balcony veranda, I was greeted by the scene of dawn, its ethereal light filtering through the crystal clear atmosphere. 

Where my boudoir was located, it provided one of the best views in the mansion. 

It was a scene I missed a lot in my previous life.

After relishing the sight verily, I got up from bed and made my way to my desk. From underneath a secret drawer, I took out a book. Inside detailed everything I recalled about the game. 

Developments regarding the world from the perspective of a once rabid fan of the visual novel, and scenarios that transpired outside of the story sequence which I experienced in my previous life.

I made it a habit to review the timeline in the early mornings, and add anything I could recall in the evening.

Confirming today’s agenda, I placed the book back in the secret compartment and sealed it with a 4th-tier spatial magic spell.

Leaning back against the backrest of my Victorian chair, I noticed the reflection of my amaesthy-like eyes in the ornate mirror.

Long flowing snow-ice hair, like shimmering streams of water flowing down from mountain peaks. A porcelain complexion with soft jawline curves, while her lips, tinted a delicate shade of rose.

The daughter of Duke Orion Winterfall, Astraea Winterfall.

This was me. 

It wasn’t long before a knock resounded at the door.

“You may enter,” I said out of habit.

Only one maid came in per my instruction. Pushing a large cart with a bathtub on top filled with rose water. The maid took utmost caution to not let a single drop of water spill despite her frantic appearance.

“G-Good morning My Lady,” the maid who I knew to be most loyal to me in my past life, Elysia Alchn trembled as she spoke.

Born from the family of a viscount, she who was an illegitimate child, chose to work as a maid in Winterfall mansion to escape the abuse of her family. 

A girl with gorgeous brunette hair, and blue eyes that were like mirrors of the sky.

In the future of my previous life, groomed by Yours Truly, she was a capable lady servant who had both the intellect and appearance worthy of a duke’s daughter like myself.

At least, that was how I managed to cement her loyalty towards me. I intend to do the same in this life. A late-blooming talent like her was too precious to pass up.

“Leave the items there, you can begin cleaning the rest of my room,” my voice inundated with minimal inflections showed disinterest.

Elysia, taking my words as her life’s commandments, quickly took a feather duster to clean the window sills. The feather duster slipped from her hand, made a flip in the air and then landed square on her head before falling on the ground.

“O-Ow,” she cried, covering where it hurt with both hands.

I sighed.

Capable as she was as an agent-servant, her cleaning skills were horrible.

“I-I’m sorry. I’ll try again,” she said, bowing repeatedly.

I chose to turn a blind eye and walked over to the basin of warm rose water. I took off my nightgown and undergarments, after which I dipped myself into the bathwater.

I scrubbed my body with a towel, playing a little with the red petals on the water. From the corner of my vision, I caught Elysia peeking my way. Her face was flushed.

In my previous life and this life, she had never once been alright before my naked appearance. Once in fact, when this dedicated servant offered to clean my body, she fainted from nosebleed.

I suppose the only reason why I’m showing her appearance like this was because I felt like bullying her? She couldn’t tear her eyes off me either way, so it was up to her to enjoy the eye candy.

What a villianess-like thing to do, right?

“Elysia Alchn,” I called out her name. She flinched, “Pray tell, any progress with the investigations which I requested?”

“Y-Yes. About th-that person, I-I only have to organise it left and…and tonight! I’ll have it all prepared tonight!” Elysia stuttered.

“Good. I’ll be looking forward to it,” I said, feigning indifference.

“I-It’s my d-duty,” Elysia must be puffing steam out of her head by now. There's no way she hadn’t realised by this point that I, the notorious daughter of Winterfall manor, favoured her best among all the maids.

I took my time cleaning myself, and when I noticed Elysia starting to use wind magic in secret to clean, I got out of the bath and stepped onto the carpeted floor, soaking it wet.

“A-Ah!” Elysia panicked seeing the water spread all over the floor.

“Turn around,” I commanded.

“Y-Yes!” She turned her back towards me, hunched over in the corner like a mouse.

Normally, the whole bathing process was done by a team of chamberlain maids. But I chased them out a few days ago, keeping only Elysia.

I dried myself with magic, leaving wet stains on the carpets to solidify my image as a troublemaker.

I then took to my wardrobe and wore the academy uniform. A fashionable design that possessed both function and durability. It was more comfortable to wear than most dresses I own.

“Oh, and here is a gift for you,” I was just about to leave my boudoir when I threw an emerald brooch on the ground. It rolled and stopped right in front of her. With this, the rest of her debt should be resolved.

I left my boudoir and headed to the dinning hall.

❧•.¸♡¸.•❧

The carriage crossed underneath an overhead bridge, I watched the scenery of colourful continental buildings pass me by. Immersed in my thoughts, I ran through simulations of scenarios where I spouted cheesy lines, repeatedly.

Today was the day Lowe would meet the third of four male leads.

The prodigious mage of the Magic Tower, Glen Twilight.

His past was as much of a mystery as the Magic Tower itself. In the original visual novel, his affiliation was never disclosed. He never once talked about his parents, or even if one did ask, he would simply shrug and say he didn’t have one.

Even if one went down his route, they would still never discover Glen Twilight’s origin. If he didn’t have parents, how did he come into existence? In my previous life, I made it a point to find out the truth.

The result? Glen wasn’t an orphan adopted by the Magic Tower, in fact, he wasn’t even human.

He was…actually a homunculus born out of alchemy. A creature of taboo, created by one of the mages working inside the Magic Tower.

When Glen’s creator was discovered, having successfully achieved forbidden alchemy, ‘she’ was stripped of her rights and executed.

…Something I never imagined possible within the game’s setting.

It left Glen, a baby, human-like homunculus who didn’t know any better without anyone to care for.

Finding the ‘creature’ both pitiful and as a material of curiosity, The Mage Tower decided to take in Glen as their own. Without a particular parental figure to depend on, he never knew much about familial love, or even how abnormal he was. All he did most of his childhood was perform errands of the tower as he was requested of.

From the many proficient mages he came to interact with, he gained much knowledge and experiences in regards to magic. The conducive environment allowed him to quickly develop his talent.

It was a wonder if Glen ever came to learn of his origin in the original story. His bottomless mana, and sometimes inhuman rationality… yet Glen never realised he was a homunculus until I told him the truth. 

When he learnt that his ‘mother’ had been killed by those very people he had served he… 

Well, let’s just say that’s how things really started between me and Glen.

The academy soon came into view. I was reaching my stop.

In front of the academy gates, the butler opened the carriage door and invited me down. Unfurling my fan with a snap, I impolitely shook off his gesture and walked ahead.

Regardless of past relationships I’ve built with the male leads, I pray that it wouldn’t be a factor in messing up Lowe’s chances later.

1.2 ❧•.¸♡¸.•❧

“Hit this dummy target with everything you’ve got. No holding back.” The magic professor of our class, Aturina Dolna’s voice, echoed. “I will decide who has talent and who doesn’t depending on your demonstration today. Don’t expect me to waste time on those who don’t perform.”

This being the first practical session for our class, Professor Aturina’s words created false tension amongst the students.

Her stern words were at odds with her true nature. I know from my previous life that, behind that cold mask was a woman who hadn’t the heart to abandon any of her students. She only said what she did to provoke the class, wishing the best for everyone involved.

“Allen, no last name, we’ll start with you,” Commoner or nobles alike, Professor Aturina who had a passion for guiding her students to their greatest potential did not discriminate.

The arena was spacious and wide, magic barriers covered the periphery so there were no worries of damaging items beyond the hazard zone.

The commoner, Allen, stepped up into position and raised his hand to the side.

A spear of fire coalesced. From the looks of it, he was really pushing himself to maintain the second tier spell. As someone who was once able to cast 7th-tier magic as easy as spitting watermelon seeds, I could sense the rugged, unstable mana which he used to formulate the spell.

Sweat running down his face, he discharged his magic towards the dummy.

The fire spear burst into sparks upon the contact of the protective barrier. However, no obvious damage was seen on the target dummy’s body.

“Good. Next, Astraea Winterfall.”

Allen pumped his fist at Professor Aturina’s praise and stepped down. As I walked past him, he trembled at the frosty aura I exuded.

“I believe I need no further explanation. Astraea Winterfall, I hope you don’t disappoint,” Professor Aturina remarked.

“Hmph,” in response to her words, I snapped my fan shut and pointed towards the training dummy.

At once, frost aura spread from beneath my feet and shot towards the dummy.

Serrated ice swept forward and rammed into the target akin to a train, leaving in its wake a trail of crystal glacial.

The target dummy was torn off the ground and lifted into the air, the sharpest point of the ice didn’t manage to pierce the dummy, but the whole body was encased within.

A silent chill fell upon the spectators who witnessed a perfect execution of a 4th-tier magic, <Frostborne: Fury>. The original Astraea performed this exact spell in the game, but not to the degree of mastery which I did.

“You are underestimating me,” I glared at Professor Aturina before walking off. 

“Next. Bernard,” Professor Aturina, calling the next participant, merely shook her head at my remark while pointing to the next target dummy she prepared.

The next few participants left weak impressions at most. The cheers received with each passing student mellowed. Or at least, that lasted until Glen Twilight appeared.

Shoulder length curly mint green hair and slanted eyes sparkling like opal. An androgynous appearance which stimulated the curiosity of both men and women. Adoring his trademark smile, he went up to showcase his abilities. 

“Here goes!” He said with a burst of joviality, and waved his hands like a wand.

A torrent spread from beneath his feet and rose quickly like a hurricane. The air distorted at the compression of wind, green sparks coalescent in the air, forming an invisible guillotine directly above the pitiful dummy.

Then Glen, in one elegant stroke, brought his hand down.

The guillotine dropped.

The dummy which was protected by a 5th-tier barrier spell was cut in half, done in by a peak 4th tier spell <Wind’s Judgement>, from a mere 1st year student.

The astonishment from Professor Atruina was evident. But she quickly moved on to the next participant, realising the one before her was indeed the one and only magical prodigy of the century.

It wasn’t long before the crown prince, Isodor Estelle’s turn.

He was more of a magic swordsman than a magician. So he could at best perform a tier-3 magic spell. Truthfully, to achieve that level of magic prowess was alone incredible for his age. It felt ‘lacking’ only because he was put in comparison to geniuses like Glen and I.

Still, since he was the crown prince, the students all cheered at his achievement.

“Next, Kairen Copper,” The next person was called. 

This guy who had no redeeming qualities besides his somewhat above average appearance went up and put himself on spot.

“I’ll start now,” even his voice sounded boringly ordinary. I feigned disinterest.

Tapping the ground with his feet, I sensed him drawing energy from beneath the ground.

Feeling the density of the mana he was channelling, I couldn’t help but open my eyes wide in shock.

He channelled the mana into his right arm, violent lightning crackled in his fist. Then twisting his body, he arched his posture like a bow in preparation to fire. 

Drawing an arc in the ground with his feet as if a martial artist, he quickly sent his fist forward against air.

BOOOOM!!

The air exploded. The recoil created a gust of wind exploding backwards, while the lightning and air shockwave fired forward and shook the target.

While it didn’t deal any major damage to the target as his fist didn’t collide directly, one could imagine the damage felt from being hit square by his attack.

This guy, Kairen Copper… I don’t remember him doing this.

It was a 2nd-tier lightning spell, yet… it was executed in such an unorthodox manner that I couldn’t decide if it was appropriate to call it the same <Thunderclap> spell I knew. The potency of the discharge felt like it rivalled that of a 3rd-tier spell.

What the hell?

A student who wasn’t some kind of high noble talent had displayed skill on par with the likes of the crown prince. The crowd burst into a roar. 

In stupor, I watched him leave the stage as Professor Aturina called the next participant.

Was he always that strong though? No way. 

Without a chance to collect my thoughts, Lowe’s turn came next.

In a panic, she stretched out her arm to conjure a spell, any spell. But due to her lack of skill, even a first-tier spell like Spark had failed to form.

“U-Um…” Lowe stuttered, squinting her eyes closed.

“If you can’t cast a basic spell, then at least show me what you can do,” Professor Aturina, who saw Lowe’s deplorable performance, said in a cold tone. 

“R-Right, I’m sorry,” Lowe hurriedly apologised and casted her next spell.

As she drew her arms close with fist and eyes clenched tight, a golden light rippled out from underneath her.

Professor Aturina’s instruction was to showcase magic. And Lowe, who thought that she had to create a spell to hit the dummy target, struggled to come up with an offensive spell.

However, her prowess lied not in common spells, but in her intuitive talent in incredible support magic.

A surge of vitality sprung up from within those who stood in range of Lowe’s non-tiered support magic <Vigor’s Veil>.

“Wonderful, student Lowe. You may return,” Professor Aturina nodded, satisfied.

Lowe thanked her and scattered away embarrassed.

It was an unexpected twist of events, everyone was in shock and confused by Lowe’s display of support magic. The resurgence of vitality which they had received from her magic left an indelible impression on everyone.

And the event which would follow was Glen Twilight’s initiative to approach Lowe to praise her after her performance.

But nothing like that happened. I grew confused… wasn’t this the point where the male lead approaches her? Why was Lowe left standing there alone?

I searched for Glen in the crowd, and noticed him embracing Kairen Copper intimately in his arms. His face was full of panic.

For a moment, my violet eyes met his opal coloured eyes. He flinched.

Then in full panic mode, he pushed Kairen Copper away. The bastard slipped from his grasp and fell face first on the ground, unconscious.

At the disconcerting thud, everyone’s attention turned towards him.

Glen looked at everyone in shock, an expression that said he was innocent.

“Oh no.” Lowe gasped. Then quickly she ran towards Kairen to check his condition.

“What happened?” Professor Aturina asked in a half-exasperated tone.

“U-Uh, he’s just suffering from mana exhaustion. I didn't think he’d faint…” Glen explained, trying to defend himself from the ‘possible’ accusations he might face from what people saw.

Lowe began working her healing magic on the person who killed her in the previous life. I felt dizzy seeing the sight.

“Professor Aturina, I’ll bring him to the infirmary!” I was just about to burst in to interrupt when Lowe spoke. She tried to carry him but… she was too weak.

Seeing that, Glen, who wanted to help, grabbed Kairen by the arm and dragged Kairen like a gunny sack, towards the exit.

“W-Wait! You can’t treat a patient like that!” Lowe, who was stunned by Glen’s solution to the problem, raised her voice in shock.

Yet the magic prodigy hesitated to carry Kairen. He didn’t want him anywhere near his own body, not after what had just happened. His eyes kept glancing my way as he kept dragging Kairen by the arm.

Isodor pinched between his eyes before walking towards them. Sweeping the fainted Kairen into his arms, he informed everyone of his intentions and carried him off to the infirmary.

Glen and Lowe looked at each other. The former looked embarrassed, while the latter showed a cute disapproval.

Meanwhile I couldn’t help but wonder what went wrong. I don’t remember recalling a BL scene in the visual novel?

Was Glen into guys? Could there be some hidden achievement scenario to turn Kairen into a capture target for the male leads? What if Glen was bi? 

Wait, no. Fuck, what am I thinking?! 

I should’ve stopped Isodor from approaching him! That son of a bitch’s fuck face would’ve been erased off the face of the Earth if only Glen continued to drag him.

I gritted my teeth in frustration, eyes burning indignantly. Those who noticed my glare wondered if it was alright for the prince to leave his fiance for a guy… or that’s what I hope they were thinking at least.

1.3 ❧•.¸♡¸.•❧

From what I remember, Glen would notice Lowe and then approach her later out of curiosity due to the unique way the healing magic was constructed but… this time, because Kairen Copper fainted in front of Glen, Glen did not notice Lowe’s magic as succinctly.

I don’t remember Kairen Copper doing anything of this sort during the first iteration. Why was he acting out of line?

I was afraid things would proceed differently from my initial expectations so I secretly followed Lowe after classes.

In the story, she would go to this quaint spot in the campus, which only she knew and start practising magic because she felt disappointed by her performance earlier in the day.

I hid myself behind a pillar, and further concealed my presence with a 4th-tier <Abstraction Magic: Mirage>.

I waited, watching Lowe frustratingly struggle to cast the simplest of spells.

If possible, I wanted to tell Lowe to give up. In the visual novel, you could never develop her other magic capabilities beyond 5th-tier even if you used up all the game’s resources. Moreover, those spells would’ve been useless in the final battle anyways.

It was better to invest in improving the support and healing spells, leaving the offensive spells to the male leads. That was the meta strategy for clearing the game.

Just as Lowe was about to call it quits, and my anxiety was raised to an all time high, Glen finally appeared.

I sighed in relief. Mission accomplished, it was time to go.

Glen Twilight was crucial in Lowe’s development. He was the one who suggested to us, ‘the players’, as someone who knew what Lowe needed best, to capitalise on strengths rather than weaknesses. Not even him, the prodigy could compete against Lowe when it came to support-type magic.

I took off from my hiding spot and dispersed the concealment spell.

“What are you doing?”

I froze up at the voice.

“...Nothing,” I turned around to meet Isodor’s gaze.

He looked towards the garden where Glen and Lowe were, his fist slightly trembled. I narrowed my eyes.

“There’s no way you’re not doing nothing. Tell me, what the hell are you plotting?” Isodor looked at me with a gaze full of contempt.

Funny. As my fiance, he was more protective of Lowe than me. 

I felt a bitter pain in my heart, but swallowed it back down knowing it was naive to turn back now.

I have chosen this route, I have to carry on for the sake of the world.

I’ve enjoyed Isodor’s kind company in my past life, so I know his stinging remarks were a result of my harsh behaviour. 

“Anything to tear your eyes away from that common bitch,” I smirked. 

“...What did you just call her?” His eyes blazed with a raging passion.

“Did you think, as your fiance, it is pleasant to hear the name of another girl being spat by someone as mighty as yourself? What about that ‘Lowe-ly’ bitch attracts you so much, huh?” I poked furthur.

“Watch your language princess, don’t test my patience,” his eyebrows visibly twitched. I think he was slowly reaching his boiling point.

“Wow, you’re defending that commoner? Do you know how much that annoys me?” I spread my fan apart and covered my face.

“Astraea, enough with this. Leave, I won’t repeat myself,” His gaze glazed over.

“Leave? Is that supposed to be an order? What a way to abuse your ability, prince. I’m so disappointed,” I muttered sarcastically.

“I’ve warned…” Isodor’s words were left incomplete when an interruption interjected right on time.

“Huh?” Lowe, who was going to return to her dormitory bumped into the two of us arguing.

“Lowe… no. Nothing, Astraea, let’s go,” Isodor tried to escape, he grabbed my wrist.

“You just spoke the name of that commoner bitch, how dare you!” Meanwhile, I thought this was the perfect chance to send his anger into the stratosphere. A permanent riff between me and the prince in order that he shifts his attention from me to the protagonist.

“Astraea!” Isodor shouted at me, his eyes bloodshot.

I shook his hand off.

“Wow, what is…” Glen, who was following closely behind Lowe, flinched at the sight of the two of us arguing.

I came before Lowe.

“Bitch, know your place. If you dare appear in front of my fiance again, I’ll tear that disgusting face of your’s and throw it to the pigs. Don’t make me act on my words,” I said with the most evil tone I could muster. 

Lowe’s eyes shook as if she had entered a convulsion, her legs trembled like a newborn fawn. Seeing that I felt grief and guilt engulf me, but what could I do? I had to be a villainess. 

“I’m satisfied. Let’s go Isodor,” with a smile, I intertwined my hand with his.

“You’ve completely done it Astraea,” however, he retracted his hands and glared at me.

“What?” I looked at him, and then…!

My vision spun and I was thrown onto the ground.

I already knew what had hit me. But for effect sake, I touched my cheeks and relished the painful heat that spread.

Here where it was just the four of us, Isodor had done something he couldn't have if a crowd was present.

Isodor had just slapped his fiance.

Truly, it’s as he said—I’ve done it now.

A tear dropped from the corner of my eyes.

I raised my head.

Hiding behind the sturdy body of Isodor was the trembling Lowe. And Glen, who had been furthest back, had come to shield Lowe’s eye from my pitiful appearance.

The smile that never once disappeared from Glen's face was gone. In its place was a frightening appearance that few people would come across in their lifetime. 

I’ve seen that spine-chilling gaze a few times in my previous life. But, this was the first time being on the receiving end of it.

I felt my throat dry up, and even though I was perfectly capable of standing up against it, feeling the weight of offending someone who was once a close companion hurt a lot more than I thought.

For a moment I thought maybe this wasn’t the way to go about this life after all. Perhaps I should come clean and reveal all my sins—no. I can’t give up here.

Leaving me on the ground, Isodor with a painfully conflicted expression, walked away. Lowe looked like she wanted to help me, but was stopped by Glen who shook his head. They too left soon after the crown prince’s departure.

I lowered my head to catch my breath.

“Ha…” A laugh escaped my lips. I couldn’t tell if it was out of spite or relief, “Hahahaha… I’m doing great, I’m… fine. I can do this.”

Compared to the shit I experienced last round, this was nothing.

This was…fine.

❧•.¸♡¸.•❧

“Is this all?” I spoke, waving the single sheet of folded paper in my hands.

“U-Uh, I can find more… but I need time…” Elysia, shuddering, spoke with a squeak.

“Fine. I’ll decide later if you need to do more research once I’ve read what you’ve given me,” I spoke indignantly. Partly because I was still pissed over the day’s event, and partly because I had hoped for more information regarding that Kairen Copper asshole who messed up everything.

I crossed my legs, and then unfolded the paper in front of my eyes.

Poignant and concise information. It wasn’t as well presented as what the original Elysia was capable of, but considering it was this Elysia’s first attempt at helping me gather information, I was more than satisfied.

Let’s see…

Kairen Copper, a commoner but son of the merchant house dealing in mineral ores like coal, iron, tungsten, silver and… copper. Well, based on his name, I should’ve expected as much. A merchant family with nothing but a small mining business, they didn’t even own a gem mine.

He has a father for a fool, remarkable for his spending habits in gambling dens and prostitution houses. The first and only son of the family, his mother passed away early on for unknown reasons. He also has a half-sister, Reene, who was said to be an ‘accident’ that the foolhardy father promised to take responsibility for. 

Reading the one page summary one more time, I couldn’t help but sigh.

1.4 ➳✧❂✧➳

No wonder Elysia wrote so little.

He was a nobody. The troubles his family possessed were numerous enough that even without intervention from the outside, anyone could tell they would crumble in time.

I even felt somewhat pitiful that this small-time villain grew up in such a state. Compared to the loving family I had, I couldn’t even begin to imagine the bad influence his father must’ve had on him.

It would make sense why he was so obsessed with trying to make Lowe his. 

“Right, I think this suffices,” I said softly, lowering the paper and glancing at Elysia. She lowered her head at my gaze.

Knowing now the kind of environment Kairen grew up in, what would be the next best plan of action?

Initially, I thought to exploit any weaknesses his merchant house may have to send them to the guillotine. But having realised that his behaviour was not entirely his fault, I started to doubt. If anything, wouldn’t a little scare be enough to pull his attention away from Lowe?

No. Wait, why am I sympathising with that asshole again? I gave him a chance last time, he screwed up my supposed happy ending because of it.

He needed to die, yet I didn’t want to screw up Reene’s life. I held my head at the dilemma I was put into. 

What if I simply hired off Reene as my maid before destroying the family altogether? That could work.

“I’m sure Reene won’t feel anything for her brother if I…” There was no way she should’ve, considering the kind of indulgent behaviour Kairen does in the original story…right?

The more I think about it, the more I realise how much I didn’t know about the Copper family’s background story. There wasn’t much info about a disposable character to begin with.

If my facts align correctly, Kairen’s survival in the previous life spared Reene her mental illness. In the original story, Reene appeared as a broken person. It was a far cry from the benevolent Reene I met last round. 

Huh? That’s weird. Could it be that they had a good relationship after all? 

I held my head.

“M-My Lady, are you okay?” Elysia asked, anxiously concerned.

I grabbed the nearby paper and penned a letter. I then handed it to Elysia.

“Place it in a suitable envelope and deliver this to Reene directly—without stirring the notice of anyone in her family. Most especially her brother.”

“B-But how…n-no, I will find a way! I promise!” Elysia rejected initially out of fear, but changed her answer mid way when her eyes met mine. She reached out to take the short note I dangled before her.

“I trust that you won’t disappoint me,” saying that I turned back to the desk and supported my head with my arm, assuming a posture as if I was deep in thought.

Taking it as a sign that she should leave, she bowed and turned around. She opened the door and right as she was about to step out, I grabbed her shoulder.

“Ah, and one more thing,” I whispered into her ear, Elysia’s body froze up. I forced another bribe into the pocket of her apron. “Find out when and where the next auction house will be held by ‘Vaill’,” I said.

“V-Vaill?” She turned to me, eyes shaking. 

“Yes. I’m sure you would know,” I said with a smile now of all times.

Her neck visibly trembled, she nodded meekly before leaving.

Watching her till she turned at the end of the hallway, I locked the door and returned to my desk. Unlocking the secret drawer, I took out the notebook and jotted down a few things I only earlier recalled.

I was certain Elysia would know about the Vaill auction house.

After all, she was one of Drew Raven’s clients.

❧•.¸♡¸.•❧

Lowe returned to her dormitory and flopped down on the bed. 

“Lowe, you look down. Did something happen today?” Tiffany, Lowe’s roommate asked, seeing her in such fatigue.

“Um… yeah,” Lowe said, bringing a hand to cover her eyes, “So-so many things.”

She recalled the day’s events and sighed.

First was her magic inaptitude. Professor Atruina likely gave her a passing review, but she thought it was deplorable that she couldn’t cast even the simplest of magic.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t. Rather, the tension made her fumble. Her command over first-tier elemental magic was thrown out the window because of it.

With that said, she was glad her mom instilled within her a whole bunch of powerful support-type spells. It became the strong attribute that overshadowed her flaws.

Secondly, she made friends with the Glen Twilight after what had happened. The short interaction she had because of Kairen’s fainting episode, likely incited him to ask him about her support magic later when the day’s class was over. 

She didn’t think she would be able to make friends with one of the magic prodigies in class, let alone even talk to him. He openly declared his curiosity, which made for a somewhat awkward introduction. Nevertheless, life in the academy wouldn’t be as hard now that she had someone to guide her in elemental magic.

Thirdly, the incident that happened between the crown prince and his fiance. She did not expect to see His Highness openly assault Her Grace. If she had the option to wipe out her memories of that scene, she would’ve done so right away.

She was afraid what would happen to her now that the ice princess had her sights set on her. What did she ever do to the princess? Lowe wasn’t even trying to get involved on purpose. Why couldn’t she just mind her business? 

Signing again, she got up and told herself to cheer up. It’s probable to assume that the ice princess was just jealous. There was no point in rationalising it. After all, human behaviours were supposed to be haphazard and unpredictable.

Her late mother had early warned about the troubles abound when attending the academy.

As a commoner, despite school regulations which negated the power of nobility titles, putting all students on equal terms, nobles were still frightening existences to commoners. 

Even so, this was the academy life she had yearned for, so she should make the best of it.

And to do so, she had to resolve the biggest problem currently plaguing her life.

Money.

She had spent most of her money on the academy fee, leaving barely anything for basic necessities. Currently, she has about a month’s spending left. If used sparingly, it was possible to drag it up to three months.

But she still needed a sum of money to pay for next semester’s rent. 

It was a big crisis.

She had considered a number of options. First was to get a part time job. However, she didn’t know where she could find work that was flexible enough to accommodate her schedule.

The second, which made more sense, was to apply for a scholarship and receive a rebate from the school. She had consulted with Professor Aturina, and she said if Lowe was able to make it among the top 10 in her year, she would receive reimbursements in the form of financial aid.

Between the two options, the scholarship rebate was what Lowe had her sights set on.

And so, she grabbed her bag and took out her textbook to revise today’s note.

“Huh?” When she opened the book however, a letter fell out from the gaps.

“What is it?” Tiffany asked. Then noticing the letter on the ground, her eyes opened wide. “I-Is that… a love letter?”

“N-No. It can’t be… can it?” Lowe’s expression cracked up as she hunched over to pick up the envelope. Based on its simple appearance and lack of finesse, it seemed unlikely to be a confession letter. 

“Open it, open it!” Tiffany, who had likely read a little few too many romance novels squealed in excitement.

“Um…” Lowe, who was also curious, opened the letter on the spot. “Huh?”

“What does it say?” Tiffany got up from her desk and leaned in from behind Lowe.

Lowe quickly hid the letter from Tiffany’s line of sight, the latter groaning in disappointment while the former her brows furrowed in confusion.

The instructions were clear. First and most importantly, this wasn’t a love letter, but rather, an offer letter. The problem however was that the sender remained anonymous.

Actually, Lowe knew of a third option to resolve the financial crisis. 

And the letter implied just that: running errands for someone who had the money to spare.

1.5 ❧•.¸♡¸.•❧ 

Before riding the carriage to Oben academy, it was customary of me to have breakfast in the dining hall. Mother was still sleeping, father had matters to attend to early in the morning, while my elder brother was away. So the remaining ones were only my little brother and myself.

Daniel Winterfall, was the name of my little brother with gorgeous ice-white hair and adorable baby face. He took after my mother more than father.

Dozing off seated at the table, he struggled to stay awake.

While he wasn’t at an age where he could attend Oben academy, there were home tutor arrangements which he had to attend. It was a normal thing for nobles to be homeschooled from a young age, and cute Daniel wasn’t spared from it.

His first class later was going to be basic academia, so that meant anything to do with literature, science and magic.

Watching him nearly planting his face into the bowl of stew, I couldn’t help but recall my previous life where my relationship with him was much better.

Alas, all the progress I made in our relationship had been reset. As an elder sister, I suppose I should take the initiative to start reestablishing our sibling-bond instead of waiting for things to just happen.

“Daniel.”

His back straightened up with a snap and locked his gaze my way.

Normally, this was where he expected a scolding for breaking etiquette. However, I didn’t do that. Instead, I tore off a piece of bread and dipped it in his stew before holding it up to him.

“Say ah,” I said, asking him to open his mouth.

“Uh, Sister, I-I’m fine,” he looked like he didn’t know what was going on.

“Say ah. I’m not repeating thrice,” I pressed on nevertheless.

Reluctantly, he opened his mouth. I gently tucked the bread between his teeth and prepared the next.

He chewed on it, a puzzled expression on his face.

“Tired as you may be, it’s important to eat a little to stow energy for the day’s activity,” I reminded him to take care of himself, just as a big sister should. He nodded in a daze. 

He looked around the empty hall once, and then back at me. 

“Is this a dream?” He asked.

I shook my head. “No. This isn’t a dream.”

“T-Then are you sick? Do you need a doctor?” He asked again, this time his words fumbled.

Restraining the urge to ask him what kind of nonsense that was, I shook my head once more. “No. I’m perfectly healthy, thank you for your concern. Say ah.”

His rosy cheeks turned pale all of a sudden.

❧•.¸♡¸.•❧

After the refreshing morning breakfast, I boarded the carriage once more and headed to the academy.

There was a dormitory system established as well for commoners and nobles, of course the quality of the accommodation differed greatly. For commoners, these lodging provided a safe and conducive place to study; for nobles, it facilitated those from far flung regions to come and stay for the duration of the semester’s classes.

As Winterfall manor was itself near the campus, it made sense for myself to commute to school rather than to book a stay in the dorms. Moreover, I had more flexibility and security in terms of executing underhanded plans with Elysia when I was in the manor.

Our classes resembled an expansive auditorium, with rows of tiered seating cascading down towards a focal point where the lectern sat. 

As usual, Isodor, Glen and Lowe had already arrived, with ‘the flower’ sandwiched between the two male leads. Clicking my tongue loud enough that the class could hear, I took my seat high up in the rowed seats.

Isodor had already refused to sit with me since the very beginning, and anyone who saw that would know the strained relationship we had. So, the fact that he was by Lowe’s side, could make for many scandalous rumours.

I don’t think he doesn’t know his actions would leave a blow to his reputation.

In any case, there was nothing much I could do besides a continued observation that everything was going as planned.

First class of the day was history. 

And today we were touching upon the topic of Estelle Empire’s founding. Of course, I was aware that the information provided by the lecturer was false history. Though, it wasn’t like the professor had modified the historical archives.

“The influence of the Lutheran Church was small, and Estelle Empire in its infancy back in those days was barely established as a kingdom. Against the now Fallen Old Empire of the North, it was hard to think we would’ve won against their declaration of war.” Truly, his voice was as boring as the nature of the topic itself. “May anyone care to guess how we managed to win against the Old Empire?”

“Could it be because there was a hero that stood up for the empire?” Fortunately, we had the always-attentive Lowe to shield the half-sleeping class from these unruly questions.

Professor Toure shook his head. “A hero? Oh dear, it was a good try, but that wasn’t the answer I’m looking for.”

“It was because the Gods convened divine retribution directly upon the Old Empire,” Isodor followed up after Lowe’s attempt.

“Yes indeed. That is a great answer, Your Highness. The Gods who could no longer bear the vile wrongdoings of the Old Empire descended divine judgement upon their lands, weakening their army and allowing Estelle Empire to win the war. You may say similarly, it implied that the Gods had answered the people’s prayers.” Professor Toure said with a soft smile. “And today, what transpired during the war has resulted in what we know as the Northern Blights.”

“Professor Toure, so the church was the one that caused the blight?” Lowe asked with a shortly raised hand.

“Though many historians would deny that because it made the Lutheran Church sound as if they were a bad organisation, I personally think it’s valid to interpret it in that way,” He adjusted his glasses and glanced up at the class who was barely paying attention to his lectures. With a disappointed look, he asked. “Now, may someone tell me what significance the blight holds? Astraea Winterfall, please answer.” 

I who had been listening with an arm lazily supporting my chin suddenly stiffened. What? Was there something wrong with my face? Why me?

I fell into a short stupor but managed to answer in a generic manner.

If you had played the original visual novel from start to end, you would piece together the true history of the empire. While it was vaguely correct to say that ‘divine retribution’ descended upon the Old Empire, it wasn’t the most accurate explanation. 

500 years ago when the Old Empire’s Emperor, the ‘Blight King’, died; he used his body as a catalyst to put a curse on the world.

That curse was the conception of ‘blight’. A kind of black magic that was worse than dark magic. Blight was the primordial essence of death, corruption and annihilation.

This fact is unseen in any history books and remains a big secret until you progress into the later parts of Soren Amberheart’s route. He is the fourth male lead Lowe has yet to meet, and it’s only a matter of time.

Lowe was actually right. There was indeed a hero that saved Estelle Empire from the Old Empire. It was that hero who killed the Blight King, but his name had been wiped out from history. The game also never mentioned why.

“Blight is a reminder to everyone that we should follow the righteous path,” a stupid textbook answer, yet it was what the church wanted people to believe in order to maintain its power and influence over the people.

“Good answer,” his praise was much more monotonous compared to when he was interacting with Lowe. Regardless, Professor Toure fished for his next victim, “Next, what did the fallen kingdom do specifically to incite the Gods wrath? Kairen Copper.” 

The answer to that would be because the emperor was a practitioner of black magic. He ruled the empire and its people like puppets, cursing anyone who threatened his tyranny.

I forgot what Kairen’s answer was in the original story, but I was sure it wasn’t a good one. He stood up to speak, and I noticed the big plaster on his nose.

“If the Gods really did care about us, why the hell would he curse the world with blight and kill so many innocent people?” He spat.