Back Garden – Valentine Estate
The stone path snaked through the back garden, the sound of my footsteps breaking the calm of the afternoon. The breeze caressed the leaves of the trees, and the scent of flowers mixed with the aroma of tea floating in the air. As I walked, the landscape opened toward a majestic lake whose waters reflected the last gleams of sunlight. In front of it, at a finely carved wooden table, sat Mrs. Patrice.
Alone, holding a teacup with rehearsed delicacy, the woman seemed lost in her thoughts. Her posture was impeccable, as if every movement was carefully calculated to project elegance. However, upon noticing my presence, her expression changed instantly. She straightened subtly, pushing her chest forward with an air of barely disguised provocation.
As I approached, a flirtatious smile drew itself across her red-painted lips. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she tilted her head slightly to the side, letting some golden strands slide gracefully over her shoulder. With a syrupy voice, she whispered:
—Well, what a pleasant surprise...
She then toyed with the edge of the teacup between her fingers and, with a hint of seduction in her gaze, added:
—Were you looking for me?
Inside, I couldn't avoid a mix of revulsion and annoyance.
"Damn... what an uncomfortable fucking show. If this were real life, this old hag would already be in prison for child harassment."
Still, I kept my composure and replied naturally, emotionless:
—Yes, I was looking for you, Patrice.
📢 [System Notification: +20 Favorability with Mrs. Patrice Valentine]
"Shit, what the fuck is this?!"
Patrice giggled softly, letting a sigh escape her lips. With a slow movement, she began twirling a strand of hair between her fingers, while her other arm rested with apparent nonchalance on the table. Her motions were slow, deliberate, like she was trying to hypnotize me with her presence. She slid a finger along her lips before murmuring in a silky voice:
—And... why were you looking for me? Please tell me... you want me to do something for you, don't you?
I took a serious, direct tone, completely ignoring her seductive play.
—Yes, that's correct. *("Ugh, I feel like I might puke...") *
Patrice narrowed her eyes, evaluating me with her usual amusement before continuing:
—Tell me, little Raymond, what do you want my help with?
I remained firm, though my tone took on a calculated warmth.
—I'd like you to convince the Count to give me the opportunity to buy my freedom and my family's.
Patrice's smile faded almost instantly. Her expression shifted from playfulness to skepticism. She slightly furrowed her brow and crossed one leg over the other with elegance, eyeing me with renewed interest.
—I'm afraid that won't be possible. But...
Before she could finish, I raised a hand to gently interrupt and immediately dropped my proposal without giving her room to refuse:
—Wait! If you agree to my request, believe me when I say I'll compensate you greatly. I'll tell you everything I know about the goddess who healed me.
Her gaze sharpened, her interest igniting like powder to a flame. Her nails drummed on the table surface, and the tip of her tongue moistened her lips unconsciously.
—I don't know... —she muttered— What good is it to have you free, when I could have you always by my side?
Her tone was sweet, but her words sent a chill of disgust through me. I forced myself to keep the façade and instead adopted a cocky smile. I leaned slightly toward her and lowered my voice, lacing it with a persuasive edge:
—Would you rather keep me chained out of fear I'll leave... or let me go and have me choose you, because of how beautiful you are?
📢 [System Notification: +15 Favorability with Mrs. Patrice Valentine]
"To what depths I've stooped... this old bitch actually likes me."
Patrice's eyes widened with a slight glint of surprise before a blush crept over her cheeks. Her haughty demeanor wavered for an instant before she covered her mouth with her fingers, feigning surprise.
—My, what a sweet tongue you have.
—Thanks, but it's the truth.(Obviously I'm fucking lying, lol.)
She smiled, clearly pleased.
—Okay. I'll try. But tell me, how do you plan to earn the money?
—I plan to become an adventurer.
Patrice raised an eyebrow, clearly doubtful.
—An adventurer!? But you need to be at least a bit stronger to register at the guild in the nearest city.
I nodded with confidence.
—Don't worry, I'll handle that issue. I just want you to hold up your end, alright?
—That sounds fair... but I get to choose how you'll compensate me. Deal?
My jaw tightened slightly, but I couldn't lose this opportunity.
—Of course. So... do we have a deal?
—Of course, —she whispered, folding her hands on her lap— When do you plan to leave to become an adventurer?
—Tomorrow, if possible. The sooner the better.(I need to get the fuck out of this cursed estate...)
—Why the rush, little Sam?
Her eyes were studying me intently, her mischievous smile returning.
—You don't think it's just so I can pay you back faster, do you?
A shiver ran down my spine, but I kept calm. I replied with a tense smile:
—I trust in your persuasive abilities.
She chuckled softly and let her gaze glide over me, full of cynical flirtation.
—Oh, do you?
—Of course, you're a very charming lady.(She's got nothing of a fucking lady...)
Patrice stood up slowly, smoothing her dress with delicate hands.
—Very well. I'll be waiting for our next meeting... now, I must go convince my husband.
—Glad you're so proactive.(So fucking eager, bitch...)
She shot me one last glance as she played with the edge of her dress, then walked back toward the mansion.
—See you, little Raymond.
—Bye, Patrice.
I watched her disappear along the paths, feeling a weight lift from my shoulders.
"What an insufferable woman."
I sighed and called Quincy.
—Turn off favorability notifications. They're annoying.
[Understood, Master.]
With that done, I resumed my walk. The cool afternoon air helped clear my mind. A long training session awaited, but before that...
"I need to investigate Karen."
***
I walked until I found a good spot to investigate, but after a few minutes, the weight of the newly uncovered information in the System Window came crashing down on me like a damn slab.
My fingers clenched over the scrolls spread across the screen, but my gaze... my gaze kept drifting. Avoiding the read.
It wasn't my fault. That shit was a goddamn wall of text! And with tiny-ass letters on top of that! How the fuck was anyone supposed to process that much info without a strong-ass coffee and ten hours of sleep?
I closed my eyes.
"Come on, Sam, focus."
But the moment I did, images exploded in my mind. Memories that weren't entirely mine, echoes of a life that existed before I arrived.
A boy watching from afar.Dark hair flowing with the wind.A pair of fearful, yet defiant eyes.
It was the day Karen was brought to the Valentine estate.
And the original Sam… fell in love with her at first sight.
My heart skipped a beat.
That inexplicable attraction, that pull in my chest when I saw her for the first time… it wasn't mine.
It was his childish emotion still imprinted in this body.
—I get it... —I muttered tensely, running a hand over my face, feeling the fine layer of cold sweat on my skin.
[Master, you didn't know. That's why you're reacting this way. But the main characters will only see her as just another villainess, nothing more.]
I clenched my teeth.
—It's just hard to accept her cruel-ass fate...
And cruel was a fucking understatement.
Karen Owls was sold into slavery after losing her parents in a monster attack on her hometown.
An attack that wasn't random.
Someone orchestrated it.
🔹 Bethany Watson.
My jaw tightened.
The Great Witch of Death.
A name I could've researched more when I had the chance... but I didn't.
Because I was a lazy piece of shit and couldn't be bothered to read more.
But now…
🔹 Bethany marked TWO successors.
The air caught in my lungs.
Why the fuck didn't I investigate who the other one was?
My blood boiled.
Bethany marked Karen when she was just a defenseless little girl, wandering without her parents, placing on her right hand the stigma of a dark star.
A curse.A sentence.A damn omen that her fate was already written.
🔹 "She will be killed by Eric Estralia in the ninth scenario."
Eric Estralia.
One of the main characters.
But how the fuck does Karen go from an abused, broken girl to a full-blown antagonist that gets executed without hesitation by the protagonist?
My fist slammed the table hard.
The Count Valentine.
That motherfucker...
He couldn't convince her.So he forced her.
And after using her, he threw her away like trash.
My fingers dug into the wood.
Karen, shattered by trauma, abuse, and pain, would awaken her power.
An event called "Awakening."
All the important NPCs in the game's story would go through it.
Karen, in her fury, would return to the Valentine estate… and reduce it to fucking ashes.
With everyone still inside.
I guess my death and my family's were scheduled for that moment.
"Ah, fucking perfect."
I exhaled hard.
Then... after that, there was a three-year time skip.
That was the point where players would first appear in the game.
And what the fuck happened in those three years?
🔹 The corruption of dark energy began to spread.🔹 First to monsters.🔹 Then to humans.🔹 The gods would start to worry.
And from the darkness, a new race would emerge.
🔹 The Half-Demons.
Beings born from corrupted energy.
🔹 And their leader... wasn't human.Wasn't a god.Was something else.
🔹 Asmodeus.
A demon who escaped from the underworld.
A being that shouldn't fucking exist in this plane.
🔹 Someone helped him escape.
🔹 Someone betrayed humanity.
And from the shadows, he was plotting a lethal blow.
The gears of war had begun to turn.
"War of Kingdoms."
—..... (Goddammit... why the hell is there always a demon in every medieval setting!?)
I took a deep breath.
My mind was processing everything at an inhuman speed.
And then, an idea struck me like lightning.
"I didn't see this intro when I played the game."
Why?
[Because, Master, you connected before the official launch.]
That's right… when I first entered, there was no tutorial.
No cinematic intro.
All this... flew under the radar 'cause I was too hyped when I got the game.
"But now I know too fucking much."
The butterfly effect had already begun.
Karen hadn't been destroyed yet.The story hadn't reached that point.
But if I'm here—if I'm still alive...
What else had changed?
What things weren't part of the original story?
My breathing grew erratic.
Something was slipping past me.
Something important.
Something I still hadn't seen.
...Maybe the other successor of Bethany.
"Motherfucker..."
Why didn't I investigate her identity?
Why didn't Quincy insist I do it?
A chill ran down my spine.
If Karen wasn't the only one...If the game had another successor of the Witch of Death...
Where the fuck was she now?
At what point in the story would she appear?
And just how much worse would things get... if I'd already changed everything?
What could it all mean?! No... I need to focus. I need to stay sharp... I need to lock in...
"TO PUSH MY DAMN PLANS FORWARD AND GET THIS GUY'S FAMILY OUT... OUT OF THIS FUCKING MANSION, AND RUN TO ANOTHER KINGDOM IF I HAVE TO."
My muscles tensed.
I would not let the story play out as it was written.
I would not let tragedy win.
But now...
Now, I had more questions than answers.
And they all pointed toward a disaster far greater than I could imagine.