It had been a very short while since the journey from the hotel to the harbor had begun. I had been sitting comfortably in the carriage, near the window, with my back straight and legs crossed as I peered outside and observed the unbelievable surroundings.
But, contrary to how I appeared, I was deliberating on what to do regarding my current conundrum.
I did want to find out more on how I came to be here, but for now I had to focus, momentarily at least, on whom I had 'possessed'.
This was problematic... Even if this was truly now my reality, why did I end up in-
"Young Master."
The voice interrupted my train of thought, causing me to divert my attention to look at the stoic, and now rather dignified face of the butler who had been accompanying me.
"..."
Given his fervent stare, it seemed to me that he had been observing me for the entire time I had been sitting in the carriage. In my manic state of mind, I must have forgotten to regulate my physical actions and relied on instinct.
'Damn it.'
"Yes? What is it Sir. Greeves?"
I quickly recalled his name from our short interaction and spoke in the most formal but polite manner I could muster.
"..."
He continued to stare at me without reply. Given my past experiences, I could do nothing but assume the worst in this situation.
'...Does he know?'
Did he somehow realize that I wasn't actually the young master he had served? If so, what should I do now? I didn't know what would happen to me if he figured it out. This could make my situation worse-
"So my intuition was right!"
The butler suddenly spoke, interrupting my thoughts again as he edged slowly closer to me with a curious look. I prepared myself and readied my body into a relaxed stance, preparing myself to perform the best act of self-defense I could currently muster with my weak body.
The best course of action was to knock him out; I could think of what to do next afterwards. I needed to stall, one way or another. But before taking drastic measures,
'Let me atleast try and play the fool.'
"W-What intuition, Sir Greeves?"
I looked at the butler innocently, adding a gentle but involuntary stutter to reinforce the forced display of childlike confusion.
"I knew it!"
'This is troublesome... Did he actually manage figure it out?'
I speculated the best location to launch a preemptive, debilitative strike and was just about to execute it when, just in time, his next words graced my ears.
"You were preparing in secret, weren't you, Young Master! You've done an exceptional job! I'm so proud of you! I knew despite your reluctance given your condition, you were still excited to go to the academy!"
'What?'
It seems my confusion at his words had managed to leak onto my face. It would appear that his new body wasn't used to controlling expressions and emotions; how lucky this child was for that to be the case.
"You practiced your speaking skills and general etiquette in preparation of entering the academy, didn't you, Young Master? I could tell from the moment you sat down and the short conversation we had now!"
From his reaction, it would appear that the manner in which I carried myself was wildly different from the manner this child did previously. I thought, given this child was nobility, I should act in a fitting manner, but I seemed to have somehow overdone it.
"But then again, why did you wrinkle your uniform today morning, throw those tantrums, and why did stop speaking-"
Though I was slightly disoriented at his unexpected conclusion, this was an opportunity for me to reinforce that I really was this child, and it was beginning to slip away just as fast as it had arrived.
Though, I didn't know the history between this child and his family, I was not one to look such a gift horse in the mouth. Acting quickly, I managed to conjure a vague reply.
"It was meant to be a surprise! I was learning this as a form of my apology for all the trouble I had caused you and the House... Truly nothing gets past you, Sir Greeves."
The man, contrary to my expectations, became slightly melancholically. But thankfully, he appeared to have forgotten his initial doubts since he, we a bittersweet smile replied to my comments.
"I appreciate the sentiment Young Master, but I think, I can speak for the House when I say, we don't care about such matter, especially with... what you've gone through..."
'... My, I didn't expect such a touching response.'
Especially, given his expression
"Just hearing your words is enough of apology. We all truly all just wish for you to be happy and live a life you want. We know that in itself will be a terrible ordeal given your current condition."
'Condition?'
What could he possibly be talking about? From my recollection of this character that I had possessed, at least from what I recalled regarding the game, there had been no mention of any pre-existing conditions.
Was it because he was just a very minor NPC? Or because he would disappear from the game after the initial chapters of the game? Is that the reason that such information was not mentioned in the game-
"Those damn demonic cultists... How dare they inflict such a heinous curse on you! Because of it, you had to experience such torture and agony, and we were forced to send you away to the academy a year earlier, just for your safety."
Interrupting my thoughts, he began to oddly rant about an event... that I truly don't want to even recall. But I might have misheard-
-Creak-
-Crack-
The interior of the carriage was shaking, though ever so slightly, I was definitely the effect of the bloodlust that the butler was emitting, it would appear he didn't notice it as he continued his minute monologue.
"I swear on the name of Eliziere, If I didn't have the pleasure of seeing you off, I would have been leading the campaign that the Head of the House and the First Young Master put together. It would have give me the utmost pleasure, tearing those traitors who joined the demonic cult from our House apart, limb from limb."
His bloodlust was beginning to reach levels that even I had not experienced despite the bloody battle of corporate succession I had gone through in my prior life, causing me to ever so slightly reel back, though involuntarily.
Immediately noticing the sudden movement, the butler immediately handled himself appropriately, disposing of the bloodlust and settling back down in the seat across from me.
"A-Ahem! I apologize for that young master; I didn't mean to scare you in any manner."
He spoke sheepishly before continuing on his one-man monologue.
"A-Anyway! Please don't worry, Young Master; the Madam is working hard on creating a cure for your curse! Knowing her genius, it won't take long at all! So please don't worry about your condition too much and enjoy yourself at the academy Young Master!"
Though the matter of the pressure he was emitting was rather impressive, It was pretty obvious in the context of the game he had been a former Knight to say the least.
In truth, I did want to dig deeper about the man's situation in front of me, especially about how he was related to this child. But I couldn't, given what I had confirmed.
'Oh... No...'
Hearing the words 'curse' and 'demonic cultists', the situation I was now in, in my mind atleast, went from bad to worse.
"Ah! Talking about the Madam! I should send her the images I took of the Young Master in uniform today! That should lift her damper spirits! She'll be even happier once she hears that you've begun to speak again!"
With those words, he rummaged the insides of his coat, only to pull out a device similar to a modern-day smartphone.
He began to tap away gleefully at it, immersing himself in his own world as he contacted this child's family, Blissfully unaware of the true state of turmoil my mind was currently in.
***
'I see... so that was the reason.'
After finishing the conversation with Greeves, I had returned to my position, staring out the window. I had been in deep thought, attempting to recall all the information, no matter how obscure, regarding the character whom I had 'possessed' and his family.
'That was the reason this House had fallen to ruin.'
I had recalled the role that this family, or rather Noble House, had played within the game the moment I had seen its crest. It had acted like the final cog in the machine, jogging my memory and allowing me to finally remember this... heartbreaking family.
⸢The Noble House of Eliziere⸣
Was one of many houses comprised of characters of noble stature or class. Given the aristocratic setting of the game, such a phenomenon wasn't at all rare. In fact, most noble houses within the game played a role within the game, be it good or bad, in the foreground or background.
But amongst all such houses, this was the only house that was truly and honestly... pitiful.
Present on the largest continent within the game, the Western Continent, was a noble house whose stature was second only to the rulers of said continent, ⸢The Imperial Family of Rosenthal⸣.
Each continent had its own specialty, which in the case of the Western Continent was 'Science and Technology'. The rulers of the continent were meticulous in their pursuit of scientific wisdom, the results of which were already showing.
From the device that Greeves had been happily chatting away on to the horses that were drawing the carriage I was sitting in, all of them, including the rapid advancements in medicine, were the results of scientific efforts and dedication.
But unfortunately, their advances in militarial development were incredibly slow, due to a certain 'promise' the rulers had made with the remaining continents, leaving them exposed in terms of defense.
What made up for this deficit, was this house, 'The House of Eliziere'. They were an unsurpassable powerhouse in terms of military might, likely due to the ⸢Bloodline Trait⸥ that was passed down the generations.
Besides this, at current the head of the household, Sir. Gilcrest Eliziere, was the strongest head since the origins of the House, and the Successor of the House, Sir. Leon Eliziere, had been hailed as a genius that would surpass his father.
And of course, the cherry on top was the presence of Madam Cynthia Eliziere, the Master Artificer, one of two of her kind; here mastery over technology was quite literally second to none within this entire.
So, when provided quests by such an overpowered house within the early stages of the game, be it through a 'Quest Board' at the academy or through direct requests to the MC, most new players of the game happily took up said quests, mainly since the rewards were good.
Be it in terms of monetary compensation, increasing your relationship points with this house, and best of all, you would get 'Artifacts' handcrafted by Madam Cynthia, which helped you immensely in the early stages of the game.
But these players soon learned that this family was, unfortunately, a poisoned rope.
A plethora of problems followed the MC in the future if he had any association with this family at all. No matter what path you took involving this house, if you interacted with them, you were screwed.
The house would slowly fall to ruin throughout the game, all due to the disappearance of the second son of the house. He was the trigger for their collapse, at least according to the epilogue.
Due to being born weak, the second son of the Eliziere family was doted on severely by all, from the lowest of maids to the highest of elders in the House of Eliziere.
Thus, when he disappeared while attending the Fyrthorn Academy, it caused the entire house to drop everything and solely search for him, no matter the cost.
But sadly, this effort would be to no avail.
The matter of his disappearance was so important to the family that they would go on to even request the help of the Imperial family in this matter.
But after 2 in-game years of continuous searching and no solid results, the Imperial family were forced to withdraw their support, due to the certain events that perspired in the academy during this time and the fact that the Imperial needed to focus all their attention on said matter.
Though this action was obvious to the regular player, it would come to the surprise of House Eliziere. Leaving the Eliziere House with barely any funds and bad blood toward the Imperial Throne.
This eventually led the House to become corrupted by one of the main bosses of the game, ⸢Yelgrand, Demon of False Hope⸥, who, under the false promise of finding their lost son, slowly corrupted the household, turning them against the Imperial family. Eventually causing the Elizieres to launch a rebellion.
Though near penniless, the military strength of the Elizieres was so high that the rebellion nearly flourished and would have succeeded if not for the hidden card of the Imperial Crown. Hence, though the Imperial family was nearly destroyed by this rebellion, it still managed to survive, just barely.
The photograph I had seen in the dairy that had felt familiar to me was due to this; it was spotted in a related event within the game; when the House of Eliziere falls to ruin, a cinematic appears in which the MC finds the photograph in the abandoned Mansion of the Elizieres. That was where I had seen that specific photograph.
This course of events, though attempted to be changed by many players, despite the variation in their in-game choices and strategies, could never be avoided. Thus this house was deemed a pitiful one rather than a proud one and nicknamed;
⸢The Pitiful House of Eliziere⸣
So regardless of what you did afterwards in the game, if you had any connection to the Eliziere House, you would be immediately recognized as rebels by the Imperial family, restricting your movement in the Western Continent and making the later parts of the game infinitely more difficult.
And who was I?
Of course, I was the missing son, the catalyst of an intra-continental devastation, and the second young master of the House Eliziere. I was Raziel Eliziere.
'And of course, it gets even worse.'
All that was stated throughout this long-winded course of events that depicted the downfall of the House was that 'The second son had disappeared'.
It wasn't stated anywhere afterwards as to what had happened to him, and despite my curiosity—though it was quite a long time ago—even I had no results in determining what actually caused him to disappear despite my rigorous efforts.
'That was till now.'
The black sclera, the mention of 'Demonic Cultists', and finally, the word 'Curses', had once again led me to think of the worst-case scenario... and sadly, I think this time, there was no chance that I was mistaken.
'Demonic Summoning.'
It was likely that it was due to this; that this child disappeared from the game. I take back my earlier comments on this child being lucky. Truly, every member of this house was pitiful; it would appear that Raziel was no exception.
This game, like many of its kind, had two kinds of enemies: regular enemies, or ⸢Demonic Beasts⸣, and boss monsters, or ⸢Demons⸣.
Compared to regular enemies, which were just fodder to help the MC level up and progress the game, demons were different.
Demons were chapter ending bosses; defeating these demons allowed players to close the chapter and progress the storyline of the game and were hence incredibly difficult to beat.
Demons like ⸢Yelgrand, Demon of False Hope⸥, were complicated creatures and always aimed to 'game-over' you as effectively as possible.
Each of these demons, based on their personality, had their own complicated strategies, be it utilizing combat strategies or via methodologies based in other mechanics of the game.
This meant that certain demons preferred the direct approach, such as just appearing directly in front of the MC and battling it out or corrupting one of the supporting characters or NPCs and materializing through them as they aimed for a surprise attack and battle.
Comparatively, others chose to utilize indirect methods; be it through framing the MC in various criminal events or causing environmental catastrophes in which the MC was 'accidentally' caught up, anticipating and managing your stats correctly to avoid this was a nightmare.
Thankfully, these demons were 'Bosses', which meant that they, unlike Demonic Beasts, didn't spawn naturally. Such monsters were required to be summoned and were summoned only once you had reached a certain part of the chapter.
One such method of summoning demons was to use curses, specifically 'The Curse of Demonic Manifestation'.
This method was incredibly common and was used widely throughout quite a few chapters in the beginning of the game.
Once cast upon a character, the curse would take effect over a lengthy period of time and exchange the character's vitality in order to summon a demon.
Identifying it was seemingly easy, given that the eyes were an indicator of this condition; the darker the sclera of the eyes, the higher the level of the demon that would be summoned.
thus most demonic practitioners would only it to summon low-level demons, causing a barely legible gray hue in the eyes of the victim. That was why I had difficulty recognizing this condition at first.
Hence, though it was a common method, due to this drawback, it was almost never used to summon high-level demons. Which meant that, at worst, this method was used to summon bosses of the initial chapters of the storyline which were- obviously rather weak.
Regardless, if you wanted to avoid the boss-fight entirely, you could defeat or cure the person who had been cursed in advance. But the higher the level of the demon that would be summoned, the more difficult it was to either of these preemptive solutions.
And given that this child's body had near pitch-black sclera, a colour which I had honestly never seen within the game before, it would be a troubling matter.
Though I couldn't accurately predict the exact time nor the powers of the demon that would be summoned, it would undoubtably be... Endgame Level; or given that the game was now reality, a world-ending demon.
And in the process, the summoning would, without a doubt, claim my life. If I had the same penchant for survival as I did in my prior life, this would have been a terrifying premise.
But now that I had calmed down from the successive shocks I received due to this apparent transmigration.
'...That's fine.'
Though initially I had thought of methods to survive... I was fine with being laid to rest eternally. After all, despite my passing, given the personality of the MC written in the game, he would likely succeed no matter the problems.
And though I felt bad for both this child and his family, I would rather not deviate from the game and it's storyline. Besides... even if I had transmigrated, the mental turmoil from my past life was still strong in my head.
It seems even being dropped into another world couldn't save me from the struggles of the mind-
"Young Master!"
Greeves interrupted my thoughts for the umpteenth time during this short carriage ride; it truly seemed to me as if he had talent for doing so. Regardless, I turned to look at him once again, seeing which he blurted out.
"The madam wants to talk! She was truly overjoyed by the news of you talking!"
Again, without any regard for my opinion, the butler began to rummage inside his inside coat pocket, retrieving a circular device, and then began to set it up.
'I'll at least do the courtesy of playing a filial son... Until I don't have to.'
I thought as I prepared to meet this at least a part of this pitiful family face-to-face. This interaction was the least I could do for a child whose life, however short it would have been, had been hijacked by me.