Using his game character, Valerius decided to investigate if there was a bell inside the desk within the game.
As he turned his character towards the bell, he was amazed to find it there, alone, just like in real life.
Valerius was rendered speechless.
"Did I really explore the entire castle just to find this solitary bell, which could potentially summon the Butler, right here, in my own very desk?"
Without offering any apologies to himself for the mistake and acknowledging that it was normal since he was still feeling unfamiliar in this strange world, he maneuvered his character to stand in front of the bell.
Soon, a message appeared on his phone screen.
— Ding! —
Would the player like to ring the bell and call Butler Garland?
—
Valerius nodded and proceeded to select "yes."
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The sound of the bell resonated from his phone.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
It rang for a second time.
Expecting the bell to ring a third time, Valerius did not anticipate that the massive door to his virtual home would open, revealing a familiar man in a suit – Butler Garland.
And then the system prompted again.
— Ding! —
Butler Garland appeared!
—
Valerius observed the suit, the facial structure, and the distinctive aura of the Butler who had given a lot of Magic Crystals earlier.
However, within the game, Butler Garland lacked a face, basically faceless, and only possessed a neatly trimmed squared mustache.
Soon, his game character engaged in conversation with the character of Butler Garland, speaking in a familiar language and tone.
Shortly after when they are done, his phone received another notification.
— Ding! —
Butler Garland does not believe the player, Valerius.
Find the assassins and provide Butler Garland with evidence of the poison
—
The game interface instructed.
Valerius stared intently at the message displayed on his phone, his mind immersed in deep contemplation.
It was evident from his serious demeanor.
How could he possibly complete the mission using only his phone?
What exactly was his task?
Should he retrieve the maid once again and forcefully bring her to this location?
Amidst pondering the maid, Valerius suddenly recollected a crucial detail.
"How long do I have before the poison takes its toll whenever I was badly poisoned?
"Thirty minutes, isn't it?"
He considered the idea of allowing himself to be poisoned, then going to the Butler Garland and let him check the poison.
Relying on his role as the Butler to withstand any form of assassination, including poison, Valerius should trust he could do it, right?
Having made up his mind, Valerius embraced the notion.
After all, he was controlling a character in a game, so why not? .
Without delay, he sought out the maid, and when he met her, he left the room, and soon, he promptly triggered the system's announcement of his poisoning.
— Ding! —
The player Valerius was badly poisoned!
Time remaining: 30 minutes.
—
He nodded in confirmation, stating, "I was correct, it takes thirty minutes..."
Valerius then turned his gaze towards the direction he had come from earlier before he went to this bedroom chamber.
This time, he didn't go back inside to find the maid and only to be extremely poisoned.
Instead, he hurriedly controlled his character to go to Butler Garland.
Within a matter of seconds, he found himself back in his Study room, where Butler Garland patiently awaited his return.
As Valerius' character stood before Butler Garland, a sudden change came over the otherwise expressionless face.
A frowning brow appeared, accompanied by an angry exclamation mark.
Subsequently, Butler Garland retrieved an item from his pocket and addressed it using unfamiliar words.
Meanwhile, Valerius phone would show a message after that.
— Ding! —
1/7 Assassins captured!
—
Valerius's eyes widened in astonishment, his mind reeling from the expected result, even though it's expected. But he swiftly regained his composure and decided to explore the various rooms in the palace.
First, he entered the Private Chambers, a serene space intended for the retreat of family members, although he himself had no family yet.
Then he proceeded to the Solar room, the Throne Room, the Art Gallery, the Music Room, and finally the chapel before returning to Butler Garland, the palace butler.
A notification chimed on Valerius's phone, and he glanced at the screen, witnessing a significant change.
— Ding! —
1/7 Assassins captured!
—
His phone notification read.
"The rewards are coming right?"
With a murmur of curiosity, he wondered about the identity of the body he now inhabited.
Unlike other transmigrators who retained the memories of their host bodies, he possessed no such recollections.
— Ding! —
Congratulations!
Mission completed:
Summon Butler Garland - completed.
Locate and Report the whereabouts of all the assassins to Butler Garland - completed.
Please wait for the rewards…
—
Valerius did what his phone told him to do, and nor long after that, it came.
— Ding! —
Rewards:
Recording about Valerius Stormborn will now be played!
Crutch! Crutch! Crutch!
Like a captivating scene from a motion picture, the story of Valerius Stormborn commenced from his infancy.
He began as an ordinary child, fortunate enough to escape abuse and bullying.
As a member of the royal family, he received the treatment befitting his status. In contrast, one of his brothers suffered from mistreatment.
As Valerius transitioned into adolescence, he discovered that all the royal siblings had to partake in a battle for succession, determining who would ascend to the throne.
However, unlike his brothers, Valerius Stormborn vehemently opposed participating in this bloodthirsty ritual to claim kingship.
He believed that he could avoid the loathsome competition, especially since only six participants were required. But everything changed when his sixth brother, who had always been subjected to bullying and abuse, achieved a remarkable feat just before the impending succession war.
The accomplishment involved taming a living Elven Fairy, an incredibly rare creature.
Considering the scarcity of Elves, the rarity of Elven Fairies was even more pronounced.
They were like mythical creatures, ten times scarcer than royal-blooded Elves.
Consequently, two additional seats were awarded to Valerius's sixth brother as a reward for this accomplishment, despite his mother being a slave.
This unexpected turn of events meant that Valerius obtained the eighth seat and would participate in the brutal battle for the throne.
—
Valerius glanced at his phone, contemplating the gravity of the situation.
"This is a problem…"
Although he worried about the impending struggle for the throne, his concerns were primarily focused on his sixth brother's fate.
"His fate was like that of a common main character…
"And every main character is dangerous.
"Can I escape him, the sixth brother of the man I occupied?
"After all, I'm inside the game, and I am the opponent to the throne…"
Soon, it did not end there.
— Ding! —
Does the player Valerius desire to identify the assassins?
—
Valerius glanced at his phone, his expression affirming his decision.
With a swift tap on the screen, he confirmed his acceptance.
In a matter of moments, a notification would chime.
— Ding! —
The player Valerius had agreed to the challenge.
During this time, the character cannot be controlled by the player Valerius.
___
A new cinematic unfolded before him, distinct from the previous ones that had revealed the past life of the body he occupied.
This time, Valerius found himself immersed in the role of his own character, following his loyal butler, Garland, into the depths of the underground prison within his palace, where he reigned as the 8th prince.
As they entered the gloomy space, Valerius noticed seven cells, five of them containins prisoners shackled in chains.
Among them were the maid, chef, and cleaner.
Yet, two cells stood empty, devoid of any occupants.
Butler Garland turned around and faced Valerius's character in the game.
"Your highness sir, these are the assassins," he said, his voice filled with urgency.
"I alerted the guards and managed to apprehend only five of them..."
Then he bowed deeply, and said a deep apology.
"I have failed your highness, I am sorry."
Valerius's character nodded in understanding and told him to get up and he accept the apology.
Soon, they turned to focus on the assassins who are now prisoners.
His character decided to ask them who sent them here.
Surprisingly, the assassins willingly revealed their identities, willingly without the need for Butler Garland's interrogation methods.
This revelation left Valerius taken aback, but he reminded himself that it was just a game, and such occurrences were plausible within its virtual realm.
With their task completed, Valerius's character and Butler Garland made their way back to the study room.
Meanwhile, Valerius stared intently at his phone screen.
"All the assassins were born of the King's mistresses, much like my own mother," he muttered to himself.
"But why were two cells empty?"
The thought lingered in his mind. Reflecting on the life of the body he now inhabited, Valerius deliberated further.
"To my recollection, only the Queen possesses the authority to dispatch two assassins simultaneously, and I'm sure they would be highly skilled too, according to her position."
He reasoned.
"Although it seems unlikely that my sixth brother would resort to such tactics according to the memory of the owner of this body I occupied.
"He detests any form of bullying.
"Nevertheless, I cannot afford to drop my guard.
"Vigilance is paramount.
"After all, he cou
ld be the main character, if there were any, also the most dangerous one."
Now, trying to rest from the information he received after playing games on his phone, Valerius now fixated on the bell.
"Should I do this and call him for real this time?"