night's dim light gradually faded, giving way to the first rays of morning. Esdeath's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up abruptly, her heart pounding. "It was a dream? But it felt too real," she muttered to herself, her mind racing. "I think it was one of this girl's memories!"
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, her body still tingling with the remnants of the dream. As she moved towards the window, a wave of worry and hesitation washed over her. Her face tightened with anxiety. "It's morning already?" she whispered, her thoughts racing like a bolt of lightning. "What about Lortell Mariette's attack?"
Panic surged through her as she rushed to the window. She flung it open and leaned out, her eyes scanning the grounds below. To her astonishment, everything was normal. The mansion's grounds were serene, with people walking about calmly, their faces showing no signs of distress or fear. Birds chirped merrily in the trees, and the morning sun cast a warm, golden glow over everything.
Just as relief began to settle in, a soft chime sounded in her mind, and a translucent status window appeared before her eyes, displaying a notification:
"....." Esdeath stared at the window, her mouth agape in shock. Confusion, bewilderment, and astonishment flooded her senses. Her mind struggled to comprehend what she was seeing.
"How?" she whispered, the word escaping her lips before she could stop it. "I didn't do anything, I just slept. So how did she not attack us?" Her thoughts swirled in a chaotic dance, each question more perplexing than the last.
She thought about it too much but didn't get any answers. In the end, she decided not to dwell on it. Instead, she focused on her SP points. "What should I do with these points? Make a skill or raise a stat?" she pondered, but she wasn't sure if her SP points were enough to create a useful skill. It seemed wiser to invest them in her stats.
After deliberating for a few seconds, she decided to put all the points into "Stamina." Esdeath had always struggled with low stamina, and even a few workouts left her utterly exhausted. Increasing her stamina meant she could endure longer workouts, which would lead to gains in strength, speed, and endurance.
With determination, she allocated all her SP into her stamina.
Ding!
"Huh? Only two?" She felt a pang of dissatisfaction with the results. It wasn't as much as she'd hoped, but it was still an improvement from her previous 1.3 stat. She sighed and accepted the outcome, reminding herself that progress, no matter how small, was still progress.
"Now then, it's already morning and time to do some workouts, but before that, I should write down what I know," she thought, organizing her plan for the day.
She moved to her desk, the morning light filtering through the curtains, casting a soft glow on her journal. As she picked up her pen, a wave of determination washed over her. The soft rustling of the pages seemed to echo her resolve. "Firstly, if what I saw in the dream is true, then this girl is being discriminated against because of her black hair," she wrote down, her pen scratching lightly against the paper.
The truth weighed heavily on her mind. According to Fable's memories of the game, there were many characters with red eyes, but the demon king that the hero had defeated had black hair.Unlike earth, In this world, barely anyone had black hair, and it was possible that only Esdeath had this rare trait. This was the main reason everyone called her a witch or a ghost –
"Now I know why her parents are so protective. She must have been bullied from birth until now, never having any friends. Basically, a loner!" she thought, finally realizing the depth of her new identity's isolation.
She paused, the pen hovering above the page as she gathered her thoughts. Secondly, the original main character of this novel, Ethan Rothslayer. He was not just an average prodigy kid. The main story of this game was that Ethan Rothslayer was actually a regressor. In his last life, he had failed to protect everyone, and the demon king was resurrected. But after he died, miraculously, he regressed.
Of course, that wasn't the full story. In this world, there were beings called Star Constellations. The demon king was also a star constellation, but he was a fallen constellation, banished from the upper realm and ended up here and started dominate this land and making his power grew more. Although most of his powers were stripped away, he was still a constellation. How could anyone be his match?
Constellations had rules that they couldn't directly interfere with the lower realm. That's why, seeing the lower realm struggling, many star constellations chose excellent individuals to help defeat the demon king. But even after being defeated, the demon wasn't fully killed and was revived again. This time, humans and other races failed, but in their last moments, a certain constellation helped our main character, making him regress with his memories.
And of course, only people who were chosen by a certain constellation could see the status window. That meant Fable – or should I say Esdeath Crimson – was also chosen by a star constellation.
She took a deep breath, the enormity of her situation sinking in. "This is more complex than I imagined," she thought, feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation. The idea of being chosen by a star constellation brought a sense of purpose, but it also came with immense responsibility. However, she was not someone who would go around saving people and doing heroic deeds. To her, constellations controlled the chosen individuals in the name of "responsibility."
"Starting phases are easy, but as the story progresses, even if I become strong, there's no way I'll survive on my own," she mused. Surviving the initial phases was manageable; even if she did nothing and sat in a corner, the story would still progress, and she would be content living a quiet life. But as the story advanced, there would be massive battles. If she didn't become strong enough to protect herself, survival would be impossible. Moreover, she knew she couldn't survive alone. She needed at least one or two companions. "Okay then, this is my first mission: find a companion who can keep me alive, at least someone who can get me to the semi-final boss scenario," she thought with determination.
Now, you might be wondering, why not just become the companion of the main character? But no, that was the last thing she wanted to do. Why? Well, that's a story for another time.
Esdeath got up and rushed to her gallery. Upon arriving, she looked up at the sky and raised her hand, showing her middle finger to the empty sky. "F*ck you, constellations!" she yelled, venting her anger at being reincarnated as a girl.
She sighed heavily, feeling a sense of relief after letting out her frustration. She then turned towards the shower room inside her bedroom. She decided to work out every morning, so she thought of taking a shower and changing clothes before starting her routine.
As she reached the shower room door and placed her hand on the handle, her heart started pounding like crazy. She could easily hear her own heartbeat. "Why's my heart pounding? Am I scared? Or did I put something bad inside the shower room?" she wondered, trying to make sense of her emotions. Then, it hit her. "It's not that I'm scared, but I'm actually very excited. Don't tell me, this girl has a habit of masturbating in the shower?" she thought, chuckling at the absurdity of the situation. But she wouldn't know for sure until she went inside.
With a sudden dash, she was about to open the door when a voice rang out.
"Young mistress, your friends are looking for you!" It was Esdeath's personal maid, the same one who had seen her awake first.
"Friends? This shut-in has friends?" she muttered in disbelief.
She turned away from the shower room and headed towards the source of the voice. Her heart was still pounding, but now it was mixed with curiosity. Who could these friends be? What kind of relationships did she have in this new world?
Esdeath paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "This is just another part of the puzzle," she reminded herself. "I'll figure it out as I go."
Taking a deep breath, she straightened her posture and put on a confident expression. "Alright, let's see who these so-called friends are," she said to herself, stepping out of her room to face whatever awaited her.
Her so-called friends weren't just outside her room but outside the mansion, in the garden. Esdeath walked slowly, her steps echoing through the silent halls as she passed by many rooms. Finally, she reached the main gate and stepped out of the mansion. Walking a little further, she saw a group of four to five teenage girls standing together.
Esdeath's eyes widened in shock as she saw the main figure among the group—a teenage girl with golden silky hair and green eyes. Her face was fair, and she was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women one could see. "Claus Clandestine?" she thought, her heart skipping a beat.
Claus Clandestine, the daughter of the Marquess, a high-ranking noble, and the villainess of the game. She was known for hindering the main heroine at every turn and always being jealous of her.
"What's she doing here?" Esdeath wondered, but then she saw another palace behind the girls. A thought crossed her mind, making her realize the situation.
Esdeath's palace was on the border, not in the middle of the Swann territory. The Swann territory shared a border with two territories: Sacturium and Milton, the Marquess's territory. There were three palaces on the border between Milton and Swann. Esdeath had assumed all three palaces were hers, but it made sense that a mere baron couldn't afford three palaces. No wonder Claus was here—one of the palaces belonged to her.
"But why did they build their palace on the border instead of in the middle? And whose palace is the third one?" she thought, still unclear about the details. Although she had all these thoughts, barely a second had passed in real life. She continued walking towards the villainess, Claus Clandestine.
As she approached, Esdeath noticed the expressions on the girls' faces. Claus looked particularly angry, annoyed, and irritated. The other girls seemed to be a mix of nervous and curious, their eyes darting between Esdeath and Claus.
Esdeath felt a knot of anxiety tighten in her stomach, but she kept her composure. "What could possibly be the reason for their visit?" she wondered. Her mind raced with possibilities, but she had to face the situation head-on.
Claus's eyes locked onto Esdeath's as she got closer. "Esdeath," she began, her voice dripping with disdain, "How dare you? I've been calling you since last week, but you didn't leave your palace out of fear. Do you think you can take on the consequences of defying me?"
Esdeath raised an eyebrow, feigning indifference despite the unease bubbling inside her. "Oh? Damn, now I have to deal with the mess that the real Esdeath created! Claus Clandestine, huh? She's also an awakened, just like me, but at least no one is allowed to use magic outside before entering the academy," she thought with a sigh.
Claus's expression darkened, her irritation evident. "Tch... not saying a single word? You've become so arrogant!" She snorted, raising her palm as she moved toward Esdeath, clearly intending to slap her.
As a villainess, Claus was likely a bully before entering the awakened academy. By slapping Esdeath, she wanted to assert her authority and make a strong impression on the other girls. Her movement was fast, and she tightened her palm, about to strike Esdeath's face.
But the next moment, something unexpected happened. Out of reflex, Esdeath caught Claus's hand at the last second and twisted it in a way that flipped Claus upside down, sending her body into the air. It was a move from martial arts, specifically Aikido.
"Huh?" Claus let out a breath in disbelief as she realized her legs were in the air and her head was about to crash into the ground. But she wasn't a normal person; she was also awakened. With a swift movement, she jumped back, regaining her balance and standing without letting a single speck of dirt touch her.
Esdeath's heart pounded as she realized what she'd done. "Oh shit, I did it out of reflex," she thought in regret. Being a baron's daughter and daring to attack a marquess's daughter first? She wasn't going to get away with this without facing some severe consequences.
The other girls gasped, their eyes wide with shock. The tension in the air was palpable, and Esdeath could feel their disbelief and fear radiating off them. She knew she had to tread carefully now.
Claus's face twisted with rage, her green eyes blazing with fury. "You insolent little—" she began, but a sudden voice cut her off.
"What's going on here?" A seductive and charming voice came from behind everyone. Heads turned, and they immediately recognized the newcomer.
It was a girl, a year or two older than Esdeath. Although Esdeath was tall, around 170 or 172 cm, this girl was even taller. She had silver hair with a gray tint and piercing red eyes. Her pale skin was so white that anyone could mistake her for a vampire. She was, without a doubt, more beautiful than Claus Clandestine.
She wore a mini skirt with a white shirt and a jacket, the uniform of the Awakened Academy for females.
Esdeath's eyes widened as she recognized the person in front of her. "Lortell Mariette, what's she doing here?" she thought in disbelief. The same Lortell Mariette who was supposed to attack her land and kill everyone, including her, was now standing before her.
Even Claus's expression changed from annoyance to a forced smile. "Hahaha... Lady Mariette, what are you doing here? We were just going to play, nothing else, hahaha..." she chuckled, trying to ease the situation.
Claus was the daughter of a marquess, but Lortell was the daughter of an archduke. No one in their right mind would want to get on Lortell's bad side, and Claus was no exception.
Lortell's eyes flickered with amusement as she looked at Claus, then shifted her gaze to Esdeath. "Is that so?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It didn't look like playtime to me."
Esdeath felt a mix of relief and tension. Lortell's arrival had defused the immediate threat, but her presence also brought new uncertainties. She had no idea what Lortell's intentions were, and the uncertainty gnawed at her.
Claus laughed nervously, her forced smile never wavering. "Of course, Lady Mariette. We were just... um, playing a little game. Right, Esdeath?" She turned to Esdeath, hoping to force her into agreeing through sheer intimidation.
But Esdeath was in the midst of an even more complex internal struggle. Her whole face was flushed, her pale cheeks burning red. She was rubbing her thighs together, her body tingling with an unfamiliar excitement.
As someone who had been a hitman, she thought she had conquered her emotions. She had seen and dealt with seductive, charming, Latina, Gyaru, cute, chubby, and even Lolicon figures, believing herself immune to such pleasures. "I thought I was past the age of falling into romance," she thought in disbelief.
"But why? Why am I feeling so excited after seeing this girl?" she pondered, trying to make sense of her feelings.
The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She could feel her heart pounding, not from fear, but from something far more confusing and exhilarating."Don't tell me, this Esdeath girl has a crush on Lortell Mariette?