Chapter 2

Knock knock.

Someone carefully knocked on the door.

“What is it?”

I straightened up and asked.

There was nothing strange about this guy’s tone in the game, it was always like this.

“Sir, it’s almost time for you to depart.”

At those words, I walked over and opened the door.

The maid standing outside flinched and quickly bowed.

Even without looking closely, I could tell her body was trembling.

She was barely hiding her fear.

It was easy to guess why.

The human I possessed had the worst personality, the lowest of humans.

It’s no wonder he’s called the scoundrel of the Celtrine family.

As the original me, it was an absurd situation, but it wasn’t all bad since I was not yet accustomed to this place.

I didn’t need to tire myself by being conscious of every gaze and pretending to be someone I’m not.

“Lead the way.”

“Huh? Where to…”

At that, I unknowingly furrowed my brows and fell into thought.

I was just confused because I didn’t know, but the maid seemed to take it differently.

“I’m, I’m sorry. I’ll, I’ll guide you right away.”

She stuttered and bowed repeatedly, perhaps misunderstanding that I was glaring at her disdainfully.

Then she started walking ahead with trembling steps.

I clicked my tongue inwardly and followed the maid.

Surely, the face itself wasn’t bad, but the eyes were thin and sharp, giving off an irritable impression.

With a voice that had a cold tone, it would feel even more so.

It was obvious that such reactions would be commonplace in the future.

“How luxurious.”

I thought to myself as I glanced at the interior of the Celtrine family home.

The Celtrine family itself doesn’t have much contact with the protagonist in the game.

I didn’t know much about them, but I knew they were a prestigious family with no small amount of delicacy.

Especially their wealth.

In the game, as the protagonist’s fame grows, you can form relationships with various noble families and manage funds.

There was a time when the Celtrine family also managed funds, and a sum several times larger than that of ordinary noble families came in at once.

That’s how I knew their wealth was tremendous.

While I was thinking this, the maid suddenly stopped walking.

“Hmm??”

My gaze naturally turned forward.

There was a figure there.

A young woman who looked exactly like me.

The maid bowed.

That’s how I knew.

This woman held an extraordinary position in the family.

The woman approached me with a click clack of her heels.

Soon, our eyes met from close by.

“Behave properly.”

But it seems we’re not exactly on friendly terms.

She blurted out with a tone full of chill.

Not knowing what to reply, I remained silent.

While thinking in my head.

Who exactly is this woman?

Certainly not my parents.

Then who in the Celtrine family could speak so freely to the heir?

A relative?

Perhaps a sister or a younger sister.

Considering our eyes looked so similar, it seemed likely…

“Sister?”

I muttered without realizing.

Then the woman narrowed her eyes.

“What?”

She must be my sister.

“…No nothing.”

I quickly shut my mouth.

My sister looked at me with eyes that said I was strange.

Then she spoke again.

“Don’t cause too many troubles…”

It seems my younger sister is worried about her brother living as a scoundrel.

In that case.

“Understood.”

I replied.

Even if he’s a scoundrel, he wouldn’t speak arrogantly to his family, so this must be correct.

But,

My sister looked at me with eyes that couldn’t be more surprised.

I was wrong.

“What did you say?”

“Figure it out yourself.”

I returned to my arrogant tone.

There was no need to be doubted by family from the start.

My sister stared at me in silence.

I gestured to the maid to move again and lifted my feet.

I thought there was nothing to gain from being entangled in the current situation for too long.

As I walked past, my sister said one last thing to my back.

“…Stop wasting money.”

“I’ll handle it myself.”

This time, it must be the right answer.

I left the place with confidence.

Lis Celtrine was lost in thought in the empty hallway.

It was all because of one person.

Her brother, Max Celtrine.

She truly despised her incompetent and trashy brother.

A man who would only harm the family.

Yet, he sat in the heir’s position simply because he was the firstborn.

She understood, even if it made her blood boil.

Until two years ago.

She thought that entering the continent’s top academy, saint Lepheria Academy, and seeing peers of outstanding talent would make him painfully aware of his own patheticness.

Unless he was a complete fool, he would be shocked and at least find some sense.

But.

It wasn’t so.

He was just a fool.

Grades that were faster to count from the bottom.

Bad rumors of hanging out with a bad crowd, indulging in drinking and even visiting brothels.

Living expenses several times that of an ordinary student, yet still taking out loans from the company because it wasn’t enough.

And all that money was billed directly to the Celtrine family.

Even the parents, who were endlessly lenient about matters concerning their son, were shocked.

Yet they tried not to show it, which was truly tearful for the parental heart.

“Pathetic fool.”

Just thinking about his trashy academy life made her frown.

Above all, the biggest problem was that he had no potential for improvement, nor the will to do so.

That’s why…

She gave up on tolerating it any longer.

She steeled her heart and decided to rid the family of this harmful weed.

She resolved to take away the heir’s position.

But, She couldn’t become completely ruthless yet.

Cutting ties with blood was such a difficult thing to do.

So, as if giving him one last chance, she spat out harsh words every time she saw him.

She didn’t expect any change.

He wasn’t that kind of person.

She was just determined to completely empty out the last bit of affection by witnessing his pathetic attitude.

And naturally, things had gone as she thought until now.

But.

“It was a bit different today.”

Lis muttered with a puzzled look.

Her brother, who always had an irritable face and threw tantrums or ignored her.

Today was different.

For the first time, he answered obediently.

And he said, “Understood.”

“Understood?”

Was that an answer that could come from his mouth?

No.

That’s why it was confusing.

Moreover, he even told her to figure out the meaning herself.

“Tch.”

Lis frowned.

Maybe it was a word thrown deliberately to complicate her own mind.

It’s highly likely.

But,What if it’s not?

“I’ll look it up.”

Lis decided to thoroughly check the academy life of Max that he would return to this time.

“Lis Celtrine.”

I softly recited my sister’s name inside the carriage.

A name I casually asked from the maid who guided the way.

I tried to remember, but I had never heard it before.

It means there was no contact point when playing the game.

Considering that, the probability of her being an important character is quite low.

But then.

‘Something’s caught.’

Something is bothering me.

Something indescribable.

‘I should pay attention.’

There’s nothing to lose.

She may have been an extra’s sister whom I didn’t even know existed in the past, but now she’s a person with a direct relationship with me.

Moreover, What if there’s something more? It goes without saying.

“Let’s go.”

At my word, the splendid four horse carriage moved. To saint Lepheria Academy.

When a terrifying plague broke out across the continent, casting the shadow of death, this place was established with the cooperation of all countries to honor saint Lepheria, who saved the people with unbelievable healing miracles.

Therefore, this place holds a special meaning.

It belongs to no country, is not a territory, and no army can be stationed here.

It’s a symbolic peace zone and the highest academic institution, with a history that spans over a thousand years.

And above all, this place has a very important meaning in the game.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it’s the main stage of the game.

It’s because of the protagonist’s status.

The start of this game is the entrance ceremony of Saint Lepheria Academy.

And the protagonist is a fresh new student at that academy.

Naturally, the academy had to be the main stage.

While devoting himself to studies and cultivation, the protagonist navigates through various large and small events and quests that happen around him, which is the basic progression of this game.

Both the former and the latter cannot be neglected.

If you fail even one subject in your studies, you’ll get a bad ending without mercy. That’s this game.

The latter is the same.

A single mishandling of what seems like a trivial event can snowball into a bad ending.

‘It’s definitely the second semester now.’

The moment I possessed the body was precisely the day when Max Celtrine was about to leave for the academy after almost the end of the summer vacation.

According to the attendant, Max is still a sophomore.

That means.

The protagonist, a year junior, is in the second semester of the first year.

‘It must be Chapter 2.’

The start of Chapter 2, where the real hardship begins.

It’s the section where users who didn’t properly raise the protagonist during the first semester get so frustrated they smash their monitors.

Thinking about it suddenly gave me a headache.

The protagonist, I wonder if he’s grown well.

Chapter 1 has the fewest quests.

However, whether you managed to complete those few quests or not can snowball into a big difference.

And that’s not all.

Swordsmanship, magic, or other skills,

Depending on which area you spent more time on, the direction of growth changes completely.

So, if he’s grown well, there’s no problem, but if he hasn’t grown properly…

‘It’s just up to fate.’

It was when I was shaking my head.

“We’ve arrived, young master.”

The coachman, who also served as an attendant, said as he stopped the carriage.

A man named Dolph.

The wrinkles on his face were deep for his age, showing how much he suffered serving this rascal.

“Yes, good work.”

I nodded my head.

Dolph promptly got down and carefully opened the door of the carriage.

I stepped onto the ground.

‘It’s my first time seeing it in person.’

The very place I had seen countless times in the game.

Saint Lepheria Academy.

The thought of actually seeing it filled me with an inexplicable sentiment. But then.

‘Right, this place is, huh??

My eyes filled with astonishment.

The building in front of me was completely different from what I had seen in the game.

This is not Saint Lepheria Academy.

As a hardcore gamer, there’s no way I could mistake it.

Soon, my gaze found the letters written on a stylish sign.

“Lich Hotel?”

Hotel.

There are hotels in this game world too.

Their role is the same as in reality, a luxury accommodation facility.

Even the exorbitant lodging fee is the same.

That means.

“Ah, this guy, this…”

Then everything made sense, and I chuckled in disbelief.

The reason Max Celtrine could indulge in drinking and debauchery without hesitation.

Because he stayed at an external hotel without a curfew and commuted to school.

If it had been a dormitory with a curfew, it would have been impossible.

I didn’t care much about the extra, so I didn’t realize it, but he’s quite a character.

The words his sister said about wasting money now made sense.

“Why, why are you doing this…?”

Dolph, confused by my reaction, looked around with a pale face.

I waved my hand as if it was nothing.

No, it’s not nothing.

Staying in such a place, I can’t respond immediately to what happens at the academy at night.

I might just miss the events.

And what’s more problematic is that the distance from the male dormitory where the protagonist stays is too far. Once again, this game doesn’t work without the protagonist.

You have to stick around the protagonist somehow.

“I’m going to the dormitory.”

Dolph, not understanding my words, widened his eyes.

“I’m going into the dormitory.”

“Ah, yes… Enter the dormitory Huh? Yes, yeeees?!”