“Young Master, wake up.”
A voice cut through the haze. “Young Master, if you sleep here, you’ll disgrace yourself and the family. Please get up.”
The day after my return, Crimson Prodigy’s curse had nearly killed me.
The shock of that realization had left me sprawled in a daze across the floor of the empty banquet hall. But when Shadowmancer entered, I quickly let my head loll to the side, feigning drunkenness.
“Young Master, you’re well aware that I…”
“That’s right!” I slurred, cutting her off. “Our dear Shadowmancer is a warlock, isn’t she?”
“Besides,” I continued, my voice dripping with mock sympathy, “she’s always so weak because of that curse she bears… I suppose you can’t help me after all…”
“I-I’ll carry you,” she bit out. “Please, just stop.”
“Hehe… thank you, Shadowmancer!”
Shadowmancer took a deep breath as she hefted me onto her back, staggering for a moment under my weight.
“May I put you down for a moment?” she asked, her voice strained.
“I don’t think that will be necessary. Just try to stand up straight.”
A tremor ran through her at my words, and a low, irritated growl escaped her lips.
“Giddy up! Run, run!” I taunted.
And so, Shadowmancer began the slow walk toward my dormitory, enduring my drunken ramblings, her dead-eyed stare fixed ahead.
“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
“What is it now?” she asked, her patience worn thin.
“Don’t you worry about it… just keep going, you Black Magician… Oh, did I say Black Magician? I meant Shadowmancer…”
As she carried me, I began to transfer my life force into her.
Without these periodic infusions, Shadowmancer wouldn’t last long; her own curse would see to that. I had to take every opportunity I could to sustain her.
The larger the area of physical contact, the more life force I could transfer.
I was tempted to give her months’ worth in one go, but the thought gave me pause. I couldn’t forget that Shadowmancer was also looking for a chance to kill me.
So, snuggling closer against her back and pretending to drift off, I began to transfer just a little more than usual—enough to relieve her immediate fatigue.
“I don’t know if it’s Absolute’s trick or what…”
Just as my life force flowed into her, Shadowmancer muttered venomously under her breath.
“…but for my sister’s sake, this time, I must kill you.”
Nausea rose in my throat, and I had to swallow the blood that welled up in my mouth. I was already pushing my limits transferring even this much, and here she was, declaring her intent to kill me. A bitter ache spread through my chest.
But this was the price of playing the villain.
To Shadowmancer, I was nothing more than a scoundrel targeting her younger sister, a girl with prodigious talent in healing magic.
A wave of dizziness washed over me, a side effect of the life force transfer. I swallowed the coppery taste in my mouth again and let my head rest on her shoulder, dozing.
Of course, I couldn’t truly sleep. Not when I was afraid she might kill me if I did.
Being the villain was exhausting.
“Young Master, we’ve arrived.”
Shadowmancer’s voice was flat. “This is the dormitory where you will be staying. The Academy has provided you with one of its finest suites, so there will be no inconvenience…”
“Just leave. I want to sleep.” I interrupted, waving a dismissive hand.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
She gave me a deep, ninety-degree bow, a strangely bright smile on her face. I stared at her for a moment. Just as she turned to open the door, I spoke again.
She paused, tilting her head in confusion, but then her expression shifted to one of dawning, cynical understanding.
She was probably thinking, ‘What now?’ followed by, ‘Ah, the Young Master is about to spout more nonsense.’ Had she really figured me out so easily?
“Come here for a second.”
With that futile thought, I purchased [Mind Reading Lv1] from the system’s skill store and beckoned Shadowmancer over.
She approached with a sour expression. I hadn’t even done anything yet, but her scorn made me feel like the shepherd boy from the imperial fairy tale who cried wolf.
[Shadowmancer’s Current Emotions: Disgust/Murderous Intent/Rage/Contempt/Shame/Firm Will]
I used my new skill, and the list of her emotions that flashed before me was a terrifying cocktail, save for the last one.
And even that ‘firm will’ was probably her resolve to kill me. The thought of using this skill in the future sent a small shiver down my spine.
Still, it was incredible to get such detail from a level one skill. I looked forward to seeing how useful it would become as it leveled up.
After testing the mind-reading ability, I mumbled the command to open her status window.
Passive Status: Afflicted/Mana Instability/Curse of Self-Destruction
Her mana value is strange. Is it because of the curse?
Born with the power to wield Black Magic, Shadowmancer had the potential to cover the world in darkness.
But she wasn’t born with only that power.
The ‘Curse of Self-Destruction’ that accompanied her talent periodically eroded her life force. It had made her mana so unstable that, at this point, she couldn’t even use magic properly without my help.
That must be why her mana stat was displayed as a question mark.
I have to find a way to deal with this curse.
She might be alive now, but if I let it fester, a time would come when even my life force wouldn't be enough. Her first major crisis would arrive in just a few months.
I needed to accumulate as many false evil points as possible, advance to the next stage, and find a way to awaken the key to her cure: Shadowmancer’s younger sister.
My contemplation finished, I put on an expression that made it clear speaking was a chore and gestured for her to leave.
Shadowmancer, looking equally bothered, gave a short bow and left the room. In that, at least, we were in perfect sync.
Once she was gone, I stood in a daze for a moment before checking my list of acquired skills.
[Acquired Skills List]
– False Scapegoat’s Intuition Lv1
Description: With your intuition as a False Scapegoat, you can detect a deadly threat once a day.
– Inspect Lv1
Description: Displays important information about the target you are inspecting in the system window.
– Emergency Protection
Description: Protects the target once from a fatal blow (Disposable) (Purchase limit 1/3)
– Mind Reading Lv1
Description: Allows you to read a person’s emotions once per day. (Cooldown time does not apply for first use)
“…These are still useful.”
Since the system was still in its beginner stage, there were no demon-lord-slaying abilities, but even these would be quite helpful for now.
False Scapegoat’s Intuition was an absolute necessity in my current situation.
[Emergency Protection] seemed to be the most useful of the lot. It was a shame it was disposable with a purchase limit, but seeing as it had already saved me from Crimson Prodigy’s curse, its performance was guaranteed.
Inspect and Mind Reading would have their moments. And since the first use of Mind Reading didn’t trigger a cooldown, I could even use it again today.
After looking over the skills, I tried to open the item store, but a red notification window popped up.
Notice [This feature is not supported at this stage!]
“…Does this mean I’m still not evil enough?”
Feeling the system’s silent pressure to commit more evil deeds, I closed the window and finally opened my own status.
[Stats]
Name: Hero's Scion
Mental Strength: 9
Passive Status: Fatigue
Something was strange. All my stats except mental strength were question marks.
I panicked and tried to tap the stat window, but nothing happened. The only interactive element was my mental strength. What the hell was this?
My mental strength is surprisingly high, though.
Perhaps it was because in the previous timeline, I’d held back tears and fought to keep from being stained by true evil while committing my sins.
But why were the other stats hidden? Could I only see or raise them after reaching the next stage? Or did something go wrong during my regression?
I tried to level up my mental strength, the only stat available, but the system once again informed me that the feature was not yet supported.
So I have no choice but to accumulate points by playing the villain, one step at a time.
Sighing, I closed the system window. I was exhausted.
Even the system said I was fatigued. It was probably time to get some sleep. I would need to be in top form tomorrow to begin keeping the heroines in check.
I closed my eyes, just on the verge of sleep—
– knock, knock, knock!
Someone was at my door. I frowned, forcing myself up.
“It’s me, Young Master.”
I was ready to spend some false evil points on whoever dared to knock on my door at this hour, but when I opened it, I found Shadowmancer standing there.
A pile of luggage was stacked in the hallway behind her.
As I tilted my head, utterly bewildered, Shadowmancer pushed past me into the room and began to unpack.
“…What are you doing?”
“No, why are you unpacking your things here?”
“From today on, I am to stay here as well.”
Her words hit me like a physical blow. I took a moment to calm my pounding heart before speaking slowly.
“…What is this nonsense? You belong in the dormitory for commoners. This is the dormitory for nobles.”
Shadowmancer gave a quiet smile, and then her next words blindsided me.
“I have entered the academy as the Young Master’s personal servant.”
“What? What do you mean?”
In the previous timeline, Shadowmancer enrolled as a regular student. Why was this different?
“I sent a telegram to your father yesterday,” she explained. “Fortunately, I received his permission.”
“He is simply worried about his son, with whom he has lived for so long. There is no other reason.”
Shadowmancer answered my unspoken question with a cold, practiced reply, then added with a smirk, “Oh, and the Duke also said, and I quote, ‘Monitor the Young Master so he won’t cause trouble.’ If you kick me out, he’ll have you expelled.”
The moment she said ‘expelled,’ a red warning window flashed in my vision.
Warning! Game Over Crisis!
The Way of the Scapegoat Providence recognized three Game Over scenarios:
1. Expulsion from the academy, or ceasing to attend for any reason.
2. The death of any of the Pillars of Destiny.
3. The death of the Providence Owner outside of the ‘Final Battle’.
Yes, the system had me in a cage. And now, the first condition was a direct threat.
According to my ancestor’s Ancestor's Chronicle, this constraint existed because the entirety of ‘Dark Tale Fantasy 2’ was set at the Academy. Thanks to that, I was now in an impossible situation.
So why couldn’t I just explain things to my father, who knew I was a False Scapegoat, and have him expel Shadowmancer or make her a regular student?
Because this damned world wasn’t that easy.
A spell on the Ancestor's Chronicle ensured that upon my regression, the memories of anyone who knew its contents, besides myself, would be recalibrated.
This was a safety measure. The system would shorten my lifespan as a penalty if anyone discovered my true role as a false evil.
Therefore, if the ‘Game Scenario’ was correct, my father had likely transformed into a man who, while still loving me as his son, treated me with harsh disappointment for my foolish behavior.
It was an awkward, bizarre setup, but what could I do about the ‘constraints’ of the ‘scenario’? No wonder my ancestor was so fond of the phrase ‘dogshit game.’
The conclusion was simple. In my past life, my father had cheered me on from the shadows, knowing the truth. Now, that support was gone.
I was completely alone.
While I was lost in my grim thoughts, Shadowmancer finished unpacking and lay down on the extra bed in the room. She offered me a stiff smile.
“Then… Good night, Young Master.”
With that, she closed her eyes and, in moments, seemed to be asleep.
“…This is unbelievable.”
For a moment, I considered sleeping outside, but I quickly realized Shadowmancer would grow suspicious if I started doing that for no reason. More importantly, I had nowhere else to go.
Getting a good night’s sleep was going to be a challenge from now on.
No, will I even be able to sleep at all?
While Scion lay awake, his eyes wide open in the dark, a different scene was unfolding nearby.
“Tonight, I pray to the Holy Sun Absolute…”
In the women’s dormitory, not far from his own, a petite girl held her hands together in reverent prayer.
“…I apologize. I am an apostate who dared to doubt Your existence. I am eternally grateful that You have given me another chance.”
The world knew her as the ‘Pure-White Holy Maiden’ for her elegant, lustrous white hair, her kind and pure heart, and the golden aura that seemed to bloom from her very being.
“Though I am ashamed of myself, I dare to beseech you, Sun Absolute…”
She finished her prayer, her expression turning as cold as ice.
“…please help me, this time, to tear Hero's Scion to pieces.”
“…If necessary, I will offer you my own life—the life of Holy Maiden.”