I died.
Was walking in the middle of the street.
Crossroad.
Then suddenly—or maybe not—someone shot me.
Who?
Can't remember.
How?
Doesn't matter.
Selene?
Also blank.
Can't even remember what happened to her but I know she's dead.
There seems to be some distortion in my memory… no, it's lacking something. Overall it's hazy, cut out and useless images.
But one thing is clear,
I died.
Complete cessation of my life.
And yet, I'm breathing.
My heart beats like nothing happened—no shake, no remorse. Just a stable rhythm.
Like death didn't occur to me.
A sudden frown forms.
A headache claws into my skull like a bull's horn through my bone.
The more I dig, the worse it gets.
Agh
It's like someone's driving nails behind my eyes.
"What is this…?" I breathe, gripping my head.
It doesn't feel like forgetting.
It feels like I'm being forced to forget.
…I don't like that.
"Ahaha." I laughed through the ripping pain. "Who…was it?"
It wasn't fear—it was pride.
The helplessness of not even controlling my own mind choked me like asphyxiation. Pride drowns out the pain as I slam my skull against the wall
Once.
Twice.
A couple of times.
Trying to knock the memories loose as if they're stuck.
[ W-What are you doing, CHOSEN!!!??? ]
The voice drills into my skull worse than the headache. I stagger, hands to my temples.
Opening my eyes through the pain—A flickering light hovers in front of me.
A floating… text box.
"Finally. A goddamn manual," I muttered through gritted teeth, eyes locked on the flickering text.
My head was still pounding. My vision pulsing.
But my hand still moved fast.
Not to reach.
[ Wai_ ]
To grab.
My fingers plunged through the screen— and closed around something cold.
Smooth. Solid. Not human.
But definitely a being.
The box glitched violently as its user was yanked out of it without warn. Pulled. Thrashed out.
Thrown hard enough to snap a spine or shatter a skull.
It slammed into the chandelier overhead— then dropped, slumping onto the marble floor.
I saw his abnormally colorful orbs looking at me in shock, evident bewilderment. Whether it was shock from being pulled out or from being thrown—maybe both—I couldn't care less.
I just stared back as the chandelier creaked.. and gave.
It crashed straight down onto the body.
A blow that should've killed anything human.
But as expected—
No blood was spilled.
Just glitching light, and twitching limbs beneath the wreckage.
I sighed, a bit disappointed but not overly.
As my blood cooled down, I sat down on the couch this unnecessarily luxurious room offered.
It didn't take long for a blue box to flicker back into view.
Its glow was dim. The edges glitched like a dying bulb.
[ P-Please wait patiently... System interface reinitializing... ]
Beneath the chandelier, the body spasmed—then glitched away.
Piece by piece, it vanished into static.
The blue box flickered heavily then as the last of the body disappeared, like something had entered it.
[ Apologies for the delayed interface. However, stabilization is now complete.. ]
The voice returned.
A groan even escaped while it talked. But it was tight and short, like it wasn't supposed to be there.
[ Please do not... physically interact with the interface again. ]
I stared at it for a long moment before I closed my eyes as I relaxed on the soft cushion of the sofa.
"Explain."
And the words comes are honestly foreseeable.
[ Continuing orientation.. ]
I was transported—or commonly known as transmigrated, isekai'ed.
And this floating blue box?
The stereotypical guide you see in every other isekai manga or low-effort novel adaptation.
The System.
Now that I've been hit with this trope after I died.
I must be happy, no?
I'm not.
[ David Von Dafier, ]
…Fuck.
[ Hailing from the House of Dafier, a barony on the brink of collapse, barely clinging to its noble title. A servant of the Maleverck, the ruling Dukedom of the North, David serves as the personal butler to the Duke's only son and heir... ]
The text keeps scrolling like it's reading a resume I never applied for.
[ T-This System is still stabilizing—please refrain from hostile behavior! ]
Like it sensed something, it cut itself off and stuttered out a pity warning.
"You can skip this part," I said flatly.
The more it talks about this world, the more real it becomes. I'm not denying it, just irritated by the confirmation.
Since this wasn't just any fantasy.
It was familiar, unfortunately familiar.
A Dance of Crowns and Shadows.
A goddamn otome game.
The one I played, for money.
"Why am I here?" I asked, sitting up.
The box seem to hesitate, as it flickered.
[ I ..would like to ask for your apology first, ]
I nodded, easing the wariness.
[ You and Ms. Selene died on the same day. And simultaneously received a blessing from The Great… ]
"Don't pause. Keep talking."
[ I apologize. Allow me to continue. ]
[ During your and Ms. Selene's transport to your new life, we encountered a slight complication. You could think of it like a railway switch being pulled, redirecting the train to an unintended destination. ]
[ As a result, Ms. Selene is now on her way to battle a village head in an attempt to obtain the stone needed to cure her qi blockage—while you are here.. ]
"In the body of an Otome game's minor character. To be exact, the main villain's lackey and a fallen noble at that." I clicked my tongue as I put the pieces together. "Is the place where Selene now is the Throne of Holy War: A Reign of Chaos?"
[ That's correct. ]
"So you mixed us up…"
[ We…gravely apologize. ]
To end up in an otome game.
In the body of a background tool.
A servant of the villain.
How perfect.
"What's your role here?"
I asked, looking at the box that retained the typical computer-like design. [ To help the chosen adjust in this world and prevent destruction ]
"By doing what?"
[ By giving you tasks that help guide you to the right path. ]
And, sure enough, the box presents a list.
[ Task To Complete:
☐ Attend the Academy with Lucian Maleverck
Duration: 34848 hours: 13 minutes: 9 seconds.
Failure to complete the task: Instant death. ]
I stare at the screen.
A task. A deadline. A death sentence.
Foresaw it.
Would there really be such a thing as a free second life?
Nothing is free.
Not in any corner of life.
Everything has a price.
And this 'blessing'?
This wasn't a gift. But a mere leash.
Will the entity that forced this situation without my very own consent and even awareness actually give me a life without gaining anything? I fret not..
A slave is what they expect me to be.
Because a slave is easy to use.
Easy to guide. Easy to throw away.
But I won't be controlled in such way.
I'm not dumb to repeat past mistakes that have lasted for half of my life already.
So how can I accept that?
Being in the otome game is one thing, but this kind of situation is another.
I cannot accept such.
"Take it back."
[ I haven't given you any— ]
"This life, take this life back."
[ I cannot perform such ]
"Then I'll just take it."
I stood up, went straight to the nearby porcelain lamp. And with no hesitation,
SMASH.
A shard falls near my foot. I crouch, to pick it up.
The edge cuts deep into my fingers—warm blood trailing across the young skin. It's enough.
[ Ch-Chosen..? ]
Without pause, I press the shard to my throat.
And slash it on my own.
Immediately, my throat clogs. Blood spits out as I cough—My body panics, and begins to despair for air.
[ WAIT CHOSEN!?!? ]
No need to think it over again.
The answer was obvious.
I didn't ask for it,
And I won't kneel to keep it.
Fuck this life.