The half-day Dungeon Practicum was over. With classes finished for the day, the students had drifted off to spend their afternoon however they pleased.
"It should be about time, shouldn't it?"
Inside a room in the Special Dormitory—a residence reserved strictly for royalty and the highest-ranking nobility—a red-haired youth named Gelasis Gran Ignite was vomiting a reddish-black substance.
"—Ugh, ghurk."
In the dim light, it was impossible to tell if it was blood or something else entirely, but the substance pulsed violently inside the pre-prepared basin like a living organ.
"Ugh, I'll never get used to how filthy that is."
"Sorry."
I tossed a towel to Gelasis as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to use your uniform? Use the towel. We'll have to buy you a new one now."
"Sorry."
Gelasis took the towel and wiped his stained lips.
The fabric was already stained a deep, dark crimson. No matter how many times it was washed, it would never be white again; the only thing to do was burn it.
"So, did you get the Holy Artifact?"
That was the only reason I had come to his room.
Gelasis hesitated for a moment before answering.
"……Sorry. I couldn't."
"You useless brat! This is the absolute worst!"
Blood rushed to my head. I swung my foot and kicked Gelasis square in the face as he knelt there, gasping in agony after his bout of vomiting.
Useless. Truly, utterly useless.
Taking advantage of the fact that he offered no resistance, I stepped on him, grinding my heel down again and again.
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry."
"Is that all you can say? You really are a piece of trash, aren't you? A helpless, pathetic brat."
Once I grew tired of kicking him, I sat back down in my chair, crossed my legs, and sighed.
"Fine. Tell me what happened."
"I was stopped."
"By whom? Where? How? I need details, Gelasis."
Retrieving that Holy Artifact was essential for the current scenario. If I wanted to remain the heroine of this stage, I needed that item. That was why I had gone to the trouble of sending Gelasis to fetch it. And yet, he failed?
Even with the Demon's Power, he failed?
It was unthinkable. I had kept my eye on him since before this story even began, nurturing him into my ultimate trump card. How could this happen?
"Tell me. Who got in your way?"
"Laguna Ver Brave."
"Tch. That mob noble."
I clicked my tongue.
I had followed the scenario, driving Alicia toward the annulment of her engagement. Just to be safe, I’d even used that maggot magician to try and turn her into a convenient puppet. But somehow, she had survived and returned to the Academy with another man.
That man was Laguna Ver Brave.
A mere mob noble from the frontier who was supposed to vanish alongside Alicia as the plot progressed.
In my memories of the game, Alicia was a villainess consumed by a thirst for revenge. But for some reason, the Alicia who had returned with him was as calm as if she had been exorcised.
"The Edward Route is effectively dead, then."
I didn't necessarily need to follow the scenario to the letter, but it was far better than dealing with these unpredictable variables. What was wrong with that man?
I had used the influence of House Ignite to threaten one of Alicia’s former followers—a minor noblewoman—into playing the villain, but a small-fry was just a small-fry in the end.
"Whatever. There isn't just one Holy Artifact."
This was a setback, but I had other plans. I had to keep manipulating this shitty fate. I had to remain the protagonist of this stage.
"And to do that, I need to clear away the debris."
Laguna Ver Brave.
The fact that he went for the Holy Artifact meant he likely knew the scenario. Just like me, he was an anomaly—someone who didn't belong in the original flow of fate.
"God, it’s all such shit. Fate can go to hell."
"You're bleeding... I should fix it...?"
I realized I had bitten my nail so hard it had cracked. Was I actually feeling anxious?
No, of course not. Fate was simply being corrected. It was changing, shifting into something beautifully twisted.
"Be quiet, you brat. You’re the one who needs fixing. Now, take off your clothes."
I stood up and walked over to Gelasis, who was slumped on the floor. He looked like he was at his limit, desperately trying to keep himself together.
I made him strip off his soiled uniform so I could begin the treatment.
"Tell me where you were hit. Hurry."
"First... my neck... ugh."
The moment he spoke, a clean, sharp slit opened across his throat.
I wrapped my hands around his neck as he gritted his teeth against the pain, immediately channeling recovery magic.
"And next?"
"My heart... and my whole body... agh!"
A hole burst through his chest, spraying blood across the floor. Then, angry, blistering burn marks began to ripple across his skin.
I felt a surge of revulsion, but I pulled him into a tight embrace anyway.
"It’s alright. I’ll heal everything."
Blood is so warm. I wondered when I had first learned that. Ever since that day, his blood had always felt exactly like this.
I could feel his heart thumping wildly against my chest. He was alive. Definitely alive.
"You really took a beating, didn't you? You did a good job. There, there."
"Th-thank... you..."
As I finished mending the wounds caused by the backlash of the Demon's Power, Gelasis finally calmed down.
Oh, Gelasis. You’re a crybaby and a failure, but you’re my precious, darling... little brother. I can’t let you die yet.
"Patricia."
"You can call me 'Sister' for now."
"Big sis... that guy, he was so strong. I was... I was scared."
He clung to me, his voice trembling.
"I don't think I can win. Not against him."
"Is he really that much of a threat? Even after everything I’ve done for you?"
"But... nothing I did worked. He didn't even care..."
But, but, but. He really was a crybaby. He hadn't changed at all since we were children.
"Tell me, what would happen if you really fought? You haven't used your full power yet, have you?"
"I don't know... I don't know..."
Judging by the backlash, his head had been lopped off in a single stroke. A clean, surgical cut. To think someone else in this world was capable of such casual brutality.
Well, if he was an anomaly like me, I suppose it made sense.
My brother—who had been decapitated, had his heart pierced, and had been forced to self-destruct—was now shivering with terror. I could feel the fear radiating from his body.
"Hey... Gelasis?"
I took his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me. His eyes were vacant and unfocused. I stared into them as I whispered.
"What is it that you want most? Tell your big sister."
"……I want Alicia."
"And who was it that ruined everything? I set the stage for you. I tried to give her to you. Who took that away?"
"……Laguna Ver Brave."
"Then you’ll have to kill him to take what's yours, won't you? Everything you want is in his hands right now."
"But—"
"Believe in me. You are special."
He was special. In a world full of puppets, he was as rare as I was. A brother born with madness in his blood, loathed by everyone but me.
"Big sis……"
Gelasis closed his eyes.
"You're so greedy, aren't you? If you're willing to keep trying, I’ll stay right here. I’ll give you all the strength you need."
I leaned in and kissed him.
I entwined our tongues, forcing my magic power directly into his mouth. I reached inside him, stitching together his tattered organs and tethering his mind before it could drift away into total insanity.
I couldn't let him break. Not yet.
"Thank you, Big sis," Gelasis whispered, his face flushed with a blissful, lingering heat. "I'll... I'll do my best."
"Good. See that you do."
Laguna Ver Brave.
I don't know why you’ve stepped onto my stage, but I won't be stopped. I can't be stopped.
If you continue to stand in my way, I will show you no mercy.
To hell with this fate. To hell with this world. I'll watch it all burn.