Chapter 3: First Meeting with the Main Heroine

In the early stages of the original game, the protagonist leads his relatives to a gruesome end before enrolling in the Academy. After that, he proceeds to violate the heroines and various "mob" girls to his heart's content...

I had completely shattered that flow.

But because of that, a formidable enemy known as the "Correction Force" had made its appearance. From here on out, I would likely find myself plunged into a fierce struggle to overturn the destiny that "it" had decreed.

With that conviction in mind, I spent my days waiting... and it didn't take long for me to see the Correction Force in action.

“Now then, Lord Alvart. Lady Lumiere.”

“This is merely a formality, but... we shall proceed with the entrance examination.”

One day, officials from the Academy visited the mansion.

Our house was famous and "special" in many ways, so the entrance exam was something I could effectively pass by default. However, while my admission was guaranteed, the test itself wasn't waived entirely.

That said, the content was extremely simple. A few data measurements regarding combat capability and a written test.

In my current state, I could have easily achieved top-tier scores in both, but there was no profit in doing so. I deliberately held back.

About half a month after that perfunctory exam, a notice arrived for me.

“The certificate of passing... well, that’s to be expected,” I muttered to myself in my room, staring at the document. “But... Grade Rank and... Academy Rank?”

The paper listed me as Grade Rank: 50th and Academy Rank: 148th.

“...I don't remember the original game having this kind of ‘Academy Battle’ setting,” I frowned.

If that was the case, this was inevitably a change in the setting brought about by the Correction Force. I couldn't tell what the intention behind it was yet, but regardless, I had no choice but to brace myself. The die had already been cast.

And so, while I spent my days feeling the world shift around me, there were some people whose changes were particularly... unsettling.

First, my parents. Up until now, they had done nothing but berate me for my incompetence.

The moment they saw my perfectly average Grade and Academy ranks, Richard spoke up.

“‘If you enter the flock, become a shadow.’ Exactly as the maxim says.”

“Truly impressive,” Almeria added.

Instead of berating me, they were showering me with praise. It wasn't just this rank business, either... nowadays, they gave me creepy, "yes-man" feedback for every single thing I did or said.

I suppose they were just utterly terrified of me now that my powers had awakened. Honestly, they didn't need to suck up to me so much; I had no intention of laying a finger on them anymore.

...However, the one who was even creepier than my parents was my sister, Lumiere.

“Ah. G-Good morning, Onii-sama,” she stuttered.

She was like a completely different person. The morning greeting I was used to from her was usually something like: “Oh my, Onii-sama? You look even more pathetic than yesterday. Is something wrong~?”

Usually, she would twist her beautiful face into a malicious smirk and drive a gut-punch into me as we passed each other... but this was a bit much. She had done a total 180.

On the surface, she looked completely reformed, but I wasn't falling for it. She was likely biding her time, waiting for the perfect moment to stab me in the back. Not just in the mansion... but surely within the school as well.

Since Lumiere was my twin sister, there was no age gap. Consequently, she would be enrolling as my classmate. My life at the Academy was looking like it might be a bit... thrilling.

...Anyway.

The day of our departure finally arrived. The Academy in question was a boarding school, and we were expected to live in the dorms until our curriculum was complete.

I didn't have any particular feelings about that, but...

“Safe travels, Lord Progenitor.”

“We eagerly await the moment your name becomes known to all the world.”

I felt a slight snag at their parting words, but... well, it was probably just my imagination. My parents were just sucking up to me until the very last second. That’s all it was.

With that thought, I boarded the carriage. The interior was entirely private; the only passengers were Lumiere and myself. We were scheduled to reach the Academy, located in the Royal Capital, after a brief journey.

“Staaaaaaare...”

My sister was clearly full of killing intent.

As she sat in the opposite seat, the way she glared at me was exactly like a hunter watching for a gap in her prey’s defense. If I let my guard down for even a second, she’d surely pounce.

Of course, I possessed many abilities that were essentially invincible, but on the other hand, Lumiere’s body also harbored the risk of an "awakening" of some mysterious power. Knowing that, there was no way in hell I was going to show her an opening.

Not during the day... and not even now, as the night deepened.

“G-Goodnight, Onii-sama.”

“...Yeah, goodnight.”

The journey to the Academy took about two full days. We had to spend the night in a town that served as a midpoint, but tonight, as luck would have it, there was only one vacancy at the inn.

Inevitably, this meant we were forced to sleep not just under the same roof, but in the same room.

“.........Onii-sama~?” she whispered.

And there it is.

“You’re... already asleep, right...?”

No. My eyes are wide open, thanks. There was no way I could sleep peacefully with a dangerous sister like her in the room.

“If Onii-sama is asleep... then I don't have to... hold back anymore, do I?”

Yep, she’s totally planning to attack me in my sleep.

However, I had already accounted for this. No matter what kind of attack Lumiere threw at me, my heart wouldn't waver for a single—

“Mnn... ♥”

—second. Or so I thought.

Wait, what? What is she doing?

“Nnh... ♥ Ahh... ♥ Haa... ♥”

No matter how long I waited, there was no sign of an attack. Instead, Lumiere remained sprawled on top of her bed.

“Onii-sama... ♥ Onii-samaaa... ♥”

...What the hell is she doing?

I mean, I could tell what she was doing, but that wasn't what I meant.

“Mmm... ♥ Onii-sama’s big, wonderful thing... inside Lumi... ♥”

I seriously, honestly, had no idea what was going on. Instead of attacking me in my sleep, she was just indulging in delusions and squelching away.

Illustration

“~~~~~~~~~~...! ♥”

I had a feeling this wasn't quite the Correction Force steering things toward an R-18 development. If anything, it seemed more likely that Lumiere knew I was awake and was trying to use a "honey trap" to arouse me and create an opening... but even that didn't feel quite right.

“Nn... kyuuuuuuuu...! ♥”

...In the end.

Lumiere never did attack me. And so, feeling utterly bewildered, I arrived at the Academy with her in tow.

The Royal Academy for the Nobility.

As the name implied, this was a place where the sons and daughters of the nobility were enrolled; commoner students didn't exist here. The only exceptions were those among the commoners who had amassed enough wealth to influence the nation—the children of powerful clans.

This school was the primary setting for the original game.

I understood the situation. Throwing myself into the original setting was nothing short of a suicide mission. But no matter how much I struggled, I knew the flow of events would lead me here anyway. Driven by my arch-nemesis, the Correction Force.

“...No matter what world you're in, things never go exactly as planned,” I muttered as I passed through the school gates with Lumiere.

As expected of a school for the elite, the gate itself was incredibly opulent. The interior looked like a high-end exhibition hall... the bourgeois taste felt a bit excessive to me.

The thought that this would be my base of operations from today onward made me feel heavy. Especially since they were here, too.

Well, as long as I didn't commit the folly of actively involving myself with them, there shouldn't be any—

“You there! Halt for a moment!”

—and there it was.

I stopped as ordered and looked behind me. Two students were standing there. The one who had called out was likely the black-haired girl on the left.

She gave off the impression of a graceful yet beautiful warrior-maiden. She thrust out her ample chest and glared at me.

“You are the eldest son of the Zesphiria house, Alvart Zesphiria, are you not?!” she shouted.

Her voice was so dignified and unnecessarily boisterous that I immediately became the center of unwanted attention.

“Wait, Zesphiria?”

“But... wasn't there a rumor he was 《Monster-Possessed》...?”

I wasn't stupid enough to do nothing about my hideous face. By using Cognition-Inhibiting Magic, I made it so that the deformed parts of my face couldn't be accurately perceived. It was all part of my effort to avoid standing out.

“The clan of shadows...!”

“He looks pretty normal, though...”

“To not even flinch while being glared at by the daughter of a Duke...”

Crap. My lack of reaction was too much. But showing fear now would only look forced. I had no choice but to maintain this attitude while dealing with the situation properly.

“Well, well. Miss Elise. I trust you are in good spirits,” I said.

“Do I look like I’m in a good mood to you?!” she barked.

The black-haired maiden marched over to me. Her name was Elise Lucifor. She was the daughter of a Duke, and…