Chapter 29: The protagonist and the desperate strategy

Oh, fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Once we reached the camera room hallway, the guards ordered us to wait outside.

That sudden stillness finally gave my anxious brain permission to start working.

(Block: Survive the previous stage)

What the hell does “survive” even mean?

Don’t tell me these b*tches are actually gonna try to kill me for real?!

I mean, I know this game has bad endings—like, catastrophically bad endings. The kind where the hero and the protagonist die horribly because of the villains.

But I didn’t think it’d come this fast.

Some part of me assumed that if I stayed out of the heroes’ routes, I’d avoid the villains and therefore avoid those awful endings.

…It’s barely been a month since classes started at the Academy and I’m already at risk of dying to a villainess?!

Think, brain! For the love of anything holy, remember what the bad ending was in Kaelvarion’s route.

A flash hit me.

If I remember right, the bad ending was… basically the author plagiarizing Romeo and Juliet…

As far as my memory goes, Carlotta poisoned Kathryn’s drink and she died. But what she didn’t expect was that Kaelvarion couldn’t handle living in a world without his beloved, so he killed himself after.

That’s the bad ending. Which means something’s wrong.

The bad ending where that psycho kills Kathryn happens after the first Academy year. Meaning it shouldn’t be happening now.

But here we are. A death flag hanging over my head.

Why the hell did everything start this early?!

My hands were sweating so much, until I felt a soft touch on my shoulder.

A delicate hand rested there. Maxi’s.

"Deep breaths. The cameras should show we didn’t do anything weird… well, except sprint like maniacs. But that’s not a crime. You’ll be fine."

"Thanks. Sorry for dragging you into this."

"Meh. It’s fine. Now I just know never to accept invitations from you to leave the Academy again."

Ouch. Right to my poor heart.

I seriously hate this damn game. Thanks to it, my relationship with Maxi took a huge hit. At least she doesn’t hate me yet… but the line between hate and affection is definitely getting thinner…

When this is over, I’ll find a way for us to go back to being soul-besties.

Seeing her serious face reminded me of what happened in the changing room.

The System threw a mission at me involving her.

I thought Maxi, being a side character, would be safe from that circus of dumb missions. But nope.

Now that I see the bigger picture and everything happening…

I think I can say it: I’m altering the story with my decisions.

That would explain why Maxi is now dragged into the system too. And why I’m getting these “survive or die” missions.

I-I’m gonna puke.

Then Herz arrived, slow steps tapping with her cane. Her office-like outfit was as pristine as last time—only this time, her hat had a pretty ominous lace detail.

She walked past me without saying much. Just gave all of us a small nod. Then entered.

Seeing the arrogant smirks of those two nobles who’ve been tormenting me, I instantly understood their plan.

Before, I assumed they wanted to ruin my reputation—just enough so everyone treated me like a pariah (more than they already do).

But now, with Herz here and the instruction “survive,” I understood something darker.

They want me expelled.

I remembered what Herz warned me in her office.

If I’m expelled, I die. That’s my sentence. If it happens, I’m done.

…Oh God. Please let everything go well.

"Nen, inside. Ladies, Madam Herz hasn’t requested your presence, but she hasn’t forbidden it either. If you wish to enter, you may.”

When he said that, Maxi stood up and moved to my left, like she was silently telling me she was ready to back me up.

On my right, Carlotta took her place with a bright smile. And Fisalia… well, whatever. I wasn’t in the mood to care about those details right now.

All I wanted was for everything to go well.

Alright… here we go.

Let’s see what pathetic excuses these bargain-bin nobles come up with when the cameras show I’m innocent—

"Young lady, you’re in serious trouble. Not only do you appear in one recording… you appear in several. And in all of them, it clearly shows you running away," Herz’s old voice echoed without a single tremor—cold, like a verdict.

My breath stalled halfway.

"H-How?"

The words scraped out of my throat, rough and clumsy.

"Impossible! I demand to see that footage!"

It made no sense. There was no way they recorded me doing anything. I was with Maxi in the changing room the whole time, and afterward we just ran like idiots toward the exit.

That left two options: a horrendous mistake… or I have an evil twin?

No sh*t.

"Please, Madam Herz, none of this makes sense," my voice shook more than I wanted. "It has to be a setup. Just look at the other cameras. They’ll show me running from the changing rooms straight to the entrance, without stopping even once."

The old woman looked at me with that calmness of hers—more unsettling than any scream.

"I already did. Otherwise I wouldn’t be stating this. The recordings clearly show you approaching the accessory area, taking the choker and putting it in your pocket. Then you run straight to the exit. I saw it myself, and though I’m old, I’m not senile."

My legs nearly gave out.

"H-How is that even possible?"

My mind jumped to Carlotta and Fisalia. Of course. Them. They must’ve tampered with the footage. Another trap. And this time… perfect.

Oh God, this didn’t happen in the original game.

I bit my nail. Think… think…

How do I prove the footage is fake?

Oh—wait. I got it!

The simplest thing, but the most effective.

"The recordings are fake!"

A nervous murmur spread through the room.

Then, from my left, Carlotta’s soft, venomous voice slithered out like a snake:

"You sound awfully confident to say something like that, Adelheid."

"Shut up, b*tch," I snapped without filters, turning back to Herz. "Madam Herz, I have a reliable witness! She can vouch for my innocence. Maxine von Ryu!"

When I turned to where Maxi should’ve been, the emptiness hit me like a slap.

W-Where is she?

Carlotta sighed like she was forced to explain something obvious.

"Oh, Lady Ryu had nothing to do with this. Fisalia and she decided to leave. I see your tiny mind didn’t notice, but how careless of you. That explains how you were caught stealing so easily and visibly."

"H-How!?"

My chest burned. It felt like betrayal—like, I get that Maxi didn’t want to get involved, but I truly felt she was supporting me…

She wouldn’t have left willingly. Fisalia must have forced her. Maxi’s not the type to confront someone like her.

Carlotta stepped forward, pleased with herself.

"Seems you’re out of excuses. Accept that you’re a thief with no dignity. It’s better to embrace reality than keep embarrassing the Liebling Academy."

"I…"

T-Think fast.

What can I do?

Buy time? No… that’d only drag things out.

I need something that guarantees victory… but what?
An advantage. Something undeniable.
Something that pulls me out of this grave before they bury me alive.

My heart was pounding so hard it hurt. My breathing cracked like I’d just finished a marathon. I felt that dizziness before fainting.

No! Control yourself!

What did my dad always say? Breathe. Focus. Slow and deep.

The world stopped swaying.

And then… the idea came. Disgusting. Slimy. Pathetic.

But I had to accept that my most primitive instincts gave me the right solution, even if it made my soul shrivel.

"I’m not finished speaking," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. "Please, hear me out. If you do, Madam Herz, I’m certain you’ll understand I’m innocent."

One of the guards tried to interrupt:

"That’s enough. We can’t waste any more ti—"

"I want to hear her statement," Herz interrupted, lightly brushing the guards’ shoulders. "If that’s alright with these youngsters here."

The guard swallowed hard.

Both of them did. They understood that wasn’t a request—it was an order.

Seeing the sweat drip down their temples, I realized Madam Herz was seriously important.

"O-Of course," the man replied in a higher voice than normal.

I swallowed. Took a deep breath.

"I have another witness. Someone who can confirm that it’s impossible for me to be the one in those recordings, even if the person looks like me. My witness is… Lord Kaelvarion."

The reaction was immediate.

Carlotta’s eyes widened like saucers.

"What…?"

Fisalia wasn’t here, but I swear somewhere in the world she just felt a chill.

The guards froze.

Herz… smiled. A calm, almost playful smile.

"You heard her. Lord Kaelvarion. Bring him. He’ll confirm that we were together until right before we left. So I couldn’t have been there."

"L-Lord Kaelvarion…?"

"His Majesty the heir to the throne is here?" one of the guards asked, trembling.

"That’s right," I said, feeling shame burn through me, but pushing forward anyway. "Even if I hate to admit it, he’s my only option."

Time to be absolutely shameless. I’m using the advantage of being the protagonist and having stepped into Kaelvarion’s route!

Yeah. I’m using the cliché of clichés—the one where the prince swoops in to save his beloved. The downside is getting dragged even further into this arrogant prince’s route.

But hey, it’s better than ending up like in the future Herz described in her office.

I’ll figure out later how to drop the affection meter.

"As you heard," I added, lowering my gaze, "he’s my witness. And if Lady Fisalia can bring Maxi back… that’d be ideal."

Herz clasped her hands, like someone enjoying a nice cup of tea.

"Interesting. If the prince is your witness, then we must call him. Dear guards, Lord Kaelvarion is in section seven with young Master Elion and the adorable Lady Marionette. They’re calm, so you won’t interrupt anything important."

"Understood! At once, Madam Herz!"

"Lady Carlotta," she added, her voice soft but iron-heavy, "please go fetch Lady Fisalia, just as Miss Adelheid requested."

Carlotta clenched her teeth.

"…As you wish, ma’am."

…Wait… Wait. How the hell did she know something that specific? The confidence in her voice wasn’t guesswork—not even close.

She said it with the certainty of someone checking a CAPTCHA box online.

This old lady is terrifying.

In the original story, not much is mentioned about her—or, no, let me rephrase that.

Ahem!

In the original game, she doesn’t even appear. Maybe a few throwaway mentions, nothing more.

Which means she’s a terrifying mystery to me.

The villainesses may be unstable, but at least I can generally predict their actions based on their established personalities and roles in the game.
But her… she’s an enigma.

At least I have protagonist luck on my side for once. This bag of bones seems to like me.

I have to use that to escape this mess.

For now, I just need to focus on building a narrative strong enough that Herz will support me.

Come on, you shitty nobles. Want to play manipulation games? Fine. I’ll jump right into your twisted little arena and come out on top… I-I hope.

God… trying to sound cool and badass is hard when your legs are shaking and you kind of want to pee yourself from fear.

I clenched my fists.

A-Alright, whatever—I'm gonna win!