chapter 1
1 – I gave up on them.
[Please check the new quest!]
With the sound of something breaking from his teeth, red blood dripped from his clenched hands onto the ground and soaked into the dirt.
why are you doing this to me again
Even if you decline the quest, are you telling me to make them happy?
If I gave it a little more strength, the veins in my eyes would burst and bloody tears would come out.
“why… uh?”
Tried to ask me why.
To the creator of this system.
[Find your love!]
[You don’t have to struggle to save your childhood friend!]
[You don’t have to cut your lifespan to make the knight stronger!]
[You don’t have to give up everything for the saintess!]
[You don’t have to eat your mind for the maid!]
[You, only find your love with your own heart and enjoy a happy life.]
But what is this?
to find love? Looking for your own love? to live a happy life?
As I absentmindedly read the quest window that appeared in front of my eyes, I covered my eyes with one hand and let out a sly smile from the corner of my mouth.
“haha.”
Was this enough?
It was a misfortune that the hardships of the past 100 years could not have been achieved with just one finger.
It was a tragedy that would not have happened if I hadn’t stupidly thought that they loved me from the start.
[Thank you for your hard work. You are the main character of this world.]
For the first time, the system that had been just insensitively handing out information thanked me for its hard work.
It was very futile that I didn’t have to go through all this trouble from the beginning, but on the other hand, I felt relieved.
[Quest Reward: Last Life’s Happiness]
“This is my last life…”
The fact that I could finally give up this madness that had been going on for over 100 years and live a happy life put new firewood in the dead ashes in my heart.
“It doesn’t matter how you live, doesn’t it?”
No need to be selected as a hero and catch the demon king, no need to sleep for my childhood friend, no need to struggle to protect it, no need to save my lifespan to make a weaker knight stronger than anyone else, no need to talk to the goddess in the Holy Land Neither the need to give up everything and go to the Holy Land for the sake of the suffering saint, nor the need to inherit the family for the sake of the remaining maids and abandon the name and live for the family as the head of the household.
“There is none… ?”
[May you have good luck.]
I moved my body right away looking at the system window that disappeared for the last time.
I ran toward my house, feeling the touch of the grass even though I was wearing shoes.
Obviously, even in my last life, this one step was very heavy, but now my body feels light, as if I were wearing Hermes’ shoes. It was so light that it seemed like it could fly through the sky.
I opened the front door of the mansion and went straight into my father’s office.
“Did you come?”
“Yes, how are you? father.”
He bowed his head quietly and was polite to his father in a calm tone that showed no emotion.
“What brought you here today?”
In the past, I was hurt by the cold, rather than calm, tone of voice that didn’t even feel affection, but my father looked very pitiful to me who had lived a life as a family head.
In order to maintain the empire’s only 4 dukes, it’s crazy to erase the emotions you’ve done every time you become the head of the family.
The head of a family who only exists to erase useless emotions and maintain perfect neutrality.
It was an act of madness on the outside and on the inside.
“Father, I want to enter the academy.”
That’s why I have no intention of passing on the family line in this life.
“Tell me why.”
“This is the time when princesses of the empire and the eldest sons and daughters of other dukes enter the academy, so I want to enter the academy at this time and build a network.”
“i get it.”
I just quietly closed my eyes at the sight of my father, who gave permission simply by giving a light reason.
In an emotionless tone, the me of the past flashed through my head and I felt dizzy.
“And can you change my dedicated maid?”
“Tell me why.”
“When entering the academy, I think it is suitable for training to enroll maids as well. However, in the case of current maids, they do their job better than anyone else, but since they are commoners, I don’t think they will be able to pass the arcade academy’s entrance exam even if they train from now on.”
“i get it.”
I finished my business at the emotionless tone that made my mind go crazy after talking any longer, so I opened the door and went out.
“ha… tired.”
I’ve been tired in the past, but I don’t think it was like this.
Is it because I think of myself again when I had no feelings?
I had a proper conversation with my father only after I lost my feelings after taking over the position of head of household, but I never did anything more than that.
I couldn’t do it when I was a hero because I was busy, but from my father’s point of view, there was no reason to talk to me, who hadn’t become the head of the household.
When I finally reached the front of the room, I heard a familiar hum from beyond the door.
“… .”
The door to my well-oiled room opened without a sound, and a woman in a maid uniform was cleaning inside.
I let out a wry smile at the fact that I couldn’t feel even a fragment of the excitement of the past even when I looked at her, who, to be called a commoner, had white skin and sky-blue hair cut short to her shoulders.
Yes, that heart is gone.
The thrill of seeing her for the first time disappeared like nothing. I licked my lips in bitterness and carefully called her name.
“Lianne.”
“Yes, Bocchan!”
Looking at her smile that I had seen in the past, I calmly told the truth.
“I decided to enter the academy.”
“You finally decided to go in! That arcade academy… I can’t wait to see what it looks like!!”
Rianne was mistaken that she was also going to the academy. No, in fact, originally, I would have been admitted even if I was not a student, but not as much as this time.
“By the way, Lianne. You won’t be able to keep up with the academy.”
When I corrected her misunderstanding, Lianne looked at me and blinked her blue eyes.
“…yes?”
I don’t even love her anymore. However, since she is a commoner, should I focus on Lianne, who lacks knowledge, and teach her to study and enter the academy together?
There is no such reason.
“Why… ?”
“There are many nobles who bring servants with them when they enter the academy, but in most cases, even those servants have passed the academy entrance exam. Of course, it doesn’t matter if the servant fails the exam and just goes, but the places the servant can go are limited.”
“Yes… .”
“Liane, can you pass the academy entrance exam?”
“… . no.”
She was chosen as a maid for the duke’s family, but she was only chosen for being good at housekeeping, so she never studied with the family like other maids.
If it is an ordinary academy, if you study hard from now on, you can enter the academy with a pull-up with Liane’s potential. But the place I’m going to is the Empire’s arcade academy.
As an extreme academy where meritocracy prevails, the entrance exam is not only about practical skills, but even nobles who have studied even written notes often fail. .
The practical test that Rianne took in the past was a test to see the potential of magical power, so she may have passed it luckily, but there is no guarantee that such a test will come out this time as well.
smart.
As Rianne looked down at the floor without answering my words, I heard a knock behind me.
“Bocchan, may I come in?”
He is the owner of a voice he has never heard before, but it is expected what kind of person he will be.
“Yes, come in.”
When the door opened at my words, a rose appeared in front of my eyes.
“I am Rain Astral of the Astral Count family. From today, I was ordered by the head of the household to be a dedicated maid.”
The deep red hair, like a rose, gave off a feeling of contrast with the blue hair of Rianne in front of him, and in fact, the two seemed to have opposite moods.
Rain, who looks bold and confident, and Liane, who is shy and prone to embarrassment.
The fit looks bad.
“Ugh!!”
At Lane’s greeting, Lianne let out a quiet voice as her shoulders trembled. It would be difficult to feel good feelings for Lane who takes his place, but I hope he will let it go.
I don’t want to be deceived again.
“As you may know, my name is Lian Primal. Please take good care of me.”
“Yes, Bocchan.”
After shaking hands lightly with Lane, I looked down at Lianne again.
Seeing the small stains of water left on the floor, she must have shed tears again.
“Perhaps… Can you take me to the academy too?”
“I told you. The places that employees who have not been admitted can go are limited.”
“… I will only stay in the Bocchan’s dormitory.”
I’m more stubborn than I thought.
It’s a pathetic thing that you can’t even think of the year that you left after saying that you fell in love at first sight with an adventurer at a nearby bar in your last life.
“So… .”
“Would it be okay?”
Lyanne’s expression turned bad, perhaps because Lane interrupted my conversation, but for me, it’s a good opportunity to see her skills.
“Her lyrics are very good. Even though he is a commoner, he does laundry, cooking, and cleaning as much as he was chosen as a servant of the Primal family, so I don’t think there will be a big problem if you bring him.”
“But if you go, what about your dorm room?”
“After researching, it seems that the academy’s lodgings offer accommodations with two rooms, even if they are B-ranked.”
“okay… ?”
He hasn’t made his body properly yet, but even if he looks like this, he’s a warrior who has only captured the demon king twice.
Although there is no Holy Sword still sleeping in the dungeon, the experience accumulated over the years will not disappear, so if you study hard from now on and build your body, A-rank will be easy.
“Then, I’ll ask Lane for things about Rianne.”
“All right. You’re planning to apply for the swordsmanship department.”
“Yeah, but wasn’t the Astral family famous for magic?”
“it’s okay. The one who inherits magic in the family is my older sister, the next head of the household. Besides, there’s no way the head of the family would have sent a wizard knowing that the young master was training in swordsmanship.”
Well, it’s hard to think that a cold-hearted father would make a mistake.
“Then, Lane will teach you to study. I have some knowledge in swordsmanship, so I will help you.”
“of course. Although my skills are lacking, I will try to teach them as hard as I can.”
His skills are good, and I really liked his cool-headedness and his confidence that he didn’t hesitate to speak.
Rianne, who was silently weeping as she looked down at Lane with a smile, just trembled to hold back her tears without saying anything.
I noticed that Lianne, but didn’t say anything.
Even if I wiped her tears and comforted her, the only thing that came back from her was always bitter betrayal and deceit, because my experience had told me so far.