“I am Sylvia, a knight of the Vermont family, and I will conduct your running exercises on behalf of Aslan.”
“Huh?”
“No questions. Start running, now!”
“Huh?”
Julia’s expression turned blank.
It was definitely called a punishment.
Aslan Vermont, known for his harsh personality, had said it was a punishment.
But being told to run laps around the track…?
Something felt off.
Was there some hidden motive?
From Aslan, who stood behind Sylvia with his hands behind his back, no emotion could be discerned.
‘What the heck is this?’
Running 10 laps around the track?
There’s no way such a light punishment could be real!
“Huff, puff! Huff…”
“Your running form is poor. Your athletic ability is severely lacking.”
“Damn it!”
After about two laps, Julia’s stamina was already depleted, and her posture was collapsing.
Meanwhile, Aslan’s critical remarks were extremely irritating.
He himself looked much less capable of running with his thin frame and pale skin…
“Charlotte is already on her fifth lap. Unlike some people, it seems she hasn’t neglected her exercise.”
Charlotte passed Julia with ease.
Despite not wanting to hear it, Julia couldn’t ignore Aslan’s comments.
Unlike Charlotte, she had additional weight tied to her.
Julia wanted to retort that Charlotte didn’t have the same burdens she did.
“Ten laps. That’s enough.”
“Huff, huff…”
“Julia, you’re still only on your fourth lap? Tsk. Such poor stamina. This won’t do. You need to get healthier. From now on, both of you will run every morning.”
“As you wish, young master.”
“Finally, it seems you’re both utterly exhausted. Hehehe.”
The moment Julia met Aslan’s smile, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Was his intention to drain our stamina?
What was he planning to do to us when we were too weak to resist?
“And now, you must be hungry and have no choice but to eat. Hehehe.”
“What? Huh?”
Steaming hot food was served in dog bowls.
Saliva dripped from Julia’s mouth.
She had sworn not to touch the food served here just moments ago.
But after running around, her tired body was now drawn to the food.
“Charlotte…”
“Hmm?”
“Never mind. Go ahead and eat.”
“Okay!”
Charlotte was already gobbling up the food…
Julia pushed aside her doubts and picked up the warm bread, swallowing hard.
Closing her eyes tightly, she took a bite.
Contrary to her fears, there was no bitterness of poison on her tongue.
Rather, it was delicious.
Just ordinarily delicious.
No, maybe it tasted extraordinary because she ate it after running.
Julia found herself devouring the bread and soup in a trance.
“Hehehe. Have you finished your meal?”
“…!?”
The moment Aslan’s voice reached her, Julia’s hands trembled as she put down the dog bowl.
She had let her guard down.
This was all part of that man’s scheme.
He had made her, who had resolved not to touch the food, eat without thinking.
What was he planning by making her drop her guard like this?
“You reek of sweat and your filthy clothes are intolerable.
Take them for a bath.”
“Yes, young master.”
“Huh?”
Pulled by the maids, Charlotte and Julia were led to the bathhouse.
It was just an ordinary bathhouse, reserved for their use, with no one else around.
‘Hot water…’
How long had it been since they had a proper bath?
Not in a small basin, but in a large bathhouse…
The moment their bodies touched the water, they felt a blissful sensation they had almost forgotten.
Ahhh… pleasure escaped from both Charlotte and Julia.
After a leisurely bath, they found pajamas tailored to their sizes prepared for them.
‘They fit perfectly…’
It was strange.
Uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable, but strange.
This man had surely brought them here with ulterior motives.
What was he gaining by treating them so well?
It was incomprehensible.
“Children should sleep early to grow well. Spend the night in a completely dark room. Hehehe.”
The door shut with a creak, plunging the room into darkness.
The bedding was plush and cozy.
Was it because of the exhaustion from running around, eating to fullness, and then bathing?
Julia felt herself getting drowsy soon after.
“Don’t let your guard down, Charlotte.”
“Mmm…”
“She’s already asleep. Huh? No way?”
Was the purpose to make them sleep?
What could he possibly be planning while they were asleep?
Come to think of it, they had entered this sealed room underground without any resistance.
This was no time to let their guard down. Julia, who had quickly tensed up again, found herself held back by Charlotte wrapping her legs around hers, laying her down on the bed.
“Let go, Charlotte. This is not the time to be doing this.”
“Mmm. What a soft bed it is…”
“…”
Charlotte’s murmurs relaxed Julia’s tension.
Come to think of it, how long had it been?
Life had been without dreams ever since they entered the orphanage.
Why would Aslan do this to us?
What benefit could he possibly gain from this?
I should be on edge. I still haven’t figured out his intentions at all…
But I keep feeling sleepy.
Maybe this time…
“Damn it…”
It seemed like they could sleep this time.
As an unknown whisper came again tonight without fail, Julia’s eyes shot open.
***
“This is driving me crazy. Why can’t I get this tone right?”
Surely, everything I’ve done all day is just feeding the kids, bathing them, dressing them in new clothes, and putting them to bed.
To anyone else, it would seem perfectly normal and kind. But every time I speak, it sounds like something the villain would say, and I refuse to accept that.
[Skill window is now available.]
[Skill Window]
[Fate of the Villain]
[Passive Skill]
[Everyone perceives you as a villain regardless of time or place.]
These useless skills like this are all I have.
And it’s even a passive one.
I can’t turn it off or on as I please.
Are there any other skills besides this?
[Innate Dullness]
[Passive Skill]
[All mana in the world dislikes you. Mana sensitivity is significantly reduced.]
[Evil Disposition]
[Passive Skill]
[You are loved by demons and evil spirits for no reason. You stand out to them.]
[Wickedly Amusing]
[Active Skill]
[You laugh like a villain plotting a conspiracy.]
[Touch of Death]
[Active Skill]
[Scatter death essence around. Only creatures of significantly lower status like bugs are affected.]
This lineup is so miserable that it could probably gather the most useless skills in the world.
I’d gladly get rid of all passive skills if possible.
And most of the active skills seem unnecessary as well.
Ah. ‘Touch of Death’ might be useful instead of a mosquito net.
‘I can’t do anything with this body. It’s better to abandon the idea of becoming stronger.’
Let’s give up the greed.
I’m not the protagonist of the game.
I don’t have good stats, nor do I have high potential.
The most important thing to survive is tactics.
Bring as many positive roles to my side as possible and exclude the antagonists.
That’s the only way to survive.
It was already late at night.
I returned to the study and decided to examine the mess Aslan had made.
Books overturned everywhere, magic circles carved into the floor, and various offerings.
Anyone would think this was all for studying black magic.
‘I don’t understand any of this.’
Even flipping through the books, none of it made sense.
The characters were unreadable at first glance.
“Hmm?”
[Recalling the body’s memories.]
[Synchronization in progress.]
[Synchronization failed]
[Synchronization was interrupted due to an unknown error.]
[Synchronization Rate: 21%]
Then, another phrase flashed before my eyes, and I noticed some changes occurring within my body.
Memories of Aslan.
However, they were all fragmented memories spanning various time periods, so there wasn’t any particularly valuable memory.
Just a mere 21%.
‘It’s readable.’
It seemed to include memories about characters as well.
I could now read the books.
It also seemed to contain general knowledge to some extent, allowing me to understand information about magic that I had never encountered before.
Of course, understanding didn’t necessarily mean comprehending.
To understand this, I felt I would have to stay up all night repeatedly reading and studying.
‘I have plenty of time. Since my body seems nocturnal, staying up all night reading shouldn’t be a problem.’
As I unfolded the book and pulled up a chair to sit down, something powerful surged through me.
It felt similar to when the gaze of a demon, Kali, was upon me, but much more subdued.
Then, a flash of crimson glimmered in the darkness.
“Young master.”
“What is it?”
In the darkness, gradually revealing her figure, was the knight Sylvia.
My heart nearly skipped a beat.
I was surprised mentally, but not physically.
Could this be due to the synchronization just now?
“Young master, may I make a bold statement?”
“Go ahead.”
“I’ve witnessed many of young master’s indulgences, but this one seems to cross a line.”
“…”
“Release the children. Before I release them myself.”
[Sylvia Aeneas]
[Age: 20]
[Affection: -38]
[A knight dedicated to Vermont and Aslan Vermont’s personal guard. Holds a very very very very very very extreme disdain toward you.]
As expected of her.
She dislikes me.
To the extent of repeating “very” six times.
