Seia Habsderk.
Or rather, Seia Ludvecia.
Either name works. Whether she’s Seia or Seia, she’s still my younger sister of the possessed me.
‘To me, the worst compatibility.’
As a player, I always thought she was the most dangerous existence.
Even though I possessed her when we were children, she was still genuinely dangerous.
Why?
‘She was the primary cause of the biggest crisis and offensive scenes in that PG-15 game.’
Was it simply because she was a Habsderk?
No.
If it was only because of the “Habs,” then maybe—just maybe—I could’ve considered being open to Seia once the curse was lifted and I could think more positively.
She was born into it. The family’s curse was something inherited. If saving the world and toppling Esdinas of Heaven required enduring that, then I could accept it.
Even from the perspective of the original work, it could’ve been dismissed as a “literary device.”
I mean, haven’t we all seen those daytime dramas with twists like “the two lovers turn out to be long-separated siblings”?
Of course, in the original story, the “protagonist” who frequently interacted with Seia wasn’t the brother.
But as the brother in that problematic sibling relationship, I was in serious trouble.
Troubled, yes—but I was still willing to accept it.
This is a fantasy world. A game world. It’s not like it causes real-world issues—like the genetic complications of the Habsburgs.
– My body burned away completely and only the soul remains—doesn’t that make me a pseudo-Habs now?
Even Changyeom once joked like that. I could’ve played along with that kind of “see-no-evil” logic.
Yes.
When dealing with Seia, the Habs wasn’t the issue.
What was truly dangerous was her timing of trying the Habs.
The moment she tries that before graduation—it’s basically this world trying to annihilate me.
– In Esdinas Academy, inappropriate behavior between undergraduates is forbidden.
That’s the school rule.
And Seia—no, the Count Habsderk family—is the daughter of an S-rank Sword Master and an S-rank Grand Mage.
– Mother, Father, when are we supposed to follow the family’s Habs tradition?
– Hmm… No later than age fifteen, I’d say.
– Huh?
When I was young, I asked both of my parents.
As a child, I asked my parents about the timing of this “traditional family custom” they kept bringing up.
– You and Seia are of excellent lineage. When you reach the age to bear children, it’s best to begin as early as possible—even younger, if you can.
– Huh?
– Eager to work for the family already, are you? Hold it. You’re not ready yet.
They were insane.
No—I was the only sane one in that insane family.
It was a tragic setting born of the game’s deranged world-building, and I was at its very center.
– What happens if I enter Esdinas Academy?
So I tried to stall for time.
– At the Academy, that sort of thing between students is strictly forbidden, right?
I hoped I could at least delay it until I was a full-fledged “adult” who could take responsibility for my actions.
– Foolish child. Why should the Habsderks follow Esdinas law?
It was hopeless.
I was so frustrated, I felt like I’d lose my mind.
If I were really to enter Esdinas Academy, would I follow school regulations, or my family’s laws?
– Be prepared when you hit puberty. I want to see grandchildren soon, boy or girl.
That was said by Regif’s father, whose name I’d rather forget.
There was no compromise—only the Habs tradition and its dogma remained.
If it were the original Regif, he would have answered “yes” to that command.
But even possessing Regif, I was undeniably a modern human—and I never treated that man as my father again after hearing those words.
I had no intention of crossing that line.
But the Habsderks were determined to make me cross it—urging, pressuring, and coercing me.
So I rejected the Habsderks.
From Seia’s childhood, I worked to hypnotize her, brainwash her, and gaslight her as subtly as I could.
The unsealing of Rattatosk was unexpected—but I was honestly a bit grateful it killed that “father” figure.
And after returning from the Demon World, when the Habsderk name disappeared and the Ludvecia name took its place, I felt honestly relieved.
At the very least, “that issue” wouldn’t be a problem anymore.
Even if the Habs were to happen someday, at least it would be after graduation from the Academy.
With the squirrel that was the root of the family’s curse eliminated, I could finally feel a bit more secure.
So I didn’t particularly mind Seia entering the Old School Building, nor did I object to her transfer to the Azure Dragon Class.
Even if Seia still mistook me for her brother, I didn’t believe she would cross any lines in the Academy.
That’s what I believed.
‘Could she have found out?’
I never expected her to rush ahead to conquer the 6th floor of the Earth-elemental Magic Tower.
I quickly began chasing after her, but to my surprise—Seia was dead serious.
“Oh my god…”
“Is this… Seia Ludvecia’s true strength?”
A long, winding cave.
Every golem that had once filled it now lay defeated.
Where their cores should have been, each had a clean hole pierced through.
The remains of the golems lay scattered about like android dolls stripped of their engines.
“At this level, you could almost call her S-rank…?”
“Not quite. She lacks the characteristic ‘feel’ of an S-rank. But… at full power, she’s clearly close to my level.”
Her performance was strong enough to make one briefly think, “Is she S-rank?”, and even Ludmila had to admit her strength.
With that strength, Seia was now clearing the Trial of the Four Founders entirely on her own.
How?
“Yunia. This mana… doesn’t it feel kind of like the Angels’?”
“…You’re right. These golems—Their mana has a similar frequency to angelic energy.”
“Then technically, they’re weaker than the monsters deeper underground, right? Phew, thank the Goddess. I thought Seia actually hit S-rank for a second. Thought she was catching up to me already.”
As Evangeline noted, the golems in this cave mostly utilized angelic energy patterns.
“The Founders would be clutching their heads if they saw this. It’s the sixth floor out of seven, but it’s getting cleared even more easily than the beasts on the lower floors.”
“Can’t be helped. This trial’s difficulty is based on the Founders’ own experiences.”
Seia was exploiting the familiar patterns of angelic energy and sniping the golems’ cores with precision—her methodical strategy was dismantling the trial.
“Isn’t this even faster than the fifth floor?”
“Hmm. I think the longest part was actually the third floor’s branching paths? The beasts just wouldn’t stop pouring out of there.”
Even Yurha seemed slightly deflated.
It’s only natural. In most towers, the higher the floor, the greater the danger.
But now they were finding it easier the higher they went—of course the tension would fade.
Which is why—
“Ahem, everyone?”
I had to interject.
“Given that I don’t know what Miss Seia might demand of me once she clears this floor… how about we place a bet?”
“A bet?”
“Yes. A competition, to be exact. Whoever defeats the boss faster than Seia will get… hmm…”
Just as I was about to say something that felt like it’d come back to haunt me, everyone—except Seia, who was already ahead—perked up and reacted intensely.
This is bad.
If I say anything more than “massage,” I might end up doomed before graduation.
“Heehee. Then what exactly are you offering?”
“Yeah, we already have a mana massage scheduled. Are you going to give us something more than that?”
“Ooh, intriguing. Could it be something… adult?”
“It’s not that kind of thing.”
The anxiety I had buried—stemming from the whole Habs situation with Seia—started creeping up again.
“If it’s not adult, then what is it?”
“Can’t I just keep it a secret and tell you later? What do you think, Evangeline?”
“Hmm… if it’s that, then I think it’s already too late.”
And as Evangeline playfully delivered that line—
“Wait, did Seia already take down the boss?”
“…”
“What? Why the silence? Don’t tell me that really happened?”
“…It did.”
“…Seriously?”
The thing I had feared most—had actually happened.
Step. Step.
Seia approached, her footsteps echoing softly.
She had stabbed her sword into the heart of what could only be the boss of the sixth floor—a female angel with brown hair and two pairs of white wings—and was now walking toward me with a smile.
“I defeated the boss.”
“…”
“So what should I ask for? Hmm, you said you’d do anything, right? You’re not going to say no just because you’re uncomfortable, right?”
“Miss Seia? Let’s just—”
“My reward is simple. Maybe even simpler than what the others might ask for. And more certain. Something you can do with peace of mind.”
Seia stepped away from the fallen angel and came close to me.
“Hug me.”
That was all she said.
