Chapter 2
After being summoned to the human realm, I looked down at Jeremia, the one who summoned me, and sank into old memories.
In my previous life… When I was human, what kind of existence was I?
The first thing that came to mind was being born as the youngest son in a family with 1 son and 4 daughters.
What followed was the memory of living a life constantly tormented and overworked by my family.
Being treated as insignificant because I was the youngest, burdened with heavy labor because I was male, and left with only hand-me-downs without a single possession of my own…
Among such hardships, the one who made my life especially miserable was my fourth sister.
It was also because of her that I ended up in Hell—a strange, unfamiliar world.
Romancing Academy.
A game where a commoner heroine enrolls in an academy, gets entangled in various incidents, and builds relationships with male leads, all leading toward an ending set on a fateful day.
On the surface, it seemed like a typical, straightforward romance fantasy, but in truth, it was a hardcore tragic story filled with the malice of its developers.
After all, choosing the wrong options in the game would lead you to hundreds of bad endings.
At best, wrong choices would get you expelled from the academy or result in your death.
If you failed to calculate affection points at branch points correctly, you’d head straight for another bad ending, forcing you to replay from the beginning if you didn’t save frequently.
Collecting all endings in such a game was a grueling, nerve-wracking ordeal.
And in that malicious game, the one tied to most of the bad endings was none other than the main villain, Jeremia Andersen.
“Um… Excuse me… Are you a demon?”
That same Jeremia had now summoned me from Hell.
How should I take this?
After a brief moment of thought, I decided to humor her for now and figure out the situation.
“Yes, although my body is still unstable from just being summoned, the being standing before you is undoubtedly a demon summoned from Hell.”
“Y-you’re really a demon, right?”
“Haha, you’re quite the skeptical one.”
Her uncertainty likely stemmed from this being her first time summoning a demon.
But watching her timid demeanor, what I felt was a sense of incongruity.
In the game, she was a master of dark magic and a witch who commanded demons, fitting her image as a malicious and spiteful character filled with hatred for the world.
Yet, the current Jeremia lacked any of that malevolence.
If anything, she exuded a youthful innocence, as if she had just stepped out of adolescence.
Realizing this, I inferred that the current timeline must precede the main events of the game.
“So… demons grant wishes, right?”
If that’s the case, why had this young woman, who would later grow into the main villain, summoned a demon at this moment?
Recalling the game’s plot vaguely hinted at the answer.
“Do you have a wish you’d like me to fulfill?”
“Yes, revenge…”
Revenge.
Not just targeted at a specific person, but a boundless malice directed at the entire world.
“I want revenge on those who cast me out.”
Now that I think about it, the reasons for her revenge weren’t properly described in the game.
She simply decided to take revenge on the world for some unknown reason, and the academy, which served as the game’s backdrop, became her primary target.
“Could you explain the details of that to me?”
Perhaps now, I might uncover those reasons.
When I asked, she hesitated for a moment before replying.
“Details…?”
“Why do you want revenge, and on whom? And to what extent do you wish to carry it out?”
“…Do I really have to say it?”
Oh, now this is interesting.
Wanting revenge yet unwilling to explain the reason behind it?
“It’ll make it easier for me to grant your wish if I know.”
Sensing there might be something deeper, I encouraged her to speak.
After some hesitation, Jeremia finally began to speak.
“…I was cast out.”
“Cast out? From where and by whom?”
“From the academy… and my family…”
Her face gradually grew darker.
Her trembling body conveyed just how heavy the emotions behind her words were.
“I had a fiancé. It was an arranged match by my family, but he was someone I had vowed to spend my life with.”
“Did things fall apart between you and your fiancé?”
“Rather than falling apart, it was never good, to begin with. His heart was always directed at someone else.”
So, she had grievances about being paired with someone she didn’t want by her family.
Now that I think about it, even in the game, there were male leads who abandoned their fiancées to end up with the heroine.
Jeremia often created harsh trials for those relationships, which now seemed tied to her past.
“My existence, which couldn’t win his heart, was just a thorn in his side. I couldn’t endure it and ended up harming a fellow student he cared for. And that built up until…”
“Ultimately, your fiancé reported you, annulled the engagement, and got you expelled from the academy?”
“…Yes.”
Jeremia fell silent.
I quietly asked her:
“And that news reached your family, leading them to disown you as well?”
Although her past wasn’t depicted in the game, there were similar plotlines present.
Her family must have turned against her after she was expelled from the academy and lost her engagement.
“All that remains now is this decrepit mansion I’m staying in.”
Her voice was filled with emptiness as she spoke.
“There’s nothing else. No one comes looking for me. I just spend my days alone in this mansion.”
“So, you decided on revenge, is that it?”
Jeremia nodded silently.
Finally understanding her circumstances, I gave a bitter smile and shared my thoughts.
“It must be heartbreaking. Being abandoned by both your lover and family, and left to live an isolated, lonely life…”
From her perspective, it was understandable why she would seek revenge out of such resentment.
Without support from her family and no one to rely on, turning to a demon seemed like a natural course.
And that contract with a demon would slowly drive her toward ruin, eventually leading her to cross a point of no return.
Perhaps far beyond what she initially intended…
Instilling malice that could one day bring ruin to this world.
“I’ve told you my reasons.”
I wondered if she could foresee the future that awaited her.
Did she summon a demon knowing that her hatred for her family and fiancé would eventually extend into unrelenting malice against the world?
“Now, you’ll grant my revenge, right?”
Whether or not she foresaw it, I was now bound to her through the summoning.
If I left her, I’d return to Hell, where I’d resume a life of endless battles with demons.
To prevent that, I needed to indulge her wishes for now.
“Yes, well, since you summoned me, I must follow your orders.”
“Then…!”
“But unfortunately.”
Just because I’m appeasing her doesn’t mean it has to be in the form of fulfilling her wish.
“I find it difficult to grant your wish right now.”
“…What?”
Jeremia’s face froze in shock at my words.
It was as though she hadn’t anticipated this response, and her follow-up question was filled with confusion.
“W-why? Demons are supposed to grant wishes. Why do you find it difficult to grant mine?”
“That’s because I don’t sense any desperation in you.”
“Desperation…?”
“Desperation is essential for fulfilling a wish. Granting a wish as a demon inherently means making a deal with me.”
Yes, demons are greedy and sadistic beings.
Naturally, they don’t grant wishes for free.
Granting a wish implies they will demand something from the wisher.
And it’s usually something cruel and ruthless.
“If you ask me to grant your revenge, I could take something precious from you.”
“Something precious…?”
“For example, your life.”
The black mist-like form of my body moved at my will and lightly touched her chest.
Her trembling body instinctively revealed her fear of losing her heart.
“Or I might demand something equivalent. Perhaps something you cannot bear to lose.”
Of course, demons don’t always demand material things.
Some demons simply seek the pleasure of exercising their power or enjoy watching someone’s suffering.
And those who fall into the hands of such twisted demons often meet terrible ends.
Likely, she initially sought revenge on those close to her, but under a demon’s influence, she expanded her malice to include unrelated people and even the entire world.
“Even so, are you still determined to seek revenge? Even if it means losing your life and everything else?”
Perhaps her desire for revenge was flawed from the start.
The woman before me seemed resentful but lacked any true malice.
Rather than earnestly seeking revenge, she seemed like someone with nothing left—no goals, no relationships—naturally drawn to the idea of revenge.
In such a state, it was unlikely she had even formed a concrete plan for her revenge.
This might explain why she found a being like a demon, who could devise such plans for her, so alluring.
“I… I can do it.”
Because I had already half-confirmed this, her current words didn’t seem genuine to me.
“After all, living any longer is meaningless.”
Living such an empty life, turning to revenge—such an existence would be delightful amusement for a demon.
But for someone like me, who still had a human core, it wasn’t exactly appealing.
“So, this life of mine… At least—ugh!”
As I was pondering how to persuade her, she collapsed to the ground mid-plea.
Seeing her lie unconscious, breathing heavily with closed eyes, I guessed that she had lost consciousness from exhaustion.
She must have poured all her magical energy into opening the gate to Hell, leaving her completely drained.
“Well, it seems my master is more fragile than I expected.”
She might have talent in dark magic, but she was still a mere beginner.
It couldn’t be helped.
Using my magic, I gently lifted her body and laid her down on the bed across the room.
I carefully covered her with a blanket and even patted her head once.
Though she had been the main villain who tormented me in the game, in her current state, she was just an inexperienced young woman.
There was no reason to hold her crimes against her.
Besides, without her, I would be forced to return to Hell and continue my fights with demons.
To avoid that kind of life, it would be better to maintain a good relationship with her.
“Now that I look around, this room is quite a mess.”
For now, I decided to focus on building a friendly relationship with her.
Standing in the center of the messy room, I began to gather my scattered body and infused it with magic.
Slowly, my form solidified, bringing back a familiar sensation.
When my body finally resembled that of a human, I clasped my gloved hands together and smiled.
“Well then, shall I start by cleaning the mansion?”
May my master find satisfaction in this.
***
And so, some time passed.
“Gasp…!”
Jeremia woke up with a start, sitting up on her bed.
Having waited for that moment, I straightened up from where I had been leaning against the wall and greeted her.
“You’ve finally awakened.”
“W-who are you…?”
“I must say, it hurts to hear you don’t recognize me after summoning me.”
“I summoned you…? Wait.”
Jeremia looked confused at first but soon widened her eyes in realization.
“A demon…!”
“Shh.”
When she finally uttered my true identity, I raised a finger to my lips, silencing her.
“Not a demon. For now, you can call me your butler.”
“B-butler?”
“Yes, I’ve observed the mansion while you were asleep. From what I see, what you need isn’t a wish granted but someone to assist you.”
The mansion, built solely for her, was completely empty.
Wanting to maintain a smooth relationship with her, I had decided to assist her rather than manipulate her into becoming a villain like other demons might.
“For that reason, allow me to introduce myself. From now on, I will serve you sincerely as your attendant…”
Yes, all for the sake of a quiet life.
With that thought in mind, I introduced the role I would play in guiding our relationship.
“Please call me Sebastian.”
I hope that she, who is destined to become a villain,
can grow into a dignified lady under my protection.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment