I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING. EVERYTHING BELONGS TO ITS RESPECTIVE OWNERS.
~NO ONE'S POV~
~A few years later~
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Young Master, It's morning. Breakfast is ready!", A young maid calls out, standing in front of a door and knocking on it briefly.
She waits in silence for a reply, yet heard none. Curiously, she puts her hand on the handle and slowly opens it.
Within she sees an ordinary room, which is pretty surprising since she knows whose space this belongs to.
She granted she has been a maid for this person for quite a while but she expected to see some fancy and expensive decorations by now yet all there has been inside the room is a single bed, a closet, and a full body mirror.
"Young Master?", She calls out again as she opens the door wide and steps in, searching for someone.
As far as she could tell, there isn't anyone in the room...until she went over to check the bed.
"Oh, there you are.", Sprawled on top of the bed is a figure sleeping soundly under the covers. The maid can even hear the faint sound of their snores.
She walks over to the side of the bed and gently nudges the person's shoulders, "Young Master, it's morning! Time to wake up!"
Yet the person she is charged to awaken refused to and continued to slumber. The maid frowns...at first.
Her eyes dart from left to right, making sure that no one is around. She walks back to the door but instead of exiting, she locks it.
When she turns back to the bed, gone is her innocent and sweet appearance, being replaced by something far more...sinister.
Slowly walking forwards, she reaches into her sleeves and produces a small bottle filled with a pink-colored liquid.
As she crawls onto the bed and sits on top of the figure's torso, she recalls her mission.
"The young Baron Bartfort's fame is steadily rising. With news of him having found a large floating island and unearthing an important lost item that the king and queen went to him personally, he has become an important asset. One I want tightly secured in my hands.", An old man, presumably a noble, spoke to the maid who kneeled in front of him.
"My daughter will surely be able to easily persuade him into marriage when the new school year begins, but I want to be sure just in case. Your orders are to 'secure' an heir from the Baron himself. Once that's done we will be able to snatch his lost item and territory after we deal with the competition."
"I shall not fail you, my lord."
"You better. Oh, and in case you aren't able to seduce him, drug him. Now go and don't come back until you complete the mission or you are dead."
"Yes my lord."
The maid narrows her eyes at the body below her, talking silently to herself as she reaches to remove the blanket, "A year. I spent an entire year trying to seduce you. I tried every trick in the book to be as sexy and appealing as possible but you just wave me off as if I'm not here. I thought you'd be just like every other boy out there, but no, you are different. You have become a challenge I am determined to conquer. It's not just about my mission anymore, my pride as a woman is on the line! I will have your offspring inside me, even if I have to do all the work myself!"
She pulls the blankets to the side and is just about to splash the contents of the bottle on her target...only to come face to face with a humanoid-shaped but featureless android, "What?", She stares at the automaton below her but then feels something sting the back of her neck. She didn't have time to turn around when her entire body is suddenly shocked for an entire minute before her body fell limp on top of the android.
"So, how many does that make?", A voice said, coming from within the closet just before it opened and a young man in his teens walks out with a passive look.
"The third time this week, which brings it to a total of 25 attempts overall."
LUXION's voice replies as the AI deactivates the cloak of the Phantom unit it is inhabiting. The android on the bed then stands and picks up the body on top of it, carrying the unconscious body in its metallic arms. The young man lets out a sigh, running his hand through his black hair and staring at the maid, "Seems like quite a few of the nobility has gotten nosey. Perhaps we shouldn't have returned with your main body."
"Perhaps. Then again you wouldn't have received the Crown's attention and all those benefits, Commander."
"Yeah...oh well! No use crying over spilled milk.", He shrugs his shoulders before he begins to walk out of the room, "Change her memories to make it look like she succeded and then follow her back to her master. You should already know what to do after that. It was funny the first few times but now I've gotten tired of these shenanigans."
"I will see that this never happens again, Leon."
Leon stops and turns around, sending a smile at his closest companion, "Thank you LUXION. What would I be without you, buddy."
"Most probably getting married to an old heartless hag."
Leon laughs at the AI's joke before exiting the room, "So true. Good hunting bud!", He waves goodbye before closing the door behind him. His eyes are wide and filled with nervous excitement as he walks down the metallic silver corridors.
Many years had gone by and that fateful day has finally arrived, the day that Leon has been preparing for ever since his fateful encounter with the Terran Facility that has changed his life. From here on out, his knowledge of the same otome game that caused his death shall be put to the test. Today is the day...when the Academy opens its doors to the many people who shall change the future of the kingdom and perhaps even the whole world.
Leon taps the invisible earpiece in his right ear, deciding to listen to a certain song to properly start the day, "Damn, I still can't believe that LUXION was able to compose such amazing songs based on my memory. It makes that neural implant worth it, that and psionic powers.", He whispers to himself before choosing to play a song that he has grown attached to.
Play『Silent Minority』by Kashitarou Itou
The young man hums along with the song's lyrics as he walks through an automatic door that closes itself once he was through and enters a room designed as a dining room with mild decorations. There he spots his two older siblings in the middle of eating their breakfast. His older brother, Nix, is currently enjoying a plate of pancakes in peace while his older sister, Jenna, is busy insisting on her butler, Miauler, a cat demihuman with silver hair, to letting her spoon feed him.
"Come on Miauler, just let me feed you!", A kinder but still assertive Jenna asks.
"Uuhh, Mistress Jenna, it is my duty to be the one to feed you, not the other way around!", Miauler tries to explain it to her while waving his hand in front of him.
"Oh come on. Just one bite? For me please~?", Jenna pouts as she puts on her puppy eyes. Miauler tries to resist, to not give in, but when he notices that Jenna is starting to frown in sadness, he admits defeat.
"Fine! Just one, okay? And then I need to feed you. It's your first day back to the academy you know."
"YAY! Now open wide!", Jenna beams at him, raising her spoon to his mouth.
Miauler deadpans, "You didn't hear a word I- MMM!", He gets cut off when Jenna shoved the spoon in his mouth. He sat up straight, his ears stood up and he tries to not make a disgusted face. He hides the glares he sent the bowl on the table filled with some kind of purple substance. A meal that Jenna personally made for him with the excuse of a sign of their friendship'. Unfortunately for him, despite Jenna giving her all, every dish she has made so far had been worse than the last. That and the commander's right hand, LUXION, gave his unit artificial tastebuds while it was being made. There never came a day after Jenna decided to cook for him when he didn't send long cursed messages to the AI who had booted up his systems.
Miauler is tempted to simply come out with the cold hard truth to end his suffering...but then he meets Leon's gaze...
"Wow! I didn't know you would like my new dish so much Mially~", Jenna teases but also genuinely smiles in
joy, as she watches Miauler grab the bowl and bring it to his mouth, then proceed to consume every last drop of the gooey purple substance. Ignorant to the terror and suffering the disguised Sigma Phantom is in.
Once he finishes, he takes on his most convincing smile yet and stands up, "Thank you dearly for the meal Mistress Jenna. I feel so full!"
"Awww, come on Mially.", Jenna slightly pouts, "I told you that you can just call me Jenna."
"Of course. My apologies Jenna. Old habits are quite hard to change. OH! GREETINGS YOUNG MASTER LEON!"
Miauler's shout caused Jenna and Nix to turn their heads to finally notice Leon's presence, which gave the robotic construct the perfect distraction to dash out of the room and find a restroom to clear his systems of filth.
"Good morning Leon!", Nix greets his younger brother with a bright smile.
"Good morning brother.", Jenna says in a quiet voice, her joyful mood dampened but she still retains a small smile.
"Good morning!", Leon replies with a smile of his own as he walks over and grabs a sandwich off the table before continuing to walk down the room.
"You know the academy is different from home right? You won't be able to keep doing that. You'll have to start acting like a real noble.", Nix commented before going back to his meal, having gotten used to Leon's casual antics.
Leon turns around and starts walking backward, "Don't worry! I'm not that careless...most of the time.", He ends with a grin before turning just as a metal door opens and closes behind him. With him gone Jenna physically relaxes and leans on her chair. Nix notices this and couldn't blame her. Leon had broken down her superiority mindset but had been suffering depression for a few months. It was only thanks to the new butler that Leon hired solely for Jenna that she was able to start recovering. The two are on okay terms now but a small part of Jenna still fears Leon. He himself is a little scared of his younger brother, that day when he lost his temper hasn't left his mind...but even then, they are still family. Although he worries for the poor souls that will eventually receive Leon's wrath.
"Hey Nix, did you see where Miauler went?", Jenna innocently asks him.
Nix shrugs, "He is probably grabbing a pitch of orange juice. Say, you are awfully affectionate of him."
Jenna looks away, suddenly feeling bashful, "He's my friend. It's only natural you know."
"Yeah but with how you treat him I'd say you'd want to be more than that.", Nix says with a teasing smirk, which widens when he sees his sister's face turn red.
"SHUT UP!"
Meanwhile, back with Leon, he looks out from the massive windows of his ship's control room, sitting comfortably on his chair and eating his meal with one hand while holding a glass of orange juice with the other. A few miles ahead of him he spots the place where he would be spending three of his years at. The Royal Academy. The place where all the young sons and daughters of nobles, from the lowest barons to the highest dukes, would go to make connections and learn...but mostly make connections.
It is because, in this kingdom of politics and nobility, one's status is all that matters. For poorer nobles, this is their opportunity to rise the ranks...through courtship. Though it is mostly the sons who do most of the effort, another thing about this kingdom is that women hold the power in this kingdom. They get all the befits of life solely because they are born into a rich and famous family, resulting in many of them becoming spoiled and prideful brats. This makes the challenge of finding a good wife hell for the poor lower nobles.
"Like hell, I am going to go through that torment.", Leon grumbles to himself while shoving the image of him kneeling in front of a wicked girl out of his mind. He has already accounted for this particular problem and has concocted a solution. Ignore it. He will ignore the status quo of having to find a wife for the sake of living a stable life. In another time he would have laid low, staying off the radar and vanishing to a private island where he would live out his days...but ever since he found out parts of this world's past and its involvement with the elements of the Starcraft universe, that thought flew straight out the window.
He could feel it. War was coming. A war that will ravage this world, leaving it changed forever. Finding a wife would be the least of his problems. The Savage Scarlet was physical proof that there is something out there, something that can match or even overpower Leon's forces. He needs to focus on the present and the future. To prepare for a conflict unlike anything this world has ever seen, to protect the ones he loves, to preserve the legacy of his ancestors, and discover what had truly happened all those centuries ago.
Leon blinks, breaking from his thoughts to notice that they had already arrived and his ship, The Coalesce, a minotaur class battlecruiser outfitted to look like a regular fancy-looking ship, is currently parking itself at the docks.
"Attention. We have officially arrived. I hope have enjoyed our flight and thank you for choosing The Coalesce."
An adjutant's voice announced through the speaker system of the ship.
"Well, that's our cue. Time to go.", Leon finishes his meal at the stop and leaves through the door, completely missing the arrival of a scarlet-colored ship that docks a few spaces away from his ship. If he would have stayed a little longer then he would have noticed the strange insignia painted on the ship's side. The head of a rose with its stem, lined with thorns, curling around it.
~Time Skip - A Few Minutes of Walking Later~
The three siblings are walking side by side with each other through the streets of the capital. Leon stops at the gate of the academy, nostalgia filling his chest as he observes the familiar surroundings.
'This is it. This is the place where it all starts.', Leon thought, his memories of hours upon hours of gameplay flashing before his eyes, 'Now that I take a closer look at it...why is it a lot less fancy than I remember? Or maybe is it just me? I was pretty out of it back when I last played the game.'
"Is something wrong Master Leon?", He snaps out of his thoughts when Miauler walks up beside him, carrying Jenna's luggage like they weigh nothing.
Leon shakes his head, "No, I'm simply observing the architect.", Then his eyes narrow and he stares at the student body. He immediately notices the spoiled noble sons and daughters right off the bat, roughly commanding their servants and slaves to carry their luggage inside while treating them as garbage.
"Hurry up would you?! My friends are waiting!"
"My apologies my lady."
"Hey! Be careful with that! Those clothes are worth more than your life!"
"I'm sorry young master!"
"Faster! I want to be the first to get to my room and I won't let some stupid servants slow me down!"
"Apologies my lady! We will move quicker!"
Leon's glare continues to go unnoticed but he stops just in case someone does and ends up making a big fuss about it. His eyes met with Miauler, their facial features suddenly becoming serious, "Make sure no one messes with Jenna. If anyone even tries to bully her-" "I shall make sure they regret it."
The two nod at each other before Miauler is called by Jenna's voice.
"Miauler! Are you alright? Is my luggage too much for you? I can call one of the staff to send in some help!", She says in a voice laced with worry but the silver-haired demihuman waves off her concern with a bright smile, "Don't worry Mistress! I'm a lot stronger than I look. This is nothing!"
Sending a nod at Leon, Miauler runs a bit to reach Jenna and then slows down to a walk as the two head towards the dorms. Leon smiles, watching his sister's mood brighten as she and her butler walk together. Although he didn't expect her to grow so attached to her disguised bodyguard, he is genuinely happy that she has changed for the better. With the disguised Phantom by her side, he has no doubts that she will outgrow her past self and become a better person.
He feels a hand pat his shoulder and Leon looks up to see Nix smiling at him, "I'm glad you managed to find and hire Miauler. I've never seen Jenna be this happy before, not even during her birthdays."
Leon shrugs his shoulder, "Well, despite her past deeds and behavior, she is still family. You remember what dad usually says."
""Family and friends are a treasure that can't be compared to a mountain of gold or the rarest of gems.""
The two brothers said at the same time and they both share a smile. Nix pats his younger brother's shoulder one last time before he turns around and waves goodbye, "Good luck Leon! Be sure to enjoy your time here!"
"I will Nix, don't you worry!"
Now on his own, Leon slings his bag over his shoulder and continues to watch his surroundings for a little while longer. Then, just as he is about to head towards the dorms to find his room, the excited shouts of girls caught his attention. Turning to the left he spots the love interests of this game walking together in a group while the girls around them squeal and try to catch their attention.
Back then, Leon would be fuming at the sight of these guys, but ten years is a long time and now he only feels annoyance...and a bit of pity.
Prince Julius Rapha Holfort. The oldest son of the king and queen, heir to the throne of Holfort, and the most desired young man in his generation, mostly because of his good looks and him being a prince. With his dark blue hair and matching eyes, Leon simply dubbed him Blue back when he was playing the game. In fact, Leon didn't even bother remembering their names and called them out based on their hair color. Is it racist? No, Leon doesn't believe so. He is just stating the obvious while feeling indifferent.
Green is Jilk Fia Marmoria. He is the prince's foster brother and his right-hand man. A devoted friend to Julius who is usually calm and collected but when someone dares try to go against his highness, he loses his cool and shows off his darker side. He earned his nickname because of his hair and eyes.
The next one is Greg Fou Seberg aka Red. His red hair and eyes accompanied by his tall and athletic build made him stand out more from the group. He is basically a muscle head who believes physical strength is top, that bullying the weak is unmanly (despite doing it himself), and he is also a battle maniac that jumps straight into the heat of battle.
There is also Chris Fia Arclight also known to Leon as Azure because of his hair and, again, matching eyes. He is the most hardworking among the group and Leon actually acknowledges him for his will to improve himself...too bad he gets caught up in all the drama that will come, causing his growth to stagnate. Being the son of the sword saint of the kingdom, slow growth in improving his skills automatically makes him a disgrace to others and, more importantly, himself.
Last but not least is Purple, Brad Fou Field. The magic caster of the group. A prideful one that keeps running into battle to prove himself instead of hanging back like a real mage. He is also the most flirtatious playboy among the five, using his looks to play around with the hearts of young ladies to adore him like the narcissist he is.
This attitude of his is going to be the first thing Leon is going to work on changing once an opportunity presents itself. He is going to be responsible for their safety after all and if they stay the way they are, trouble will keep coming their way and Leon would rather not waste that much time on that.
Then gossips and whispers grew louder to his right. He glances in that direction and sees the villainess of the game accompanied by her entourage. Angelica Rapha Redgrave. One of the heiresses of the Redgrave Household, the daughter of Duke Redgrave, and the fiancée of Prince Julius Rapha Holfort. To Leon...he doesn't know how he should feel about her. In the game she is the rival of the main character and would do everything to give her a bad time, then again she was doing all that because the main character has stolen the prince from her. Leon supposes that he feels pity for the girl. She is a promising person, even without the Redgrave family's backing. Her medical prowess is one of the best in school, she has a keen eye for talent, her skills as an adventurer aren't something to laugh at, and then there are her looks.
Seriously, she shows so much promise...but that all went down the drain when she lost the one she loves. This kind of made Leon guilty since back then he saw her as only the villain, yet this is now real life. Everything and everyone is real. Their emotions, their personalities, their dreams, and everything about them, are real. This is the reason why Leon doesn't see this as a game, this is a reality now, and this is his second life, his second chance...and he is going to make the best out of it.
Leon turns his gaze ahead and walks forward. Ignoring the sounds of his fellow classmates, ignoring the chat that the prince and Angelica are having, and ignoring the burst of noise, gossip and chatter behind him, when a short figure walks past the gate, in favor of focusing on finding his dorm and start making preparations for safe and stable school life.
~Time Skip- Two Hours Later~
'Is everything set?', Leon mentally spoke through the implant in his brain to his trusty partner LUXION.
'Affirmative. Vanishing Company has fully deployed. Teams of Wraiths and Banshees are patrolling the skies within and outside the capital. Stealth Starships Griffin, Changeling, and Aether are at their designated positions. All Phantom units are within the city. They are already in the process of eliminating all criminal elements in the capital. Sigma Team D has successfully integrated itself into key positions in society. Emergency companies are all green and ready to launch. Everything is secure Commander and our presence remained undetected.
'Good. I can start to relax a bit now. How about our Raiders? How many of them do we have currently?'
'The new generation Armors are numbering 1039. Thirty percent of them are outfitted with Type A weaponry, fifty percent of them are equipped with Type B and the rest have been outfitted with Type C attachments. Our new Mech Factories are steady with their productions. By the end of the week, we will have 100 fully functioning Raiders added to our forces.'
'What about Arrogance? Are those new upgrades you informed me of a week ago finished?'
'Almost Commander. In two days Arrogance will become available for your use.'
'All right. I suppose I'll be able to handle an emergency with this battle suit you made. I have to say though, giving the suit the ability to change its appearance is amazing! I don't have to waste so much time changing. One outfit for all occasions!'
'Thank you for your praise-'
"Hello there! You're Leon, right? Leon Fou Bartfort?
The young man blinks, turning his head to the side to see two young men sitting on the chairs to his right. One has tan skin and golden hair with a slightly handsome appearance while the other wears glasses and has green-blue hair with matching eyes.
"Yes, I am. Why?"
"See! I told you guys it's him!", Another voice says to his right. Leon's head turns and he sees a third-year student named Rukul bring at
him.
Leon looks at the three with a confused look on his face, "You know me?"
"Why of course! You are that up-and-coming Baron that took on a dungeon four years ago all on your own. That and you are the one who helped my little brother get back home.", He said, his smile growing bigger.
"Oh, that. It's not something to be bragged about, I just did what any true noble would do.", Leon replies while being caught off guard that he met a family member of one of the refugees he helped so long ago."
"Don't look down on yourself like that. What you've managed to accomplish has made you famous among a lot of noble families. In fact, I would like to thank you personally for escorting my older sister back.", The one with the glasses says to Leon before bowing his head.
Then the one with the tanned skin rushes up to his and held his hands, small tears falling from his eyes, "I want to thank you as well! You brought me back my mom! I had thought that she had died, everyone gave up on searching for her but you brought her back! I am forever indebted to you Leon Fou Bartfort!"
"Eh?"
"Wait, that's Leon Fou Bartfort!?"
"He's actually here?!"
"Yes, he is! I recognize him!"
Leon's eyes windes to the size of plates as every person in the room suddenly stopped what they were doing and are rushing up to him with thank yous and words of awe.
"Hey! Do you remember me? You helped me get back home and now I'm the head of my family!"
"You brought me back my two little sisters! I can't thank you enough!"
"Thank you so much! My family is whole again because of you!"
"We owe you so much, Leon!"
"My older sister wants to meet with you again so she can thank you personally!"
"Mine too!"
"Me too!"
Leon...could only brace himself as the people around him continue to shower him with praises and words of appreciation for the acts of kindness he had done, this would then evolve into a party, a party that would last all night long in his honor and Leon, he was simply too nice(Shocked) to even decline. Some even proclaimed to become his followers and follow in his footsteps, literally and figuratively. So in short, in less than a day Leon Fou Bartfort has already gained his very own entourage.
~Meanwhile - Somewhere Else in The Academy~
~? POV~
This is it. I'm finally here. After all those years of torment, all those years of preparations. I am actually here. Long have I wanted for this to come. My patience will finally bear fruit. I've already cast the bait and those five stupid puppets are already nibbling on it. Just a tiny bit more influence and a few sweet words, they will be under my control. By the day when the party comes, they shall adore me, they shall be obsessed with me, and I will watch in satisfaction as they tear the kingdom and each other apart, and from the ashes, I will remake the country in my own image. Then finally, FINALLY, I will have the life I deserve! I will have my revenge!
.
.
.
Wait. Revenge? But I already had my revenge, didn't I? I killed those animals and took everything they had. Who is left out there to take revenge on?
EVERYONE! ...everyone?
.
.
.
Right. I remember now. While I was stuck in that cage, the world did nothing. Every one of them left me to suffer...eXcEpT fOr OnE... AND THOSE BASTARDS KILLED HIM! The one person who helped me and showed me kindness, expecting nothing in return. The one who was meant to be mine! I didn't even get to know his name. I wasn't even able to avenge him! THAT STUPID ARROGANCE! I'LL MAKE IT PAY! I'LL MAKE THE WHOLE WORLD PAY! FOR DENYING ME LOVE! FOR DENYING ME HAPPINESS!
I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!!!
