It all happened when I was eight years old. I tripped during a visit to the royal palace and, upon coming too, recalled my past life. However, having two sets of memories in your head was obviously unhealthy and I wound up bedridden with a high fever for the rest of the week. Upon recovering, I was finally able to make sense of things.
My name was Katarina Claes.
I was reborn into the world ofFortune Lover.
And, most importantly, I was destined to die at the hands of the story's heroes. No, the other rival characters didn't get this treatment, just me.
What the hell development team! Why does only Katarina Claes get tossed to the wayside?!
Before Katarina, I was just Chiharu. Even now, my last name eludes me but I recall the stupid monkey girl that died getting run over by a slow-moving truck fondly, no wait... She wasn't run over, she suffered from a severe brain aneurism thinking she was about to be run over and died on the street. Wait, She was me, and I was her. Oh dear, I was starting to get emotional.
Curling up into a fetal position unintentionally, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I endured the emotional turmoil in my heart until I felt calm again.
Let's think about this rationally!
My name is Katarina Claes. I am the eight-year-old daughter of a duke. I don't recall leaving my room much and I'm pretty sure that visit to the palace a week ago was the first time, in a while, that I would have seen my father's face. With the exception of Anne, my personal attendant, the rest of the help seems to avoid me. I guess I'm disliked? The game didn't really go into Katarina's backstory. Beyond Katarina making her brother's life miserable, to the point that he became a playboy,Fortune Lovermostly focuses on the heroine, Maria Campbell, and the capture targets. I think Katarina was actually pretty one dimensional…
Or maybe I just didn't pay enough attention? I really only cared for the RPG side of things anyway, I was pretty much the opposite of Acchan.
Ah! Acchan! I hope she was able to move on from my death!
Wait, we're getting sidetracked!
Order! Order in the court!
That's right, we need to figure out where we stand if we want to live! I want to reach the ripe old age of old lady and own a cat! We can't do that if we die at seventeen again!
Weren't we sixteen when we died?
It doesn't matter Katarina Claes, we're eight!
Eight? Wait! The capture! The capture targets! What were their names again?!
Ah! There's Katrina's fiancé Gerald Stuart!
Is he even still our fiancé? We haven't seen him at all, we weren't even able to make the faithful palace visit because we tripped and landed face first on the pavement. Maybe we never got engaged?
What an excellent observation Katarina Claes!
Thank you, Katarina Claes!
Can we focus!
Right! After the black hearted genius prince, we have Alan Stuart, Gerald's twin brother! Who else…?
Keith and Nicole!
Oh right, them.
Katarina Claes suddenly started crying.
We're all gonna die!
Don't say that Katarina Claes!
That's right, pull yourself together woman!
We can't even remember all of their names! Acchan was right, we are just battle maniacs! We should have stuck to Pokémon!
That's it!
What's it?
We'll do just that, don't you remember?Fortune Loverwas a hybrid game! That's why Acchan recommended it to us, it's an otome game with turn-based RPG elements! It was even compared withPersona 5!
So?
So? So?! Why are you so dim Katarina! It means that we can just raise our level! That way, even if we get exiled, we can just live aboard as an adventurer!
I see, you're a genius Katarina!
Thank you, Katarina Claes, you're so kind!
But wait, wouldn't we still be going down the golden route in that case?
"…"
How could she had forgotten about the golden route?!
Fortune Loverhad a ton of possible endings. However, the golden ending was essentially what everyone considered canon. Who Maria ended up with didn't matter, because ending would be the same. But that didn't matter right now! The golden ending was only achieved after defeating the secret boss, Katarina Claes!
It had been a genuine surprise when Chiharu had first seen her. She was sure she'd seen the last of Katarina after she was arrested by Maria and her Ministry of Magic friends, but alas it turned out that the spiteful former noble girl was deeper than she had initially thought.
Dammit Katarina, Acchan told you you'd regret speeding thorough the game!
I didn't know! Please forgive me Katarina! Acchan!
No wait, Katarina's idea has merit.
What do you mean your honor?
Don't you see? We're the secret boss! A boss you only get to fight after you defeat the Demon King at his strongest!
Yes…?
What's your point?
My po-! God you girls are idiots. It means that we're even stronger than the Demon King!
"?!"
That's right!
Then if we max out our level, we should easily be able protect ourselves from anything that comes our way!
You're a genius Katarina Claes!
Ah, yes, yes, praise me more girls.
So what's the plan?
Chairwoman Katarina looked at Katarina Claes like she was walking garbage, but decided to swallow her pride and explain it to her again anyway.
We will learn how to use magic, max out our level, and then lay low. When we get expelled at the Academy of Magic, instead of staying in Sorcier we'll leave and travel abroad as an adventurer!
I see, you're so smart Katarina!
I know, now let's get started!
(Let it be known that Katarina Claes, and by extension most of the council of Katarina, wasn't very bright.)
In my previous life, I liked grinding. Not that kind of grinding, no, I loved level grinding! I loved all things related to the RPG formula, but level grinding held a special place in my heart. Why? Because I loved turn-based RPG battles! I loved it so much that I was able to clearFortune Lover's hidden boss on the first try!
But like an idiot I skipped the cutscene, wanting to watch it together with Acchan after school.
Then Truck-kun happened.
Now I find myself reborn as that hidden boss, the same hidden boss whose only equal seemed to be a party made up of the 5 strongest level 99's. I could feel my gamer blood boiling, forget the bad ends, I had to raise my level!
I had begun my quest by reading all the magical textbooks I could find and communing with my element just like the book instructed. To that end, with Uncle Tom's help, I started a small farm. However, my earth magic wouldn't improve and after a week all I could do was preform a simple Dirt Bump.
Just my luck.
It was then that I recalled the fact that Katarina was also capable of dark magic!
There weren't any books on dark magic, but maybe if I followed the textbook's steps the same way I had for my earth magic, I'd be able to make do?
30 minutes later, I was able to use dark magic.
I never thought it would be this simple. As expected, Katarina Claes had a talent for dark magic. It had nothing to do with her hatred of Maria or her circumstances! However, I need a place with lots of space to practice my magic…
To that end, I asked Anne that I wanted to go out, but found out from her that my father had forbidden me from leaving the estate.
He seemed to really dislike me.
As a result, I snuck out after breakfast.
I had prepared a robe to conceal my identity and, because the nearby town didn't have a wall surrounding it like the Claes manor did, was able to reach the forest quicker than I expected. Upon reaching a suitable clearing, I went to work and began practicing more complex applications of my magic. I was so engrossed in practicing my magic that I only stopped when I realized I'd grown hungry.
What a beautiful sunset.
I hurried home for dinner, expecting to be caught, but much to my surprise it didn't seem like anyone had noticed that I was gone. My lunch was still sitting outside my door!
That was depressing. The lunch tasted awful too.
This routine continued for several days, until I eventually grew tired of cold meals outside my bedroom door and asked the staff to prepare lunch boxes instead, citing that I didn't want them leaving food outside my door every day. They complied and my routine began with renewed vigor! Eventually, I grew confident enough to fight monsters, and sell their materials for pocket change and by the age of 10, I had already conquered the nearby dungeon and amassed a small fortune. This was also the point where my relationships with the servants began to improve. Uncle Tom and I bonded over our shared hobby, Farming, and my garden grew more impressive by the day! The head maid would let me have some of the sweets she'd prepare, and Anne taught me all I needed to know about manners and history. Yes, it had taken me almost two years but I finally had the staff on my side!
Everything was coming up Katarina!
However, on my fifteenth birthday, I received a letter from my father.
It was time to attend magic school.
It had taken two days to get to the capital from the Claes Dukedom. Two days with nothing to do but endure a bumpy carriage ride.
Running would have probably been faster.
The academy's entrance ceremony went off without a hitch, and the level measurement began post haste. However, I lost focus rather quickly and stopped paying attention after a few minutes, lost in my own thoughts.
All magical children attended the Academy of Magic at sixteen, so naturally father had written to inform me that I was to attend it alongside my brother, Keith, who I hadn't even met yet.
Does this mean I've avoided his Bad End too? Had I dodged two doom flags without even trying?! Go me! I'm awesome!
Keith Claes was Katarina's adopted brother. He had a depressing childhood growing up, being the bastard child of some nobody noble, I think he had been a distant relative or something, and it had only gotten worse upon entering the Claes estate and being subjected to Katarina's cruelty. Katarina's mother didn't go out of her way to stop her daughter either, because she was convinced that Keith was her husband's bastard child. Due to this abuse, Keith grew up to be a notorious playboy.
Though, on the subject of Mother, I haven't seen her at all. I don't think we've ever actually met… Maybe my new life is different from the game after all?
Ah, did the teacher just call Keith? Wow, he really does look just like he did in the game! Wait, doesn't that mean I'm next?! I'll have to save my questions for later!
In the game, most of the student's levels were in the single digits. The only exceptions had been the two princes (Alan had been level 10, while Gerald boasted an impressive level 15) but I, someone who had done nothing but level grind for the past few years, was probably well above that.
I'm beginning to regret never learning my level. After all, I can't slip away if I'm the center of attention! What do I do if I'm level 30 or something?!
When my turn finally came around, I stepped forward and froze in front of the magic tool that would apparently reveal my level. As I placed my hand on the device, I prayed to any deity that would listen…
The principle, mistaking my nervousness for something else, tried to reassure me with kind words. "It's alright, even if you end up being level 1, it's nothing to be ashamed of Lady Claes."
That wasn't what I was worried about Mr. Principle! Please, please make the magic tool malfunction!
Obviously, my wish didn't come true.
Katarina Claes… Le-level 99?!"
The professor who had measured my level with a magic tool, and everyone else in the room for that matter, where at a loss for words. Ah, I guess I should accept reality and give up on trying not to stand out huh?