Chapter 28: Otome Villainess

I arrived home in Everick with Sherry at my side. We were welcomed by the castle staff and by my parents with smiles. My sister, who came home first, was not smiling though. Well, I can guess why, and it's not exactly because I brought a girl home with me. After I scared her off back in the school incident, I was not there to comfort her even days later. Considering how clingy she is, she must've been so mad at me. Oh well, I'll apologize later.

"Welcome home, my boy! Tell me. Who is this young lady you've brought with you?" Asked my father.

"This is-" I was about to introduce her but Sherry stepped in.

"M-My name is Sherry Barnett! A student of Midgar's Science Academy! C-Claude has helped me so much before and after the terrorist incident at school! Nice to meet you!" Sherry bowed nervously.

"Oho ho! What a nice young lady!" Exclaimed my mother excitedly.

"She's a close friend and I invited her to stay here for a time until she moved to Laugus, where she will continue her studies." I explained.

"Any friend of Claude's is welcome! I hope you enjoy your stay in Everick, Miss Barnett!" My father declared with a huge smile.

"Thank you very much, Lord Normann!" Sherry thanked him with a bright smile.

Well, that went smoothly. My sister, despite scowling distrustfully, didn't say anything in front of my parents. We went in the castle and Sherry had a chat with my mother when my father called me to his study.

"Claude. Are you okay?" He asked me with a concerned face.

"I'm fine, father. What brought this on?"

"I heard from Charlotte that Necromancer actually appeared in the school incident. She saw him."

"I know."

"And you disappeared for a few days after the incident. Where were you?" He asked, with greater concern in his eyes. I didn't reply.

"Haaahh… At least you got out of it in one piece. I know you're concerned about Charlotte but that's precisely why you shouldn't put yourself in danger for her. We would be devastated if we were to lose you. Especially Charlotte."

"I know that, father."

"I've decided that you need to rest for a while and thus I'm forbidding you from leaving Everick or even work with the Crimson Order. You've done more than what's expected of you during the incident and thus you'll be excused from further duties for a while. I've talked with Princess Iris about it."

"I understand, father." I answered. Shame that this means I probably would miss the Goddess' Trial in Lindwurm but it works out for me as I need to train Sherry. I've installed some spy camera spells around Lindwurm so I'll be able to watch the show at least. I wonder who will be able to summon ancient hero clones this year? And I wonder if I can recruit them to my team?

No. For now, with the addition of Sherry, I'll have enough people on my new team, the Seven Wraiths, which I created to rival Shadow Garden's Seven Shades. I just have to get her ready for it.

But I'm also curious if anyone would able to find the surprise that I left in Lindwurm's Sanctuary back when I visited it years ago. Would be interesting to see their reactions but sadly I couldn't actually place any spy camera spells inside the Sanctuary as the spell would be absorbed immediately by the Sanctuary. I'll have to hear it from good ol' Nelson.

"Also… about that girl. Sherry was it?"

"What about her, father?"

"Are you that interested in her?"

"Hmm…. I don't know. But I can't leave her alone after everything she's been through."

"I understand. But remember that we're still in talks about betrothing you to Princess Alexia. Iris assigning you to guard her is partly to allow you two to interact more."

"I know. We're getting better. But it may take time for the two of us to truly get along though."

"That's fine. As long as she's no longer actively avoiding you, it should be fine. And you need to prove your worth by winning the Bushin Festival. Can you defeat Iris once again?"

"I should be able to. She's not the only one who has improved."

"Good. I'm proud of you, son."

After the brief talk with my father, I walked around the castle hallways looking for Sherry, only to find my sister confronting her.

"Do you really think you're worthy to be with my brother?" My sister questioned.

"What are you talking about, Miss Normann?" Sherry replied.

"I know you're putting an innocent front to seduce my brother!"

"Ehhh? But I…"

"Don't play dumb with me! You're just a peasant who wants to climb up the social ranks and is using my brother as stepping stone!" My sister accused her like an Otome game Villainess who is bullying the Heroine.

A moment of silence passed before Sherry responded.

"I never thought about his rank as the duke's son… In fact, I kind of forgot that he's a high noble until I got here… He was so kind and friendly towards me and… he helped me so much…. Saved my life too. All I want is to be his friend. To help him carry his burdens. Nothing more." Sherry-sensei replied so sincerely that my sister couldn't retort. Even I couldn't do that. Sherry-sensei. You are indeed a master of Verbal Fencing. I tip my hat to you.

"I-I see… I'm sorry I…"

"Miss Normann… Can you… be my friend too?" Sherry asked.

"…. Call me Charlotte." Charlotte responded, regaining a genuine smile. They both shake hands.

I decided to step in to do a little prank.

"Charlotte…" I called her while putting up a disappointed face.

"B-Brother!" Charlotte answered nervously.

"What are you doing, bullying my friend like that?"

"B-Brother! I-It's not-"

"Silence! For the crimes of bullying my Sherry-chan, I hereby—wait. That's not gonna work." I stopped when I realized the classic Otome Villainess' engagement annulment scene doesn't work here because Charlotte is my sister. And changing it into renouncing her as my sister would be too much as a joke.

"Brother? What are you saying?"

"Chan?" Sherry was confused by the Japanese honorific it seems.

The two of them are now looking at me weird. I'm so ashamed!

"A ha ha ha. Forget it. It was a joke that I forgot the punchline of."

"Brother. You're so weird." Charlotte looked at me confusedly while Sherry just giggled.

"What kind of joke you were trying to say, Claude?" Sherry asked curiously.

"Well…." I end up telling them the classic tale of Otome games where the Heroine, usually a peasant or the daughter of a Baron, attends a school for aristocrats, fell in love with a Prince, gets bullied by a Villainess and end up getting the Prince to annul his engagement with the Villainess and lived happily ever after with said Prince.

"That sounds like Natsume's work!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Natsume?" I asked curiously. The name sounds Japanese.

"N-Natsume Kafka is a famous writer! One of her latest work is called 'My Second Life as a Villainess: All Paths lead to Death'! The story is similar to the story you told, except that the main character reincarnated as the Villainess of a tale she knew from her past life and she tried her best to change her fate by befriending everyone!"

"Ohhh! I remember that one!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"You read them too!?" Sherry exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes! I did! I'm also a fan of her work!" And thus a beautiful friendship between book nerds was formed.

Still… Natsume Kafka, huh… You're definitely another reincarnator. A shameless plagiarizer too. When we finally meet, perhaps I'll have you write my story with your blood.

"But brother…" My sister glared at me. What did I do this time?

"Now I see that you think of me as a Villainess."

"N-No! I'm sorry, Charl! It was just a joke, Charl! It was a joke!"

"Tee hee hee. Then you have to make up for it. There is something I wanted to buy at the Misugoshi shop and you're gonna accompany me tomorrow." My sister declared with a smirk while pointing her finger at me.

That night I started the first lesson with Sherry. We are currently in a secret room in the castle that even my parents didn't know about.

"D-Do I have to do this, C-Claude?" Asked Sherry, now wearing a black robe and holding a knife while trembling. A man is chained on the floor in front of her.

"It's Necromancer now. And yes, you have to." I replied coldly while in my Necromancer gear.

"B-But…."

"Sherry. You want to kill him don't you?"

"!"

"To walk this path, you must kill many people. You must take many lives to gain power and to achieve your objectives. This is the necessary first step. This is my first lesson to you." The first lesson to becoming a villain, which so happens to be the first step I took too back then.

"I…."

"Do it."

Sherry's hands trembles as she held the knife against the man's throat.

"Please… spare me…!" The man pleaded. Sherry still hesitates.

"DO IT!" I commanded her while releasing a small fraction of my magic power to frighten her.

"AAAAAAHHH!" She screamed as she drove the knife against the man's throat, causing blood to spill out, startling her. Sherry watched as life slowly left the man's eyes and tears flow down her cheeks as she stared at her blood stained hands.

"Congratulations. You've taken your first step to other side of the world. And with that alone, you can never return back." I said.

"C-Claude… I-I mean… Necromancer… Sir…." She called out to be while trembling before I stepped out of the room.

"What is it?"

"Did you… feel this way… on your first…?"

"Yes."

"D-Does it… get easier…?" She asked. Tears won't stop flowing out of her eyes.

"Yes… As long as you have a purpose and focused on it." I replied as I left the room.

I'm sorry Sherry but it has to be done. How else could I turn you into a killing machine? Into my ideal villainess? From now on you must walk a blood soaked path… not for your sake but for my own. Heh heh heh.

Author's Note:

A bit of a joke chapter that ends with a dark scene. Just like Claude, I also couldn't think of a good Otome Villainess joke in this chapter and just decided to have Claude having an awkward scene with Charlotte and Sherry.

Wholesome07: About the Sanctuary arc, Is Claude gonna participate and summon aurora or our boy Shadow again?

Answer: Well, as established in this chapter, Claude won't be present in the Goddess Trial but you'll see how the Necromancer gets involved.

primenidus: I'm looking for to the goddess trial arc as well as more interactions between Necromancer, Shadow and the Seven Shades

Answer: Goddess Trial arc probably starting next chapter. There will be more interactions between them.

ACogintheSystem: In the words of Amanda Waller from the DC Animated Universe, "I knew he was a snake and I still let him bite me."

It won't bother me if Claude undermines both sides for his benefit or more specifically, the ultimate show.

Answer: Yeah, he's not loyal to the Cult.

Zero: If shadow garden going called necromancer a pervert he should have a chad retort like "Coming from womens who wears slime as clothing that look like sex suit you call me a pervert when your organization is a giant cult harem". Or something like that Epsilon body crisis is always hilarious it sad and pathetic because she also fooling herself.

Answer: Maybe. At least I want it to be funny though. We shall see how it goes.