Chapter 1

r 0 – 0. Proposal

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The butterfly effect is a damn bastard.

Of course, the phenomenon itself implied by the theory is not wrong.

It's only natural that results can change depending on the conditions.

But the fact that such a phenomenon exists also means that a very small choice can completely change a person's fate.

“My dear.”

Therefore, the butterfly effect is a damn bastard. At least to me.

So, to put it simply.

There have been a few choices in my life that I regret.

The choices that led me to this situation.

Why, for example, there’s that one.

I shouldn’t have played that game.

To put it briefly, it’s called Sera. An academy game. A fresh and innocent youth drama featuring young men and women. The characters are deeply clichéd but have a familiar and comforting feel.

It’s a decent game.

If I hadn’t been possessed and trapped inside it.

Does that even make sense? Does someone get trapped inside a game just because they played it?

Even if I had insulted the game and been marked by a god-like developer, or had a deep attachment to the protagonist and got possessed, that would be understandable.

I cleared the game to the end, watched the ending, and went to bed with a satisfied nod.

The next day, I was possessed. Ta-da.

“My dear. Are you listening?”

I don’t answer.

Maybe the other person hasn’t even noticed I’m here.

Please, just stop.

“I already know what’s inside. It’s best to open the door quietly.”

“…”

“I’ve already consulted with the dormitory supervisor, Lady Ophelia. You don’t have any classes scheduled for today.”

“…”

You’re a real stalker.

I need to think of another way…

“Fine. Are you planning to ignore me until the end?”

A sigh-laden sentence continued from beyond the dormitory door.

“Then I’ll cut my way in.”

What a crazy person.

Before I could even comment, a pitch-black sword that seemed to suck all the light around it pierced and entered my personal room.

The dormitory facilities of the Royal Academy Elpante are designed to protect the students inside even if a large, enraged monster goes on a rampage.

At least, it’s not easy to break this thing with human standards.

That means, this lady who cuts through the door as if it were cardboard is incredibly terrifying.

“…Isn’t this a violation of the rules?”

“The student council is responsible for enforcing the procedures for rule violations. Coincidentally, I am currently the student council president.”

The other person spoke calmly, without any inflection, about her abuse of power.

The black longsword is neatly sheathed in a black scabbard that matches her black attire.

From head to toe, she wears a pitch-black uniform, but her face, the only part exposed, is frighteningly pale. Her eyes are a vivid red, and her snow-white hair falls down to her back.

And the unique 'aristocratic' aura that harmonizes all these striking features.

A memorable appearance.

No, it’s impossible to forget.

“I came here to talk. Haven’t you been avoiding me recently?”

“…”

“Roughly… 32 times, right?”

“…Why are you counting that in such detail?”

Even as I respond curtly, I gather and organize the information that pops into my head.

Elpante Academy’s student council president, Elnoir.

Gifted in both academics and martial arts. She is also the daughter of the Tristan Dukedom and a super popular student across all grades.

A person who shines brightly from birth. There’s no way someone like me, a new student with no standout qualities, would ever cross paths with her.

Originally, that’s how it should have been.

“…”

To begin with, she’s also a person who would be much better off not being involved with me.

More images flow through my mind.

A few illustrations and CGs I’ve seen in the 'original'.

Elnoir, covered in blood. Elnoir, swinging a black longsword and piling up corpses. Elnoir, with her red eyes glowing menacingly, commanding an army of demons and monsters.

And so on. And so forth.

What’s clear is that, no matter how you look at it, she consistently gives off a certain impression.

A terrifyingly evil person.

Yes, what’s the point of hiding it.

This person is the 'final boss' of the Sera world. A human who, if not stopped by the protagonist, will eventually plunge the entire world into ruin.

A character who should have just passed by me with a glance, that’s what she is.

“You know why I’m here, don’t you.”

But, in the end, everything is already too late.

The flaps of the butterfly’s wings have overlapped and overlapped, leading to the situation I’m facing now.

Her red eyes glare at me coldly. The grip on the hilt of the black longsword tightens again.

The heavy atmosphere she carries becomes even more intense.

And her mouth opens again.

“I’ll ask you, Daud Campbell.”

She spits out the 'storm' created by the butterfly’s wings.

“Will you marry me?”

“…”

Really.

I clutch my head, which is spinning from the familiar yet never-getting-used-to sentence.

Daud Campbell.

The successor of a backwater barony with no recognition. A new student at the academy. A bottom-of-the-barrel extra in this world.

Such a person is, right now.

Being proposed to by a woman who will destroy the world in a few years.

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Oh