Chương 12: Chapter 10

A quick four-hour nap, and I was back outside the gates to the grand University that was the size of a large city. A city powered by mana, constructs, and of course powered glyphs. Even in the morning, the city was still built with a sense of aesthetics in mind. Granted I know that this was all a stylized game, and that aesthetics were the primary function for each building and living area, but the developers did a great job with everything.

The sheer act of walking and having dirt kick up and into the grooves of the cobblestone road was something that I would have thought was impossible to record and recreate in a virtual environment. Yet, I knew this to be a virtual environment, it had to be. I even saw the moment that I fully left the training area and fully submerged myself into this game world. Though I knew that I had to be careful, there were no redoes and I was after all on Hell mode.

I was an underappreciated minor character that was only beloved by a few devoted fans of the game world, like myself. Now being a scholarship student who was accepted into one of the free scholarship slots that the University has will likely create even more animosity and friction here between myself and my fellow students.

The fact that my challenge to be taken in as the primary disciple for both Magister Carthwright and Lady Von'Graysing was to quote unquote prove myself to the incoming class of new students that I was in fact worthy of receiving their individual focus. While there was no quest prompt showing me what exact quest I had been given, I could still almost feel the quest and conditions forming in my mind.

The quest would be something along the lines of, "Prove Your Worth to the Teachers and Students," Where the conditions would be for me to beat the top students wishing to join the magical and rogue related classes that the school offered. Despite not having the simple reminder of what to do in the form of an actual quest prompt, I felt that I could remember the details of what was requested of me quite easily.

Part of this I chalked up to a new subtle reminder interface that likely linked my Intelligence of "B" to some form of helpful memory syncs. Meaning that the game let me retain the information and details of the quests provided, without having to constantly show me the actual quest prompts themselves. At least that was my working theory on this new game interface that was leagues ahead of anything else I had interacted with to this point.

Going outside I was impressed with the level of detail that the surrounding countryside even had. There was fresh grass and lush vibrant fields to look at. Overall, the place spoke of life in abundance. An abundance that was clearly enhanced by an aura of magic. I had to admit, that the word was still just as beautiful as I remembered. Staring out wide, I couldn't help but be entranced by the sheer natural wonder of this world.

While I had occasionally gone out of my little hobbit hole in the mountains in between training sessions the views I saw at the time were not this resplendent with overall balance of life and mana. Part of being able to see so much from the world around me also came from the fact that my perception attribute was likely ready to breakthrough to the next threshold. Whatever that threshold would be.

I know I had quite a few options that would be available for my attribute advancements, depending on which instructor ultimately took me as their primary disciple. Then again, I do have to be careful, for if I don't play my cards right, then I will get neither and be forced to choose from the stereotypical progression paths available to students.

Honestly, this wasn't even a thing for me, until I found out that both professors were offering this path and made it clear that I would get individualized instructions and skills by choosing each. With that in mind, I pushed and got this likely adaptive quest architecture. One where the world saw my request and adapted to acquiesce to the circumstances I had presented. For at this point I had proven myself to be competent to the Spymaster due to my deep understanding of in game lore and knowledge.

I proved myself interested in the Arcmage of the university by my perfect castings, something that is apparently visible to people with the correct perception advancement. Now that is an adaptation that I would love to have, one that could help me tell the difference between a true caster and one who just pretended to be good at casting. I had also proven myself to be worthwhile to the high priestess, but fortunately that is not a path I wish to go down.

For one the blessing I received, the one that forces celibacy in an Otome is the ultimate nail in the coffin. Also, I guarantee that if I lose that blessing for whatever reason the high priestess will somehow know immediately and then do everything within her power to make my life miserable.

"Don't be so down," Lady Von'Graysing told me in a moment when she was showing me around to my dorm room. Yes, by now it was proven that I had earned the spot as a standard student, meaning my room and board and even admittance to different classes were a given. Now the only thing that remained was for me to choose a major. Which of course meant choosing a standard path.

"Huh?" I asked, not understanding why Lady Von'Graysing would make such a statement. For all intents and purposes, I was queen of the world. I had made my goal, not only had I been accepted to the university, but I had done so under my own merits and with a surname. Everything after this was all extra. Hearing my question Lady Von'Graysing came closer and all but purred into my ear.

"I have it on good authority that those blessed with the Blessing of the Virgin, can always experience sensations from those that are of the same orientation," Shiver. She is so close, and her breath is so warm and husky, that she is sending chills down my spine with her words alone. Then it takes me a second before I realize what she said. Pausing, I stop and then turn my face towards hers. With how close she has been to my ear and my sudden movement, we are close enough to kiss.

That is of course if I wasn't wearing a mask that hid most of my face. Which is probably a good thing as I have no clue what kind of shocked face I was making right now. Smiling brightly, it appeared that the Spymaster could guess my thoughts. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Oh, I am going to so delight making you one of my finest members," Lady Von'Graysing purred, making me wonder if she was in fact half beastkin. That had been a thought, that part of why she was so good at prowling was that aside from her humanoid face, she had muscles and soft furs related to a beastkin under her tight leathers.

Of course, I thought she was just a typical character meant to impose the image of a BDSM nature, though she always seemed to turn down the MC, whenever you would try to use her to bribe the Spymaster. Which was why I was finding her actions now to be oddly confusing, as she never showed any signs of attraction or even hinted at the fact that she might flirt with the MC, so why would she do it with me?

Thinking back, I do remember the one or two times that I sent Karen out to do solo missions, during those times when I returned, I would almost always get caught by the Spymaster, who threatened punishments, but so long as I was honest with her would always let me go without incurring her wrath. Was there more to that? Had I missed something entirely from those few displays?

Granted I couldn't flirt while acting as Karen, even when using her as the leader of movements, or while first interacting with people, the dialog always switched to Claudia speaking. At the time it had been explained away as no noble would ever talk to a commoner like Karen. Yet now I wonder if that was just an excuse that the players made to cover for poor programing and game logic. Now that I was Karen, it seemed that I had been off about a lot of things.

With these thoughts going through my mind, I can't help but wonder about her true intentions. So, I ask the first thing that comes to mind without truly even thinking about it.

"Do you find me attractive?" Chuckle. Lady Von'Graysing just laughed at that, a deep seductive laugh.

"Oh, you are so cute. But yes, you will find that I, like most at this university, am drawn to people of power. So, it is with that as a basis that I can't help but be drawn to you," The Spymaster says, though I get the undertones from her speech that she is being purposefully ambiguous as to whether she is attracted to me, or to my power, or to both. Though I guess she is correct in that most will naturally be drawn to a person who is powerful.

Thinking about it, that is exactly why the top five male leads are seen as catches, and why of the females Claudia is seen as the best. All five males excel at different forms of magic, while Claudia herself is phenomenal in her affinity to Air magic and being able to read both the past and future from objects and locations. Silence. Finally, after a time the Spymaster finally spoke.

"Just think about it. Should you ever find the itch to be too great, let me know and I will help you find the right person to scratch your itch, without losing your mark of the virgin," The Spymaster said, once again confirming the partial beastkin link, while also reminding me that this is an Otome world.

"Okay," Was all I could say to reply to that. With that I was left to get my few hours' sleep for the night. Then before I knew it the Spymaster was back at my door providing me a school uniform to change into.

"Here you go, put this on," The uniform was a combination short plaid skirt with white frilly lining, a white button-down shirt that would be covered by a thick black sweater with the school's emblem on it. Mine also had not one but two badges sewn into the sweater. Fortunately, for me, I avoided any discomfort by having a skirt that was too short, by being able to fit the entire uniform over my form fitting black outfit of the Ancients.

I understood what the first red V stood for as that was the valedictorian crest that had adorned many of my uniforms while attending these halls as Claudia. To be wearing it once again, I couldn't help but feel slightly nostalgic, though I didn't think I had earned the right to do so. At least that is what I thought at first, until I realized that this red V was just a big old bullseye on me that marked me as the top student for all the incoming students to set their sights on.

The second V was one that was green and took me a moment to place.

"Do you have any questions about the pins that you wear?" Lady Von'Graysing asked. With this I realized this was likely a test. Figuring that passing this test would likely go a long way into getting Lady Von'Graysing to keep me as chosen disciple I answered to the best of my ability.

"The red V is for Valedictorian, a symbol noting that anyone wishing to take my spot will need to take me down. The green V is from the high priestess's order and likely a sign to the world that I have the blessing of the Virgin and therefor am off limits?" I pose, completely guessing about the second one. Clapping.

"Bravo. That is well done. You will make an excellent disciple. It is not too late to lose your rightful spot by my side," Lady Von'Graysing stated. I was just about to open my mouth to reply, when Magister Carthwright fortunately answered for me.

"Now, now Lady Von'Graysing. We already spoke about this and agreed that she will get a chance to prove herself to us and the other students. Surely you do not doubt her abilities now of all times?" Magister Carthwright replied, his words causing the Spymaster to squirm ever so slightly. Seeing her response, I couldn't help but be slightly shocked by the whole ordeal. After that we left in relative quiet, as I took in the sights.

That is how I got here and found that while we waited, my overactive mind had nothing but time to relive the memories of the past few hours while we waited for the inevitable display of grandeur to come. True to form, noble carriages bearing the markings of many of the noble houses from the surrounding empires all began coming. Most had stayed at the Turnville Inn, the nearest Inn to the university for the next one hundred miles around in all directions.

Allegedly, aside from a slight dalliance by the different noble families in attendance, the day before a class was to be accepted was the only real time when the inn was close to being overcrowded. It was surmised that during this week before and after the acceptance to the university, the Inn workers and their staff would earn enough money to keep the Inn fully up and operational all year round.

This is of course where the Von'Roseblades would also be staying, as it was often the cut scene of Princess Claudia looking out the carriage window that provided the first real dialog of the whole game. Since I wasn't the retainer, then the only alternate choice would be the Von'Roseblade's priestess retainer.

This would mean that either Claudia would have to go the monogamy route, or if she was up for converting the head priestess, then she would get all of the paramours she wanted, but they would all inevitably be killed by the corrupted priestess who went from saint candidate to Satan overnight. In fact, many would agree that the head priestess going dark was the absolute worst scenario possible. Even worse than trying to recover from a civil war inspiring Karen of the Ancients.

With the Karen gone wild scenario, you still could expect aide from any countries that you had high enough relations with. With the corrupted priestess route, any paramours who were killed had their home country automatically turn hostile towards your kingdom, as it was seen as a preemptive strike. Worse, it would also mean that any future relationships were also lost to you, as no one would ever trust you with their love again.

Fortunately, I don't think the persona of Claudia is depraved enough to try to naturally force the dark priestess route, as the cut scenes from when you lose that playthrough are some of the darkest for the continent as a whole, not just the Von'Roseblade's kingdom. With those cheerful thoughts present, I see the first of the royal carriages arrive. The first is a white shield surrounded by golden trim with a unicorn on the side. That of course is the symbol of the Priams.

Then almost as expected to follow immediately after them are the blue shield with green and white etchings denoting a giant screeching griffon for the Galvis family. After that come the Drakertons, a dragon. The Upsteels, with their knight in a steel suit stabbing a troll through the heart on the ground. Then there were the Oneratons, with their giant book of spells with different runic patterns. Then finally the one I had been expecting to see all this time.

There on one of the last of the regal carriages that were set to arrive was a red shield with pink roses surrounding a sword and crown. That of course is the symbol of the Von'Roseblades. Seeing the image was a surreal experience, as this is the angle that the introductory cut scene always ended up panning to, showing the Von'Roseblade carriage riding along the cobblestone path with its beautiful brown horses trotting in perfect rhythm, while the boys all began to disembark.

If this was anything like the game Claudia would already be peeking through the curtain to see the new boys and see if there were any indications as to what intro was spawned. Yes, there were multiple intros, and the way you could tell which one was based on the rays of the sun. The one that was highlighted the most upon exiting the carriage, that was the one that you supposedly had the best chances of making a favorable impression with.

Looking around I could see that this time it was Prince Oneraton with his green robes all but seeming to shine brightly in the light, in the way that only can seem to truly happen for a split-second while in the midst of summertime. Seeing the marker, I began to take one step to at least introduce myself. That's when Lady Von'Graysing's hand reached forward and grabbed ahold of me.

"No, we need you to stay right here. To show the incoming class what the Spymaster classes are all about,""I believe you mean, what being a premier magician would mean," Magister Carthwright states. A gentle note of competition filled his words as I couldn't help but see him smile slightly from under his long white wizardly beard and gray mustache. And like that, I watched the entire introduction scene play out from a distance as if I forgot to hit the any key to stop and take control of the scenario.

Like that, I was powerless to watch the students all talk and introduce themselves to one another, while I was forced to remain separated from the group. Just like that, I found myself being the social pariah in a game world as well. Then just before I was about to feel down, I felt a calming hand rest on my shoulder.

"Now, let's see which future is truly yours, when you are forced to only pick your favorite one of us," Carthwright said in a playfully low tone, before walking out to greet the gathered students and families, many of whom were still making the trek on foot from the nearby village and woods.

"Welcome incoming class to the annual selection ceremony," The fabled words rang out, and like that I realized my life in this Otome game was finally about to actually begin. I let out a breath as some of the tension that I had been feeling up to this point began to dissipate. Soon I would be accepted into the university, where I could save my progress and finally log out. At least that was the hope.

Of course, this was when things took a sharp turn for the worst-case scenario as an ominous dark cloud began to appear on the ground, momentarily blocking out the sun and causing all of the future love interests to be cast into shadow. Seeing the dark shadow, I couldn't help but let out a frustrated hiss, as of course the hard mode had to strike once again by raising the difficulty to an insane degree.

Fate, however, chose this exact moment to add in the one in a hundred dragon attack variable that often-caused character resets and curses on the chat forums. Figures that in hard mode this would be the default intro scene.