Chapter 1

There was only one heroine who ended up with the protagonist.

However, in contrast, there were countless heroines who failed to do so.

We often called those heroines the “losing heroines.”

The ones who were destined to lose in the battle for the protagonist’s heart. The ones who never ended up with him.

The issue lay in the numbers.

The moment a “main heroine” was chosen, a multitude of “losing heroines” inevitably emerged.

So then, what happened to those losing heroines?

They couldn’t end up with someone else.

They had to cheer for the future of the protagonist and the main heroine.

But the future remained uncertain.

The moment their defeat was confirmed, their screen time became practically nonexistent.

No matter how charming a character they had been or how many countless storylines they built alongside the protagonist, they were fated to quietly disappear into the background of the story….they were harmed simply for having been connected to him.

Of course, it was because of that issue that harem endings or multiple endings started to appear in stories.

I too preferred stories with harem or multiple endings over those with losing heroines.

As a result, it was true that the desperation and tension of the past had faded.

Since I knew there would be no losing heroine anyway, I stopped forming attachments to any particular one.

Perhaps that was why.

I remembered the losing heroines more vividly than the ones in harem endings.

All those countless losing heroines I had desperately wished would end up with the protagonist.

Especially if it was a novel I had encountered for the first time and had read with great enjoyment.

….

….

The reason this thought suddenly came to me was because of a message that appeared before my eyes the year I turned fifteen.

Ding—

[Main Quest]

Quest Objective: Enroll in Alessia Academy.

Success Condition: Enrollment at Alessia Academy

Reward for Success: +10 Shop Coins

Penalty for Failure: —

At that moment, unfamiliar memories and information flooded into my mind.

They were probably the memories of my past life of the former me….and based on those memories, this world was,

A novel.

The world of that very novel I had discovered first and enjoyed the most.

The reason I concluded that this place was the world of a novel was actually simple.

Alessia Academy.

The academy mentioned in the quest I received was the very setting of that novel.

But nothing really changed.

Even before I became aware of my past life, my goal had already been to enter that academy.

Alessia Academy was so prestigious that no matter where you went after graduation, people would recognize you. There was no reason not to go.

If anything, I had just gained one more reason to enroll.

Thanks to the awareness of my past life. Thanks to realizing that this world was from a novel…I had come to know in advance what would happen at that academy.

As long as I enrolled, I could use my knowledge of the future to stay ahead, so there was no reason not to apply.

However, if there was a problem…

“Master Ethan…? Are you alright…?”

A young maid with a cold, expressionless face cautiously entered the room and asked me.

She was Selena, the head maid of this mansion.

Despite her cold appearance, her face was clearly filled with unease and tension as she looked at me.

Seeing her like that, I turned to look at the mirror beside me.

There, I saw a boy with black hair and handsome features.

“Hoo…”

I let out a sigh as I stared at the reflection in the mirror.

It wasn’t the face I was familiar with, but the boy reflected there was unmistakably the childhood version of a character I remembered.

Ethan Bernard.

A mid-level boss character who appeared as a third-rate villain in the novel I had read.

“…I’m sorry… If there’s anything bothering you, I’ll take care of it right away…”

As the memories of my past life returned and another self settled into me, I took a moment to reflect on the 15 years of life I had lived so far. And came to one conclusion.

Hmm.

This brat was a piece of shit.

….

….

The Bernard family I belonged to was one of the most prestigious noble houses.

The Bernard County, often referred to as the Bernard Count’s House, was located near the capital, right in the center.

It was also a family that had produced numerous mages.

This was also the reason why Ethan Bernard had turned into a trash. He possessed mediocre talent compared to the reputation of his father and the family.

This is bad.

And so, Ethan Bernard, who had the title of heir but no talent to back it up, ended up becoming a trash.

In the end, he fell to the level of a mid-tier boss, consumed by jealousy toward the protagonist, who overflowed with talent and was surrounded by countless heroines.

Anyway, there was something I needed to do right away.

Humans were creatures of forgetfulness.

There was no telling when the memories that had just resurfaced might fade again.

“Could you bring me some pen and paper?”

So I asked Selena.

Writing things down was the only way to survive.

The chance to make use of these memories was still far off in the future.

I couldn’t be sure I’d remember all this information clearly after such a long time.

“Yes, of course. I’ll bring it right away.”

With those words, Selena quickly returned with a bundle of pens and paper, and I immediately began transferring the information onto the pages.

***

“Don’t you think the young master’s been acting a little strange lately? I mean, it’s nice that nothing’s happened… but in a way, that just makes it more unsettling…”

At the Bernard Count’s mansion where incidents used to occur almost daily, nothing had happened recently.

Of course, not having any incidents was ideal, but in a place where something had happened almost every day, the complete lack of events had become a source of unease for the maids instead.

“He suddenly stopped coming out of his room… and I heard he even started studying recently? They say he asks for pens and paper every single day.”

All the maids turned their eyes toward Selena, the head maid.

Since the others tried to avoid him, she was the only one who had direct contact with Ethan Bernard.

“Shh. Quiet. No matter what’s going on in the mansion, we just need to focus on doing our jobs properly.”

“Still… it is unsettling. All we’ve ever seen is the young master’s violent side…”

“That’s enough. Be quiet.”

Considering Ethan Bernard’s usual temper, it was only natural for the maids to react this way.

A fire that had raged daily had suddenly gone quiet. Of course they feared a bigger explosion might be on the way.

And that was when it happened.

A middle-aged man began walking down the long corridor toward where they stood.

A man with a cold demeanor and an imposing figure.

At his appearance, the maids who had been chatting quickly lined up against the walls on either side.

“You’ve arrived, my lord.”

Standing between the two lines of maids, head maid Selena stepped forward to greet him.

Gerald Bernard.

The current head of the Bernard Count family and one of the empire’s most famous mages.

The aura he exuded was so far removed from that of an ordinary human that the maids didn’t even try to meet his gaze and simply bowed their heads.

“There have been no unusual events, I hope.”

A cold tone echoed from his lips.

As a mage of the Empire, he was required to stay near the imperial palace at all times, so he managed the affairs of his territory by visiting the mansion once a week to receive reports from the head maid.

“No, nothing in particular has happened.”

Selena spoke carefully.

There was no point in lying to him.

He had the ability to detect lies instantly.

“And the boy?”

“I couldn’t determine exactly what he was doing, but I believe he is studying in his room.”

At those words, Gerald’s brow twitched.

He had already heard everything about Ethan Bernard from Selena, so he had expected her to say something in line with the usual reports.

But studying?

It was a word that didn’t fit Ethan Bernard at all, yet Selena clearly wasn’t lying to him.

Without a word, Gerald walked past Selena and headed straight to Ethan Bernard’s room.

Ethan hated people entering his room without knocking, but Gerald, of course, would enter without knocking.

“…My lord.”

Selena tried to step in, thinking the two of them would end up fighting again, but by then it was already too late.

“Hmm.”

Amid countless sheets of paper covered in indecipherable symbols scattered across the floor, his figure was clearly visible. He was collapsed asleep over his desk.

“So it was true.”

Gerald slowly stepped into the room and spoke as he entered.

He then picked up one of the papers that had fallen to the floor.

Even though magic had confirmed that Selena wasn’t lying, his inherently suspicious nature compelled him to see it with his own eyes.

Before long, his gaze landed on the paper that was densely filled with unfamiliar characters.

Though he couldn’t understand what the writing meant, the visible traces of erasing and rewriting made it clear that Ethan had been studying and writing something.

Gerald returned the sheet of paper to where it had been on the floor.

It was a habit born of his profession. He himself disliked anyone touching his research materials.

“When this boy wakes up, send him to my office.”

With those parting words, Gerald slowly exited the room.

At that moment, a new notification appeared above Ethan Bernard’s head.

[A side quest has been generated!]