Familiar Ceiling
It's a familiar ceiling.
"..Ah."
The moment I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was that same ceiling. The one I'd stared at for years while playing the game as Violet's butler. Every time I booted up the monitor, that white grid-patterned ceiling was the first thing to greet me. There was no mistaking it. It felt as though the opening scene that always filled my evenings had been burned directly into my retinas.
The scene that had once existed only on a screen now pressed against me with suffocating realism. And yet, seeing the room I'd only ever viewed through a monitor with my own eyes stirred a strange feeling.
"This is bullshit."
I'd wanted to save the young lady, sure—but who the hell asked to be dragged inside the game? Maybe the developers had kidnapped me and dumped me into a perfect replica of the room. But could they really recreate the game world this flawlessly?
The room was painfully familiar. White walls, black furniture—the exact layout of the butler's quarters in the Floyd mansion. Every detail, down to the placement of the vases, matched perfectly.
"Even the bathroom door with that signature Floyd gold ornamentation.."
For whatever reason, the Floyd family always installed an intricately carved golden lion emblem on their bathroom doors. Something no ordinary craftsmanship could achieve. Yet the lion staring back at me now was identical—down to the last detail.
I walked over, carefully turned the handle, and peered inside. My reflection stared back from a sleek mirror.
"My face is the same.."
My body seemed to have gained a bit of muscle, but my face was exactly as it had been on Earth. In other words, if this really was the game world, what happened to me wasn't possession. It was more like.. transference?
"If they were going to send me into the game, the least they could do was make me the world's most handsome man."
I figured the developers would want players to get more immersed if the protagonist looked good. Still..
"Well, at least the body's decent. The face can stay."
The once-skinny frame now carried some muscle. It wasn't bad to look at, even if it was just my own delusion.
Just then, a blue window materialized in front of my eyes.
> Thank goodness. Looks like you made it in safely!
..What? Who was that? The developer?
> You don't need to worry about me, Sebastian. Just act the way you always did in the game and save the young lady!
A floating blue window like some kind of hologram—something no game company could ever actually implement. So this really was the game world?
'This message.. it feels like the developer is talking directly to me..'
Apparently they could send messages to me, even if I couldn't reply. Made sense, considering they'd been watching my play and figuring out how to keep Violet alive.
> Would it be easier to read if I formatted it like a quest window from an RPG?
The message erased itself and began writing something new.
> For Vi! — Sebastian's Heart-Pounding Pure Love Story!
> You have entered the world of [Stardust] to save Violet Floyd, the villainess who dies in every route!
> With various DLCs included, the number of Demon Kings has increased to nine. Some items and recipes from Starlight have been removed or added, bringing many changes!
> Detailed map information and new story elements await you in this familiar yet refreshed world of Stardust!
> Can you overcome these trials and tribulations to save Violet Floyd and achieve love?
What the hell was this nonsense? If they were going to do this, why not just let me download a beta test version instead of shoving me into the game?
> Experiencing it through a monitor and experiencing it in reality are completely different!
'Wait, can they read my thoughts too?'
I was startled by the sudden reply, but the window continued as if nothing had happened.
> Success Condition: Offer all nine Demon Kings to the Altar of Divinity, save the world, and achieve love with Violet!
> On Success: Return to reality, Violet Floyd survives.
> On Failure: ???
Developer, what's with the question marks on failure? Are you planning to trap me here? Or are you going to create some new bad ending for Violet? More importantly, isn't this kidnapping? Dragging someone somewhere without permission..
> Wait, wait! I'm sorry for bringing you here without permission, but there are actually quite a few benefits for you too, Sebastian!
'Alright, let's hear what this lunatic has to say..'
Well, being able to save Violet was already a good thing. But I was dying to know what kind of insane developer would shove a person into a game and then start rambling about benefits. Were they going to pay me development fees or something?
> First of all, your favorite character, Violet—she's quite pretty, isn't she?
Yeah, she was. Part of why I'd been drawn to her was our similar pasts, but her looks had definitely played a role too.
> So! Now that you're inside the game, you'll become lovers with Violet, right?
Well.. hold on. I never said anything about becoming lovers. The developer only promised a "save her" route, not a romance route. And now that I was paying attention, even the quest title looked suspicious. Heart-Pounding Pure Love Story?
> Still, nothing beats affection and love for a salvation story! Plenty of players in Starlight reached lover status with Violet too. You can do the same this time!
Had they been watching my gameplay the whole time? What a creepy developer..
> And since you're inside the game now, it won't just end with a few lines of explanatory text.. You can enjoy everything, if you know what I mean?
..I wasn't planning on doing any of that. And even if I did, this developer would be watching. I had zero interest in being observed during that.
> Oh, don't worry. We're not perverts. When you're with the young lady, we'll look away too!
"What the hell are you saying?!"
I frantically tried to close the blue window, but it didn't respond at all.
> Ah, and I've added a 'Status Window' feature to help with your activities. Feel free to use it if you're curious!
'At least they're giving me a status window like a proper RPG. That's something.. Wait, no.'
A chill ran down my spine as I realized I'd already started accepting this kidnapping. Was this Stockholm syndrome or something?
> The developer interfering with the story would ruin the fun. I've explained everything, so the rest is up to you, Sebastian! Good luck! Bye!
Wait, they were just leaving like that?
"Hey? Developer?"
I called out desperately, but there was no reply.
"Are you seriously just dumping me in the game like this? For real?"
I'd spoken too harshly.. Actually, I hadn't even spoken properly. They'd just read my thoughts without permission. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I pointed at the ceiling and shouted.
"Hey! If you're going to throw someone into a game without any proper explanation, what the hell are you thinking?!"
I glared at the ceiling, breathing heavily, until all the strength drained from my body and I collapsed onto the floor.
"This is insane..!"
One of the reasons people avoided this game was the 'entry barrier,' wasn't it? The difficulty didn't just come from the insane crafting recipes. In Starlight, which had four Demon Kings, each one was a disaster-level threat.
'Of course, after playing for eight years, I had most of the patterns memorized, so I could clear them cleanly with just a few keyboard inputs. But now there are nine Demon Kings, and I have to fight them with this ordinary young man's body instead of a keyboard-controlled character. Does the developer seriously think this is reasonable?'
They'd framed it as a quest, but it wasn't just about saving the young lady. I had to defeat every single Demon King to complete the story. At this point, I was starting to suspect the developer's ex-girlfriend was named Violet Floyd.
-Thud.. Thud..!
How long had I been cursing the developer? From somewhere in the mansion, thunderous footsteps began approaching. They sounded like a confident predator certain of its prey.
"Shit.."
Obviously, there was only one person in this mansion who would stomp around like that.
"I was hoping to meet her after a few hours at least.."
At the very least, give me time to mentally prepare..
-Bang!
Before I could even finish the thought, the door flew open with a crash.
"Fuck, why the hell is my butler slacking off in here?"
It was my first meeting with the villainess, Violet Floyd.