Chapter 1
Chapter 1
A New Counseling Teacher Has Appeared.
[Chat] Another newbie showed up again.
Author: Gogumador
Don’t forget. This isn’t the “reality” you knew.
This is the so-called “game world.”
Well, it runs on completely different rules from the common sense you knew. lol
Here’s one tip for you. If you fail to “heal” those insane “villainesses,” you die.
Just like we did.
[5 Comments]
WhiteMage: LOOOOOOOOOOOOL welcome.
KangkangRobot2nd: hi hi.
BlondBigBoobsDaisuki: Poor bastard...
AnywayTheLegalWifeIsOne: Wonder what kind of protagonist this one is.
KimSilsil: Hey, be nice to the rookie. We all have our roles too.
♥♥♥
“ Haa……. ”
Looking at the state of those gallery bastards made my mind go blank.
I’d already rolled around enough in this insane world. What I had to do now was clear.
Staring blankly at the face reflected in the rattling carriage window, the face of “me” that was no longer “me,” I opened the system window.
「 Please heal the heart of the first villainess, 「 Elara von Heim 」. 」
「 Salvation Count 0/5 」
“ ……The first villainess. ”
「 Elara von Heim 」
Just repeating her name left a metallic taste on the tip of my tongue.
What kind of crazy bitch was she supposed to be…….
Ignoring the flashing system window that flickered in my vision whenever the carriage shook, I reopened the [Chat] board from earlier.
Those self-proclaimed “veterans” here probably knew something. I immediately scribbled out a new post.
☆☆☆
[Question] Newbie) Need info on 「 Elara von Heim 」. Urgent.
Author:
Hey, you guys said you’d answer if I asked, so I’m asking.
She finally appeared as my first target.
What kind of type is this woman?
If there are any strategy tips or warnings, just give me one line each.
I don’t want to die.
[5 Comments]
WhiteMage: LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL you stepped on a landmine right from stage one lololololol. Here’s a tip. Don’t act “vaguely” in front of her.
KangkangRobot2nd: hi. She likes coloring games.
BlondBigBoobsDaisuki: Face of an angel, actions of a devil. Literally.
AnywayTheLegalWifeIsOne: She’s the mad dog of the Heim family. A patient with extreme black-and-white thinking. If you look even slightly gray to her, she’ll paint you black without hesitation and tear you to pieces.
KimSilsil: Hey rookie bastard, listen carefully. That bitch divides all humans into only “good” and “evil.” The problem is, her standards change every day.
☆☆☆
After skimming through the comments, I roughly got the picture.
……What was something like this called in medical terminology again?
With my shallow knowledge…… was it borderline personality disorder or something?
KimSilsil: For reference, you’re the first user to attempt counseling her. But according to the setting, at least 13 teachers before you already “died” trying lol
“ ……13 people? ”
The moment I saw that last comment, chills ran down my spine.
Extreme black-and-white logic.
Ambiguous “gray” was labeled “black” and ripped apart.
Inside her twisted standards, I had to be classified as “good,” in other words “white,” to survive.
‘ Starting off this hardcore from the beginning……. ’
That was when it happened.
Screeeech—!
With the wheels screaming, the carriage came to a stop.
Outside the window stood an oppressively massive and gloomy mansion.
The lair where the first villainess, 「 Elara von Heim 」, awaited.
“ Damn it. ”
I wiped my sweat-soaked palms against my pants and stepped down from the carriage.
Had I come here for “counseling,” or to become the next “sacrifice” after those thirteen?
With a shitty feeling, I looked up at the mansion.
“ ……Calling it ‘big’ isn’t enough. ”
An overwhelming fortress that completely filled my vision.
Above the main gate was a carving that looked like the family crest.
The shape of a bizarre fairy.
「 Von Heim. 」
I wasn’t exactly knowledgeable about this world’s lore, but the name somehow reminded me of “spirits.”
Passing by the eerie fountain water, I stood before the tightly shut massive gate.
“ ……Is there at least a bell I should ring? ”
Before my muttering could even scatter into the gloomy air—
Creeeeak—
Along with a grinding sound that scraped against the bones, the massive gate slowly opened inward like the jaws of a beast parting open.
What appeared through the gap was an old butler as gaunt and pale as a corpse that had just crawled out of a coffin.
His ash-gray eyes, devoid of emotion like a wax doll’s, slowly scanned me from top to bottom.
A numb gaze, as if inspecting newly stocked inventory in a warehouse.
“ Who are you? ”
“ Ah, um…… My name is ‘Aris Mardia.’ I came regarding the mansion owner’s counseling……. ”
“ Ah. So you are the ‘Counseling Teacher.’ ”
His voice sounded like dry firewood snapping apart.
Without realizing it, I swallowed hard.
The butler turned his head like a pendulum to check the grandfather clock in the darkness of the hallway, then fixed his gray eyes back on me.
“ You are exactly 3 minutes and 28 seconds late from the scheduled time. ”
“ ……. ”
“ My lady despises ‘ambiguous’ concepts of time. Not 3 minutes. Not 4 minutes. Exactly ‘3 minutes and 28 seconds.’ It would be wise for you to remember that. ”
He especially emphasized and spat out the word “ambiguous.”
The warnings from the gallery were becoming cold reality and slapping me across the face.
“ ……Come in. ”
The butler turned first into the pitch-black entrance where not a single ray of light existed.
“ ……That is, if you do not wish to lose your way forever inside this mansion. ”
“ Y-Yes……. ”
Forcing my stiffened legs to move through the tension, I followed behind the old butler.
His skinny back looked pitiful enough to snap at any moment, yet there was not the slightest error in his footsteps.
That machine-like silence only intensified the fear.
Ding.
Opening the gallery window with the desperation of someone grasping at straws, I saw comment notifications exploding like crazy.
KangkangRobot2nd: ???? This bastard’s still alive? Wait, did you meet the old man butler?
BlondBigBoobsDaisuki: Hey, if you met the butler, you’re fucked. That means the “evil deed” trigger already happened! You’re about to witness something brutal......
BlondBigBoobsDaisuki: You’ll understand what I meant. “Face of an angel, actions of a devil.” Exactly that. Fuck, remember it well.
Just reading the text made my fingertips tremble.
Face of an angel, actions of a devil……. What the hell did that mean?
“ Please wait here for a moment……. ”
“ Ah, yes……. ”
The butler carefully walked toward the enormous door.
That gigantic door, as if it served some tyrant. Wearing white gloves, the old butler gave a dry knock.
Knock knock.
The sound echoed through the hallway, breaking the silence.
The atmosphere sank into an even eerier gloom.
“ ……May I enter? ”
After saying that, the old butler slowly pushed the door wide open.
And then……
— S-Sorry……! P-Please spare my life at least……! Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!
“ ……! ”
W-What the hell……?!
A horrifying death scream burst out from inside the room.
I froze on the spot, while the old butler calmly stepped aside as though nothing had happened and gestured toward the room with his arm.
“ ……Please enter. ”
“ ……. ”
My mouth dried up like a desert.
‘ Fuck. It’s a trap. ’
……But the gaze of that jiangshi-like butler was urging me to “go in.” If I ran away here—
— AnywayTheLegalWifeIsOne: If you look even slightly gray to her... she’ll tear you apart.
The warning flashed through my mind. Running away would obviously be judged as “gray” too.
I had no choices.
Forcing myself to swallow my dry saliva, I took my first step into the jaws of hell.
And then, I saw her.
……The spacious room was strangely peaceful.
There was no sea of blood or torture devices like I had expected.
Instead, dazzling sunlight poured in through the giant windows, filling the room with holy golden light.
Only the fragrant scent of black tea and sweet roses drifted gently through the air.
And in the center of that sunlight, sitting elegantly in a velvet armchair by the window, was a young girl.
「 Elara von Heim 」.
I realized the gallery bastard’s words about her having the “face of an angel” weren’t exaggerated in the slightest.
Radiant silver hair, sapphire-like eyes without a single shadow in them, features sculpted as if by a god.
She was so perfectly beautiful that it felt grotesque in a room still echoing with screams.
“ ……? ”
But that angel held not a bible in her hand, but a pure white silk handkerchief.
And with that handkerchief…… she was wiping down a sharp and ornate dagger.
Even humming a little tune, she carefully polished the dagger as if lovingly shining precious silverware.
The pure white silk cloth absorbed the dark crimson blood smeared on the blade and became dyed in a horrifying color.
Then Elara naturally raised her head from her book and met my eyes.
A pure and innocent smile bloomed on her angelic face.
“ Oh my, are you the counseling teacher? Hello. ”
“ ……. ”
Holding a bloodstained weapon she had just used to stab someone, she greeted me far too kindly.
Within the fragrance of tea filling the room, the fishy scent of iron mixed in disgustingly and pierced my nose.
“ Ah, did you…… hear that sound just now? ”
Elara slightly furrowed her brows as if troubled.
“ It’s the sound of ‘evil’ being purified. I really like listening to it. ”
With the blood-soaked dagger, she pointed toward one corner of the room, near the fireplace.
There lay “something” that appeared to have been a servant until moments ago.
Perhaps the scream earlier had been its last movement, because it no longer twitched at all, while shattered teacup pieces were scattered all around it.
Elara pouted her lips as though saddened.
“ Haha, that? Well, you see, they brought the tea ‘lukewarm.’ Neither hot nor cold……. ”
Her voice suddenly became as cold as subzero weather.
“ You understand too, right, Teacher? ‘Gray’ is just ‘black’ after all, isn’t it? Hehe. ”
She tossed the bloodstained handkerchief onto the floor like trash, then slowly rose and approached me.
“ So I turned it into a very clear ‘red.’ ”
“ ……. ”
My heart felt like it was about to leap out of my throat.
One wrong word and my life would end right here.
“ Anyway…… I think my mental state has been rather depressed lately. So I thought I’d try one of those mental counseling things…… people do these days? Something like that. ”
Elara let out a low laugh.
At the same time, she gazed up at me with sleepy eyes.
“ ……Counseling Teacher, you’ll have to stay here with me until my heart is ‘completely cured.’ You understand, right? ”
“ Haha…… Ah, ah yes…… of course. ”
“ ……Of course? ”
The pure smile she had moments ago vanished from her face as though someone had switched off the power.
‘ Ah crap. ’
I realized my answer had been “ambiguous.”
Only a horrifying expressionless face remained.
Those sapphire eyes that had once seemed radiant with sunlight now sank dark as the deep sea, as if trying to judge the color of my soul.
Step—
Holding the bloodstained dagger loosely at her side, Elara took one step closer toward me.
The disgusting smell of blood crushed beneath it the pleasant fragrance of roses and tea.
She stopped right in front of me.
Up close, she was smaller than I’d expected, but the pressure radiating from her couldn’t even be compared to that old butler earlier.
Elara’s cold fingers reached out and lightly played with my necktie.
That tiny touch made every hair on my body stand up.
“ Teacher. ”
The whisper brushing against my ear was gentle, yet carried the damp terror of a venomous snake licking my cheek with its tongue.
“ ……Are you trembling right now? ”
Damn it. Even if I wanted to stop, my jaw kept shaking on its own.
My heart was pounding violently enough to shatter my ribcage. Her cool fingers traced up my tie and lightly brushed the back of my neck.
“ Why did you answer so ‘ambiguously’? ”
“ ……. ”
“ That ‘of course’ just now…… was it ‘good’? ”
Elara tilted her head innocently.
As she moved, a droplet of blood gathered at the tip of the dagger in her hand and fell onto the pure white carpet with a soft plop, blooming into a crimson flower.
“ Or was it merely a lie because you didn’t want to stay here, no…… an attempt to hide ‘evil’…… making it ‘gray’? ”
The gallery bastards’ warnings struck my mind.
— WhiteMage: Don’t act “ambiguously” in front of her.
— AnywayTheLegalWifeIsOne: If you look even slightly gray to her, she’ll paint you black without hesitation and tear you to pieces.
This was a test.
The first test with my life on the line had begun.