Chapter 1: The Dream Everyone Has Once

Everyone has dreamed of it at least once. What if you got sucked into a game?

You could become the protagonist, sweeping away enemies with overwhelming power, or join as a companion and live a life of luxury. The possibilities are endless. And that's not all. With your game knowledge, you could strike it rich as a merchant, become a lord, or even rise to emperor.

That's why I was confident. Even if I possessed some random village NPC or extra soldier A, it had to be better than this reality. No matter what I ended up as, I knew I could survive.

...But.

"Adrian Rothschild de Repelheit, from this day forward, I strip you of all rights and privileges as a member of the Repelheit family."

The audience chamber filled with a soft yet unyielding resonance. A girl unfurled a long parchment and recited my punishment. And I just stood there, dumbstruck, listening.

"From now on, you will be erased entirely from the long history of Repelheit. The outside world will learn of this in three days. Those three days are your final grace period."

That meant: You're excommunicated. No more family honors or benefits—fend for yourself. We won't coddle a stain on the family name. We don't want to see your face, so get out.

That part was fine. At least they were letting me live. But I knew the moment I left this place, I'd die.

Why? Because this was exactly the prologue cutscene event from the game I used to play—word for word.

The instant I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling, I knew instinctively. This wasn't a dream. This was the real game world. I'd woken up inside the game, just as I'd always wanted.

But the character I'd possessed, this "Adrian Rothschild de Repelheit"... was the guy who kicks the bucket in the cutscene before the main story of Act 1, Chapter 1 even begins.

Not even an exit—he just dies. For a ridiculously grand reason, too: to serve as fodder for the title heroine's "convictions."

What? You die for that?

For real?

It wasn't incomprehensible. This "title heroine" was a pretty complex character. Obsessed with righteousness, she tolerated no corruption or decay. But that very conviction trapped her, turning her into a tragic figure.

Of course she'd need a trigger to shape that personality. The problem was that the trigger happened to be me.

Hah.

The cutscene lasted five minutes total. About a minute had passed, so I had exactly four minutes and four seconds until death.

Fuck.

I glanced around. No way in hell was I dying per the story. Since I'd possessed this body, I was going to enjoy this world to the fullest.

I had to survive.

Salenium Saga. Full name: Salenium Saga Revolution. It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was the game of my life.

An RPG set in the fictional Salenium Academy. Packed with unbeatable otaku bait, it swept the industry ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as a smash hit.

My playtime? A whopping 10,000 hours. I'd cleared every story, all endings, affection-based events, branching paths, and triggers. I owned the official anthologies and art books, pored over every detail, and collected every limited-edition figure.

That's why I was so confident I'd thrive in Salenium Saga no matter who I possessed as.

...But.

Fuck, for real.

I never imagined this. I'd possessed someone whose survival wasn't even allowed.

Basically, I'd ended up in a "non-character data scrap."

Adrian Rothschild de Repelheit, eldest son of the empire's Repelheit marquisate, was a loser thoroughly crushed in the family succession battle.

Not that he'd lost fairly, of course. Like all such characters, he'd abused the family name with every vice imaginable until the marquis cast him out.

Not content with banishment, he gets stabbed by an unknown assailant right after leaving. Turns out, post-capture, it was the last survivor of a thieves' guild he'd exploited and abandoned.

In short: karmic payback.

"Furthermore, the new sub-marquess shall be Ebnis. Let it be known."

"Lady Ebnis...?"

Words slipped out against my will. Looking up, my eyes met the girl standing defiantly with arms crossed beside the marquis.

The one who'd read the parchment declaring my fate now glared at me with burning eyes.

"Ebnis is nothing like you. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Talent, wisdom, character—she was born with it all."

"... "

Couldn't argue there. That girl was the game's title heroine—and Adrian's half-sister. Later, she even becomes the Repelheit marquis.

The game's "prologue" centered on her perspective, so this one probably did too. I was witnessing it from a third-person view.

With that script line, about two minutes left.

In the original cutscene, two minutes later, original Adrian turns in despair and exits the mansion. While walking the garden...

He's stabbed by the guy hiding in the bushes. Ebnis, watching from hiding, sees the body, clenches her fist—and the title screen appears, ending the prologue.

What a cheerful game, starting with someone's death.

I rolled my eyes quietly. Think. Is there a way?

"...Your Excellency, Marquis of Repelheit."

"... "

"This is my final request."

I hadn't planned to say that, but my speech corrected itself automatically. Noble conditioning, maybe?

"Until I leave this place, could you assign me even one escort knight...? No, just one would do."

The marquis's response was firm.

"Knights of Repelheit swear loyalty only to Repelheit. Are you Repelheit?"

That hit me. The marquis didn't care if Adrian died or not.

The "Repelheit Marquis" was a cold-blooded bastard in the game too.

No help from escort knights, then...

Honestly, I was stumped. I knew zilch about Adrian beyond a few past thug stories from the art books or mentions. He was just cutscene fodder—no skills listed.

Hell, I needed something to prepare. But with only a minute left...

"...Out. I can't stand the sight of you."

Original Adrian bolts at that. But I didn't move.

"...?"

I stood ramrod straight, staring down the marquis and Ebnis.

Why panic? With my game knowledge, I could crush even the emperor. I knew this world better than the in-game emperor.

The marquis and Ebnis looked at me with faint surprise.

...One minute until cutscene end.

And.

BAM! The marquis's face flushed red as he bellowed.

"Didn't I tell you to get out?!"

...Zero seconds.

Ding.

The moment my mental countdown hit zero.

"...!"

Time froze, vision blackened, and a white spark burst before my eyes.

"...What the hell is this?"

I stared blankly at the translucent window floating before me. It was familiar—the interface UI from Salenium Saga I'd seen a million times.

Impossible.

Hidden quest? Hidden character...?

Never heard of it. Cutscenes were pre-animated by devs between chapters, so Adrian was doomed to die no matter what—hundreds of playthroughs proved it.

But no time to scrutinize. Blink, and new windows appeared.

Whoosh. The blue windows vanished in a flash.

The still air resumed flowing.

"Planning to stand there forever?"

The marquis's cold voice. No more stalling.

"Then fare thee well."

I placed a hand on my shoulder and bowed lightly.

"...Father."

No dice. Expecting family warmth here was hopeless. But I caught Ebnis's surprised look and the marquis's twitching brow.

A servant handed me a trunk with a handle—wooden, all my belongings from the room.

"Everything from your quarters is inside."

"Well done."

The servant's eyes widened in surprise.

...

I turned and walked the corridor. Ornate candelabras, knight statues with swords, paintings by famous artists—then the grand door.

Gripping the trunk handle, I opened it...

"What."

Near the garden entrance, at the base of stone steps: knights clustered around a subdued black-hooded assailant.

Our eyes met.

"Th-that bastard... "

"Shut it!"

A knight slammed the thug's forehead into the ground, silencing his venom.

"...I see."

Got it. Adrian's death flag... was gone.

Unlike original Adrian, I hadn't bolted from the mansion. So ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the assassin meant for me got caught before we met.

...Wait, that's how it works?

By defying the cutscene, I'd changed the future.

I looked back. Far off, someone watched me. Our eyes met; she whipped her head away.

But I'd seen: poised to rush over, relief barely hidden.

In the prologue, her face was always despairing. This felt... strangely off.

Games or reality, she was so bad at hiding it.

"Whatever."

I turned back toward the garden.

Original Adrian died here. His death became Ebnis's trauma, fueling her obsession with purity and integrity.

But I survived. My survival changes everything.

Yeah, Ebnis. Live your life fiercely from now on.

Don't trap yourself in your convictions.

I'll just live it up sweet on my own.