As is often the case with everything in life.
The shitty events I went through always started with something “small and trivial”.
It all began with a game.
After finishing my usual tedious routine, I sat on my hospital bed just as I always did and started browsing a game store on my laptop. In a hospital where entertainment was virtually nonexistent, that was my only source of fun.
Ding―!
And that day, something changed.
As usual, I visited the site and a notification sound greeted me. In the gift box section, the number “1” was prominently displayed.
…What—? A game?
Someone… an anonymous sender had gifted me a game.
I knew that this site allowed users to send game gifts even to people who weren’t on their friend list. I had heard stories about users finding someone’s ID through game review comments just to dump trash games on them.
Who the hell sent me a game? I barely even leave comments.
Curious, I clicked on the store link for the gifted game.
What greeted me was a short message.
[This content has been deleted due to reported violations.]
“…….”
A notice from the site stating that the game had been taken down due to reports.
To be honest, it gave me a really bad feeling. Did it have a virus or something?
I tried clicking on the sender’s ID, but all I got was a message saying it was an invalid account. Either they had deleted their account or the system had removed it.
Only then did I turn back to the gifted game and take a good look at it.
A game with no title, no banner. It was completely colorless and featureless.
Looking at it again, a reasonable suspicion crept into my mind. Did this person send it just to mess with me?
I stared at the game, locked in a silent standoff for several minutes, debating what to do.
…Screw it, I might as well install it.
In the end, curiosity won over reason.
Rather than worrying about regretting it later, my priority was getting rid of the boredom that came with hospital life.
And so, I opened the gift while unsure whether it was a trash game or a virus-filled mess.
I installed the game and finally launched the program.
And what I saw took me completely by surprise.
…Huh? The illustration quality is actually pretty high.
The characters were so beautifully designed that they completely shattered my expectation of this being just another low-quality trash game.
Even in-game, the title of the game remained unknown, but it was more than enough to pique my interest.
Hmm, is this… a visual novel?
That didn’t seem quite right, though. There were more female characters in the playable character list.
The setting evoked a medieval fantasy world, and the story took place within the academy, which was an educational institution at the heart of the game.
After carefully reading through the character introductions and contemplating my choice, I finally selected one and began playing.
At last, I reached what seemed to be the tutorial’s introduction, and with growing anticipation, I dived into the game.
.
.
.
.
.
[GAME OVER]
[‘Ren Aizel’ has died.]
[Cause of death: Burning to Death]
[Would you like to revive her?] [YES / NO]
“…….”
I take that back.
This game is trash.
To be precise, it was an absurdly well-crafted trash game.
How many times had I died in the tutorial alone? When the hell was I supposed to even get to the academy?
The quality is unnecessarily high, too.
I had played for what felt like three hours, yet I still couldn’t break through the tutorial.
At first, I thought it was just a simple simulation game where all I had to do was pick the right choices.
The problem was that even in the tutorial, there were already dozens of choices, each branching into countless possibilities.
And the combat was ridiculously complicated on top of that.
Out of all the turn-based games I had ever played, this was without a doubt the most complicated.
There were already way too many things to keep track of during battle, and the mechanics themselves were an absolute mess.
Simply put, this game was not made for someone like me who sucked at strategic thinking.
[ GAME OV— ]
“Ah, fu*k.”
As I cursed in frustration, my character died yet again.
It wasn’t even funny at this point. Every choice I made led straight to death. Like some fragile ocean sunfish.
I had been stuck in this endless loop for well over four hours now.
The sun had already set, and the only source of light in the empty hospital room was the glow of my monitor.
Should I just quit?
Honestly, the game’s quality was impressive, but the difficulty was way too high for me.
It seemed fun, sure, but if the tutorial was this brutal, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how crazy the actual game would be.
I sighed and stared blankly at the screen where the image of my dead character Ren Aizel came into view once again.
…Seriously, the art is unnecessarily good. Shit. Did they really have to make the corpse this detailed? At least slap a gore warning on it or something…
The tutorial took place in the past before the playable character had entered the academy.
The girl I had chosen, Ren Aizel, had started out with an illustration that made her look young and innocent.
Which was why seeing her lifeless body on the game over screen left a sour taste in my mouth.
Especially since she had burned to death.
The sight of the girl’s body, twisted in agony as flames consumed her, made my barely eaten dinner crawl back up my throat.
Did they really need to go this far? The developer’s malice was practically seeping through the screen.
As if her death was predetermined and completely unavoidable, no matter what I did.
[Would you like to revive her?]
[YES / NO]
A choice popped up before me once again.
For some reason, the question irritated me.
It almost felt like the game was mocking me, laughing at me for even thinking I could change anything.
I hesitated.
“……”
My mouse cursor, which had been moving toward NO, suddenly stopped.
My gaze drifted back to the lifeless girl on the screen.
A character whose every path led to death.
A story where the only goal was to delay that inevitable fate by making slightly better choices.
It was just a foolish delusion, but I couldn’t help but see a reflection of myself in her. A patient waiting for the end in a hospital room.
…God, what am I even doing? I’m a grown adult, and here I am getting attached to a damn game.
.
.
.
Click.
I clicked YES with a bitter smile on my face.
And just like that, my “small and trivial” choice crossed the starting line.
Completely unaware of the absolute shitshow that awaited me at the end.
***
I broke out of my long, lingering thoughts and opened my eyes.
Living in a body that never truly rested, I had grown used to moments like this…..brief periods of shut-eye that served as my only form of respite.
Perhaps that was also why I found myself reminiscing about the past and dwelling on things long beyond my control.
As soon as my eyes opened, my sunken consciousness rose to the surface as well.
And with it, the muffled sounds around me sharpened into clarity.
Clatter—!
The low, steady hum of the carriage I was riding in.
With the advancement of magical engineering, even carriages that were once relics of the medieval era had been refined to produce such a smooth, mechanical sound.
The seating was just as impressive. They even reminded me of the cars from my past life.
If it moves without horses, isn’t it basically just a car?
Of course, this wasn’t an ordinary carriage.
It was ridiculously expensive. Something only a marquis or someone of higher rank might even consider owning as a personal vehicle.
Most people still relied on traditional horse-drawn carriages.
Which was why, as mine passed through the streets, the reactions from the imperial citizens were only natural.
…Peaceful as ever, huh.
The empire was at peace today, as always.
“Here~! Fresh Chieria herbs just arrived from the northern Haurun! Only ten silver coins! Come and get them!”
“Miss, how about a dress like this? It’s the trend among nobles these days!”
“Weapons straight from Illun Workshop! Fresh off the forge! If you want one, get in line!!”
Bustling with merchants, adventurers, and even members of various other races, the imperial marketplace was always lively.
Discrimination against other races was a thing of the past. These days, relations were fairly friendly.
…Except when it came to demons.
This was the Leonherit Empire.
The great empire was founded after the first hero defeated the first Demon King.
Boasting a history of over a thousand years, the empire was praised as the driving force behind the current peace.
If this were a game, the favorability of the imperial citizens would probably be displayed as maxed out by now.
…Except for me.
“Haa…”
“Disgusting. Could you keep your mouth shut?”
As I sighed reflexively at the thought of my own situation, a sharp voice immediately cut in harshly.
I lifted my eyes from the ground and looked ahead, only to be met by a pair of piercing blue eyes that glared at me coldly.
Her dazzling blond hair that reached down to her chin drew my attention. She was a beauty with sharp eyes and unique features.
And yet, despite her beauty, the way she glared at me with pure hatred… well, it didn’t exactly feel ba—
“What are you staring at?”
“……”
Swish—
Once again, my eyes dropped downward.
Yeah… it really doesn’t feel good.
It felt like just yesterday that I used to call her “big sister” and travel alongside her as adventurers.
Now, we were so distant that “sworn enemies” wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
…Well, this is the price I have to pay.
I had prepared myself for this, but that didn’t make the pain any easier to bear.
Clink.
Something caught my eye as I stared downward.
A restraint, exuding a rigid and chilling aura.
Even at a glance, the magic circuits etched into it made it clear that this was no ordinary shackle. It was a magical artifact.
And it was no doubt a significant reason for the hatred burning in her eyes.
Elmasiel’s Restraints.
The Ninth Circle Archmage Elmasiel had created this magical artifact in collaboration with the Magic Tower Masters.
It was an artifact sworn to the Emperor and presented as a symbol of his power.
Anyone bound by it, whether it be an Eighth Circle mage or a master aura user, would be reduced to nothing more than an ordinary civilian.
If there was ever a cheat-like artifact in this world, this was it.
At this point, doesn’t it surpass the realm of magical tools…?
This shackle was reserved for punishing high treason criminals who had inflicted massive harm upon the empire.
Only the most heinous criminals, the so-called Tier 0 offenders of the continent, were ever subjected to it.
And every single person who had worn it had been locked away deep within the imperial prison, never to see the light of day again.
So then… what did that make me, someone who was now bound by this invaluable restraint?
I guess I’ve succeeded as a criminal.
It was an accomplishment I couldn’t take any pride in. But I didn’t regret it, either.
The crime that had earned me these shackles? Attempted regicide.
I had tried to kill the Emperor. The very symbol of an Empire boasting a thousand years of history.
Even though I had ultimately failed, no crime could be heavier than that.
Honestly, the fact that I wasn’t already executed was baffling.
…I should have finished the job back then.
What I regretted wasn’t my actions, but my hesitation.
Once I had made up my mind, I should have seen it through to the end.
But in that fleeting moment of doubt, I had chosen another path.
If this were a game, I would have already been greeted with a [GAME OVER] screen.
I’m not the protagonist, after all.
I wasn’t even an extra in this world.
And so, I would struggle to the bitter end…..because in this wretched, ruined world, that was the only way to survive.
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