In the popularity polls held in her previous life, the heroine, Lucia, had always occupied the top spot by a landslide.
There was no other reason than that, as the game's protagonist, Lucia was simply written to be exceptionally likable.
In her daily life, she was cheerful, sunny, kind, bursting with energy, and even possessed high emotional intelligence. The entire first chapter of the game presented her as a pink-haired golden retriever type. Players watched her gradually resolve the internal struggles of various characters in the academy, caring little even if she got hurt herself, to the point where they bestowed upon her the title of "Saint Lucia."
If she had remained so perfect all along, she would have been nothing more than another standard straight-girl magnet.
The moment her characterization truly reached legendary status came during the transition between Chapters One and Two—specifically, after the banquet attack event orchestrated by Roseliel.
Following this incident, an overly guilt-ridden Lucia began to reveal a gloomy side. Her behavior became somewhat extreme, occasionally veering into hysteria, even contributing iconic classic scenes like the pink-haired girl pounding the floor while crying and sobbing, "I really am such an idiot!"
That subtle sense of brokenness genuinely delighted the players beyond measure.
The bonds accumulated in Chapter One would then come into play; encouraged by her numerous friends, Lucia finally emerged from the gloom and walked toward the light once more.
The slight scheme-happy, dark traits exposed during her gloomy phase made her characterization all the more vivid and lively. Furthermore, this trait persisted into the future, making certain events exceedingly entertaining.
And right now, Roseliel was experiencing this firsthand with profound clarity.
For instance, Lucia's glare piercing through her blunt bangs, looking as if she were staring at absolute filth... honestly, it was quite hurtful.
"Miss Lucia, could you please explain yourself properly?" Roseliel forced out a smile and spoke to Lucia.
Lucia pointed at the collar on the ground, using a tone as casual as if describing today's weather. "This is an item from your Snake Cult. Does it really need an explanation from me?"
"I'll say it again: I have no direct relationship with the Snake Cult. I swore an oath before the Goddess. If you don't believe me, I can happily swear it again right in front of your face."
"Hmph, a day will come when you can no longer hide it." Lucia turned her face away with disdain, entirely disbelieving those words, her proud ponytail whipping out a pretty arc with the movement.
"This thing," she pointed to the collar on the floor, "is an item confiscated by the church from slain Snake Cultists. They use it to control disobedient servants."
Lucia then raised her arm and gave it a light shake. Only then did Roseliel notice that Lucia was wearing a bracelet that emitted a faint green glow, made of a material resembling the jade from her previous life.
"It forms a pair with this bracelet. If I notice anything suspicious about you, I can use this bracelet at any moment to tighten that collar, cutting off your breathing and disrupting the flow of mana inside your body."
For the first time, she showed a smile to Roseliel, but that smile had not the slightest connection to "goodwill"; it was more akin to the sinister sneer of someone whose scheme had succeeded.
Roseliel's eyes twitched slightly. Could such an item really be used so carelessly? Didn't black magic and black magic artifacts carry severe side effects?
This woman was absolutely crazy! She needed to find her original companions, just like in the game, to cure her!
As she thought up to this point, Roseliel suddenly realized a problem.
According to the original plot's progression, Lucia should be utterly despondent at this moment. She ought to believe she had failed severely in her duty as a Saintess candidate by being unable to protect even her friends. Then, the character with the highest affection built up in Chapter One would come to comfort her, triggering a special CG event.
Yet current Lucia didn't look despondent in the slightest!
"Compared to the pain of the people you killed, this is nothing, right? If you truly have a clear conscience, put it on already!" Lucia's sharp reprimand sounded in her ears once more.
Roseliel understood.
In the original story, the reason Lucia had fallen into despondency was over-gulfing self-blame. She believed that her early neglect and leniency toward Roseliel had led to the ultimate tragic outcome.
And since Roseliel had died at the hands of the Snake Cultists, Lucia had nowhere to vent her fury. It could only build up in her heart, eventually causing her emotions to spiral out of control.
Now that she hadn't died, all of Lucia's hatred had a clear target—and Roseliel had stupidly gone and sauntered right in front of her.
It was glaringly obvious where that rage would be vented.
This wasn't fair at all!
She had originally planned to take advantage of the despondent Saintess, transforming into a gentle older sister to comfort her, lead her out of the shadows, and ultimately recruit her as a capable right-hand woman under her command!
Who could have known that instead of finding a gloomy puppy, she would run headfirst into a furious wolf!
As matters stood, did she have the right to refuse?
Not at all!
She had no doubt that before she could even finish saying the word "no," Lucia would apprehend her and throw her into the Holy See's dungeon.
Right now, she had merely suppressed the Holy See's suspicions temporarily to gain an opportunity for free movement.
Since the original host had actually committed those acts, evidence was plentiful. If she didn't intervene at all and let the Holy See investigate independently, she could basically check the calendar, pick a good day for a funeral, and go die.
As for the option of using the wraith she summoned last night to fight Lucia to the death...
Suffice it to say that for a grand Saintess candidate, a wraith or whatever was probably less effective than a speed bump.
At least a speed bump actually slowed a car down.
"Are you sure you want to use this thing?"
After a long silence, Roseliel finally spoke.
"Do you think you're in any position to bargain?"
"I'm not bargaining." Roseliel raised her head, a level of composure beyond Lucia's imagination on her face. "I am reminding you. Once I put this on, my life will be in your hands. You can tighten it at any moment, stopping my breath and preventing me from using my abilities."
"However, you had better think this through clearly. Are you truly prepared to shoulder this responsibility, or do you just want to get the upper hand on me to save face?"
Lucia's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"
"First, no matter how infamous I am, until the King officially issues an order, I remain an undeniable noble. I know the Holy See and the nobility have always been at odds, viewing us as corrupt vermin, but that is no excuse for you to publicly humiliate me."
"Second, I have not been officially branded a criminal by the Holy See; I am a suspect at most. Even from the Holy See's perspective, you have no justification to force this on me."
"...You're right." To Roseliel's surprise, Lucia actually agreed with her statement.
However, just as Roseliel thought there was room for negotiation, Lucia suddenly pivoted.
"So, what if I say that I simply want to target you?"
"In the academy, have I received any small share of Miss Rosenwal's 'special treatment'? May I ask what wrong I committed? What crime was I convicted of?"
"..."
Even Roseliel was rendered speechless at this moment.
Dammit, once again, the predecessor chopped down the tree, and the successor suffered the consequences.
"Fine, okay." Roseliel abandoned her resistance, but she still needed to secure one last safeguard. "You want me to wear this thing? Fine. But I have two conditions. First, I wear it only during the investigation. Once the investigation ends, regardless of the outcome, you take it off. Second, if you use it to threaten me into doing things unrelated to the investigation, even if it costs me my life, I'll drag you down with me first."
"Are you setting conditions with me?" Lucia's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yes," Roseliel said. "Or rather, I would prefer to call it a trade."
Lucia did not answer immediately. She looked down at the collar on the ground, then raised her head to look at Roseliel.
In those amber eyes was scrutiny, as well as surprise.
Ultimately, Lucia bent down and picked up the collar from the ground. Instead of handing it to Roseliel, she held it in her hand, looking down at the clasp.
"I agree."
"All right." Roseliel turned around stylishly on the spot, her skirt sweeping out a circle before she naturally lifted the hair off the back of her neck.
"Come on then. This young lady grants you the privilege of putting it on me."
Her words sounded incomparably natural, even carrying a touch of arrogance, as if what Lucia was about to put on her wasn't a collar, but some extravagant necklace.
Lucia was startled for a moment, but she stepped forward nonetheless and wrapped the collar around her neck.
Her hands were steady. Aligning the clasp with the slot, she pressed it down; with a soft click, the collar buckled tight.
"Done," she said.
Hearing this, Roseliel let down her hair, turned back around, raised her head, and looked at Lucia.
An extra ring of black leather now adorned her neck, making her porcelain-white face stand out even more.
Her expression was serene—devoid of humiliation, tears, or any sign of meek compromise.
She tilted her head up slightly, deliberately displaying the collar around her neck, and took half a step forward, closing the distance between her and Lucia.
"Does it look good?" She tilted her head slightly, provoking Lucia with her gaze.
Lucia looked at the collar around her neck, her lips twitching as if she wanted to say something, but swallowed it back down. She turned around, took two steps toward the door, stopped, and did not turn back.
"During the investigation, stay close to me. Don't leave my sight."
"Got it," Roseliel said. "You too—don't get too far from me. Otherwise, if something happens, be careful that you won't be able to tighten it in time."
Lucia's shoulders stiffened for a moment. She didn't respond, pushed the door open, and walked out.
Rate on N.U.
