Chapter 2

After a short consideration, I clicked on the screen and the monitor became bright.

The magnificent mansion I saw in the home page of the game showed off an even more opulent splendor in the light of the sun. It had pristine white walls that had no faded parts, exquisitely sculpted marble statues in the likeness of gods, and pillars that had harmoniously blended curved lines and straight edges. There was also a large, well-landscaped garden that would make you wonder if you can see the end of it even if you walk across it the entire day.

In Korea, where people couldn’t live in their own houses even if they saved up their salaries and overtime pays for their entire lives, the scale of this mansion was unimaginable to any new recruit who just got a job in a small-to-medium sized company.

“Ha, I don’t want to live in a place like this…”

While looking around my own studio apartment and feeling depressed, character introductions and expository lines began to appear on the screen one after another.

★ Leticia: Hey, Hilda! Hilda! Hurry and wake up!

Leticia. She immigrated from another country and she’s a faithful servant of the Pfalzgraf household. No such word as ‘betrayal’ existed in her dictionary when it came to the Pfalzgrafs.

★ Leticia: Hilda! You’re going back to sleep again! Wake up and bring Young Master Adrian his medicine!

★ Hilda: I’m already awake.

Hilda. Abandoned on the streets and naturally becoming an orphan, she was saved by a priest and sent to the Pfalzgraf family as a servant.

★ Leticia: Hilda, medicine!

★ Hilda: Yes, yes. Older sis Catarina already went.

★ Leticia: Don’t even think about passing off your duties to Catarina and just go right now! Goodness, our Young Master Adrian… I feel so sorry for him. His disease won’t even allow him to go outside that much and he’d have to take medicine for the rest of his life. No matter how chaotic the outside world is nowadays, it’s still such a pity that he can’t be free like his peers.

★ Hilda: What do you mean, chaotic?

★ Leticia: Didn’t you hear what happened? There’s someone walking around with a knife so blatantly. There’s even rumors that someone was actually stabbed. But why haven’t you gone to Young Master Adrian? Hurry and get up! Can’t you just get up and go?!

★ Hilda: Owww. I’ll take it to him already. I’m going, I’m going!

As Hilda grumbled, the screen showed a hallway—at the end of it was a large door. It was bright, yet somewhat eerie. With two raps on the door, Hilda’s dialogue came up again.

★ Hilda: Young Master, I’ve brought your medicine.

★ ???: Come in.

Creeeak. With a sound that did not match the elegant and expensive mansion, Adrian finally made his appearance. As the count’s successor, he was the main character of the game with the role of a weak young master and the hidden identity of Satan. He was about twenty years old.

Compared to his bloody appearance in the introduction, he smiled softly now, his impression completely different.

★ Hilda: How are you today, Young Master?

★ Adrian: The sun is a bit too bright on my eyes.

★ Hilda: I shall close the curtains for you.

★ Adrian: You don’t have to. Leave the medicine on the table. Thank you.

★ Hilda: No need for thanks, Young Master. Please get well soon. Miss Leticia is very worried about you. Of course, I as well.

Adrian currently suffered from numerous chronic diseases apart from his asthma. It wasn’t possible to relieve his pain, let alone heal him with the undeveloped medical practices of this era.

Even though she knew that his illness was something that could not be healed, Hilda sincerely wished for his recovery. At this, Adrian smiled softly.

He was a character inside a game, but he looked so beautiful that you could practically see the glow of a halo over his head. He looked so pure and innocent that one would never imagine he was a murderer.

★ Adrian: Thank you. You may leave now.

★ Hilda: Yes, Young Master. Please rest comfortably.

Creeeak. The moment Hilda left, his angel-like smile vanished. As he walked in front of the table with an expressionless face, he held the medicine pouch and glanced out the window.

★ Adrian: Huu… It’s not easy to move when there’s a lot of eyes around.

★ Adrian: But it’s alright. This way, I won’t be suspected of being able to kill someone with this body.

He looked dissatisfied with his frail body, but he still seemed to like the benefits that it came with. Considering that the count’s estate was enormous, there were many eyes watching him. It was impossible for Adrian to kill anyone when there were so many who were focused on nursing him.

“This game’s difficulty is called ‘hell’ for a reason. That’s why it was a flop.”

Several people needed to be killed, but it took a long time to kill even one.

Perhaps at this rate, Satan would grow old and die of age in the body of Adrian that he possessed… With that thought, I sat back on my chair and controlled Adrian’s actions in the game.

After clicking around insincerely, I pulled up the scenario outline on the game’s wiki page on my other screen to read the strategy guide. Then, I looked back at the game with drowsy eyes.

Returning after a failed murder attempt, Adrian stood still, deep in thought. I turned the perspective screen around and zoomed in to see his face.

“Well… Aren’t you handsome.”

I didn’t know if it’s because I’m just plain drunk or if it’s because of the character design, but I couldn’t help but admire his face while looking at it. And I had to admit what was obvious. He had dark, angular eyebrows, neat features, moderately reddish lips, and slanted eyes. He even looked gentle as he smiled.

“I should sleep now. I have to go to work tomorrow…”

I urged myself to rise to my feet so I could wash up and go to bed, but my body inadvertently felt like heavily soaked cotton, unable to move and stuck on the chair. And somehow, even if Adrian was drawn to look as though he was looking back straightforwardly through the screen, it felt like I was having eye contact with a real, living being.

I guess… I drank too much…

All of a sudden, I became dizzy as the world around me spun. Regardless of my will, my eyes drew shut like heavy iron and I fell asleep right then.

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