Steel Roses, Maids, and a Villainess!

The sounds of my footsteps echo softly throughout the hallway as I approach the doors leading to my dining room. Despite the low light cast by the candles mounted on the walls, I can see perfectly. Far more than what I recall being able to see during my previous life. As I slow to a stop just beyond arms reach of the doors, the sound of footsteps does not cease. I turn to look to my right. Just in time to see a humanoid form pass me. They swiftly open the door. A low groan is what greets the two of us in response to their action. Followed by a light plume of dust in the air around the hinges of the doors. And at a few points along the edges of said doors. A clear sign of the disuse over the years. Which made sense. According to the memories of Veronica – alongside my memories of my previous life – this mansion likely hadn’t seen any use for well over twelve years minimum.

The humanoid who opened the doors is none other than one of my faithful attendants – Vanessa. She is known as a ‘Clockwork Doll’. Despite how much of her body is hidden by her maid uniform, the large, slowly rotating key protruding from the center of her back is what marks her as such. As one might guess from her appearance, she is the Maid model of Clockwork Dolls. Built with daily service and personal protection in mind for the nobility in the Nemunium Empire. However, they are seen as relics from the Age of Expansion in the early days of the empire. Yet… they are not considered inferior. In fact – they’re still viewed as highly lethal weapons of war. Since the Age of Expansion two thousand years ago, during the early days of the founding of the Nemunium Empire, they are still employed as the vanguard for all 75 legions of the Empire. If any were to call them outdated and useless relics – they’d be called an idiot by virtually every person in the room.

I should probably take a moment to explain that the mindset of the Nemunium Empire is heavily militaristic in nature. In so much that nothing is to ever be wasted. Everything has a use. Including its own citizenry. Regardless of status, age, gender, etc. Of course, that’s to be expected when this world has magic. Therefore, Clockwork Dolls are still widely used in the military and among the nobility. Despite their creation two thousand years ago. They are relics, yes, but they are not useless.

Oh, right, did I forget to mention that none of this is in the game? The setting of the game was medieval, yet this new reality is far, far, more sophisticated. My memories give me far too many contradictions to accurately gauge where things are now. For example, I have memories of guards at my families mansion in the capital carrying swords. Yet there are also memories of seeing flying airships – like blimps – from my bedroom window when I was younger. For now, I’ll just need to observe and take things as they come.

“Please enter, Lady Veronica.” Vanessa’s voice is distinctly feminine despite the attenuation from the hidden speaker built inside her. In response, I give a barely perceptible nod and walk slowly through the threshold.

The most dominant feature of the dining room is the overly long table in the center of the room. It can easily be host to nearly twenty people. Yet there are only three chairs. One at the end of the table and the other two situated to the immediate right of it. To my left are numerous paintings hung on the wall. Each one depicting a gruesome scene of a battle or another. Likely done in commemoration of ancient battles or victories by warriors long dead. To my right, there are four large windows. Each evenly spaced from one another. Allowing a view of the port city of Lashterel. Though the manor is too far to make out anything distinct save for the scattering of stone buildings. And the sea is just beyond. Of course, it’s nearly pitch-black outside. The only reason I can see them is likely due to the enhanced eyesight I possess due to being born an Elf.

It’s been almost three weeks since I’ve awoken in this world. Said world being the game I was playing shortly before my untimely death in my previous life. Though, to be more accurate, it’s been three days since I woke up. Because that’s when I managed to put together that I was in a game world. Therefore, one could argue that I’ve officially awoken three days ago. I know this probably doesn’t make sense. But the best I can explain is that I gained an… awareness, yes, an awareness of everything going on around me about three weeks ago. A lot of the memories didn’t quite make sense. As I had two sets, for lack of better phrasing, of memories. One set where I was a man and another set of memories where I’m a girl. Both seemed as if to be vying for control of my body and consciousness. It eventually came to a point that I just became convinced that I’m hallucinating. Then, three days ago, when my fever broke, everything began to make sense. Almost like all the puzzle pieces fit together and I finally sat back to see the whole picture. Both sets of memories lining up evenly. Seemingly content with existing in parallel. With my memories as Veronica surfacing when I needed a more concise explanation of something that wasn’t in the game.

The reason for having been sick is Veronica’s – my – extremely poor health and frailty. Which is severe enough that a mere cold could leave me bedridden for months at a time. This came as no surprise. As, in the game, Veronica was the same way. On a side note, it also played a factor in the gameplay as well. Bringing her along in the game would sometimes result in her gaining a massive health debuff after completing a dungeon dive. With a notice stating she’d become sick.

I take a seat at the table. Vanessa pulling the chair back to allow me to do so. And mentally reviewed everything that I knew.

My new identity is ‘Veronica VanHeight’, I’m a side character who is the younger sister of the main character in the game. And I become one of the primary villains and a potential end-game boss depending on the choices made by the player. Basically, the trope where I live in their shadow and begin to resent them for how successful and skilled they are while I’m not (of course, I have no intention of being so childish).

The game takes place at the Nemunium Imperial Academy. An institution created by the Emperor (nicknamed the Emperor of Change) in a bid to ease tensions between the various kingdoms and lesser empires. Left unsaid is that the true goal to ease tensions specifically with the Nemunium Empire. Since the citizenry of the empire carried a zealous belief in human supremacy. His hope is effectively acclimating the nobility – and those of the peasantry who can afford to enroll – by having them attend the academy alongside those of other races. According to the lore leading up to the start of the game, the Emperors plan is going extremely well. Made more so because he has his children enroll. However, a spanner is thrown into the works when a certain heroine belonging to a mid to upper rank noble family is enrolled alongside her sister. And it becomes known that I’m an elf.

The storyline, at least the main one, is fairly clear cut – Clear the dungeon and defeat the demon lord at the end. But the secondary storyline is not so easy. Which is bad news for me because, as one might have guessed, it involves me. In short, I become fed up with being compared to my sister by our peers. As well as the harassment from a movement started by a group of students that want to get rid of the non-human students at the academy. During the end of year ball which is hosted by the emperor, I carry out an assassination attempt on the emperor (which inevitably fails) and then flee to the dungeon. Where I become possessed by a particularly powerful demon.

It's after I flee to the dungeon that my sister reveals my backstory to the romanceable characters. Explaining that I am considered the black sheep of the VanHeight family. Primarily due to two major reasons. The first is that I was born an elf rather than a human. This is due to having an elven based character class – ‘Spirit Priestess’. The long and short is that classes are assigned at birth. And being born with a class from another race will cause the recipient to be born as the race from which the class came from. Regardless of the race of one’s parents.

The second is that the VanHeight family is strongly associated with the imperial military. Each generation has quite distinguished service in the military. And can trace that all the way back to the founding of the empire. It’s become a tradition and one that my parents are adamant on having their children uphold. However, due to being born sickly, I am barred from serving on the frontlines. Naturally, my parents want nothing to do with me. And would have had me quietly ‘removed’ from the equation were it not for the fact that the family rank of being middle to upper class nobles. Basically, the daughter of a well-known noble family quietly disappearing would be noticed.

That said, as soon as I turned fourteen, my father had me shipped off to Lashterel. A port city located on the very edge of the Empire. Since the population of the port cities do not observe human supremacy. It’s effectively common knowledge that the port cities are the only places in the empire where one will find all races intermingling with one another. If only at a minimum due to the obvious dangers of the sea. His hope was that I’ll just be forgotten. Unfortunately, he didn’t account for the port city getting wiped off the face of the map. After my return to the capital, me and my sister are then enrolled into the academy. Which leads to my primary concern.

I can’t exactly remember all the details about the lore of the Spirit Priestess class, I do know the key part that led to Lashterels destruction. Which is that people with the Spirit Priestess class can commune with spirits, obviously, and become unwilling beacons for nearby monster’s sensitive to spirits and the magic they can use. While they – the monsters – have no real designated natural habitat, quite a few of them reside in Dungeons. And an entrance to one just so happens to be not far from Lashterel. Naturally, I am concerned.

With a flick of my wrist, an opaque floating screen appeared in front of me. It would appear that the status screen still operates as it does in the game. And would continue doing so.

Name: Veronica VanHeight

Class: Spirit Priestess

Level: 1

Strength: 1

Stamina: 1

Resistance: 0

Agility: 2

Endurance: 2

Dexterity: 2

Magic: 30

Skills:

Divine Healing: Mend wounds regardless of severity. Can target multiple individuals.

Cure: Remove negative effects such as poisons and toxins. As well as any other debilitating effects. This skill cannot be cast on self.

Spiritual Bulwark: Create a barrier powered by spirits to protect nearby allies.

Passive Effects:

Spiritual Conduit: As a spirit priestess, your body serves as a physical connection to the afterlife. Living beings killed within your vicinity will not become undead.

Frail: Take twice as much damage from physical strikes. Permanent strength debuff.

Weakened immunity: Unable to naturally resist status effects and general ailments.

I have to make a concerted effort to not slump forward and succumb to the feeling of gloominess threatening to overwhelm me when I read my stats. It seems that, just like in the game, I’m incredibly weak. My only real strength is this ability for permanently ensuring that nothing reanimates when it’s killed. But… My lips turn downward in a frown. Undead? That… that was not a thing in the game. Yet another drastic change.

In the game, the class of Spirit Priestess was basically an overclocked version of a Healer. Trading nearly all my combat capabilities for pure support. That said, there were never any skills related to undead in the game. Since, as I mentioned earlier, Undead were not in the game.

“A messenger?” It’s been almost an hour now. Shortly after I read my stats, breakfast was delivered. Which consisted of just plain porridge and a small selection of fruits that I’ve never seen or tasted before. The best that I could describe is a mix of apple and pear. Both equally distinct. As if I had taken a slice of both and ate them at the same time. According to the Maid that delivered the meal, it was chosen on account of the fact that I’m still recovering from the fever. Of course, the meal wasn’t bad. Though it was not particularly good. Just… plain. But it did the job and was filling.

“Y-Yes, my Lady, he h-has a message f-from the…. The….” Claretta, a girl with black hair and seemed to be about my age, who came to collect the remains of my breakfast had also informed me that a messenger had arrived. She spoke with a clear effort and hardly met my eyes. Yet it’s clear to anyone who’d look that she’s terrified. Practically trembling as she stood there. Not that I could fault her. My reputation in the game clearly carried over. In short, I’m portrayed as not exactly having the most level head. As well as fulfilling the typical trope of nobility being uptight and believing they are better than the peasantry. Of course, my memories as Veronica confirmed all of this. Therefore, I’m not surprised that the maid before me looks as though she’s about to burst into tears. Nor able to finish what she was trying to say. But I could pretty well guess who the messenger is acting on behalf of. But before that….

The more I looked at Claretta, the more a nagging sense of familiarity tugged at my memories. Then it hit me – She’s my attendant in the game. As well as a boss that needed to be defeated before confronting me in the game. Claretta’s class is ‘Tower Maid’. Meaning she fought with a great shield and wielded a small mini crossbow that could be fired with one hand. I recall that she was the reason many often never bothered with my questline in the game. Because, out of all the bosses in the game, she had the most health and used a self-healing ability. Which caused players to take well over an hour to defeat.

“I-I’m so sorry! Please don’t fire me!” Claretta’s cries pulled me from my recollection. She was bowing so deeply that her forehead would hit the floor if she leaned forward just a fraction of an inch. And I realized that I’d been staring at her.

“You don’t need to apologize or bow. So, please, stop.” I quickly said, practically waving my hands in front of me as I spoke, “I apologize, I was just lost in thought!”