"Okay..." I murmur as I sit on the bed. I've spent the last two hours in my room trying to take it all in. I still can't believe I've reincarnated it just seems so absurd.
Even more so, the fact that I've reincarnated into the world of my favorite Otome game. Of course, it's a difficult world to survive in if you're weak, but it's still almost a dream come true to be able to see the special scenes and locations.
"Okay, Evelyn never becomes queen in any route...that's bad..." I'm one of the 6 candidates for the throne, but in the game, whether it's the main route or the side routes, Evelyn never becomes queen.
Just being a candidate for the throne doesn't guarantee any advantages. Evelyn has no friends, no allies, no source of support, and is seen as a disappointment for being weak even though she's "royalty".
Basically, in the game, Evelyn is a failed and talentless noble who sustains herself entirely on narcissism.
It's kind of strange how we're similar in some ways. In the game, Evelyn isolated herself a lot in her room to play with her puppets, a hobby that the heroine Grace D'Aragon found creepy.
Grace saw Evelyn talking to her puppets and got scared, as it's a rather disturbing sight, although when understood deeply, it's a sad thing.
Evelyn is so isolated from everyone that her only true friends are her puppets, which is actually Evelyn's real power.
Evelyn has one of the saddest backstories, and obviously some of the most violent deaths for being weak.
It's similar to how I used to isolate myself in my room to play games, but the difference is that Evelyn could be assassinated at any moment, and unlike me, she did go out for important things.
However, unlike the past, I can't isolate myself. I know the future, and in the route where Grace never interacts with Evelyn, Evelyn isolates herself to the point of never leaving her room until she's killed by one of the other romantic targets for being a "failure who tarnishes the demons' image".
Of course, knowing that I can die at any moment really scares me, but at the same time, I know that Evelyn isn't that much of a failure.
Okay, her ability is trash at the start, but in this world, there are different types of powers, and they're divided into layers and classifications. Although Evelyn's power is in a high layer, the power itself is classified as F, which makes it garbage.
But the alternative route shows that this ability has a special evolution, indicating that Evelyn's ability has always been used the wrong way, and I need to take that route if I want to survive and have a chance of becoming the Demon Queen.
Enough of being a failure. I still feel afraid to leave the room, that bad feeling won't go away, but it feels like Evelyn is guiding me, and our fusion gives me a little courage.
Because we're both considered failures, but for different reasons. I was a shy, timid, antisocial person who dropped out of school and lived off my parents, and Evelyn was someone who was mistreated and ridiculed for being weak, even though she never did anything wrong.
"But isn't this too unfair, universe?! How the hell am I supposed to do all the heroine's work alone?" I don't want to get involved in the romance path, wasting time dating the heroine is just stupid.
So I'll do everything I can to stay away from the romance route with her. Grace will never guide me to a prosperous future I need to do this on my own, and since I'm antisocial, I even prefer doing it alone.
"It's just you and me now, Evelyn! With our bodies, minds, and souls united, we can win!" I say with faith in the future I know.
"Okay... okay... this game has a system, right? I should get something, right? Right? DID I GET SOMETHING?!" I can't survive without the help of the system. There are some things in it that are useful.
First and most important of all is the character card that shows information and the favorability of the romantic targets. They're the only ones who will actively try to kill me, so I need them to at least see me as a friend.
My race and the race of everyone else are basically demons. Each of the 6 romantic targets is a different type of demon, but it turns out that the other family members aren't my siblings.
Unlike humans, who use DNA to prove this, demons are different. Demons are magical beings, so our life, body, and everything else is composed of magic.
The Demon King isn't mentioned much in the game, but basically, he impregnated six different types of demons and had children. In human terms, this would make all 6 romantic targets half-siblings.
But that's not the case. Demons only inherit a family relationship if both parents are the same. Since they're formed from magic, the Demon King didn't actually have sex with those girls.
He just combined his magics and generated children. These children were separated from their mothers and raised in the castle until the day of the competition for the throne, so none of us know who our mothers are, and it's an absolute secret to prevent social status advantages.
Only the Demon King knows who the 6 chosen girls were, so you could call them siblings, but we don't share any genetic or magical bond. Our magical waves are completely different.
Of course, demons can have children through sex, but it's up to each individual's choice.
"I need to get rid of the mirrors..." I feel tempted to look at them for long periods of time. It seems I can't control Evelyn's narcissism that well.
'Am I not the heroine, and not a player either? Do I have access to the system? Or can I only see the status?' I decide to try seeing the status first, as it's something standard that most characters can access.
"Status, open and show me how great I am!" I say in an authoritative and arrogant tone, hoping maybe I'm stronger than the real Evelyn, since we've fused, there should be an increase in power, right?
[Status
Name = Evelyn Ashcroft
Race = Demon
Title = Tragedy
Status Classification:
Strength = F
Stamina = E
Defense = F
Physical Defense = F
Magic = A
Magic Defense = F
Vitality = SSS+
Total Skills:
No Skills Available.
Blessings and Curses:
Blessing = Sixth Layer Puppet Control (Description: Allows the user to assemble and control small puppets)
Skill Rank = F
Curse = Destiny's Misfortune (Description: Fate hates you, but can't interfere too much, so it grants you misfortune, recommending extra caution with even small, everyday things)
System Favorability Blessing (Description: The user can see the favorability of others as numbers ranging from 0 to 100. Negative favorability means enmity or hatred, but this only works for the romantic targets of the routes)]
"NOOOOO!" I fall to the floor in sadness. The status is complete garbage, except for the vitality. This reduces me to a punching bag that can withstand beatings without dying.
"Universe, why? Why do you hate me? I didn't do anything!! What does this mean, no change at all? Are you saying that two failures fused don't make a difference?" I speak in a lamentable tone.
"And w-why is my curse so severe?!" All 6 candidates for the throne have a blessing and a curse, which balances the game for everyone. But this curse is something I'm unfamiliar with, which means this might not be the game world after all. And this curse is a complete mess that will hinder me a lot.
"At least I inherited the domain." The [Domain] is like the ultimate ability for demons. It's rare for a demon to be born with it, but all 6 romantic targets possess one. It's basically a broken skill that creates an entire dimension that gives the user an advantage.
When more than one of these dimensions is used, they merge, reducing their powers, but still remaining as the scenarios unite temporarily.
There are 4 races in the world: humans, angels, demons, and beastmen. So I was lucky that the system didn't take away my domain.
Naturally, all the races are separated, with 4 separate continents where each race lives. This reminds me that the heroine is human and will come to the demonic continent through a peace attempt.
"O-Okay, stay calm, stay calm at this time! The status is garbage, but at least it works, and I have the power to see the favorability of the romantic targets." I throw myself on the bed, feeling a little more content.
'The layer is still the same...' The layer is basically the degree of rarity of the power, as well as its level. It's good to see that this hasn't changed.
"I-I'll try to give orders to the system... S-System, tell me the description of the layers!" I order, trying to see if this hasn't changed either. In the game, it should give a brief description of what the layers are.
[The layers are where the rarity of each awakened skill is classified, and it's where the power is ranked in strength.
First Layer = The most basic layer that provides a slight increase in overall strength. Common or everyday skills come from this layer.
Second Layer = This layer directly influences magical power, being a required layer to use magic. Magical powers start to be awakened, mainly from this layer and above.
Third Layer = This is the last standard layer. The third, second, and first layers are known to be common to all races.
Fourth Layer = A rarer layer. Any race can awaken their powers in this layer. Fourth Layer powers can already reach the strength to destroy entire villages, but less capable races end up stagnating in this layer, like humans who don't have a special lineage.
Fifth Layer = From this layer onward, those who awaken powers linked to it are considered blessed. A layer doesn't define the exact strength of the power, but rather how rare that power is to emerge. Generally, demons and angels are in this layer.
Sixth Layer = Powers considered special that only the elite obtain. Those who awaken their powers in the Sixth Layer usually come from special lineages that allow this awakening. The awakening doesn't guarantee the strength of the ability itself, but rather its rarity in appearing in someone.
Seventh Layer = The highest layer that living, non-divine beings can reach. The Seventh Layer connects a mortal to the brink of absolute divinity. Those who have acquired something from the Seventh Layer have partial/limited access to divine power and intervention.
Eighth Layer = This layer exists only for gods and goddesses. Only divine beings have abilities and powers coming from the Eighth Layer, making it extremely rare to be seen.
Ninth Layer = Absolute, the perfect word to describe this layer. It is the last existing layer, and in it, there is only one absolute being, the one at the top of all existence.]
[Extra Explanation = Being in a layer doesn't immediately mean you're considered strong. Within each layer, there are classifications ranging from F to SSS+. When you acquire something from a layer, the Classification is what defines how strong that something really is.
You can obtain something from a powerful layer, but with an F classification, making it immediately weak. Just as you can get something from a lower layer, but with an SSS+ classification, making it immediately strong.
F = Extremely Weak.
E = Very Weak.
D = Weak.
C = Average.
B = Above Average.
A = Strong.
S = Strong+.
SS = Very Strong.
SSS = Extremely Strong.
SSS+ = Ultra Strong.
Each letter represents how strong a power is considered, but just because two powers have the same classification doesn't mean they're equal. One can be stronger or weaker, or they can have the same strength. It all depends on the ability and what it does.
Certain SSS+ abilities can destroy large areas, while others may be more useful against a single enemy. It's up to each user to figure out how to best use their abilities and take advantage of both their strengths and weaknesses.
Of course, an ability can evolve. Awakened abilities can go through evolutions, which can create notable changes.
For example, the Classification can go up, making it stronger. But abilities can't leave their layers a power from one layer can never rise to a higher layer, but it can increase its classification through the bearer's efforts.]
"Okay... that was a long dialogue! I'm not going to read all that crap when I already know this." I say, seeing a huge text box. It's so big and boring that I only read half and give up, as it seems to be exactly the same thing.
"Okay, it seems it's still the same as the game... which means I'm still absurdly weak, but have potential. I'll try to see the character cards for each of the romantic targets later." I jump off the bed.
I need to do something before reading the character cards for each of the romantic targets.
I snap my fingers and decide to throw the mirrors out the window. My room has a lot of mirrors, and they're distracting me from my goal, but I don't want to just put them outside and have to explain to the indifferent maids that I'm getting rid of them.
'But damn, why am I so beautiful? I'd totally date myself!' I think as I approach the mirror, shaking my head to try not to get distracted while attempting to lift the mirror.
I carry it to the window and open it, throwing the mirror down. It shatters on the ground below.
"Okay, one down... 27 to go." I say with a dejected smile, seeing the massive amount of mirrors.
"Evelyn, you narcissist! What an absurd exaggeration!" I murmur, but I can't deny the pang of discomfort I feel in throwing the mirrors away. I wish I could keep them, I mean, I'm so beautiful, so what's the problem, right?
"I-I think I'll keep 3 of them... no problem." I murmur, hugging another mirror, ready to throw it out the window.
"I-It's not like anyone's going to care, I'm just the failed noble making a mess, they'll probably ignore me." I say to myself, unsure if that's really the case.