The city rolled past the window as Leon stared outside.
He paid little attention to the people walking by. What caught his eye were the small houses and buildings lining both sides of the stone cobbled road.
Wooden frame, with red stone roofs with chimneys puffing out smoke occasionally.
No matter how much Leon tried to deny the fact, he really had transmigrated inside his own game.
In fact, Leon—aka Haru—didn't even bother questioning how to return to his old world.
Why?
Because surviving a direct hit from a plane would've been a miracle.
What would he even do to return back to his crushed body?
"Sigh…."
Leon exhaled and rested his elbow against the side of the chariot.
"Young master."
The familiar voice pulled Leon out of his light daze.
Seated elegantly across from him was the maid. Blonde hair, red eyes. She called out to him softly.
Leon still had no idea who she was.
And asking her name outright would sound strange, especially coming from the young master of the house. It would only make things awkward.
Either way, he was certain of one thing, that, this girl was someone to be cautious of.
After all, what kind of maid steals subtle glances at her master unless she has… certain intentions?
Adjusting his collar, Leon replied.
"Yes?"
"Lady Ezra has asked you to select your suit for tonight's banquet."
"She did?"
Ezra Valentine, was the mother of Leon, the duchess of House Valentine. And just like the duke, she also treats Leon like a good for nothing.
The maid nodded and bowed her head slightly.
"Yes, and I must apologize beforehand."
Leon didn't stop her, he let her finish.
"I won't be able to accompany you, as I have some prior matters to handle."
After listening to her, a grin crept onto Leon's face.
'Would you look at that.'
Clearly, the duchess had ordered her to stay by his side, and yet she was making excuses to disobey.
Why is that?
It wasn't hard to guess. And Leon already had his suspicions.
'She must be working as an informant for someone.'
Haru didn't rebel, instead he did exactly what Leon would've done in this situation.
He ignored the maid and leaned back, letting his eyes droop.
The truth was, Leon never cared what the servants thought. Since birth, he had been treated as less by both his parents and the staff. After all… he wasn't an awakened, unlike his siblings.
The rest of the trip passed in silence.
"We're here," the carriage driver called out.
As Leon stepped down, the full height of the Blood Tower rose before him.
Located just at the outskirts of Valentine Dukedom, the Blood Tower stood like a royal fortress.
Black stone walls, with crimson roof tops, stretched high above the sky, the Blood Tower was one and only symbol of the Liora Kingdom.
After his sister became the Head of a Calamity Tower, the King himself had elevated their family to dukedom.
After all, the heads of Calamity Towers were someone whom the world feared. Well, technically, it was their 'calamity skill', they feared the most.
However Leon's sister didn't accept the role of duchess, instead she passed the house head position to her father.
Just thinking about the Calamity Skills made Leon's spine crawl. A part of him wanted to spin around and run off to some quiet island,, but his so-called "creator ego" wouldn't let him.
"Sigh… there's no place to run," he muttered, gathering himself.
Leon calmed his racing heart, and walked towards the tower gate.
Two guards were stationed at the huge wooden door holding a long double edged sword, with House Valentine crest on their metal armor.
The guards clearly spotted Leon walking in.
CLANG!
Twin blades crossed in front of the entrance, blocking his path.
The guards smirked.
"..."
Leon however didn't even spare them a glance. His golden eyes remained fixed on the steel blades.
The guards thought that Leon was ignoring them as he always does, but in reality…
'Holy shit… the texture quality of this world is insane. This feels more real than a Vision Ultra Pro Max VR set!'
At this point, Leon was grinning ear to ear.
Once a gamer, always a gamer.
"What brings you here?" One of the guard asked, with a slight chuckle.
Leon said nothing. The maid beside him stepped forward and answered on his behalf.
"We're here under orders. The Duke wishes to see the young master."
"Hm?" One of the guards cocked his head at her., "And who the hell are you?"
Leon's brow twitched.
'Wait… they don't know her either?' Leon thought, glancing at his maid. 'Is she a new recruit?'
If she was a new recruit, then it made sense the guards didn't recognize her, and why Leon had no memory of her either.
Leon expected her to speak up, to introduce herself.
Instead, she did the least expected thing. She quietly dipped her fingers into the pouch at her waist and began rummaging through it.
Leon simply observed her.
"The hell you doing lady," the guard barked, "we don't have all day—"
Before he could finish, the maid pulled out a silver, coin-sized badge hanging from a short chain and held it out.
"What is th—hm?"
The first guard squinted at it, but his partner stopped him with a sharp tap to the arm.
"What happened?" The guard asked his partner.
"Look at the sigil on it," he muttered.
To his words, the guard carefully examined the silver badge.
Leon leaned forward slightly, just enough to get a better view.
On the silver badge, a half moon surrounded by several stretching hands were imprinted.
The moment Leon saw it, his thoughts sharpened.
It was the crest of Blood Tower. A 'seal of favor' assigned directly by the tower head to her elite companions.
Now the question Leon was pondering right now was…
'Why is my sister's personal attendant tagging along with me? And more importantly… why the hell is she in a maid outfit?'
Did his sister have any weird fetish? Like, imposing maid uniforms to her elite companion.
As far as Leon knows. He didn't assign any unusual traits sister in her character stats.
Leon was genuinely surprised, but he didn't let it appear on his face.
But the guard…
"W–What? How?" He stuttered. "Wh–what's your name? And how did you obtain this?!"
"H-Hey," his partner warned, trying to pull him back. "Let them go—"
"Tell me this instant!" He raised his blade and pointed it towards the maid. "How can a lowly servant like you—"
"Blade down." The maid coldly let out a command.
This made both the guards go numb from their senses. The arrogant guard froze in his place, knowing that arguing with this girl would result in his life.
"Shall we go, young master Leon." the maid said, before continuing walking.
Leon followed in silence.
— — —
Passing through the tower's corridor, the pair halted in front of the door.
Just as Leon reached to knock, the maid gently reached out, adjusting the collar of his shirt with careful fingers.
Her soft breathing brushed his collar, and a faint scent of roses lingered.
"I will wait outside," she said, stepping back with a small bow.
Leon turned, and knocked two times on the door.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
"Come in."
A deep grave voice responded from the other end.
If this were the old Leon, he would have never opened the door. But… he wasn't Leon anymore.
Turning the handle, he opened it, and entered as if it was his daily routine.
CREAK.
Three pairs of eyes snapped toward him.
Two of them were golden just like his. There's no need to guess who they belonged to.
The only source of light in the room was the sunlight spilling through the tall windows behind the desk.
Bathed in that light stood a man in his forties, broad-shouldered, with jet-black hair and eyes like sharpened gold. He wore a black shirt beneath a white fur-lined coat.
His gaze locked onto Leon with the weight of disdain, as if he were looking at something utterly worthless.
"...gaah…!"
Leon's knees buckled before he could resist. He gritted his teeth, unable to withstand the pressure.
It felt like a mountain was pressing down on his skull.
"PFTTT—HAHAHAHAAHAA!!"
This weird ass laugh came from a young boy lounging on the sofa to the right.
He was holding a cup, grinning as he saw his pathetic younger brother kneel like a bug.
Leon didn't need to be told who this was.
Rowan Valentine. His elder brother.
The prodigy #2 of House Valentine.
"Rowan," came a soft, sweet voice from beside him. "Your father is speaking."
To her words, Rowan gave an exaggerated sigh.
"Oh, my dearest mother," he said, placing a hand over his chest theatrically, "why did you even give birth to this idiot when you already had me?"
Leon blinked.
His lips twitched.
'Who the hell asks stuff like that to her own mother? This guy's an actual villain from a third-rate drama.'
"Take your seat." The man behind the desk said.
Orion Valentine—Duke of House Valentine.
Before earning his title, he was a Marquess. A rank he achieved not through inheritance, but through sheer brilliance and power.
Leon did as he was told. He stepped forward and sat down across from his brother and mother.
In between them, a table lavishly filled with wine and meat were placed.
Haru gulped a lump of saliva.
He hadn't eaten a single bite since arriving in this world.
His stomach twisted, but he forced his eyes away from the feast and focused on the man seated at the desk.
"You called me… father?"
Despite being inside Leon's body, Haru felt strange calling someone else his father.
Leon actually knew why his father called him here. After all, it was that time of the year.
'The new semester is about to begin.' He thought.
Duke Orion didn't waste a second. He didn't even glance at Leon as he spoke.
"You will be joining Eclipse Institute this semester."
Eclipse Institute of Magic and Arts.
The same place where the real protagonist of Rebirth of the Fivefold Calamity would begin his journey.
And in the original game…
It was also the chapter where Leon Valentine's story came to an end.