Chapter 1: You promised it

“So, this day finally came.”

Luke murmured to himself as he surveyed the colossal building around him.

Graduating students were beaming in their caps and gowns, and their families and friends had come to celebrate. The sight filled him with a deep sense of nostalgia.

“Four years, huh.”

It had been four years since he was thrust into this world.

Initially, it was nothing short of bewildering. Memories from four years ago naturally came flooding back.

It all started with the purchase of a simple life simulation game.

[Raise a Noble Lady]

A game where the player becomes the tutor of a duke’s daughter in a fantasy world, aiming to raise her into a graceful noblewoman.

Teaching etiquette.

Choosing dresses for social events.

Educating her to embody elegance—a game that seemed straightforward enough.

Or so he thought.

Slap!

“You can’t even handle this? You’re a disgrace to our family!”

The head of the family, who abused his authority in the guise of discipline, struck the cheek of a young girl, barely ten years old.

“How could something so pathetic come from us?”

The mother stood by, indifferent, shaking her head instead of helping.

“Hey, don’t act like you know anything until you can at least cast a First Circle spell.”

“That looks nice. Let me borrow it, will you?”

Her older siblings treated her with scorn and bullied her relentlessly.

The harsh truth of the game revealed itself: the youngest daughter of the prestigious Duke’s family was subjected to severe abuse.

A lack of talent was considered the ultimate disgrace to the family.

The girl’s name was Elin Bertine.

The youngest daughter of the Bertine family was despised by all because of her supposed lack of talent.

Sure, it was shocking.

But it was a premise one could accept. After all, success stories born out of hardship often provided the greatest catharsis.

Suppressing his discomfort, Luke focused on nurturing her, hoping for the day when she would grow into a radiant adult.

Small assignments were given, followed by rewards commensurate with her efforts.

“…Am I really allowed to have this?”

Elin, unlike a typical noble child, was overjoyed by the smallest of gifts.

“Am I doing this right?”

Small compliments and tiny rewards piled up over time.

The once emotionless face began to show faint traces of a smile.

“Teacher, what’s today’s lesson?”

Slowly but surely, Elin opened her heart.

“My birthday?”

When she finally let her guard down completely, it was her birthday.

“I’ve never celebrated that before. Only my siblings ever got anything…”

As expected, her birthday had never been celebrated.

So Luke quickly prepared for the occasion.

It wasn’t anything extravagant.

Just a simple cake.

They skipped lessons for the day and shared the cake together.

That was all.

Yet, that small gesture meant the world.

“…Thank you, Teacher. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

Tears welled in Elin’s eyes—not from pain, loneliness, or sorrow, but from overwhelming joy.

In that moment, Luke was certain.

If things continued this way, a happy ending would surely await her.

“What the—!”

But his expectations were shattered.

He rubbed his eyes and stared at the monitor again.

It was unbelievable.

A square filled with onlookers.

A woman on a guillotine at the center.

“…I’m sorry. To you, Teacher, I truly…”

Before she could finish her words, a sharp blade fell.

Slash!

The screen displayed the words: [BAD END], signaling the conclusion of the game.

“…What.”

Luke was dumbfounded.

The cherished noble girl he had nurtured met a meaningless end.

[Elin failed to find any talent. Under immense pressure from her family, she ultimately resorted to dark magic.]

The explanation for the bad ending was given in a curt line of text.

“Sigh…”

Luke had done everything to make Elin happy.

But this was the outcome.

Was choosing options like “It’s okay to not excel at everything; I’ll always be by your side” a mistake?

Should he have instead focused on fostering a new skillset through diverse lessons?

And why, of all things, did she turn to dark magic…?

He replayed his decisions in his head before hitting “Restart” out of sheer determination.

He couldn’t leave things as they were.

There had to be a happy ending.

Convinced of this, he restarted the game multiple times.

And ended up seeing nine bad endings.

In other words, Elin died nine different ways.

Burned as a witch.

Murdered under false accusations.

Driven to the brink and ending her own life.

Each scenario was a unique tragedy.

“Is there even a happy ending in this game?”

Doubt began to creep in.

Was this game designed by a malicious developer who wanted nothing more than to torment a poor girl with no hope of a good outcome?

Ding!

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a notification appeared.

[You have witnessed all nine bad endings!]

The title itself was infuriating, but curiosity got the better of him, and he clicked on it.

[Congratulations! You’ve unlocked all death routes for Elin.]

[The Hidden Route is now available.]

[Player choices have increased significantly with greater freedom.]

[Would you like to replay the game?]

“A hidden route?”

A route unlocked only after enduring nine bad endings?

Could this finally lead to the elusive happy ending?

A glimmer of hope crossed his mind.

He had come this far and was determined to see Elin’s happiness.

Resolving to make this his final attempt, Luke clicked “Restart.”

[Make her happy.]

He woke up in an unfamiliar place accompanied by those words he had never seen before.

And just like that, Luke found himself reincarnated as the player character, Luke Bucklin.

Four years in the past, at the beginning of the game.

Shouldn’t he have started from the proper beginning?

But thoughts like that were pointless now.

The final message he’d seen lingered in his mind.

[Make her happy.]

From that moment, the developer provided no further guidance.

Navigating the unfamiliar world was entirely up to Luke.

“Sigh.”

Adapting to the new world while attending the academy, time passed swiftly until, before he knew it, it was graduation day.

“What’s with the sigh on such a great day?”

A loud slap on his back jolted Luke out of his thoughts.

Turning around, he saw a familiar face.

“Senior Lanian.”

“Congratulations on graduating!”

Lanian Rochefort.

The young lady of the esteemed Rochefort family and a prodigy magician who had displayed exceptional talent from a young age.

“So, are you really not planning on attending graduate school?”

And a woman who relentlessly tried to recruit Luke to join her in graduate research.

“Did I do something to upset you?”

“Huh? No, why?”

“Then why would you say such a cruel thing to me?”

“What? Cruel? Graduate school is wonderful! Don’t you realize how lucky you’d be to spend all day researching magic?”

“That’s only a blessing for someone like you, Senior.”

Luke’s eyes drifted to Lanian’s face, half-covered by dark circles.

Is she even human or part panda?

“Have you been getting any sleep these days?”

“I told you last time, didn’t I? Sleep is a luxury! You have to push yourself as much as you can while you’re young!”

“…I see.”

Luke decided to give up on continuing the conversation. Everyone at the academy knew about Ranian’s obsessive love for magic.

“So, what’s our valedictorian planning to do from now on?”

Ranian’s gaze was dripping with reluctance as she looked at Luke, as if ready to drag him to graduate school given the chance.

“Home tutor.”

“…What? A home tutor?”

“I saw a recruitment notice from the Duke of Bertine’s household for a tutor for their youngest daughter, so I applied.”

Luke pulled out a notice bearing the Bertine family’s insignia. Ranian frowned as she glanced at it.

“Since when did you like kids?”

“I don’t.”

“You didn’t seem interested in teaching anyone either.”

“Not particularly, no.”

“Then why? You have more than enough talent to be a researcher. Why would you go off to teach a child?”

Her face was a mix of confusion and disbelief. Anyone else would likely react the same. A magician who graduated as valedictorian from the academy would typically be fiercely sought after by the magic towers.

There were moments when Luke himself hesitated.

It had been four years since he had played the game. The surroundings and terms used clearly indicated this was the game’s world. But he had never seen Elin in person.

On top of that, Luke had discovered his talent for magic. Enough to graduate as valedictorian.

He had considered joining a magic tower to find a way back to his original world.

“I happened to see the youngest daughter of the Bertine family recently.”

But then, he saw her.

Elin Bertine.

Thin to the point of frailty, with bruises visible every time her clothes shifted.

The moment he saw her, a message appeared before him.

[Please make her happy.]

Even without a status window, the words floated persistently in front of his eyes as if it were an assigned mission.

Only then did Luke face the truth he had avoided for four years.

While he was attending the academy, Elin had continued to endure abuse at the hands of her family. Her life was a nightmare that would inevitably lead to a tragic end.

And Luke was the only one who knew this.

“You’ve actually seen the youngest daughter? She’s not exactly well-known.”

“I happened to catch a glimpse of her recently.”

It must have been when she was sent on an errand by her siblings.

Her siblings often treated Elin like a servant, making her run errands if the maids or butlers were busy. Without resistance, Elin would drag her small body to the streets.

“She seemed talented. If I teach her, she could become an exceptional mage.”

Everyone said Elin had no talent. But Luke knew the truth—she had potential.

“Hmm… You seem pretty resolute for some reason.”

Ranian touched her lips thoughtfully before continuing.

“Well, I guess you’ll definitely get the job. So, how long do you plan to work as her tutor?”

“Probably until she becomes an adult.”

The game’s starting point was Elin’s 13th birthday. Every bad ending always happened before she came of age.

So the task was simple: ensure Elin survived to adulthood without meeting a tragic end.

That was the first objective.

“Alright then. Once she’s an adult, you’re free to come back, right?”

“Pardon?”

“By that time, I’ll probably be at a magic tower myself… so you can come straight to the tower too.”

Why was she jumping to conclusions on her own?

“I never said I’d live as a researcher.”

“Then what else would you do with all that talent?”

Ranian grabbed Luke’s shoulders firmly. Her brown eyes gleamed with unsettling intensity.

“Want me to be honest? Right now, if you started your own magic tower, dozens of magicians would sign up immediately.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“I’d join first, for starters.”

Her expression showed not even a hint of deceit. If she were lying, she should quit magic and become an actor instead.

“Anyway, it’s seven years down the line. Having someone like you absent from academia is just criminal. It’d be unfair to future generations. Just think about it once, okay?”

Ranian’s words spilled out in a torrent, growing louder with every sentence, attracting attention from the people around them.

Luke, conscious of the stares, pried her hands off his shoulders.

“Alright, I’ll consider it. Now, please step back.”

She was being so earnest; the least he could do was entertain the idea. Besides, her insistence was proof she respected his abilities.

Not to mention, he still needed to figure out how to return to his original world.

He suspected the key was to ensure Elin’s happiness, but if that wasn’t the solution, he’d need to research other possibilities. And the best place for research was undoubtedly a magic tower.

“Really? You promise? Don’t you dare ignore my letters later, okay?”

Ranian’s eyes sparkled with hope.

“Yes, I’ll contact you when the time comes.”

“Good! So, when’s the interview?”

“Now.”

“…Now? Right after graduation?”

“That’s how it turned out.”

It wasn’t intentional, but the timing worked out that way.

Luke checked his watch before giving Ranian a brief wave.

“Take care, senior.”

His steps toward the Duke’s household were light. If things followed the game’s progression, Luke would be the only applicant.