On the Eve

(A Certain Person’s Perspective)

Splash… splash…

The world blurred—scenes flickering and twisting before my dazed eyes.

No… they weren’t just flickering.

They were changing.

The noise around me was deafening, yet not a word could reach my ears anymore.

Hah… hah…

My lungs burned like they were on fire.

My legs had lost all feeling.

Only the chill of rain against my face and the searing trace of tears down my cheeks felt real.

It hurt.

It hurt so much.

My heart didn’t feel like my own anymore.

It felt like a disease festering within me.

So… I ran.

I actually ran away.

Noelle seemed to be saying something behind me, but I couldn’t hear her anymore.

I already knew.

Her heart had been taken—by someone else.

Regret.

Bitterness.

Rage.

Jealousy.

Each of those emotions coiled inside me, thick and suffocating like mud, dragging me down until I couldn’t move.

I didn’t even know how long I’d been running until my legs finally gave out completely.

As if guided by fate, I found myself standing before a church.

The nun had said before—

“When you’ve made your decision, come speak with me.”

And yet, blinded by emotion, I’d acted rashly instead.

Now my body was drenched, my clothes clinging in humiliation.

This must be divine punishment, the Goddess’s retribution for defying her will.

Creak.

The doors suddenly opened just as I drowned in self-mockery.

“I have been waiting for you, Lady Miller.”

The nun from before stood smiling in the doorway.

Her deep crimson eyes glowed faintly—and for a fleeting moment, I thought I saw power swirling within them.

“Come. Confess your sins to me.”

Under her gaze, I found myself speaking before I even realized it.

When consciousness returned, I was already inside the chapel proper.

“I confessed my feelings… to the one I love.

But her heart… was already taken by her betrothed.”

“Oh dear~ how unfortunate,” she said softly.

“Now then… tell me—what is the emotion that fills your heart at this very moment?”

“I hate him.

I hate his bright, carefree smile.

I hate that he took her from me.

I hate everything about him!

Does that make me a sinner?”

“Of course… it is jealousy,” she whispered low enough to brush my ear.

“A grave sin indeed.

But your love—it carries no sin at all.”

Her words lingered, sweet and poisonous.

It wasn’t redemption.

It was seduction—disguised as salvation.

My mind was drowning in emotion.

No reason remained.

“Now then… tell me.

What is it that your heart truly desires?”

“I… I wish I could kill him!”

“That is a great sin indeed…

But do not worry.

I will forgive you.

No matter your transgression, I will offer you salvation.”

…Wings?

Was that… an angel before my eyes?

But why—why were those wings black?

“Form a contract with me, child.

And your wish… shall be fulfilled.”

Without hesitation, I grasped her hand.

And my consciousness—fell into the abyss.

“Hehe~ Humans really are such easy prey,” the nun’s voice slithered through the dark.

“Fan the flames of emotion, and their reason burns away.

Their desires swell, until deception becomes effortless~

Now then…

Let the hunt begin.”

“Ailena!”

The shout split the air as the kitchen door banged open.

I looked up from the counter where I’d been preparing chocolates.

It was Nino—completely soaked from head to toe.

Wait… had she run through the rain?

“Ailena! Please—help me!”

“What happened?”

“My lady… she’s gone!”

I grabbed a towel and quickly began drying her dripping hair.

Strands of dark blue stuck to her cheeks like wet ribbon.

“She was chatting calmly with Miss Ethan, and then—suddenly she ran off!

But she… she shouldn’t even be able to run!

I don’t know what happened!”

“My lady never lies to me,” she continued, voice trembling.

“So why… why didn’t she tell me the truth this time?”

“Nino, where did she run?”

“She left in such a rush—no shoes, no coat, nothing!”

“What? Without shoes? Then she ran barefoot—in this forest?!”

At this time of year, the cold alone could destroy her feet.

“She’ll get hurt!”

“She’s not even athletic, but somehow she ran so fast—none of us could keep up!

When I realized it, she was already gone!

Monica and Lady Ethan are searching too, but so far… nothing!

Please, Ailena—please help us!”

She clasped her hands and bowed deeply, at a perfect ninety-degree angle, desperation pouring from her voice.

“All right, all right, I’ll help. Stand up first.”

“I’m not the kind of person who can ignore someone in need.”

“Thank you!”

“You can thank me later. Let’s just find Lady Miller first.”

I threw a raincoat over my shoulders.

“Have you told the faculty yet?”

“Not yet…”

“Do that first. I’ll start the search.”

“Okay.”

Just as I stepped toward the door, that familiar cold dread crept up the back of my neck again.

…Could it be?

No time to think.

I followed the direction where the chill seemed to lead.

“…Ailena?”

“Hmm? Oh—it’s you two.”

At a crossroads, I turned toward two familiar voices.

“My lady. Sophina.”

Katarina stood clutching an elegantly wrapped box—her chocolates, no doubt—while Sophina held an umbrella, likely intending to trigger one of those affection events again.

“Perfect timing, both of you—I need your help!”

BOOM!

Before I could explain, a distant flash split the horizon.

Fire erupted against the dark sky.

“…Too late?”

“That’s… the boys’ dormitory?”

“What happened?”

“I’m not sure. But I think—it might be a demon.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

Without another word, my lady stuffed her gift box into her coat pocket and sprinted into the storm.

“Ugh, does this scenario even exist in the game? Talk about bad timing!”

Though she grumbled, Sophina followed close behind us.

Screams echoed before we reached the dorms.

“Help! Ahhhh!”

“Run!”

“It hurts! It burns!”

By the time we arrived, chaos reigned.

The dormitory was ablaze.

Floating above the scene, like an omen of hellfire, was the cause—staring blankly down with lifeless eyes.

“…Not him… it’s not that one…”

“So it is Rebecca…”

I could hear my lady whisper.

Rebecca hovered midair, wrapped in a gown of flame.

Every raindrop that approached her evaporated instantly to steam.

A thick, tar-like fire clung to her limbs, and blood-red sigils carved themselves across her face.

Her irises glowed an unnatural scarlet above blackened sclera—her entire being radiating pure malice.

“A viscount’s daughter… a demon?!”

Even my lady was struck speechless.

“No,” Sophina said, unnervingly calm.

“She’s not a demon. This is what happens when someone forms a contract with one.

Demons are manipulators of the heart—creatures that spread temptation and bind others through pacts.

Their ability lies in amplifying human emotions through speech, inflating desire, and taking the soul as the price for granting wishes.”

“Wonderful exposition and all…”

My lady frowned.

“But how exactly do you know that?”

She’d beaten me to the question.

In this world, barely anyone knew the first thing about demons.

Even in the “original story,” they were an afterthought—mentioned only in passing.

“Uh—I once stumbled upon an old manuscript that described them… haha…”

A manuscript? Hardly.

Her “knowledge” must’ve come from the game’s reference materials.

My younger self had refused to read the setting guides, terrified of spoilers.

Looking back now, that might have been a mistake.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions rattled the sky.

Flames surged higher.

“This talk can wait,” I said tightly.

“Right now, we need to bring her down—before she incinerates everything!”