Silas took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He adjusted his posture and brushed off their concern with a casual wave.
"Uhhh… I'm fine. Just... exercising," he said with a half-hearted laugh, attempting to pass off the awkward moment as nothing serious.
The butler raised an eyebrow but chuckled.
"Good to hear, young master!" he replied, though there was a faint suspicion in his tone.
Before the conversation could continue, the maid's voice called out from behind the door.
"Sir Lance, I'm afraid the young master will have to skip breakfast. He's about to be late for his first day at the academy."
The butler nodded, flicking his arm toward the wardrobe. Instantly, a uniform floated in front of Silas.
"I see. A shame you must skip breakfast, young master," Sir Lance said with a playful grin. "But today is far more important."
Silas raised an eyebrow, not sure if the butler was teasing or serious.
"This'll be a bit disorienting," Sir Lance added, still smiling. He raised both hands and gestured in a small circle.
Then, with a few quiet words, he recited a chant.
"Dress."
In an instant, Silas felt himself spin, his clothes and his body caught in a blur. The uniform wrapped around him with seamless precision, almost like it had been waiting for him. It was so quick, the world blurred, and Silas felt a sickening swirl in his stomach.
I never want to feel that again, he thought, trying not to vomit.
Sir Lance chuckled, clearly amused by the reaction, before clapping his hands.
With a snap of his fingers, Silas was suddenly outside his new home.
Silas blinked, squinting in the bright light as his surroundings came into focus. The vast expanse of the palace before him was overwhelming. He looked up at the tall, intricately designed walls, the gilded towers that seemed to touch the sky.
Woah...
His heart raced in awe, though a part of him couldn't help but compare it to the cold, concrete alleyways he'd known on Earth. At least here, he wouldn't have to share a room with a bunch of assassins.
Before Silas could fully take in his surroundings, a nagging thought crept into his mind.
This butler is way too fast.
Before he could voice his thoughts, Sir Lance conjured a suitcase out of thin air and handed it to him with surprising delicacy.
"That has everything you need for your first day, young master," Sir Lance said, his voice laced with pride.
The butler's eyes twinkled as he held out two fingers. "Now, would you prefer to take the carriage or should I just transport you there instantly?"
Before Silas could answer, the maid's voice rang out from the room above.
"No time for that, Sir Lance!" she called.
The butler nodded, unfazed, and with a snap of his fingers, Silas felt his mind go blank as everything around him shifted.
Give me a break, will you?!
The next thing he knew, a blinding light engulfed him. When it faded, he found himself standing in the middle of a grand academy. The architecture was overwhelming, and even the gates seemed to stretch endlessly toward the sky.
Is this... the academy? Silas thought, his mind still struggling to catch up.
He couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of it all — it was almost as if the academy was a fortress, its sheer scale dwarfing everything around it.
Silas let out a long, frustrated sigh, feeling like he'd just been caught in the middle of a hurricane with how fast everything was moving.
I think all that happened in... just a second?
Before he could even try to process what was going on, the sound of wheels screeching filled the air. A carriage was barreling toward him, the horses thundering and not showing any signs of slowing down.
"Move, kid!" the coachman shouted, his voice sharp and urgent.
Wait, what?
Silas barely had time to react. His instincts kicked in as the carriage came roaring toward him, the driver's curses barely reaching his ears.
In one fluid motion, Silas steadied himself, reaching out and placing his hand on the horse's head. Using the beast's momentum, he launched himself upward, landing effortlessly in the seat beside the coachman.
Old habits die hard, Silas chuckled to himself
The coachman's eyes widened in shock. He blinked a few times, trying to process how a student could move like that.
What the hell just happened?
But he didn't have time to dwell on it. He tugged at the reins and brought the carriage to a halt right after crossing the academy's gates.
"Next time, don't just stand in the damn gate!" the coachman grumbled, his frustration evident.
Silas shrugged, offering a lazy, almost playful apology.
"I won't do it again," he said with a smirk, giving a mock salute before leaping off the carriage and landing lightly on the ground.
As he straightened up, the door to the carriage swung open, and there, standing before him, was the one character Silas had been dreading to meet.
Victoria Phoenix.
The villainess. And, as fate would have it, also a fellow Earthling—just like him. She'd been transmigrated into this world, taking on the role of the novel's infamous antagonist.
Yeah, so the plot of the game is about a female protagonist who gets transmigrated into the novel she was reading... only she ends up taking the role of the villainess. And somehow, I got transmigrated into the game itself—meaning I'm also stuck in this messed-up novel world, just as a random extra.
Silas chuckled to himself.
This is making less sense the more I think about it. But hey, she's the closest thing to "normal" in this mess.
He gave her a quick once-over, already mentally preparing for whatever absurd drama would come next.