Chapter 0
Prologue
My eyes snapped open. The sound of fireworks and whistles assaulted my ears, and my vision was abnormally blurred.
It seemed I had been crying.
I didn’t know since when, but I released the tightly clasped hands and raised my hand to wipe around my eyes.
My hand that swept down my cheek was damp from how much I had cried.
Congratulatory words poured out from here and there. I too was part of that scene, but for some reason, I felt as if I was left alone and isolated.
Feeling as though I had been dropped into an unknown world, I roughly wiped away the tears that obscured my vision and stood up.
“My lady! Where are you going?”
As I got up, I felt someone grabbing me, but I had no time to pay attention. I walked aimlessly until I reached a place with no people.
I couldn’t remember anything. Why I was here, why I was crying. I didn’t even know who I was.
“What is this…”
I stopped in bewilderment. Then a transparent window appeared before my eyes.
[…sYstEm loAdiNg…]
Unconsciously, I reached out toward the window hanging before me. Then, with a crackling sound, the text in the window began to change.
[Language patch has been completed.]
“Language… patch…?”
As I spoke, the text in the window changed.
[Great Achievement Unlocked! Congratulations! You have successfully possessed someone in a world that has reached its conclusion!]
“What are you talking about…”
[As a reward for this great achievement, a portion of your memories will be transmitted.]
Upon reading this message, I felt as if I’d been struck in the back of the head, and memories began to seep in.
I staggered as I became dizzy from the sudden flood of memory fragments.
I barely managed to support myself by leaning against the wall when, with a ding sound, text appeared in the transparent window.
[…Transmitting memories…]
As I glared at the window with a frown from the headache, another window appeared.
[Special reward has been forcibly granted. Special reward: The side story you desired]
I clutched my head, which felt like it would split, and muttered.
“Side story…?”
As I squeezed my eyes shut at the two words “possession” and “side story,” someone suddenly grabbed my arm. Startled, I quickly turned around.
Right in front of me stood a woman with deep orange hair, fidgeting anxiously with tears welling up in her eyes.
“Miss! Do you know how surprised I was when you suddenly disappeared? Does your head hurt? Oh my. Look at those tears. Let me wipe them for you. Please close your eyes.”
I felt the gentle touch wiping my face and closed my eyes for now. Even then, the woman continued talking without pause.
“Duke Reynolds’ wedding is over. So please stop crying. You’re so pale, you really look like you might collapse.”
Reynolds…?
I tilted my head at the somewhat familiar surname. The memory was hazy, as if I could almost recall it.
“I’ll go tell them you’re returning home, so please wait here.”
Without even waiting for my response, the woman ran off quickly. As I watched her retreating figure, the text in the window saying “Transmitting memories” suddenly changed.
[Memory transmission complete!]
As if it didn’t care that I was still being swept away by the unorganized waves of memory, the next window appeared.
[The place you have possessed is inside <The Price of Sacrifice> that you read.]
“The Price of Sacrifice…”
It was definitely a title I knew. Something suddenly struck through my mind.
“Ah…”
I remembered.
Among all the novels I had read, the worst novel: The Price of Sacrifice.
This alone was sufficiently despairing, but at the next window that appeared, I couldn’t help but scream out loud.
[You have possessed ‘Ashley Ort,’ a supporting character from <The Price of Sacrifice>.]
