Chapter 1
#1. The Airheaded Lady of the Horror Game
<The Archmage’s Mansion>.
A horror game produced by a studio based on a romance fantasy novel, which became a massive hit.
Characters illustrated with dazzling, radiant quality.
Maps and backgrounds that faithfully recreate noble estates and the imperial palace.
Multiple ending combinations depending on choices.
Players can choose to play from the perspective of either the heroine Yeniel or the villainess Evelyn.
The plot itself was simple.
“Welcome to the Archmage’s Mansion.”
The doors of the long-closed mansion open.
It is the great legacy of the Archmage who aided the Empire’s first Emperor and four founding vassals, ultimately sacrificing his life.
At this glorious party attended by the crown prince, nobles, and guests—
—The world flickers. On the ballroom wall, a bloody curse appears:
<The Emperor, and the four whom I once called comrades.
You betrayed me.
I shall not forgive you.
I will kill you, and your cursed descendants who carry your blood.>
The mansion twists into a grotesque nightmare, dragging in all who carry the blood of the Emperor and his vassals into the Archmage’s memory, where they are brutally tormented and slain.
Character Selection
▶ Heroine Yeniel Geness
Baron’s daughter, pro-Emperor faction.
Puzzle hints available, suspicion meter rises slowly.
Romance and collection elements included. (Recommended for beginners)
▷ Villainess Evelyn Devnoir
Duke’s daughter, pro-Nobility faction.
No puzzle hints, suspicion rises quickly. (Not recommended for first play)
Would you like to choose?
▶ [YES]
[NO]
The story continues with both sides struggling to escape.
“Aaaahhh! Kyaaah!”
A piercing scream rang out in the room.
I glanced at my older brother, who had screamed the moment the mansion twisted in the prologue.
“Hey. Are you insane?”
“Blood! Handprints! Aaaagh!”
Though I was the one holding the controller, it was my brother who was terrified, buried under a blanket and hugging a cushion.
[Lady April: Lady Yeniel!]
[Yeniel: Lady April…?]
Bathed in radiant light like a halo—April’s first appearance illustration was so beautiful that beginners would stare in awe.
April, the ‘airheaded young lady,’ was considered the most beautiful character in The Archmage’s Mansion.
With platinum hair, long lashes of the same silver hue, pomegranate-red eyes, and lips like a ruby against her white dress—she looked like an angel. But…
[April: April will put flowers in her hair. Father said April looks like a baby deer when she does this.]
[Sian: …… Lady, can’t you read the room?]
[April: Sir Sian, do I look like a baby deer?]
[Sian: ……]
[Yeniel: ……]
My brother, who had been trembling moments ago, suddenly grinned.
“April! You’re my light!”
“…What nonsense.”
April belonged to House Sharon, a ducal family famed for swordsmanship. Though physically gifted, the family was known for being… less sharp intellectually.
As the cherished only daughter, April was pure and innocent to a fault.
Thus, she served as comic relief and eased the tension—
but by the mid-to-late game, whenever the horror deepened, April always died.
After many hours, I cleared the game for my brother:
“Congratulations! You have escaped the Otherworld.
Achievement Unlocked! Cleared without dying even once.
Clear Time: 29:37 (New Record).”
My brother cheered while I demanded my promised chicken.
The hidden story flashed, but I didn’t care. My brother could watch it.
This game was already years old; he’d only replayed it because the devs had announced a new Hard Mode.
That was the last thought I had.
“I just hope the chicken gets here fast.”
The Archmage’s Mansion and April, the airheaded lady, were already fading from my mind.
…Or so I thought.
I woke up the next morning—
in the body of that beautiful but utterly airheaded Lady April.
