NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2
2. Frost Syndrome (1)
It had been three months since I was possessed as Eral de Arlot’s butler.
-Step. Step.
The hallway of a grand mansion, majestic and vast.
I was pushing a serving cart as tall as myself along the corridor.
Passing servants looked at me fondly, but their gazes still felt unfamiliar to me.
“Schmitz, working hard as always.”
“Good morning.”
“Ah, are you headed to the young lady’s room?”
“Yes. I’m bringing her breakfast.”
“Fufu, be careful, alright?”
Along the way, maids and attendants would occasionally strike up small talk.
It was a bit burdensome having to constantly act like a polite little boy.
Well, considering how I currently looked—an earnest young butler pushing a cart his size—those affectionate gazes weren’t all that strange.
‘…Waltz Schmitz.’
The name of the character I was possessed in was ‘Waltz Schmitz’.
Eight years old, heir to the ‘Waltz’ family—a line of butlers who had served the Arlot family for generations.
The command I’d received as a butler was simple:
‘Bring meals to Eral de Arlot at each mealtime.’
Because of her illness, she couldn’t leave her bed, and so I was to be her companion during meals.
I was eight years old, and so was Eral.
It seemed they thought she’d be more comfortable with someone her age rather than an older attendant.
Honestly, that suited me just fine.
Maybe because I was still young, my only task was to bring Eral her meals on time and talk with her while she ate.
I was receiving training to become a proper butler, but compared to the forced ideological education of the military, this was downright enjoyable.
That said, just because the job was easy didn’t mean I let my guard down.
I was steadily gathering information, even about the game elements.
After confirming no one was around, I whispered quietly.
“…Quest window.”
A translucent window appeared before my eyes.
It was the first time I’d seen something like it, but the format of the quest window was all too familiar.
And for good reason—
‘It’s exactly the same format as the quests from Party to Savior, the game I used to play.’
I already knew from the moment I became Eral de Arlot’s butler that I had been possessed into the world of the game.
So the quest window itself wasn’t all that surprising.
Nor was the quest to enroll in the academy.
The problem was the reward and failure conditions.
Come on, dying just because I fail to enroll? Isn’t that a bit much?
Does this world not have transfer students or alternative admissions?
And the reward is a “clue” to return to my original world.
A normal person would probably try hard to return.
But I wasn’t a normal person.
‘Why should I go back?’
I thought back briefly on my past life.
Born to a debt-ridden father and a drunkard mother, I had struggled desperately just to survive.
But I couldn’t overcome the fate I was dealt. My whole family fell apart.
I became a gaming recluse, a total loser. That’s the life I lived until I was possessed.
After such a shitty life… return?
I’d rather the reward be permission to live here forever.
Lost in thought, I found myself standing in front of a familiar door.
She would be waiting behind it.
I paused to compose myself.
And then—
-Knock knock
“Young Lady, it’s Schmitz. I’ve brought your meal.”
After knocking on her door, I took a moment to calm my nerves.
As the self-proclaimed top ‘Eral-mom’ of Party to Savior, the moments I spent meeting her were always special.
Still unable to get used to the anticipation, I heard a bright voice from within.
—“Come in!”
“Excuse me.”
I opened the door and stepped inside, revealing a room that oozed elegance.
White lace was draped everywhere, and the room was decorated in the ornate northern style.
Still, it was clearly the room of an eight-year-old girl—brightly colored teddy bears stood in a neat line on her bed.
From the left: Teddy, Berry, Willy, and Kuma, I think.
The bed was so large, it was hard to believe it was meant for a single child.
Probably queen-sized. But her small frame made it look even bigger.
“Schmitz, hi!”
She smiled radiantly and waved at me.
Her long, snow-white hair swayed with her smile.
Bright crimson eyes drew in my gaze, and her skin was so pale it was nearly translucent.
All of it gave off a fragile impression, as though she might break at any moment…
“Schmitz, why aren’t you saying hi back?”
“Ah… Yes, good morning, Young Lady.”
“We promised yesterday to use first names when we’re alone, remember?”
“…But I’m your butler, and you’re the lady I serve. I can’t speak so informally—”
“Liar.”
Her speech and mannerisms were those of a typical little girl.
Everything about her, even her doll-like appearance and unusual hair color, screamed at the eight-year-old child.
She pouted and sulked, but I ignored it and began laying out the food on the bed tray.
“Please enjoy your meal.”
“I’m not eating food from a liar.”
“You have to eat to become prettier.”
“That’s a lie too.”
She huffed and turned her head away.
Why was she calling me a liar…?
Knowing the reason, I couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.
‘It must be because of what happened yesterday.’
It was during dinner.
She said she was done, and I was about to clean up the dishes.
But on the plate was a lonely green bell pepper.
[“I hate peppers. They taste gross.”]
When I asked why she didn’t eat them, that was her answer.
I tried to make her eat them with a stern expression.
Of course, I didn’t really want to force a kid to eat something she hated.
‘But I’m a victim too…’
It was last week, I think. I returned her dish with uneaten peppers, and the higher-ups scolded me.
Meals for the Young Lady were carefully balanced for nutrition—nothing was to be left.
Ah, the sorrows of middle management.
While we were bickering over the peppers, I suddenly had an idea—and decided to use it on Eral.
[“Young Lady, eating a balanced meal will make you prettier.”]
[“What’s so good about being pretty?”]
[“Well, then you can have a good ending with the protagonist, Evan… I mean, marry a handsome man.”]
After I whispered that men couldn’t resist a pretty girl, her eyes sparkled.
She polished off the peppers in an instant…
And then she confessed out of nowhere.
[“Bleh, still gross.”]
[“You were amazing, Young Lady. You’ve become dazzlingly beautiful.”]
[“Then I can marry Schmitz now, right?”]
[…“What?”]
[“You said I could marry a handsome man. I think Schmitz is the most handsome in the world, so I wanna marry you.”]
To ship myself with my favorite? A cardinal sin.
Fearing I might destroy the OTP of Eral x Protagonist I’d cherished for so long, I hurriedly made up excuses and declined.
Marriage isn’t something to be rushed.
A husband must first prove himself as a boyfriend. A boyfriend must first earn your trust as a friend.
She went quiet… then pouted and insisted I be her friend instead.
[“If it’s just a friend… fine.”]
[“Friends don’t use honorifics. And call me by name, not ‘Young Lady’."]
[…]
Of course, that was out of the question.
Above me was the head butler, who valued propriety toward our masters above life itself.
Above him was the Duke of the North, who adored his daughter to an obsessive degree.
If I spoke casually to her, I might not even live to see the quest fail.
That’s why I fled the room yesterday.
Still, the way she begged me to be her friend with such desperation tugged at my heart.
She had no friends, no one to speak freely with.
She’d barely left the mansion due to her illness.
She probably had no one to even call a friend.
“I’m not eating!”
Eral’s shout pulled me back to the present.
She still had her back turned to me.
I’d thought we’d moved past this, but she was surprisingly stubborn.
If she really skipped a meal, I’d be the one in trouble.
So I decided to take a step back.
“…Eral.”
“…!”
“Eat before it gets cold.”
“Sch-Schmitz…?”
I placed a spoon into the hands of the now wide-eyed, frozen girl.
As she sat there blinking, I couldn’t help but smile.
“…We’ll only talk like this when it’s just the two of us, okay? Don’t tell anyone else.”
“Y-Yeah! We’re friends, right? Right?”
“Of course.”
Eral visibly lit up.
Was she that happy to have her first friend?
She bounced her weak limbs with joy.
Or at least, she tried to.
“Ah… Ahh…”
“A-Are you alright?!”
The cheerful mood didn’t last long.
She clutched her right wrist tightly, trembling.
It was clear—her Frost Syndrome had flared up again.
“I’ll call for the physician right away—please wait—”
“W-Wait… really, I’m fine…!”
Her body trembled between every word, gasps slipping through her lips.
Today, her tiny back looked even smaller than usual.
What kind of pain was she enduring, this girl with such a small frame?
‘…Frost Syndrome.’
The name of the illness she suffered from.
A rare disease that affects newborns in the frigid North. It’s an incurable condition that haunts her throughout the game.
At first, it just makes the body colder than normal.
It stems from cold energy tainting the mana in one’s body, and it only worsens with age.
Initially, it feels like being pricked with icy needles.
Then, pain like frozen spikes being hammered into bones and nerves.
Eventually, the agony becomes searing.
‘If only that was the worst of it.’
As the illness progresses and the cold accumulates, parts of the body become unusable.
Arms, legs, and even the eyes are lost.
And finally, the heart freezes, unable to function.
They live their whole lives in pain—then die.
Even the daughter of the Duke of the North was no exception.
No amount of money could cure it—only delay its progression slightly.
And so, she lived a life where warmth slipped away from her each day.
“…I’m okay now. Sorry for making you wait.”
As I stared blankly at her small back, she smiled and looked at me with concern.
She could’ve whined more.
But when it came to her illness, she was oddly mature.
“If someone saw your face right now, Schmitz, they’d think you’re the one who’s sick. Why do you look so sad?”
In the eyes of this joking child shimmered unshed tears.
Her wrist had turned visibly blue and continued to tremble.
She was still in pain.
And yet—why did she pretend to be fine?
Because of me.
Because I was in front of her, and she didn’t want to show weakness.
That pure emotion came through so clearly—
And reminded me of someone else—
“Schmitz… are you crying?”
“Ah… Th-this is…”
Panicking, I wiped my eyes. Moisture clung to my fingers.
I’d started crying without even realizing it.
She, the one suffering, hadn’t shed a single tear—
So who was I to cry, someone who felt none of that pain?
It was hypocritical. Disgusting.
“I-I’m sorry. It’s just—”
-Slide
Something touched the corner of my eye.
When I looked up, Eral was gently wiping away my tears with her finger.
Her touch was cold—but she was warm, warmer than anyone.
“You’re so kind, Schmitz…”
“……”
“Really, I’m fine. I can handle this much. But…”
She handed me something with her left hand.
It was a spoon.
“I think eating with this hand might be hard today. So could I borrow yours? Just for today? We’re friends, right?”
A smile that was clear—no, trying to look clear.
Her eyes curved like crescent moons as tears slipped down her pale cheeks.
What could I say, seeing that smile?
White hair, crimson eyes like crescents, that smile—
All of it overlapped with the Eral de Arlot I’d seen in the game.
“…Okay.”
“What, still using honorifics?”
“…Mhm.”
“Ehehe, then let’s start with the grilled fish. I’ll go ‘ahh’!”
Suppressing the surge of emotion, I gently fed Eral a bite.
I wanted to say something—anything—but my voice trembled too much, so I kept my mouth shut.
Looking at her still-shaking right arm,
I renewed my vow.
That I would give everything for her.
That I would fight and struggle for her happiness.
And finally—
‘I’ll make sure that in the last ending credit, Eral ends up with Evan…’
A dream that couldn’t come true in the original game.
To fulfill that dream, I would add Eral to Evan’s heroine list.
That was my vow.
***
And that vow was shattered in the year Eral turned fifteen.