So, as it turns out, I successfully poached Fiona-san from the Ministry of Magic. Her personality was absolute trash, but her talent was the real deal. I had been racking my brain for a way to headhunt her when this wicked "Hollow Brain"¹ of mine cooked up a brilliant plan in an instant. To put it bluntly, I snitched on Fiona-san's embezzlement to the Ministry.
Her little financial indiscretions were destined to come to light eventually as the main route progressed; that was a fixed point in the scenario. I figured if she was going to get caught anyway, it might as well be now while her crimes were still relatively minor. Based on my tip-off, an investigation was launched and Fiona-san's embezzlement was exposed. The Ministry demanded immediate repayment, warning her that if she didn't cough up the funds within a week, she'd be handed over to the authorities.
Faced with that ultimatum, Fiona-san did the only logical thing: she borrowed money from every shady source she could find and sprinted straight to the capital's racetrack. I had a feeling she might, and she did. It was a total "all-in" bet on a long shot. I had to hand it to her; the woman had a gambler's soul. Curious to see how it played out, I checked the race results. It was a total slaughter.
"Why...? How... how could this happen...?" Fiona-san broke down right there in public, sobbing uncontrollably. It was the first time I had ever actually seen a human being's reality warp and dissolve into pure misery. The racetrack guard tried to talk her down with some gentle advice, but honestly, the scene was a bigger tear-jerker than a bargain-bin movie.
Having lost her money, her job, her hope, her credit, and her future, she bought a bottle of cheap swill and crawled back to her shitty apartment. A person is never easier to flip than when they have hit rock bottom. Judging the time was right, I paid her a visit and offered a deal.
"Fiona, I've got a proposition for you," I said.
"W-what is it...?" she asked.
"Work for the Heisenberg house as my private tutor and magic researcher," I replied. "In exchange, I'll lend you sixty million Gordo²-interest-free, with a 'pay-it-back-when-you're-famous' clause."
"A-a-are you... are you serious!?"
The fifty million she embezzled, plus the ten million she owed the loan sharks. Sixty million Gordo was a hefty sum, sure, but for one of the Four Great Noble houses like the Heisenbergs, it was pocket change. I had already cleared it with my father, so we were good to go. Besides, this was a capital loan, not a charitable donation. I fully expected to be paid back eventually.
I knew exactly how she would do it. Fiona Seder's talent as a magic researcher was world-class. In the future, she was going to churn out several major inventions that would change the history of magic. With the royalties from those patents, recovering the principal would be child's play. In short, I secured a top-tier magic researcher for essentially zero cost. You couldn't ask for a sweeter deal.
(As the future head of House Heisenberg, the thing I need most to develop my territory is talent. This is exactly where I should be burning my resources.)
Following the flow of the main story, I intended to keep snatching up talented individuals whenever the opportunity arose.
* * *
A year of magic training flew by and I turned ten. I had been growing steadily and stood at 146 centimeters. My view of the world was getting a bit higher, too. It had been two years since I was reincarnated into Ronzorquia. I finished the basics of both swordsmanship and magic. The original Hollow meets the protagonist on April 8th, Holy Year 1016, at the Redrick Magic Academy entrance ceremony. I had about five years left. I had to use this time as efficiently as possible to gain the strength to rival the protagonist and the power to defy my scenario.
(Alright, let's start with the morning workout.)
Just as I was heading for the garden, my father's enraged voice echoed from outside the room. "Damn it! Why... why!?"
(What's the commotion?)
I headed toward my father's study and found Olvin standing before the door.
"Olvin, did something happen to my father?" I asked.
"No, young master, he is as he always is," Olvin replied. "He has been scouring the country day and night, searching for a way to break the curse placed upon the Mistress. But... he seems to be hitting a wall."
"I see."
If I strained my ears, I could hear my father's voice from within. "I'm so sorry, Leila... God... why did I let you go alone back then!?" The words of confession and regret repeated like a broken record. His mind was clearly at its breaking point.
"By the way, Olvin. What's the date?"
"It is May 1st, young master," said Olvin.
"I see. Has it really been that long...?"
I had been having so much fun with swords and magic that I had completely lost track of time. In the original story, the earliest point where Hollow dies is May of the Holy Year 1011. That was this month.
(If I don't move fast, I'm screwed.)
If my memory was correct, the Star-Gazing Festival³ this weekend was the deadline. If I didn't break my mother's curse by then, I would hit a Bad End no matter what I did.
Roughly eight years ago, Hollow's mother, Leila, failed to slay the Calamity Beast known as the Sky-Eater⁴. She was struck by a foul curse and became bedridden. Since then, my father, Daphnes, had tried everything to find a cure, but he eventually came up empty. Pushed to the brink, he turned to the Great Demon Cult as a last resort.
While the capital was celebrating the festival, my father secretly met with a cult executive and was given a "curse-breaking magic." Having lost the ability to think rationally, he used the magic in a fit of desperation. The Sky-Eater's curse vanished and my mother woke up. But the spell wasn't a cure; it was the Secret Art of Demonization. Leila, turned into a Demon, incinerated the very streets she once loved.
Amidst the slaughter, she tore through the city while weeping tears of blood, only to be struck down by the Holy Knights who were once her comrades. In her final moments, she regained her senses and died apologizing for her sins.
Soon after, my father's dealings with the cult were exposed, triggering the Condemnation Event. Every member of the Heisenberg family was sentenced to death, and the cold blade of the guillotine fell. It was the Condemnation Guillotine End-a conclusion where no one was left happy. Only three days remained until the Star-Gazing Festival.
(I think I'm finally ready.)
A year of swords. A year of magic. It was time to put the results of my training to the ultimate test.
"Olvin, I'm heading out," I said.
"To where, young master?" Olvin asked.
"The Klein Royal Library."
A short carriage ride later, I arrived at the massive library.
"I don't need a ride back. I'll find my own way," I told the driver.
"Understood. Please, be careful," the driver said.
He bowed and headed back to the estate. I turned on my heel and entered the towering structure of the Klein Royal Library.
(Wow, this is incredible...)
As far as the eye could see, there were books, books, and more books. This was the largest library in the Kingdom, boasting a collection of over a hundred million volumes. It was a dream come true for any bibliophile.
(Let's see, it should be this way.)
Guided by my knowledge of the original game, I navigated the maze-like aisles. I stood before bookshelf number 33,333, pulled out a plain white book with no title, and whispered the secret password.
"Found the fairy."
In the next instant, a white light blinded me. When I came to, I was in the middle of a bustling thoroughfare. Warm sunlight bathed the street, a pleasant breeze was blowing, and lively voices echoed from all directions. Left and right, colorful stalls were lined up, selling everything from cotton candy and pizza to whole roasted pigs, sushi, dragon fruit, tacos, and bolognese. An utterly mismatched array of food was on display, and crowds were swarming to buy it all.
(Just like the original. Looks like a blast.)
This was the Fairy's Return Path. Everyone here except for me was a monstrosity. Giant raccoons walking on two legs, paper umbrellas with legs, talking turtle shells... these unique-looking beings were higher-order existences known as Fairies.
"Oh? A human?"
"How rare. Is he lost?"
"Wanna play? Play with us?"
Ignoring the chatter of the fairies, I walked down the path until I spotted a flashy clown with a distinctive, large red nose. He whistled a jaunty tune while tossing a pan at a Western-style food stall.
"Hey," I said.
"Welcome! What can I get for ya?" the clown asked.
"The Special Kid's Lunch. With the caramel pudding."
"...And the flag?"
"Make it the cutest one you've got."
The clown grinned and started cooking with practiced ease. A minute later, he set the plate down. "Here ya go! One order, hot and ready!"
The plate was packed with the best sides: fried shrimp, a hamburger patty, and octopus-shaped sausages. A cute pink flag was stuck into the mountain of chicken rice. It was a truly magnificent Kid's Lunch.⁵
"Now then, right this way," the clown said.
He opened the door to a weathered old house behind the stall. I walked in without taking off my shoes, eating the lunch as I navigated a pitch-black corridor with my eyes closed. With nothing else to do, I focused on the food and finished it in seconds. The moment I used magic to incinerate the chopsticks and the plate, things changed.
The sound of my footsteps shifted from the sharp clack on floorboards to the soft thud of treading on earth. The scent of a bustling city became the sharp, fresh aroma of greenery. Birds began to chirp and a brilliant light hit my eyelids. I slowly opened my eyes to see a massive Natural Library stretching out before me. This was the Forbidden Library-the ultimate archive where every book in the world was gathered.
(The graphics are insane... It was beautiful in the game, but seeing it in person is something else!)
While I was lost in awe, a voice as lovely as silver bells echoed through the air. "My, my. What a precious little guest we have here."
In the center of the lush library sat the owner of the voice, relaxing at a table set with a parasol. It was the Guardian of the Forbidden Library: Entia, the Witch of Intellectual Greed⁶. She looked to be about twenty years old. She stood about 165 centimeters tall with a slender, toned frame, though her chest possessed a very certain presence.
She was a peerless beauty with long pastel-pink hair, jet-black wings sprouting from her waist, and large, shimmering eyes set in porcelain skin. She wore a white off-the-shoulder top and a black long skirt with a deep slit that showed off a tantalizing amount of thigh.
"It's our first meeting, I believe. I am Hollow von Heisenberg," I said.
"Oh, I know. Daphnes and Leila's boy," Entia replied. "The lazy, arrogant, wicked little aristocrat." She snapped her book shut and gave me a soft smile. "I am Entia, the Witch of Intellectual Greed. I assume you've come here because there's something you want to know?"
"That's right."
What I needed was Amour's Secret Tome, housed right here in the library. It was a book written by the ancient high priest Amour, containing the curse-breaking spell . I knew the name of the spell, its effects, and its composition, but for some reason, I couldn't replicate it. It seemed this world followed game logic; I couldn't learn the spell until I cleared this specific event.
"To receive wisdom from the Witch of Intellectual Greed, you must pass the Witch's Trial," Entia said. "You understand that much, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'm not very good at holding back, you know... are you sure about this?"
"Naturally," I said. "I have no need for you to hold back."
"Well... that's good to hear." Entia stood up slowly, a sadistic glint in her eyes. "You have a wonderful expression on your face. You don't think you're going to lose for even a second, do you? Ah... I can't wait. I can't wait to see that smug confidence of yours shatter into a thousand jagged pieces of pain!"
Six black wings erupted from her back.
(Whoa, she's going full-throttle right out of the gate...)
"Now, then. Let the Witch's Trial begin," Entia said.
Summary:
Hollow successfully manipulates a corrupt researcher named Fiona into his service by snitching on her embezzlement and then bailing her out. He then realizes the deadline to save his mother from a 'Bad End' curse is approaching this month. To prevent his family's execution, he travels to a magical 'Forbidden Library' to face the Witch Entia and obtain a specific purification spell.
Trivia:
- Fiona was snitched on specifically so her debt would be low enough for Hollow to pay off easily.
- The 'Sky-Eater' curse is the root cause of the family's future ruin.
- Hollow is currently 10 years old, which is younger than the academy age.
- The 'Fairy's Return Path' contains mismatched foods like sushi and tacos, suggesting a multiversal or chaotic nature to the fairy realm.
- Hollow cannot use the spell even if he knows the 'formula' because the world is locked by RPG-style event flags
Character Insight:
Hollow shows a ruthless but calculated side by destroying Fiona's life just to rebuild it in a way that serves him. Despite his 'evil' methods, his primary motivation remains the survival of his parents.
Behind the Scenes:
The 'Kid's Lunch' trope in Japanese media often signifies innocence or a bridge between the mundane and the magical, used here as a key to the Forbidden Library.
TL Notes:
1 ↩ Hollow Brain (ホロウ脳): A term describing Hollow's unique, often cold and calculating thought process.
2 ↩ Gordo (ゴルド): The primary currency unit in the world of Ronzorquia.
3 ↩ Star-Gazing Festival (星詠み祭): A major festival in the royal capital where the heavens are observed; the setting for a critical plot turning point.
4 ↩ Sky-Eater (天喰): One of the 'Four Calamity Beasts' responsible for the curse on Hollow's mother.
5 ↩ Special Kid's Lunch (スペシャルお子様ランチ): A nostalgic Japanese restaurant meal for children, often served with a small flag, used here as a magical key.
6 ↩ Witch of Intellectual Greed (知欲の魔女): A title for Entia, implying a lust for knowledge and wisdom.
Notes:
• Hollow - Ten‑year‑old heir of the Heisenberg Duke house, 140 cm tall, red medium‑length hair tied in a ribbon‑ponytail, crimson eyes, lean build, navy jacket and black trousers. Holds Void (Origin Class) magic and all‑elemental aptitude, remembers the original Ronsolkia story, and is next head of the family, son of Daphnes and Leila.
• Fiona - An 18‑year‑old Arbiter of the Ministry of Magic, once a top‑tier magic researcher, now known for a “garbage” personality. She stands 160 cm, slender, with black ponytail hair, mauve eyes and snowy white skin, dressed in a white jacket, black shirt and miniskirt. She owes Hollow 60 million Gordo after an embezzlement scandal and gambling loss.
• Heisenberg - Lord of the Heisenberg family. One of the Four Great Noble Houses. Noted for his immense wealth and territorial holdings.
• Olvin - Hallow's swordsmanship instructor. Possesses a渋い (shibui/refined/gravelly) voice. Highly respectful of Hallow's status.
• Leila - The late, incapacitated Mistress of the Heisenberg house — Hollow’s mother — wears a silvered cloak, sharp eyes, and a scarred visage; known as the Sword Saint and the family’s Sun, she is famed as the kingdom’s top super‑genius swordswoman.
• Daphnes - Duke of the Heisenberg family and father of Hollow, this gaunt, silver‑haired mage bears the weight of his wife Leila’s curse, driving him mentally unstable. A genius of Unique Magic: Vanity, he rules his lineage with twisted brilliance.
• Entia - Witch of Intellectual Greed and Guardian of the Forbidden Library. Appears roughly 20 years old, 165 cm, pastel-pink hair, six black wings, porcelain skin.