Adam Shrill. The man who had practically set his life aside just to follow Victoria wherever she went. Black suit, short brown hair, and bright yellow eyes.

He had pleaded to remain by her side forever, eventually becoming her personal butler.

Victoria had never once seen him in a romantic light.

But Adam?

He absolutely did.

He wanted her all to himself. Adam’s lifelong goal was simple: to marry Victoria Platini.

Unfortunately for him, reality wasn’t nearly as romantic.

Adam wasn’t someone of noble standing. He was only a fourth-degree, meaning he came from no aristocratic bloodline whatsoever. In this world, that alone already made things far harder than they needed to be.

Her parents would never approve.

Not in a million years.

Still, despite all of that, Adam was powerful in his own right.

He never really played an important role in the original novel. Barely a side character, honestly. But with the way events had begun shifting lately...

Anything could change.

Anything.

"Huh...?" Adam paused, his blood practically boiling. "Apologize for your disgusting actions right now!"

He glanced briefly behind him, almost as if making sure Victoria was still watching.

"Say sorry. Now."

Cassien sighed.

"And what if I say no?"

Adam visibly faltered.

"E-eh..." He stuttered, clearly not accustomed to being denied in front of Victoria. "Then... then I’ll beat you into a pulp."

Cassien stared at him for a moment before laughing directly in his face.

"Are you a child?" he asked. "You certainly sound like one."

He leaned closer, his voice lowering.

"You won’t do anything."

Cassien smiled faintly.

"Even if I seduced Victoria right in front of you, do you really think you could stop me?"

He tapped Adam lightly on the shoulder.

"Go on then. Do something."

Mana quietly stirred beneath Cassien’s sleeve.

He was more than ready if things escalated.

But before Adam could act, Victoria finally snapped herself out of whatever mental daze Cassien had accidentally inflicted upon her.

"Stop it, both of you!" She stepped between them, placing a hand out. "Adam, I thought you were better than this."

"My lady, he kissed your hand. How could you allow such a shamelessly perverted-looking man to do something like that?"

Victoria blushed faintly.

"It’s fine. He only caught me off guard, which admittedly... was a clever tactic."

Adam looked utterly betrayed.

"My lady, I cannot allow such behavior! I have to teach him a lesson."

Victoria stomped her foot lightly in frustration before turning toward Cassien instead.

"I have a proposal to make, if that’s alright with you?"

Cassien thought for a brief moment, then nodded.

"Go ahead."

"As much as you may believe in your own abilities, venturing into the Arthol Caverns alone against a Demonic Beast is a terrible decision."

Cassien remained silent, allowing her to continue.

"You cannot simply rely on mana implementation alone. No, you need a proper team. Mages, enchanters, swordsmen, arcanists."

"Hmm. I see where you’re going."

Victoria nodded.

"Perfect. Then I’ll skip to the point. Allow us to join you. We’ll assist with the mission, and afterward, you can take the larger cut since you found the quest first."

Cassien smiled.

"I like that proposal. Sure, sounds fun."

But before Victoria could continue, Adam abruptly cut in.

"My lady!" he shouted. "I cannot allow this! It’s either me or him. I refuse to go on a mission alongside scum like that."

Victoria’s expression cooled considerably.

"For your information, Adam, Cassien holds a higher social rank than you. Commoners shouldn’t go around calling nobility scum so casually."

She crossed her arms.

"Though frankly, I think both of you should treat others more equally."

Adam froze.

"If you don’t wish to join us, then don’t. I won’t force you. But I’m certainly not going to follow your every word simply because you’ve helped me before."

Adam’s fists clenched.

"After all I’ve done..." he whispered. "After everything I’ve gone through for you... This is how you repay me? By siding with some random stranger?"

Victoria frowned.

"I never asked you to help me. You chose to do those things yourself."

That clearly wasn’t the answer Adam wanted.

He rose to his feet fully, hands trembling with tension.

"You dare defy me? I’ve helped you countless times, yet you choose this nobody over me?"

His voice cracked.

"I thought we shared the same ideals."

Victoria now looked genuinely irritated.

"What is wrong with you, Adam? Why are you making this into such a massive issue?"

She shook her head.

"If you’re going to continue acting like this, then leave. I won’t take you under my wing ever again."

Cassien narrowed his eyes slightly.

Something about this felt off.

’She has a point. Was Adam always portrayed like this in the novel?’

That thought didn’t quite add up.

Sure, Adam was protective.

But this?

No. This felt excessive.

Like something had been amplified far beyond its original parameters.

Adam was never written to be this emotionally unstable. He cared for Victoria deeply, yes, but more in the sense of loyalty and admiration.

Not... whatever this was.

To this degree? Ridiculous.

’There’s definitely a possibility here.’

Cassien tapped his jaw thoughtfully while the two continued arguing.

Then, it clicked.

’Ah.’

’I remember now.’

Adam Shrill.

[Fated To Protect His Best Friend].

Cassien smiled faintly.

’So the academy really has been infested with them.’

’No worries. This works just fine.’

An interface only Cassien could perceive appeared before him.

[Transmigrate #12][Earth Name: Estavio Maria David][Novel Name: Adam Shrill][Role: Victoria’s Butler][Fate #1: Fated To Protect His Best Friend][Fate #2: Fated To ██████ ███ ████████████]

Cassien studied it briefly.

’Interesting. This simple argument somehow triggered a second fate I still can’t identify.’

’Fine then. I’ll continue accordingly.’

Stepping between their argument, Cassien gently took Victoria by the arm and pulled her slightly closer.

"My lady," he said softly, "please calm yourself. There’s no need to continue arguing with someone so convinced he’s always correct."

He glanced toward Adam.

"Didn’t you mention earlier that you had others joining as well? Forget him. Let’s focus on the mission instead."

Adam stared at the two of them.

His expression shifted.

Something dark passed through his eyes.

Then... he smiled.

Not a normal smile.

Something uglier.

Something unsettling.

After one final malicious laugh, he turned and walked away.

Victoria released a long sigh, finally calming down before looking up at Cassien.

"Thanks."

"No worries," Cassien replied quietly. "But where are these other teammates you mentioned?"

Victoria began scanning the area.

And then, a voice erupted from directly behind Cassien.

"You..."

Cassien froze.

A horrifying amount of mana flooded the area.

The pressure alone felt suffocating.

And as he slowly turned around, he realized exactly what he had done.