I followed the servant through the hallway, my footsteps echoing against stone floors.
The manor was excessive—high ceilings with carved beams, marble floors, gold trim on everything.
Everything in the Angelo house screamed wealth. Except now, we were drowning in debt.
How the fuck did I miss this in the game?
The servant stopped at a large door. "Lord Velcross is waiting inside, my lord."
I nodded, and he hurried off, head down.
I took a breath and pushed the door open.
***
The study was exactly what I expected—another display of wealth. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, a desk big enough to sleep on, tall windows overlooking the estate. The kind of room designed to make visitors feel small.
And standing in the center of it all was Viktor Velcross.
Blonde hair. Perfect posture, confident smile, he looked exactly like his character sprite.
Protagonist energy.
An older man with thinning gray hair stood near the desk. Theron—Cade's advisor. Loyal servant, harmless bookkeeper. At least, that's what he was in the game.
Viktor's smile widened when he saw me. "Cade. You're looking well."
I'd spent the last hour staring at my reflection, trying to process the fact that I was trapped in a body that wasn't mine. But sure. Well.
"I was worried you might have done something... rash," Viktor continued.
I forced myself to stay calm. "I'm fine."
"Good. Good." He gestured to the chair. "Please, sit. We have much to discuss."
I sat. Theron remained standing beside me.
Viktor settled into the chair across from me.
"I'm here to discuss your father's debts," Viktor said, "And... other matters."
I kept my expression neutral. *Play dumb. You don't know anything yet.*
"I don't understand," I said carefully. "What debts?"
Viktor's eyes gleamed. He'd been waiting for that.
He produced a leather-bound ledger and placed it on the desk.
"Your father borrowed extensively from House Velcross over the past two years," Viktor said. "For various business ventures, estate repairs, personal expenses..."
I stared at the ledger. Rows of numbers in neat script, dates, amounts. None of it made sense to my modern brain. Medieval accounting was a foreign language.
I glanced at Theron. The old man's face had gone pale.
"Perhaps you should explain it to Lord Cade," Viktor said smoothly, his gaze flicking to Theron. "The numbers can be... overwhelming."
Theron stepped forward, his hands shaking as he took the ledger. He scanned the pages, his lips moving silently.
"My lord," Theron said quietly. "The total debt to House Velcross is..." He swallowed hard. "Two hundred and fifty thousand gold."
I stared at him. Two hundred and fifty thousand.
I tried to wrap my head around it. In the game, high-tier equipment cost maybe 5,000 gold. A house cost 20,000.
Great. Isekai'd into a world where I'm already fucked.
"That's..." I started, then stopped. Cade would know what this meant.
"How much do we have?" I asked Theron, keeping my voice steady.
Theron hesitated, glancing nervously at Viktor before answering. "In liquid assets, my lord? Perhaps... ninety thousand gold. The estate, the lands, the remaining businesses—if sold quickly, maybe another fifty thousand."
One hundred and forty thousand total. Still a hundred and ten thousand short.
Viktor leaned back in his chair, watching me with that same easy smile. "It's a considerable sum, I know. Your father was... optimistic about his ability to repay."
"What did he borrow it for?" I asked.
"Various ventures. Mining rights, trade expeditions, investments that didn't pan out." Viktor waved a hand dismissively. "The specifics are in the ledger. The point is, the debt is owed. And it's due."
"Due when?"
"Originally? Six months from now. But given your father's... untimely passing, I think it's fair to allow you time to grieve." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'll give you one month."
Thirty days to come up with a hundred and ten thousand gold.
Viktor leaned forward slightly. "And then there's the matter of Lady Seraphina."
My stomach dropped.
Seraphina Ashford. The game's main heroine. Cade's fiancée—at least until Viktor "saves" her from his abuse and she falls for the hero instead.
"Your engagement is in three weeks, isn't it?" Viktor continued, his tone sympathetic. "I'm sure her father is concerned. A noble house drowning in debt... not exactly an ideal match for his daughter."
"Especially when there are more... *stable* options available."
My hands clenched under the desk. It wasn't even my fiancée—I didn't know her. But the way Viktor said it, like he was doing me a favor...
"Seraphina has nothing to do with this," I said, the words coming out sharper than I intended.
Viktor's smile widened. "Of course not. I'm simply thinking of her wellbeing. You understand."
Bullshit.
"Lord Velcross," I said carefully, forcing the anger down. "I appreciate your... patience. One month. I'll find a way."
"Of course, Cade. We've known each other since we were boys." He stood, brushing invisible dust from his coat. "One month, Cade. That's more than generous."
The door closed behind him with a soft click.
***
The moment he was gone, a translucent screen appeared in front of my face.
[MAIN QUEST RECEIVED: DEBT OF RUIN]
OBJECTIVE: Pay House Velcross 250,000 gold within 30 days
FAILURE PENALTY: Loss of House Angelo assets, titles, and engagements
REWARDS: 2x gacha golden ticket.
TIMER: 29 days, 23 hours, 48 minutes
I stared at the countdown, watching the seconds tick away.
Fuck.
Theron cleared his throat softly. "My lord... what would you have me do?"
I looked at him. "Do we have any source of income left in the estate?"
Theron hesitated. "The mines, my lord. Six months ago, your father sold the mining rights to House Corvain. It was our primary source of income—fifteen thousand gold annually."
"Why did he sell?"
"To pay the first installment of the debt. Lord Velcross had called it in early, and your father... he panicked."
So Viktor had been squeezing them for months. Bleeding the estate dry.
"What about father's plans?" I asked. "He must have had something. A way out."
Theron's expression flickered—something I couldn't read. "There were... documents, my lord. Maps. Your father spent his last weeks obsessed with some old ruin in the Ashmark Forest. He claimed it could save us."
"Could it?"
"I... don't know, my lord. He died before he could prove it."
"Do we still have the maps?" I asked.
"I believe so. In your father's private study. I can retrieve them if you wish."
"Do that."
Theron bowed. "As you command, my lord."
He left, closing the door quietly behind him.
I knew the game's plot. Cade didn't bother trying to pay the debt—he just spiraled into violence and got himself killed.
I stood and walked to the window, looking out over the estate grounds.
First, I need allies. Or maybe I need to figure out how my powers actually work.
I pulled up my status screen.
[STATUS SCREEN]
NAME: Cade Angelo
TITLE: Heir of House Angelo
SIN VESSEL: Lust (Dormant)
LEVEL: 1
HP: 100/100
ESSENCE: 0/100
ABILITIES:
❖ ESSENCE DRAIN
Absorb abilities or life force through intimate physical contact.
❖ STIGMA [A-RANK] — LOCKED
Summon objects or temporary buffs using stored essence.
[LOCKED: Requires 5+ Essence to activate]
Ah, right. I almost forgot—I have to fuck someone first.
I closed the screen and turned back toward the door.
First things first. I needed to see those maps. If my father had found something in that ruin, maybe—
The door burst open.
Theron stood in the doorway, face pale, clutching a torn piece of parchment.
"My lord," he gasped. "The maps. They're gone."