Reincarnated as a Background Character — Boss Fell in Love With Me
Chapter 4: The Demon Empress and the Dewey Decimal System
The next morning, Raze awoke in an uncomfortable chair that had possibly seen better days, the stiff neck he was sporting a testament to the awkward position he'd found himself in while trying to get some sleep. His bleary eyes fluttered open, and he quickly registered a sight that sent a chill through his spine: a demon overlord, the notorious Velzeria, lay just two feet away on a shabby couch.
"Yep," he croaked in a dry voice, bringing a hand up to rub the sleep from his eyes. "Still not a dream."
The unmistakable figure of Velzeria had not shifted an inch from her slumber. Her magnificent bat-like wings, which were a fearsome sight when extended, were now folded neatly away — presumably stowed back into whatever realm they originated from. Beside her, on an old side table cluttered with forgotten trinkets, her crown sat quietly, looking forlorn and abandoned like a once-proud trophy now rendered useless. The dark mist that usually curled enticingly around her fingers had dissipated, yet her formidable presence still suffused the air, making every breath feel as though it weighed a ton. The library itself, filled with ancient tomes and obscure texts, seemed to hold its breath, caught in a moment of stunned silence.
Raze attempted to stand, moving slowly as he cursed the persistent stiffness in his neck. As soon as he was upright, his stomach growled loudly, a grumbling reminder that he hadn't eaten in—how long? A day? Two? Time was an abstract concept in this floating tower, where the absence of clocks and the ever-present candlelight blurred the lines of reality.
With an uneasy glance back at Velzeria, he tiptoed toward the back room, hoping to scrounge something edible. Rummaging through a dusty storage cabinet, he miraculously unearthed what could pass as food: a hard loaf of bread, a small pouch filled with dried fruit, and an ominous jar labeled "Shelf Gremlin Repellent (Do Not Ingest)." He immediately set that one aside, deciding that the last thing he needed was to suffer the consequences of ingesting something intended to repel pests.
Taking a seat at the table, he chewed his meager meal in silence, all the while keeping one wary eye on Velzeria. He anticipated that, upon waking, she might react explosively; swinging at him with unearthly powers, vaporizing him with a single gaze—or at the very least, demanding answers about her unexpected circumstances. Instead, she remained utterly still, an image of calm and grandeur, even in her slumbering state.
He had to shake the thought from his mind, but it lingered: this was the same being who had once leveled an entire empire in-game simply because someone had dared to over-cook her tea.
[Update: Entity "Velzeria" is stabilizing.]
[Threat Level reduced: Cataclysmic ➝ Apocalyptic-Low]
[Recommended Action: Continue not dying.]
"Great. So she only mostly destroys civilizations now," Raze muttered under his breath, a smirk playing at the edges of his lips.
He stood and began to pace the towering shelves of the library, which seemed to stretch high above him, filled with volumes of knowledge and dark tomes that whispered secrets older than time itself. His mind spun with an overwhelming flurry of questions that begged for answers. Why was Velzeria here in this unexpected state? What injuries had befallen her? And perhaps most perplexingly, why had she imprinted herself onto him, a mere background character with no place in a tale as grand as hers?
None of it made sense, and the more he thought about it, the more tangled his thoughts became. NPCs weren't supposed to trigger narrative flags. Background characters were mere props in the elaborate stage of final bosses, lingering in the shadows without ever stepping into the light.
Unless…
Raze caught sight of the corner of his HUD, where a notification pulsed ominously.
[Trait: Null Rewrite — Active]
He still grappled with the true meaning of this notification. What did it signify? Something within him had shifted drastically, but whether it had transformed him or if it had merely lain dormant, waiting for the right moment to awaken, he could not discern.
Suddenly, the silence of the library was pierced by a voice sharp and clear, like a dagger of curiosity cutting through the quiet.
"Why are your books categorized so illogically?"
Startled, Raze spun on his heel. Velzeria had propped herself up on the couch, her elegant form radiating an air of authority and poise. One delicate hand came up to brush back her dark hair, revealing an expression that he found difficult to decipher—cool, composed, and perhaps just a shade annoyed.
"I... I didn't organize them," he stammered, carefully choosing his words. "They sort themselves."
Her eyebrow arched in skepticism. "Your system has a section labeled 'Mostly Forbidden Things.'"
He offered a weak smile in response. "Better than 'Completely Forbidden Things,' I suppose."
Velzeria stared at him for what felt like ages, her gaze unyielding and penetrating, searching for something he wasn't sure he had. Then — as if she had broken through an invisible barrier — she let out a small exhale, not quite a laugh, but close enough to bring a glimmer of hope into the oppressive atmosphere.
"You are not what I expected," she remarked, her voice softer than before, the edge of annoyance fading into something almost… human.
"That's because I wasn't supposed to be anything," he replied, shrugging in an attempt to downplay his own insignificance. "I'm just the background guy. Library assistant. Non-combatant. Just a human wet napkin caught in the tides of this story."
Raze felt the air shift around them, thick with unspoken words. Then, breaking the tension, Velzeria spoke again, her voice dropping to a near whisper that commanded attention.
"You touched my soul when it was unguarded."
Raze blinked, trying to process this unexpected revelation. "Is that a poetic way of saying I gave you a potion?"
"No." Her voice held a gravity that made him feel impossibly small. "I meant it."
The weight of the silence that followed was palpable. Raze sensed her keen gaze narrowing ever so slightly, studying him with intent that was neither hostile nor dismissive, but rather calculating, as if she were piecing together a puzzle.
"…What are you, Raze?"
He opened his mouth to respond, then snapped it shut again, struck by the depth of her question. After a moment of hesitation, he finally gave the most truthful answer he could muster, feeling both vulnerable and exposed in his admission.
"I have no idea."
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted again as a system notification flickered to life before him.
[System Notification]
New Quest Unlocked: "Fragments of the Fallen Empress"
Objective: Assist Velzeria in recovering her lost power.
Reward: Unknown
Penalty: Death (Probably)
With that ominous proclamation echoing in his mind, Raze felt the weight of his new reality begin to settle in. Whatever had transpired, there was no turning back now. The path ahead would be fraught with uncertainties, but more than ever, he felt compelled to step forward into the unknown, alongside the enigmatic goddess who had mysteriously intertwined their fates.
To be continued...