Villain's Refund System: The Protagonist's Harem Is Mine

Sterling’s conclave hall held three hundred relatives beneath enough Sovereign pressure to bend every silver banner.

Damien entered through its northern doors carrying Mina’s amber key, ’every cousin came armed while Father’s aura crushes the room, yeah, breakfast would have been safer.’

Two rows of younger heirs knelt beside the central path, with shoulders shaking beneath ceremonial coats while elders remained seated above them.

Aldous occupied the highest black chair without wearing a crown, yet every breath inside the hall waited around his stillness.

Cassius stood below their father in a silver heir’s mantle, perfectly straight where stronger relatives struggled against the pressure.

His smooth expression warmed when Damien crossed the threshold beneath hundreds of hostile eyes.

"Brother, your semester performance brought welcome strength back into our younger generation," he said, descending one platform step.

"Several members of that generation tried killing me last month," Damien replied, walking past the first kneeling cousin.

"Their discipline will receive proper review after today’s succession matters conclude," Cassius answered, keeping concern gentle around every witness.

’He speaks like a warm blanket somebody soaked in poison, careful, this hall expects me to mistake courtesy for shelter.’

Sovereign pressure tightened after Damien reached the center seal, forcing his repaired thigh toward one knee.

He rested a hand against his saber but refused to use it as support while black marble groaned beneath both boots.

The body remembered kneeling here as a child after breaking one ceremonial cup, fear reaching Damien before any complete memory followed.

’Original Damien hated this room, damn, every tile still knows exactly where Father made him feel small.’

An elder rose beside Cassius wearing a heavy gray mantle above a narrow body supported by one silver cane.

Orren Sterling’s white beard reached his chest, while dark eyes sat deep inside a face tightened by decades of disapproval.

"Damien Sterling, your revised Aspect classification creates an unresolved claim beneath Sovereign succession law," he said, opening one blood-red ledger.

"That sounds inconvenient for everybody who enjoyed calling it Trash," Damien replied, keeping his voice level while pressure climbed.

"You may renounce Bloodright today and retain a protected cadet position beneath your elder brother," Orren answered, displaying one prepared seal.

Murmurs moved through the hall until Aldous lowered one finger against his chair and silenced every mouth.

’There, surrender inheritance, accept Cassius as owner, then survive only while his protection remains convenient.’

Cassius reached the central seal and offered Damien one bare hand beneath their father’s gaze.

"Take the cadet oath, brother, and I will place your workshop allies beyond every succession challenge," he said, lowering his voice without losing its public warmth.

"Mina does not belong anywhere inside your protection offer, Cassius," Damien replied, leaving the extended hand between them.

"Her safety will become vulnerable once ambitious relatives treat her as leverage against your claim," Cassius answered, letting worry sharpen around the final words.

"Then those relatives should avoid giving my Aspect another balance to collect," Damien said, feeling Dread Presence stir beneath his title.

’He threatened her without raising his voice, good, anger keeps my leg straighter than pride ever managed.’

Several younger heirs lowered their heads when black-red light touched the saber tally, though Cassius remained perfectly composed.

"You survived academy rivals, but house succession carries enemies far beyond your present level," he said, withdrawing his hand at last.

"Yeah, somebody arranged a suppression cuff inside my bedroom last month," Damien replied, watching the heir’s smile hold through one delayed breath.

The conclave shifted around that accusation, while Aldous looked from one son toward the other without intervening.

Cassius spread both empty hands and allowed sadness to replace surprise across his face.

"That attack remains under investigation, and I regret failing to prevent violence inside our residence," he said, facing the gathered elders.

’He avoided denying anything and still sounded regretful, bro could apologize beside a corpse while hiding the knife under flowers.’

Orren struck his silver cane against marble and brought the red ledger above Damien’s seal.

"Choose renunciation or invoke the Bloodright Trial before this conclave," he ordered, exposing two spaces beneath their mother’s family crest.

The original Damien had never invoked it, since every route beyond the armory began above level three hundred.

Damien touched Mina’s key inside his pocket, then remembered her asking for risk before he chose on behalf of both.

’Tell her after claiming the trial sounds terrible, no, she knew the conclave might become lethal and chose to prepare my gear anyway.’

He pressed his bleeding thumb against the second space instead of Orren’s renunciation seal.

The entire ledger flashed silver before black-red lines spread through every empty succession branch.

[Script Quest detected]

[The Bloodright Trial]

[Fatality: 94%]

[Claimant: Damien Sterling]

[Survive the trial and awaken the sealed inheritance]

Fear hit his stomach beneath the percentage, ’ninety-four, fuck, Sterling family tradition apparently competes with Corrections for worst invitation.’

Orren stared at the active claim while elders rose across three platforms in open disbelief.

"No second son has invoked Bloodright during a living heir’s tenure for sixty-three years," he said, gripping his cane above whitened fingers.

"Then your records needed something interesting before everybody fell asleep," Damien replied, removing his thumb from the burning ledger.

Cassius’s warmth vanished for one heartbeat before his public expression returned around colder eyes.

"Withdraw the invocation before Father accepts it, my protection offer remains available," he said, stepping between Damien and the sealed armory doors.

"Nah, keep that protection somewhere it cannot reach Mina’s workshop," Damien replied, walking toward the armory side of the hall.

Sovereign pressure doubled without warning, dropping every standing cousin below the elder platforms onto both knees.

Damien’s bones strained beneath Aldous’s domain while Cassius remained upright between him and the door.

’Father wants proof again, fine, cross the room without borrowing the saber, then make every kneeling relative remember it.’

He released neither Dread Presence nor Iron Veil, placing one boot ahead through pressure that cracked marble around its heel.

Cassius watched him approach while silver mana gathered beneath the heir’s mantle, ready without becoming an obvious attack.

"Your courage has already been recognized, brother, so damaging yourself here proves nothing useful," he said, refusing to move aside.

"Then stop blocking a door you believe will kill me," Damien replied, taking another step until their shoulders nearly touched.

"I am offering you a life outside this succession before pride removes every safer path," Cassius answered, keeping his voice beneath the watching elders.

"You offered a leash and placed Mina’s name around its clasp," Damien said, meeting his eyes through the crushing domain, "move."

’Forget arguing, damn, put one foot past him before this knee quits completely.’

Damien stepped around Cassius without waiting for permission, dragging his injured leg through the final meter toward the armory.

The heir could have stopped him physically, yet doing so before Aldous accepted either claim would expose too much intent.

Orren looked toward the patriarch as the blood-red ledger continued burning above its central seal.

"Patriarch, does House Sterling recognize this invocation under Sovereign law?" he asked, holding the open pages toward the black chair.

Aldous studied Damien’s shaking body and gave one shallow nod.

"The Bloodright claim stands under my authority," he said, releasing enough pressure for several relatives to collapse forward, "open his mother’s sealed armory immediately."

’Mother’s armory, original Damien never entered that place again after she died.’

The automatic phrase felt wrong even inside his head, so Damien focused on cold metal beneath both palms instead.

No servant reached the doors before a pulse answered from somewhere beyond their seals.

Silver light traveled through old hinges and crossed the conclave floor toward Damien’s blood on Orren’s ledger.

Cassius turned as the armory ignored his heir’s mantle, while every elder watched their sealed inheritance respond to the supposed Trash Aspect.

The doors opened several centimeters and released air carrying cedar oil from a memory Damien had never lived.

His body leaned toward the scent before thought could stop it, ’why does that smell hurt, shit, she used it on every training blade when he was little.’

A woman’s recorded voice reached through the opening, soft beneath grinding locks while silver light covered Damien’s hands.

"Seraphine Sterling, blood confirmed, sealed inheritance route now accepts its claimant," the armory said, mistaking her son for the dead woman whose weapon waited inside.

Damien walked through the widening doors as Cassius lost his perfect smile behind him.