Perks of Being a Max-Leveled Sidekick of a Doomed Villainess Novel – In my past life, my name was Yumi. And I died for a really stupid reason. “Miki, it’s 3 AM. Just let the ‘secret route’ go,” I mumbled, half-asleep on the sofa. “I can’t, Yumi!” my roommate Miki whisper-shouted, her face illuminated by the TV. “I’m so close! I know there’s a way to save Lady Amaryllis!” The game she was pouring her life into was the otome-isekai sensation, Radiant Crown. Miki was obsessed with the game’s tragic villainess, Amaryllis von Weissberg. But her most hated character? “Ugh, this useless sidekick!” Miki growled, mashing the controller. “Silvie Briar! She’s the daughter of a destitute baron, has zero magic, zero talent, and her only ‘skill’ is agreeing with everything Amaryllis says! She’s just a “Yes-Woman” NPC! In every single route, she either gets kidnapped to motivate the heroine or just… disappears! She’s a plot device, not a character!” I remember thinking that sounded like a pretty raw deal.
Then the lightning strike hit our apartment’s ancient wiring. There was a bright flash, a smell of ozone, and… nothing. No god, no white room, no “Choose Your Cheat Skills” menu. I awoke to the smell of roses and the feeling of stiff, scratchy fabric. My head was pounding. And a sound. A crisp, digital ping. [System Booting… Player Data Not Found… Anomaly Detected.] I sat up, blinking. A transparent blue screen hovered in my vision. [Welcome, ‘Nameless Anomaly.’ Primary Player Data ‘Miki’ has been corrupted and lost. Initiating backup protocol: ‘Villainess Sidekick gear’ has been granted to you.] My blood ran cold.
Miki. She was gone. Pulled into the game she loved, only to be “corrupted” on arrival. And me? I was just the passenger who got dragged along in the crash. I scrambled to my feet. I was in a garden. My hands were small and delicate. A cascade of what I could only describe as crimson red hair fell over my shoulders. [Status Window Open] > Name: Silvie Briar Level: 1 HP: 10/10 MP: 0/0 Title: The Useless Sidekick Skills: [Nod], [Agree], [Cower] I stared at the screen, my horror mixing with a strange, dark amusement. The System itself was mocking me. [Cower]? Really? “You… you’re a monster!” a small voice shrieked. I spun around.
There, standing by a patch of trampled irises, was a little girl with hair like spun snow white and furious, sharp ruby eyes. She was facing two older boys, who were sneering. “A monster, just like your father!” one of them jeered. “You’re the ‘Cursed Princess’! You’re doomed!” [TARGETS IDENTIFIED] Name: Viscount Harrel’s Eldest Son (Capture Target Lackey A) Name: Marquis Bryne’s Second Son (Capture Target Lackey B) Name: Amaryllis von Weissberg (Doomed Villainess) This was it. The prologue event Miki had described. This was the moment Amaryllis’ isolation began. The moment the “useless sidekick” Silvie was supposed to just stand there and… well… [Cower]. Amaryllis’ lip trembled, but she refused to cry. I looked at her, then at the bullies. Then at my status screen. [Level: 1]. “Hey,” I called out.
The boys turned, surprised. “What do you want, ‘Baroness Nothing’?” one of them sneered. “Come to nod in agreement?” “No,” I said. I bent down and picked up a sharp, palm-sized rock from the garden path. [ITEM: Jagged Rock. (Common). Damage: 1-2.] Amaryllis gasped. The boys just looked confused. The powerless Silvie wasn’t supposed to do anything. I threw the rock. Hard. It struck Lackey A right in his smug, aristocratic nose. [Critical Hit! -3 HP!] He yelped, a trickle of blood appearing. “You… you hit me! You worthless, magic-less…” Ping. [NEW QUEST GENERATED: ‘The First Spark of Rebellion’] Objective: Defend the Doomed Villainess. Reward: +100 EXP, Trait: [Loyalty of the Knight] Failure: Amaryllis “Isolation” flag is locked in. “She’s not worthless,” I said, my voice low. I grabbed another rock. “And she’s not cursed. But you will be if you don’t leave. Now.” They stared at me. At the blood. At the second rock. This was not in the script. They were just here to bully the villainess, not get into a brawl with a feral, red-haired peasant. They fled, shouting threats. The garden was silent. I dropped the second rock. [QUEST COMPLETE! ‘The First Spark of Rebellion’] [REWARDS GRANTED: +100 EXP!] [TRAIT GAINED: ‘Loyalty of the Knight’ (Passive) – All stats doubled when protecting a designated target.] [LEVEL UP! You are now Level 4!] A warm, golden light washed over me, healing the scrapes on my knees. I turned to Amaryllis. She was staring at me, her jaw on the floor. “You… you… why?” she whispered. “My father… everyone… they say I’m…” “They’re idiots,” I said, walking over and offering her my hand. She flinched, but I didn’t pull it away. I looked at my own status screen. [Title: The Useless Sidekick]. I smirked. This was the ultimate perk. This world, this “game,” is a system of rules. The heroine has rules. The capture targets have rules. Even the villainess has rules she must