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Side with Arianne or side with Mina?
This binary choice was, naturally, an affection event. However, this was one I didn’t necessarily need to block. While it increased affection for one, it was an event where affection for the other would decrease.
“Ah, this one. The side you support goes up, and the one you don’t drops.”
-lol selective memory
-He actually knows this one, what a shame
-How many playthroughs has this guy done?
-3rd? Probably.
-But he already forgot the other stuff? lol
A third playthrough?
I only knew about Mo Je-won’s first run. I didn’t know which routes he’d seen since then or how much he knew, so I had to stay conscious and careful.
“Who should I pick? Well, it doesn’t really matter anyway.”
-True, since he’s aiming for Edelina.
-Je-won-nim, are you not going to romance anyone but Edelina?
-Then just pick anyone.
-Please look at Mina too ㅠㅠ
“Ah, my goal for this run was Edelina’s True Ending, but Belita is acting so strange that I’m conflicted. I’m starting to wonder if she really is a hidden character.”
-lol fr, the fact she survived the prologue is weird too.
-So we’re exploring for a bit?
-Yup, just hold for now.
-Dropping Edelina? Dropping Edelina?
It was a predictable scenario. Suspicions that Belita might be the Hidden Heroine were beginning to surface.
“What are the current affection levels?”
So this was the state of Mo Je-won’s affection levels. In this game, affection levels exist not only for the heroines but for supporting characters as well. That was why Frederick Campe was on the list. For supporting characters other than the heroines, the numerical value shown doesn’t necessarily result in “love.” There are various emotions like respect, trust, friendship, awe, longing, dependence, hatred, jealousy, anger, or disgust. Since the affection of these supporting characters is indispensable for progressing through specific events, it’s a part of the game that must be managed carefully.
-Arianne’s is lower.
“Shall we pick Arianne this time? Since I’ve never done it before.”
-Ohhh, a new event!
-You only picked Mina until now?
-Yup, picked her because I felt sorry for her.
“Mina, what is this disgraceful behavior toward Sir Arianne?”
“He-Hereis-nim…”
At the protagonist’s stern voice, Mina grew timid and hung her head.
While I was distracted by the affection notification, Mina ran to her room and slammed the door shut. Is she a teenager in puberty or something…?
-So pitiful ㅠㅠㅠ
-ㅠㅠ
-The Mina faction will remember this…
The viewers who had been rooting for Mina since the beginning were now a sea of tears. The protagonist watched Mina’s retreating back with a dry expression before turning to Arianne.
“Sir Arianne. I apologize on her behalf.”
“It is fine.”
“No. Your words were correct. If my personal wandering interferes with the Knights’ expedition, I wouldn’t even have the right to hold the position of Vice Commander.”
“…I didn’t intend to make you say such a thing.”
Despite Arianne’s half-hearted attempt to stop him, the protagonist’s self-deprecation continued.
“No. How disappointing it must have been. I should be setting an example as the Vice Commander, yet here I am.”
“No!”
Come to think of it, picking Arianne here caused a drop in Mental Strength. But it was fine. While Mental Strength management is tight in the early stages, recovery events become frequent later on, and recovery items can be purchased from the shop.
-Mental Strength is still plenty, so it’s fine.
-Don’t worry about it.
“Is it just me, or does managing Mental Strength in the early game feel harder this run?”
It wasn’t just his imagination. I wondered if my actions back at the Rubel mansion had influenced the protagonist in some way. His Mental Strength was significantly lower than it should be for the early game. Well, he just had to hold out a little longer until he earned enough Shop Points. As the protagonist’s face clouded with gloom while his Mental Strength dropped, Arianne winced slightly. She looked as though she were reflecting on whether her words had been too harsh.
“Ahem. If it truly bothers you, why don’t you join me for a monster hunt?”
“With you, Sir Arianne?”
“Yes. We have an expedition coming up; shouldn’t you sharpen your senses once more?”
In truth, the reason Arianne had been so aggressive was to build up a pretext for the hunt. She wanted to see the protagonist and had overdone it while looking for an excuse to visit. The protagonist would have agreed even without the provocation, but Arianne, being poor with words, had chosen a method that wounded the other person. Looking at just the text, you’d think, ‘What kind of rude heroine is this?!’ but one look at the illustration forgives everything—seeing the once-cold Arianne looking up at the protagonist with a shy expression.
-Truly the textbook definition of a tsundere.
-Her face was simply too beautiful to stay mad at.
“This is an obvious accept!”
I knew he’d accept. There was no way he’d turn down a new event. If he were truly aiming for the Hidden Route, he ought to be blocking all these events, but for Mo Je-won, the entertainment value of the stream clearly took priority over the Hidden Route for now. I had to keep that point firmly in mind…
“Wait just a moment. I’ll get ready and be right out.”
“Understood.”
Arianne spoke as she picked up the teacup I had refilled. Her tone was chilly, but a smile played at the corners of her mouth.
‘So it turns out like this after all.’
Standard procedure for a monster hunt would require heading out to the outskirts, but that takes too long, requires a grand expedition, and is far too dangerous for a small group. Therefore, when knights talk about a “monster hunt” in this context, they mean the monsters at the Arena.
‘The exact place the protagonist and his companion are headed right now.’
Commonly known as the Monster Arena, it’s a place where participants compete to see who can hunt higher-ranked monsters. This arena—where blood and flesh splatter and people can actually die—is surprisingly legal. A modern person might think, How can a place like this be legal? What a barbaric medieval era… but in the settings of this game, it is a perfectly normal form of entertainment. Participants get to show off their skills and, if they’re lucky, gain prize money and honor; the spectators get a thrilling show.
“Shall we go, then?”
When the protagonist emerged in his hunting gear with a sword strapped to his waist, Arianne urged him forward. Like a proper servant, I politely saw the protagonist and his companion off.
“Have a safe trip, Lord Hereis, and you as well, Lady Arianne.”
“Right. Take good care of Mina.”
“Of course. Leave it to me.”
Reassured by my confident reply, the protagonist left the house. As soon as he was gone, I immediately changed my clothes and stood before the door of the sulking Mina.
“Lady Mina. Please open the door.”
“…….”
She wasn’t going to give in easily, was she?
“Lord Hereis just went out with Lady Arianne.”
“…….”
“The atmosphere seemed quite nice. I wonder if they’re going somewhere romantic?”
Slam!
“Where?! Where did they go?!”
Using the protagonist as bait worked; Mina finally flung the door open and marched out.
“To the Monster Arena.”
“What? Why there?”
“They said they were going on a date to hunt monsters together, just the two of them.”
“That sly woman! I-I have to go right now!”
I barely managed to calm Mina down as she tried to bolt out of the house in her pajamas.
“Stay calm. If you’re going, I’ll go with you.”
“Why you?”
“Because I’m worried.”
About Arianne’s affection level, that is.
“I-is that so? Fine then, do whatever you want!”
“…Go change your clothes first.”
Mina looked down at her outfit and went back into her room obediently.
“Oh, and Lady Mina.”
“What now?”
“How much money do you have?”
“What?”
I mentioned earlier that the Arena is legal. The Arena itself is legal, yes. But that doesn’t mean illegal activities don’t take place there.
“You should bring as much as you have.”
“The entrance fee shouldn’t be that much…?”
“There’s a reason for it. Please, just do it.”
Was this the benefit of being registered in her affection tab? She hesitated for a moment, but eventually, Mina came out carrying her entire wallet. As she emptied the wallet made of high-quality fabric, coins of various sizes jingled and landed in her palm. Let’s see… one, two…
“Ugh… I only have 10 Gold. Will this be enough?”
Only 10 Gold? That was practically Belita’s entire life savings. I guess Mina really is a noble. Her sense of money was on a whole different level.
“It’s plenty. Please wait outside for a moment. I’ll be right out.”
“…? Fine.”
While Mina was preoccupied counting the silver and copper coins, I snuck into the protagonist’s room.
‘Trust me, brother. I’m going to turn this into ten times the amount.’
After making that silent vow, I raided the secret safe inside the protagonist’s closet. In the game, he always withdraws what he needs from the bank and keeps it here, so I found it instantly. While passwords vary since players set them personally… I happen to be able to watch the stream. I had caught a glimpse of it during Mo Je-won’s broadcast yesterday.
‘He only has 30 Gold?’
I was disappointed by the smaller-than-expected amount. Then again, if it were too much, it would be hard to carry once I multiplied it, so let’s just think of it as a good thing. Brainwashing myself with that thought, I grabbed two hooded cloaks from my room that could hide our faces.
“Lady Mina.”
“Ah, you’re here? I found 5 Silver and 30 Copper more.”
“Great. First, put this on.”
I handed over one of the cloaks I brought.
“What is this? It’s uncomfortable.”
“The Arena is full of all sorts of people. Someone like you, Milady, would draw too much attention.”
“Is that so…?”
Mina didn’t look pleased, but she wore it anyway. It was better for our identities to remain hidden where I was going. I also wrapped my cloak tightly around me. Well then, shall we head out?
‘How many Shop Points do I have left?’
Ding!
It pops up just by thinking about it… 45 points. After working hard to raise affection levels, I had gathered quite a bit.
‘This should be enough.’
Enough to buy a Character Location Tracker, that is.
‘Yes, yes.’
‘Yes, please.’
As I mentally spammed the ‘Y’ key, a familiar navigation voice echoed in my head.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Do you know where it is?”
“Of course.”
“Did you hear? The warriors at the Arena today!”
“Is someone famous appearing?”
“Oi! Haven’t you heard? They say none other than Gerold the Sword King is coming out!”
“Whoa… then he’ll easily take down even a Grade 6 Magic Beast.”
“That’s not all! They say because Gerold is appearing, Kusante the Blood Fiend submitted his entry saying he’ll have his revenge this time!”
“What? Isn’t Kusante also a Grade 6 swordsman? This is going to be a fierce one!”
The people in front of the Arena were heatedly discussing who would win, predicting the match would be a close one. Hearing the conversation of the extras next to us, Mina gave a small snort.
“Hmph! ‘Sword King’ and ‘Blood Fiend’? They wouldn’t even be able to pick up their own bones in front of Lord Hereis. How ridiculous.”
Mina was right. They were just extras meant to serve as foils for the protagonist.
“Today’s Arena is going to be quite a sight!”
The old men chimed in together, shouting simultaneously as if finishing a play. Quite the extra-like dialogue. It was painful how relatable that felt. The “Grades” those old men mentioned are the indicators of strength used for both monsters and humans. They range from Grade 1 to 10, with anything above that being called “Unmeasurable.”
‘Frederick Campe, a Swordmaster, is Grade 10. The protagonist and Arianne are Grade 8.’
The higher the grade, the more astronomical the difference between each level. In other words, those Grade 6 foils were small fry that the protagonist could easily crush. The Arena is a legal facility commonly found in large cities like the capital as a form of entertainment. The reason it’s legal is that no bets are supposed to be placed. If a gambling den opens, it becomes illegal. But no matter how illegal it is, can a place like an Arena really exist without gamblers flocking to it?
‘Bees wouldn’t turn down honey.’
I think it was in Arianne’s route. An episode about this Arena appears, revealing that illegal gambling was secretly flourishing. If it was discovered then, doesn’t that mean it exists perfectly fine now? I am a possessor with knowledge of the future.
‘It’s time to make a fortune.’
Suppressing my racing heart as best as I could, I stepped into the Arena.
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