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‘He’s almost here.’
Mina repeatedly turned her lines over in her head.
‘Ugh, why am I so nervous over this?’
She felt a twinge of guilt about lying to Hereis, but she quickly shook her head to clear her mind.
‘I can’t back down now—it’s for Lord Hereis’s sake!’
Without a hint of hesitation, Mina framed her own desires as being for Hereis’s benefit.
‘If they keep hanging around together like that, what if they actually develop feelings for each other?!’
Mina thought of the many women surrounding Hereis. Edelina, the childhood friend. Arianne, the colleague. Hereis had brushed it off, saying it wasn’t like that, but Mina—who had harbored a one-sided crush on him since childhood—sensed it instinctively. That strange tension flowing between them!
‘Don’t make me laugh. How is that just friendship or “colleague-ship”?!’
Of course, they might be a better match for him than she was, but still…
“Mina?”
Finally, her turn arrived. She stood face-to-face with Hereis, who was wearing a fluffy white rabbit mask. Through the gaps in the mask, Hereis’s golden eyes met Mina’s red ones.
“Lord Hereis! Something terrible has happened. Belita is in danger!”
“What? Our Belita was kidnapped?”
-Let’s go rescue her!
-Obviously gotta go save her.
-Is Belita a heroine now?
-Seems like a hidden one.
-Belita confirmed as True Heroine.
-We’ve been starving for this.
-Belita-dan is passing out from joy right now.
-There was a Belita-dan? lol crazy
-You guys like her even though you can’t see her eyes?
-The charm is when she brushes her bangs aside and gets shy.
-“The charm” lolol
“Ah~ looks like some people really like Belita.”
-She’s not really Je-won-nim’s type though.
-Gasp.
-Je-won-nim is all about Edelina.
“Well, I mean, Belita isn’t bad either~.”
-(Standard empathetic response)
“You guys doubt my sincerity. Well, anyway, I can’t just leave someone in danger! If I do, the system will probably say ‘Hereis feels contempt for himself’ again, right?”
-lol true
-But is it okay to leave now?
-Yeah, what about Arianne?
“I’m sure Arianne will understand~.”
-Yeah, or just go together.
-The protagonist can explain later.
As soon as Mo Je-won made his choice, Hereis stood up and vanished from the spot in an instant.
“Lo-Lord Hereis?”
“What was that? Something just blurred past!”
“Huh? Where did Rabbit-nim go? He disappeared!”
It was a speed that normal people couldn’t even react to. Arianne, who had been sitting a short distance away, followed Hereis’s retreating back with startled eyes.
“Regrettably, due to time constraints, we must conclude the meeting here! The grand finale match will now take place… Huh? Where did Rabbit-nim go…?”
Preparations for the final duel were complete. An official had come to announce the end of the fan meeting, unable to keep the audience waiting any longer. However, Hereis had already departed; the official was left bewildered, staring at the empty seat. Arianne’s expression darkened slightly for a split second before she wiped it clean and approached the official.
“Here—no, Rabbit-nim had an urgent matter. I will perform the finale in his stead.”
“Wh-what? Then the duel can’t happen…”
“I’ll handle it, so just get ready.”
The official gulped, overwhelmed by the sharp aura radiating from behind the cute cat mask. He nodded repeatedly and scurried away. The screen transitioned, showing Hereis… He was scouring the alleys behind the Arena building, searching for Belita. Then, he heard a scream…
“Belita?”
-Find her quickly, Protagonist!
-Save Belita!
Running toward the sound, he found Belita surrounded by men.
“Oi! Stop resisting and follow us!”
“Ahhh, please don’t do this~.”
Two beggar-like men were grabbing Belita’s wrists, attempting to drag her away!
-“Slash” is intense lol.
-They deserve to die tbh.
-Given the protagonist’s personality, he’ll probably just push.
-lol
-We got a radical over here.
-Summary execution is a bit much.
-Save Belita first, then call the guards?
“Using a blade in front of Belita feels a bit much. I’ll just push them~.”
Hereis pulled Belita away from the man holding her arm. The man who was pushed stumbled and fell flat on his butt.
“Wh-who the hell are you?!”
The man tried to protest the sudden interference, but his mouth froze shut. Hereis had moved his hand to the sword at his waist. He looked absolutely terrifying.
“Hey! L-let’s get out of here!”
The men turned and fled without looking back.
What should he say to the trembling Belita?
-You gotta say something cool at a time like this.
-Go with “Are you alright?”
-1111
-lolol
-“Bring judgment” my ass.
-Calm down, it’s just a game.
“We’ll deal with judgment later; I’ll take care of the victim first~.”
Mo Je-won clicked option one. Hereis delicately brushed the dust off Belita’s stained clothes.
“Are you alright?”
“…….”
Belita stared at Hereis without a word, and then suddenly… She lunged into his arms!
-Ohhh?!
-Gasp
-(Excited emoji)
-(Waving arms emoji)
-(Dancing emoji)
“Thank you. If it wasn’t for you, Lord Hereis, I don’t know what… what would have happened…”
Hereis returned her embrace. Belita had just been rescued from an extreme situation. He intended to help her calm her heart. He whispered warm words to reassure her.
“It’s alright now. You can relax.”
Even through the screen, Belita’s eyes were hidden. In a position where Hereis couldn’t see her, Belita curled one side of her lips up into a distinctly sinister smirk…
‘Everything is going smoothly.’
The protagonist arrived right on cue, and those two old men performed their roles perfectly. I gave Hans and Thomas a 1 Gold bonus each. Well, they gave me the gambling tip and acted well, so consider it a reward. It was also a bit of hush money. Regardless, I was quite satisfied with how things flowed according to plan. Honestly, don’t I seem a bit like a heroine now? And that’s not all.
‘I made money, blocked an affection event, and handled the plot. It’s a triple kill. This is insane.’
Even after returning the money I “borrowed” from Mina and the protagonist, I had five hundred Gold left. It was enough money to ensure I wouldn’t have to struggle with my survival funds for a while. It’ll be a huge help for my future movements. Anyway, to think a “Belita-dan” would actually form.
‘I’m feeling quite emotional.’
I’ll have to live up to their expectations. Then again, if I don’t end up with the protagonist, death is the only thing waiting for me anyway, so I must deliver.
“Hey, Belita. Today was fun, wasn’t it?”
Being considerate of me after my “ordeal,” the protagonist insisted on heading home early, and we left the Arena behind.
‘The experience must have made quite an impression on her.’
Mina was currently chattering away in my room, under the guise of comforting me.
“We kept that Arianne woman away, and I got to see Lord Hereis looking so cool!”
It wasn’t just me; it was a “double kill” for Mina too. Perhaps that’s why Mina’s affection had risen slightly after the Arena incident.
“Ah, watching the Arena was actually really fun. I should go more often. Next time, let’s get some snacks while we watch.”
Once the story progresses, she won’t have the chance to go. There was no need to crush her dreams so early, though. I simply gave a vague nod.
It went up again. To think it rises even with such a half-hearted response. I suddenly wondered how much it had accumulated by now. As if responding to my thought, the affection window popped up automatically.
‘Mina’s is higher than I thought.’
It was nearly at the same level as Io and Isabella, colleagues I’d known for a while and worked with. To reach this speed when I’d only met Mina a few days ago… we might become best friends soon.
‘Well, of course, that won’t happen.’
It’s not that I didn’t think I could be friends with her; it’s just that the plot was moving on, and there wouldn’t be any more chances to build affection. After all, everything so far was just the story of Chapter 1. Mina doesn’t appear in the story of Chapter 2, which is about to unfold.
Knock knock—
“May I come in for a moment?”
Three days after the incident at the Arena, I knocked on the protagonist’s door.
“I heard there will be an expedition soon.”
“Ah, you must have overheard when Arianne visited the other day.”
“Yes. There is something I’d like to ask of you.”
-That expedition.
-Let’s not die this time.
-lol is it dangerous?
-It’s fine if you pick the right choices.
-Looks like Belita wants to follow.
“May I apply to go as well?”
“You?”
Chapter 2 covers the events that occur during the expedition. Therefore, it was mandatory that I go along. As the viewers said, it was going to be a dangerous journey… My shoulders felt a chill just thinking about the Bad Endings of that expedition. And I felt another chill at the choice that suddenly popped up.
It was a choice that made my teeth grind—classic Belita, unable to speak without being prickly.
“Why? Can I not? I heard that noble knights take attendants with them for expeditions that take several months.”
-The problem is you might never come back.
-Uh oh, Belita, that’s not the right choice.
-Is she with us for Chapter 2 as well? Is she really the Main Wife?
“That’s true… but that’s for non-combat situations. This is a Magic Beast subjugation.”
The Magic Beast subjugation was the surface reason; the essence of this expedition was an investigation into Countess Garain, who was suspected of being a spy or a defector. Of course, they were actually hunting Magic Beasts, so it wasn’t a lie. Either way, he was worried about the danger.
“It’ll take at least three months.”
“You’ll still need someone. I’ve never heard of a noble knight going on a long-term expedition without an attendant. Even if it is a dangerous place.”
The protagonist pondered for a moment.
“You’re right that an attendant is necessary…”
-Gotta go together.
“There’s no way I’m leaving her behind~.”
Right. There’s no reason to leave me behind, is there? I’m offering to serve him myself.
“But still, no.”
Wait, what?
“It’s fine even without an attendant. Besides, I’m worried about Mina staying at the mansion alone. I want you to stay with her.”
No, this isn’t how it’s supposed to go.
“You can understand, right? Please.”
If this keeps up, I won’t be able to become a heroine!
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