Chapter 90

-If you’re going for the Saintess route, it’s obviously option 2.

-I really want to see the reaction for option 1 ㅠㅠ

-Isn’t option 3 basically something you say right before you start dating?

“Ayy, no way. Do you really think the game would just hit the ending immediately just because the affection rose a little more?”

-If you mess up, you might end up falling into the Edelina route.

-With the current affection levels, a direct line to the ending is possible.

Despite a few warning chats flying by, Mo Je-won remained stubborn.

“I want to see something sweet for a change. Going with option 1~!”

The moment the button was pressed and time began to flow, I didn’t burst through the door; instead, I let out a scream. I had calculated that the protagonist’s dialogue would be faster than the speed at which I could open the door.

“It’s a pleasure to—”

“Aaaaagh!”

Thus, the protagonist’s line was cut short, and their eardrums were pierced by my scream.

Crash!

-?????

-???

-What’s with this sense of déjà vu?

“Saintess?”

The protagonist and Edelina came outside to see what was happening…

“Oh my, what in the world! Are you alright?”

They found me, looking as if I had tumbled after colliding with a wooden display cabinet. As the spotlight on the screen shifted toward me, the chat speed accelerated rapidly.

-It’s you again, Belita.

-Let’s just give up on the other routes. The Saintess marks her territory perfectly lol.

-Sorry, Edel… that’s just how it is.

-At this point, it’s getting a bit scary. Isn’t she doing this on purpose because she knows everything? Shivers.

“I’ll help you up.”

The protagonist stared at the gold vase and the cabinet lying tumbled beside me. He seemed to deduce that the noise from earlier was caused by the gold vase falling off the cabinet.

“…Thank you. I wasn’t looking where I was going and accidentally bumped into the cabinet.”

“What is that brown-haired maid doing instead of assisting the Saintess?”

As I spoke while blushing as if embarrassed, Edelina huffed and pointed out Emily’s “innocent” lack of work ethic.

“No, it’s not her fault. I told her I wanted to go alone.”

“Even so, it is the duty of a servant to always remain by their master’s side! Ah, our Saintess is so kind. Truly merciful.”

…I should buy Emily a meal later.

“But, how exactly did you manage to fall here…?”

It was a sharp, biting question muttered under her breath. Edelina had asked the fundamental question. It made sense. In this wide hallway, the only thing you could possibly bump into was this single cabinet. Logically speaking…

It had been a while since I’d seen the first-person perspective of a heroine. That aside, how was I supposed to excuse this? Seeing the protagonist tilt his head, it seemed he had also noticed the awkwardness after hearing her words.

-See. I told you the Saintess was weird.

-There’s always someone spreading conspiracy theories here.

Unlike the protagonist, who usually let even the most suspicious situations slide without a thought, Edelina actually possessed some discernment. As expected of an educated person.

Edelina covered her mouth as if she had realized something.

-They didn’t really talk about much lol.

-It wasn’t really enough to get flustered over.

I can’t believe she’s misunderstanding it like that for me.

“I had something on my mind, so I was a bit careless. Please, don’t worry about it.”

“Ah. Y-Yes!”

-No, but Edelina is actually cute lol.

“Never mind that. Congratulations on the acquittal. You’ve worked hard during this time. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

“Not at all! It’s thanks to you, Saintess, that we were able to come this far.”

Edelina waved her hands, refusing my apology. While they were still dazed, I had to change the subject quickly. I pointed at the stationery in the protagonist’s hand and asked.

“By the way, what is that paper in your hand?”

“Ah, that is…”

Ding!

-Pick 2, pick 222222.

-Is Hereis crazy? Why are options 1 and 3 even there?

-You don’t even have to think about this one lol.

“Hmm. Asking to see her in the evening means they’re going on a date, right?”

“Ah, is that so?”

-We just read the letter together.

-Please, just read the text properly ㅠㅠ

“Wasn’t it easy to get confused? Besides, I have to read the chat and the game dialogue at the same time. I have a mountain of things to pay attention to, you know? I might miss a few things~.”

-That’s true.

-Let’s just get used to it.

-Fine, let’s stay sharp and watch for him.

“Exactly. You guys can just watch closely and tell me, right?”

-??

-Did you leave it in our care?

-Baiting for donations?

“Hmm, then let’s assume it’s a confession. Should I ask for this or not? The Saintess might hate it.”

-Nobody likes overtime work~.

-Still, it’s a request from Oscar, who saved Edelina’s life. It’s hard to ignore.

“If it involves Edelina’s life, he’s owed a huge debt. Wouldn’t Edelina’s affection drop if he doesn’t ask?”

-Oh, sharp.

-Why does that sound so plausible?

-That would probably happen.

-Should we go with the request?

-This person is also sharp.

-Shh, you noticed!

-That’s because Je-won likes Edelina.

-Preparing to jump ship…

“Follower-nim, thank you for the 10,000 won donation~. It’s better to seduce as many as possible to increase the number of choices~. I’m still putting the Saintess first!”

-His tone gets so polite after a 10,000 won donation.

-Money really is the best.

-Someone donated 100,000 won before to see the Saintess route, but I guess he forgot about that lol.

-Ah, I guess 100,000 won wasn’t enough.

“Regardless, I have to repay the favor of him helping Edel. I’ll ask!”

So he was going to ask after all.

Edelina let out a startled reaction at the protagonist’s words.

“Oh, Hereis. Are you really going to ask? That’s far too rude…”

“Wait, what?”

Feeling a faint sense of satisfaction, I readily said I had the time.

“I ask this at the risk of being presumptuous. My younger cousin wants to make a confession to the Saintess. He’s someone you should be familiar with.”

“He’s one of the students who stood as a witness during the trial earlier.”

-Oscar and Belita must have met before.

-Yeah, they saw each other at the Duchy too.

-The people in this chat have amazing memories lol.

-For real, was that Chapter 2? I heard he can’t even upload recorded videos from Chapter 3 onwards.

-How do they keep up with everything through just the live streams? lol.

…Occasionally, in games where the story is paramount, recorded videos cannot be uploaded from a certain point due to copyright issues, and it seemed this game was no different.

“You mean that brave young man. Of course, it’s possible.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. If you’re only doing this because of me, you really don’t have to!”

“Not at all. I always welcome confessions, so I shall accept.”

“If you say so… Ah, if Oscar starts saying anything useless, feel free to just ignore him and leave!”

I told her I understood, and with that, we parted ways to our respective rooms.

As I walked away, I heard the final bits of their conversation.

“Anyway, that fellow Oscar doesn’t exactly have the personality for confessions… Do you think he’s just using it as an excuse because he wants to see the Saintess?”

“No way. Why would he do that?”

“He might want an autograph or something. That would be such a nuisance…”

“Oscar must have his own worries. Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

I didn’t know what Oscar would talk about, but what could there possibly be in a confession from a kid who wasn’t even twenty yet?

I figured I could just think of it as lighthearted counseling for his troubles.

“I am a sinner. One who has… committed murder.”

…Or not.

.
.
.

The confessional was designed with a partition separating the two sides.

We could not see each other’s faces.

This was a consideration to allow the confessor to honestly admit their sins without shame or fear.

I pulled back my veil to cool my face, which was growing flushed and slightly damp with sweat.

Then, sitting in the listener’s seat, I waited for the young man.

Knock, knock, knock—

‘He’s finally here.’

Indeed, just what did Oscar Rubel intend to confess?

The reason I had agreed to the protagonist’s bothersome request wasn’t just for the affection points; I was also genuinely curious.

“I’m coming in.”

The door opened, followed by a thudding sound. Oscar must have knelt down upon entering the confessional.

Then, Oscar’s voice drifted over the partition.

“You are… the Saintess, correct?”

“Yes. What confession have you come to make?”

“Sigh, well…”

As a heavy sigh escaped him, the shadow of the single candle illuminating the confessional trembled violently.

A faint tremor was buried in his words, and Oscar’s nervousness reached me even through the barrier.

I was flustered by this unexpected gravity, but I calmly recited the confession manual I had learned previously.

“I swear to Ralphican to keep your words in absolute confidence. What is the heavy burden weighing on your heart?”

After a moment of deliberation, Oscar spoke.

“My mother says that I must marry into at least an influential noble family…”

…?

“But the person I currently have feelings for is a commoner. Should I break things off?”

What? Despite acting all heavy and serious, his “true worry” was just a common adolescent romance problem after all.

Like the brat he was, he didn’t even know what a confession meant and had just come to talk about his love life.

To think he made me nervous only to let the air out of the tires like this.

‘He’s a man of many twists.’

It was almost impressive.

“We met by chance recently, and I ended up acting coldly because I was embarrassed. I regret it now; I should have at least said one more word to her. That’s when I realized. Ah, I want to look good for her. And I want to get closer to her.”

Oh, so he’s a case of someone who recently realized his feelings?

This was getting a bit interesting.

“As for getting closer, I can just graduate and get a job wherever she works, but the problem is what comes after. I have no idea how to get permission for the marriage… If I’m stubborn for no reason, it might even cause her harm…”

Dear me. It looked like this fellow was suffering from a painful unrequited love.

But he was really “drinking the kimchi soup”¹ when they weren’t even dating yet.

Shouldn’t the confession come before the marriage?

Besides, you often see couples who have been lovey-dovey for years break up right before marriage.

It was far too premature to be worrying about parental permission and the like.

“Have the two of you confirmed that you feel the same way?”

“A-Ah, no. Not yet…”

“How cute. Why don’t you try confessing your feelings?”

“A confession?”

A clattering sound came from the other side of the partition, as if he had jumped up in surprise.

“If you don’t even have the courage to confess, then it’s right to let her go. Unless you can protect her against your parents’ opposition, you’ll both just end up miserable.”

“…I, see.”

Right, so just leave now.

Let me get off work too.

“I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to confess.”

Oh, so he was more courageous than I thought.

Since Oscar would surely show up when I held a wedding with the protagonist, I’d be able to catch a glimpse of the results then.

Since I’d given him counseling, I hoped it would work out well.

“I’ll do it quickly before I leave the Great Cathedral tomorrow!”

…? The girl he likes is… at the Great Cathedral?

I suddenly had a bad feeling.

“I know I’m being shameless, but could you perhaps help me find a maid named Belita? She’s a maid working at the Great Cathedral, but I don’t know where to go to find her.”

And that bad feeling, as expected, hit the mark.