The detection skill had been running even while Marqui was eating ramen.
Halfway through his meal, he got a ping.
And here they came.
He just wanted to finish his food first.
”Rosella… I’m here.”
Rosella paused mid-bite. Then inhaled the rest of her noodles in one breath.
”I’m eatin’ ‘ere.”
”Swallow before you talk.”
Three signals.
One was definitely Mecha Rosella.
Who were the other two?
He stepped out of the barracks and moved behind the chapel.
From the corner of the building, he spotted them approaching.
Mecha Rosella at the lead. Two men flanking her diagonally behind.
”Wait. Bagio and Neig?!”
In the game, they’d both been members of the Black Wing Corps. But in this reality, they’d never joined.
”Your Highness. Are you listening?”
They were in operation mode now. He was keeping private and public separate.
”I’m not. So they’ve been moving behind my back without me even knowing.”
In the game, Bagio fought Rennes twice.
The first time was when Rennes tried to cross the border.
Bagio was killed once there. Then resurrected with a transfusion of Demon God blood.
From the look of him, he’d already undergone Demon God modification. His skin had turned a dark, reddish-black, and horns jutted from his forehead. His heavy knight’s armor had also blackened, and a sinister aura radiated from his entire body.
Neig was only half-modified.
He’d always specialized in dark-attribute magic, dressed head to toe in black robes. But now one of his arms had become a giant serpent.
”Gross!”
Don’t say that out loud, Rosella. In the game, you were the one who ordered these modifications.
It wasn’t just bad taste, either. That snake exhaled pitch-black gas that was both searing hot and laced with paralytic venom.
”I’ll go first,” Marqui said.
”Please do,” Rosella replied.
They’d dressed and coordinated while eating.
They’d prepared for several scenarios. Mecha Rosella alone, or with other members. But he never expected her to bring Bagio and Neig.
The moment he stepped out, Mecha Rosella and her group stopped at the edge of the church grounds.
Bagio and Neig fixed their eyes on him as they faced off. But Mecha Rosella kept her gaze locked on the direction where Rosella was hiding.
She’s hidden, and she can still tell where she is?
Actually. Was he being ignored?
Bagio and Neig stepped forward, shielding Mecha Rosella.
”Butler. You’d fight us to protect a fake?”
”Surely a man of your caliber isn’t being deceived. Or did you know she was a fake from the start? That would make you guilty of high treason.”
Ah. That’s how they’re playing it.
Mecha Rosella didn’t speak. She just kept her face angled toward Rosella’s position. But then her eyes lit up.
A beam fired.
”GYAAAAAGH!”
Because he’d stepped diagonally forward, it hit Bagio square in the back of the head.
”Bagio! You cowardly sneak attack!”
Neig glared at him.
He didn’t do anything.
Actually. Mecha Rosella wasn’t even paying attention to her allies.
Whether she didn’t recognize Bagio and Neig as allies, or there was another reason entirely.
”Objective… eliminate the imposter…”
Mecha Rosella spoke.
It was exactly the kind of robotic tone you’d expect. But it was her first time talking.
”…don’t interfere.”
In other words, Bagio’s position was nothing but an obstacle.
”Just as expected of Rosella-sama. Cutting down her own allies in pursuit of her goal. That’s what I admire, what I aspire to.”
Neig groaned.
Was that really the image of Rosella from the game?
…Actually, yeah. Maybe it was.
Bagio got back up too. His HP was high enough to survive a direct beam hit.
At any rate, he confirmed Mecha Rosella had some kind of detection ability.
That was within expectations.
If she could sense Rosella through obstacles, she probably had some kind of radar-based sensor.
He signaled Rosella with his fingers.
A massive magic circle appeared overhead, and snow began to fall from it.
Yes. A blizzard.
”Guh… what are you trying to do? Such a half-hearted attack.”
Neig looked confused. Clearly not understanding their intent.
”Her Highness is flailing around!” Neig said.
”What?!” Marqui replied.
So it really was something like a microwave sensor.
”Her detection ability is on par with a BS antenna! Hahaha!”
Fortunately, it wasn’t outperforming their expectations. That was a relief.
Mecha Rosella, now unable to lock onto Rosella’s position, looked around like a lost child.
And for them, Neig and Bagio were just getting in the way. It was time for them to bow out.
He closed the distance to Neig in a single burst and sent him flying with a palm strike.
”Guh.”
His level was fifty-seven.
He used hand-to-hand combat to avoid killing him. His HP was eleven. Unconscious. He seemed to be alive.
”You.!”
Next, he moved on Bagio.
His whole body was clad in solid armor. But if his level was what he predicted, it wouldn’t be an issue.
The level Bagio had during his rematch with Rennes in the game? Sixty-eight.
He grabbed the back of his helmet and drove his knee into his forehead.
”Ngh.”
In an instant, Bagio’s eyes rolled back. He collapsed with a concussion.
At that point, Mecha Rosella turned her attention to him.
The blizzard was blocking her sensors and cameras. Making her movements slower than in their previous fight.
”Hahaha! Let’s go, tin can!”
He drew his sword and struck with an iai slash.
Clang! A high-pitched ring echoed.
”Tch… Hard.”
Even his Modified Sword, with Attack Power 193, got deflected.
She wasn’t firing beams or missiles.
It seemed she couldn’t fire without locking on first with her sensors.
That said, he wasn’t about to start swinging blindly.
When Mecha Rosella opened her mouth, he thrust the blade inside.
Sparks flew everywhere.
Looks like she inherited the classic robot weak spot.
So next, he aimed for the joints.
Mecha Rosella slowed down even more, and he landed hit after hit without resistance.
He had her.
But if he took her down here… did that mean he wouldn’t be able to have s*x with the real Rosella again?
A moment’s hesitation.
Mecha Rosella used that opening to leap back, putting distance between them.
”You can still move that much?”
”Switching sensors.”
”Wait. What?”
That’s allowed?
He tensed up immediately, his movement freezing.
”Appraisal scan. Weakness.”
”Ugh…”
The scan traveled over his whole body. And stopped at his crotch.
”For males, a groin strike is effective… Attached appendage: Shape S. Size B. Odor S…”
”STOP RATING MY DICK!”
”Vitality value: 130,000… 130,000…”
The robot’s cheeks flushed red.
She covered her face with both hands. But her eyes, peeking through her fingers, were still fixed on his crotch.
”Program anomaly detected. Power unit overheating.”
”…Well then.”
He spread his legs and showed her his pen*s.
”Oh no…”
Her voice wasn’t robotic anymore. It was distinctly emotional.
And then. Like a blushing maiden. She ran off.
”Ah. Rosella-sama!”
Bagio and Neig had regained consciousness too, and they chased after Mecha Rosella.
”You haven’t seen the last of us.”
With that very villain-like parting shot, they took off.
He dismissed the blizzard magic, and Rosella approached him.
”You’re telling me you repelled the enemy with that trick?”
”Wasn’t exactly in the plan. Anyway, Rosella.”
”What?”
”I’m cold.”
Moving around in the blizzard had been fine. But now he was freezing.
His whole body was covered in snow and utterly chilled.
”Oh no! Take it all off! Everything! I’ll warm you right up!”
Given how she’d run off, Mecha Rosella probably wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon. Rosella had also kept the blizzard going and burned through a ton of mana. She needed rest too.
”I want a hot bath,” Marqui said.
A voice called from above.
”Then how about coming to my place in the demon realm?”
Lili Lim appeared.
The demon realm wasn’t a place the living could stay for long. But a few hours was fine.
Lili Lim led them to the demon realm’s hot springs.
Not a blood pool or a boiling cauldron.
A proper hot spring.
The sky wasn’t the blue of the human world. It was a pale red, almost fantastical.
The view from the cliffside spring was a forest of leafless trees.
And the sound that drifted in was the groaning of the dead.
”Ahh, this warms me up,” Marqui said.
He was worried about Love and Medirina, who’d been separated from them. But Lili Lim’s subordinates had agreed to search for them.
As he soaked in the hot spring, Rosella and Lili Lim joined him.
They pressed in on either side.
Boob on his right. Flat chest on his left.
”So, what’s the plan now?”
Lili Lim said it casually.
”Why don’t you just die and become my real little brother? I’ll even prepare a body for Rosella-chan’s share too.”
Now he’d be reincarnating as a Demon God.
”Sister, what’s the power level of that body?”
”I guarantee it. But it’d still take a few years to reach even your current ability level.”
”That won’t work. I have a feeling we don’t have that kind of time.”
So Rosella would be fine becoming a Demon God if she had the time, huh.
If Lust was preparing the body, she’d probably end up looking like a succubus. Kind of curious, honestly.
”True. Rosella-chan is a princess, after all.”
”Exactly. For my people, I’ll hold a sword.”
”Well, I’m not thrilled with how they’re doing things on their side either.”
They talked seriously. While Lili Lim’s hand crept down to his shaft.
”How was things on your end?”
Rosella grabbed it too.
”Father and Mother understood. But they said they’d tell the Demon God King over there.”
They started stroking.
”Way too petty.”
”Right? I love petty brats, though.”
Lili Lim rubbed the tip.
He mean, at this rate, he was going to blow his load in the bath.
”An enemy over level 100 showed up.”
”Right. That… robot thing?”
Lili Lim looked at him.
”Yeah. Mechanization that shouldn’t even exist in this world. Ah.”
Rosella sped up her hand.
”How did they build it? I’ll have my people investigate.”
A succubus-like woman approached.
”We’ve made contact with a human lady’s maid. She’s heading straight for the royal capital to gather intel on the enemy. She also asked that, if possible, we rescue her fellow maids. Also. The High Elf is fleeing with a woman in a kimono.”
”A kimono? Mika, then. And she’s fleeing…”
”It seems that woman hasn’t been brainwashed, Rosella-sama.”
For the servants of the Lust household, Rosella was also someone they addressed with respect. If Lili Lim wanted her as a sister… eventually, that’s what it would mean.
”If Medirina is with Mika… then they’re heading to that place, aren’t they?”
”Marqui, you know where?”
In the game, those two become Rennes’s allies.
From that location, escaping into Ruulegard Kingdom Castle would be the safest bet.
Still. It depended on what the Demon God who’d taken over Akeios would do.
Depending on how things went, they might follow the game’s route and invade Ruulegard.
”Ah. More than that, if you keep going any faster, I’m gonna.”
”If you do?”
”I don’t mind. Marqui’s c*m bath.”
No. Absolutely not.
The succubus-like girl who’d come to deliver the report was looking at him with an expression that said she was hoping for it.
”H**djobs are actually better than b**jobs or the real thing if all you want is to squeeze out the semen, you know.”
As long as it wasn’t someone else’s c*m, it was fine.
No. He had to hold back here.
”Once we’re done resting, we head back to the human world. Where should we pop out?”
”Akeios Royal Castle.”
Rosella was ready to charge right back in.
”That’s impossible. Look, there’s a barrier. Besides, Akeios Kingdom has already been completely turned into Envy’s territory. Which means we can’t go there directly.”
Envy was a subordinate of Pride. And Pride’s subordinates included Sloth too.
Speaking of Sloth, Sharonezza was supposed to be one.
”What about Sharonezza?”
”I’ve already got her working on espionage. I’m not expecting much, though.”
She’d made Sharonezza betray Envy using the slave Croch Tattoo.
”There’s no doubt that Pride is the bigger power behind Envy, but she still hasn’t shown herself. We need to look into that too.”
Hup, Lili Lim climbed onto his lap, and the tip of his c**k was pressed right against her slit.
”Ahhn, Elder Sister, that’s not fair.”
”Is it okay? Rosella-chan’s been with Marqui all this time.”
Priority went to Lili Lim, who hadn’t had any in a while.
Shlup, shlup, shlup! After so long, the deliciously tight sensation sent his well-used c**k into a happy frenzy.
”Ah. I’m at my limit, I’m gonna come soon.”
”Hehe, that’s fine, go ahead and let it out.”
Blrrrgh, sploosh! Sploosh, splut, slosh!
It didn’t turn into a hot spring of c*m. Instead, it was absorbed into Lili Lim’s womb and v**ina.
”Nngh, delicious… yeah, I can’t take anyone else’s but Marqui’s anymore.”
The Demon Lady wore a blissful expression.
But he couldn’t just space out either.
This was a hypothesis.
If a force had been working to push the story toward the game’s plot and had created the current situation, then the only way out was to clear it.
In the game, you defeat the Final Boss and reach the ending.
”Which means… it won’t end unless Rennes defeats Rosella.”
”What? What do you mean? W-wait, do you want to kill me?!”
”Calm down. Okay. Just stay quiet for a moment about what I’m about to say.”
”Mmf, fine.”
Marqui had been able to have full-on s*x with Rosella.
Which meant Rosella had been removed from the Final Boss position.
The one who’d taken her place as the Final Boss was Mecha Rosella.
”We need to defeat Mecha Rosella in the Throne Room of Akeios Royal Castle. With Rennes there.”
Lili Lim seemed to have caught on.
”Is that related to the otherworldly game you used to talk about?”
”That’s right, Lili Lim. I can guide Rennes to that stage.”
Rosella, left out of the loop, was pouting.
He couldn’t exactly tell her, “You’re the world’s enemy.”
He’d have to coordinate only with Lili Lim. Who knew about his reincarnation from their first meeting.
”Alright. So what happens next in that game story of yours?”
”Hmm, the timeline’s gotten pretty scrambled. First, there’ll be a world war. But in the game, Akeios Kingdom already controlled a third of the continent by this point. Here, things are different. It might even be possible to end things before a full-scale war breaks out.”
It was wishful thinking, but it was worth aiming for.
Otherwise, even if they won, Akeios Kingdom would be destroyed.
”Alright, go on.”
”The Hellbehemoth Event is already over. Next up would normally be cooperation between Ruulegard Kingdom and the Nuutra Empire…”
Honestly, the Nuutra Empire was shady.
”If you don’t like it, why not skip it? The order’s all mixed up anyway, right?”
That was true, but could he really skip the event where the Imperial Princess joins the party?
”Maybe I should just… grab the Imperial Princess and bring her along myself.”
Based on the reports, Mika and Medirina seemed on track to become Rennes’s allies anyway.
In the game, Mika was the last character to join the party. So that order was already broken too.
”Got it. So we’re kidnapping the Nuutra Empire’s princess.”
”Huh?”
”Kidnap the princess… I wonder what Marqui plans to do with her. Mufufu.”
Kidnap her and do something lecherous. What was he, some old man?
”Yeah, I wonder what he plans to do.”
Rosella pinched his butt.
”Now now, Marqui has to keep committing s*x crimes. To make sure he definitely gets sent to the Lust Layer of the Demon Realm.”
”What about me? I don’t plan on being held by any other man.”
”Rosella-chan can just be Marqui’s accomplice, can’t she?”
”Ugh… I’ve already done it once. But still…”
She meant the Bianche incident.
In Rosella’s case, wasn’t she already guilty of stirring up male lust?
”If you get too jealous, your soul might get pulled toward Envy. It’s okay, Rosella-chan. Marqui only does loveless s*x with anyone other than you. Right, Marqui?”
”The only one I love is Rosella.”
”See?”
”Fine. I understand.”
Was it really fine? No, no. He was being completely swept along by Lili Lim’s pace.
Let’s get back on track.
”Even during the Hellbehemoth fight, even when we were dominating, we couldn’t finish it without Medirina in the end. The Imperial Princess’s existence is still necessary.”
To figure out how to proceed, they’d also need to gather information on the Nuutra Empire and its surroundings.
Summary:
Marqui detects three enemies approaching, defeats Bagio and Neig with ease, and discovers Mecha Rosella’s sensor weakness during a blizzard. A comedic appraisal scan forces Mecha Rosella to flee in embarrassment after her program malfunctions. The group retreats to the demon realm’s hot springs where Lili Lim offers Marqui demonhood and Rosella discusses political tensions with her family and the Demon God King.
After resting in the demon realm, the party discusses strategy. Marqui theorizes that a game-like narrative force has made Mecha Rosella the new Final Boss, replacing Rosella. The only way to end the story properly is for Rennes to defeat Mecha Rosella in Akeios Royal Castle’s Throne Room. Lili Lim and Marqui plan to kidnap the Imperial Princess of Nuutra Empire to ensure the necessary game events still trigger, since the timeline has become scrambled. Rosella grows uneasy but is pacified by Lili Lim’s reassurance.
Trivia:
- Marqui’s Modified Sword has Attack Power 193 but still couldn’t damage Mecha Rosella’s armor.
- Bagio’s in-game level was 68 during his rematch with Rennes.
- Neig’s current level is 57.
- Lili Lim’s Lust household servants address Rosella with -sama because she might become Lili Lim’s sister.
- The blizzard magic disrupted Mecha Rosella’s microwave sensors, making her unable to track Rosella.
- Mecha Rosella’s power unit overheated after scanning Marqui’s vitality value of 130,000.
- Bagio survived a direct beam hit to the back of the head due to high HP.
- In the game, Bagio died and was resurrected with Demon God blood before fighting Rennes twice.
- Medirina is fleeing with Mika, who wears a kimono and hasn’t been brainwashed.
- The Demon God who took over Akeios might invade Ruulegard Kingdom depending on how events unfold.