“So prepare to leave here for a month. It will probably be a long journey, so you will need jerky. The North is a military region, so it would look good if you learned some swordsmanship from your brother. And...”
As Baron Byron’s lecture went on and on, I just stood there frozen in a daze, letting it go in one ear and out the other.
Father.
Did you realize that you had personally pushed your gentle, precious youngest son into mortal danger?
Luciana Speda.
The villainess whose bitter end, in every route of the game, was to be expelled from the academy and murdered by a band of thieves while returning to the North.
And yet I had suddenly formed a close bond with her.
‘She’s definitely my favorite character, but in this world, we’re complete strangers.’
It was bewildering beyond measure.
Even though I had awakened a Status Window—the sort of perk commonly associated with possessing someone else’s body—I could not take in a single word on it.
“...That is enough of my lecturing. I trust that you will manage well on your own.”
“Yes.”
Fortunately, he did not seem to notice anything unusual about me.
Apparently, it followed the standard rule—no, the interdimensional rule—that the System before my eyes was invisible to everyone else.
“They caught the Phantom Thief Sand Mole. They have gained a lifelong laborer. As expected of House Roberk. ...Are you not leaving?”
“Yeees. I’m leaving now.”
Leaving the baron, who had once more fixed his gaze on the documents, behind me, I returned to my room, which still did not feel familiar.
My steps were heavy.
“Ha. This is driving me crazy.”
No matter how much I tore at my hair, the Status Window before my eyes would not disappear. Neither would the strange text about the bond.
“Cold water... I need cold water.”
But a magical device like a refrigerator was too expensive for a mere baronial house to maintain. I made do with lukewarm water to moisten my throat as I sank into thought.
“The Main Story...”
As a rule, the proper way to reach a game’s ending was to follow its important plotline.
The Main Story was, by its name alone, the element that ran through the heart of every event.
But.
‘To think that the thing that should have been given to the protagonist in the original game would come to me with different content.’
There was, in fact, a way to refuse the position of attendant and simply run away. I could use my knowledge of the original work to make some money, then live in style.
The System messages had not mentioned any penalty, either.
But knowing how it ended, I simply could not look away.
After all, if the final boss was not defeated, it was a bad ending—in other words, a direct route to the world’s destruction!
The choices were simple.
Die alongside Luciana, the mid-boss.
Or die alongside a ruined world!
Lying sprawled across the bed, I lamented.
“This is driving me insane. What a hellish either-or.”
Since it had come to this, there was only one answer.
I had to intervene in the story and twist the fate that had originally been set.
I organized the information I knew in order.
“In the original work, Luciana appears as a mid-boss the moment the Crown Prince abandons her.”
It was an arranged marriage that had connected the imperial family and House Speda in friendship since her childhood. She had spent her entire life preparing to become a bride worthy of the Crown Prince, so how must she have felt when it all fell apart?
The result was a reckless duel against the Crown Prince’s lover.
It was an episode boasting such an extreme difficulty that players had to attempt it dozens or hundreds of times.
“Choosing a duel instead of an assassination or an attack was very aristocratic of her, but...”
Once she had appeared as a mid-boss, her outcome had not been good.
Luciana lost the duel and was expelled. While returning to her family, she was attacked by bandits and met her death.
“Then what I need to do has been decided.”
Having reached a decision, I pushed myself up from the bed.
If the beginning of Luciana’s death lay in her separation from the Crown Prince, then all I had to do was bring them back together.
It would not be impossible if I taught Luciana the actions the protagonist of the original work might take, as well as the choices that could earn the Crown Prince’s Affection.
“This might have worked out for the best. I can save my favorite character, too.”
This might be something like playing Luciana Maker in real life.
I chuckled as I recalled a certain game that became popular in Korea and had released a first, second, and third installment.
My heart raced.
How regrettable had it been to do nothing but watch her downfall as I followed the story’s predetermined course from beyond a computer screen?
And how had I felt when I learned of her death?
Since things had turned out this way, I had no choice but to stay by Luciana’s side and attend her so that she would not die.
I silently called for the Status Window.
[Name: Hans Byron]
[Job: Unemployed]
[Base Stats]
[Vitality: 2] [Strength: 2] [Agility: 6] [Magic Power: 1]
[Skills]
“This is exactly the same as the game.”
From the font to the interface, everything was identical to the one that displayed the protagonist’s abilities in Beneath the Chandelier.
Except for one part.
[Luciana Speda’s Affection]
[-20 (Displeasure)]
“...?”
I had not even met her yet.
For some reason, she did not seem particularly pleased with me.
Was I going to be turned away at the door when things were already like this from the very beginning?
“This is a problem...”
But it was not something I could deal with right away. There seemed to be no way other than meeting her in person and facing her head-on.
For that matter, even if I sent her a letter saying that I was happy to have been appointed as her attendant, it would probably only end up as kindling.
“More importantly, what is wrong with these stats?”
Frowning, I tapped the Status Window.
Since the game’s key distinction was its difficult action combat, the importance of these base stats was extremely high.
They could raise maximum HP so that you could endure attacks you otherwise could not, increase the physical damage you dealt, or improve magical efficiency.
All except Agility, that was.
In the game, increasing that stat improved the counterattack window and increased the chance of evasion. But that was all. It remained an area that could be covered to some degree with a player’s fingers.
That was why Agility was nice to have when it was high, but there was no particular reason to raise it before the other stats. It was a chicken bone of a stat.
“Everything else is below average, and Agility alone is six...”
[Vitality: 2] [Strength: 2] [Agility: 6] [Magic Power: 1]
What a trash build. A bitter smile naturally formed at my lips.
From the perspective of a veteran player who had at least seen the good ending, Hans’s stats were outstandingly terrible, even among trash builds.
“Still, it’s not as if I can’t do this.”
But I did not despair.
In fact, the original protagonist’s stats at the beginning were lower than mine. If I could obtain relics, I could make up for the limitations of my stats to some extent.
“Besides, the West was not a major stage in the story.”
Moreover, although the West was mentioned in the game, the player did not actually go there until the very late stages. By then, the protagonist’s party had grown as much as it could, so there was no great need for the subquests or relics there.
To sum it up.
It meant that I could swipe a relic without anyone noticing!
The corners of my mouth rose slightly.
Making off with one or two would not cause any problems for the story’s progression.
“Father, may I go on a trip for a month?”
That was why I had burst into Baron Byron’s room without even knocking.
“...Did I not just tell you to prepare to go to the North?”
“There is still a month left, right? Before that, I want to look around my hometown a little.”
“Huh. Are you really the same boy who hated the West so much?”
At the whim of his youngest son, who would soon leave for a foreign land, he considered for a moment before nodding.
“You are not a child who would irresponsibly abandon an important matter between our houses and run away. Very well. I permit it.”
“Th-That’s right. Haha.”
‘He’s sharp.’
Hans might have cared, but I had no concern for the family at all.
If not for the Status Window’s notification, I might have thrown off every shackle and fled far away.
***
At last, the day of departure arrived.
Thankfully, my father had not only granted permission but also ordered that I be provided with everything necessary for the journey.
Since it was a special order from the head of the house, the preparations went smoothly.
“Hans, remember this.”
“Yes? Remember what?”
“That only two kinds of people exist in this West.”
My father’s parting advice was simple.
Prisoners called slaves, or jailers called nobles.
Because the West could not survive without food aid from outside, most people belonged to one of those two categories. There were indigenous people as well, but they were exceedingly few.
Therefore.
“Do not trust people rashly. Travel only with the soldiers I have assigned to you. Understood?”
Travel safely.
“Of course. I am about to become the attendant of a northern ducal house. I should take proper care of myself.”
“Good. Have a safe journey.”
I smiled meekly and nodded.
‘...I’m sorry, Baron Byron.’
I could still feel his gaze as I turned and walked away. It felt as though my nonexistent conscience had been pricked a little.
His paternal love was genuine.
So genuine that I sometimes felt sorry for suddenly appearing and taking over this body.
‘No. I need to harden my heart.’
Relics tasted best when I hoarded them all for myself.
Bringing other people along would only mean baggage or bandits.
‘Still, how many can I loot?’
My heart suddenly raced.
With a month, there were the ones I knew about: Anubis’s Sword and the Sun Clock. The Oasis of Night was too far away, so I probably could not get there... Was the one the protagonist used often the Rope of Infinity?
It was incredibly practical, though.
The protagonist’s growth?
I was already busy enough looking after my own body. Did I have the leisure to worry about whether things would proceed according to the story?
I was a Main Story player, too.
If I died, the world would end as well.
Exactly.
***
“Where shall we go?”
There was a good reason for the question from the knight of House Byron, whose face was covered in scars.
The camel I rode was heading in the opposite direction from the noble estate, famous as a tourist destination, where we were originally supposed to go.
I answered with a yawn.
“Wherever the road takes us.”
“Pardon?”
“If we go where Father recommended, it will be the same oasis, the same holding facility, and the same Mage Tower. I am sick to death of it.”
At my expression of utter boredom, the knight reluctantly nodded.
“Most of the West is like that.”
“Don’t you find it tiresome?”
“...A little.”
I looked at the knight and snickered.
His frown plainly said, ‘The high and mighty young master of the house is throwing a tantrum, so I am forced to humor him.’ He could at least try not to show it.
“In any case, I have no taste for seeing the same things over and over. I want to find fresh, new sights.”
“I will only escort you wherever you lead.”
Seeing him pay as much attention to my convenience as possible, Baron Byron must have given him firm instructions.
‘Then that works in my favor.’
The place we were going was a bit dangerous. Everyone, I would be counting on you.
As we drew closer to the destination, the knight’s eyebrows twitched.
“Young Master...? That is the Sahel Zone.”
“There is no problem, is there? Would a fully equipped knight and soldiers lose to mere venomous insects or vagrants?”
I tilted my head as I asked.
At this very moment.
This body was the immature youngest young master of a noble house, a privileged heir skilled at throwing his weight around.
The knight’s eyebrows twitched again.
I waved my hand back and forth, cutting him off.
“All right, all right. Once the trip is over, I will take you to a nearby city and let you drink all you want. Stop complaining and let us go.”
“Ooh!”
“Liquor?! You will buy it for us?”
“We will work hard!”
It worked even better than I expected.
All I had meant was that they should protect me diligently until I found the relic.
I shrugged at the knight’s fierce glare.
There was nothing I could do, no matter how much he looked at me with those eyes.
‘The relic I want is here.’
“Haah. You idiots... Shut up at once!”
Only after shouting a sharp rebuke did the knight manage to quell their excitement.
Frowning, he came close and whispered quietly.
“Young Master, if you buy drinks for every one of these men, the travel expenses will likely be exhausted. Would it not be better to cancel it now?”
Ah, that was true.
Water was scarce here, so how expensive would liquor be? I understood why this fierce-looking knight was worried about money.
But.
“No. How can a man of the West speak two different words with one mouth? At worst, we can return right away.”
With my arms crossed, I haughtily raised my chin.
‘When possessing someone, staying in character is paramount.’
Moreover, since the purpose of this trip was to obtain relics, I had intended to return early after obtaining one, using the travel expenses as an excuse. It was actually to my benefit.
But the knight, who did not know that, sighed, while the soldiers cheered.
The scarred knight looked steadily at me, then tried once more to dissuade me.
“Young Master. Must you go? It might be dangerous. I hear it is a cursed land, and ghosts are said to appear there.”
“Come now, Captain. Where are there ghosts in this world? They are only false rumors meant to scare children. Young Master is not even at an age to be frightened by such things.”
Among the soldiers who snorted, a chestnut-haired knight answered, their freckles crinkling.
Then I gave the knight a sidelong glance before looking away again.
‘How did they know that?’
Of course, it was not because I was afraid of ghosts. I was merely astonished by the knight’s discerning eye.
“...Maybe that ghost story did not come from nowhere.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. Let us get going.”
***
After we had traveled by camel for several days.
“Young Master. This is the Sahel Zone.”
Among the lands of the West, the Sahel Zone was both the hottest and the most infested with venomous insects, making it the most difficult place for people to live. At the same time, it was a lawless place teeming with bandits.
Of course, even bandits knew how to distinguish their targets. Their targets were only poorly guarded merchant caravans and civilians. They would never target soldiers equipped with weapons and armor.
Their lives were precious, too.
But it was a lawless land too dangerous to enter while relying only on that.
A place where even rumors that nobles occasionally went missing circulated.
“I will say it again. Would it not be better to turn back even now?”
“Once I make up my mind, I follow it through. Stop saying strange things and keep watch properly.”
I rebuked the knight and sharply turned my head away.
The knight’s sighs had visibly increased since our departure.
But if he could see this, he would understand.
[Tomb of the Forgotten King]
[The West of the Manhet Empire was originally the land of indigenous people who survived in its harsh environment before the people of the central regions advanced into it.]
[The greatest king to rule over them has now been buried in an underground tomb, with even his name forgotten.]
[Now is the time to uncover his secret along with the treasure.]
It was the System, appearing for the first time in quite a while.
And it even blatantly mentioned treasure.
As befitted an [RPG Masquerading as a Dating Sim], dungeons that could help characters grow existed throughout this world. They were places one had to visit to obtain elixirs that raised base stats and relics with special abilities.
Among them, this was a dungeon containing a relic with a useful ability, but one that was a chicken bone for a protagonist who had already grown to the middle stages.
In other words, it was exactly the sort of relic that a noob among noobs like this body needed.
“Young Master, wait. Stay a little farther behind me.”
“What is it?”
“I sense a presence.”
At the knight’s restraint, I pulled on the camel’s reins, and a suspicious sound came from the distance.
CLATTER, CLATTER.
Bingo. The sight of skeletons with old bandages dangling from all over their bodies was proof that a dungeon entrance was nearby.
“Smash them all!”
At my command, the knight and soldiers mixed chaotically with the skeletons.
Once again, I felt that being a noble was the best. With a single word, soldiers obeyed me this faithfully.
Then, while everyone was distracted by the fight.
Shall I take a look inside the dungeon?
.
.
.
“Well. Do I have a business partner?”
...I never thought a dungeon that only I knew about would have a competitor.
How should I deal with the middle-aged man grinning before my eyes?
An unexpected dilemma had arisen.