Valentin de Arcane.
His mere appearance was enough to cool the heated atmosphere at once.
Unlike the rough and rugged Tristan, Valentin was a man without so much as a hair out of place. Beneath his immaculate blond hair, his blue eyes were as still as a windless lake. They were so tranquil that there was no telling what might be lurking beneath their surface.
His appearance was just as impeccably refined. Tall and solidly built, his physique was sleek rather than burly, like a well-bred stallion. Just like the suits he often wore, even his priestly robes were flawless.
He was a man so neat and composed that he seemed to inhabit a different world, yet there was something strangely languid about him as well.
[System]
Congratulations: Reunion after 5 years.
Wow, just how long has it been!
Your unrequited love and first love, whom you've missed so dearly.
We hope you don't let him slip away this time.
She hadn't wanted to see him. Especially not like this.
‘If eating it kills you, what good is it if it looks delicious?’
As if running into Tristan without any preparation hadn't been bad enough, now she was facing both of them before she'd even managed to deal with the first disaster.
For Elysia, who had enjoyed five peaceful years on the run, this ordeal was simply too much.
If she could, she wanted to evaporate on the spot.
“I think an explanation is in order.”
Valentin pressed her in a flat voice. There wasn't the slightest hint of agitation in it, which somehow made him even more frightening.
What am I supposed to say? Her mind went completely blank, but she couldn't simply stand there doing nothing.
“W-Well, that's….”
“It is exactly as you see.”
Just as she was about to get up, a solid arm tightened around her body like a rope. Tristan had pulled her into his embrace.
Her breath caught in bewilderment.
“What exactly is there to explain?”
He was speaking politely, but the words themselves were an unmistakable provocation.
…Fuck. This is the worst.
She shouldn't have let him beat her to the punch.
What do I do? Faced with the hopeless situation, Elysia squeezed her eyes shut.
Valentin remained silent for a moment. He was clearly displeased.
The tension in the air was so sharp it practically stung her skin.
[System]
The scales are tipping to one side.
Just then, the system started spouting something incomprehensible.
And then.
[System]
[!] Danger!
Two Strategy Targets are clashing. (Status: Wary)
Escape this situation safely.
[Warning]
Upon failure,
the favorability accumulated thus far will be calculated, and a Forced Ending will be executed with the winner.
Another mission had been issued.
One disaster after another. The endless barrage of missions was enough to drive her insane.
I haven't even done anything to win either of them over yet. What the hell is there to calculate?
[System]
Overlapping Mission Adjustment.
Debuff ‘Pollen Allergy’ temporarily removed.
(Duration: Until at least one mission is resolved)
How very kind of you! As if you're not just fucking with me.
Her coughing subsided, and the burning heat in her face faded.
It was ridiculous, but in this game, an ending meant nothing less than a miserable death. So she had no choice but to come up with something, anything, for now.
“Ah, well, I suddenly tripped… and Tr-Tristan, I mean, Sir Loch tried to catch me, but then he ended up falling with me.”
Elysia hurriedly explained.
“You misunderstood, Father.”
The three of them had known one another since childhood, but since they were meeting in a public setting, it seemed appropriate to use formal titles. She also judged that it was the best way to avoid provoking either side unfairly.
Rather than make up some ridiculous excuse, she'd chosen to tell the truth, but there was no reaction.
Oh, right. He was still holding me. Am I insane?
Elysia shoved Tristan away and scrambled upright, prompting him to reluctantly get to his feet as well.
Even after her explanation, Valentin's unwavering gaze remained fixed on Tristan.
“My. To think you fell down with her while trying to catch a nun.”
Valentin was the first to break the taut silence. His tone was composed, but there was unmistakable mockery beneath it.
“You must be terribly exhausted after your long journey, Sir Loch.”
Tristan gave a short laugh in response.
“Yes. So exhausted that, as you saw, we ended up lying down together.”
“How unfortunate.”
Valentin's gaze slowly lowered.
“The duties of the Holy Knights are considerable, so you ought to get sufficient rest yourself. Wouldn't it be better to leave something like guard duty to your subordinates?”
“I appreciate your concern. However, assessing the security situation of my new post is also part of my duty. Naturally, ensuring the safety of the clergy is as well, so I will make sure to inspect everything thoroughly.”
Tristan emphasized his next words.
“The affairs of the Holy Knights are my responsibility, after all.”
He was quite blatantly telling Valentin to mind his own damn business.
What do I do? If they'd just started openly throwing punches, she could at least have stepped in to separate them. But on the surface, they weren't even fighting. They were engaged in… a battle of nerves disguised as concern for each other's well-being, so she had no real justification for intervening.
“I see. Then I suppose it's time I did my job as well. Regarding the situation before us, that is.”
Without the slightest sign of agitation, Valentin smiled pleasantly and continued.
“Everyone has their circumstances. But I only believe what I've seen with my own eyes. Whatever the circumstances may be, the sight of the two of you like that inside a convent hardly seems appropriate.”
His keen blue gaze sharpened further.
“How… should this be handled?”
That wasn't a question.
It was a threat.
Tristan clenched his fist.
That was definitely… a sign that the anger-management disaster was starting to lose his temper.
Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, Tristan strode right up to Valentin. He had always been the sort of man whose body moved before his mouth did.
“Are you threatening me right now, Father?”
“How absurd.”
Valentin didn't back down either. Even with an agitated man standing directly in front of him, he showed no particular disturbance.
“How exactly is this a threat, Sir Loch?”
[System]
[!] Danger!
Both Strategy Targets are armed.
These fucking lunatics. Tristan was a Holy Knight, so that much made sense, but Valentin was a priest. What the hell was he carrying? The fact that she couldn't see anything only made it more frightening.
She couldn't just stand there and watch.
Elysia stepped between them.
“Wait.”
“Eli. Stay out of this.”
“No. I'm involved in this situation too. I have every right to step in.”
She felt Tristan falter in surprise.
“It's my turn, so you stay quiet, Sir Loch.”
Just then, the system once again started spouting something incomprehensible.
[System]
The scales are tipping to one side.
They're about to start a fucking brawl. Who cares about that?
She had to intervene immediately.
“Go ahead.”
When Valentin gave her permission to speak, Elysia raised her trembling gaze. Her heart seemed to drop at the sight of that arrogant face looking down at her, but she couldn't retreat.
Elysia struggled to maintain her composure.
“I admit that what you just saw may have looked inappropriate. Whatever the circumstances, all you actually saw, Father, was ‘the result of me lying on top of Sir Loch.’”
“So?”
“The decision is yours, Father. Please handle it according to your convictions.”
Perhaps the response was unexpected, because a crack appeared in Valentin's composure.
[System]
‘Valentin de Arcane’ and ‘Tristan Loch’
sense something strange about your unusual behavior.
Current Character Collapse Index: 82% <
Keep the Character Collapse Index below 70%.
-Upon failure, death
…Yeah, of course I'm different from the person you knew.
Because Elysia Gray in this game was a cowardly pushover with flowers for brains.
But if she held herself back because she was afraid of the Character Collapse Index, not only would she fail to resolve this situation, she'd spend the rest of her life being dragged around by those bastards.
“Are you going to report this to the Church? I have nothing to be ashamed of, so I'll cooperate fully with the investigation. Of course, I'm sure Sir Loch will do the same.”
Elysia lifted the corners of her lips.
“Being investigated over something like this would be disgraceful in itself, but it can't be helped. Just as you said, Father, the result does matter more than the process.”
Acting this brazenly without fear might have been a gamble in the current situation, but she had a certain degree of confidence.
If an investigation were opened over an unsavory incident like this, it would effectively make it official that Tristan Loch and Elysia Gray had that kind of relationship.
Would a man who was throwing such a childish fit merely because he'd seen her sprawled on top of Tristan really want that?
Elysia boldly bet on ‘No.’
Just as she'd expected, Valentin gave no real answer.
Of course not. He didn't exactly have anything to say.
Rather than simply wait for his reaction, Elysia decided to drive the point home first.
“However, it's already very late, and this isn't an urgent matter. If you intend to report it to the Church, please follow the proper procedure tomorrow morning.”
“Interesting.”
One corner of Valentin's mouth tilted upward.
“I'll think about it and decide.”
[System]
Mission Success!
Thanks to your efforts, the clash between the two has temporarily subsided.
And so, with a well-timed gamble, she'd managed to stop things from escalating into a fucking brawl.
[System]
Overlapping Mission Adjustment removed.
Debuff Status ‘Pollen Allergy’
She'd been waiting for this to appear.
Cough, cough.
As though on cue, a coughing fit burst out of her, and her vision blurred.
Of course, she'd have to add a little acting of her own.
“A-Anyway… I'm sorry. Cough. Cough. I-I was just so startled…. I'm not feeling well, so I'll go inside.”
Elysia used the allergy to revert to her role as a frail coward.
The debuff was perfect for pretending that saying even that much had taken an enormous amount of courage, and that now that the tension had finally broken, she was trembling all over.
Even if she had to endure the goosebumps crawling over her entire body.
Still better than dying.
“Eli, let's go. I'll walk you back.”
“…No. Sir Loch, cough, I don't want to inconvenience you any further. And I don't want to give Father any more reason to be suspicious, either. I mean it.”
Tristan was about to unleash his overprotective tendencies, but she promptly cut him off.
“And I'm a nun. I don't want to invite unnecessary misunderstandings… so please use formal speech with me while we're in the convent.”
Cough, cough.
I get that we're close. But please, stop making it so damn obvious. Let's learn to separate public and private matters.
“Please. I'm begging you.”
[System]
Character Collapse Index decreased.
Current Character Collapse Index: 65% <
“All right, then.”
Just when she thought she'd finally resolved everything, Valentin slowly leaned down. There wasn't the slightest hint of haste in his movements.
“Sleep well, Eli.”
Fuck.
A chill ran down Elysia's spine at Valentin's languid whisper.
Her ear burned hot, and at the same time, she could feel Tristan's murderous gaze boring into the back of her neck, but she didn't care.
I've done everything I needed to do, so once I'm gone, you two can tear each other apart for all I care.
Without looking back, Elysia headed toward the nuns' quarters.
***
…I want to rest.
After finally making it back to her quarters following one ordeal after another, that was the only thought left in Elysia's head.
She was completely drained from keeping those two bastards apart, and the pollen allergy or whatever it was had left her feeling miserable as well.
But then.
[System]
Tutorial Complete!
You have just finished taking your first steps toward maintaining balance.
You can now use the ‘Golden Scales.’
Along with the system window, a set of golden scales appeared in all its dazzling splendor.
“Cough, cough.”
What kind of… bullshit is this?
She didn't even have the energy to be surprised anymore.
I'll rest today and be surprised tomorrow. Whatever.
Elysia sprawled flat on the bed and tried to sleep.