…I need to get out of here. Now!
The instant that thought occurred to her, Elysia instinctively searched for the exit. Valentin de Arcane stood with his back to it, blocking the way. The moment Elysia spotted an opening and tried to dart past him—
Bang—!
In the blink of an eye, her body was spun around, and her back slammed roughly against the door.
Valentin swiftly caught the hand Elysia had wrapped around the doorknob and pinned it in place. As a result, Elysia found herself completely trapped between the cold wooden door and Valentin's solid chest, unable to move an inch.
Her startled heart pounded so violently it felt ready to burst, yet Valentin de Arcane looked down at her without so much as disturbing a single breath. Tristan would at least have shown some warning signs beforehand.
Valentin's eyes were calm.
That made him even more frightening.
"Let me go."
"No."
"If you keep doing this, I'll scream."
"Go ahead. I don't care."
There wasn't the slightest wavering in his eyes.
"But I wonder if our dear nun might care. About getting involved with me in this sort of situation."
"……."
"The choice is yours. Handle it according to your convictions. The result matters more than the process anyway."
Those words were familiar.
She remembered the first day they had been dispatched here, when the three of them had clashed with Tristan in front of the convent wall.
"The choice is yours, High Priest. Please handle it according to your convictions."
"It would be disgraceful enough just to be investigated over something like this, but it can't be helped. Just as you said, High Priest, the result matters more than the process."
A chill ran down her spine when she realized he was simply giving back exactly what he'd received.
So this was….
He was saying that he didn't care if the two of them became entangled in rumors of 'that kind of relationship.'
It was practically a provocation.
What do I do? What am I supposed to do?
Her mind went completely blank, but one thing was certain.
Provoking Valentin in this situation wasn't going to help.
"…All right. I won't leave."
Elysia spoke with a faint exhale.
"I'll keep showing you around until you decide we're finished. So please… let go of me too."
"How am I supposed to believe that?"
"It doesn't matter even if I run away, does it? It won't do me any good."
Elysia raised her gaze and looked Valentin directly in the eyes.
"Because no matter where I go, you'll just bring me back in front of you again."
Feeling the slender wrist trembling in his grasp, Valentin let out a quiet scoff.
"If you call me Valentin."
"…What?"
"That's my condition. I can't stand hearing you call me 'High Priest' over and over."
[System]
Strategy Target 'Valentin de Arcane' proposes updating his form of address.
[Change: High Priest -> Valentin]
Would you like to accept? [ Yes / No ]
He showed up as a priest, and now he was telling her not to call him High Priest?
…This feels ominous.
"Could I just call you M-Mr. Arcane instead…?"
"……."
Valentin's eyes seemed to ask, 'Do you really think I'll allow that?'
She had no other choice.
"…V-Valentin."
"Yes, Elysia."
A satisfied smile appeared on Valentin's face now that he'd gotten the form of address he wanted.
[System]
The balance tilts to one side.
And her ominous premonition proved completely correct.
[System]
'Valentin de Arcane' is pleased with the new form of address.
[Valentin de Arcane Affection: +10]
…Wow, how does that make any sense?
Was calling him by his name just once really something to be this pleased about?
The increase in Affection was even greater than before. At this point, she was starting to become confused about what the criteria for Affection even were.
If this had been a game where she actually needed to win him over, she would have been thrilled.
But for Elysia, who only drew closer to the road to the afterlife the more successful the strategy became, this was hell itself.
Having finally gotten what he wanted, Valentin released Elysia. Then he lightly jerked his chin toward the inside of the room.
"It's been a while. Five years, I think."
Honestly, even as Valentin spoke, only one thought occupied Elysia's mind.
What am I supposed to say so his Affection doesn't go up?
His Affection had increased just because she'd looked at him, and he'd been delighted simply because she'd called him by name, so she couldn't help being cautious.
At times like this, it was probably better to say as little as possible.
Elysia slowly nodded.
"Have you been well?"
Nod, nod.
Once again, she nodded instead of answering.
Fortunately, merely nodding didn't raise his Affection.
"There's something I want to ask."
"……."
"Why did you suddenly become a nun?"
This time, it wasn't a question she could answer with a nod.
What excuse should I make?
As she briefly pondered what to say, the System chimed.
[System]
Sudden Quest: Shackles of Truth
At Valentin de Arcane's request, speak only the truth.
[Completion Guide]
-Restriction: The Mark of Silence, which prevents you from lying, will be applied.
-Penalty: If you violate the rule, it will become impossible to forcibly terminate the previous Quest currently in progress.
Would you like to accept? [ Yes / No ]
[Predicted Ending if Quest is Refused]
<Valentin de Arcane Route> - Ending 15: Guide for an Eternal Life
'Guide for an Eternal Life.'
That sounded horrible.
But if she had to tell the truth to avoid the Ending, that presented a problem of its own.
'I kept getting dragged into shit with you two and dying like a fucking dog no matter what I did. So I ran away. But you actually chased me all the way here. You guys really are something!'
…It wasn't as though she could say that.
That was the absolute truth without a single lie, but saying it aloud would probably only make him think she was insane.
'What do I do?'
With such a devastating penalty attached, she couldn't escape the question with a plausible lie.
In stark contrast to her growing anxiety, Valentin merely waited in predatory silence for a definite answer. His face, caught at the edge of her vision, bore an openly leisurely expression, while Elysia tried to suppress her pounding heart and maintain her composure.
He was asking why she'd spent the past five years hiding here, and why the place she'd chosen had been a convent.
If she didn't give him an answer he could accept, then given his personality—someone who couldn't rest until he'd gotten whatever he wanted—there was no way she'd escape further interrogation.
And the more his questions piled up, the more difficult things would become for her when she was forced to answer truthfully.
So.
-It has to be true.
-At the same time, it has to sound perfectly natural from Valentin's perspective.
Then I just need a'plausible truth.'
After thinking for a moment, Elysia lowered her lashes and slowly opened her mouth.
"…Because I wanted to live."
Valentin's gaze stilled, perhaps because the answer was not what he'd expected.
"I can't tell you everything about my circumstances… but back then, I thought I was going to die if things continued that way."
There was no need to overcomplicate it.
There was only one truth anyway.
This wasn't mathematics. It was language.
If she couldn't say something exactly as it was, the correct answer was simply to express the same truth in different words.
And if she wanted her answer to sound natural to Valentin, then it had to be thoroughly consistent with 'Elysia Gray.'
Elysia made it seem as though she'd been trapped in complicated circumstances entirely beyond her control, wrapping the truth in a plausible package with a pitiful, harmless expression.
But the conclusion Valentin reached was extremely simple.
"So I suppose those circumstances had something to do with me."
"That's…."
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have any reason to go out of your way to avoid me."
A faint smile appeared on Valentin's lips as he mulled over Elysia's words.
"So where are you going next?"
Rather than looking amused, he looked like someone who had just fitted a missing puzzle piece into its proper place.
A strange tension swept through her entire body.
"…What?"
"If you're going somewhere, tell me beforehand. I don't mind hide-and-seek, but five years got pretty tedious."
Meeting her eyes, he added,
"I'm saying there's no point in either of us wasting our energy."
The instant Elysia sensed something strange in Valentin's incomprehensible words, the System chimed.
[System]
'Valentin de Arcane's Inner Thoughts' have been collected.
[It seems he has been searching for you for the past five years.]
-Strategy TIP: Collect the 'Strategy Target's Inner Thoughts' through conversation.
They may become the key to navigating the maze of this love triangle.
Elysia had never even confessed her unrequited love to him, so why on earth?
Had there ever been any reason for him to do that?
"Then I'll see you again. Eli."
While she was still bewildered, Valentin left the prayer room after that brief farewell.
Elysia stood blankly in the now-empty prayer room for a while.
[System]
Notification: Compound Mission Complete.
Successfully completed both Quests simultaneously! (2/2)
-Quest: [My Kind Guide] Cleared!
-Sudden Quest: [Shackles of Truth] Cleared!
The System announced that she'd cleared two Missions at once, but she wasn't happy in the slightest.
[System]
Strategy Target 'Valentin de Arcane' ROUTE: Guide Event Complete.
[!] Calculating acquired Affection (Weight).
The instant she successfully completed the Missions, a golden set of scales suddenly appeared before her eyes.
[System]
'Valentin de Arcane' Affection +17
No sooner had the Affection calculation finished than the scales became immersed in sacred light. Then, with a sharp sound, they abruptly tilted.
On the side that had sunk downward, the name 'Valentin de Arcane' shimmered brilliantly.
[System]
The weight of the scales is rapidly shifting toward 'Valentin de Arcane.'
[!] Warning: You are approaching the 'Valentin de Arcane' Ending.
And on the opposite side….
The name 'Tristan Loch' was glowing clearly.