Episode 184
"Phew."
Seated in the carriage with a troubled heart, I soon let out a deep sigh.
"Master? What's wrong?"
Then Lulu, who had been hugging my arm and rubbing her cheek against my hand, tilted her head and asked.
"It's nothing, really."
I smiled at her and gently stroked her chin.
'It was my final attempt...'
But contrary to my outward appearance, my insides were rotting away.
'...Failed spectacularly.'
I hadn't known about the 'Supporter System' until now.
Naturally so. The prophecy book made no mention of the 'Supporter System.'
The content about Rosewin in the prophecy book was entirely different.
- You must unconditionally give flowers to Rosewin. Regularly, without fail.
For some reason, the ancestor who had written little about Rosewin had left that instruction.
- If Rosewin doesn't keep flowers received from a system holder for a certain period, she'll die.
That's why I had no choice but to desperately give her flowers.
Because for some reason, she kept throwing away the flowers I gave her or giving them to others as gifts, so I had to keep resetting that period before she died.
- And there's another reason... Never mind. It's better not to know. If you cling to something with no chance of happening, you'll only suffer. Better to focus on something else.
Of course, the comment the ancestor left at the very end had always weighed on my mind...
- However, even so, make sure to give her flowers 'sincerely' and 'regularly.'
To think that was what I saw in the trial...
- Who knows? A miracle might happen.
"Hmm."
Recalling the contents of the prophecy book, I muttered to myself again.
'What a shame...'
Today, I made my final attempt to awaken Rosewin's 'Supporter System.'
To convey my sincerity to her, so that she might receive my flowers with even a trace of genuine feeling.
I pushed my sincerity to its absolute limits, layered on the acting skills I'd honed over time, and even attached additional conditions to my confession.
But.
"I'll think about it for now."
I was thoroughly rejected.
Even though I had prepared golden roses instead of red ones as she had mentioned last time, no miracle occurred.
Given that she said she preferred red flowers over golden ones, it seems she didn't even remember what she said before.
There's no hope left.
Why is that?
Other sub-heroines are showing certain changes after the 'Third Trial,' so why are no changes occurring with her?
Could it be that my hypothesis was wrong?
"Mmm..."
Lost in such gloomy thoughts, a strange sound came from beside me.
"Mmm..."
Lulu, who had fallen asleep again at some point, was breathing softly in my arms.
"...Ha."
Thanks to her, I managed a faint smile.
"I guess giving up is the right choice, isn't it?"
I casually asked the animals sitting quietly on the windowsill, staring blankly at me just as I had commanded them not to fight.
Actually, calling them animals isn't quite right—they're intelligent enough to be called spirit beasts, so they probably understand well enough.
"Yeah, let's give up."
Thinking that, I gazed at the animals for a while, then leaned back in my chair and muttered.
"That's the best option."
What's important now is unlocking the second-year 'DLC' story, not the 'Supporter System.'
Perroche in the trial only mentioned the 'Five Realizations,' not the Supporter System.
And the ancestor also said it's better not to know about the 'Supporter System.'
That means while the effect is tremendous, the probability of it occurring is almost nil.
That's why my obsession with awakening the 'Supporter System' now is actually a negative.
Because...
"I can't let Rosewin become a target of the Demon King."
In the timeline I saw in the trial, I had adjusted my own memories to hate everyone. The reason I made that choice was probably to deceive the Demon King.
Although the Demon King cannot directly attack the heroines due to the system's constraints, as long as they serve as her subordinates, there are countless ways to harm them.
Therefore, by hating them, I eliminated the chance of the heroines constantly by the Demon King's side being harmed.
In other words, I need to do the same thing now.
Today's test concluded that recruiting Rosewin is impossible, so from now on, I must push her away.
Otherwise, Ruby might do something terrible to her, considering her my only weakness since she'll become the Demon King's ally.
"Then..."
Having reached that conclusion, I began worrying about something else.
"What should I do about the flowers..."
For now, there won't be any problem for a while.
The Demon King Ruby is also giving her flowers periodically.
Rosewin's room in the Third Trial was filled with flowers, so with that many flowers, she shouldn't die.
Of course, I don't intend to trust Ruby.
That's why I'll either use surveillance magic or assign someone to thoroughly monitor whether Rosewin is keeping flowers with her or not.
Well, seeing as she was wearing the rose she received from Ruby instead of the sunflower I gave her earlier, I don't think there will be any issues.
"Yawn..."
Just as I finished my thoughts and was about to rest my eyes, Lulu, who had buried her face in my chest, yawned and opened her eyes.
"Hmm?"
Then Lulu looked around with a drowsy expression.
"Master, are you alright?"
"Hmm?"
"Y-your expression is too gloomy. Did something happen with Rosewin...?"
Looking at Lulu who asked that, I changed my expression to a wicked one and spoke.
"Lulu, there's something I want to ask you."
"Yes, yes."
"Rosewin seems to be getting in the way of my dark business..."
I said that and glanced at Lulu.
"...getting rid of anyone who annoys me is my iron rule."
I lowered my voice even further.
"Do you remember what I said before?"
"...Yes."
"Then, can you tear out her throat for me?"
I'm sorry, Lulu, but this is a necessary process.
If she truly wants to be with me, she must perceive me as a clear 'villain.'
That way, no new penalties will accumulate.
That's why I have no choice but to always show this ugly side in front of her...
"Yes."
"Hmm?"
I was lost in quiet thought when Lulu answered so quickly that I asked back without thinking.
"I'll tear her throat out."
Lulu's expression as she said that was incredibly calm.
"...You didn't even hesitate?"
I asked quietly to gauge her intentions.
"What pet hesitates over a command from their master?"
Lulu answered again in a calm voice.
"I've already been corrupted by you."
Saying that, she licked my neck.
"W-wait a moment..."
I tried to stop Lulu who kept licking me with her eyes half-closed, while receiving the burning gazes of the animals sitting by the window.
"...Huh?"
Then, I opened my eyes wide and stared at the empty air.
[Affection System Ver2 Update Complete!]
"What?"
Something had happened.
.
Meanwhile at that time.
"What..."
Rosewin, who had been sitting blankly on the floor for a while, trudged back to her room.
"What on earth..."
With her brow deeply furrowed, she began pacing around her room.
"Mmm..."
Ever since Frey made a gloomy expression in front of her and said his goodbyes.
For some reason she couldn't understand, Rosewin was feeling a certain emotion.
And that emotion...
When Frey trudged out of her room.
When the female staff member announced he had withdrawn his membership.
Every time Lulu displayed affectionate behavior beside Frey, who should have been desperate to have her.
It turned her stomach.
And when the carriage departed, it reached its peak, filling Rosewin's head completely.
"Mmmm..."
And Rosewin couldn't understand at all why this emotion had arisen.
Why? For what reason?
Frey, who had always annoyingly pursued her. A scoundrel with a smooth tongue.
He was just one of the foolish customers who fell for her beauty, the most useful cash cow among them.
"Mmmmm...!"
Just because someone like that said something like a farewell and left, just because he cancelled his guild membership, why should she, who had nothing to regret, feel this way?
Why has she been circling her room since earlier, feeling this emotion?
"Annoying!"
As such thoughts swirled in her head over and over, Rosewin's usual temper finally exploded.
- CRASH!!
She threw the vase containing the flowers Frey had given her onto the floor.
"Who do you think you are, Frey, to make me...! Feel this! Way!!"
Then Rosewin stomped on Frey's golden flowers with a fierce expression.
Thanks to that, the golden roses Frey had put so much effort into obtaining were cruelly crushed.
"Haa... Haa..."
After taking out her anger on the innocent flowers for a while, she started breathing heavily.
"What is this really..."
She slumped down in her chair and muttered with a confused expression.
"Why am I acting like this...?"
With those final words, she sat in the chair for a while, trying to cool her heated head.
"........."
And the silence continued for some time.
"...Did I go too far?"
That silence was broken by Rosewin's muttering with a slightly anxious expression.
"Mmm, I did go too far. He's still a regular at our guild."
Crossing her legs slightly, she muttered.
"Well, I can just treat him better from now on."
She stood up and began circling around the room again.
"He's probably just sulking for a bit. He's been rejected by me several times before, but he always came back smiling broadly, didn't he?"
Stopping in place for a moment, Rosewin muttered with an even more anxious expression.
"By the way, what's with Lulu?"
For some reason, the creepy and unpleasant feeling she felt when Lulu was being affectionate with Frey was still lingering in her mind.
"Well, it's obvious just looking at her. And from Frey's expression, he seemed annoyed by her too."
Thanks to that, she chewed her lip for a while before saying as if it was nothing.
"Anyway, Frey... l-likes me. That's right. Definitely."
Although Frey had smiled slightly at the very end, Rosewin quickly pushed that fact from her memory and reached that conclusion.
"...I should go gather some information."
Picking up Frey's request papers that had been on her desk.
"Anyway, where else would he go besides our information guild? He'll come back in a few days grinning, so I should be prepared."
She kept muttering to herself.
"Well, I can't lose a regular customer either. Mm-hm."
She started heading toward the door.
'Next time, I just need to treat him better. If I treat him a little better, he'll be all over me anyway.'
Reaching that conclusion, she grabbed the doorknob and turned it while muttering to herself.
'Should I accept the flowers next time?'
With a slight frown, she left her room.
"I'm going out for a bit~ So watch the place for...!"
She started calling out to the female staff member.
"Cough, cough!"
But then she started coughing with her hand over her mouth.
"Huu..."
The female staff member looked at her while smoking a strong cigar.
"Hey, what are you doing? Are you crazy!?"
Rosewin, who had mysophobia, shouted at her in alarm.
"Where are you going...?"
The female staff member asked with a hollow expression.
"To investigate the request Frey left. And what is this..."
Rosewin answered while waving the request papers at her.
"Huuuu......."
"Cough, cough! Ugh, really!"
When the female staff member exhaled cigar smoke again, Rosewin lost her temper and headed outside the shop.
".........."
The female staff member watched her while continuing to smoke the strong cigar.
"Just as I thought..."
- Shaaa...
Absorbing the cigarette smoke instantly with the moon energy emanating from her body, she closed her eyes and muttered.
"...It's too late."
.
Meanwhile at that time.
"Huh?"
Frey was staring intently at one part of a new window floating before him.
[Sub-Heroine Notifications]
Isollet Arham Baiwork [Conquest: 70%]
Details...
Arianne [Conquest: 5%]
Details...
Lulu [Conquest Complete]
Details...
.
"This is..."
The list of sub-heroines was quite long, but...
"...What on earth is this?"
Frey's gaze was fixed on one of them.
Rosewin Sol Sunset [Conquest Route Closed]
Details...
The carriage he was riding in was helplessly leaving the back alley behind.