episode_0249

A single journey planned by Kyetmya Joshegyeok and Seraphine.

Of course, just because the journey was decided, it didn’t mean they immediately formed a party and set off for the next episode.

The main events at the Luminor Academy were roughly scheduled, and arriving earlier wouldn’t offer much besides loitering nearby.

Moreover, the timing was not ideal, as it was almost dawn right after the incident at the noble social gathering.

It was too late to move elsewhere. The intention of the noble social gathering was dubious at best, so by the time the party ended, everyone would need to retire to their rooms.

However, due to the McHart incident, most noble youths hurried back to the Star Palace. Some would be returning to their hometown estates by carriage at this late hour, while others would stay overnight at inns near the royal capital before departing early the next morning.

Thanks to this, the Star Palace rooms, originally intended to be used as temporary accommodations for noble guests under McHart’s authority, were practically empty and available for anyone to use. Of course, starting from tomorrow, most rooms would be back in use for their intended purposes, but for now…

“Until the schedule for ‘temporary companionship’ is set, all of you may stay at the Star Palace, so please make yourselves at home and rely on the attendants. If there are any inconveniences during your stay, feel free to inform the attendants.”

“Oh, Seraphine. Are you staying at the Star Palace tonight as well?”

“…No. I need to return to the main palace to attend McHart’s father’s funeral. It’s something that needs to be handled quietly, so I believe it’s best for me to go back and explain it to my mother.”

“Is that so? I was planning to visit your room later tonight.”

“…Y-yes?”

Did that lunatic suddenly go into heat or something?

For a moment, he had no intention of proposing temporary companionship to Seraphine, thanks to the conversation between the hero and Seraphine earlier. But with his recent statement, his trust in the guy was completely shattered.

Could it be that he really claimed to be a temporary partner because he wanted to ambush me?

“Ah, Hero. Please save those words for when we’re alone. And since I have my father’s funeral to attend, I need to…prepare myself for a while.”

“Huh? Oh, no, I meant to use the communication magic crystal in your room. There’s someone I need to call before we set off on our journey.”

“…If that’s the case, I’ll give you the key to the private room at the Star Palace, so feel free to enter and use it whenever you need.”

“Ah, thanks, Seraphine.”

Was he teasing her on purpose, or did Seraphine misunderstand his intention to use the communication magic crystal?

Seraphine, with a flushed face, bowed deeply. In the game, she was an incredibly annoying character, but with increased freedom, even she could be pushed around like this.

Anyway, from their recent conversation, it seemed like he didn’t have a sexually aggressive personality. …Well, when they talked a few times before, he didn’t seem like a bad person.

Most importantly, judging from Seraphine’s reaction, the conquest was more than halfway there, but they still hadn’t…well, established a romantic relationship.

Serista was probably in a similar situation to Seraphine. Of course, in Serista’s case, once the romantic relationship was established, the conquest difficulty would skyrocket, so he had no choice but to endure it if he wanted to clear it.

And although I’ve become somewhat friendly with Agnes, it doesn’t seem like she’s serious about conquering anything, and seeing how Natalie left Thomas behind, she probably doesn’t have any intentions of conquering either.

Creating a harem party was simply to create the most efficient party for clearing the game, not with the purpose of getting involved with the female characters.

“It’s rare to be reincarnated as the protagonist of a game, but not being able to enjoy it, he seems more bored than I thought.”

Of course, if anyone tries to mess with me, I’ll resist with all my might, even if I have to wield a sword, but yeah.

As I was thinking that, Gethmyojosegikwat and Serista settled into separate rooms on the 3rd floor where Seraphine’s star chamber was, while Edan, Agnes, and I each took a vacant room on the 2nd floor.

“Agnes, could you please let me know which room you’ll be staying in while you’re at the star palace? I don’t mean to be rude. I just want to greet you in the morning…”

“Antonio, you know you shouldn’t stay at the star palace. Stop bothering Agnes and come back soon.”

“Ahh! S-Sera noona! Don’t pull my ear!”

“…sigh.”

…And with Antonio still pestering Agnes, he and Seraphine left together. It was a truly pitiful departure in many ways.

“He didn’t give off that vibe at all in the original work.”

Losing in the power struggle and becoming a timid prince, where did Antonio go?

Still, compared to his timid and gloomy appearance in the game, his current appearance was relatively better. I’m not sure if Antonio’s personality and performance in the game have changed.

“It seems like we’ll be staying longer than planned, do I need to contact the master, Edan?”

“It’s okay, my father is probably a bit busy to check every letter. Let’s contact him when the temporary companion schedule set by the hero is decided.”

“Understood.”

“You must be tired from a busy day, go rest.”

“…Yes. Have a good night, Edan.”

After that conversation, Edan and I walked into the room with a wall between us, and with hesitant steps, we made our way to the spacious bed in the room.

*Thud.*

“Ahh….”

How long has it been since I’ve been so exhausted that I collapse like this?

In terms of perceived fatigue alone, it was almost comparable to the Kraken subjugation I experienced at the academy.

It doesn’t mean that MacHart is stronger than that Kraken, it’s just that various things overlapped psychologically.

“Ugh, ughh….”

After lying down on the bed, I didn’t feel like getting up at all. Even though I knew I had to shower and change before bed since I had sweated a lot.

‘Just do it tomorrow….’

If I wake up early tomorrow morning to shower, there wouldn’t be much difference from showering at night, right? I can change my clothes then too.

Even though I know in my head that I should do it, my body wasn’t in a state to do anything.

So for now, I just had to surrender to the approaching sleep.

‘By the way, what is Gethmyojosegikwat really thinking…?’

Surely she’s not really planning to take me as a companion for the demon king raid. I clearly told her not to do that.

If that’s the case, I had to resist and stop it at all costs. The life of a happy person in this world did not include life or death battles with demon kings.

Perhaps it was already too late to come up with a plan. Even though I should have made a plan to somehow prevent myself from being included in the Demon King subjugation force when my mind was still working a little…

-Drum, whoosh…

The sense of relief from resolving a month-long dilemma and the fatigue accumulated in my body were enough to make me fall asleep, even with new worries on my mind.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Hwangung Star Palace, Seraphine’s personal room in the Star Palace.

Using the key Seraphine gave him before leaving the Star Palace, the warrior, Ketmyuljoshegwi, was contacting someone through the magical crystal on the table in the room.

“Where is that? ”

“The Hwangung Star Palace. It’s the second largest castle in the capital of the Argentia Empire.”

“The capital… Do I really have to go there?”

Seeing the displeased expression on the green-haired elf on the other side of the magical crystal, Ketmyuljoshegwi also made a awkward expression at her somewhat expected reaction.

“I need your help, Serena.”

“The capital is where humans gather a lot. I don’t like places like that…”

“Serena…”

Her help would be essential in the next event at the Luminoir Academy that would come in a few days. Therefore, the plan was to call her to the imperial capital as soon as possible and depart together to the next destination. However, Serena’s aversion to crowded places began to disrupt the plan.

“If I knew this would happen, I should have raised Serena’s favorability more…”

However, he had already raised her favorability through normal events, and the only way to make her develop more affection towards him was through one method.

That was to build favorability through intimate physical contact and deep physical intimacy.

It was a simple method included in the game strategy guide and fundamentally a common gameplay strategy for adult games, but…

“I don’t feel comfortable going that far.”

He had to return to his original world after defeating the Demon King.

Until then, forming relationships with the characters in this world would be a morally troubling act for Ketmyuljoshegwi.

“If I choose to stay in this world, I could receive the affection of the women towards me, but my choice is already firm.”

There were people and characters who might be left behind even though he did not directly intervene, but…

Thinking of the pink-haired priestess in his mind, Ketmyuljoshegwi reminded himself that it was still okay.

However, crossing the final line as a man and a woman was the last conscience Ketmyuljoshegwi always kept.

As long as it did not lead to direct physical relationships, the women who had shown him kindness would gradually forget about him and start new relationships and new love.

“Bolt, what are you doing?”

“Oh, huh?!”

“…Do I really have to go to the imperial capital? Really?”

“No, you don’t have to come. How about meeting in… a week instead?”

“…Okay. There are fewer people there, so it’s fine.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Serena. See you in a week.”

“Okay, Bolt.”

After exchanging a brief conversation with the expressionless elf on the other side of the magical crystal, Ketmyuljoshegwi withdrew the magic he had infused into the crystal and quietly immersed himself in thought in the room, wearing a bitter expression filled with complex emotions that he couldn’t show to others.