One day, I remembered what that pillar guy said.
[Northern Duchess’s Husband: Yo, Saintess Fetish.]
[Pure Love Black Knight: Why did you call, pillar guy?]
[Northern Duchess’s Husband: Do you know how to enter the royal palace quest?]
I remembered that I, who was on the Saintess route, had no idea. Suddenly, a stubborn soul living only in the North mentioned the royal family in the empire, raising a slight question.
[Pure Love Black Knight: I don’t know. Why?]
[Northern Duchess’s Husband: Our duchess has been making remarks that are conscious of the royal family, so I was worried. Is there no way?]
[Pure Love Black Knight: Isn’t ‘that Harem King’ the problem? If it’s Rufus Grancia, just put him in the party and send him away on a long journey.]
[Average Northern Duchess Husband: Oh, that works.]
He informed me that when Rufus was kept far away, the northern duchess’s dialogue became more positive. And the ongoing chat.
[Northern Duchess’s Husband: But honestly, doesn’t Rufus seem a bit hastily made?]
[Pure Love Black Knight: He’s a character that ruins the original work. What do you expect?]
[Northern Duchess’s Husband: In a world where Demon Kings are rampant, an unskilled guy is the next emperor. Something feels off…]
I shouldn’t have easily brushed off that questionable statement. Looking at it made me imagine Mary Sue characters disappearing.
[Pure Love Black Knight: What if there’s another heir to the throne?]
[Northern Duchess’s Husband: What do you mean?]
[Pure Love Black Knight: If a lecher becomes the next emperor, the country is doomed. He’d probably have five wives, right? In that case, I planned to escape to the North with the Saintess.]
No matter how I looked at Rufus, he didn’t seem fit to be an emperor. He wasn’t as strong as Emperor Rock, nor as intelligent as Nex, and he didn’t have a good heart either.
[Pure Love Black Knight: The wolves I know practice monogamy. I don’t want to keep seeing a guy like that.]
[Northern Duchess’s Husband: You really are crazy for Pure Love, huh?]
[Pure Love Black Knight: Honestly, I wish someone else would become emperor instead of Rufus.]
But I didn’t expect it to be someone like my sister. If only it had been a man, it would’ve been fine since it wouldn’t interfere with our Saintess route.
*
As the hazy memory recalled, I opened my eyes.
“Licht brother..! Are you okay..?”
“I’m fine, Your Highness.”
“Thank goodness..”
The future Harem King was nearly crying next to me. Looking at it like this, he seemed normal. Why did it all go wrong in the sequel?
‘Did the Queen Bellin becoming a card stir things up?’
I barely gathered my thoughts and got up. Watching Mardol or Rufus from [Black Heart], I saw their obsession with strength.
“..Can I ask you one thing, Prince Rufus?”
“Yeah, Licht brother! Ask me anything!”
“You didn’t originally know that Queen Bellin became a card, did you?”
“Oh, that’s…”
I threw him a question to find out the questionable parts. Teacher Dijur glanced at me with dissatisfaction, but I didn’t care.
I had to confirm my hypothesis. Stepping forward, I pressured him, leading to the revelation of truth.
“..Actually, I heard you traveled somewhere far. Not until my sister told me…”
“I apologize for making an impertinent statement, Your Highness.”
“No, it’s fine! You saved me in the end..!”
I had to handle the family matters cautiously. As I bowed deeply to express my apologies, he waved his hands, rejecting it. I was in the wrong, though. What was going on?
‘Eventually, Rufus will also end up obsessed with strength like my sister.. but then, why is Mardol…’
While pondering with my chin resting on my hand, I realized a missing part. Why didn’t a character appear in the sequel or the original?
“Do you know why your sister, or should I say, the princess, wears armor all the time?”
“I don’t know. I heard that she becomes weak without it….”
Rufus wore a gloomy expression. His wolf ears and tail drooped like someone else’s. I was reminded of our Saintess. The Inrang Tribe’s traits were not good like this.
‘It’s likely because of the Magic Hat. Given the victims attacked at the Academy, that makes sense.’
I recalled the students who had been left grotesque from the previous incident—faces erased or limbs glued together like extras.
The crazy magician’s nickname fit well. He had crazily fixated on me, and I had to temporarily repel him using Demon King Kill. I touched the forehead part of my helmet.
“Thank you so much, Licht brother.. I heard you saved our sister too.”
“..I only did what I had to do.”
Seeing Rufus, who was mumbling gratitude, made me change my mind a lot. After all, this was the past. No matter how much I disliked harem, it didn’t change the fact.
“I didn’t do this expecting thanks, Your Highness.”
“You could have spoken casually..!”
“..It’s a habit now. I’m sorry.”
How could I hate such an innocent boy? Just like I saved Schartines, I could change the future. As long as I didn’t touch the Demon King, it should be fine.
‘Then is he a black-haired guy with golden eyes?’
I imagined Mardol’s face through the glass helmet based on Rufus. Hair color and eye color were inherited traits, just like I was seeing now.
‘Nex too, Rufus, and even the Northern Duchess…’
It’s possible to take one side’s color, but Emperor Rock and Queen Bellin both have black hair and golden eyes. The Nameless Saintess, who belongs to the white-haired Inrang Tribe, seemed really difficult to find.
“..I’m not feeling well, so I’ll leave first.”
“Uh, yeah! Licht brother. See you later!”
“Licht-nim, please be careful on your way in.”
I parted with them as I felt like I would collapse if I stayed any longer. Regretting the part about unconsciously sticking a flag regarding Mardol, I thought,
‘I couldn’t help it. It was an accident. Saving lives comes first.’
While making excuses in my mind to our Saintess, I rationalized that it was the right choice. But honestly, that reasoning wouldn’t hold water.
‘All I can do is keep my distance from the princess from now on and not let the harem form.’
I just had to avoid making a harem from now on. After all, people can change. And my guess is that Mardol is the protagonist of this work.
If I only stayed as a comrade like Kainel, it wouldn’t be a problem.
My head throbbed. Suddenly, the appearance of a new heroine. The flower of the Saintess and the princess in both hands?
Some might think it’s a stroke of luck. Since it’s originally a male-oriented game, isn’t having two wives a good deal?
‘That kind of thing is unnecessary for me.’
If I make a harem from the get-go, it would prevent me from getting closest to our Saintess. Love is already overwhelming for one person.
I tightened my fist, feeling the tension. All I need is a single Blue Rose to give to our Saintess. Two are unnecessary.
Moreover, the Mana Rose would be considered a gift item that raises affection levels. After all, among flowers, it’s a rose.
It is infused with dense mana, radiating a blue hue, amplifying magic or enhancing the ability to sense mana.
‘I can’t let the princess have it.’
This might lead to more flags for the sword magician princess here. A woman obsessed with strength would think that since a man who defeated her got the Dragon Heart while she obtained the Blue Rose.
‘Anyone would think this is…’
She’d probably be preoccupied with my thought upon seeing the Blue Rose given to her. There’s a cliché where game characters think differently after their first defeat.
‘The chance of becoming close with Mardol was due to the fact that I was strong.’
I can’t make the princess think of me as special by winning more. I should make her think I’m a nobody by losing.
There’s a possibility that my name might appear on the status window. So far, I seem to have no affection level, but I have to avoid flags for our Nameless Saintess.
But just like I could follow Kainel’s Shine Strike with my eyes, I thought that if Mardol was skilled enough, she might notice if I tried to deliberately lose.
‘The imperial guard might try to kill me or demand a rematch. If Laplace digs into my information, he’ll recognize the issues too.’
What should I do? I walked while thinking of good ways. I needed a method to lower the affection levels while not appearing awkward.
‘..Even if I lose, I’ll break the glass armor.’
Then I can confirm whether Mardol is female or not. As Rufus mentioned, I needed to check if it was indeed my sister.
In the arena, if I smash the equipment and choose to lose instead, wouldn’t they think I was a weirdo or a coward?
I should aim to attack not the Mana protection gear but the inner armor. If I’m competent enough with my skills and have a strong will like now, it should be possible.
Also, I needed to lower the level of affection that seemed to have risen to a limit. After all, I’d already had a date in the dining hall, albeit unintentionally.
‘If I’m to break the masterpiece, I need to take it seriously. I was going to pretend to lose right away, but things got complicated.’
No girl would fall for someone whose judgement was clouded like this. Even without dating experience, I could figure this out.
I sighed deeply. I was spending time with someone else while thinking of our Saintess. I dragged my dizzying body toward the dormitory.
