Chapter 22 - Let's Try a Kiss First

“But...”

A counterargument came to mind, and I opened my mouth. After House Hasgard had been wiped out, assassins had pursued me. If the objective had been to “leave just one alive,” as Amelia suspected, there would have been no reason to chase me.

“But...”

I struggled to dredge up my memories of the past. Those people had followed me wherever I fled. The pursuit had continued until I happened upon a monastery and met the bishop.

Until then, they had been trying to catch me and kill—

... Had they been trying to kill me?

“Hasgard, your family has a spirit, does it not? Could that be what they are after? What sort of spirit do you possess?”

“Steel.”

“And its contractor?”

“My father, the current head of our house. It has been passed down through the family for a hundred years.”

“A spirit that serves as the family's guardian deity...”

Amelia rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought. Her thoughtful expression made her look like an armchair detective. It was hard to believe she ranked dead last among the second-years.

“Hasgard, do not take this the wrong way. If every member of your family but one were slaughtered, what would happen to that steel spirit?”

“Under the terms of the contract, the survivor would inherit it.”

“Whoever that might be?”

“Yes. Whoever it might be.”

I could guarantee it, since that was exactly what had happened in my previous life. I was living proof.

I had wielded two spirits at once: steel and light. Having a contract with even one spirit made you a notable figure in this world, and I had possessed two. That special distinction was part of the reason I hadn't realized I was an extra until just before the apocalypse.

Not that it meant anything... now.

“Hmm... I see.”

Amelia gave a light nod, apparently having received the answer she wanted.

“Then are you and I not still in danger?”

“You believe the Death God's cult won't give up?”

“I trust my intuition. They gain nothing by killing me. However I look at it, I cannot help thinking their true target is my brother, who would fall into darkness upon my death.”

“You're... certain he would fall.”

“Of course. That pathetic brother of mine could not live a day without me. He would be quite capable of entertaining extreme ideas.”

In that case...

If Amelia's deduction was correct, did the game also have a route where this brother of hers joined the Death God's cult?

According to her, he was the royal family's finest swordsman. If such a route existed, he might stand out even within the cult. He might even become one of the Five Lamps, who served as its officers.

Though for a group called the “Five Lamps,” I had only ever seen four of them.

“When you say your brother, which prince do you mean?”

“The fourth. Chiron.”

... Unfortunately, that rang no bells. I hadn't known much about the royal family to begin with. At least I had a name now. I would have to investigate from here.

“You should be careful. Even if things turned out well today, you could still be their target.”

“Then you need only protect me, do you not? As you did today.”

“I can't always be by your side. You should summon your guards.”

Her eyes narrowed at my reply.

“Hmm...”

She puffed out her cheeks and stared at me resentfully.

What was it now?

“Yes, you are right. You must have plenty to keep you busy as well. Forgive me. Run along, then.”

Her tone was cool, but her expression was anything but.

Ah.

I thought I understood. Had she wanted me to say something like “I'll protect you,” even if it was just empty words?

Perhaps I should indulge her a little.

I had already cleared all her endings, but that didn't mean I could simply neglect her. Thinking about it dispassionately, there were a couple of reasons.

First, I couldn't give up my connection to the royal family. Second, even with all her endings locked, there were still achievements left.

Of the achievements I had checked earlier, several concerned Amelia, but one in particular had stuck in my mind.

[How Far Are You Going?]

-Kiss Amelia.

Ah, yes. That was the one.

Perhaps I could try for it right now.

“I'm not leaving.”

“Did you not say earlier that you had something to—”

“I didn't. How could I leave you alone after the terrible ordeal you've had today? I'll stay by your side for the rest of the day, Your Highness.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Her voice was sheepish, but her face already looked pleased. Her expression was as transparent as her skin was clear.

“Come to think of it, where are your guards, Your Highness? Do you have any way to contact them?”

“I usually keep them at a distance. I have no particular means of contacting them, either.”

“You have no sense of danger.”

“Perhaps. I thought it was better that way. Though today, that proved a fatal error in judgment.”

“Don't you trust your guards?”

“If someone as strong as you is the standard, none of them are dependable in the first place. In any event, they should be nearby, so they will find me soon. I am always here at this hour.”

“I'll fetch them.”

“Leave them be. I am leaving them alone on purpose. They will learn of today's events regardless, and must they not take responsibility? I shall have them all beheaded. They have little time left to live, so I am letting them enjoy it while they can.”

Ah... I see.

Was that generous, or cruel...?

“So today, you are all I need.”

“Yes. I'll protect you.”

“Pfft.”

The instant I said it, Amelia burst out laughing.

“For a count's son, you seem not to have learned your etiquette yet. If you wish to swear an oath to the royal family, this is how it is done.”

Amelia smoothly slipped off her white glove and held out her hand, palm down. Even without the white glove, her hand was still just as white.

“Kiss it.”

She gave the command with a playful smile. Something about that smile as she demanded a kiss looked alluring.

I gently took her slender fingers and drew her hand toward me. Then I brushed a kiss over its back and cautiously lifted my head.

When I checked her reaction, she had turned her scarlet face away and was trembling.

Why were you the more embarrassed one...?

In truth, I had steered Amelia into bringing up etiquette and offering me her hand. By pretending to be clueless and ignorant of proper manners, I had been aiming for the achievement that required kissing her.

There seemed to be a loophole in that achievement. It hadn't specified where or how I had to kiss her. So I had tried it, wondering whether a kiss on the back of her hand might count.

... But the achievement wasn't completed.

022

Open shop.

The achievement shop appeared before my eyes.

[Choice Navigation]

-200 coins

-Highlights a dialogue choice that greatly increases affection (one use).

I browsed the items in the shop. They certainly seemed designed to make repeated dating-sim playthroughs easier.

[Notepaper with Cute Animal Illustrations]

-100 coins

-An item someone is sure to love.

[Universal Gift Box]

-500 coins

-An item anyone is sure to love.

Hmm.

Naturally, being a dating sim, it had gifts too. A gift that raised a particular heroine's affection, but lowered it if given to the wrong person, cost 100 coins. One you could give to anyone cost 500.

I had no immediate need to raise anyone's affection, so I would skip those for now.

[Additional Save Point Creation Ticket]

-3,000 coins

-Press any key to restart (one use).

[Ending Preview]

-500 coins

-Allows you to view an ending's requirements and script in advance.

“Oh.”

Now this looked promising.

Ending Preview. It was exactly what I needed.

I had learned that locking endings didn't just ruin Laward's romance routes; it also earned me coins. Excluding the hidden ending, number 31, there were thirty endings I needed to clear.

At 50 coins per ending, clearing all thirty would earn me 1,500 coins. I would pay 500 now to earn 1,500 later.

Besides, vacation would end soon. Once the second semester of the first year began, my information would start running dry.

The hidden ending was the only one I had seen. I knew even less about the other endings than I had thought. I needed to learn the details before I started missing them.

“The problem is, I'm 100 coins short...”

Would I have to earn them by clearing another ending or completing achievements?

The achievement shop had finally opened, yet I couldn't buy the very thing I wanted because I was 100 coins short. I needed to find achievements I could complete as quickly as possible.

With that thought, I pressed the button to sort the shop's items.

'Sort.'

'Price: Low to High.'

I might need to save up, but leaving without buying anything would be a shame. I had only just earned this perk. Even something worth ten coins would do; I wanted a taste.

When I sorted the items by price, to my surprise, I found a free one.

[Affection Scouter]

-0 coins

-Enhances the user's vision to continuously display the affection levels of visible targets.

-Upgradable.

Judging by the description, it was an item you acquired for free, then upgraded over time.

But wasn't being able to check affection levels in a dating sim practically cheating? The affection of your romance targets mattered more than anything. Some games changed your ending over a single affection point, so being able to see the actual numbers was an enormous advantage.

And it was free.

My mother, Lady Hasgard, had told me nothing in this world was free, but I couldn't resist this. With the option to spend more coins upgrading it later, there was no reason not to buy it.

I firmly pressed the purchase button.

You have purchased 'Affection Scouter'!

Coins remaining: 400

Aside from the purchase notification, nothing about my vision changed. Since the effect was supposedly continuous, I had expected to notice something immediately, but I felt no different.

KNOCK, KNOCK.

I sought out Lucia to test my first purchase. There was no special reason for choosing her. I happened to be at Houndry's hideout in Karma mode, and she was the closest person around.

“Lucia, it's me.”

KNOCK, KNOCK.

When I knocked again, footsteps sounded inside.

“Yes, j-just a moment!”

Her voice was unusually high-pitched.

Then came rustling from inside the room. To be precise, it was the sound of someone getting dressed, but as a gentleman, I would refrain from a detailed description.

CLACK.

For some reason, Lucia opened the door in a hunched posture, her upper body bent slightly forward.

“What is it?”

My vision changed. A small heart appeared beside Lucia's face. The number inside it was 40.

With 99 as the maximum, 40 was higher than I had expected. In fact, it was quite high considering only one of her endings had been locked.

The test results were very satisfying.

“Lord Karma?”

“No, it's nothing. Get some rest.”

“Nothing's wrong, is it?”

“No.”

Lucia looked bewildered, but gave a slight nod and closed the door.

Now I could see the heroines' exact affection levels. If I acquired Ending Preview as well, I could adjust their affection however I liked and clear every ending.

Something this useful, for zero coins. Perhaps the Stage 1 perk was meant to include the Affection Scouter.

“Ah, Lord Karma! Good evening!”

As I walked along, smiling to myself, a guild member passing through the corridor bowed deeply in greeting. I acknowledged him casually, and he carefully slipped past me without bumping into me in the narrow hallway.

Huh?

What was that just now?

By now, I recognized the guild members' faces. He was definitely a member of Houndry.

He was definitely a man.

So why...

Was his affection at 99...?

“No, please...”

Mother had been right.

Nothing in this world was free.