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[Warning! Distortion level has exceeded dangerous levels.]



[Doom ending is imminent.]

[The final crossroads have appeared.]

[Warning. You are now at the crossroads of the current ending. Your next choice will determine the ending.]

[If you reject Seraphina Lector Infractus’s proposal, you will be forced into a doom ending.]

Gilbert frowned slightly as he looked at the red-tinted notification window blocking his vision. Despite all his caution and care, it had come to this.

The distortion level was at 99.99%, and the ending would be determined by the choice he made.

If he refused, a doom ending awaited him. The choice was practically forced upon him. The moment he rejected the position of consort, an unimaginable doom ending would be waiting.

However, accepting it outright wasn’t easy either, as Briana was on his mind. She was searching for a companion to walk the path of the sword with, and she had chosen him.

If she found out he had accepted the position of consort, he couldn’t predict how she would react.

Moreover, he still hadn’t figured out who the final target of this sub-scenario was. Choosing Seraphina in this situation could lead to unforeseen consequences.

“I don’t understand what you’re hesitating about. Do you not find it appealing?”

He was cautious even in his response. He didn’t know how Seraphina, whose eyes were clouded with desire for possession, would interpret his words.

But staying silent wasn’t an option either. If she took his silence as a refusal, he would be thrown into the doom ending without a chance to act.

He racked his brain for a brief moment, but no answer came. He had possessed this body and stubbornly cleared the main quest, only to be tripped up by the sub-scenario.

The least risky choice seemed to be accepting the position of consort. At least it would allow him to escape the doom ending…

No, there was another way.

Gilbert steadied his wavering gaze and looked at Seraphina, who was smiling with a destructive gleam in her eyes.

Though his judgment was clouded by the distortion level and the notification window, this wasn’t a game where he had to follow predetermined choices.

Of course, outright refusal was impossible. He didn’t know what Seraphina, whose desire for possession had grown too large, might do.

The problem was that he had no control over this situation. If he could regain control, he wouldn’t have to be dragged around. If he could keep Seraphina in check, he wouldn’t have to follow her lead.

So, what did he need to take control?

“Priest?”

“I understand. I will accept. But.”

Gilbert deliberately trailed off.

The vague idea that had been floating in his mind quickly solidified into a concrete plan.

It wasn’t even a grand plan. He had to accept the position of consort, but he just needed to take control within that framework.

The official announcement would have to wait. What was important now was the official announcement of her becoming the heir, and there were still many procedures left to solidify her position.

“The official announcement will come later. I believe you are aware of that as well.”

“That means…”

“I will gladly accept.”

As Seraphina heard Gilbert’s words, she finally showed the expression of someone who had gotten what they wanted.

But Gilbert, without any change in expression, simply watched her.

He had bought some time, and now he just needed to take control by winning her over.

[You have chosen the final crossroads.]



[Doom ending has been postponed.]

[The probability of a massacre ending has increased.]

[The probability of a ??? ending has increased.]

Closing the notification window blocking his vision, Gilbert steeled himself.

In the end, it was all because he had been indecisive. He needed to firmly set his course and sincerely open up the romance route.

Of course, that wasn’t all. His goal was to use that as a stepping stone to perfectly win over Briana as well.

He could call in a trainer if needed, or deal with any other situation. To do that, he needed to go a bit overboard, and the groundwork for that was already prepared.

So, he needed to return.

To the original Gilbert.

It was time to return to the Golden Sun.

***

A month had passed since Gilbert accepted Seraphina’s proposal. During that time, the Empire had perfectly prepared for Seraphina’s heir designation ceremony. The envoys sent to various countries had already returned, and only the ceremony remained.

In the meantime, Gilbert had paused his pursuit of Seraphina. With the ceremony approaching, Seraphina was busy with tasks related to her succession, making it difficult to meet. It was impossible to pursue her without meeting, so he had no choice but to pause.

Instead, Gilbert began pursuing Briana. She was also a key to the world-ending ending. In fact, Briana’s path was more predictable.

Just looking at the massacre ending, it seemed like Briana, blinded by her desire for possession, would kill everything in sight. If she reached a state of rage, who could stop her?

Clearly, there would be significant casualties, so he needed to pursue her as well. The only problem was how to pursue two people who didn’t even have a romance route in the game.

This was a difficult problem for Gilbert, who had never considered such things before. His goal was always to return to the original world, so he had been careful not to form relationships.

But for some reason, in this twisted situation, two people who shouldn’t have had romantic feelings for him had developed distorted emotions, creating a sub-scenario.

Even worse, if he pursued both at the same time, it wasn’t just his death that awaited—the world itself could be destroyed.

Gilbert was confused whether he was in a yandere-filled romance simulation or a game world centered around mecha battles.

Hadn’t the real Gilbert’s normal romance ended before it even began?

It was a situation filled with bad omens.

What a headache.

Gilbert let out a hollow laugh.

He had gone through so much trouble to shed his delinquent image, only to have to open up romance routes as the Golden Sun. It felt like a cruel joke.

But his personal feelings ended there. Mechanically, his top priority was to safely clear the sub-scenario.

“Gilbert! What are you doing?”

“Is that you, Camilla?”

“Hehe! It’s me, the star of the show!”

Amidst his headache, Camilla’s sudden appearance brought a faint smile to his face. The darkness that had lingered since the Gehenna operation seemed to have completely lifted, and it was good to see.

After the awakening event, her mindset had changed, and her previously untapped potential had begun to bloom, rapidly improving.

She, who had been lacking to be part of the main party, was now showing signs of becoming a core force. Gilbert, who knew her growth potential better than anyone, was pleased with her progress.

With her background and skills combined, she could quickly become an ally no one could ignore.

“I thought you’d be at the training grounds. What brings you here?”

“I need to fill up my interest meter!”

He didn’t know what an “interest meter” was, but Camilla, smiling brightly, sat on the bench next to Gilbert and swung her legs. It seemed like this idle time was a great joy to her.

Wait a minute.

Gilbert suddenly recalled a thought and looked at Camilla, who was humming a tune. He replayed her earlier words in his mind.

The “interest meter” she mentioned earlier and the conversation they had once had.

In that conversation, Camilla had told him she found something interesting.

At the time, Gilbert thought she was talking about the events that would unfold as he cleared the main scenario, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.

As Gilbert stared at Camilla, she turned her head and tilted it slightly.

Her crimson hair fluttered in the air.

“Camilla. You once told me you found something interesting.”

“Yeah, it’s really interesting. Something I want to spend my whole life figuring out.”

Her eyes sparkled as she smiled brightly, her beauty almost blinding.

But Gilbert couldn’t hide his unease.

Suddenly, her romance route came to mind.

Specifically, the moment her romance route began.

“What is it?”

“Hmm, should I tell you?”

Her ever-smiling face only deepened his anxiety. Yes, it was just like back then. The thought crossed his mind in that moment.

“I’ll tell you, Gilbert. What I find most interesting right now… is you, Gilbert.”

Now you know?

As Camilla whispered, Gilbert could only stare at her dumbfounded.

It was the beginning of the romance route he remembered.

 

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