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Fressia, who had returned to Ian, couldn’t hide her disappointment as she watched him cling to her with such affection.

Even though Ian had always taken good care of himself, in the short time she was gone, he had let himself go completely.

It seemed he had skipped basic necessities like eating, sleeping, and bathing, as his appearance was far from healthy.

The once neat and handsome man who made women’s hearts flutter was now a mess with patchy stubble, dark circles under his eyes, and bloodshot eyes.

No matter how you looked at it, his condition was far from normal, and it was enough to disappoint Fressia.

“Is the difference really this big?”

She couldn’t shake the thought of what Gilbert would have been like in this situation.

That rigid man wouldn’t have fallen apart like Ian. He would have continued his daily life as usual or used any means necessary to find her.

Although Fressia had only spent a short time with Gilbert, she had a good grasp of his character.

To be precise, he was her kind of person. Their personalities and values might differ, but when it came to their goals, they would stop at nothing to achieve them.

Fressia generally liked such determined people. Some might dislike their own kind, but she always liked those who were similar to her.

She thought she would need some time before making a final decision to return to Ian.

Even though she was a rational magic engineer, she didn’t easily flip her decisions like turning a palm.

As both a magic engineer and a former princess, her words carried weight, and considering her contract with Ian, she couldn’t just abandon him.

Watching Ian hurriedly leave to wash up, she made her decision. Disappointing as Ian’s state was, she was captivated by the abilities Gilbert had shown.

The sense of unity and the heightened sensations she felt while piloting the Colossal Mech with him were unforgettable.

His exceptional piloting skills, cold judgment, and the mysterious, almost violent ability that gripped her heart.

It was no exaggeration to say that Fressia Luna Eldorado had fallen deeply for Gilbert Lion Heart.

“Gilbert…”

Thinking of Gilbert, she unconsciously transformed into the form she had when she was with him, crossing her legs at the desk and recalling their banter.

His unyielding retorts, despite his stoic expression, were amusing to her.

Looking back, even though they clashed constantly, she never felt upset. She found those moments enjoyable and was always determined to come out on top.

He was a type of person she had never encountered in her long life. The familiarity she felt with him was almost disconcerting.

But she didn’t dislike it.

In fact, it was a new experience she hadn’t had before, and she found it rather pleasant.

Humming unconsciously as she thought of Gilbert, she solidified her decision to return to him.

“Huh? Fressia..?”

“Ah…”

Snapping out of her thoughts at Ian’s call, Fressia froze in her seated position at the desk.

Thinking of Gilbert had caused her to revert to her human form, which was now a problem.

Meanwhile, Ian, having just showered and wearing a robe, stared wide-eyed at Fressia sitting at the desk.

As she always boasted, her beauty was enough to make one’s eyes widen. She was as beautiful as Princess Seraphina, if not more so, he thought honestly.

“Uh, what happened?”

“I just returned to my original form.”

She intentionally didn’t mention that it was thanks to Gilbert. She hadn’t expected to break her promise to him so easily, but she planned to keep the details hidden.

“That was possible?”

“With a bit of luck, yes.”

Fressia spoke nonchalantly, inwardly laughing.

She had never thought this was actually possible. She had always joked with Ian about surprising him by returning to her original form, but it was just that—a joke.

So, as she told Ian, this was pure luck.

Even Gilbert, who had caused this, hadn’t anticipated it.

“Uh, I’ll go get dressed real quick.”

Blushing, Ian grabbed his clothes and hurried out. He had been more relaxed before seeing her true form, but now he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.

Watching Ian leave, Fressia returned to her artificial spirit core, acting as if she didn’t care.

A few minutes later, Ian returned cautiously, now dressed.

“Fressia? Aren’t you going to stay in your original form?”

[I can’t maintain it for long yet.]

It wasn’t true, but Fressia made up an excuse. If Ian knew there was no time limit to maintaining her form, he might become bothersome.

“That’s a shame…”

[By the way, did anything happen while I was gone?]

Fressia asked about Ian’s recent activities, not for any particular reason but to divert attention from her transformation.

“Well, actually. The 1st Prince contacted me.”

[The 1st Prince?]

“Yeah, I didn’t contact you separately because I wanted to discuss it with you first…”

Fressia listened to Ian’s words.

She couldn’t shake the thought that this might be a good gift when she went to find Gilbert.

***

After returning from a date with Briana, Gilbert soaked in a hot bath. The fatigue from sparring with Briana, who had improved, melted away in the water.

Despite having adapted to this world, Gilbert, still carrying the sensibilities of Kang Do-jun, a Korean, found that on particularly tiring days like today, soaking in a bath helped calm his body.

As his physical fatigue eased, a lingering concern began to creep back into his mind.

When he had gone to see Briana, he had been filled with a sense of unease.

It felt forced that Seraphina, who valued the Empire and its people above all, would lead to a ruinous ending that could destroy the Empire, even if it was a penalty for failing a sub-scenario.

Similarly, Briana, who would risk her life for her students, ending up in a massacre ending because of a man, didn’t make sense.

Of course, much of their behavior was based on the settings of Tactical Combat.

He didn’t deny that there might be subtle differences now that this world had become reality, and those differences could accumulate, leading to variations from the Seraphina and Briana he knew.

But after experiencing them since arriving in this world, he realized they weren’t much different from what he knew.

Seraphina still prioritized the Empire, and Briana still deeply cared for her students.

It was unexpected that both had shown affection for him, but he knew they weren’t the type to lose their minds over unrequited feelings.

As he naturally swept his wet hair back, he opened the sub-scenario.

At the top of the sub-scenario window, information about the Possessors of Desire and their Twisted Index flickered, providing details.

Perhaps the system itself was the problem.

Gilbert’s sharp eyes gleamed.

The instability and suspicion towards the system.

That was the source of his unease.

When he first arrived in this world based on Tactical Combat, the system had been a great help. Following its guidance, he could prepare for the main scenario and navigate situations that would otherwise require great sacrifice.

But seeing the sub-scenario and Briana’s reaction, he concluded that he couldn’t blindly trust the system.

Just before Gilbert asked Briana out on a date, the Twisted Index had skyrocketed. His clear eyes dulled, and a sticky aura began to flow.

This was an anomaly even Gilbert hadn’t noticed before. With Seraphina, he had been too preoccupied with the rapidly rising Twisted Index to notice his surroundings.

Looking back, he realized the eerie aura he had felt around Briana when Seraphina proposed to him as her consort was the same.

Gilbert rose from the cooling bath. As the weather grew colder, the lukewarm water made him feel chilly immediately. He roughly dried himself with a towel, put on a robe, and left the bathroom.

As he tapped his wet hair with the towel, Gilbert formulated a hypothesis based on his conclusion in the bath.

What if the system wasn’t guiding him in the right direction but rather working to cloud his judgment?

What if the main and sub-scenarios shown by the system weren’t informing him of the situation but forcing it to happen?

Gilbert’s hair stood on end, and his vision darkened. It wasn’t a figurative expression—his surroundings were engulfed in thick darkness.

Yet, in that dark space, the sub-scenario window remained visible.

As if demanding his attention, the system window floated in the air, glowing against the black background.

What the hell is this…!

He couldn’t adapt to the sudden change.

A sense of helplessness overwhelmed him as he realized he could do nothing but look at the status window.

He couldn’t even tell if he had a body anymore. As his anxiety grew, a message appeared in the middle of the system window.

[System Error Detec…]

[Caught, huh?]

The moment the system error notification appeared, the red text that followed sent chills down his spine.

 

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