Peter Wingfield.

If I were to describe the protagonist of the original work in one word, it would be “unyielding.”

Born as a poor commoner, no one expected him to become the hero who would save the world.

No matter what trials came his way, he never fell, constantly moving forward and growing—a truly unyielding protagonist.

Both Wendy and Peter faced lives that could be described as trials themselves.

Before he fully awakened the Hero’s Power, he was tossed around, enduring hardships that were almost pitiful to watch.

When he later rose to prominence and shocked those who had mocked and ignored him, it felt incredibly satisfying.

Anyway, Peter is a character I really like, but unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance to appear in the online game.

Since players had to take on the role of the protagonist, it was assumed that he had gone missing in the story… but in reality, he remained as useless dummy data in the system.

And then I became Peter and eliminated Tristan. The 526 destruction endings Tristan faced were all my doing.

So, when I became Tristan again in this playthrough, I thought Peter would return to being dummy data and disappear into the background of this world.

But my expectations were completely off.

“Family… they’re all alive? Is that true?”

“Uh-huh… Brother…”

“Th-that can’t be…”

Peter, calming his excitement, listened to Wendy’s story with a face full of disbelief. And watching him, I realized something.

Peter had lost his memory.

According to the bartender who served him drinks, Peter had suddenly appeared on this island a few months ago.

It was unclear whether he had been abandoned or had drifted here from somewhere, but he had been barely surviving by picking up trash on the beach and at restaurants, or getting small change from nearby merchants.

From what I gathered, the only things Peter remembered were his name and his family…

Well, at least he hadn’t forgotten who he was. That much was a relief, but the problem was that he remembered the things I had done to him.

“Wendy, you were definitely beaten to death by Tristan…”

“B-brother?! What are you talking about?! The Count would never do such a thing…!”

Peter was still looking at me with distrustful eyes. He seemed wary of me, even trying to hide Wendy.

This is really disappointing.

Didn’t he see how I protected Wendy earlier?

“If only I had come a little sooner, I could have saved you… I cried so much at your grave…”

“M-my grave?! I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, brother…”

Huh?

Wait… I think I understand what Peter is saying.

The memory of crying endlessly at Wendy’s grave… that wasn’t in the original story, but it remained in my memory.

Because it was me, who had possessed Peter, who had cried at Wendy’s grave.

What Peter is remembering now is something that didn’t happen in this playthrough but something I did in a previous one. Which means…

The Peter in front of me now is a part of me, who had possessed Peter to kill Tristan.

How is something like this even possible?

I’m guessing it’s some kind of error or bug that occurred when I killed Tristan while possessing Peter, who was dummy data.

Just like how remnants of dummy data remain in characters like Bella or Helga, perhaps Peter, as the protagonist, also remained with lost memories.

Moreover, when Peter asked the bartender for a drink, he specifically asked for a “Mojito,” not “Maldives.”

Only I know that Mojito is a drink in reality. The fact that Peter has a part of my memory gives me some confidence in my speculation.

The real problem, though, is Peter’s memory.

Even if he’s forgotten everything else, he still remembers that I, Tristan, am the sworn enemy who killed Wendy.

If Wendy hadn’t been there with me, things could have gotten really messy.

No matter how much power I have as the Demon Lord, I can’t just use it recklessly. I wouldn’t have been able to calmly subdue Peter if he had charged at me with the intent to kill.

Only then did I realize why Sora had spilled my drink on Wendy.

She must have anticipated this situation.

“Ah… Sora, you saved me…”

I felt so reassured knowing that my younger sister was looking out for me.

But despite that reassurance, the situation wasn’t over yet.

“Shall we proceed with this man’s execution?”

“Eek?! E-execution?!”

“Of course, Wendy.”

Helga’s expression was soft, but her voice was filled with killing intent.

Though Helga is usually quick to act, there’s one thing you should never touch when it comes to her…

“Did you really think you could harm the Count and get away with it?”

That thing is me.

However, Helga has learned something from serving me, so she didn’t immediately kill Peter.

Instead, she explained why Peter needed to be punished.

“This man tried to take the Count’s life, correct? The Count is not only the head of his family but also one of the Seven Stars representing the Empire. In other words…”

Helga looked down at Peter and declared:

“In other words, attempting to harm someone in such a high position in the Empire is a serious crime… There’s no choice but to execute him on the spot.”

“N-no! Please!”

“Yes.”

Without giving Wendy a chance to stop her, Helga grabbed Peter by the collar and lifted him up.

“Ugh…!”

“From the looks of it, you’ve been living recklessly, not fearing the world. How dare you try to kill our Count?”

“I… I…”

“Bite your tongue if you don’t want to scream.”

“Ahhhh!”

Zap!

As electrical magic flowed through Helga’s body, Peter, who was also electrocuted, writhed in agony.

“Know your place.”

“P-please! Helga! Stop!”

“Don’t worry, Wendy. Since he’s your brother, I’ll make sure his death isn’t too painful.”

Helga’s eyes gleamed dangerously. The crackling electricity around her body made it clear that she was serious about killing Peter.

It’s true that Peter had committed a grave crime that warranted immediate execution.

If I were just an ordinary noble of the Empire, I might have let it slide.

But now, I am one of the Seven Stars, the pillars supporting the Meikhael Empire.

Given my elevated status, it’s safe to say that no one can target me without consequences.

Even if we didn’t punish Peter, Mojito would undoubtedly deal with him severely.

Under the Empire’s rule, Mojito would have to impose a punishment nearly as harsh as execution to resolve any diplomatic issues.

So, the situation is tricky.

Peter must be punished.

Especially since, even though he charged at me unarmed, he loudly declared his intent to kill me.

Having said that, Peter’s punishment has now become an unavoidable reality.

But I don’t want to see the protagonist die right in front of me.

Just as I was about to step in to stop Helga, Bella, who was beside me, spoke up first.

“Let him go, Helga.”

“…Princess?”

“Stop the execution here, Helga.”

Blanshe, Bella’s bodyguard, also stepped forward. Despite the electrical magic flowing around, she calmly grabbed Helga’s hand.

“Let go.”

“No.”

“Let go while I’m still being nice.”

“Let’s talk first, Helga.”

“Talk? What more is there to talk about? Will talking change the fact that he tried to kill the Count? This lunatic, a commoner, had the audacity to target the life of a noble. Isn’t that reason enough for him to die?”

“W-well… that’s…”

Helga’s accusation made Blanshe suddenly lose her confidence.

For some reason, though no one here knows it, Blanshe had once tried to kill me.

Perhaps remembering that dark history, Blanshe hesitated and couldn’t muster any strength.

Finally, Bella stepped in.

“Calm down and let him go, Helga.”

“Sigh… Princess, please don’t interfere. This is our matter.”

“Well… I won’t deny that it’s your matter. But that doesn’t give you the right to execute him on the spot.”

“…What?”

“Count.”

Bella turned her head to look at me.

“You decide. What to do with this man.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Since he threatened you, it’s only right that the victim decides the punishment. And Helga.”

“Yes.”

“Since that’s the case, let him go now. The Count will handle the punishment himself.”

“…If that’s how it is, then fine.”

Helga seemed to accept Bella’s words. It reminded me of the “eye for an eye” principle from Hammurabi’s Code…

Thankfully, Bella had handed me the sword.

Perhaps this was Bella’s test.

As someone who values justice and mercy, she wanted to see what judgment I would make.

On the other hand, it also meant that Bella trusted me.

She knew I had no intention of imposing a harsh punishment.

If it were the old me, she would never have handed me the sword, but now we’ve built enough trust.

To live up to that expectation, I needed to impose an appropriate punishment…

In all the playthroughs I’ve experienced in this world, Tristan, who was always the one being judged, had never once been in a position to judge the protagonist, Peter…

Human fate is truly unpredictable.

After some thought, I finally spoke.

“This man…”

*

“Ahem…”

The man holding the contract carefully reviewed its contents before nodding.

“Good. It’s done.”

As he infused the contract with magic, the magical formula began to glow.

“Now, just one more thing and it’s complete.”

The men behind Peter pulled out leather straps and began to fasten them around his neck.

“L-let go…!”

Peter tried to resist, but his alcohol-weakened body was no match for two muscular men.

In the end, Peter was forced to wear the leather collar.

“Hmm! It suits him well. Good thing we had a male collar on hand.”

“…Aren’t all the collars here for males?”

“Oh, sharp observation. It seems there are more male slaves than female slaves in this country.”

“……”

I don’t really want to know the reason, but I can guess.

Starting with King Rahar II, who is known for his preferences…

“Congratulations, big brother.”

The man who completed the paperwork smiled with satisfaction, like a car dealer who had just closed a deal, looking back and forth between me and Peter.

“Now, the Count is the proud owner of a male slave.”

And just like that, I had turned the protagonist into a slave.