“What… did you say?”
For a mont, I thought I had misheard him.
“Didn’t catch that? I’m the one who placed the curse on Raphne.”
But with his words that drove the point ho, I realized I hadn’t misheard anything.
“To be precise, I ordered the curse to be placed on her.”
“Why… why would you do sothing like that?!”
The Curse of Fear — a curse that makes it impossible to have any interactions with others.
Anyone afflicted with such a curse would be condemned to live a life of eternal loneliness.
Why?
Why would you…
“…Answer !! Why did you do this?!”
I stood up and grabbed him by the collar.
Depending on his answer, I was ready to beat him senseless. I might even break sothing.
I would keep hitting him until he begged for forgiveness.
My anger surged to its peak.
I had been there, right beside Raphne, watching her suffer all along.
I had witnessed how much that curse had tornted her.
“…There’s a lot to explain, but if I were to summarize it…”
Despite my glaring at him, he remained calm.
Composed and unfazed, his face showed no guilt.
Dropping his usual sly smile, he spoke quietly.
“Raphne… is the Child of Prophecy.”
“…What?”
His answer hit like a blow to the back of the head, leaving utterly confused.
The Child of Prophecy?
Raphne?
My grip on his collar weakened, and my hands fell away as Adrian calmly brushed off the wrinkles in his clothes.
He sat down again, folding his arms, and motioned for to take a seat.
“Sit down. We still have much to talk about.”
With that, I sat back down.
The Child of Prophecy.
It was a term that often ca up in the [Ephiris Academy] world, centered around Emily.
The Child of Prophecy was a figure ntioned in a prophecy that the high priestess of the Lilias Kingdom received long ago from the gods.
It foretold that the Child of Prophecy would be born in this era, and their offspring would beco the savior who would save the world.
And in the ga’s lore, the only Child of Prophecy was…
Emily Ephiris.
She was the one and only.
“…Why are you saying that Raphne is the Child of Prophecy?”
“Before I answer, let ask you: do you know what the Child of Prophecy is?”
“The Child of Prophecy I know… is Emily, and only Emily.”
“Good. That speeds things up.”
Adrian suppressed the faint smile he had been wearing and spoke more seriously.
“The Child of Prophecy you know is indeed Emily.”
“But then, how could Raphne—”
“That’s because there are two prophecies.”
Two prophecies…?
I had played through multiple routes of the ga, and never once had I heard of such a hidden detail.
“That can’t be right! The prophecy given to the Lilias Kingdom clearly states—!”
As I struggled to understand, Adrian quickly cut off.
“Raphne is not part of the prophecy given to the Lilias Kingdom.”
“Then…”
What he said next was sothing I could never have anticipated.
“Raphne is the Child of Prophecy from the demon race.”
The demon race.
That ant… the Demon King’s army.
A prophecy from the Demon King’s side?
I had never heard of such a thing—neither in the ga nor outside of it.
“And what exactly does this prophecy say?”
“It’s similar to the prophecy of the Lilias Kingdom. But it’s entirely for the benefit of the demon race.”
The prophecy of the Lilias Kingdom foretold that the child born from Emily would be the savior of the kingdom.
So then…
“The child born from Raphne and the Demon King will rule the world.”
Adrian revealed this secret with a calm deanor, but it felt like another blow to the back of my head.
“Ken~ what are you thinking about?”
Raphne leaned over my shoulder, arms wrapped around from behind, as I sat at my workbench.
After hearing the shocking truth from Adrian and returning to the tower, I had been deep in thought.
‘This was the best way to protect her from the Demon King’s army.’
Adrian’s explanation continued after that.
He revealed that the Demon King’s army was secretly infiltrating the Academy, targeting Raphne.
‘That woman who threatened Emily not long ago was also one of the Demon King’s soldiers. The Demon King is always after Raphne.’
The infiltration of the Demon King’s army was sothing I had known about from various ga events.
But the reason behind it was never explained clearly.
Now that mystery had been solved.
The army had been sneaking into the Academy to capture Raphne.
‘If no living being could get near her, then even the Demon King’s spies wouldn’t be able to approach.’
That was why they had placed the Curse of Fear on Raphne.
If her curse caused living beings extre fear and pain…
That would include the spies of the Demon King’s army.
They wouldn’t be able to co anywhere near her tower.
In that sense, the curse was incredibly effective.
But.
But for that reason, Raphne had to live in isolation?
‘Is it to protect the future kingdom that you plan to build?’
‘…Do you know who I really am?’
‘Do you think it’s acceptable to condemn a girl to hell for the sake of your kingdom’s future?’
‘…Yes. That’s my responsibility, and it’s the reason I ca to the Academy.’
Adrian Ferreday.
His true na was Adrian Arnold Lilias.
Even while playing the ga, I had always wondered why the kingdom’s first-in-line prince was attending the Academy.
Was he just placed there to play the role of a charming prince for the sake of a romantic subplot?
I had assud as much.
‘Listen carefully, Ken. If Raphne falls into the hands of the Demon King, this won’t be just a problem for the Lilias Kingdom.’
His determined gaze lingered in my mind.
‘If we lose Raphne, it will trigger a global war.’
If sacrificing one girl could prevent that, then it would be a small price to pay.
Adrian had said those words as if adding an afterthought.
“Ken, is sothing wrong? Are you okay?”
When I didn’t respond, Raphne pressed her face against my shoulder and asked, worried.
I placed my hand over hers.
“Hey, Raphne.”
“Yeah?”
“Doesn’t living in the tower feel suffocating to you?”
“It’s fine. You’re here now, Ken. Hehe, is that what you were worried about all this ti? Thank you…”
Raphne had beco noticeably brighter recently whenever she was with .
She had changed so much from the gloomy, despair-filled girl I had first t.
Now, she clung to , burying her face in my shoulder, hugging from behind.
When she was with , Raphne felt calm and stable.
But.
On the flip side, if I weren’t there, she would likely revert to her despair-filled self.
I had seen it just a few days ago during the Survival Event when Raphne ca to find .
She had been trembling, crying, and begging not to leave her.
She said she was okay because I was with her now.
But that was only a temporary solution.
What if I disappeared?
What if, by so unforeseen accident or event, I couldn’t return to the tower?
Then Raphne would be left to live her entire life alone.
No one would ever visit her.
And even if she left the tower, no one would be able to co near her.
A lifeti of loneliness that she would be forced to carry.
‘Raphne never chose to be the Child of Prophecy.’
That was too cruel.
‘I’ve made my decision.’
Prophecy, the kingdom, war.
Screw all of that.
I want the person next to to be happy.
Am I supposed to sacrifice soone dear to for the sake of people I don’t know, people who have done nothing for ?
Let them deal with their own lives.
In the ga’s future, the Demon King’s army inevitably starts a war with the kingdom.
No matter which route Emily took, war was always a certainty.
The Demon King’s army probably resorted to war because they couldn’t find Raphne, despite sending spies.
That’s why they attacked the Academy after the war began.
Well, war was going to happen anyway.
Whether Raphne was trapped in the tower or not.
So, I’ll lift her curse.
And I’ll protect her.
From the Demon King’s grasp.
I know I can do it.
“You seem to be in a good mood today.”
Ziegfried said this during our usual morning training.
“Huh? Do I? Really?”
“Yeah, you're smiling even after getting hit in the head.”
“Oh, haha.”
Well, of course, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Today, I finally get to give… the gift I've been wanting to give.”
I had finally completed it.
Using the Moonstone Necklace I got from my deal with Annette, and the pure magic crystal I won from the Survival Event, I combined them with other materials.
In the end, I finally made it.
The [Goddess's Imitation Pendant].
Naturally, since I used the Moonstone Necklace instead of the real Goddess’s Symbol, I couldn’t make an identical one.
But I could make sothing similar—an imitation.
With this, I was sure it would be able to suppress Raphne’s curse.
‘She’s going to be so happy, right?’
I made this pendant in secret, in my dorm room, without needing to use Raphne’s magic, just to surprise her.
Today, I would go to the tower, show her the pendant, and surprise her.
Raphne, you're free now!
I couldn’t wait to see her reaction.
“Alright then, today’s training will end here.”
“Huh? Is that okay?”
“You clearly can’t focus since all you want to do is give your gift. And if it's sothing joyful, it's better to do it sooner.”
“T-thank you!”
Ziegfried gave a faint smile.
I must have looked really excited. The man who was always strict with our training was actually letting skip today.
“Then! Please tell Emily I went ahead!”
With his kind gesture, I hurried off.
I couldn’t wait to give Raphne the pendant.
I had worked so hard for this mont.
With my heart full of excitent, I flung open the tower door.
“Raphne!”
“Oh, K-Ken! Wow, you're early today!”
I rushed up the tower without feeling any exhaustion, and when I opened the door, I saw Raphne preparing breakfast.
It seed she wasn’t quite ready since I had arrived earlier than expected.
Raphne took off her apron and approached .
And then, gently, she hugged .
“What’s up? Why are you so early today? …Did you miss ?”
I laughed as I gently stroked her head, while she playfully teased .
“I’ve got good news, Raphne.”
“Huh? What is it?”
I stepped back from her for a mont and reached into my spatial pouch, pulling out the pendant.
The elegant pendant swayed in front of Raphne’s eyes.
“This is…”
“I finally made it! This will suppress your curse!”
“R-really?”
Raphne hesitantly accepted the pendant with a sowhat unsure expression.
“Go ahead, put it on.”
“O-okay.”
Raphne carefully put the pendant around her neck.
“…Hehe, does it look good on ?”
Raphne smiled shyly, as if feeling a bit embarrassed.
I imdiately checked her status window.
[Na: Raphne Belle Martinez.]
[Unique Skill: Neural Acceleration]
[Unique Trait: Curse of Fear – Now causes only minor fear to living beings within a 50-ter radius.]
[Possessed Trait: Despair – Current Level: 16%, Dependency LV.6]
‘It worked!’
The Goddess's Imitation Pendant had worked.
While I couldn’t fully gauge the difference since the curse didn’t affect , the description in the status window had definitely changed.
From “extre stress and fear” to “minor fear.”
“It’s a success, Raphne! Your curse has significantly weakened!”
“R-really? That’s amazing.”
“What? You don’t seem that happy.”
“N-no, of course I’m happy! But, more than the curse being lifted…”
Raphne lifted the pendant with both hands, smiling bashfully.
“Hehe, I’m happier that Ken gave this necklace.”
“O-oh, really?”
She didn’t seem as overjoyed about being freed from her curse as I had expected.
I had thought she might cry tears of joy, like Emily did when she was freed from her ti loop curse.
“Aren’t you hungry, Ken? I’ll finish preparing breakfast! Just wait a mont!”
“Y-yeah, thanks.”
Raphne quickly tied her apron back on and hurried to finish cooking breakfast.
I sat down at the dining table, feeling a little bewildered.
‘Well, it’s not about being happy right away.’
What’s important is that Raphne no longer has to live in loneliness, even if I’m not around.
She can go out and interact with people whenever she wants.
She’s no longer in that precarious position of relying solely on .
“Let’s eat.”
We shared a peaceful al, just like any other day, as I enjoyed the food Raphne had lovingly prepared.
“Is it good?”
“Yeah, mmm, Raphne’s cooking is always delicious.”
“…Ehehe.”
I filled my hungry stomach after training, complinting her cooking as usual, and Raphne blushed happily.
It was a precious, joyful mont.
“…It won’t be long before we can’t share als like this anymore.”
I muttered quietly, becoming sentintal without aning to.
And then—
Clatter!
“Huh, Raphne… did you drop your spoon?”
Raphne’s face was frozen, staring blankly at .
“Ken… what do you an by that?”
Ah, I screwed up…
“No, no! That’s not what I ant! I didn’t an right away!”
I hurriedly tried to explain myself to Raphne.
I started to tell her about the plans I had for her to reintegrate into society.
“Now that your curse has been dealt with, you’ll need to start eting your friends again, right?”
“…”
“Of course, I’ll still be by your side! But eventually, you’ll need to return to a normal life.”
It wouldn’t be good for her to rely on forever.
She needed to regain the ntal health that would allow her to et people and live happily, even without .
That’s why I thought it would be best to gradually reduce the ti I spent visiting the tower.
“So… it’s okay, right?”
After hearing my detailed explanation, Raphne quietly listened before answering.
“Yeah, of course. You always think about . Thank you, Ken.”
She smiled beautifully.
‘Thank goodness.’
I was relieved she wasn’t panicking.
“Aren’t you thirsty, Ken? Want so juice?”
“Huh? Oh, sure. Thanks.”
Raphne got up to get so juice, acting as if everything was normal.
‘It must be because the curse is finally lifted.’
I had expected her to start crying again because of my slip-up, but Raphne seed completely calm.
Maybe she was finally realizing it too?
That she could now go out freely, whenever she wanted.
‘There’s hope.’
I smiled to myself.
Honestly, I had been a little anxious when planning how to help Raphne’s recovery.
But seeing her reaction now, I was confident she was well on her way to healing.
“Here’s your juice.”
“Thanks, I’ll drink it well.”
Raphne smiled warmly, just like always.
Yeah, from here on, step by step.
If we take it slow, one day Raphne will be able to live a normal life.
Everything will eventually return to normal…
‘...Wait.’
Why does Raphne look like there are two of her?
Thud.
Suddenly, I lost control of my body and collapsed into Raphne’s arms.
My consciousness…
Faded away...
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