The Alliance Council eting had finally co to an end—and thankfully, it ended well. I was genuinely relieved that all the parties present were able to reach mutual understanding and respect, despite the tensions that surfaced earlier.
Well... there was a bit of friction here and there, but in the end, cooler heads prevailed and it was resolved without further issue.
As the room began to empty, I turned my attention to the quest screen floating in front of .
"Hmm... this part looks easy enough," I muttered to myself. "Training the kingdom’s heroes shouldn’t be too hard, especially with Runa and King Aslan helping out."
But then my gaze fell on the second task.
"...This one, though... is seriously a problem." My eyes narrowed as I read the words again.
Assist the magical research team in analyzing Lilith’s magic formula and constructing a new barrier spell.
"What the hell? That’s insane!" I groaned in my mind. "Even Salvador-sama, the Magic King himself, is on that team—and if he hasn’t cracked it yet, how am I supposed to help?!"
Just as I began to spiral into panic, an all-too-familiar voice rang out in my mind.
"Oi, you idiot! Don’t you dare forget that you have on your side!" Envi’s voice thundered with confidence. "With the help of the great Envi-sama, breaking so ancient demon spell is a piece of cake!"
I couldn’t help but chuckle softly. "Pfft... Alright, alright. I’m counting on you, Envi."
"Hmph. You better be!" he huffed, clearly proud of himself.
I let out a long breath, ntally preparing myself for the tasks ahead. But even as I settled into that mindset... I felt a strange sensation.
Like I was forgetting sothing important.
"...Wait. Did I miss sothing?"
Before I could process the thought further, Envi yelled again.
"You absolute moron! Don’t tell you forgot you’re supposed to et King Aslan and Princess Alia to talk about your engagent!?"
I froze.
"Oh no..."
He was right.
In the chaos of the eting, I had completely forgotten the fact that I was scheduled to speak with the king and Alia about our engagent.
At that mont, the rest of the Alliance representatives began leaving the chamber one by one.
The rcenary King and Queen, along with their retinue, would be staying in Braveheart Castle for a while. They were set to tour the kingdom tomorrow to strengthen diplomatic relations between our two kingdoms.
anwhile, Magic King Salvador, Xerion, and the other Magi from Solara politely declined the invitation to stay the night. Instead, they said they would return to Solara to collect additional magical equipnt and reagents, then return by morning. They looked incredibly excited—especially Salvador-sama and Xerion, who practically radiated passion whenever they spoke about magic.
Arsene and the Saintess also took their leave. Arsene said they would begin preliminary discussions and prep their research lab tonight. I noticed a faint chuckle from him—he was beginning to remind of Xerion in how deeply obsessed he was with magic.
The heroes of House Stormheim, Flamore, and Starlight soon followed.
Before leaving, Theresia bounced over to with her usual high energy. "Hey! Let’s have a chat later, okay? I wanna talk to you, Serena, and Lyra for a bit!"
I nodded, and she added, "I’m totally gonna master my familiar this ti! I an—how cool would that be? A badass warrior with a beast companion? I want that aesthetic!"
I, Serena, and Lyra shared an awkward laugh at her... unique reasoning.
Afterward, Leopold and Freya also said their goodbyes. Cain and his father were already waiting for them outside. Cain avoided my gaze—maybe he was still upset. I wasn’t sure.
Freya, on the other hand, was all smiles. "I’ll be joining the hero training too! That ans we’ll get to see each other a lot more—exciting, right?"
"Yeah," I replied with a smile. "I’m looking forward to training with you again."
She gave a cheerful wave before disappearing down the corridor.
Next ca Julius, accompanied by Luna and their father, Raius-sama.
Luna, with her usual emotionless expression, said quietly, "It’s... nice to see you again. You, Serena, Lyra... and Alia."
Though her tone was flat, I could tell she ant it.
Then Julius stepped forward. "I’ll be training hard, Naoki," he said firmly. "I intend to beco the next Hero of the Starlight family—to atone for what my brother has done."
He looked determined.
"If I ever need guidance for the Hero’s Trial... I hope it’s alright if I co to you?"
"Of course," I nodded. "Co find anyti. I’ll share everything I know."
His eyes lit up at that.
Raius-sama approached next. He looked hesitant.
"Naoki... forgive . My sons—both Julius and Lucius—must have caused you a great deal of trouble."
He hesitated, then added with a bowed head, "Especially Lucius... for putting your father in a coma. I owe you a debt I may never be able to repay."
He began to lower himself further in a formal bow, but I quickly reached out and stopped him.
"Please, Raius-sama... there’s no need for that," I said firmly. "Julius and Lucius are my comrades. I’ll do everything I can to help both of them."
I looked him in the eye. "As for Lucius—I’ll save him. Julius and I will bring him back."
Raius’s expression softened, and for the first ti, a faint smile crossed his face. "Thank you," he said simply, before turning to leave.
Now, only a handful of us remained in the chamber.
Runa, and my personal guards, Vivin and Mia, stood quietly by my side. The Winterfell family—Serena, Lyra, and their father, Sieg-sama—still lingered as well.
And finally, at the far end of the room, sat King Aslan and Princess Alia.
Suddenly, the air grew heavier.
The left side of the room felt ice-cold, while the right felt blazing hot.
I swallowed hard.
Here it is... the mont of truth.
I turned to face King Aslan, my heart pounding in my chest. My throat tightened. Words caught on my tongue.
Alia tilted her head slightly, watching with curiosity.
Say it, Naoki, I urged myself.
In my head, Envi was already shouting.
"Oh my god, just SAY IT, you idiot! If you don’t, I swear I’ll hijack your body and say it for you!!"
The very idea of that gave chills.
Last ti Envi "spoke on my behalf," I nearly died of embarrassnt.
I clenched my fists, took a deep breath, and finally—finally—I stepped forward and spoke.
"Your Majesty... Princess Alia..."
Everyone turned their attention to .
"I would like to speak to you regarding... my engagent to your daughter."
The room fell silent.
The tension spiked..
As soon as I finished speaking, Alia’s eyes lit up with joy. She must’ve thought I was going to announce a wedding date, or maybe deliver so exciting news that would bring us closer together.
...But that wasn’t it.
In fact, I felt awful. Because what I actually needed to say was sothing far less joyful.
I wanted to break off the engagent.
King Aslan nodded with a pleased smile. "Very well. Alia and I are ready. Let’s speak now."
But before we could proceed further, Sieg-sama stepped forward.
"Your Majesty King Aslan," he said coldly, his arms crossed. "I request to join this discussion. Along with both of my daughters."
King Aslan looked confused. "What are you talking about, Sieg? This matter concerns the engagent between Naoki and my daughter Alia."
Sieg-sama’s eyes narrowed slightly. "I believe Naoki has sothing to say that will explain everything."
I flinched as everyone’s gaze fell on .
King Aslan’s brows furrowed. Alia tilted her head, still smiling—oblivious to the storm I was about to unleash.
I clenched my fists.
Enough stalling. I had to say it.
With a deep breath, I stepped forward. "Your Majesty... Alia... I ca here to tell you that..."
I paused.
Alia leaned forward, clearly curious.
"I am now officially in a relationship with Serena. And because of that, I feel we need to talk seriously about the status of my engagent with Alia."
Silence.
A tense, suffocating silence fell over the room for a second.
And then...
BOOM!
A wave of explosive Forced Aura burst from King Aslan. The ground beneath us trembled slightly from its sheer intensity. His presence beca overwhelming—as if a mountain had just risen in the middle of the room.
Alia stood frozen, her expression unreadable.
"You... BASTARD!!" King Aslan roared, drawing his sword in a flash. "I thought you ca to propose a wedding date! But you’re cheating on my daughter?! This is an insult—no, an outright mockery of the royal family!"
Sieg-sama, Serena, and Lyra imdiately shifted into defensive stances, their muscles tensed.
Vivin, Mia, and even Runa moved instinctively to shield , but I raised my hand to stop them.
"No... Don’t," I said firmly. "Let face this."
I stepped forward, standing directly in front of King Aslan.
"I’ll take full responsibility. This is my decision, and I won’t run from it."
Everyone in the room stared at , stunned.
Even King Aslan paused for a mont, his aura flickering as if confused by my lack of fear. He let out a dark laugh.
"At least you’ve got the guts to stand your ground," he said. But then, without warning, he raised his sword again. "Still, that doesn’t an you’re getting away with this—!"
"STOP, FATHER!"
Alia’s voice rang out loud and clear.
Everyone turned to her.
She stood tall, calm—no tears, no anger. But her eyes... they were full of sothing else. Sothing far deeper.
Pain.
She looked at and spoke softly, "I still love you, Naoki. I always have. And I always will."
The entire room fell silent again.
No one had expected that.
Not even .
"Alia... I..." I struggled to find the words.
"Naoki..actually i know that you loved Serena.." Her voice remained steady. "When we were suddenly engaged, you never had the chance to say no. You just accepted it out of duty."
She smiled gently.
"And I always knew, deep down, this day would co. Because truthfully... you’re soone who cares too much about others, even at the cost of your own happiness."
Serena stepped forward, her lips trembling. "Alia..."
Alia turned to her and shook her head. "It’s okay, Serena. I don’t bla you. In fact... I’m happy for you both."
Then she glanced back at with a teasing smirk.
"Besides, Naoki has always been a bit of a flirt, hasn’t he? Deep down, he loves won."
Her words hit like a lightning bolt.
"Wha—?! That’s not true!!" I wanted to shout it out loud. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t tell her the truth—that this wasn’t even my original body. That the original Naoki was... a hopeless playboy.
I clenched my jaw.
"...I’m sorry, Alia," I said, barely above a whisper. "I didn’t an to hurt you."
She just smiled again. A soft, beautiful smile that made my heart ache.
"It’s okay, Naoki."
Then King Aslan spoke again, his voice still heavy with authority.
"You’re lucky, Naoki. Lucky that Alia understands you. But tell now—do you truly want to cancel this engagent? Do you not love Alia at all?"
His question hit hard.
I froze.
I didn’t know how to respond.
Suddenly, Serena reached for my hand.
Her touch was warm. Comforting.
When I turned to look at her, she smiled. Just one small, brave smile.
And in that mont, I found my courage.
I looked back at the king and said, "I love Serena. And I choose to cancel the engagent with Alia."
Gasps echoed around the room.
Even Lyra looked shocked.
"I see," King Aslan muttered. "Well, if that’s your decision, then—"
But before he could finish...
My vision went black.
Suddenly, I was yanked from my own body—dragged into the System Realm.
"EEEEHHHH?! WHAT THE HELL?! ENVI! YOU SON OF—WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Inside the void, I realized with horror:
Envi had taken control of my body.
And worse...
Suddenly, he grabbed Alia’s hand.
Alia and Serena were surprised by this. Envi just smiled broadly.
In my voice—but definitely not my words—then he looked the king dead in the eyes and declared:
"Your Majesty, I haven’t finished speaking. I love Serena, yes... but I ALSO LOVE ALIA!!!"
...
I swear my soul almost exploded out of embarrassnt.
This was going to turn into a disaster.
And I had no idea how to stop it.
...
..
.
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