In an NTR Game, the Childhood Friend Is a Bitch Worse Than the Demon King (4)

Hmm... What do I do from here?

A maid had assigned me a place to stay for the duration of the banquet. I unpacked my things at once, stretched out on the plush bed, and started thinking through my plans for the future.

I had only just possessed this body, and I still had no clear idea of what I ought to do next.

One thing's certain—I'm never fighting for those party members again.

Whatever I ended up deciding later, I had zero intention of doing anything that would benefit my former party. The three sluts who had betrayed Ronan and used him up like a tool—I had no plans to forgive any of them. Least of all that pink-haired childhood-friend slut. No matter what happened, she was never getting forgiveness from me.

Well, I've got plenty of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠options, at least...

When I actually sat down and considered them, the choices open to me were surprisingly numerous. The boy named Ronan was, in truth, an absurd talent monster. Early on he had often looked fragile and frustratingly soft, but by this point—deep into the mid-to-late story—Ronan was no longer weak. How could he be? He had burned through his own lifespan just to protect his childhood friend. At this stage he was strong enough to crush most enemies without breaking a sweat. That meant the path ahead branched in every direction.

I could head back to my hometown and live a quiet life farming. I could take a teaching post at the Academy. I could finish the hero's work if I felt like it. Hell, if nothing else worked out, I could even join the Demon King's army. It all came down to whatever I chose.

How much lifespan do I even have left?

Before I made any of those decisions, though, I needed a clearer picture of Ronan's condition. Right now he was still carrying serious injuries from the fight against the Four Heavenly Kings. And injuries alone would have been lucky—odds were high he had burned lifespan again to save Amy. The real problem was that I had no way of knowing how much time he actually had left. Knowing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that number was critical if I wanted to plan anything at all...

I was stewing in that frustration when a voice came from outside the door.

"Lord Ronan. Her Highness the Princess summons you."

Why would the Princess want me? A flicker of unease crossed my mind, but there was no real reason to worry. It had to be about the reward we had discussed earlier.

"Might as well go."

I got up from the bed and followed the waiting maid to the Princess.

"Welcome, Hero. I have gathered the rewards that are rightfully yours. You may choose one. Please select whatever catches your fancy."

I found her waiting in a chamber packed with treasure. She smiled warmly as she introduced the collection, gesturing for me to look around.

Hmm... not bad.

A quick sweep of the imperial treasury confirmed it—nothing here was ordinary. The place was stuffed with extraordinary pieces.

Items I had only ever heard of by name in the game—so they had all been sitting here in the imperial vault the whole time. No wonder I could never find them. My former party members and Jaxx had swallowed every last one of these rewards, which was why original Ronan never even got a look at them.

That really pisses me off...

Fresh disgust for those party members rose up all over again. Any single piece from this room could be sold for an astronomical sum, and those bastards had just pocketed the lot? Classic case of the bear doing all the work while the humans walked off with the money. Coming to the Empire and claiming what was rightfully mine suddenly felt like the smartest move I had made.

Hmm... which one do I pick?

I still had to choose one. I wandered the vault, turning the problem over. It wasn't that the treasures were bad—they just felt... underwhelming. S-rank, sure, but none of them were endgame weapons. Once you got the real final gear later, these would just gather dust. Not exactly thrilling for me.

Still, I had to take something. I kept searching every corner until my eyes landed on a distinctly odd piece.

Huh? What's this?

A mirror. Just an ordinary-looking decorative mirror at first glance.

The Mirror of Lifespan?

Of course nothing in the imperial treasury was ordinary. I had heard of this one—an item called the Mirror of Lifespan. Use it, and it would show the remaining natural lifespan of whoever was reflected in the glass. It didn't factor in every possible accident or disaster; it only revealed how long you would live if nothing unexpected happened. But for me, right now, it was exactly what I needed.

"I'll take this one."

I picked the mirror up without hesitation. This was the reward I wanted.

"You're choosing a mere mirror?"

"Yes. It's something I need very badly right now."

"I see. I'm glad it suits you."

The Princess looked faintly surprised that the man who had just defeated a Four Heavenly King would settle for something as modest as the Mirror of Lifespan. She didn't understand—right now this was worth more than any of those flashy half-measures.

I took it with satisfaction. She raised no objection.

"Well then... might as well use it right away."

I saw no reason to wait. I activated the mirror on the spot.

"Khh... damn, that's good."

A man with sun-tanned skin and golden hair ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was knocking back banquet wine with a lazy, swaggering air. His rough speech and flashy clothes drew every eye in the hall, yet no one dared call him on it. This was Jaxx—currently the most successful of the three heroes protecting the continent.

"You girls should try some too, yeah? Pretty damn tasty."

He abandoned his plate and sauntered over to the women standing behind him. All three were strikingly beautiful. Anyone who had ever attended a banquet with Ronan's hero party would have recognized them instantly: Amy, Charlotte, and Tricella—the same party members who had been traveling with Ronan until only recently. Now, of course, they belonged to Jaxx's party.

Jaxx slung his arms around their shoulders and urged them to dig into the meat and wine.

"I'm fine, thank you."

"I... I'm good too."

"A priestess is not permitted to drink."

"That so? Guess it can't be helped, then."

The three women wore uncomfortable expressions. This was no time for feasting. Everyone around them was staring—whispering about how the same girls who had stood beside Ronan only days ago were now hanging off Jaxx. They wanted nothing more than to leave the banquet hall as soon as possible.

"Gulp. Gulp."

Jaxx, of course, had no such intention. He drained his wine in one shot, then swept the room with a sly grin. Whispers drifted to his ears.

—Looks like Jaxx swapped out his women again.

—Aren't those the ones who were with Hero Ronan?

—Wow... how could they go for a guy like that...

—Gotta admit, it's kind of impressive.

Envy and jealousy mixed in those stares, and Jaxx drank it in like pure male triumph. That exact look was why he stole other men's women and flaunted them.

"Charlotte and Tricella are one thing, but Amy, you really ought to eat something."

"We're gonna have a good long time tonight."

"...P-please don't say things like that."

Of the three, Amy was easily his favorite. Rumors had even circulated that she and Ronan were a couple, and it was obvious Ronan had been crazy about her. Nothing tasted sweeter than snatching a man's beloved. They had already tangled bodies more times than he could count; the thrill needed no explanation.

Jaxx kept tossing out crude jokes, relentlessly pushing meat and wine toward Amy.

She's playing harder to get than usual today.

He noticed it immediately and started turning the reason over in his head. The answer came easily enough. It had to be because Ronan was here at the banquet.

"Still got some lingering attachment?"

"..."

Amy's silence only made Jaxx snicker.

"Maybe I should go pay him a little visit."

"W-what are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what. Ronan."

"D-don't. Please don't do that. Ronan will get hurt."

"I won't say anything too bad. No need to worry."

"Ugh..."

This was going to be fun. Amy clearly understood what he was thinking and begged him not to, but Jaxx was never the type to listen. The best entertainment of the night was waiting—how was he supposed to resist?

He headed straight for Ronan.

"Damn it...! Those fucking slut bitches..."

In a quiet corner of the banquet hall, Ronan sat alone, knocking back drink after drink. His face was twisted with quiet misery, eyes glistening as he swallowed. Jaxx watched him and felt absolute certainty that the finest show of the evening was about to begin.

"Looks like you're taking it pretty hard."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Aw, come on. We're friends."

"I never had a friend like you."

"If our hearts connect, we're friends, right?"

"So what do you want?"

"Nothing much. Just wanted to share a little review."

Jaxx casually draped an arm over Ronan's shoulders and leaned in close.

"Buddy. Your woman tasted fucking amazing."

He stuck his tongue out and pulled a deliberately clownish face.

BANG!!!

In the next instant Jaxx's face was slammed into the table.

"I was already in a shitty mood, and now you're calling her my woman? You wanna die for real?"

The table split clean in two with a crash. Jaxx, face smeared with food, looked up at Ronan from the wreckage.