Route Selection
The hero party had five members in total.
The hero Kyle, the priestess Emily, the martial artist Hex, the mage Layla, and the thief Mela.
Of these, Kyle and Emily were childhood friends, while Hex and Mela both came from the underworld. But unlike Kyle and Emily, who were clearly circling each other with mutual interest, Hex and Mela shared nothing resembling warmth. If anything, Layla—who had no real connection to either of them—was the one closer to Mela.
Mela had also fiercely opposed Hex joining the party. As a fellow product of the underworld, she had heard the rumors about him until they were drilled into her ears.
"Hey."
"W-what is it...?"
That was probably why Mela visibly tensed up every time I spoke to her. The way she puffed herself up like a sparrow trying to look bigger was cute at first, but the charm wore off fast. Now it was just pure annoyance.
For the adventure to go smoothly, the most important thing was cooperation from our guide, Mela. Yet she kept dodging me, which left our planning stuck in the mud.
I caught her again as she tried to slip away.
Thud.
"Eek!"
I blocked her path with my arm and leaned my face in close. Mela let out a sharp little scream. I ignored it and growled at her.
"Listen, Mela. Why do you keep running from me? Hmm? You keep this up and it's starting to piss me off."
"N-no, it's just..."
"See? Trying to bolt again. Hey. Look at my eyes. Look at me properly. You not gonna look?"
"I... I'm sorry..."
"Sorry for what? Hey, are you crying? What the hell did you even do to cry about?"
Bullying a tiny girl whose head barely reached my chest did twist something in me, but I had no choice. Being gentle with the one person who knew Hex best would never make her drop her guard. Acting like Hex and forcing her cooperation was simply more efficient.
...It is absolutely not because bullying her is fun.
"What do you think you're doing over there!"
A clear, ringing voice cut in as someone approached. It was the mage, Layla. She glared at me with open disgust. My eyes, however, drifted straight to the way her chest swayed with every step.
Layla pulled Mela behind her and snapped at me.
"What exactly are you doing right now?"
"What about it?"
"You were threatening Mela!"
"Threatening? Please."
I was just harassing her.
I clicked my tongue. With her here, getting any further contact with Mela today was a lost cause.
Layla kept glaring as she spoke.
"I'm warning you. Stay away from Mela from now on."
"And if I don't feel like it?"
I sneered. Sparks flared in Layla's eyes. She had a temper of her own, so I knew I should back off—yet for some reason I didn't want to.
"Didn't know you'd gotten so chummy with a little thief. What happened to the young lady who used to say even a child is still a criminal?"
"That's something I've been reflecting on... Wait—how do you even know about that?!"
Ah. Slip of the tongue. That had happened before Hex joined the party.
I covered it with a mocking grin.
"Don't underestimate the underworld's information network. Petty incidents like that reach us, and so do juicier scraps. Say, a certain Mage Tower prodigy's little... deviations..."
"You—!"
Layla's face went pale. I cackled at the sight.
Why are the words coming out so easily, though? Do I actually have a talent for this?
Not exactly a discovery I was happy about.
"Anyway, don't get the wrong idea. I just wanted her opinion on the journey ahead."
"Ha. I never imagined someone like you was capable of constructive thought."
I had nothing to say to that. Even I could see that Hex was not the type to use his brain for anything except dragging women into the mud.
When I stayed silent, Layla fired back.
"Listen carefully. Kyle and Emily may be naive enough to fall for your act, but I don't trust you. Threaten Mela one more time and you'd better be ready to fight me."
"Do whatever you want."
Even I wouldn't trust a Golden Sun like this.
No—actually, I had trusted him once. For all the rough talk, he would occasionally show some idiotically earnest side or pull off a manly moment that earned him points. That was how everyone let their guard down and got NTR'd. Damn it.
I shook my head and walked away from them. Yet something still boiled in my chest, and the words slipped out before I could stop them.
"Sure would be nice if there was a spell that made you invisible. Right?"
"...!"
Layla froze solid, cold sweat beading as she stared at me. Only then did I finally laugh in pure satisfaction.
That night, after we finished setting up camp, I turned to Kyle.
"Hey, Kyle. How about we make a decision already?"
"Huh?"
Kyle looked at me like he had no idea what I meant. Fair enough—the party had only just properly formed, so there was nothing major to decide yet. But I felt the need to push. The sooner this choice was made, the better.
"The route to the Demon King's castle. You planning to keep wandering around like this? At this rate we'll get nowhere."
Our current path was neither here nor there—basically a waste of time. Kyle and the others all looked startled, as if thinking, That meathead is actually considering something? I clicked my tongue.
"I'm not a complete idiot. You think I signed up to go cut off the Demon King's head without a single thought?"
I wish Hex really had been a complete idiot, but no such luck.
Hex was trash, sure, but he was still a heavyweight in the underworld. That world didn't let you survive on raw power alone, so he had to have some brains. When I had chosen the slow route in the game, Hex had even argued against it with actual logic.
"Hmm..."
Kyle seemed to find my point reasonable and fell into thought. Layla and Mela watched me with open suspicion, clearly wondering what scheme I was cooking up. I smirked and continued.
"Personally, I'd prefer we take the fastest route possible. I don't want this adventure eating up too much of my time, and I don't feel like raising the risk for no reason."
What I actually want is the slow route.
I had sworn to root out every NTR element, and more growth time was simply better for us—especially for me. The reason I mentioned the fast route anyway was simple: the moment I voiced an opinion, Layla and Mela would automatically oppose it.
If the answer were clear-cut, even agreeing with me wouldn't spark resistance. But this choice had no single right answer. Both the fast and slow routes had pros and cons. Whatever side I picked, they would second-guess my motives and try to figure out my real angle. They would think hard... and end up inventing reasons to disagree just for the sake of disagreeing.
"I oppose it."
Right on cue, Layla spoke first. Kyle turned to her.
"Why?"
"Our goal isn't just to defeat the Demon King. Even if we kill him, the world won't suddenly become peaceful. If anything, things will get more chaotic for a while."
Everyone present already knew why without needing it spelled out. The Demon King's death would send his subordinates into a frenzy. High-ranking demons ruling human towns, or the monster hordes writhing in nearby dungeons—if they went berserk, the results didn't bear thinking about.
"I believe we should take the longer path if necessary and clear out the demonic forces that threaten people as we go."
That was the justification for the slow route: not merely toppling the Demon King, but saving as many lives as possible. It was exactly why I had chosen the slow route when I played.
Good. Kyle will agree with her.
Things were going exactly as planned, and I was satisfied. Still, I had to push back. Folding after a single counterargument wasn't Hex-like at all.
"Listen, missy. The Demon King only just revived. His subordinates haven't even fully gathered yet. And you want to take it easy? If the demon treasures fall into his hands on top of that, even we won't be able to handle him. Do you seriously not understand why a hero party is formed as a small elite force?"
That was the justification for the fast route. The longer the playtime, the more the characters grew—and the higher the enemies' specs were designed to climb. Choosing the slow route did let you pick up sacred relics, legendary weapons, or the secret skills of ancient heroes, so the difficulty never became completely hopeless. But that was knowledge only someone who had already played through once would have. My companions at this stage knew none of it.
Which is why your opinion matters more.
I looked at Kyle, waiting for his decision.
Come on, say we should save people! Declare that it's a hero's duty! Then I'll click my tongue like I have no choice and back down!
"I..."
Yes, say it!
Kyle hesitated, clearly struggling, then finally spoke.
"I think Hex is right."
No—what are you doing? Is this the power of Affinity Level? The effect is way too strong, damn it!
Once Kyle said that, neither Layla nor Mela could raise any real objection. He was the party leader, and the fast route's reasoning wasn't something you could just dismiss.
Now I was the one in trouble.
I can't leave those unstable factors behind!
I had never played the fast route myself, but while going through the slow one I had witnessed plenty of events that could become serious threats. Leaving them alone risked unknown NTR elements popping up later, and the methods to lower Kyle's chance of getting NTR'd were all found along the slow route. I needed Kyle to reverse himself—or for the others to argue hard enough to change his mind.
Had my wish been granted? Kyle looked around at us.
"Everyone okay with that?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"If that's the hero's decision, then so be it."
"I'm okay with it too."
Oh, for fuck's sake. Is there not a single reliable person here?
At this point I had no choice but to flip the mood myself. I laced my fingers behind my head, crossed my legs, and drawled as smugly as possible.
"Smart choice. Sure, the people living near the Demon Realm or in towns with dungeons nearby might die in droves, but that's none of my business."
My method: jab straight at Kyle's sense of justice. A player's choices could shift Kyle's alignment, but this early on he was still firmly on the side of good. If left to automatic decisions, he would pick the emotional option over the rational one.
My words hit their mark. Kyle's expression hardened.
"That's..."
"Who cares about the Four Heavenly Kings or the legion commanders? That's for the kings of each country to handle. Right?"
Clearing enemies along the slow route would thin their forces considerably. That meant weaker foes for the kingdoms' armies—and countless lives saved. The moment I poked that nerve, Emily, who had been quiet, spoke up.
"That does seem a little..."
"It doesn't sit right with me..."
Mela added her own soft protest, but I snorted.
"Who cares! Whether those bastards live or die has nothing to do with me."
Layla's face twisted with fury and she started to retort—then Kyle cut in, his voice low and heavy.
"Hex. That was a bit much."
"Huh?"
I scowled and stood, but Kyle rose to meet me without backing down. Emily stepped between us. Layla and Mela moved to block us as well. Mela clung to Kyle with a little whimper, while Layla locked eyes with me.
"You. That's enough."
"Finally dropping the high-and-mighty act?"
"I simply no longer feel any need to respect you."
I glanced at Kyle and the others. Every face was either rigid or dark. I let out a sharp laugh—a laugh of pure joy.
Whew. Slow route confirmed. Thank god.
The atmosphere was completely wrecked, but original Hex would have caused the same mess, so it didn't matter. I might have overdone it a little, but it worked out, so who cares.
I left the campsite with light steps.
How the hell am I supposed to sleep with them after that?