The Departing Carriage

"Hoo."

With a troubled heart, I let out a deep sigh from inside the carriage.

"Master? What's wrong?"

Lulu, who had been clinging to my arm and rubbing her cheek against my hand until then, tilted her head and asked.

"It's nothing."

I flashed her a gentle smile and carefully stroked her chin.

The last attempt...

But unlike my outward reaction, my inner thoughts were rotting away.

...It failed spectacularly.

I hadn't known about the Supporter System until now.

It was only natural. The Prophecy Book made no mention of the Supporter System.

What it said about Roswin was something entirely different.

Our ancestor, who had surprisingly little to say about Roswin for some reason, had left that note.

That's why I had no choice but to desperately give her flowers.

For some reason, she kept throwing away the ones I gave her or gifting them to others, so I had to reset the cycle over and over before she died.

Of course, that final comment from our ancestor had always nagged at me...

"Mm."

Recalling the Prophecy Book's contents, I muttered to myself again.

What a shame...

Today, I made my final attempt to awaken Roswin's Supporter System.

To convey my true feelings to her, so she could accept my flowers with even a shred of sincerity.

I poured every ounce of sincerity I could muster to the limit, layered it with all my honed acting skills, added conditional clauses, and confessed.

But.

"I'll think about it."

I got shot down hard.

I'd even prepared a golden rose instead of red, as she'd mentioned last time, but no miracle occurred.

Given that she said she preferred red over gold from me, she probably doesn't even remember what she said before.

There's no hope left.

Why?

The other sub-heroines have shown some kind of change after the Third Trial, so why not her?

Is my hypothesis wrong?

"Mmnya..."

Lost in these gloomy thoughts, I heard a strange noise from beside me.

"Eung..."

Before I knew it, Lulu had fallen asleep again, snoring softly in my arms.

"...Ha."

Thanks to her, I managed a faint smile.

"Maybe it's best to give up, right?"

As per my order not to fight, the spirit beasts sat quietly in a row on the window sill, staring at me blankly. I tossed the question their way casually.

They were smart enough to be called spirit beasts rather than mere animals, so they'd probably understand.

"Yeah, let's give up."

Gazing at them for a long while with that thought, I leaned back in my chair and muttered.

"That's the best choice."

What matters now is unlocking the second-year DLC story, not the Supporter System.

Perloché in the Trial only mentioned the Five Insights, nothing about the Supporter System.

And our ancestor said it's better not to know about it.

That means it has powerful effects, but almost no chance of activation.

So obsessing over awakening the Supporter System right now is a net negative for me.

Because...

"I can't make Roswin a target for the Demon King."

In the loop I saw in the Trial, I had altered my own memories to hate everyone.

I probably did that to deceive the Demon King.

Though the system's restrictions prevent the Demon King from directly attacking the heroines, as long as they're her subordinates, she has endless ways to harm them.

By hating them, I eliminated the chance that the heroines constantly by the Demon King's side would get targeted.

In other words, I need to do the same now.

Today's test proved it's impossible to recruit Roswin, so from now on, I have to push her away.

Otherwise, Ruby—who'll see her as my one weakness once she becomes the Demon King's ally—might do something drastic.

"Then..."

Having reached that conclusion, I turned to another worry.

"What about the flowers..."

For the time being, there shouldn't be a problem.

Demon King Ruby is giving her flowers regularly too.

Roswin's room in the Third Trial was overflowing with flowers, so that should keep her alive.

Of course, I won't trust Ruby.

From now on, I'll use surveillance magic or assign people to strictly monitor whether she carries the flowers.

She had a rose from Ruby in her hair instead of the sunflower I gave her earlier, so no issues there.

"Yawn..."

Finishing that thought and about to close my eyes for a nap, Lulu buried her face in my chest, yawned, and opened her eyes.

"Eung?"

She blinked sleepily and looked around.

"Master, are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"Y-your face looks so gloomy. Did something happen with Miss Roswin...?"

I looked at Lulu as she asked that, then twisted my expression into something vicious.

"Lulu, I have a question."

"Y-yes!"

"Roswin seems to be getting in the way of my black market business, you know..."

I glanced at her as I said that.

"...My iron rule is to get rid of anything annoying."

I lowered my voice even further.

"Remember what I said before?"

"...Yes."

"Then, can you bite her throat out for me?"

Sorry, Lulu, but this is necessary.

If she really wants to stay with me, she needs to see me as a clear villain.

That way, no new penalties will stack.

So in front of her, I have no choice but to show this ugly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠side...

"Yes."

"Huh?"

Lost in thought, I reflexively asked back when she answered so quickly.

"I'll bite her throat out."

Her expression as she said it was utterly calm.

"...You didn't even hesitate?"

I probed gently to gauge her intentions.

"No pet hesitates when its owner gives a command, right?"

She replied in that same steady voice.

"I'm already tainted by you."

With that, she licked my neck.

"W-wait a sec..."

Under the blazing gazes of the spirit beasts on the window sill, I tried to stop Lulu as she kept licking me with her eyes closed.

"...Huh?"

Then, I widened my eyes and stared into space.

"What the...?"

Something had happened.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

"What the heck..."

Roswin, who had collapsed to the floor in a daze for a long while before stumbling back to her room.

"What is this...?"

Pacing her room with a furrowed brow.

"Ugh..."

Ever since Frey had stood before her with that gloomy expression and bid farewell.

For some inexplicable reason, Roswin had felt a certain emotion stirring.

And that emotion.

Grew when Frey trudged out of her room.

Surged when the clerk announced he'd withdrawn his membership.

Swelled every time she imagined Lulu fawning over him when he should be frustrated at not having her.

Peaked the moment his carriage departed, filling her mind completely.

"Ughhh..."

And Roswin had no idea why that emotion had arisen.

Why? Why on earth?

Frey, who always pestered her with his tiresome courtship.

That scumbag, sly playboy.

Just one of the idiot customers smitten by her beauty, the most useful source of cash among them.

"Ughhhh...!"

So why did she feel this way just because he'd said something like a breakup and canceled his membership? Why was she pacing in circles, drowning in this pointless regret?

"This pisses me off!"

As those thoughts swirled endlessly in her head, Roswin's usual temper finally exploded.

Crash!!

She hurled the vase holding the flowers Frey had given her to the floor.

"Who do you think you are, Frey, to make me feel...!"

She stomped viciously on the fallen golden rose with a savage glare.

"This stupid emotion! Why!!"

Thanks to her, the golden rose Frey had painstakingly obtained was crushed into a pitiful mess.

"Haa... haaa..."

After venting her rage on the innocent flower for a while, she panted heavily.

"What the hell..."

She slumped into a chair, muttering with a confused expression.

"Why am I like this...?"

With that, she sat there for a moment, cooling her heated head.

"........."

The silence stretched on.

"...Was I a bit too harsh on him?"

That quiet was broken by Roswin's uneasy mutter.

"Mm, yeah, a bit harsh. But he's a regular at our guild."

She crossed her legs slightly and murmured.

"Well, I can just treat him better from now on."

She stood and resumed pacing in circles.

"He's just sulking for a bit. He's come back smiling every time I've dumped him before, right?"

Pausing for a moment, she muttered with even more unease.

"Speaking of, what's with that Lulu?"

For some reason, the chilling, unpleasant feeling she'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had when Lulu fawned over Frey lingered in her mind.

"Eh, she's so obvious. And Frey looked annoyed too."

She chewed her lip for a while, then shrugged it off.

"Anyway, Frey... likes me. Yeah. No doubt."

Though he'd smiled faintly at the end, she quickly shoved that memory aside and concluded.

"...Time to gather some info."

She picked up Frey's commission letter from the desk.

"Uh, anyway, where else would he go but our info guild? He'll be back grinning in a few days—I need to prep."

She kept muttering to herself.

"Can't lose a regular customer. Yeah."

And headed for the door.

Just treat him nice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠next time. A little kindness and he'll be putty in my hands.

Grasping the doorknob, she thought.

Maybe accept a flower next time?

With a slight frown, she stepped out of her room.

"I'm heading out for a bit~ You mind the place 'til I—!"

She called out to the clerk, but.

"Cough, cough!"

Quickly covered her mouth and started hacking.

"Hoo..."

The clerk glanced at her while puffing on a strong cigar.

"Hey, what are you doing? Are you insane!?"

Roswin, who had leukoplakia, yelled in horror.

"Where are you going...?"

The clerk asked with hollow eyes.

"To investigate the commission from Fr-Frey. Anyway, what the hell is—"

She waved the letter as she answered, but.

"Hooo......."

"Cough, cough! Damn it!"

When the clerk exhaled smoke again, she stormed out in a huff.

".........."

The clerk watched her go, continuing to smoke the harsh cigar.

"Even so..."

Absorbing the cigarette smoke in an instant with lunar energy from her body, she closed her eyes and murmured.

.

.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

"Huh?"

Frey stared intently at one part of the new window floating before him.

"This is..."

The list of sub-heroines stretched on quite long.

"...What the hell?"

But Frey's gaze was fixed on one entry.

The carriage carrying him was now leaving the back alleys behind without fanfare.