Chapter 45 - Update [Penalty Incurred!]

The moment I opened my eyes, the penalty window I'd hoped never to see again appeared before me.

I nearly screamed at the sight of it, but the moment I glanced at the bottom of the window, even the strength to cry out vanished.

"What's a special stack?"

Something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.

"U-Um, I..."

I let out a deep sigh as I stared at the system window, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and that's when Irina, sweating profusely beside me, began fidgeting awkwardly.

"...Get out of my room."

Snapping at her irritably, she widened her eyes in surprise before scurrying out of the room in a panic.

"Frey!! Are you feeling okay?"

"Gugu?"

"...You too, out. Serena. I'll call the doctor later."

I ordered Serena—who had rushed in with an owl perched on her shoulder—and sent her out as well. The white owl flew from her shoulder, landed on my head, and let out a snicker.

"Guguuu!!"

"...This guy's still the same as ever."

I petted the owl, now perched on the windowsill after hopping down from my head, then turned to Kania, who couldn't bring herself to look at me directly and kept her head bowed.

"So, who all found out?"

She replied with a grave expression.

"...Who do you mean, Young Master?"

"From that penalty window just now, it looks like two people caught on."

Hearing that, Kania stared at me blankly, at a loss for words.

"It's fine... According to the Prophecy Book, there's still a chance to clear the game up to stack 5."

"But..."

"Yeah, the difficulty will be hellish. It's theoretically possible, but no one's ever actually done it. Still, right now, we might be able to pull it off somehow. So..."

"That's not the issue, Young Master..."

I tried to reassure her by framing the situation as positively as possible, but she sat on the edge of the bed, took my hand, and spoke.

"...Young Master, do you know how long you were unconscious?"

"Mm... A month?"

"Three months."

"Oh, damn."

Her words made my head throb painfully.

"...When are the finals?"

"Tomorrow."

"I'm gonna lose my mind."

Of course, it wasn't just finals—with a mountain of issues to resolve, I racked my brain over how to handle this crisis. But the pounding headache made me give up thinking and close my eyes for a moment.

"...So, have you figured out who caught on?"

"That's..."

Kania bit her lip hard and answered in a trembling voice.

"I'm not sure."

"...Not sure?"

I frowned slightly and pressed her, and she replied with a face full of guilt.

"First, you vomited blood right after the 'Commoner Dormitory Assault Incident' ended."

"...I see."

"Blood poured from every orifice on your face, so given the severity, you were admitted to the imperial hospital."

Hearing about events I had no memory of from someone else stirred up fragments from that bizarre dream, unsettling my heart.

"...Then, exactly one month into your hospitalization, it happened again."

"Again?"

"Yes. You were stabilizing, but you vomited blood once more. We thought it was just a relapse at the time, but..."

"...Actually, that's when someone caught on."

I answered calmly, and silence fell for a moment.

"Anyway, since you're awake, we should call the doctor immediately..."

"No, it's fine. I'm okay."

"But..."

"Make me a sandwich and coffee. I'm hungry."

At my request for food, Kania quietly left the room, her face still etched with guilt.

"...Hoo."

Once she was gone, I sighed and turned back to the system window that had appeared before me.

"At least that's some good news."

In this hopeless situation, the silver lining was that the Hero's Armament—the only thing that could stand toe-to-toe with the outlier Demon King—had increased in awakening progress. Some of its sealed power must have returned, including the vitality boost. But carrying it around risked exposure, so I'd have to forgo that.

"What's with all this?"

I stared at the flood of information overwhelming me, then clutched my head and quietly reached for the question mark icon in the corner of the system window.

A clear voice echoed in my mind.

"...Let me ask one thing: what's a special stack?"

I questioned the voice about the 'special stack,' since I knew all the other functions but nothing about that.

The clear voice in my head continued.

"...Gee, thanks ever so much."

Sarcasm dripping, I rummaged through the secret compartment in the bag by my bed to check my remaining lifespan.

"...Huh?"

No matter how much I searched, the lifespan measurer was gone.

'Did Kania take it?'

I'd told her about the bag's secret compartment, so I brushed it off and continued questioning the assistant.

"So, which target got exposed to rack up a 'special stack'?"

"What?"

The assistant spouted nonsense.

"...What conditions?"

I gaped in disbelief at the assistant's words when suddenly a system window popped up.

"What the hell."

I irritably dismissed the bizarre unknown quest, squeezed my eyes shut, and sank into thought.

'The Prophecy Book, the system—everything's veering off course. Something's definitely wrong.'

Whether it was months, days, or just yesterday—I couldn't tell—but according to that dream, my memories with Irina differed greatly from what I remembered and what the Prophecy Book described. The system was the same.

Not content with restoring the five main heroines' memories, now 'special stacks,' 'special quests,' and 'special functions' not in the Prophecy Book were popping up everywhere.

'At this rate, I'm starting to dread what'll come next.'

Fear springs from ignorance, as they say—and nothing fit my situation better. I'd thought I had everything predicted and calculated, yet unknowns kept surging forth.

'It feels like some unknown entity is meddling with the system and Prophecy Book...'

My mind filled with questions: Who was interfering with my world-saving plan? If I couldn't trust the system and Prophecy Book, what about my future plans?

"...One last question: are there items or skills in the system to increase lifespan or vitality?"

After agonizing, I asked with a sliver of hope.

The system betrayed my final hope.

"Young Master, I've brought your meal."

I turned off the assistant with a hollow expression as Kania entered with food.

"...Yeah, a sandwich and coffee are perfect for boosting vitality."

Thanking her wryly, I took a bite and said,

"Kania, give me the overdue reports."

"But you need rest now..."

"...Everyone will find out eventually anyway."

She sighed deeply, pulled out a notepad from her bosom, and flipped through it.

"First, the conclusion of the 'Commoner Dormitory Assault Incident'."

Fortunately, Kania's explanation matched my expectations. The heroines who escaped the dormitory with me in critical condition immediately reported everything to the investigation team and the imperial family.

The imperial family and Church of the Sun God attempted a cover-up. They feared public panic if they admitted the Demon King had reappeared after 1,000 years without a hero.

But Clana's pre-planted spies spread the truth nationwide, forcing the imperial family and church to officially announce the Demon King's return.

I, implicated in the incident, came under heavy scrutiny, but Serena stepped up, changing the tide. She argued I'd been mind-controlled by the Demon King's subordinate while Kania secretly ran political maneuvers, turning my punishment debate into a prolonged stalemate.

The discussions dragged on until the imperial family and church concluded it was premature to punish me—a descendant of the hero's family—with high potential as the hero.

Of course, Isabel, who took the fall for me, and her family were utterly ruined.

"Thus, the empire and Church of the Sun God are propagandizing that a 'hero' will appear soon while desperately searching for someone with hero qualities."

"...Won't do them any good."

"Indeed."

After the long report, Kania caught her breath, then hardened her expression and spoke softly.

"That's the official conclusion."

"...So there's an unofficial one?"

"Yes."

Nodding quietly, she flipped through her notepad and continued.

"First, from this incident... Lady Clana's position has strengthened considerably."

"How so?"

"The public and some conscientious imperial figures who saw her spearheading the truth revelation began supporting her. Once the truth emerged, her approval doubled."

"...The Empress must be fuming."

"Yes, so the imperial family's defense of you likely stemmed heavily from the Empress's influence. Right now, you're the most efficient check on Lady Clana due to the oath."

I replied with a bewildered expression.

"I predicted that, of course... but it's absurd seeing it play out. Defending someone who might be colluding with the Demon King just to hold power."

Kania twirled a fountain pen from her pocket and picked up,

"The Empress believes she can control you. She'll likely pressure you soon using this incident."

"...I already accounted for that."

I sighed deeply, and Kania did the same before turning a page.

"Your current reputation... is at its worst."

"Reputation?"

"Yes, because Lady Clana spread rumors you're part of the Demon King's army."

I smiled faintly.

"Perfect. Means I'll rack up tons of cumulative villainy points."

"...Is it really perfect?"

Snapping out of my grin at Kania's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠frown, I pondered.

'Right, I can't blindly trust the system and Prophecy Book.'

I needed to stay vigilant henceforth. I had no choice but to follow the system to beat the Demon King, but caution was essential. I'd use it maximally while investigating the Prophecy Book and system.

"...Kania, when's vacation?"

Recalling the only place tied to the Prophecy Book and system was my ancestor's ruins, I asked.

"Vacation is in a few weeks, but with so much to handle, you won't have much rest."

"...Tch."

According to her, the healing trip to the western continent for truth-seeking would have to wait.

"...Hm?"

Finishing my sandwich in a daze, faint lunar mana began seeping from beyond the door.

"Serena? What are you doing?"

Sensing something off, I called to Serena waiting in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hall, but got no reply.

"...Come in."

I pulled back Kania—vulnerable to lunar mana—and summoned Serena again.

"F-Frey..."

".....!"

Her condition was dire.

"S-Sorry... Urgh!"

"...Lady Serena? Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine...!"

Sweating coldly, she suddenly fanned out her fan, sending wind laced with lunar mana my way.

"...Hah!"

Startled, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kania surged black magic to shield me, scattering the wind everywhere.

"Serena, stop!!"

"...Yes."

At my panicked command, she drooped her head sullenly.

"...Damn Moonlight family."

Now I understood Serena's behavior. The Moonlight family bore an ancestral curse: 'Family Subjugation.'

From the family's founding, it granted unchecked ducal power while imposing a grave duty: as the empire's nocturnal guardians and assassins, purging targets chosen by elders and the secret patriarch—a noble yet filthy task.

Officially, Serena was the Moonlight head with real power; unofficially, she took orders from the elders and secret patriarch.

"S-Sorry. But it hurt too much... And with Lady Kania here..."

Normally, no one could manipulate Serena, let alone use her. But the elders exploited the 'Subjugation Curse' to command her.

They'd likely ordered my death, so every time she held back, the curse's pain accumulated. Her state suggested three months without genuine attempts.

'Looks like there's only that method after all.'

It'd only work once or twice. Without true intent to kill, The pain would only worsen. Removing the curse was the ideal solution, but impossible for me. Even the unreliable yet informative Prophecy Book only detailed its dangers—no solution.

An ancient curse from the family's founding; no one had solved it. My ancestor noted: 'The removal code exists, but no one's succeeded. Truly a shit game.' Unclear, but unsolved even for him.

"Frey... I'm fine, don't worry..."

"Tell me the truth."

"...I'm not."

As expected, she trembled in agony. Time for my pre-planned method—per scenario, the elders would be neutralized later anyway.

"Serena, listen carefully from now on."

"Yes."

Having decided, I glared at her and spoke.

"...I cast 'Absolute Obedience Magic' on you."

".....!"

Still sweating, Serena's mouth gaped in shock.

"Wh-What do you mean?"

I glanced at the owl, which had quietly accepted my touch until suddenly flying out the window into the clear sky, then continued.

"Exactly what I said. I used you."

Like that owl, it was time to release Serena.

.

.

.

.

.

"Mm..."

At that moment, in the temporary commoner dormitory.

"...What does this date mean?"

Irina muttered in her room, fiddling with a small device she'd just obtained.

"A magic tool for doing good deeds?"