NOVEL NEXT Chapter 263: Belated Regret
༺ Belated Regret ༻
“Uhmm…”
“Frey, what’s that ring?”
“Master?”
I had gained something unexpected.
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
The ring on my right hand was undoubtedly an oath ring. I could tell that from its design and how it accumulated mana.
Per my ancestor’s prophecy, this rare ring allowed me to give ‘commands’ to those who have sworn loyalty to me.
As much as it was a powerful ring, obtaining it was challenging. One way was through Isolet’s route, which is notoriously tricky and must be completed before the second year.
Currently, I wasn’t on Isolet’s route, and this ring, with the lowest probability of acquisition in the game, seemed unattainable. Yet, here it was.Having it would make progressing in the game easier. But where did Isolet get such a cheat ring?
“Right now… it’s at Level 1?”
I had just worn the ring, but I could already feel the ring accumulating mana and enabling commands to Isolet and those under the “Blood Oath.”
However, as more mana gathered, the range of people I could command would gradually increase.
“Um…”
I grinned at the cheat ring and then got lost in thought.
‘Maybe… it’s a trap.’
The fact that I obtained this ring outside of Isolet’s exclusive route, especially given its reputedly low probability in the game, felt suspicious.
Could something have changed due to the DLC or something?
When something too good happened, it was wise to be suspicious.
“Do you know about this ring?”
“Ah, yes, that is… um…”
“…Do you know?”
“I’m sorryyy…”
I asked the Sun God, who was riding next to the carriage, but her ‘divinity’ seemed to cause issues.
“I-I’m sorry… I was wrong, so please hit me somewhere other than my forehead…”
As I sighed, the goddess stood up and knelt on the ground.
“A-as expected of the master…”
“……..”
She was in the form of the youngest paladin.
This caused Lulu’s admiration to burst through its limits, and Serena, sitting quietly, looked at her with a disgruntled expression.
“Let’s talk later, please stand up…”
“N-No, I’ll stay like this. I’m just a pathetic and incompetent woman who can’t even help her own creation…”
Feeling awkward about making a goddess kneel, I whispered in her ear to stand up. However, she began saying something she shouldn’t, wearing a guilty expression.
“…Ugh!”
“You know your place well.”
“Uh…”
As I pressed her head to the ground with my foot, the trembling and weeping goddess closed her eyes tightly and bowed.
– If it calms your anger even a bit… I’ll endure it. After all, any harm to this body now goes to the one I’ve possessed.
“No, I’m fine…”
– You can treat me even more roughly… Hero…
Then Sun God’s dangerous statement echoed in my mind.
“…Haaa.”
Leaning back in my chair, I took deep breaths as the impact of my Villainization peaked.
Lulu’s eyes glowed brighter, and Serena anxiously shifted her gaze between the goddess and me.
‘…How did it come to this?’
Since I couldn’t reveal that the goddess had possessed the paladin’s body, I had to pretend I subdued her for the time being.
“Lulu, analyze this for me.”
“Okay…”
While disrespectfully stepping on the head of the Sun God, the deity of this world, I silently gave the oath ring to Lulu.
“Hmm… this is…”
After examining the ring for a moment, Lulu spoke quietly.
“I-I’m not sure right now… I need to analyze it with Irina. It’s quite complicated…”
It seemed the ring was indeed not ordinary.
“U-Uh… Frey.”
“…Yeah?”
While I frowned at the ring, Serena suddenly shook my shoulder.
“W-What’s happened here…?”
“……!”
Turning my gaze to her, I was startled to see the blackened purity ring on her finger.
“I-I had a dream last night, and… could it be… that it was real…?”
She had been blushing and stammering, perhaps because of this.
“Don’t worry about that ring.”
“…Okay.”
I felt a bit regretful after ordering her with Absolute Obedience.
It would have been a good opportunity to test if the ring of oath also worked on Serena.
“F-Frey?”
“Yeah?”
While I was regretting the missed chance, Serena turned to me with a puzzled look.
“Uh, my… my stomach feels strange.”
“What?”
“It feels… full? Like it’s being filled up.”
“…….”
She blushed as she talked.
“It’s like a tingling, trembling, and bloated…”
“Uh, um… that…”
‘’But I don’t mind it… It’s like a satisfying and joyful feeling…”
“U-Uh, can you treat the feeling in your lower belly as natural?”
I blushed while gazing at her, then requested a ‘favor’ while playing with the ring.
As it wasn’t a ‘command,’ Absolute Obedience wouldn’t apply, but if the oath ring were genuine, perhaps a favor would suffice.
“O-Okay…? I’ll try not to worry about it for now.”
“…Hmm.”
Serena responded with a confused expression and pressed her stomach.
– Splash…
“Huh.”
A small moan followed.
– Splish, splosh…♡
“…Hehe.”
She continuously pressed her lower abdomen and smiled happily.
‘…Did it work?’
It was uncertain, but it might be effective. It worked on Isolet, at least.
“I-I’m jealous…”
I would try it on Clana, Kania, and now Lulu, who was blushing beside me, looking enviously at Serena’s lower abdomen.
If this proved real, it could be helpful in the future.
“Phew…”
Once the ring gained enough strength, I could issue commands that would harm me.
It could be useful during the Fourth Ordeal.
“I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up when we reach the city.”
“Okay…”
Clearing my mind, I decided to rest my eyes to cool down and control the ‘Villainization’ that threatened to resurface due to Serena’s earlier reaction.
There were tasks awaiting me in the city, and my date with Serena wasn’t over.
‘For the next few days… I’ll just relax and go on dates with Serena.’
Thinking about the good and bad parts, I closed my eyes slowly.
“Y-You shouldn’t let this bother you…”
“Grrr…”
“I-I’m sorry… I’ll stay still…”
Serena continued to stroke her stomach, murmuring, and Lulu scolded the Sun God as I let my consciousness fade slowly.
.
.
.
.
.
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“Frey… is the Hero…”
Roswyn’s room, a few hours after Frey had fallen asleep:
“He is the only Hero who can save this world…”
Roswyn stared at the tattered document in a sea of information and muttered in a daze as she knelt.
“All this time, I’ve been ignoring… Frey…”
[Prophetic Book – Dark Tale Fantasy 2 Complete Guide]
< Written by Han-Byeol Raon Starlight (Kim Han-Byeol) >
1. Overview
2. The Hero’s Duties and Objectives.
3. Scenario Strategy
4. System Strategy (Items, Skills, etc.)
.
.
.
Opening ‘Everything about the Hero,’ she found an identical copy of the ‘Prophetic Book’ that Frey had.
Even though it looked like a hologram, touching the book would summon various visual materials and videos for Frey, just like the original.
– Ugh…
The floating information around Roswyn was precisely that.
“W-What have I… done?”
After spending hours reading every word, she was in complete panic.
Even though she only read ‘Everything about the Hero’ and not ‘Everything He Did,’ she understood what Frey had sacrificed.
“What the hell have I…”
The numerous hardships and adversities he would face, the penalties consuming his lifespan and life force, the unimaginable ‘trials,’ and ultimately, the end he would meet.
“I-I should have helped him…”
She could have eased some of his suffering as the Hero’s assistant.
But being a proud helper, she made the real Hero suffer more.
“Ugh…”
She thought about Frey, who used to give her flowers daily with a pitiful expression.
Then, she remembered how she had mocked him and thrown the flowers out of the window.
“W-What do I do…”
Roswyn’s mind started to race.
Was his consistent behavior over the years some kind of plea for help?
“C-Could it be that…”
Everything began to fall into place.
Frey’s last words echoed in her mind and clarified everything. Cold sweat trickled down Roswyn’s forehead.
“He was asking for help… huh?”
Roswyn murmured, feeling dizzy, and soon widened her eyes.
– Lastly, the story about Roswyn.
“……?”
At the end of section 7 of the prophetic book, ‘Character Descriptions and Strategies,’ Roswyn’s name was inscribed.
– You must always give flowers to Roswyn. Consistently, at regular intervals.
“Give flowers… to me?”
Roswyn slowly read the text in confusion.
“Why, why…?”
She couldn’t fathom why the prophetic book mentioned giving her flowers, especially considering her recent incorrect deductions.
“So, Frey was giving me flowers regularly… because of this…”
Roswyn, accustomed to making assumptions, lowered her gaze.
– Roswyn will die if she doesn’t receive flowers from the system holder for a certain period.
Stunned by this message, she couldn’t find words.
– There’s another reason… but never mind. It’s better not to know. Getting fixated on something unlikely will only hurt you more…
“…………”
Roswyn continued reading with a vacant stare, her thoughts seemingly frozen.
“All those actions… were to save me…”
She recalled the day Frey had kicked open her door to give her flowers after she fell ill due to a delayed return from a stormy trip overseas.
“Was it the same then, too…”
Frey didn’t have his usual arrogance that day; he had seemed concerned, genuinely. Kneeling by her bed, he had given her flowers.
After that, she miraculously recovered in just one day.
“He was trying to save me…”
Rumors circulated that Frey had searched for her everywhere when she was away.
Back then, she thought his obsession was creepy, believing it was worsening every day.
“I didn’t know…”
Tears welled up in Roswyn’s eyes.
“I-I’m sorry… Frey…”
Her hollow voice echoed in the room.
– However, give her flowers with ‘sincerity’ and ‘consistently.’
“I… was wrong…”
His act of giving her flowers wasn’t a foolish gesture, like the attempts of men who often struggled around her.
Frey continued because of a sense of duty to keep her alive, enduring daily contempt and persecution.
“…Wait.”
– Who knows? Maybe a miracle will happen.
Roswyn’s eyes, on the verge of tears, suddenly stopped.
“What…?”
Her tearful expression slowly transformed into a stunned look.
– Miracles don’t matter.
She noticed a meticulously written comment in the margins of the prophetic book’s copy.
I just want Roswyn to get well soon.
The crooked handwriting she had seen in her childhood was undeniably young Frey’s.
– Above all, being healthy is the best.
For a child who knew he was terminally ill from a young age, it was a surprisingly calm statement.
But those simply written notes tormented Roswyn more than anything she had read.
“T-This can’t be…”
Recalling young Frey giving her flowers, tears streamed down her face.
“This can’t be true…”
Just like that, a long time had passed.
“I-It’s not… over yet…”
Crying and holding her head, Roswyn wiped her tears and whispered.
“I-It’s still uncertain? He might still be alive, right? Right?”
She stood up and stumbled to the front door.
“M-Maybe… he’s still alive… Maybe it’s not too late… So… I have to go back…”
She left the room, sobbing and looking terrified, making her way toward the ruins still in the process of being cleared.
“I-It’s not too late…”
Continuously murmuring, she passed by a mailbox with a newspaper clipping.
[Breaking News] Frey Raon Starlight Confirmed Dead.
– A ‘shock’ to find his body in the ruins… currently being transported to the hospital
– The first-ever Duke to be stripped of his nobility, becoming a nobody…
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