The beastkin maids of the Boreas household provided meticulous guest room service every day.
So, before nightfall, the bedrooms in the estate would already be lit by candlelight.
At this moment—
The flickering flame clearly illuminated the shifts in Allen's expression.
It wasn't the constipated frown one might expect, but rather… a complex mix of shame and self-disgust.
He placed the folded letter detailing the Great Teleportation arrangements onto the table—
But didn't rush to open it.
He merely stared at the paper silently.
The candle burned. Time flowed.
Allen's hand moved.
He reached into his collar and pulled out a necklace.
A crystal-clear blue magic stone swayed in the warm glow, its light flickering in his eyes.
It was the fire of desire yet unlit.
Mist coalesced.
[So this is what it means to act as you wish, with unity between thought and action?]
Allen silently shook his head.
'Can you not insult me every day? Is that how you treat your host?'
The mist trembled as if laughing.
[Oh? Holding grudges now? Didn't I obediently respond to your request last night, Master Host, and present you with that long-distance crush Roxy's lovely side profile?]
[What, you fell asleep before even finishing it—that's hardly my fault, right?]
Allen rubbed his forehead with a sigh.
'Can you be serious for once?'
The words in the mist flickered and disappeared.
Seemed displeased with Allen's tone, about to slip away.
But the next moment—
It slammed itself right in front of Allen's eyes—so close he could feel it!
As if trying to dive into his very eyeballs, just to make sure he could see it more clearly.
It was too excited!
Like a nosy classmate rushing over the moment the bell rings to gossip about someone's crush, or a dog owner losing their mind because their shiba inu found a girlfriend.
The mist began spewing words at lightning speed:
[So! Dearest Host~ What are we conflicted about today?]
[Let me guess~]
[Is it the word "Hilda" you wrote last night? Some vague connection through bloodline? Understandable, really. After so many years apart, a "peek" is totally forgivable.]
[But since you've already decided to "peek," why this expression now?]
[Looking at the necklace?]
[Is it Roxy?]
[But you just looked at Roxy last night. After all those late-night one-sided video peeks—seeing her draft letter after letter, scratching out awkward phrasing—you still don't get how much she loves you? What's to be conflicted about?]
[Ah~ So it's—]
[Sylphy!]
[What's wrong?! Can't pretend anymore?! Finally realized how much Sylphy loves you, huh~ Oh no, what ever shall you do~]
The mist scattered before Allen's now visibly darkening expression, then suddenly condensed again!
[Obviously, take her! What's there to hesitate about? You've already isekai'd—what's a proper isekai without a harem?!]
That line made Allen's blood pressure skyrocket. He immediately tried to swat the mist away, but this time, the system's display refused to cooperate. The mist danced around his hand and hovered firmly in front of him.
[What's wrong? Feeling guilty? Torn between having both girls? Want the side-wife, but afraid the main one won't accept it? Afraid you'll lose both if you force it?]
'Shut up.'
[Why? Just gotta go by order of appearance, right? There's a template to follow!]
[According to the original story, Rudy took Sylphy first, leveraged her unconditional acceptance, and found the right timing to bring in Roxy. Simple, right? What's the dilemma?]
'Shut up.'
[Shut up? Why? Just because you have a tracking system doesn't mean you have to pursue Roxy. Just keep her on the hook! Maintain the online romance! She's already engraved your image in her heart—it's hard for her to fall for anyone else now, right? Send a letter every few months to keep up that "anticipation." Ten years of that is totally doable. Her lifespan can take it.]
[Didn't you want to avoid the fallout of the Great Teleportation? Then keeping Sylphy by your side and raising her into a perfect partner is ideal. Raise her until she's of age, fake some impotence, let her "push" you—what's the harm? You're just… treating an illness, right?]
[Then, lightning marriage. Once she's pregnant, find some excuse to go look for Roxy—maybe enter a labyrinth. Reunite after years, sparks fly, "the mistake every man makes"—and boom!]
[Then use Roxy's shame and Sylphy's tolerance to your advantage. Bring Roxy before your already-pregnant Sylphy, kneel and beg forgiveness. Let Sylphy propose a divorce! Then tell her "I'm sorry" and push her to accept your harem. Harem accomplished.]
[Perfect! Perfect!!]
[Absolutely flawless!!]
[See? The script is all written out for you and you're—]
[Still hesitating?!]
Allen slammed the desk with a bang.
'Shut up!'
He pointed at his eyes, speaking slowly.
'If it weren't for your damn mission, I would've gone with Roxy back in Buena Village! It's been over a year since I last saw her, and now you want me to avoid her for another eight?! A decade-long double-push setup—do you think that's fun? Cool? Surrounded by women, you think that makes you some kind of badass?'
Allen was livid, running his fingers roughly through his hair.
'You think this is a galgame? A damn novel? I see Roxy and Sylphy with my own eyes! They're not drawings! Not images! They bleed, they feel, they love! They're living, breathing people! Using shame? Using tolerance? Screw you! You even human?!'
[I'm really not.]
'Then screw you anyway!'
[Someone's mad.]
Allen froze, then took a deep breath to calm himself.
The system panel floated around his face, drifting as if pacing.
[Whether I'm human or not doesn't matter.]
[What matters is—]
'It'—mist-like—drifted to Allen's ear,
Whispering:
[What now?]
[You want to respect them? And respect yourself?]
[Then will you keep pretending not to see the fire in Sylphy's eyes? Or accept her love and write to formally reject Roxy?]
[Hmm?]
[Which will it be?]
Allen stayed silent.
[First time was the fall into despair. Second, the room at the Greyrat home. Third, the morning after the assassination attempt in the rain.]
[Three strikes.]
[Why don't you count how many times you've fallen for Sylphy, you scumbag?]
[Keep hiding?]
[Then let me ask you, Allen.]
The mist paused in front of him, slowly swirling—
A question from the depths of the soul.
[Can you—]
[Still hide it?]
(End of Chapter)
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