I don’t have any plans yet for mass-producing fortune cookies.
That’s just how blessings are. If you mass-produce them too much, who knows how certain routes might get tangled up later.
So I decided to just sprinkle them around those close to me.
First, I gave one to Eve.
Next was Ayla—the one who always comes to this convenience store and says things like “Today is also a rebellion!”
The reason I prioritized Ayla right after Eve is that, in a way, she stands at the opposite pole of Eve.
If she gets cursed, twisted, and becomes the reincarnation of the Act 3 boss—I can’t even imagine what would happen.
Imagine if Eve falls due to this curse, stops listening to others, does whatever she wants, starts shouting things like “So it was too much for me after all? That can’t be!”—ends up solving everything with pure mana, judging people solely by their stats, and ultimately becomes a loser student council president manipulated by the Black Flag.
And on top of that, Kelterus is already buried at the bottom. So if Ayla—the noob-slayer—gets cursed while the two strongest characters are both down in the dumps?
That’s a guaranteed bad ending.
Of course, this is reality, not a game, so there won’t be any ending messages—but Eve and Ayla might just beat me to death out of frustration, so I need to be careful.
Keep Ayla from twisting. At the same time, keep Eve from falling.
Knowing the original story is quite a difficult thing.
Are you prepared? I am prepared.
Anyway. Instead of wasting time on nonsense, I needed to focus on crafting, and when another finished product came out, I handed it to her.
“What’s this? …Oh my. It’s warm.”
Ayla took the fortune cookie I made and smiled lightly, and I gave her a brief explanation.
“…I see.”
But she didn’t seem as happy as I expected.
In the past, she would’ve said something like “A blessing! Finally, we step into the divine realm! This is a rebellion!”
“You’re not happy?”
“I am happy, but… hmm. Wolfram, are you really allowed to talk about divine blessings?”
“Hmm? …Ah. I see. There is that issue. For an imperial family member to discuss gods… it’s not exactly taboo, but it is a delicate matter.”
“Yess.”
Only then did I understand.
After completing his continental conquest, the first emperor thoroughly suppressed religion to prevent a dualization of power.
It didn’t go as far as outright persecution, but he pushed the narrative that all blessings bestowed by gods are false, and that the greatest being under heaven is the Imperial Family itself—no one can stand against the imperial bloodline!
“Our great ancestor’s conquest war ultimately brought both the celestial and demon races beneath the feet of the Imperial Family!”
This isn’t some cheap malicious propaganda or the intro to a fantasy novel—it’s a legitimate setting that exists in the official setting collection and also affects the game itself.
No joke—the first emperor actually went to both the divine realm and the demon realm and raised hell.
He marched in with his prime minister, empress, and ten elders, smashed everything, and drew the line.
“The surface belongs to humanity. I represent humanity. You shall not dare doubt the authority of the Imperial Family. If you do not, we shall remain good friends!”
And so the boundaries between humans, celestials, and demons were established, and the Imperial Family continues to act as the guardians and representatives of the surface.
So to summarize Ayla’s question:
“Considering the first emperor beat down the celestials and buried religion, is it really okay for you—an imperial grandson—to do this?”
Hmm.
There are a lot of foreshadowings tied to this, and it’s an important piece of lore in the system, but…
I can’t be bothered to explain.
“That too is a rebellion.”
“So defying heaven itself is also within your definition of rebellion. As expected of Wolfram. Wolfram von Lohengrin… Fine. As your companion in rebellion, I’ll gratefully accept this blessing!”
“Hmm.”
Sure. Let’s go with that.
It’s nice how uncomplicated she is.
—
Setting aside Eve and Ayla, who I expect will resist the curse in their own ways now that they have blessing items.
The people around me who are likely to become targets of the boss’s curse are as follows:
Nephti. Mille-feuille.
Emily Heymelody wasn’t on the list.
She’s a royal bastard and a cooking fanatic, so she might be treated as an oddball, but apparently not as a celebrity.
Thank goodness.
Since I don’t know what might happen in this boss fight, I only wanted to hand out great-success items, and the number was quite limited.
But this skill-based god-tier game always defies my expectations.
**[Crafting: Great Success!]**
**[Crafting: Great Success!]**
**[Crafting: Great Success!]**
Wait, three great successes in a row? Is this for real?
“With this, I have one left over.”
I’ve already made great-success fortune cookies for Eve, Ayla, Nephti, and Mille-feuille—and just now, another great-success one was made.
That means there’s an extra…
“Hmm.”
Rudika wasn’t on the selection list, but I couldn’t forget one face that briefly passed by in the selection I saw that day.
The Great Magic Merchant. The ultra-traumatized heroine.
Regina Siela.
Honestly, I did clear her route a few times, but still—she’s a heroine I’d rather not get involved with if possible. I understand her psychology, but I could never fully comprehend her.
“Ahhh…”
Remembering the bad ending that comes after she gets cursed and you pick a few more wrong choices, I shuddered.
“You actually die. And you die together.”
With a bright smile, in a flower field, holding Kelterus’s hand.
**[I’ve realized it, Kelterus.]**
**[I love you. You love me too, right?]**
**[Yes. So let’s leave together. To a place where no one can disturb us.]**
**[I hereby swear eternal love through action.]**
**[Together forever.]**
Saying that—
She stabs Kelterus with a knife.
And she herself gets strangled by Kelterus.
They both die happily ever after.
…………Ugh.
Are you insane? Seriously.
That ending is not acceptable. It still remains as a scar in my heart.
Anyway, I did tell Regina before to prepare a blessing item. But thinking about it, they’re not that easy to obtain.
Especially since no one goes outside the residential district—how are they supposed to find ancient divine realm ruins?
“It’s right to give it to her.”
Regina Siela.
I don’t know who will beat her three times and end up the target of her complete obsession, but if things go wrong, we’ll be cleaning up two corpses in Zefflin.
I don’t know who it might be, but I can’t let that victim be created.
“…But where am I supposed to meet her?”
I don’t want to go looking for her.
Ugh, really—isn’t there some way I can just toss it to her somewhere?
That worry of mine—
“Wolfram, are you interested in a social gathering?”
“A social gathering?”
—was resolved much sooner than expected.
—
Ayla, who had suddenly brought up the social gathering, explained as follows:
“The Triesta family has been doing incredibly well thanks to you this time, right? Ore sales have increased, and more importantly, we’ve acquired other mines and cleared out the monsters—so it’s no exaggeration to say the west is now our territory.”
“Hmm. That’s good news.”
“Yes. Thanks to you, Wolfram. Anyway, the family sent word: ‘It’s about time you attend the Zefflin social gathering and showcase our family’s reformation.’ And while we’re at it, we can build connections with the central nobility too.”
“Count Glass must have a lot on his mind.”
“Honestly, I could skip it. No one can afford to ignore the Triesta family no matter what they say.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“Well, back when we were financially unstable for a while, there were some people who tried to threaten our family. You had to step down from the student council too, and I had my own… I got annoyed enough to become a bit prickly.”
Ah.
When I first met her, Ayla had such cold eyes.
“But now both you and I have become incredibly great, right? So let’s go and show off! We’ll say, ‘We rebel!’ And also—”
“And also?”
“It’s a chance to knock Regina Siela down a peg!”
Her motivations are so simple and easy to understand.
A social gathering that Regina Siela will attend.
Is it like that tea party I attended in Eve’s place before?
“Of course, half of it is a joke. Wolfram is the type who operates in the shadows, so you don’t have to worry…”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
“…Excuse me?”
“When is it?”
“Th-this weekend.”
“Got it. Is the dress code the school uniform?”
“Yes, but… hmm. Right. Eve von Lohengrin took everything, didn’t she? Even your suit.”
“That’s right. Don’t worry about it.”
“Hmm. Yess.”
Hmm. Nice.
Clothes are ridiculously expensive, after all.
I’ll just go, stand quietly like a folding screen next to Ayla, hand it to Regina, and run away.
A clean solution!
—
And then came the weekend.
I’d heard it was a social gathering attended only by noble family children.
But the dress code was the school uniform, so naturally I assumed it would be a casual affair.
But it wasn’t.
First of all, it wasn’t the attire.
Ayla suddenly said, “It’s not rebellious enough!” and procured formal wear from somewhere.
As a result—instead of the white school uniform, Wolfram von Lohengrin appeared in a red formal coat with golden thread extending from his shoulders to his chest. Beside him stood Ayla Triesta in a jet-black dress with black wing-shaped hairpins pinned in her hair.
Perfect for drawing attention.
Anyone can see this is the setup for a villainous prince and his fiancée crashing a social gathering.
And that’s exactly how it played out.
“Presenting His Highness Wolfram von Lohengrin, Imperial Prince!”
After that, my name was announced several more times for all to hear.
When an imperial family member’s name is called at a social gathering, it’s said they can be hailed up to seven times.
It’s a demonstration of authority, and also a signal for everyone to stop their side conversations and focus on the entrant.
Don’t do it. Really, don’t.
Don’t make everyone’s eyes focus on me.
The result—a bombardment of gazes that surpassed even the last tea party.
Some closed their eyes and bowed their heads slightly. Most of them were the ones I’d met at that tea party before.
On the other hand, there were a few who sent glances asking, “Why is he here?”
No.
Don’t look at me with those eyes.
If you look at me with those eyes…
**[The user is in a situation where their bloodline is being disregarded.]**
**[Forced auto-counter against surrounding mongrels is activated.]**
**[In accordance with the deeds of the imperial bloodline, the banner is raised high even amid persecution.]**
I knew this would happen.
Damn skill.
He’s going to start talking endlessly with something like, “Shall I begin telling the story of Wolfram now?”
It’s a reenactment of the tea party.
Just as I thought that, another prompt appeared.
**[Imperial Bloodline proficiency increases.]**
**[For 5 minutes in a crisis situation, all words spoken by the user will be subject to the Imperial Bloodline effect.]**
**[Auto-counter evolves.]**
**[True dignity can never be hidden even in everyday life. The power to dominate one’s surroundings strengthens.]**
No.
Why.
On earth.
How.
**[“That head is held high. If you have heard my name in those ears, there is a proper courtesy you ought to perform.”]**
It was instantaneous.
In the blink of an eye, everyone either closed their eyes or dropped to one knee on the spot.
Not a single exception.
“Wolfram, are you okay?”
**[“I’m fine. Do not worry.”]**
“…Y-yes. I-I see.”
Even Ayla’s face was oddly flushed.
She’s also feeling the pressure from the imperial bloodline.
Crazy bastard.
No—crazy skill, seriously…
—
The story so far:
The social gathering where Wolfram suddenly appeared and crushed the atmosphere!
It’s already easy enough to get stabbed by nobles, but how will Wolfram von Lohengrin navigate this crisis?
By keeping his mouth shut.
Yes.
After that, I didn’t open my mouth once.
Only Ayla walked around here and there, chatting with people.
Look at the expressions of those she spoke with. They look at Ayla, desperately try not to look at me, look back at Ayla—their eyes are having an earthquake.
Whether Ayla knew this or not, she kept going around talking to everyone.
Last time at the tea party, I dragged things out for an incredibly long time, but now—truly surprisingly—no one even tried to meet my gaze.
Not that I mind—that’s what I wanted—but it feels desolate.
It was Ayla who came to talk to me.
After going around to the other nobles, puffing out her chest and showing off, she trotted over to talk to me.
Thank you, Ayla. That’s all I can say.
“I walked around alone because I thought you’d get tired if we stuck together… Are you okay?”
**[“That’s thoughtful of you. I appreciate it.”]**
“Ehehe…”
**[“Have you finished greeting everyone?”]**
“Yes! Thanks to you, I got through it really comfortably.”
**[“What do you mean?”]**
“Well, thanks to you seizing the initiative from everyone, my prestige went up, didn’t it?”
Ah. So that interpretation works too.
“Now there’ll be an uproar in the noble circles. They’ll say Wolfram von Lohengrin has returned. That he never faded away.”
**[“…”]**
“The ruthless tyrant. The overlord. The one who stood at the pinnacle of all—you’ve returned, so restoration to the student council presidency is just around the corner.”
**[“I see. So that’s how it’s interpreted.”]**
“Yes. Wasn’t that the pressure you were applying?”
No. Don’t.
I have no intention of doing that.
“Then I’ll go greet a few more people. Wolfram, please wait a moment.”
**[“Do that.”]**
A deep sigh escapes me naturally.
Anyway, what matters is getting through this situation somehow.
“Your majesty remains as mighty as ever. His Highness Wolfram von Lohengrin.”
“…”
Countless thoughts cross my mind.
A voice I’ve definitely heard many times.
But also a voice I’m hearing for the first time in reality.
A long ponytail tied up and reaching down to her waist.
One gem on her necklace.
One on each earring.
One on each hand.
One on each ankle—seven jewels shimmering in seven colors.
In the official setting—
A knight who was once one of Wolfram von Lohengrin’s subordinates.
**[“Isolde Cruel”]**
The current 4th-year Knight Department top student.
**[Jewel Sword] [Isolde Cruel]**
The main heroine of the Knight Department, and the personality-broken female knight responsible for the most bad endings.
“This seems to be our first meeting since your abdication, Your Highness. Have you been well?”
**[“Yes. I’ve been safe and well. And you?”]**
“Oh my, now you even care about your subordinate’s well-being. You’ve changed a lot.”
**[“You’re no longer my subordinate. I’m not the student council president anymore.”]**
“And yet your majesty is stronger than I’ve ever seen it. Fufu. I’ve rambled on too long. You did ask about my recent situation.”
**[“Indeed.”]**
I stared into her eyes and asked.
After all, she’s one of the heroines, and the one with the most severe breakdown.
I was curious what path she was walking now.
To my question, Isolde answered with a smile that held not a shred of doubt.
“I am devoting myself to my studies with the goal of entering graduate school, Your Highness.”
See?
She really is a personality-break case.
