The next day. Phitia had disappeared.
More precisely, she said not to come because “Big sis has to go monitor the gates today.”
We made an agreement to meet at the library twice a week from now on.
Naturally, I probably won’t have much reason to go—I’ll likely send Eve instead.
A sacrifice to the demon dragon—a little sister should be plenty, don’t you think?
Thanks, Eve. I won’t forget your sacrifice.
Well.
Thanks to that, today is a day off.
Sitting on the convenience store chair, spinning a pen, I wrote down the things I needed to do on a piece of paper.
What I’m writing now is the strategy for the 【Dragon’s Trial】 and the 【Eight Gates】.
But just knowing the strategy doesn’t automatically make things work out.
“The Dragon’s Trial requires a minimum of 8 Health. The Eight Demon Gates… minimum 15 Health.”
Both are far-off stories for me right now.
This accursed status.
“If I stack it with items obtainable from Eve’s Act 7 and Isolde’s Act 8, I can clear two of the gates… but I can’t do anything about the foundational stats.”
The 【Eight Demon Gates】 are endgame content.
Knowing the strategy doesn’t mean you can just charge in and clear it.
Not to mention, this dungeon itself has the extreme restriction that “Eve cannot be used.”
Because by the time you enter this dungeon, Eve has already graduated.
And on top of that, Kelter stays at the Academy by entering graduate school to uphold his oath with the dragon.
This dungeon, with such insane settings, also serves as D/Z SAGA’s endgame content.
In other words, it wasn’t made to be cleared in the first playthrough!
【Carry over first-playthrough stats and items】
【Spend ages grinding and raising your stats】
【Set up your party with the strongest gear】
Clear it in the second playthrough!—that’s what the developers intended.
The standard strategy was to finish Eve’s route, carry over her bond skill 【Transcendent Demon God】 into the second playthrough, then clear it with magic.
And wrapping yourself in Hark’s mythical gear was the bare minimum.
Me?
I did clear it in the first playthrough, actually.
I’ve tried all sorts of challenges—clearing without mythical weapons, clearing without any armor, etc.—but even so, if asked to do it right now, I can only express reluctance.
I really don’t want to do it.
No, even for me right now, it’s absolutely impossible even if you beat me to death.
“With Kelter’s current level of specs, I can meet the minimum cut… but with Health 2, no matter what I do, there’s no answer.”
In other words, let’s postpone the strategy for the 【Eight Gates】 for now.
More than that.
Right now, it’s Ayla and Regina’s duel.
From my position, I absolutely want Ayla to win, and I intend to make that happen.
For that, the first prerequisite is Ayla’s magic power +1.
I have a rough idea of the battle tactics after that.
“Postpone the 【Eight Gates】 strategy, and just break the 【Oath】 to earn trust.”
Earn Phitia’s favor to gain Magic Power +1. This falls under the Dragon’s Trial.
Clear the Eight Demon Gates together with Phitia. This falls under the Phitia route strategy.
In other words, gaining Magic Power +1, strictly speaking, has nothing to do with clearing the Eight Gates.
“Even so… Hmm. I need to think about this a bit more.”
“…Senior?”
While I was lost in thought with the pen tip in my mouth.
The convenience store door opened, and I heard a chirping voice.
That chirping—is it Millefeuille?
“What brings you here?”
“Th-that, I came to buy a drink… and I also wanted to talk with you, Senior, so I, that… W-what exactly are you doing?”
“Thinking. I have something to ponder for a moment.”
“U-ugh. Wh-why are you sweeping your hair back with your right hand?”
Because my bangs were bothering me a little.
“Wh-why did you have the pen tip in your mouth?”
Because I was in the middle of thinking?
“Why are you sitting with your clothes neatly arranged, one leg crossed, deep in thought…?”
Because that’s the comfortable position for thinking…?
“Is something wrong?”
“Ugh!”
At my gaze, Millefeuille pressed her chest with her right hand.
Like someone with pain near their heart.
…Does she have arrhythmia?
“Are you okay?”
“Why why are you looking at me with those eyes… if you look at me like that, I… if you worry about me with that kind of gaze…”
“Hm?”
“W-with the pen tip in your mouth, crossing your legs, lost in thought with those intellectual eyes… Ugh,”
She’s occasionally in a strange state, but today she’s even weirder than usual.
Is it because of the heat?
“Millefeuille.”
“Calm eyes. The passion hidden within them… a smile that can’t conceal intelligence, arms that can lead someone, steps toward the future. A warmth that seems to exist within intense light…”
“…Millefeuille?”
What on earth is happening?
Why is Millefeuille’s breath so excited, her face flushed, and she’s acting like she’s about to grab me at any moment?
As if she’s under some kind of charm or enchantment status effect…
“Ah.”
That’s it.
“Calm down, Millefeuille.”
“It’s hard to calm down after seeing that… Sen, Senior, it’s your fault.”
Millefeuille’s eyes were becoming like Regina’s.
I can also see Isolde in her 【Seven Swords Rampage】 state.
“Calm down. This is the effect of the 【Secret Lovely Potion】.”
“A potion that makes you more secretive and lovely? Even more than this? How is that possible? Did you use it in front of me? Is there a reason for that? Senior?”
Good heavens.
That kind of interpretation?
“It’s already hard enough as it is… you’re the one at fault for using something like that, Senior. Because you look at me with those eyes…”
“No, that was unavoidable.”
“It’s okay. From now on, I’ll think of it as unavoidable too.”
…
……
Tch.
Her eyes are already gone.
First, activate the Imperial Bloodline.
“【Calm down, Millefeuille von Sabre】”
“……Ugh.”
“【Get a hold of yourself】”
I overwrote the status effect on Millefeuille with 【Intimidation】.
Immediately after, I deactivated 【Imperial Bloodline】.
“Are you back to your senses?”
“I-I’m sorry, Senior… It felt like I wasn’t myself until just now.”
“No, that was also the potion’s influence. I should be the one apologizing.”
“Ugh…”
【Charm】 and 【Intimidation】 are in the same category and of the same tier, so this trick was possible.
Anyway.
Millefeuille isn’t meeting my gaze.
My, my. The psychological damage must have been severe.
“Look this way. We should have proper eye contact when we talk.”
“A-ah, no. How could I possibly make eye contact… Ugh…”
“I don’t mind.”
“I-I’m sorry. But I, I’m not okay. Senior…”
Well, that’s only natural.
It’s understandable to be embarrassed.
“Are you embarrassed that your feelings were exposed?”
“……Huh?”
Only then did Millefeuille raise her head and look at me.
An incredulous gaze directed at me.
“There’s no need to be that embarrassed. I already know everything.”
“Sen, Senior?”
“Millefeuille. I’m saying I know the true meaning of the feelings you hold toward me.”
“………Ugh.”
“There’s no need to be embarrassed now.”
With a bright red face, Millefeuille squirmed and let out a couple of deep breaths.
“You truly… knew about my feelings?”
“……”
“Please answer me. Senior.”
“Of course.”
“……Ah.”
Well, if I hadn’t noticed, I’d be a fool and an idiot.
The feelings Millefeuille holds toward me.
“You trust me. Don’t you?”
“……Yes.”
“Zefflin is a survival of the fittest. I also know that you trust and rely on me.”
“Ye, yes…”
She came to Zefflin alone from that rural eastern area.
How anxious she must have been. Feeling like she was thrown into the world alone.
Millefeuille faithfully followed me for my trivial help.
Because she’s that anxious,
her unfortunate fate meant she had no choice but to trust and follow even a third-rate villain like me.
In other words, Millefeuille…
“There’s no doubt she thinks of me as a senior she can trust.”
“?”
“To exaggerate a bit further, she follows me like a father. Not a difficult guess.”
“………………?”
As expected.
Look at that—Millefeuille can’t even form words, just staring at me with her mouth agape.
This Wolfram von Lee Young-jin, who accurately reads people’s hearts.
A psychological master that would put even a fortune-teller to shame. I never miss.
“…Heh, hehe.”
As expected. My answer was right.
Millefeuille is looking at me with an innocent, clear smile.
“Hehe, uhehe, uhehehehehe.”
But Millefeuille.
Why are you alternating your gaze between the ‘Cartridge-Type Battle Gauntlet Mk.2 Founder’s Edition’ and me?
—
Millefeuille stared intently at her own fist.
It had been an impulsive action, so she released it quickly, but still, she couldn’t stop a deep sigh from escaping.
“…Really. Senior is…”
“Hm. It’s fine.”
What do you mean ‘Hm.’
Senior always says things like ‘Hm’ or ‘Mm’ as if he knows everything.
Could it be that he actually doesn’t know anything?
Or maybe he knows but pretends not to?
Countless emotions tangled into an unravelable knot, and another question piled on top of a question without an answer. Before diving into that tangled ball of questions, I should ask.
“Senior. I have something I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
“That Secret Lovely Potion—what exactly is its effect?”
“It’s a potion that makes it easier to gain favor with me.”
“……”
My heart pounds.
It feels like it’s about to burst right now.
Can I ask the next question?
Before I could weigh my options, the words came out first.
“Why did you take such a potion?”
The pounding won’t stop.
Could it be to look good to me? No. Millefeuille. Let’s not have vain imaginations.
Or perhaps for Ayla senior? That would make sense. But would she really need such a potion?
Or maybe Rudika senior? Nefty senior?
Who exactly was this potion for?
Whose favor were you trying to gain?
“……”
He’s troubled.
I haven’t known Wolfram senior for long, but this person stops talking, furrows his brow, and chooses his words carefully when he’s troubled.
“I…”
“Yes.”
I waited for an answer.
More precisely, I waited for the single answer inside me.
If a different answer came out, I would probably leave this place, return to the dormitory, and cry my heart out. I was sure of it.
And then, Senior—with an awkward expression—slowly opened his mouth.
“After all, I thought I was in a position to be hated by all of Zefflin, wasn’t I?”
“……?”
I didn’t think so, though?
“As you know, Wolfram von Lohengrin committed many sins last year. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the greatest villain in Zefflin.”
“Th-that’s right. So…”
“Mm. So that’s why. I don’t intend to try to look good to everyone now, but even so, as someone running a business, I have to care about my reputation.”
“So that’s why you took it…?”
He nodded.
This person…
Even though just pointing a finger at anyone in Zefflin could bring them down.
He was afraid of that.
“If you think about it, making it easier to gain favor means sweeping away hostility.”
“…Hehe. Is that so? The hatred of the whole world disappears?”
“Why are you laughing?”
“No. It’s nothing.”
Because of this,
because he’s this kind of person.
Great, passionate, intellectual, embracing everyone, squeezing out superhuman wisdom—but
actually modest, meeting you at eye level, disliking being hated, and sincerely encouraging you.
That’s why… I don’t want this to end as just senior and junior.
This time, let’s take a big step forward.
“Wolfram senior. I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it.”
“I, Millefeuille von Sabre, am currently the first-year class president.”
“That’s right. Truly admirable.”
“Yes. I believe it’s all thanks to your help, Senior.”
“No. It’s the result of your own efforts.”
“…Do you really think so?”
“Of course.”
“If that’s the case. In this final exam, if I maintain my class presidency… could you give me a reward?”
“Of course. The Cartridge-Type Battle Gauntlet Mk.3 is already ready to be made.”
“No. That’s not what I mean.”
My heartbeat echoes in my ears.
It’s the scream of the weak-hearted Millefeuille inside me.
I force myself to ignore it and continue speaking.
Please be quiet for now.
“After this final exam is over… I want to hang out together, just the two of us, in the residential district.”
“Hang out?”
“Yes. Just meeting casually, having a meal, watching a performance, eating dessert—just the two of us, with you, Senior.”
“You’re not calling anyone else?”
“…Yes. Just the two of us. As a reward, could you give me your time, Senior?”
“Understood. I don’t know what you’d do with that, but…”
“…Thank you.”
Phew.
I got a definite answer.
“…Are you leaving?”
“Even if the written exam is fine, I have to work hard on the practical.”
“I see.”
I clenched my fist tightly.
Maintaining the top spot isn’t easy.
For a perfect score in practicals, I have to fight five people and maintain three or more wins.
First-year vice-president, Kelter. Third-ranked, Gale.
Not only them, but also Shinespark and Celtia.
All of them have higher stats than me, and they’re all strong opponents.
“Millefeuille.”
“Yes. Senior.”
“Give it your best.”
“Yes!”
But at this very moment, I’m confident I won’t lose to anyone.
Senior.
When that day comes, I’ll definitely show you.
That there are certainly people who never held even a shred of malice toward you from the very beginning.
