Chapter : 5
“I’ll Save You From the Bad Ending Route”
Trading With the S-Tier Character
Prea currently places absolute trust in Sally. Ever since Sally saved her life when they were children.
So getting close to Prea right now won’t benefit me at all. She’s a character who only becomes conquerable if you manage to drive Sally away first.
Which means the one I should target instead is my other capture target—Aaron.
My plan: “Deliberately steal Prea’s uniform and make Aaron come looking for me.”
As expected of the Judge’s Eye, Aaron. I knew you’d see through my lie and show up here.
Aaron has two nicknames. One of them is “Judge’s Eye.” It’s because he observes others like a machine.
He began reciting information about me.
“Airan Chandler. There isn’t a single person in this academy who doesn’t know you’re the daughter of a ruined noble house. You’re aiming for Prea’s Page position now that Sally isn’t here. Stop wasting your time. Hand over the uniform.”
He reached his hand toward me.
His other nickname: “The Razor Tongue.”
Suspicious by nature, Aaron used that razor tongue to drive away anyone who approached him or Prea with dubious intentions.
Even I, who played this game for 2,000 hours, had trouble with him. Aaron is the scariest character in the whole game.
I remembered what it was like trying to攻略 him.
No matter what gift I gave:
“Is this a bribe? Do I look like someone who’d fall for this? Vulgar.”
Even when I picked the perfect affection-raising dialogue options:
“Flattery. If you think pretty words will sway me, stop. It’s laughable.”
That’s the kind of guy he was.
Lies don’t work on him. Which means I need to answer honestly—no pretense.
I smiled confidently at Aaron.
“No. I did it so I could meet you, Lord Aaron.”
“Ridiculous. I’ve seen girls like you before. Foolish noble ladies relying solely on their looks. There’s no reason for me to speak with you.”
A normal girl might back down here—but I’m not here to win his affection.
I’m a gamer who’s played this for 2,000 hours. In real-life terms, I’ve regressed more than eighty-six times. I can predict his reactions now.
“No. Let’s make a deal, Lord Aaron.”
“…What?”
A transactional person like Aaron is easy to negotiate with—if I can just break through his wall of distrust.
Silence. As expected, doubt filled those golden eyes.
“…What deal?”
“I’ll give you proof that can catch the person who stole Lady Prea’s project. In exchange, fetch something for me.”
This was the decisive moment. I boldly trusted his brilliant deduction skills.
“You’ve already guessed who the thief is, haven’t you?”
“…And if I have?”
“It was that theft that caused your delay in graduating. Must be frustrating—having a prime suspect yet being unable to catch her.”
“Get to the point.”
He threatened in a low voice. I answered immediately.
“Prea’s Page—Sally is the culprit. She stole it, but you’re stuck because there’s no proof, right? I’ll help you.”
Yes—the real culprit is that villainess Sally. She stole the graduation project Aaron and Prea created, blocking their graduation.
A shadow fell across his face. Aaron stared at me like “what is this unpleasant girl?” Then finally sighed.
“Shameless. You show up out of nowhere, claim you have information, and boldly accuse Sally. Do you even know what Sally and Prea are to each other?”
A question. That meant he backed off a step—testing me instead of attacking.
So I answered without hesitation.
“Yes. A former maid who earned Lady Prea’s complete trust.”
“Correct. Sally once ate poisoned food meant for Prea and saved her life. After that, Prea took her in as a personal maid.”
Aaron’s eyes sharpened.
“Thanks to Prea, Sally got into Loas Academy at all. Why would someone like her steal our project?”
“Isn’t that exactly why you’re looking for proof?”
He fell silent. Some of the suspicion left his gaze.
That was the core.
Aaron suspected Sally from the moment the project vanished. She had no alibi, and she was the only one who could freely enter Prea’s room.
But there was no why.
The dinner conversation I remembered:
“Don’t you think we should find the culprit?”
“Of course! But we have no proof!”
“And what about my opinion?”
“…Didn’t I tell you not to bring that up? Don’t suspect my page.”
“You just cover for her all the time…”
“I’m telling the truth! She’s my friend!”
Aaron’s reasoning was always dismissed by Prea.
If the protagonist never solves this case, Prea and Aaron drift apart…and fall into the bad ending.
And I knew one secret detail Aaron never told Prea:
Sally didn’t eat the poison to save Prea. She stole Prea’s meal because it looked delicious—that’s all. She survived purely by luck.
Aaron uncrossed his arms and faced me properly.
“…Smarter than I expected. Fine, I’ll hear you out. But this deal only stands if your information is enough to drive Sally away.”
“Gladly.”
His goal is to expose Sally and separate her from Prea.
Which means our goals align.
All I need now is to say what I prepared through countless rehearsals.
“You asked why Sally stole the project, correct?”
My voice came out calmer than in my practice sessions.
“She was instructed to. Someone hired her.”
“…Hired? By who?”
A crease formed on his brow.
“A few months ago, I saw Sally speaking with someone late at night. It must have been then. Someone who wanted to prevent your graduation.”
“…A scheme…”
Aaron didn’t ask further. He’s smart—he likely guessed immediately.
The mastermind behind the theft is the First Prince.
Both Aaron and Prea have royal blood. The First Prince feared their top honors at graduation would threaten his claim to the throne.
Aaron knows the prince is wary of them. Instead of pressing the subject, he asked something else.
“Where’s your proof?”
“I don’t have any yet.”
He scoffed.
“And you dare propose a deal with that?”
“Please hear me out. I’ll let you catch Sally red-handed.”
I held up three fingers.
“Sally is currently vacationing in Eastwhale, right? In three days, the Mulberry Merchant Guild will be there.”
Aaron flinched.
“You’re saying she’ll try to sell our project there?”
Fast thinker.
“Exactly. She stole it on commission but doesn’t want to waste valuable goods. A potion that prestigious merchants will pay handsomely for. She’s greedy for money.”
Sally secretly deals for the Prince, and then sells the project to a guild that trades rare potions. A shameless maid indeed.
Aaron sighed, exasperated.
“Ridiculous… So you want me to stalk her without knowing the exact time or place she’ll appear. You’re telling me to gamble?”
“Yes. And you lose nothing. If I’m wrong, just ignore me. Besides…”
Aaron will gamble anyway. Because—
“Lord Aaron, you’re smart enough to turn the impossible into possible.”
I smiled.
He will catch Sally with only this information.
Aaron glared unpleasantly.
“Shameless…and calculating. With such an innocent face.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I kept smiling. Aaron held his hand out.
“Fine. What do you want?”
Deal complete. Perfect.
I proudly returned Prea’s uniform.
“The potion of Laotis you and Lady Prea created. Give it to me.”
Aaron’s eyes widened.
Speechless.
Of course he’d be stunned.
Once Aaron retrieves the stolen project, he and Prea can graduate easily without doing another one.
And I’m asking for it. Because I need it to take my mage promotion exam.
He looked like he’d been hit.
“Unbelievable… You blindsided me. All that just to get this?”
He tapped his arm three times with his finger—but he wasn’t displeased.
“Still, you’re better than Sally.”
Aaron likes clever people.
He took the uniform.
“Very well. I’ll contact you in a few days.”
He turned and left the Emerald Garden. Alone, I watched his retreating back. The breeze cooled me to my core.
“Success. The first plan worked. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to graduate, Aaron.”
This is the first moment my fate will change.
Suddenly, I remembered a scene from before I entered this world:
Metal flashed like lightning as Aaron blocked a monster’s strike.
“Run!”
“But—! What about you?”
“At least you survive!”
His face was already covered in blood.
I closed my eyes, then looked again toward Aaron’s path.
“You’ve always been a reliable ally to me, Aaron.”
I watched until he disappeared from the garden.
