Sliteyed

“Zero, you’re absolutely not some stupid fool. I can guarantee that.” “…Huh?” “It means stop tearing yourself down. Self-loathing eats away at your body and mind before you even notice.” -The kind of idiot who’ll do anything to protect something precious… and then fails, and ends up wrecking even himselfd. The self-deprecating line I’d thrown…

“So you’re saying it can’t be done?” “Yes.” “Absolutely not?” “Yes.” “Urgh… can’t be helped, then. We’ll just have to aim for the next opportunity.” Dwener grumbled, sounding genuinely disappointed. Caron quietly wiped away the sweat trickling down his back. It had all started with Dwener’s absurd suggestion to submit a petition so Zero could…

“What do you mean? You’re talking like there’s some other route into the Imperial Knight Order.” The Imperial Knight Order was where the Empire’s best talents gathered. Even among the instructors, only a select few ever made it there, so there was no way Zero could. Lowell, who’d been idly kicking her short legs, suddenly…

Caron wasn’t the only one who showed up. Two knights had their arms tied, hands bound behind their backs, and at the end of their rope stood one instructor holding it. ‘Bickerd, Redington, and Instructor Joan, huh.’ This was another scene that had never appeared in the game. ‘I’ve been thinking this ever since the…

Shortly after. “The noise stopped. Looks like things got handled over there too.” “Yep. You’re not just cute, your ears are sharp… that’s my little sister for you!” “Because your strategy worked perfectly. You’re seriously amazing!” “We pulled it off because you caught the demon. My Delin is incredible!” ‘Hey, I’m the one who made…

Why Lowell ever picked up a sword. Obviously, it was to protect Rodelin. ‘Father plans to use Rodelin to deal with the Second Legion Commander.’ Was it a desperate misread, or did he really put all his hopes on Rodelin? I didn’t know which, but one thing was crystal clear. ‘I need to get stronger…

[Crossroads event occurred! Please choose one of the two.] [1. Persuade Lowell and help her reconcile with Rodelin (Current Success Rate 65%)] [2. Follow Lowell’s will] Right on cue, a system window popped up. A Crossroads event—one of the game’s usual tricks. The catch with these was simple: the story freezes until you pick one…

Baron Kelven stared vacantly at the shard of a top-grade magic stone. Then he snapped his head up and shouted. “W-We can start over!” “…” “Pjol! With this, we can begin again! No more fighting pointless territorial wars, no more groveling for help like beggars!” Baron Kelven’s eyes brimmed with hope. But Pjol’s gaze held…

Blue flames scattered. Rodelin’s clean vertical slash. Baron Kelven, who had stepped back, frantically felt around his body. Orobas, who had moved to his arm, did the same. “Wh-what?” “A-are we alive? I’m sure we were cut…” No matter how much they touched, there were no signs of being cut. Baron Kelven’s mouth split wide…

Baron Kelven wiped the bodily fluids remaining on his face with his hand. The reason Orobas gave him freedom was simple. Having achieved his primary goal of rendering Lowell unable to fight, there was no reason to keep Baron Kelven bound. Well, it was also a crisis situation. Baron Kelven looked around, trying to assess…