Chapter 18

“Your Highness, your loyal subordinate Lynn has come to report!”

【The plot deviation level of E-rank character “Nina Bellamy” has risen to 20.00%.】

After leaving the manor through the side door, Lynn, walking on the grass, suddenly heard the system notification.

He froze in place.

Those words were just off-the-cuff comments; he never expected them to actually change the plot deviation level.

And it seemed the increase was a bit too drastic.

Lynn opened the system to check his personal panel, only to find that his system points hadn’t increased at all.

Upon further reflection, that actually made sense.

If the rank from F to S represents the importance of the plot, then it should naturally be much more challenging to raise the plot deviation level.

Since the maid Nina was an E-rank character, practically the lowest tier, it’s not surprising that changes could occur so easily.

In contrast, the night he had put all his effort in front of Ivyst and ended up totally blowing it, he had only managed to increase it by a measly 0.01%. If he could push Ivyst’s plot deviation level to 100.00%, he’d earn 10,000 system points.

Following the diminishing returns, raising an E-rank character’s plot deviation to 100.00% would yield only 0.1 system points? He’d need to max out ten E-rank characters to gain just 1 point!

No wonder there were no rewards this time.

Then, Lynn tried clicking the lottery wheel next to his personal stats.

【Would you like to spend 10 system points to draw for abilities?】

Of course.

The first draw only required 1 point, yet the next one needed a whopping ten times that.

If this continues, the third draw won’t be 100 points, will it?

Lynn gasped.

As he was exploring and summarizing the system rules, his eye caught a glimpse of a parasol in the distance.

Suddenly losing interest, he closed the system with a serious expression and walked over.

Under the parasol sat a woman in a black fringed gown, reclining on a chair, her legs crossed, gently sipping a cup of hot tea.

To his surprise, today the princess had actually removed her mask, revealing her breathtaking beauty.

Next to her stood the elderly female steward, silent as ever.

Of course, if one only saw this scene, it would be serene and beautiful.

But just a few meters outside the parasol lay a puddle of glaring blood on the lawn.

Two prisoners stood in the center, their bodies pierced by countless thorns, frozen in a horrific pose as if they were being punished.

Seemingly nourished by the blood, a crimson rose was about to bloom at the tips of the thorns.

Nearby, six surviving prisoners cowered on the ground.

Judging by the strange tattoos on their necks, most likely they were members of some cult, captured for reasons unknown.

At that moment, they trembled as they huddled together.

Lynn couldn’t tell if it was the negative effect from the curse on Ivyst’s face or the gruesome sight of their fallen comrades – maybe both.

Although Lynn sensed something was off, he pretended to be unconcerned and walked up to Ivyst.

Meeting Ivyst’s calm and indifferent gaze, he paused for a moment, images involuntarily flashing in his mind.

He recalled how unjustly he had been treated at Augusta Manor that day, the humiliation of having his fate toyed with, and he couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

He was a man, and he needed to fight, to vent the bitterness and anger inside him! With that thought, Lynn took a deep breath.

Then, with a crash, he went down on one knee and proclaimed loudly, “Your esteemed and magnificent Highness the Princess, the future St. Roland VII, your loyal subordinate and inseparable family ally Lynn Bartleon has come to report!”

Ivyst hadn’t expected Lynn to show up while she was interrogating the remnants of the Creation Society.

Seeing his resolute demeanor, she thought he was about to cause a scene and want to leave the manor for his freedom.

To her surprise, he actually knelt down in an instant! “Your esteemed and magnificent Highness the Princess, the future St. Roland VII, your loyal subordinate and inseparable family ally Lynn Bartleon has come to report!”

His eyes shone with sincerity, almost sparkling like a devoted follower encountering the divine, giving her the chills.

The elderly female steward beside her seemed to have never witnessed such a scene; though she maintained her usual calm, the corner of her eye twitched slightly.

Even Ivyst herself couldn’t hold it together, coughing a bit as the warm tea went down the wrong way.

“Cough cough.”

She lightly cleared her throat, then set down her porcelain tea cup.

For reasons unknown, she felt a vague, indescribable pleasure in her heart.

The title “Future St. Roland VII” resonated with her deeply. Generally surrounded by clumsy subordinates, loyal but dull over time, it was her first time encountering someone who could actually converse like this.

It was as if a shifty-eyed rogue had infiltrated a group of loyal ministers.

With that in mind, she gazed playfully at Lynn, “What’s this? Have you suddenly had a change of heart?”

Lynn shook his head repeatedly, “I’ve suddenly reflected on my previous narrow-mindedness and foolishness, so I’ve decided to stay by your side and learn from your wisdom.”

As he spoke, he stole a glance at Ivyst, then lowered his head again.

Seeing this little move, Ivyst couldn’t help but frown deeply, her earlier pleasant mood evaporating in an instant.

She hated being scrutinized like that.

Did he think that by sparing his life, he could act so brazenly?

The atmosphere turned icy.

But just as Lynn was about to speak again, he said, “You are as beautiful as ever today.” He articulated sincerely, “I hope that every day in the future, I can have the opportunity to gaze upon your beauty like today.”

Ouch.

While she knew it was likely insincere flattery, Ivyst couldn’t help but feel immensely pleased at that moment.

The formerly tense corners of her eyes softened a bit, looking much brighter now.

“Cough cough.”

This time, it was the elderly female steward’s turn to cough.

Seemingly unable to tolerate this young man’s sweet talk any longer, she turned to Ivyst with a calm face: “Your Highness, the interrogation is not yet concluded.”

At her words, Ivyst nodded, diverting her gaze and deciding not to focus on this guy anymore.

Lynn could only remain in a half-kneeling position on the ground.

Meanwhile, he observed the several terrified cult members before him.

What are they doing?

He felt puzzled.

Ivyst quickly returned to her usual cold and imposing demeanor, her eyes devoid of emotion: “Next, choose heads or tails?”

Hearing this, the leftmost prisoner trembled, wanting to look up at Ivyst, but was too frightened to meet her gaze.

Seeing his reaction, Ivyst frowned slightly.

Of course, normal people would react like this when seeing her.

It seemed that only this guy was different from the rest.

The named prisoner, after witnessing the dreadful fates of the first two, gulped hard, feeling uneasy.

Since the first two chose tails, statistically speaking, it should be more likely to land on heads this time, right? He thought anxiously.

“I-I choose heads.”

At that, Lynn suddenly realized.

So it was a coin toss game.

Ivyst ignored the prisoner, taking another sip of her tea.

The elderly female steward stepped forward with a calm expression, raising her left hand with the back facing up while her right hand flicked a sturdy old coin into the air, letting it soar.

As the coin fell toward her hand, she swiftly covered it.

Then, in front of everyone’s eyes, she slowly revealed the result.

“Your Highness, it’s tails.”

“Pffft—!!!”

Before the pale-faced prisoner could react, countless thorns surged forth like a tide.

In an instant, they pierced his entire body with countless bloody holes!

He stood there, supported by the thorns like the previous two prisoners, convulsing in despair and bitterness.

Meanwhile, the blood-colored rose that had formed in the center of the thorns continued to bloom a bit more.