Chapter 18

In general, the use of affinity is as follows.

First, it serves the purpose of entering a set episode. Once a certain level of affinity is built with characters, you can engage in additional actions through sub-episodes.

Second, it indirectly helps in clearing episodes. For example, hints and breadcrumbs about the location of memorials and correct choices are typically provided.

So, regardless of which use you’re talking about, affinity somewhat alleviates the difficulties players face while progressing through episodes.

Therefore, it’s always beneficial to increase affinity with any character, and in practice, I made sure to increase the affinity with multiple characters to make better choices.

However, Heron is a tough case when it comes to affinity.

Even though there was an affinity box, no matter what environment I was in, Heron’s affinity barely increased. This was due to his characteristics; he seemed to know a lot but couldn’t be swayed by game systems alone. Despite numerous attempts, he remained stubborn.

He was thoroughly neutral.

A person standing on the line not taking sides.

A stone-like man who could not be brought into an alliance.

Affinity hardly worked on him.

That’s why I thought he would likely counter me.

My statement about not repeating the same mistake and my request for information about Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony and banquet were contradictory.

Rather than handing them over quickly, which might ruin the coming-of-age ceremony, it was necessary to prevent this from Heron’s perspective.

“I know that much. That’s why I think an exchange is the best.”

I didn’t prompt him with that question earlier to get him to answer something we both didn’t want to.

“Please wait a moment.”

But instead of refuting me as expected, Heron left the room and returned shortly after with everything I asked for.

“What’s this?”

Nothing was missing. The pamphlet for the coming-of-age ceremony had a detailed schedule, and the internal map and guard deployment were exactly as seen in the game.

“Do you need anything else?”

“This is enough.”

Having completed his task, Heron didn’t push further. Perhaps he didn’t even ask questions he could have because of such reasons.

He didn’t leave any room for argument.

“He’s not easy at all.”

But I still had doubts, so I asked another question.

“Young Master, can you answer one thing for this old man?”

“What is it?”

“Are you… perhaps, hating the Bargrand Duke’s House?”

Hating the Bargrand Duke’s House.

I don’t know how this question came up, but it was easy to answer.

This single sentence could change things.

What effect it might have on the main episode, I wasn’t sure.

But my feelings were clear. I didn’t want to give even a grain of affection to this family. My feelings as Kim Min-hyuk were more important.

***

After finishing my conversation with Heron, the scenes I knew started to appear in the game.

Inside the room, Carsein was waiting, and the sun was setting.

The coming-of-age ceremony must be nearing its end.

I looked again at the choice window.

▶[Will you participate in Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony?]

[1. Participate.]

[2. Do not participate.]

“Sigh. It seems I can’t avoid it.”

The three waiting choices disappeared. Meaning, there was no more time to delay.

I observed closely, hoping that if I used some trick now, the choice window wouldn’t disappear, but the scene unfolded exactly as I remembered.

“Well, I already suspected this.”

After finishing my talk with Heron, I thought about it and roughly estimated.

Firstly, the second daughter, who was similar in personality to Claire, wouldn’t easily let it go if she didn’t participate in the coming-of-age ceremony.

If possible, it would greatly decrease affinity. In the worst case, an unknown dead trigger might activate.

Participating in the coming-of-age ceremony seemed almost inevitable.

Still, I hadn’t prepared a plan at all.

-Ding-dong.

To tell Camila to say I’m going to the coming-of-age ceremony, I called her. When she entered the room, she looked surprised seeing me.

“Young Master, are you really going like that?”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with the dress itself, but… it’s a dinner of the Bargrand Duke’s House…”

I understand what you mean.

But…

“There’s no proper outfit.”

There was a clear reason. Because of the Kelbia fruit, Carsein’s clothes, intentionally ruined, couldn’t be worn properly.

“Surely the young ladies will say something.”

“I know. Going like this would only tarnish the Bargrand Duke’s House.”

At that, Camila’s eyes sparkled.

“So, you’re going to wear another outfit in the banquet hall?”

“No? Why should I?”

“But, Young Master, just now…”

“I’ll go like this. Of course, as mentioned before, I just need to avoid tarnishing the Bargrand Duke’s House, right?”

Of course, it was strange. Saying I’d go dressed to tarnish the Bargrand Duke’s House and then trying to change outfits didn’t make sense.

Camila, puzzled, soon caught on and opened her mouth wide. She couldn’t help but cover her mouth with her hand, unable to voice her thoughts.

But I couldn’t stop her. The outfit for the party was already ruined and unfit to wear. Even if I called a designer now, I wouldn’t allow it.

It usually took hours to prepare for such an event, so this time was tight. But with such a simple outfit, it wouldn’t take long.

I planned to use this time to play around.

“Any other work left today?”

“Oh, that’s…”

Camila hesitated, indicating she wanted to stay longer.

***

It was a special day.

For the second princess of the Bargrand family, Claire, who was turning 19 on the eve of the new year, tonight was incredibly blessed.

Dignitaries from various regions would come to congratulate the young lady on her adulthood, chat, and present gifts, making it a busy day.

Yet, despite the excitement of the coming-of-age ceremony, Claire’s expression wasn’t good.

It should have been the happiest day.

She should have enjoyed being the center of attention and receiving blessings.

One odd sensation lingered on her palm.

“…”

Claire spread out her right hand. The hand that slapped Carsein’s cheek during the meal.

-“Man, it’s so unfair. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

She thought she had changed her mind, but seeing Carsein eat meat like an animal, ignoring dining etiquette, infuriated her.

She tried to stop him by shouting, but he acted as if he had done nothing wrong, and she couldn’t help but slap him.

However, Carsein wasn’t the cause of the commotion.

-“Such a low and dirty person, I apologize. Such a person is better off not appearing at the coming-of-age ceremony.”

-“Unpleasant people should leave first. Enjoy your meal.”

Carsein’s voice, filled with blood from his slapped cheek, echoed in Claire’s head.

“…”

“Miss Claire Bargrand. Miss Claire Bargrand?”

The guest who came to see Claire called her name a couple of times, but when she didn’t respond, Ariana stepped forward.

“Claire.”

“Aah.”

After placing her hand on Claire’s shoulder and warning her a few times, Claire finally snapped out of it. There were many people waiting for her.

“These guests came to congratulate you. You need to focus.”

During this brief moment of distraction, she didn’t even notice the coming-of-age ceremony had ended.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Haha. It’s understandable. This is a common reaction for children reaching adulthood. Miss Claire Bargrand isn’t different, which makes her approachable.”

“Our child was wondering what to do, so don’t worry too much.”

They laughed it off as a minor mistake.

It was a clear breach of etiquette. Being lost in thought during guests’ waiting was enough to warrant scolding.

Still, they didn’t criticize her directly, covering it up.

They weren’t close acquaintances.

Although they were from other families met through social gatherings, except for a few friends, most were either strangers or known only by name due to business dealings between their families.

Broadly speaking, there were also those who came to the Bargrand Duke’s House, seeking connections, even though they had never met them. Quite a few.

Seeing their attitude toward covering up her actions, Claire felt even more troubled.

Her inability to handle the situation properly, leading to the slap, continued to haunt her thoughts.

‘Has Carsein… arrived?’

She had never seen him. Her palm throbbed, and she hadn’t seen Carsein since before the coming-of-age ceremony. Could he have not come?

‘No, he must have. Mother said she would bring him.’

She firmly believed and waited, engaging in conversations with the guests.

***

When the time came, I left the mansion and unexpectedly saw this message pop up.

▶The aftermath has been neatly handled.◀

▶Rewards are given.◀

■Reward

[Recognition +10]

[Specific dangerous areas within the Bargrand Duke’s House have been lowered to a restricted level, increasing action power.]

‘What’s this?’

This was the kind of text you’d see after clearing a sub-episode.

But aftermath?

What aftermath did I finish?

I just happened to step outside the mansion.

-Hahaha!

As my head spun, laughter from the banquet hall echoed. Ironically, this laughter helped me regain my composure quickly.

“Phew. Right, these small details aren’t worth worrying about now.”

▶CHAPTER 1 – Episode III. Claire’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony is in progress!◀

▶Move to the banquet hall!◀

If you stray from the main episode, you might find yourself in trouble.

It’s best to avoid any popping up choices that could lead to different routes. The reason is obvious.

Carsein is not a noble.

In this gathering of nobles from across the empire, Carsein’s presence, picked up from a poor area, is the only flaw.

Seeing a lowly person stand proudly among noble bloodlines seems to upset the high-ranking officials.

Not attending is the best option, but not participating means a direct route to a bad ending, so I have no choice but to enter.

As I entered, the coming-of-age ceremony officially began.

-See this brat? Daring to pretend to be a noble?

-Even if maids put in effort to clean you up, your filthy blood won’t wash away, fool!

Immediately after Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony, young nobles rushed to provoke and challenge Carsein.

‘This will make Carsein angry. If I add a plausible lie, it might clarify the lines between good and evil.’

This would be the worst outcome. Public opinion would not be favorable to Carsein.

▶Entered the banquet hall.◀

▶Shall we go meet the family?◀

[1. Go meet them.]

[2. Don’t go meet them.]

‘Now is definitely not the time.’

When I first encountered this episode, I thought sticking to another family member during the coming-of-age ceremony and the banquet would work.

By insulting Carsein, I hoped to prevent nobles from provoking another member of the Bargrand family, protecting myself.

This actually worked and was the most effective choice in the game.

But now, I couldn’t choose that and shouldn’t even consider it.

Because of what happened just a few hours ago.

Despite having a strong barrier with the Kelbia allergy, the atmosphere had turned hostile. Directly scolding one of us had created another concern.

The most critical point was that I didn’t know the impact of the hidden episode.

The story could have drastically changed due to an unmentioned hidden episode. To confirm the branches and follow the known route, I needed to move cautiously.

Therefore, I had no choice but to take this indirect approach.

“Wait. Who are you?”

▶[The guard blocks the entrance. How will you react?]

[1. (waving your hand wildly) You dare speak to a noble like that?]

[2. (pounding your chest twice) Who? Don’t you recognize me? Carsein Bargrand! Damn guard, can’t you even recognize the master?]

…

…

Oh… these insane choices.

Both would significantly boost Carsein’s reputation.

I ignored them all and waited, needing to determine which branch I was in.

Options 3 and 4 weren’t much different, and option 5 gave me a rough idea.

“Sorry for the delay. I got urgent news and came right away.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“Oh, I get it. Urgent news means a few people were sent to investigate embezzlement in the duke’s house.”

“Aha. So you’re one of them?”

“Yes. Given the timing, you weren’t originally here… so you must be a new hire? You look rather timid.”

“But I do my job well.”

“Really? Well, the duke’s house doesn’t hire people without reason.”

These guards didn’t even know what Carsein looked like. It was fine. I answered vaguely, trying to cover it up.

“So, no need for inspection. Hmm. Be careful with the guests tonight.”

“And if that little punk Carsein shows up again, be extra cautious! If it affects you, it could be serious.”

“Yes.”

The guards let me in without suspicion.

“Even though I was right in front of them, no one noticed? Good.”

My appearance was clearly not that of a noble but more like a servant. There was no doubt.

Moreover, I entered not during the beginning of the ceremony but when the banquet was starting. This way, I avoided drawing attention and could avoid most conflicts.

Once inside the banquet hall, I could move freely.

‘I can avoid the dead trigger by just showing my face when leaving. The problem is where to hide…’

Where Carsein would hide until the end of the banquet was obvious. It was as visible in the game as it was here.

In such a large space, where to hide?

Whether it’s the nobles’ or servants’ eyes, the only place to hide in this vast banquet hall is…

With certainty, I opened the door.

And then…

-Kwang!

“?!!”

I collided with someone. A woman.