ITITPS 11

Chapter : 11

‘I guess… you missed me too.’

Seeing the last dialogue choice, I knew my guess had been right.

I’d assumed the past settings wouldn’t have changed, but if Ilya’s default values shifted, the contents of Chapter 2 suddenly made a lot more sense.

Still, pretending I already knew would spoil the fun. I selected the second choice.

“I… don’t know what you mean.”

“Ah…”

Ilya let out a pained sigh. His hand gripping my back tightened.

“…It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Ilya’s trembling breath brushed against the back of my neck.

“Just having you here is enough.”

“Cardinal. Isn’t there any way for Asha not to become the Hero?”

A day had passed since Ilya’s event. As soon as Serena saw Mute again, she blurted that out.

“The Hero is chosen by the Goddess. Humans can’t interfere. Besides—”

Mute sighed and looked at me. His face was just as troubled.

“Yesterday, a message arrived from His Imperial Majesty at the temple. They plan to invite the prophesied Hero to the palace and host a grand welcome banquet.”

“Ha! That old hag is really going all in, huh? So she’s planning to chain her up, consent or not.”

“No, I don’t think that’s their intention—”

“Silence.”

Serena dismissed Mute’s objection without hesitation.

Knowing her fiery temper all too well, Mute wisely shut his mouth. If he argued, the room might literally catch fire at this rate.

Silence fell again. Serena glared at the floor, then turned her head toward me.

“Asha. Even if you’re the Hero, there’s no reason you should be thrown into a death trap. The more you touch magic, the more damage you take. Meeting demons is a ticking time bomb for you. So…”

“…Serena?”

“If you want to run, do it. I’ll help you.”

I hadn’t expected that at all. My eyes went wide.

Serena is a character driven by strict beliefs—toward herself and others.

She burns with hatred for demons who massacred her clan, yet when she finally gets her revenge, she chooses saving lives over vengeance.

She’d sooner die honorably on the battlefield than run away.

So while she might grieve watching the Hero get injured fighting demons, she had never—not once—told her to quit.

Not even once.

[That’s not an option.]

[…I don’t want to die.]

Two options glimmered before me. I knew in my gut this was a branching point.

By the book, I should pick 1. But for some reason, I wanted 2.

If we run away now… does that unlock a new ending? Or…

“…I don’t want to die.”

Maybe there’s no such ending in the first place.

Serena’s face brightened at my opening line, but the dialogue wasn’t done yet.

“But if I run away, a lot of people will die.”

Good, choices.

Right now, I’m becoming that cool hero—terrified of death yet walking forward to save others.

Trying not to sound excited, I added calmly:

“So I can’t run away, Serena.”

[Serena’s Affection +10]

A whole ten points—unexpected, but proof my line hit her hard.

I heard Serena suck in a tiny breath. She turned her head and rubbed her face as if looking me in the eyes was too hard.

“…I agree. Yeah, running away from a duty that’s yours to bear is cowardly.”

It sounded like she was talking more to herself than me.

After repeating it to herself several times, she finally looked straight at me.

“Then Hero—I’ll stay at your side. I’ll stand with you to bring down the demons—the enemies of humankind.”

[Serena wants to join your party.]
[Accept?]

There was no universe where I’d refuse.

Missing even one main character spikes the difficulty, and Serena’s the only one with AoE attacks. A party without her is unthinkable.

Naturally, I accepted. Serena’s expression brightened.

[Serena has joined your party.]
[First party member recruited!]
[Current party size (2/5)]

“Looking forward to it, Serena.”

Next chapter: the Imperial Palace. The real game begins now.

[Chapter 4. Palace Ball]

A new chapter window popped up and the background shifted.

I glanced to the top of my HUD to check the time.

Legally adults have no play limits, but Plang hard-coded a forced logout at 14 hours for my health.

I had 8 hours of real time left—32 in-game—just enough to squeeze in Chapter 4.

“The palace renovates itself every day, huh. They changed the color again.”

“Looks like Her Highness is obsessed with blue this time.”

“Better than that garish pink… but still awful.”

Serena and Ilya each made a comment looking at the building, painted in a blinding shade of blue.

Serena recoiled from the vivid color clashing with the stately architecture.

“The princess clearly has zero aesthetic sense!”

“She’s twelve. What did you expect?”

“At that age, didn’t you already join monster hunts?”

Ilya defended his younger cousin, but Serena’s rebuttal left him silent.

The gap between a sheltered princess and the lives they’d lived was too vast to argue.

‘Actually, her life hasn’t been all that easy either.’

That sky-blue palace belonged to Princess Vivian—the younger sister of third romance route character, Michael.

She was a bit arrogant and childish, but I liked her. Beneath her prickly bravado lay insecurity and inferiority…

Of course, the biggest reason is that she likes me. I don’t get along with kids in the real world.

“Hero, please come this way.”

A palace attendant bowed and led me along. Then she addressed Ilya walking beside us.

“My apologies, but your attire has been prepared separately. If His Grace would follow that page over there—”

“Ah, understood.”

His face flushed scarlet at the mention of changing clothes.

Serena shot him a glance and grinned wickedly.

“Well, well. A big, strapping man of twenty-four getting all shy?”

“…I have no interest in the Tower Master.”

“Naturally. Why would you look elsewhere when you’re already besotted with someone?”

Ilya turned away primly, and Serena snickered.

I stared blankly. Why did they seem so close?

They weren’t supposed to warm up to each other until around Chapter 6.

Serena was friendly enough not to dislike Ilya, but they barely interacted.

They only bonded after two harrowing battles.

…Did a special patch give them more shared history?

“Asha? Are you feeling unwell?”

Serena eyed my avatar’s pallor with concern.

I was just enjoying how different they were from previous playthroughs, but with my avatar’s frail condition, she had reason to worry.

Of course, my real body is fine—even if my avatar bleeds. Pain settings are off.

“I’m fine. Really.”

“The palace’s divine power should help, but… if you hurt even a little, tell me.”

She clearly didn’t believe me entirely, but let it go.

We followed the attendant to a large chamber.

As she said—dressing room. Rows and rows of dresses lined the walls.

Naturally, none were mine. Clearly they stocked them for guests who might need wardrobe changes.

“So it’s this outfit again.”

Serena picked up her sparkling new uniform, expression strangely sentimental.

Normally she’d just say ‘Nice coat. Imperial designer?’ Not… reminisce?

“Ma’am, your outfit is over here.”

“I know, I know.”

Misunderstood as someone who couldn’t find her clothes, Serena huffed and looked away.

Despite being twenty-seven and the party’s eldest, she could be surprisingly childish.

“Shall I assist you changing?”

“I’m fine. It’s not a dress.”

I took my uniform behind a divider.

As an all-ages game, you can’t actually see your avatar’s naked body while changing.

‘Yep—looks great.’

I emerged to the mirror, dressed in a uniform that screamed Hero.

White fabric, gold buttons signifying the Goddess of Light, elegant cut, blue accents—radiating nobility.

Next came accessories.

I reached for the Imperial bracelet, imbued with reusable attack magic—crafted specially for the Hero.

[You obtained a Magic-Infused Bracelet.]

‘Right. I’m not supposed to touch magic.’

After 99 runs with it equipped, I totally forgot.

I braced myself and bent forward. Bloodstains on the uniform would be a pain.

But—

[Warning! HP slightly decreases!]

Instead of coughing blood, the faint magic only weakened my legs. I collapsed where I stood.

CRASH!

My head smacked the edge of the shelf above, and everything on it rained down. I grabbed my forehead—it felt dented.

Hot blood trickled down.

“Kyaaa! Y–Your Grace!”

A young attendant rushed in, shrieked at the sight of blood streaming down my face.

That was… not ideal.

Calmly pressing a handkerchief to my wound, I said:

“Hush. If Serena sees—”

“Sees what, exactly?”

A chill ran through the room. Asking a servant to be quiet had always been a long shot when Serena was in the same space.

Not that a scream was necessary—she’d have come running the instant I fell.

[It’s nothing!]

[I don’t want to burden you.]

[No need to worry.]

Crap. Dialogue choices. Picking #3 sounded like a fast track to getting murdered.

I went with the safest: #2.

My avatar stepped back, hand to forehead, gaze lowered in quiet misery.

“…I just… don’t want to be a burden.”

“Ana·stasya.”

Flinch. Being called by my name instead of a nickname made my avatar twitch.

Serena strode toward me. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for harsh words.

Instead, something soft dabbed my brow.

“You’re the closest thing I have to family. How could family ever be a burden?”

Her voice trembled through its calm facade as she wiped my blood away.

“The reason you’re like this is entirely my fault. How could I ever—”

[Serena’s Affection +1]

I finally understood her feelings.

Serena had scoured the land for demons after her clan was wiped out—driven mad by vengeance.

She searched for survivors half-heartedly, but quickly gave up—her clan was too secretive for survivors to exist.

And while she gave up, the protagonist was sold as a slave and suffered terribly.

In the story, Serena carries that guilt the entire game.

Now that she knows my ruined mana circuits are scars of that torment, her guilt must be even deeper.

“How is that your fault?”

“…If I hadn’t given up and kept looking, maybe you wouldn’t be hurt. You wouldn’t collapse from touching a bracelet.”

She glared at the fallen bracelet.

Too bad—wrong conclusion.

The head wound was just me falling over!