Catrina's eyes narrowed slightly, as if she'd just pieced something together.
"I heard," she began slowly, "that the Vice Dean has been stuck at Rank 5 for quite some time now... unable to break through to Rank 6."
Arina froze. Her fingers clenched tightly together, and her eyes darted away from her mother's piercing stare.
But Catrina didn't stop. Her voice was calm, almost too calm.
"Even for a Vice Dean, resources are limited. He could never gather enough materials to reach Rank 6 in such a short time—unless..."
Her tone grew sharper. "Unless someone provided him with a massive amount of additional resources."
"Arina," she continued, gaze locking onto her daughter, "I recall that about a month ago, Lathel traveled over twelve hundred miles to another kingdom just to buy you a Millennium Snow Lotus."
At those words, Arina's body trembled visibly.
Catrina noticed the way her daughter's pale hands tightened into fists, the color draining from her knuckles, and her eyes turned razor-sharp.
"He spent an enormous amount of gold and energy crystals to buy that flower for you—because he heard you needed it. But tell me, Arina... you're a fire-type mage. The Snow Lotus has no use for someone like you."
"So then... where is that Millennium Snow Lotus now?" Catrina's voice dropped lower, colder. "Or perhaps you were foolish enough to offer it up to that honey-tongued Vice Dean of yours?"
"Mother!" Arina snapped, gritting her teeth. "I won't let you insult him! He needed the resources to ascend, and I'm his student—it's only natural that I help him!"
"Besides, he told me he was only borrowing it! Once he breaks through to Rank 6, he promised he'd return it. You know better than anyone how important a Rank 6 Mage is, don't you?"
"If he succeeds, he'll help us—help you—free ourselves from the Elders' control. Mother, don't you want that?"
Catrina's expression darkened, voice trembling with fury. "I never asked you to worry about my affairs, Arina. The only thing I ever wanted was for you to study properly, to become a true mage worthy of respect."
"But what you're doing now..." her voice cut like a blade, "is nothing more than behaving like a cheap woman desperate for a man's attention."
"Don't you dare call him that!" Arina shouted, cutting her off. "He's a good man! He's not deceiving me! You've never even met him—how can you say he's lying to me?!"
"Then tell me this." Catrina's tone grew deathly serious. "Of all the things he's 'borrowed' from you... has he ever returned any of them? Has he given you anything in return?"
Arina's lips parted, but no sound came out. Her face drained of color, eyes quivering with shame as she stared at the floor.
Catrina exhaled softly, voice turning gentle again. "You have two choices, Arina. Either marry Alex... or return to the academy."
Arina bit her lip hard, tears spilling down her face. Then she spun around and ran from the room without another word.
Catrina didn't move. She simply sat back down on the sofa, picked up her teacup, and gazed out the window in silence—her expression calm, unreadable.
Inside the sealed room, Lathel had been watching everything unfold through the crystal orb. His brows furrowed deeply.
Even though he kept reminding himself that this was just a novel world—that everyone here was nothing more than NPCs—his chest still ached as if someone had driven a knife into his heart.
Unconsciously, he placed a hand over his chest, feeling the wild, heavy pounding beneath his ribs.
'Could it be... the emotions of the "old Lathel" are still buried inside me?'
Memories flooded back.
Just like Catrina said, the previous Lathel had chased after Arina like a fool—like a loyal dog—doing everything just to make her smile.
And yes, the story about the Snow Lotus was true.
The old Lathel had overheard that Arina needed one, and—being a powerless man with no real magical talent—he hadn't even realized that a fire-type mage had no use for such a thing.
Yet he still traveled more than twelve hundred miles, spending every coin he'd saved over four years...
All to buy her that single, useless flower.
The day the old Lathel gave Arina the Millennium Snow Lotus, he was beaten so badly by Alex that he spent nearly a month bedridden.
And during that entire time, even after receiving such a rare and priceless gift, Arina never once looked at him.
He could still remember it clearly—her eyes, distant, unfocused, gazing somewhere far beyond him.
That was when the old Lathel finally realized the cruel truth: no matter what he did, Arina had never once truly seen him.
In the end, he died in despair and depression.
And it was then that the new Lathel's soul descended into this world.
Lathel let out a long sigh. "Buddy, why were you such an idiot? The world's full of beautiful women, and you waste your life on one? Look at me now—once I finish this storyline, I'll have infinite lifespan, infinite wealth, and twenty gorgeous women of my own."
Still, a dull ache lingered in his chest.
Even knowing that Arina was just an NPC—a scripted character in a fabricated world—he couldn't help but feel sorry for the fool who came before him.
He rubbed his forehead, tiredly muttering, "System... what's Arina's storyline, exactly?"
[Hm... that's going to take a while to explain...]
"Summarize it. Three hundred words or less."
[...]
The System went silent for a few seconds, then reluctantly replied:
[Arina only sees you as an infinite treasure chest that belongs solely to her. According to the original plot, she manipulates you into draining every last coin and energy crystal you have—all to help her pursue the Vice Dean, the secondary villain of the story.]
[After your failed confession and eventual death at Alex's hands, Arina returns to the magic academy. Alex, ever the noble hero, follows her there to protect her—and ultimately exposes the Vice Dean's true, sinister nature.]
[Overwhelmed with guilt, Arina regrets everything she's done and decides to pursue Alex instead—finally accepting their arranged engagement.]
Lathel fell silent.
Completely, utterly silent.
'What kind of dogshit storyline is this?'
'Seriously! He was the one who loved her. He gave up everything for her. He literally died for her.'
'And when she finally regrets it all, she just—turns around and chases after Alex instead?'
'Even the dumbest short romance clips on TikTok made more sense than this!'
Lathel groaned and rubbed his face, realizing there was no point complaining. He was just a minor villain in the grand script.
Even if Arina ever felt remorse, it would never be for him.
"Wait." Lathel frowned suddenly. "System, why did I die in the original story? If I die again, can I still keep working on my mission, or does that count as failure?"
[Do you seriously think my existence is just for picking random choices for you? Of course I'll help you. Even if you die, I can reincarnate you into another role—and even transfer you to a different storyline.]
[Of course, it'll still be within the same world. You'll keep cycling through scenarios until every major character finds a satisfying ending. Only then will you receive your final reward.]
"Son of a—!" Lathel yelled, veins bulging on his forehead. "So what, you're telling me I have to keep working like this forever?!"
[Uhm... well...]
"Just tell me!" he snapped. "How many characters are we talking about?"
[Hehehe...] The System gave an awkward, guilty laugh.
[...A little over fifty.]
Lathel: "..."
"System, if you don't increase the reward, I'm not doing this damn mission anymore." Lathel's voice was low and serious.
[Ack! That... I... Fine, fine!] The System sighed, finally giving in. [Alright, for every completed storyline, I'll grant you one additional reward. Satisfied?]
"Storyline?" Lathel raised a brow.
[Yes.] The System explained patiently. [Each character carries their own script. Completing one character's storyline means you've resolved their arc within this world—and for that, I'll give you a bonus reward.]
"Good." Lathel smirked. "You'd better keep your word. If you go back on it, I'll just kill myself."
The System: [...]
Ignoring the silence, Lathel leaned back, lost in thought.
'Catrina doesn't care about Alex—only about me. Arina, meanwhile, only cares about that Vice Dean bastard. But in the end, both of them still end up in the hero's arms.'
'So what exactly is the ending they truly want?'
[If you can't figure it out, there's another method.] The System suddenly suggested.
"What method?" Lathel asked, frowning.
[It's simple.] The System replied. [You already know the plot—that's your greatest advantage. So use it. Flirt with them. Win them over. If they fall for you, then the ending they desire will naturally be you.]
Lathel: "..."
"Could you, for once, shut up and let me think about the problem before spouting nonsense?"
The System: [...]
[You've got to be kidding me!] the System suddenly roared. [Are you stupid or just spineless?! My plan has over a 60% success rate, and you're hesitating?]
"Hold on," Lathel said calmly. "Let's skip the part where you call me names. If I flirt with both Catrina and Arina, that means I'll have to go head-to-head with Alex, right?"
[...Yes.]
"Then tell me," Lathel continued, "how exactly am I supposed to win against him?"
Silence.
Lathel pressed on. "In terms of raw strength, I can't match him. In terms of influence—even if my mother is a Duchess—Alex has the Divine Dragon Guild behind him."
"On top of that, everyone already hates me. No one trusts me. Alex, on the other hand, has the halo of a protagonist—admired, supported, and blessed by fate itself."
"System, that 60% success rate you're talking about—it's based on my meta-knowledge of the story, right? But realistically, what do I have to fight against him?"
"Let's not forget the other villains I'll have to deal with too. Do you seriously think I have what it takes to face all of that?"
"And the most important part—if I actually try to romance Catrina and Arina, what's the chance it even works? Aren't you afraid that tampering with the script will cause the entire world to collapse?"
The System went dead silent for a long, long moment.
Then, in a tone filled with sheer frustration, it finally screamed—
[FUCK YOU!]