"Wait, what's this reward supposed to be—'Enhanced Sensation Whip'? Are you serious right now?"
[Master! Come on, sooner or later you and Catrina will end up as a couple anyway. Sometimes the traditional approach just doesn't hit as hard as... wilder methods. Kekeke...]
Hearing the System's perverted laugh, Lathel's mind instantly conjured up an absurd image. His face turned crimson.
Then, with a half-awkward grin, he muttered, "Hehehe... of course I get it."
[Master, you have five minutes.]
"What?! There's a time limit on this choice?!"
[That's right.] The System explained. [Catrina is on the verge of despair. She's about to do something terrible, which means you have to act fast. If she loses control, she could trigger an irreversible chain of disasters—and the world's collapse will only accelerate.]
That alone was enough to make Lathel's blood run cold. He jumped to his feet, grabbing a towel as he dashed for the door.
"I choose option two!"
[Ding! Choice confirmed. Please locate Catrina within five minutes and help her regain her composure.]
Lathel scrambled for clothes, but all of them were elaborate noble outfits that took forever to put on.
Grinding his teeth, he wrapped the towel around his waist and sprinted out of the room.
Catrina had not only unchained him but also dispelled every magic seal in the chamber.
No time to think—he bolted down the corridor, dripping wet, wearing nothing but the towel.
"What the hell...?" he muttered, staring down the endless marble hallway, completely unsure which way to go.
"Kyaaa!!"
A scream echoed nearby.
Not far away stood a maid holding a folded set of clothes. The moment she spotted him, her face turned scarlet. She clapped her hands over her mouth—but her eyes stayed wide open, locked on him.
Lathel knew exactly why she screamed, but he had no time for embarrassment.
"Where's Catrina?!" he barked.
"H-huh?! Young master, I—" The maid stammered, still dazed by what she was seeing.
Lathel snapped, voice sharp: "Where is Lady Catrina right now?!"
"Ah! She—she's in her private room!"
He wanted to curse out loud but forced himself to stay focused.
"Where's her private room?"
"J-just go straight down this hall, then turn right. It's the room with the black door!"
"Thanks!"
Lathel shouted back as he dashed off.
The maid remained frozen, staring after him. After a long pause, she exhaled softly and mumbled to herself,
"...I wasn't expecting it to be that big."
Lathel, of course, had no idea what she'd said—and even if he did, he wouldn't care.
He glanced at the countdown timer in the corner of his vision. Barely three minutes left.
Grinding his teeth, he cursed under his breath.
'Could you at least give me more time?! This castle's massive—how the hell am I supposed to find her in just five minutes?'
[Hahahaha...] The System laughed mockingly.
[Master, if your love for her is truly strong, then you'll find her in just a few seconds.]
'What the hell are you talking about—few seconds? That's impossible—'
He froze mid-step, eyes widening as a realization hit him.
'A few seconds... wait a second... could it be...?'
He drew in a deep breath, trying to test the System's cryptic words—then turned his head.
At once, he spotted a faint shadow flicker at the far end of the hall... only to vanish behind a corner.
Lathel frowned, thinking hard for a moment.
"Ah! Maybe Catrina doesn't want to see me," he muttered. "Guess I'll just have to find Arina instead."
CRACK!
The sharp sound of knuckles tightening echoed through the quiet corridor like glass shattering.
Lathel smirked and went on, perfectly aware he was being heard.
"Anyway, Arina's younger, prettier, and a prodigy Magus. Compared to her, Catrina really doesn't stand a chance."
"Even if Arina deceives me again—so what? I'd gladly let her. Fine, I'll just—"
"No!"
A furious voice cut through the silence.
Catrina stepped out from the shadows, her expression wild and trembling.
Lathel froze, startled by the sheer intensity in her eyes.
"Lady Catrina, I—"
But she didn't let him finish.
In the next instant, she lunged forward, grabbing his face between both hands and forcing him to meet her gaze.
"You're not going to her. I won't allow it!" she shouted. "I'm not old! I'm still beautiful! You said so yourself, didn't you?"
"I'm a Magus too! I have wealth, influence—everything! I can give you whatever you want. When my business expands, I'll support you. You won't have to work again. You can eat, play, spend as much as you like!"
"Didn't you say you like gentle women? I am gentle. I can be good, obedient, I'll... I'll—"
Her voice cracked. Tears streamed down her cheeks like rain, trembling lips unable to form another word.
[Hurry!] The System's urgent voice exploded inside his mind. [Confess! Say anything—do something! You've got thirty seconds left!]
Lathel's brain went blank. His heart hammered violently in his chest.
He'd never confessed to anyone before—he had no idea what to say.
[Now! Damn it, say something! Fifteen seconds left!]
Grinding his teeth, Lathel shouted at the top of his lungs,
"Catrina! I want you!"
"...Huh?!"
Catrina froze, eyes widening so much he thought her eyeballs might fall out.
Lathel's own face went pale. He couldn't believe what just came out of his mouth.
He'd meant to say "I love you," but somehow it came out... horribly wrong.
Catrina stared at him for a few long seconds—then suddenly burst into laughter.
Her smile bloomed like spring sunlight, cheeks flushed, eyes glistening. She'd never looked more alive.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! You have prevented world collapse. The script's trajectory and the River of Fate have returned to their original course.]
'Huh?!' Lathel blinked in disbelief. 'Hold on—how the hell does confessing to her stop a world-ending event?'
The System sighed.
[Master, you still don't get it. This world revolves around the protagonist, Alex. Catrina, however, is one of the main heroines. When you rejected her earlier, she fell into despair—an emotional breakdown strong enough to destabilize the world's logic itself.]
[Catrina's power far surpasses Alex's. If she lost control, even he couldn't survive it. But now that she's emotionally stable again, Alex is safe—and so is the story's flow. Plus, if she listens to you and supports your role, the world's timeline will remain intact.]
Lathel tried to follow along, nodding slowly. "So what you mean is..."
[Haiz... you really are hopeless.]
Lathel: "..."
[In short, as long as the protagonist keeps developing normally, the world remains stable. Your job is to suppress any threats that could interfere with him.]
"Ah!" Lathel finally understood, murmuring to himself,
"So this is what you meant by completing a script—not just following it."
[Exactly! And by the gods, I've never had a dumber host in my life!]
[Your goal isn't to mimic every line of the original plot—it's to make sure the key events happen and the main character gets his growth arc. For everyone else? You make sure they each get the ending they truly desire.]
'Ah! Why didn't you tell me that earlier?'
[Because you're a damn mor—^&$$^%&^%^&%—]
The rest of the System's furious rant was completely drowned out by a string of loud beep sounds. Apparently, the insults were so extreme that even the world itself decided to censor them.
[I told you this the moment you arrived in this world! But no—you just had to ignore it and keep charging ahead like a brain-dead NPC chaser! You—ugh! Fine, I'm done yelling.]
[If you keep doing things the old way, don't even think about rewards. You won't even have the right to exist in this world anymore.]
'Hahaha... Daddy System, ultimate undefeated handsome System, I'm sorry, okay? Hahaha...' Lathel forced a nervous laugh inside his head.
[Hmph!] The System snorted like a sulky child.
Lathel was about to say something else when—
A pair of soft, warm lips pressed against his.
The kiss was brief, no longer than a heartbeat, but sweet enough to melt his mind.
When it ended, Catrina smiled gently, her hands still cupping his face.
Her voice trembled slightly as she whispered, "I... I want you too."
Lathel's face turned scarlet. For some reason, his chest felt warm, his pulse steady yet loud.
In her eyes, he saw nothing else—no reflection of the world, only him.
"Lathel..."
"Lady Catrina..."
"Don't... call me Lady Catrina..."
"Catrina..."
At that, she closed her eyes halfway and tilted her head up.
Even an idiot would understand what to do next.
Lathel leaned forward, hands tightening on her shoulders.
He felt her tremble, but her arms had already looped around his neck, pulling him closer.
Their faces drew nearer—closer—until they could feel each other's breath, warm and trembling.
Just one more inch—
"Kyaaa!! Mother!!"
Both of them froze.
They turned toward the doorway, where Arina stood trembling, eyes wide in utter disbelief.
Her finger pointed at them, voice shaking as she stammered,
"Y-you two... what are you doing?!"
[Ding! Fate Choice activated.]
Option 1: Tell Arina it's all a misunderstanding—that she's still the one you love.
Reward: Catrina falls to Darkness. Script collapse: 40%.
Option 2: Explain that you were only blowing dust out of Catrina's eye.
Reward: Physical strength −50%. High chance of Catrina's Darkening.
Option 3: Can't you see? You rejected me—so now I'm taking your mother!
Reward: Physical strength ×3. New Skill unlocked: Divine Hand – Kato Taka.
Lathel: "..."