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Chapter : 27
It was an appearance no one could have anticipated.
“Duke Perzen?”
Everyone couldn’t hide their surprise and confusion.
“Do you know why this jewel is split in two?”
But Perzen paid no attention to the stares directed at him.
“That’s because it has its original owner.”
He seemed accustomed to it, as if it were a usual matter.
Removing his gloves, he asked Helsen,
“Which one do you think I value more?”
“That… is…”
Perhaps just returning from a hunt, the metallic scent of blood came off with the gloves.
“This one. It’s smaller than the one on the left, but the color is more vivid.”
Perzen stared quietly at the jewel on the right.
“If you look closely, it looks like blood, and also like a human heart.”
If it wasn’t an illusion shrouded in smoke but real…
“The traces left by my father remain intact as well. The traces from that dawn.”
His eyes already looked like they had tightly gripped it in his hand.
“I wonder how much His Majesty’s mind would be blown if he saw this.”
Perzen smiled.
“To His Majesty, it’s a mark of failure. Proof that the son of the one he tried to kill has survived.”
It was a smile mixed with anger, hatred, and curiosity.
And yet, that smile was overly calm and beautiful.
“Then it seems the new knight of Rom this time will be you.”
“……”
Helsen’s heart swelled at Perzen’s sudden words.
But he could not answer. He knew his limit ended here.
“The headmaster will swap my and Ken’s documents, of course.”
Helsen had already noticed everything.
Yet he couldn’t defy the headmaster.
That woman held the leash on both him and Dine, backed by the monastery.
“Thank you, Your Grace. Even if that doesn’t happen… I won’t forget today’s honor.”
“No, it will happen.”
Unlike Helsen, Perzen seemed certain.
His tone was as if he had already seen the future.
“There are things in this world that just have to happen.”
Perzen, now standing close, lifted Helsen’s gaze to meet his.
“No, it’s more accurate to say it must happen.”
The blue eyes that met his felt inhuman rather than human.
“You must become my knight.”
“……”
“Someone is going to change the future.”
It was an event from a full two months ago.
The peculiar smile Perzen had been wearing disappeared.
Awakened from the memory, Helsen wondered.
Had the Duke been foreshadowing today’s events, or was it just a passing remark?
“The jewel of the Perzen Duke family is unmistakable.”
He never thought he would see the Perzen family’s jewel in person, which had seemed like just an illusion.
“Why is such an important heirloom in someone else’s hands?”
And in the form of a necklace.
Just as he wondered who this woman could be,
“Someone is going to change the future.”
The last words the Duke spoke flashed through his mind.
Indeed, it seemed that Duke Perzen had foreshadowed today’s events.
“Ah, so you are from the Perzen Duke family. Please forgive me if I have been rude in any way.”
Helsen, who had been staring at my necklace as if trying to pierce it with his eyes, spoke.
Like Ken earlier, he seemed to have recognized the necklace.
“I should probably explain, though it’s awkward, considering I’m the one using it…”
Using the necklace made it hard to justify myself.
For now, completing the original goal of reaching Bontec was the priority.
“Dine, I have a question first. Are you going to work at Count Rock’s banquet?”
“……Yes? Yes.”
I had hoped to prevent her from going to the Count Rock banquet entirely.
But it seemed she had already agreed to work there.
“If you go, avoid Princess Grace at all costs. Whatever errands she gives, avoid them by any means.”
I said this while glancing at Dine’s control panel.
“No, don’t even go up to the second floor in the first place.”
[Dine’s ‘Trust’ increases by 20%!]
[Dine’s ‘Trust’ increases by 14%!]
Dine’s trust in me was steadily rising.
“Yesss!”
Yes, this was exactly why I had to manipulate—or rather, push—Ken!
Ken had been the perfect button to raise Dine’s trust.
“I understand. Thanks to you, my brother avoided injustice. I’ll trust and follow whatever you say.”
Dine nodded, her fresh green eyes shining.
‘Is there a difference between trust gained directly and trust gained through manipulation?’
Her gaze was similar to the one from the Duchess Karl, yet different.
Perhaps a bit deeper.
‘Anyway, with this much done, I’m ready to wreck the original story.’
The easiest time to disrupt the original story was in the early chapters.
Since I had already twisted the first meeting of Lysis and Dine, something would surely change.
“Thank you for helping my younger brother. I’ll also follow whatever you say.”
I turned to look at Helsen’s panel.
[Helsen’s ‘Trust’ increases by 20%!]
[Helsen’s ‘Courage’ increases by 30%!]
‘You’d never guess from his expression that he’s in this state.’
It was the loud reaction of Helsen’s control panel that betrayed his status.
[Condition Achieved! Helsen’s Control Panel is unlocked.]
[You can now manipulate him freely for 1 minute.]
‘Huh? The panel is unlocked!’
In that moment, Helsen became fully manipulable.
‘The condition was courage, and it was achieved so fast?’
Even if the point requirement wasn’t high, the speed was astonishing.
‘Well, it makes sense; he’s now eligible for the knight exam.’
It wasn’t strange for courage to surge suddenly.
‘If I increase loyalty a bit more… I could get a strong slave—or rather, a friend.’
Since he was a character related to the heroine, I didn’t plan to mess with the control panel recklessly.
But increasing loyalty by about 20% should be fine.
‘Let’s aim for 25%…’
Alright, focus.
I concentrated to adjust his loyalty.
But then…
“Somehow, I felt a fateful thrill at first sight.”
‘Huh? Thrill? Who?’
Suddenly, Dine spoke to me.
It was an unexpected word in this situation, and it distracted me.
[Helsen’s ‘Excitement’ increases by 25%!]
“Ahhh!”
I almost screamed at Helsen’s control panel.
Manipulation follows my thoughts.
So just a moment ago, I had to concentrate fully.
‘Of all times, Dine had to speak now!’
Unintentionally, I had thought of something else.
‘No, that’s not it! Again!’
I sent a signal to Helsen’s panel with full mental effort.
But…
[C-rank. Unlock the condition to open the control panel.]
[Unlock condition: Increase Helsen’s ‘Affection’ to 60% or more.]
The chance to manipulate was gone.
‘Wait, what happens when excitement rises?’
I looked at Helsen.
“……!”
When our eyes met, for some reason, Helsen’s ears turned red and he quickly looked away.
