“...What?”

What did he just say?

The suggestion from Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat that I should join the Hero’s party caught me completely off guard. I was flabbergasted. Up until a moment ago, I was sure he understood that I had no intention of joining the Hero’s party. Yet, out of nowhere, he laid out this condition that made no sense.

“What… what kind of nonsense is that?!”

“I told you, this is the minimum condition I can agree to. If you’re not willing to accept this, I won’t cooperate with your plan. In fact, I might even actively work against you.”

“Wha—! Look, I’m willing to compromise on most things, but that condition is just insane! I’m a 25-time player of Luminor Academy. I know better than anyone how joining the Hero’s party means years of grueling effort. Who do you think you’re dragging into this mess?!”

I’d rather take a bolt to the head than end up in the Hero’s party.

Part of the reason I fought so hard to survive as Lillis was to avoid getting crushed by Ethan during his piggy days, but another big part of it was avoiding getting caught up in the main storyline and ending up in the Hero’s party. Back then, I figured that whether I got pinned by Ethan or the Hero, it wouldn’t make much difference. I wanted to avoid the kind of future where I’d end up being someone’s submissive, in any sense.

But after all that struggle to avoid both Ethan’s assault route and the Hero’s party route, now he’s telling me to join the Hero’s party? Absolutely not.

“Is this all about getting your hands on my body?! If you’re under any illusion that just because I join the Hero’s party, I’m going to spread my legs for you like game Lillis, you’d better drop that thought right now—”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m not interested in your body, and I’m not trying to sabotage your life plans. But if Celesta can’t awaken as the Saintess, I’ll need you in the party, and that’s why I’m making this condition.”

“But… but Celesta is destined to awaken as the Saintess anyway, so there’s no need to drag me into this….”

“I know that much from the walkthroughs too. But that’s only if there’s no true Saintess in the picture.”

“...What?”

“For Celesta to awaken, it’ll likely be late in the fourth act, which is almost five years from now. Do you think it’s possible for her to carry the burden of being a fake Saintess and continue as part of a proper Hero’s party during that time?”

I was momentarily speechless. He had a point I hadn’t fully considered.

“And what if, during that time, Celesta’s resolve falters or she’s influenced by her situation and fails to awaken? It’s more likely that she won’t be able to, especially since, with the presence of the true Saintess, she might never develop the conviction that she could be one herself.”

“That… that’s…”

“And even if she somehow holds onto her faith and endures for those five years, what about the shame of being labeled a fake Saintess all that time? Do you think an apology or two will be enough to make up for that?”

“Of course not, but…”

Maybe, deep down, I had been denying this reality. I must have realized that if I became the Saintess, Celesta would never be able to believe she could become one herself. But because that truth was inconvenient for me, I might have subconsciously pushed it aside.

In the game, Celesta could still awaken even after Lillis had awakened because by that point, her belief in herself had already solidified. But here, if she were to witness the true Saintess before she was mentally mature enough, it would be nearly impossible for her to awaken on her own, even if the story followed its original path.

“But listen….”

“Yes?”

“Even if I joined your party after awakening, it would still eventually be revealed that Celesta is a fake Saintess. That’s something that would happen whether I’m in the Hero’s party or not, so wouldn’t it make more sense to prevent the blessing in the first place?”

“Honestly, I’d prefer that too, but it’s better than letting you die. It would be unsettling to know that I let someone from my hometown die without doing anything.”

“…Yeah, I can see that.”

“And besides, taking care of McHart now is useful for the story progression later, which is why I’m cooperating. But if your decision ends up being a hindrance to clearing the game, I can’t help you. Plus, if you join the Hero’s party, there’s a way to protect Celesta from disgrace.”

“…What?”

How would my joining the Hero’s party protect Celesta from disgrace?

Confused, I waited for Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat to explain, which he did, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“First off, just being with Celesta would allow her to keep up the pretense of being the ‘true Saintess.’ Most people wouldn’t be able to differentiate where the divine aura is coming from, especially in a group setting.”

“But even if that works for commoners, what about church-related events? Celesta would still have to visit the church a few times, wouldn’t she?”

“We’d have to be careful with those events, of course. But with the help of the high priests who supported Celesta, it wouldn’t be impossible to keep the secret.”

“……”

“And more importantly, if Celesta’s secret is eventually revealed, you’ll be there to protect her.”

“…How?”

“If you and I are working together in the Hero’s party and it eventually comes out that you’re the true Saintess and Celesta was a fake, she’s going to get slammed with accusations. People will ask why she pretended to be the Saintess when she wasn’t.”

“…Yeah, that’s true.”

“If that happens, all you need to do is say one thing: ‘Celesta was only pretending to be the Saintess to protect me from demonic assassination attempts.’ One simple statement from you, and she’ll go from being a fake Saintess to a courageous protector who took on danger for your sake.”

“…Ah!”

It all started to make sense. Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat hadn’t wanted me in the Hero’s party just because he needed a Saintess. His concern had been for Celesta all along.

Rather than needing the Saintess for the final push of the game, he was thinking about how to protect Celesta from disgrace. Suddenly, he didn’t seem like just a Hero on the outside but someone who genuinely cared about his companions. It made him seem more heroic in a way I hadn’t expected.

“And for that excuse to work, you have to be with the Hero’s party. If Celesta just stays in place and does nothing while you’re off doing all the work, it’ll look like a flimsy cover story.”

“Yeah, I get it now. I was just… a little surprised.”

“Surprised about what?”

“I thought you were only focused on clearing the game and getting back to the real world. But it’s kind of surprising that you care so much about people like Celesta.”

“…I don’t have much of a choice. Celesta’s devoted her whole life to supporting me, and she can’t even reveal that she’s not the real Saintess. Of course, I’m going to do what I can for her. The same goes for Sillena and Seraphine. As long as I’m around, I can protect them from the fake Saintess rumors, but I have to go back to my original world eventually. I need to make sure Celesta has a safe environment even after I’m gone.”

…Hearing how determined he was, I realized that saying “I still can’t do it” would be the height of irresponsibility.

Even I couldn’t be that shameless. After all, what I was planning to do would only increase the chances of Celesta being exposed as a fake Saintess, so I had to take some responsibility.

For me, it might just be a few years of hardship, but my choice could mean a lifetime of suffering for Celesta. In the worst-case scenario, she might not just be humiliated but also face severe consequences for pretending to be the Saintess.

Thinking that, I couldn’t help but come to a decision.

“Alright, that’s only fair. It’s the least I can do to avoid feeling guilty about Celesta.”

“Don’t back out later, saying it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“I won’t. I’m not so shameless that I’d run away after receiving help just to save myself.”

“Not a ‘guy,’ but a ‘girl.’”

“…Whatever.”

“Just keep your promise. If Celesta can’t awaken as the Saintess, you’ll join the Hero’s party.”

“I got it. If it looks like Celesta won’t be able to awaken, I’ll join the Hero’s par—”

-Click, thud!

“…Ah, no, no, no…!!”

“Join…?”

“…Celesta?”

“No, no, that won’t do!! No matter who it is, not even Lady Lillis can take the Hero away from me!!”

“……”

“……”

Both Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat and I were left speechless by Celesta’s sudden outburst as she barged into the conversation.

…Wait, how much of this did she hear?