“So, you’re telling me that the two people who went up to the altar are Lara and some other girl from the Auguste family, named Lizzy?”

“Yeah. By the way, Lizzy isn’t in the original storyline because she gets caught up in the imperial palace attack and never appears in the main plot. But since I intervened and saved her, she’s now studying in the pharmacology department…”

“I know who she is. Didn’t I tell you I read your guide?”

“Oh, right. Anyway, Lizzy ended up tagging along with Lara for the Witch’s Trial, and now it’s been four weeks since they started. Honestly, she’s almost at the point of becoming a witch herself. I think, unlike in the original plot, we’re going to have two witches. Even if Lara doesn’t join the party, since she wasn’t a heroine in the original, you should at least consider recruiting Lizzy if you play your cards right.”

“I don’t want to deviate too much from the original strategy.”

“The world’s already off track from the original. Adding a few good twists isn’t going to hurt.”

That much was true. I muttered under my breath as we walked toward the altar. Then, out of nowhere, he raised his head and looked at me, asking:

“Wait. So, if what you’re saying is true, Lizzy is up there on the altar naked, just like Lara?”

“Yeah. It’s part of the Witch’s Trial, so obviously.”

“…Then I’ll stop here. There’s something I need to discuss with everyone, so go fetch Ethan for me, will you?”

“…Huh?”

Why doesn’t he just come along and talk? Is he really feeling guilty about seeing Lizzy naked?

“Hey, dummy.”

“……”

“It’s not like they’ll even notice. They’re in the middle of the trial, completely focused. No one’s going to get damaged from being seen like that. Why are you so worried?”

“It’s not about them noticing or not. I’m more concerned that Lizzy wouldn’t want me to see her like that, even if Lara’s a witch.”

“I mean, yeah, but is it really that big of a deal? Ethan and Prince Antonio have already seen them. Of course, they promised not to talk about it outside, but the trial involves being protected by others, so this kind of thing is inevitable.”

“…Still, I’d like to stick to my principles whenever possible.”

“Principles? What principles?”

“To never do anything in this world that I’m not ready to take responsibility for.”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head in confusion, and he calmly explained his personal rule.

“It’s simple. I’ll leave this world after defeating the Demon King, so I don’t want to form deep relationships with any of the original heroines.”

“Ohhh, so you’re saying you won’t be a hit-and-run type.”

“…Did you really have to phrase it that way?”

“You call me ‘Little Ril’ all the time.”

“That’s because it was your gallery nickname. Anyway, yes, what you said is technically correct.”

No wonder he’s been avoiding relationships with heroines, despite having plenty of affection points. I guess it makes sense when you’re holding on to a rule like that.

As I always say, Luminor Academy is an adult game, so you could collect scenes throughout the story. While the structure of the CGs stayed mostly the same, the backgrounds changed based on the setting, which made gathering them kind of fun.

From my observations, the affection levels of three people—Serista, Selenna, and Seraphin—were at their highest right now. If he wanted, he could take any of them to bed whenever he liked.

Honestly, if I were a guy, I’d probably want to at least hook up with the characters before going back. His self-control really was something else.

“With that prudish attitude, how did you even play the original game? Were you one of the pure love route players?”

“…If I had to choose, I preferred pure love over harems, but when it’s just a game, you don’t really think much about it. But now that this is reality, and people like Serista and Selenna are right beside me, I can’t bring myself to act irresponsibly.”

“Well, whatever. It’s not like I knew you in your past life, so I don’t really care about your decisions.”

I guess I’d feel the same way if I were in his position, stuck between having to go back to reality and leaving these people behind.

It wouldn’t sit right to leave a bunch of formerly pure girls behind after deflowering them, then suddenly disappearing back to my own world.

Of course, if I’d possessed the protagonist, I wouldn’t have considered going back in the first place. There’s no way I’d willingly leave the world of my favorite game.

“So, I’ll just grab Ethan… Wait, we might as well gather everyone for the meeting, right? Except for the ones who don’t know I’m the Saintess. If you’re not coming to the altar, go grab Sir Colt and Prince Antonio. They can help defend along with Karaham.”

“Sir Colt? You mean the orange-haired knight standing by Prince Antonio earlier?”

“Yeah. By the way, that’s actually Natalie.”

“…How much have you twisted the storyline? Why is Natalie showing up in part two? Are you even trying to help me follow the guide?”

“That’s because you dragged me to the Witch’s Forest! If you had gone there first like you were supposed to, I wouldn’t be dealing with this mess!”

“Okay, okay. Fine, I get it.”

Why does he sound like he’s doing me a favor, even though we both messed up the storyline together?

“Oh, right. While we’re having the meeting, we also need to figure out our fighting positions as partners. You know, since we spent half of the summer in the Witch’s Forest because of that excuse you came up with…”

“…It’s a bit late to mention this, but we probably don’t need to worry about that anymore.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because Serista suddenly awakened as a Saintess. So you don’t have to pass on your Saintess powers to me anymore, and there’s no need for us to train as partners.”

“…What?”

Wait, what kind of absurd plot twist is this now?

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The hero’s party had returned from the northeastern grasslands, while we continued supporting the two witches in the Witch’s Forest.

At a table, excluding Sir Colt, Prince Antonio, and Karaham, the rest of us gathered to resume our earlier “Saintess meeting.”

“So, hero, are you really saying that Miss Serista has become a Saintess?”

“Yes, Lord Blackwood.”

“Are you willing to take full responsibility for that statement? While I would be happy if Serista became a Saintess, after everything you’ve done to Lilith, I find it hard to believe you without reservation.”

“We clearly saw Saintess Serista use her authority, the Sanctuary of Light, during the battle for territory in the grasslands, Lord Ethan. Not only that, but she used her powers and overwhelming divine energy multiple times in the northeastern region. As a princess, I witnessed it all firsthand.”

“Hm…”

Despite Seraphin’s confident declaration, Ethan’s face still showed a hint of doubt, as if he couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that he was tricking him.

Agnes, too, though she remained silent, had a similarly skeptical expression. A clearer explanation was clearly needed for both of them.

“Well, it’s natural to be suspicious. Up until a month ago, the real Saintess was Ril—Lilith. Serista, would you mind demonstrating the power you used during the territorial war again?”

“Yes! Of course, hero!”

At his request, Serista stood up to use the Sanctuary of Light. She gathered a radiant ball of divine energy in her hands, and with a graceful movement, she knelt and spread the light across the surrounding area.

• Whoooosh!

“Is she… really a Saintess?”

“…So it’s true.”

Even those who had never seen the Saintess’s power before couldn’t help but be amazed. Ethan and Agnes both muttered quietly as they realized that Serista had indeed earned the title of Saintess.

“Congratulations, Saintess Serista. It seems it’s true, after all.”

And that meant I no longer needed to hold on to the powers of the Saintess.

“Yes, Lilith, and it’s all thanks to you.”

“No, it’s because of your hard work, Saintess Serista. The Goddess Aurelia must have deemed you more suitable for the role of Saintess.”

“Still, without you, Lilith, I might never have come to accept that I could become a Saintess.”

“…What?”

What is she talking about now?

“Actually, I only started to believe I could be a Saintess because of what you said to me.”

“What did I say…?”

“When you offered to pass your Saintess powers to me, I was both happy and nervous. I wondered if I was truly worthy of being a Saintess, or if I might be punished by the Goddess for going against her will.”

“……”

“But both you and the hero reassured me that I had what it takes. I also learned that being a Saintess isn’t about being worshipped by others. It’s about having no doubts in yourself when you act in a way that embodies a Saintess’s values.”

“…I see?”

“Yes. And during that meeting before we left for the grasslands, when you said you’d pass your powers to me, that really solidified my resolve. I realized I didn’t need to fear the fake title of Saintess I was holding on to. As long as I believed in my own abilities, my powers naturally followed.”

“Uh… right…”

Well, I’m glad she’s a Saintess because of me, but why does this feel a bit weird?

It was like planning to buy your niece a Nintendo Switch Lite for the holidays, only to find out she already got a regular Nintendo Switch from her parents.