novelraw Chapter 271: Engagement – Restart
Chapter 271: Engagement – Restart
270: Engagement – Restart
Alright, let’s think this through again.
Minseo ignored the text urging him to choose the true ending reward, continuing his train of thought. Fortunately, it seemed like he could leave it be for now. Minseo recalled the quest bestowed by the divine once more.
[ Quest: Guardian, 1/4 - Barbatos ]
It was clear: they were being tasked with capturing the four Ashin. That left Oriax, Malhas, and Astroth.
While there were certainly more Ashin in this world, the focus was likely on those whom the Leos had encountered in the “game scenarios.”
The fact that Barbatos, who had disappeared, was included among them was proof of this.
However, Minseo couldn’t quite understand why Barbatos was part of the quest. Barbatos hadn’t been in control of the Right Kingdom, had almost no followers, and was on the brink of vanishing without the power to seize anything. Most importantly, compared to the others, Barbatos was a low-ranked Ashin.
Ashin could be assessed by the nature of the divine power they wielded. However, detecting this required the {Divine Detection} ability.
Barbatos’s divine power took the form of an inverted triangle. A minimalistic shape, barely meeting the criteria to be considered divine power at all.This was a stark indication of Barbatos’s lowly status as a provincial Ashin. Without Rev’s absurd offering efficiency, it would have taken Barbatos hundreds of years to seize control of the Right Kingdom.
Even with a highly efficient apostle, such as Rev, things had only gone smoothly; considering various factors and the interference of the Holy Church, even thousands of years wouldn’t have been enough. It was, for all intents and purposes, impossible.
Conversely, Oriax, the god born from the ancient Minotaurs who once ruled a region of the continent, wielded a distorted 17-sided divine power.
The distortion was severe, giving it a three-dimensional appearance. The last time he had seen Malhas at the Toridom fortress, the Ashin had a sharp, blade-like octagonal divine power.
Based on the 14th iteration, which Minseo didn’t remember well, Ray Dexter had testified that Halpas, the other half of Malhas, also wielded an octagonal divine power, so Malhas likely did as well.
They were, indeed, ancient Ashin.
However, Astroth was far beyond them. His divine power was in the form of a *regular tetrahedron*.
It wasn’t just tall but also intricately detailed. While it couldn’t compare to the divine power of the main god, which took the form of a regular icosahedron, for a mere Ashin to have such power was extraordinary.
Archduke Astroth was unique. Minseo recalled the words Astroth had angrily shouted in the previous Engagement scenario.
- “Damn it! I’m not bound by a yoke! And yet, they shackle the world like this!”
Not bound by a yoke... Hmmm. Minseo pondered for a moment and concluded:
“I have no idea what he means.”
The only yoke Minseo was familiar with was the “Yoke Quest” faced by Cassia, Katrina, and Dof Bizaine.
Once someone broke free from their yoke, {Tracking} no longer worked on them. They would appear and act differently from previous iterations.
However, {Tracking} still worked on people like Sir Corin, who seemed to have broken free from their yoke, as well as the sisters Ran and Anne Aviker, who did not appear at Avril Castle as they once had.
This suggested that whether {Tracking} was applicable or not was linked to the completion of the Yoke Quest rather than the yoke itself. That left the question of why their behavior changed...
“The Yoke Quest was completed when the person achieved what they desired.”
Minseo thought of Cassia.
She had clear desires, which Minseo had witnessed firsthand. Cassia wished to be embraced by the man she loved. When Lean hugged her on the vast plains, she was released from her yoke. She was set free.
Afterward, in the following Beggar Siblings episode, she reappeared, radiant and positive, the gloom of her past as a prostitute gone, embracing her life fully and tearing at Lean’s... no, at all of their hearts.
Cassia was a beautiful woman.
Minseo lingered on his memories of her, filled with both affection and resentment, before returning to the main issue. He glanced at the text urging him to choose the scenario reward.
Rev’s father, Dof Bizaine, seemed to have desired revenge...
But Minseo wasn’t entirely sure.
He had initially thought Dof’s wish was to kill Sir Corin, who had massacred the Bizaine tribe. However, when Minseo learned that Sir Corin had also broken free from his yoke, his perspective changed.
He didn’t know exactly what had happened, but during the 16th episode, back when Barbatos was still around and the Bizaine tribe had been “wiped out,” he overheard something during the Childhood Friends scenario. A liberated Dof Bizaine had shared a drink with Brother Leslie, revealing that Sir Corin, a paladin, had hidden him and his friends in jars during the massacre.
Sir Corin was both the mortal enemy who had killed Dof’s family and the benefactor who had saved his life. It seemed unlikely that Dof’s wish was solely revenge, especially since Sir Corin had left behind an enigmatic message.
- “Oh, Lord, do not forgive my sins. I... have no regrets!”
These words were shouted by Sir Corin as he charged at Rev, who had been Barbatos’s apostle. Immediately afterward, Sir Corin burned white-hot and martyred himself, completing Dof Bizaine’s Yoke Quest.
After that, Sir Corin appeared differently—or rather, he didn’t appear at all.
Minseo heard about Sir Corin’s actions through Brian, a man whose life had changed under Corin’s influence. According to Brian, Sir Corin had resigned from the paladin order, refusing the church’s mandate to expel barbarian worshippers of other gods. It was much like how Cassia had quit being a prostitute almost immediately after breaking free from her yoke.
Minseo had a rough idea of what might have been going on.
What Dof Bizaine and Sir Corin desired... Minseo’s thoughts now turned to the last subject of the Yoke Quests.
Katrina.
Minseo felt a small sense of relief.
Minseo couldn’t help but smile whenever he thought of Katrina, not because he underestimated her (he had taken too many hits to do that), but because she always brought a sense of cheer.
His experiences with her hadn’t all been pleasant. Katrina killed Rera, cut off arms, and hurled insults, frequently clashing with him in the Engagement scenario.
But these were all things that happened when they met as enemies on the battlefield, so Minseo, not bound to any specific scenario, could take it all in stride. Thinking of Katrina helped ease some of the frustration he felt.
Katrina was someone easily misunderstood. With her fiery temper, impulsive words and actions, and stubbornness over trivial matters, it took a long time to truly understand her.
Surprisingly, Katrina had a kind heart.
She was the type to act on impulse and regret it later, as seen when she vouched for Lean’s identity and even lent him a house in the Beggar Siblings episode when Lean became a royal guard. The cause was a prank Lean played, pretending to be a noble and getting thoroughly beaten by Katrina. It was fair to say that messing with her, even at the risk of one’s life, was fun.
The problem, though, was that Minseo couldn’t figure out how she had broken free from her yoke.
Katrina had broken free during the last Beggar Siblings episode. Upon realizing Lean was a Sword Master, she suddenly cried out,
- “Master!”
and knelt down, quickly changing her attitude in an impressive display.
At the time, Minseo had thought that Katrina’s wish was to be trained in swordsmanship by a Sword Master. But then she said,
- “I haven’t quit the order, you know? Why would I? I’ve already learned everything.”
She completely dismissed the idea as if she were done with it and had lost interest.
Compared to Cassia’s overwhelming joy upon breaking free from her yoke, Katrina’s reaction didn’t seem like she had achieved her true desire.
Yet she had broken free, right in that episode.
Argh—honestly, none of this made any sense. Without a clear understanding of what the yoke meant, Minseo abandoned pondering about Astroth as well. He was a powerful enemy that they had to defeat, nothing more.
Regardless... it was clear what needed to be done next. They had to defeat Oriax, Malhas, and Astroth. And along the way, they had to ensure the Lenas found their happy endings, which meant...
Minseo, lacking fingers, mentally calculated the remaining iterations and lives. Iterations stood at [20/23]. Out of 23 allowed, 20 had been used, leaving three—21, 22, and 23. Lives were at [5/6]. One more death would put him on the edge; two would mean the end.
After careful consideration, Minseo came to a decision.
“I need to redo the Engagement scenario first.”
His plan was to go after Malpas and Halpas first.
Starting with the Childhood Friends episode, where Lena had gained the {Divine} ability, seemed like a good idea, but there was an urgent need to cover up the disastrous outcome of the Engagement scenario caused by Count Herman Forte’s death. If not, Astroth would descend and kill them all.
Starting with the Childhood Friends episode and contacting Ray Dexter through the mirror was another option worth considering.
However, Minseo dismissed this plan.
Ray Dexter’s current state wasn’t good. He had just learned that the condition for the true ending was fulfilling Lena’s dream, and he was furious with Minseo. There was a high chance Ray wouldn’t listen if Minseo tried to reach out now.
Therefore, the best course of action was to begin with the Engagement scenario and help Ray realize how the last iteration ended and what they needed to aim for.
Moreover, Malhas, with his octagonal divine power, appeared weaker compared to Astroth or Oriax, making him a good target to handle first.
If not for the previous Engagement scenario’s failure, the Childhood Friends and Beggar Siblings episodes would have proceeded smoothly, so the immediate plan was to patch things up.
“The Guardian Quest... it doesn’t seem impossible, does it? Now that I know the purpose of the pretty necklace, and we’ve already captured Oriax once, though we couldn’t destroy him... I have a rough idea. I just need to break Harie Guidan’s necklace.”
A lot of information had piled up. Minseo’s struggles so far had not been in vain, as he quickly formulated his next steps. Now then...
[ Please select your scenario reward. ]
Minseo pleaded for the iteration limit to be lifted. He considered asking for the life limit to be removed, but since the Sword Masters, the Leos, were not easy to kill, and they had the necklace that had even blocked Astroth’s attack when he descended, Minseo opted for a more long-term approach as a contingency.
Even if things didn’t go well, having the ability to repeat iterations meant it would end eventually... or so he thought.
It didn’t take long for Minseo to realize that this was a major mistake and overly optimistic thinking.
[ You have cleared Raising Lena. You may select the scenario you wish to play. ]
[ Childhood Friends – True Ending ]
[ Engagement – True Ending ]
[ Beggar Siblings – Cleared ]
The message appeared, and Minseo chose the Engagement scenario without hesitation. He fell into the snowstorm footage of the northern mountains, landing in Avril Castle, where he became Ray Dexter.
[ Achievement: ‘21st Leo’ – The rate at which the player assimilates with Leo increases slightly. ]
[ 21/24 ]
The iteration limit had only increased by one. And the necklace he had placed so much faith in?
“Ray! Are you listening to... huh? What’s that in your hand?”
“......”
It was shattered into pieces.