Johan's leather boots boomed against the stone floor, his face blank, eyes lost.
Every knight and servant unconsciously bowed and avoided him, seeing his rushed pace, as if avoiding the plague.
He was outside the hallway in just a few steps, stepping onto the soft grass, surrounded by cherry blossom trees, from which beautiful pink petals fell one after another.
In the center of it all was a huge white stone lion's head functioning as a fountain, water constantly chugging down from its mouth.
The whole atmosphere gave off warmth and comfort just by looking at it, but no one else beside Johan dared to look—as the man standing there would have them killed, just for staring too loud.
Johan didn't even have to think much about which choice to make.
'Selene was one of his favorite characters, and Johan was obviously a daughtercon, whose memories he now possessed.'
'Sending people to stalk her in the academy, noting the names of everyone she met, making some of her love interests go away on long "vacations." Any noble cliché bully also disappeared—along with their entire families.'
Johan shook his head, Selene obviously was able to figure out what had happened to so many people she knew, and started to blame herself for their deaths. And this certailly made her hatred for Johan stronger.
[Are you sure about choosing Option B: Comfort Selene? Yes or no?]
[Side Note: The more points you bet, the higher the level of the spin. The higher the level, the greater the chance of getting the best rewards available. For example: a wheel of fortune spun with one million points won't give anything lower than an S-rank classified items.]
'Yes!' Johan groaned, frustrated for the third time, and confirmed his choice. And with this side note, it was again trying its best to make Johan change his mind.
'No system, I don't wanna be an edgy, evil villain…' Johan complained to the emotionless blue screen.
'But makes me wonder, what kinds of rewards come from million-point-level spins?'
"System!?" Johan yelled in his mind again.
As if understanding Johan's question, white text started appearing on the blue screen, word by word.
[Quest initiated.]
[As for rewards for million-point bets, they could vary based on your luck, ranging from an S-rank artifact to the Aether Core of the Goddess of Death.]
Johan's eyes widened to the limit. "Are you serious!?" he yelled aloud, scaring the gardners around.
'Aether Core basically means their potential, abilities, and reserves, all depending on how old the core is… but even a new born core will be enough. I could just train then…'
Johan's face became complex, 'If I just spun the million one a few times, I'd definitely be unimaginably overpowered.'
"Master? What are you doing here?"
Johan turned around sharply at the soft call.
It was a newly appointed maid, who had grown up alongside Selene, spoke softly, confusion evident in her voice. She was a pale, thirteen-year-old girl with blonde hair.
Before she could say another word, the older blonde woman beside her—striking in appearance—swiftly covered her mouth.
'The same duo from when Acier was bullying Selene.' Johan thought, thinking through the game's plot about them.
This was normal. They couldn't speak without being ordered or allowed to. And she basically asked Johan for his reasons, which should normally be punished by a brutal beating, or death penalty.
This wasn't just because Johan was that cruel, but because she was a commoner. This was the norm in every noble household; commoners were less than the cattles in their barn.
Johan frowned toward the mother and daughter standing beside a bright white stone pillar, he couldn't just say it's all good, or this might raise suspicions.
His naturally sharp gaze lingered on the little girl for a while longer, making the mother sweat buckets.
He finally recognised her, 'Maria, huh. Part of the Hero's party and harem…'
He suddenly felt some pity for the little girl. 'It all felt like forced romance, like the writers of the game's story were trying to pair the MC with any alive woman, destroying their personalities in the process.'
"Master, I am really sorry! Please punish me instead…" Kiya, her mother, said in a panicked voice, her brown eyes filled with fear.
"Quiet!" a man's voice rang out from behind, no one knew when he got there—his sharp, perfectly shaped white mustache and beard standing out.
'...Sebastian.'
Johan's eyes softened a bit, remembering the fond memories of the real Johan.
This was House Matilda, and Johan's most loyal subordinate, someone who had been serving this family's patriarchs for the last sixty years.
He was also the one who had basically raised Johan.
And also the fact that he was very competent—
'If you wanted to kill a high-ranking noble of the Empire across the sea, just whisper it to Sebastian, and the head would be on Johan's table in an hour. No matter how dirty, or high-risk the task, it didn't matter. If it was an order from Johan, it would be done.'
"Master Sebastian, she didn't really mean it! Please show mercy!!" Kiya, startled by Sebastian appearing right beside her, fanatically began begging, dropping to her knees and grabbing the old white-haired butler's legs.
Marie shivered in fear, not understanding what she had done, looking around, and then she saw someone in the bushes nearby and… instantly calmed down.
Sebastian's gaze turned toward Johan, as if asking, 'Should I?' He had did much worse things as the man who had been doing the dirty work for a Noble house,
Johan gently shook his head.
There was no way he'd be so edgy as to kill someone for worrying about him.
Sebastian looked frail and skinny under his white shirt, black pants, and a long, light black overcoat, but Johan knew better.
He had the ability to turn both women to nothingness in less than a second.
Kiya immediately picked up Marie and started walking off, while Marie looked back worriedly towards bushes, both their bodies trembling, as if shocked about how they had survived.
Johan sighed, as if preparing himself. He was here for a reason.
This was actually the place where Selene had stopped Johan from killing both of them, awakening her ability in the process to stop him.
But, in most choices she had failed at that time, because of Sebastian being there. It had only made her hatred for him reach another level.
'She must be around… Time to complete the first quest!' Johan thought quietly, suppressing the giddiness inside his heart.
He turned towards the bush beside the giant fountain, his gaze softening. "Selene… can we talk?"
Johan didn't directly 'discipline' her like Acier… maybe sometimes. But he constantly made her life hard by putting too much pressure on her. She was the future inheritor of everything he had built afterall.
'He had sent goons to bully her and her friends, people who will never dare actually harm Selene, and this forced her to master martial arts, and defeat them all. But, when she learned that Slene was behind this, she thought that it was just to make her life harder, and hated him even more.'
'He had slapped her harshly if she made even the slightest mistake, or acted on emotions, trying to make sure she never messes up in life she was going to inherit again, as that mess up would mean death.'
Johan shook his head, she obviously still made mistakes, and had emotions, just that… she learnt to hide them.
'He actually thought he was doing good for her. Well, for the world, maybe he did—it made her willpower strong enough to fight off literal gods.' then Johan's eyes dimmed.
'But it also made her thirsty for attention and love.' Johan turned to look at Selene's half revealed figure.
'That thirst resulted in her being seduced by a monkey and becoming just one of his harem girls.'
Suddenly, Johan's pupils shrank. 'What the hell!? Why am I calling Leor "monkey" instead of commoner? …Is it the memories?' His jaw clenched.
Johan took a deep breath.
'No, no, it's nothing to worry about. It's like when you hear a song thousands of times unintentionally—you eventually start to hum it. Johan's memories are just that song. They shouldn't affect my actions or behavior…'
This thought finally calmed him.
In "Johan's" defense, everyone around him from birth called commoners monkeys, so it made sense.
Suddenly—
A skinny, yet striking white-haired girl finally walked out from beside the fountain.
Her deep blue eyes locked with Johan's, as if probing to know more.
She was a bit surprised to see him let Maria and her mother leave without harm.
She had been ready to rush in at any moment, but he actually let them go.
This made her lower her guard slightly, but then, she remembered something else—
'Leor said that Father is working with slave traders, and sold Leor's entire village and family to them… I can't trust him no matter what. It's probably another manipulation attempt anyway.'
Her gaze became firm again, though she still didn't want to be beaten by Acier or him, so she didn't lash out, secretly gathering hard proof on the matter. It will all come to use if she provided it to Leor.
"How can I help you, Father?" she asked with a practiced polite smile.
Johan's lips curled into a soft smile, his voice growing gentle.
"I don't need any help, but just want to know more about how your life is going… How's the academy?" he said softly.
Selene's pupils constricted, her breath catching.
This… wasn't right.
Her father? Asking her about her life?
This had only ever happened in her daydreams, the kind she hated herself for having.
She stared at him. No harsh tone, no interrogation, no judgement in his eyes.
Just... warmth.
A slow dread crept up her spine.
She took a deep breath, one that trembled as she drew it in.
'It's manipulation. Clearly. He doesn't love you. He doesn't love you. Trust Leor!'
She kept repeating the sentence like it was a calming mantra.
In her entire life, she had never seen her father smile at her, not even once...Maybe when she was a baby. But, now, he always has a perfectly stoic face.
And now he wanted to know more about her? What a joke.
"It's good… Father, if it's about earlier… Please forgive me. I will stop all connections with Leor." she tried to apologize in an uncertain tone, finally breaking free of her delusions.
She wasn't going to cut the connections, but didn't want to get the usual verbal torment Johan always gave her. He could only give her verbal torture, afterall, she was stronger than him.
"No, it's not." Johan cut her off quickly, his smile growing even softer. Selene blinked, confused by his calm tone. She found herself listening more closely than she meant to.
"You don't have to pretend. I know I haven't been the best father—no, not even a father—but… I'm trying." Johan's smile faltered, his eyes dull, catching Selene's full attention.
Her breathing slowed, her hands tightening slightly at her sides. She didn't know why, but it almost... hurt.
Johan's voice turned louder, making Sebastian on the side flinch with the words too.
"I really love you, Selene. I care for you. I want to be a father to you. I can't undo what's already happened… but, I promise, from now on, I will never do what I have done to you. You can make your own choices. You're free. And—"
Something in her chest twisted. She didn't believe it, but a small part of her wanted to.
Johan's voice became even gentler, almost a faint whisper.
"I'm sorry. Don't ruin yourself just to hate me… Some people will always love you no matter how you act or what you do. Even if I am not one of the people in your eyes, I am one of them."
"I will love you no matter what you do, and how you do it…" Selene's lips parted slightly.
She felt warm all of a sudden, her throat tightening against it. She hated this. Hated how much she wanted to believe it.
"Remember, you don't need Acier's approval, or mine, or Leor's, or anyone else to live. Think for yourself. Live for yourself, and… be satisfied with who you are." Selene's eyes stung. She looked away quickly, swallowing down the ache in her throat.
Johan said it all in one breath, then took another to calm his racing heart.
'It didn't feel like I was acting for the quest…' Johan started to doubt himself deep down.
He actually came with the intention to manipulate Selene with the sweet words he knew she wanted to hear, but midway, started to say what he genuinely wanted her to believe in.
Selene's eyes widened. A single tear slid down her cheek, then another, and another, until they covered her entire face, but, she was...smiling, for the first time at home, unconsciously.
Johan's eyes widened, his mind going blank while looking at her smile.
As if nodding to himself, he crouched down, spreading his arms—gesturing for her to hug him.
A sudden distant memory flashed in Selene's mind, Johan had opened his arms wide, like he was about to hug.
As an eight-year-old girl who had just lost her mother, she rushed into her father's embrace, but just as she closed in—
His hands snapped shut, clapping together with Selene's face caught between them. She still vividly remembers the sharp, bone-jarring pain as she fell on the ground.
It was a lesson on why one should never trust even the closest people.
Her whole body shook violently, reliving the moment. The smile vanished too, without even her knowing that it had appeared, and disappeared.
"Why now!?" she suddenly yelled, voice raw.
"After everything?! Just stop! Stop playing these stupid games. I don't need your love! It makes me sick!" She bit her lips, regretting if she said too harsh words, but Leor's face flashed in her mind.
Her shoes scuffed against the grass as she staggered, then broke into a run, vanishing into the hallway.
Johan stayed still, exhaling hard.
'Of course, it wouldn't be that easy… but at least I think I made some progress. I can comfort her slowly and… complete the quest.'
Johan thought uncertainly, remembering her face.
Suddenly, his face broke out with a dazed smile. 'Crying like that and then acting all strong and tough? Just like Clara…' her face reminded her of someone he was missing.
Sebastian, on the side, was trying hard to keep his expression neutral, but his brows won't stop twitching.
He had his eyes fixed on Johan, as if trying to understand the complexities of the man, and his next plans.
'Maybe he also saw Selene's academic scores, and also believes she can surpass Kirin, and become the strongest warrior of house Matilda?' Sebastian came to this conclusion, afterall, he wasn't naive enough to believe that Johan just started loving her.
Johan was just staring towards the back of the fountain, now empty, as if searching for someone who wasn't there anymore.
It made Sebastian's frown only deepen, making him uncertain of his conclusion.
[Quest completed: 4000 points have been credited to the host.]
[+100 points for increasing her hopes of having a family.]
(Note: If the host destroys her hopes completely, he will receive a hundred times the original reward.)
Johan's eyes widened with pleasant surprise. 'That easy? She was already comforted?'
Johan's face softened, '…She's such a tsundere…' Johan thought, his cold eyes moistening slightly.
Then, seeing the point balance, they brightened with excitement.
"System, GAMBLE IT ALL!! Use 4000 points for four spins of Wheel of Fortune." Johan yelled loudly in his mind.
White text on the blue screen appeared again.
[Request accepted]
He entirely ignored the part where the system was trying to make him break Selene again.
'Gambler's gambit… It's different from those systems in novels… like it has its own bias…' Johan thought, a bit concerned, as a colorful wheel with a golden body appeared on the blue screen.
A.N.= Am I a bad person to laugh at Johan slapping Selene's head with a clap while offering a hug? ):