The garden walk started peacefully enough. Leroy and Lisa strolled along the stone paths between the flower beds, with Rebecca following at a respectful distance. The afternoon sun was warm, and birds chirped in the trees overhead.
Lisa seemed to relax a little as they walked away from the adults. Her shoulders weren't as tense, and she even smiled slightly when a butterfly landed on a nearby rose.
"The flowers are beautiful," she said softly, her voice like gentle music.
"They are," Leroy agreed, but his eyes kept scanning their surroundings. He was looking for signs of danger, waiting for Freya to make her move.
They walked toward a small gazebo in the center of the garden. It was painted white with elegant pillars and a domed roof. Climbing roses covered the sides, making it look like something from a fairy tale.
"Would you like to sit for a moment?" Leroy asked, gesturing toward the bench inside the gazebo.
Lisa nodded, lifting her white dress slightly as she climbed the three small steps. As she settled onto the cushioned bench, Leroy remained standing, his instincts telling him to stay alert.
That's when he heard it - a soft whistling sound cutting through the air above them.
Leroy's head snapped up just in time to see a large stone gargoyle falling straight toward them. It must have been pushed from the manor's roof, and it was heavy enough to crush them both.
"Look out!" he shouted, grabbing Lisa around the waist and pulling her off the bench.
They tumbled to the ground just as the stone statue crashed into the gazebo. The wooden bench exploded into splinters, and the gazebo's roof caved in with a thunderous crack.
Lisa screamed, her arms wrapping around Leroy's neck as they rolled across the grass. Dust and debris filled the air, making them both cough.
"Are you hurt?" Leroy asked quickly, helping Lisa sit up. Her blonde hair was messy and her white dress was stained with grass, but she looked uninjured.
"I... I think I'm okay," she whispered, her blue eyes wide with shock. "What was that?"
Before Leroy could answer, slow clapping echoed from behind them.
"How impressive, dear brother. Your reflexes are better than I expected."
They turned to see Freya walking toward them from the direction of the manor. She was no longer wearing her innocent smile. Instead, her green eyes glittered with cold fury.
"You," Leroy said, standing up and pulling Lisa behind him protectively.
"Me," Freya confirmed with a mock bow. "Did you really think I would make it that easy? A simple falling statue was just the opening act."
She raised her hand, and Leroy saw a small glass vial filled with purple liquid. Before he could react, she threw it at the ground between them. The vial shattered, releasing a cloud of toxic purple smoke.
"Poison gas!" Rebecca shouted from somewhere behind the smoke. "Master Leroy, get away from there!"
But the smoke was already surrounding them. Lisa started coughing violently, her face turning pale. Leroy felt his throat burning and his vision getting blurry.
"This is where your pathetic story ends," Freya's voice called through the purple haze. "Father will think it was a tragic accident during your romantic walk. How sad that you both died on your engagement day."
Leroy tried to move, but his legs felt like they were made of lead. The poison was working fast, making him weak and dizzy. Lisa had collapsed to her knees beside him, gasping for clean air.
He had to do something. He couldn't let Lisa die because of his family's twisted games. She was innocent in all this - just a girl trapped in an arranged marriage who deserved better than this.
"I won't let you hurt her," he said through gritted teeth, even though speaking made his throat feel like it was on fire.
That's when something impossible happened.
A bright blue light suddenly filled his vision, cutting through the purple smoke like sunlight through storm clouds. Strange symbols and words began appearing in the air in front of him, glowing like they were made of pure energy.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATION DETECTED]
[EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS ENGAGED]
[SCANNING HOST SITUATION...]
[THREAT LEVEL: CRITICAL]
[HEROINE IN DANGER: CONFIRMED]
[INITIATING HERO AWAKENING SEQUENCE]
Leroy blinked hard, thinking the poison was making him hallucinate. But the glowing words stayed there, floating in his vision like some kind of magical display.
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE AWAKENED THE HEROINE SALVATION SYSTEM!]
[MISSION: SAVE LISA VON DUNCAN FROM ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT]
[REWARD FOR SUCCESS: STRENGTH BOOST + AFFECTION POINTS + SPECIAL ABILITY UNLOCK]
[WARNING: FAILURE WILL RESULT IN HEROINE'S DEATH]
Suddenly, energy flowed through Leroy's body like lightning in his veins. The weakness from the poison vanished instantly. His muscles felt stronger, his mind became crystal clear, and he could see perfectly through the purple smoke.
New knowledge flooded his brain - combat techniques he had never learned, strategies for dealing with poison, ways to move faster than humanly possible.
"What's happening to me?" he whispered in amazement.
[YOU ARE BECOMING THE HERO THIS WORLD NEEDS]
[FIRST LESSON: PROTECTING HEROINES MAKES YOU STRONGER]
[THE MORE HEROINES YOU SAVE FROM THE ORIGINAL PLOT, THE MORE POWERFUL YOU BECOME]
Leroy understood now. This system wanted him to change the story, to save the girls who would have suffered under Leon's terrible choices. And every time he did, he would gain more strength and abilities.
Lisa was his first test.
Moving faster than he ever had before, Leroy scooped Lisa up in his arms and leaped out of the poison cloud in a single bound. His new strength made her feel as light as a feather.
They landed safely on clean grass twenty feet away. Lisa looked up at him with wide, amazed eyes.
"How did you...?" she started to ask.
"Stay here," Leroy said gently, setting her down behind a large oak tree. "I need to deal with my sister."
When he turned back toward the gazebo, the poison smoke was beginning to clear. Freya stood in the middle of it, protected by some kind of magical barrier that kept the gas away from her. Her face showed complete shock.
"Impossible," she breathed. "You should be dead by now."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Leroy said, walking toward her with confident steps.
Freya's shock quickly turned back to rage. She pulled out a silver dagger that gleamed with magical runes along the blade.
"Fine then. I'll just have to finish this the old-fashioned way," she snarled, lunging at him with the weapon raised.
But Leroy was ready. His new combat knowledge told him exactly how to move. He sidestepped her attack easily, grabbed her wrist, and twisted until she dropped the dagger with a cry of pain.
"It's over, Freya," he said, pinning her arm behind her back.
[MISSION COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY!]
[LISA VON DUNCAN HAS BEEN SAVED FROM DEATH]
[CALCULATING REWARDS...]
[STRENGTH: +15 POINTS]
[SPEED: +10 POINTS]
[MANA CAPACITY: +20 POINTS]
[LISA'S AFFECTION: +25 POINTS]
[SPECIAL ABILITY UNLOCKED: POISON IMMUNITY]
[NEW MISSION AVAILABLE: CONTINUE PROTECTING HEROINES TO GROW STRONGER]
Leroy felt the changes happening in his body immediately. His muscles became more defined, his senses sharper. The weak, powerless body he had inherited was transforming into something capable of real heroism.
"Rebecca!" he called out. "Send for the guards and Lord Herald. Lady Freya needs to answer for attempted murder."
As Rebecca ran toward the house, Leroy walked back to where Lisa was hiding behind the oak tree. She was still pale from the poison, but she was alive and safe.
"Are you alright?" he asked, kneeling beside her.
Lisa looked up at him with something new in her blue eyes. Not fear or nervousness, but genuine admiration and gratitude.
"You saved my life," she said softly. "You could have run away, but you stayed to protect me."
"I couldn't let anything happen to you," Leroy replied honestly.
[LISA'S AFFECTION: +10 ADDITIONAL POINTS]
[CURRENT RELATIONSHIP STATUS: GRATEFUL ADMIRATION]
[CONTINUE BUILDING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS TO UNLOCK MORE SYSTEM FEATURES]
As the guards arrived to arrest Freya and the adults came running from the house in alarm, Leroy realized his new life was just beginning.
He had a system that would make him stronger every time he saved a heroine from the terrible fate the original story had planned for them. Lisa was just the first. There would be others - girls who deserved better than what Leon had given them in the game.
And with each one he saved, he would become more powerful.
The weak, useless Leroy was gone forever. In his place stood someone who could actually make a difference in this world.
Someone who could rewrite the story entirely.