After Loran merely performed a simple logical extension of Sellen’s “cosmic parameter theory,” the number representing affection rose from [+80] to [100] without the slightest resistance.
This seemed to trigger some kind of threshold in the system.
The [Confession] option that had once appeared above Varré’s head surfaced again.
But this time, it was no longer hovering there quietly.
It was shaking.
Shaking at an almost deranged frequency, flashing with a blinding pink light, as if desperately trying to attract Loran’s attention and urge him to make a choice right now, this instant.
Worse still, beside the [Confession] option, a brand-new option had appeared, and it was also shaking like mad.
[Option: Proposal]
[Effect: ???]
Loran felt his temple throbbing.
He did not dare look at Sellen’s face.
He could feel that behind her mask, a pair of eyes hot enough to melt steel was fixed on him without blinking.
The emotions contained in that gaze had already gone far beyond “companion” or “kindred spirit.”
It was a mixture of a student’s worship for a mentor, a believer’s devotion to a deity, and...
The most primal possessiveness.
“Loran?”
Sellen’s voice became impossibly gentle, as if she were afraid of disturbing something.
“What are you thinking about? Is there a flaw in my theory? Please, you must point it out. Any insight of yours is like a revelation from the stars to me!”
The [Confession] option shook even harder.
Loran forced himself to calm down.
He could not treat this situation with the same experimental mindset he had used on Varré.
Varré was an enemy. It would not matter too much if he ruined that relationship.
But Sellen was currently the only key NPC who could provide him with magical knowledge and support.
If this relationship broke apart, the loss would be immeasurable.
He had to find a way to move the topic along without hurting her feelings.
“No, your theory is practically flawless,” Loran said, carefully choosing his words. “I was merely thinking. If our Intelligence is a kind of credit limit, then does there exist some method to temporarily overdraw that limit? Or perhaps, by offering some form of collateral, could one obtain power beyond one’s own limit?”
It was a perfect academic question.
It continued the previous topic while guiding it into a deeper field.
Sure enough, Sellen’s attention was immediately drawn to it.
“Overdraw... collateral...”
She murmured the words to herself, falling into thought.
“Your idea... is astonishing! This is an entirely new research direction! In theory, it should be possible! Master Lusat and Master Azur may have leveraged that world-destroying power precisely by offering their own lives or sanity as collateral! If... if we could find some more stable, lower-risk form of collateral...”
Seeing Sellen fall into academic frenzy once again, Loran secretly let out a breath.
He had successfully changed the subject.
The shaking frequency of both the [Confession] and [Proposal] options clearly slowed.
However, just as he thought the crisis had been temporarily resolved, Sellen suddenly raised her head.
That burning gaze pierced through her mask once more.
“Loran, you... are my star,” she said.
Loran’s heart sank.
The [Confession] option stopped shaking.
In its place, the [Proposal] option began to slowly enlarge in his vision with unstoppable force.
No.
He could not press it.
At least, not now.
He violently shook his head, as if trying to throw that ever-expanding pink icon out of his field of vision.
The [Proposal] option stopped growing.
But it did not disappear.
It remained stubbornly suspended above Sellen’s head.
Sellen did not seem to notice Loran’s subtle inner struggle.
Or rather, she had already become completely immersed in her own emotions.
“What a shame...”
Her tone suddenly shifted, her voice filled with unconcealable disappointment.
“What a shame that this body of mine is nothing more than an empty phantom. My true body has been imprisoned in a ruin... I cannot leave this place. I cannot travel with you and witness with my own eyes how you will overturn the magical theories of this world.”
She lowered her head.
Her mask hid all of her expression, but Loran could clearly see the status bar above her head.
[Regret / Bound / Longing to Travel Together]
“...The Weeping Peninsula?”
The words nearly left Loran’s mouth on their own.
Sellen snapped her head up. The gaze beneath her mask instantly grew hot again.
“How do you know? Have you been there?”
“No. I haven’t.”
Loran forced himself to calm down. His mind raced, connecting every clue together.
“But we are preparing to go there.”
Opportunity.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
He could turn an emotional bomb that might explode at any moment into a clear objective with foreseeable rewards.
“We were already planning to go to the Weeping Peninsula to look for some... necessary supplies.”
Loran deliberately blurred the existence of the Frenzied Flame, packaging their goal as an ordinary exploration.
“If you do not mind, we can stop by the ruins you mentioned. Perhaps I can be of some help.”
“That place... is very dangerous.”
Sellen’s voice regained some measure of calm.
“You must make thorough preparations.”
She paused for a moment, as if assessing the risk.
But very quickly, her trust in Loran overwhelmed all her concerns.
“But I believe in you.”
She spoke in a tone almost like an oath.
“In the name of the stars, I believe in you. Your reason is enough to pierce through every mist of falsehood.”
Loran nodded.
The instant he nodded, the pink Galgame interface in his mind popped up a brand-new window.
This window was not the same as the previous dialogue boxes or option menus.
It looked more like a traditional RPG quest log.
Its background was made to resemble aged parchment, with scorched marks around the edges. At the top, several words were written in elegant script.
[Companion Request]
[Quest Name: Prisoner of the Stars]
[Quest Giver: Sellen]
[Quest Description: Travel to the Weeping Peninsula and find Sorceress Sellen’s imprisoned true body. Sellen believes that your unparalleled reason is the only key capable of unlocking her chains.]
[Quest Reward: All of Sellen’s magical knowledge (locked), Sellen’s token (unknown), ???]
[Failure Penalty: Sellen will be sad.]
Loran’s eyes fixed firmly on the final line.
Failure Penalty: Sellen will be sad.
There was no “quest failed, cannot be accepted again.”
No “affection greatly decreased.”
No “worldline locked, entering Bad End.”
Only those five words.
They carried no intimidation whatsoever.
They even seemed a little...
Sentimental.
An NPC would be sad?
He closed the quest panel and looked up, meeting Sellen’s expectant gaze head-on.
“I’ll make the necessary preparations,” Loran promised.
“Mm.”
Sellen nodded.
“Beside my imprisoned body, there should be some of my research notes. Perhaps they will be of help to you.”
She paused, then added one more sentence.
“If... if you encounter a difficulty you cannot overcome, do not force yourself. Your safety matters more than anything else.”
[Sellen’s Affection: 100 (MAX)]
[Status: Expectant / Worried / Complete Trust]
Her affection could no longer rise.
But the changes in her status bar faithfully reflected every fluctuation in her heart.
Just then, a discordant voice came from the corner.
“Hey...”
It was Kiro.
She had finally emerged from her self-isolation. Standing up, she patted the dust off her body.
She walked up to the two of them and looked from Sellen to Loran.
“Are you two... done talking?”
Her voice sounded muffled.
Only then did Sellen seem to wake from a dream and finally remember that a third person existed.
She turned toward Kiro, her tone returning to the arrogance of a sorcerer.
“Oh. It’s you. Do you need something?”
That enormous difference in attitude stabbed straight into Kiro’s heart once again.
[Kiro’s Affection toward Sellen: +30 → 0]
[Status: Disappointed / Ignored / Jealous]
“Weren’t we... supposed to go to the Weeping Peninsula?”
Kiro lowered her head, her voice growing smaller and smaller.
“Can we leave now?”
“Yes, of course.”
Sellen nodded.
Then she turned back to Loran, and her tone instantly became gentle again.
“Please be careful on the road. I will wait here for your return. No matter how long it takes, I will wait.”
Loran gave a quiet “Mm” and said nothing more.
He turned and headed toward the cellar exit.
Right now, he only wanted to leave this place that was putting an enormous amount of pressure on him.
Kiro silently followed behind him without saying a word.
The two of them left the ruins and returned to the surface.
The afternoon sunlight was a little harsh, causing both of them, who had spent too long underground, to narrow their eyes instinctively.
Loran whistled.
Torrent appeared in response.
According to their previous agreement, the riding rights for the next stretch belonged to Kiro.
But Kiro stood still and did not move.
She only stared blankly at the spectral steed.
“What’s wrong?” Loran asked.
“...Nothing.”
Kiro shook her head.
Then she raised her head and looked at him.
There was a kind of confusion in her eyes that Loran had never seen before.
“Hey, Loran.”
“Mm?”
“Am I... really that stupid?”
“Yes.”