Chapter 7

It was... a large number of notebooks.

The years were lined up, and at first, I thought they were copies of a history textbook.

But I soon realized it was different.

Because it was written about events that would happen years from now.

"Year ◆◆. Lost her value and fell into darkness after the engagement with Oswald was broken off."

"Year □□. Died in a war."

The content written was about Reila.

Each and every one of them ended in a tragic fate, not only in the future but also in the past.

"Year ✕✕. The aggressors, who escalated their bullying, hired thugs to assault her, leading to a mental breakdown."

"Year ○○. The family broke apart due to her father's infidelity, leading to a distrust of men and an inability to live a normal life."

"Year ▲▲. Suspected of being a spy after Oswald fled the country, she chose to end her life after much suffering."

Among the ominous contents, unfamiliar words like 'event,' 'route,' and 'flag' appeared repeatedly.

Sophina dismissed all these questions with just one sentence.

"This is the strategy room."

"Strategy...?"

"To be more precise, it's the 'strategy room to save the villainess Reila from the destruction route.'"

"Villainess... Reila...?"

Sophina grabbed the front of my shirt, as if she had no intention of giving a detailed explanation.

"After many retries, I finally figured it out. To avoid Reila's death route, you are necessary."

"Me... I'm necessary...?"

It didn't feel bad to be needed by my fiancée.

It shouldn't.

Yet... my heart was overflowing with anxiety.

Retry.

Death route.

Sophina's words, colored with incomprehensible and ominous terms, were more than enough to dispel my hopes.

"Yes. If the engagement break-up event ends with you being exiled, a war with the neighboring country is inevitable. Even if you were executed domestically, it wouldn't work. Your death is the flag that leads to the country's destruction."

"What... What are you saying, Sophina?"

It was as if she was speaking in a foreign language; I couldn't understand a single word she said.

She is supposed to be my destined one.

That's how it should be...!

"Don't try to confuse me with nonsense. Aren't we going to enjoy ourselves tonight? That's why I brought you here, right?"

"...You really are a hopeless case, aren't you?"

"You... You think I...?"

"Like you? That's what you thought?"

Sophina said it with particular coldness.

"Because of that, you keep chasing after other women, leading to destruction. How many times have you ruined Reila's happy future...!"

The sound of her grinding her teeth echoed in the room.

After glaring at me for a while, Sophina suddenly relaxed her expression.

"---Well, since you're my fiancé this time, I can't avoid it."

"Of course!?"

"Yes. But---the one I will be with is you, and yet not you."

"...What?"

Sophina took out a strange ring from a cluttered toolbox in the corner of the room.

It was a crown-like structure with several magic stones embedded, and she attached it to my head. I tried to resist, but as soon as she placed her hand, my limbs felt as heavy as lead, and I couldn't move.

"I'm glad I can inherit magical experience points. Thanks to that, I can use non-verbal and gravity magic as I please."

Sophina's lips curved into a crescent moon.

An evil smile that a lady in her nightgown should never show.

"Wait! What are you going to do!?"

"Three years of soul... Well, I already know that superficial education won't fix your rotten nature. So---I will uninstall your personality."

Uninstall.

Another incomprehensible term, but I instinctively knew it was not a good thing.

Scary.

Scary...!

"If you hate anyone, hate the creator who came up with this scenario."

Shrugging her shoulders, Sophina flipped through the notebook she had written.

"To Reila, this world is a field of death. Even after I've cleaned up so much garbage, I still can't see a happy ending. It's a terribly difficult and awful game."

As Sophina started to channel magic power into the magic stones, my mind became foggy, and I couldn't think of anything.

No pain, no fear, no questions.

I felt nothing.

I understood nothing.

"A... ah..."

"Relax. I'll install a respectable and admirable personality that everyone will respect."

From beginning to end, it was all incomprehensible.

As the question marks multiplied, I asked the one thing that caught my attention.

"Who... are you exactly?"

She is... not Sophina.

Someone who acts as Sophina, using Sophina's body and voice.

The one wearing Sophina's mask, with that charming smile, answered.

"Just a sister who loves Reila so much she can't stand it."

"..."

Consciousness.

Fades

away

.

If you were surprised by Sophina's true identity, please bookmark and give it ★★★★★.

Comics version, Chapter 4 (pages 9 to 17).