Haruto froze completely. The casual, teasing demeanor he usually kept as his armor shattered instantly. His eyes widened, and his mouth parted slightly in pure, unadulterated shock. For a second, the ambient sounds of the palace seemed to vanish, leaving only the sound of Philo's rapid, nervous breathing right in front of him.
Marry me?
The words echoed in his head, entirely bypassing any gamer logic or witty internal commentary he usually relied on. He looked down at Philo, at the fierce, desperate sincerity trembling in her eyes, and then over at Lilith, who was leaning against a nearby pillar with an intensely satisfied, knowing grin—as if she had orchestrated this exact ambush from the very beginning.
Philo was practically vibrating with anxiety, her fists clenched tightly at her sides, waiting for a verdict that felt like an eternity to her.
Haruto swallowed hard, his face heating up as the reality of the situation finally settled in. He wasn't playing a visual novel right now; this was real, and the stakes were higher than any boss battle he had ever faced.
"Philo..." Haruto started, his voice uncharacteristically soft as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her trembling frame.
What do you say to someone who just dropped a life-altering bomb like that out of nowhere?
Haruto's gaze snapped away from Philo, darting across the room to look back at Lilith. He pointed an accusatory finger at her, his voice tight with disbelief. "What is this?! Did you put her up to this?"
Lilith casually shrugged, whistling innocently as she turned her back to them and pretended to inspect a painting on the wall. "Me? I have no idea what you're talking about."
Groaning, Haruto turned his head toward the ceiling, letting out a long, dramatic sigh. Right on cue, Lilith leaned in close to his ear, her voice dropping into a teasing, deadpan whisper. "Just say yes, idiot. You're a king—you need to collect at least ten queens, you know."
Haruto whipped his head back to glare at her. "No I don't! Stop treating this like a harem game, you're just saying that as a joke, don't take it seriously!"
Even as he protested, a sudden memory flashed in his mind—something one of the royal maids had mentioned earlier about the royal bloodline's deep lore: A king can even be brought back to life by exchanging the life of her queen's own life force...
Haruto narrowed his eyes, a knowing, slightly amused smirk crossing his face as he looked right at Lilith. He let out a soft chuckle. "Heh... I know why you're really doing this, you know."
Haruto crossed his arms, looking straight at Lilith with a knowing smirk. "If I die, a queen can trade her own life force to bring me back, right? Is that why you're pushing this?"
Lilith visibly flinched, her composure cracking for a split second before she recovered with an awkward cough. "H-Ha? Who told you that nonsense?"
"Mom mentioned it," Haruto lied smoothly, watching her reaction. "Look, Lilith, even if that's true, I'm not accepting this. I'm not going to use someone else's life as a cheap respawn point. And I sure as hell aren't going to force anyone into it."
Lilith suddenly burst out laughing, waving her hands dismissively. "Relax, relax! Everything's under control, nobody is being forced. But before you play the noble hero, give her an answer first—we didn't come here to debate royal resurrection lore!"
Haruto blinked, caught off guard by her abrupt pivot. "Wait, you're dodging the question—"
"Hey! Are you really raising your voice at me?" Lilith pouted, crossing her arms with a mock-serious glare. "That's no way to treat your spirit protector."
Haruto rubbed the back of his neck, instantly backing down a bit. "Alright, fine, my bad. But what do you mean by all this anyway?"
Lilith's playful expression softened, her gaze drifting away for a brief moment as she let out a quiet sigh. She looked back at him, her tone carrying a strange, deeper weight. "Because in the end...living is everything, Haruto."
Haruto let out a self-deprecating scoff, running a hand through his hair as he looked away. "What does it even matter if I live? It's not like I'm conquering the world or anything. What am I even trying to achieve?"
Lilith tilted her head, a confident, slightly challenging smirk playing on her lips. "Oh, really? Look at who's talking. What have you achieved so far? Tell me."
Haruto met her gaze deadpan, unbothered. "Sooner or later, everyone loses. Everyone dies. That's just how the game works. What's the point of fighting so hard just to delay an inevitable game-over?"
Lilith let out a soft, melodic laugh, the sound carrying a strange mix of amusement and melancholy. She stepped closer, her eyes locking onto his. "Fair point. Winning is nice and all, but..."
She paused, a faint, proud smile touching her lips as she quoted with absolute conviction:
"I may not have wonderful victories to share, but I can amaze you with the defeats I have come out alive."
The room grew quiet, the weight of her words hanging in the air between them. Philo, still standing close by with a flushed face and bated breath, slowly looked up at Haruto, waiting to see how her desperate confession would land amidst all this chaos.
Lilith crossed her arms, studying him with a sharp, perceptive gaze. "You're getting too comfortable, Haruto. You treat this whole world like some game you can just log out of whenever you feel like it. You're a guy with overpowered abilities, but because your life was so mind-numbingly boring back then, you're just coasting, letting yourself enjoy the comfort of it all."
Her expression hardened slightly, her tone turning serious. "You should be angry. You have limitless potential just waiting to break the sky, yet you act like none of this actually matters."
Haruto scowled, looking away. "Look, nobody asked me to be here. I don't have some grand, pre-written purpose, and I don't need one just because people expect it of me."
Lilith let out a soft, knowing chuckle, shaking her head. She stepped right up to him, her eyes holding his with absolute certainty.
"In a chase between a lion and a deer, the deer wins 95% of the time because the lion runs for food, but the deer runs for its life. Always remember: purpose is far more important than need."
The words struck a chord, echoing quietly in the back of Haruto's mind. For a second, the witty comebacks and gamer metaphors completely failed him.
Beside him, Philo was still holding her breath, her eyes wide and hopeful, waiting anxiously to see if her fierce, desperate confession would find a place in whatever path he chose to walk next.
Haruto looked down at Philo, her expression a fragile mix of lingering hope and absolute terror. He let out a heavy sigh, running a hand over his face. "I... I can't accept just because of some selfish reason like that."
Before Philo could even process the rejection, Lilith chimed in smoothly, a cool, unbothered smirk on her face. "There is no shame in being selfish, Haruto—especially if your dreams require a little sacrifice."
With that final, pointed remark, Lilith turned on her heel and glided out of the room, sliding the heavy doors shut behind her and leaving the two of them alone in the quiet parlor.
Inside, the silence stretched uncomfortably. Philo stood frozen, her mind racing a mile a minute as she panicked internally. Oh gosh... did Lilith force me into this just for a joke?! What do I do? Wait... if he tries to push me away or attacks me, maybe I can just copy his magic? No, wait, is that even a good idea? What should I do?!
Her face turned an even deeper shade of crimson as she wrestled with her own thoughts, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her sleeve.
Noticing her tense silence and the way she was practically vibrating with anxiety, Haruto broke the quiet, his tone softening just a bit. He tilted his head, looking right at her. "Philo... are you actually serious about this, or were you just put up to it?"
Philo's eyes went wide with panic. If I tell him the truth, Lilith will probably murder me in my sleep! No way, I have to play it cool...
Taking a deep, shaky breath, she forced herself to look him in the eye, nodding earnestly. "I... I'm serious, Haruto. I really mean it!"
Haruto let out a long, defeated sigh, a faint, wry smile touching his lips. "Alright... fine. If you're going to be this stubborn about it."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a simple, polished silver ring and held it out to her.
Philo gasped, her eyes sparkling. "Wait... you just carry around extra engagement rings in your pocket?!"
"What can I do? It's a rule of the genre," Haruto deadpanned, shrugging.
As Philo eagerly reached out, Haruto reached into his pocket again, pulling out a matching band. He extended his right hand toward her. "My left ring finger is already full, so let's go with the right."
A soft, genuine laugh slipped past Philo's lips. She gently slid the ring onto his right ring finger, and in return, Haruto carefully slipped his ring onto her left ring finger.
With a small, playful smirk, Philo grabbed a tiny silver glass cutter from her kit, pricked her finger, and then lightly pricked his. Pressing their bleeding fingers together, they sealed the bond in a classic, crimson blood-pact ritual.
Ding!
A translucent blue system notification instantly flashed across Haruto's field of vision:
System Notification:
You have chosen to take Philo under your protection.Level Up Available!Reward Claimed: Entity control increased by +5%.
Haruto blinked, staring at the screen. Only 5% control? Even so, a flat 5% boost on a high-tier entity is dangerously strong.
As the system window faded, the rush of energy settled through his veins, granting him his level-up bonus.
Across from him, the adrenaline finally wore off, and Philo suddenly realized what she had just done. Her face burned a violent shade of red, steam practically venting from her ears as she covered her cheeks with both hands. "W-What did I just do?! I actually did it!"
Clap, clap, clap.
From behind the heavy oak doors, Lilith poked her head into the room with a triumphant grin, slow-clapping as she chuckled. "Well look at that! Smooth work, you two."
Philo practically jumped out of her skin at the sound of Lilith's voice, her heart hammering against her ribs. Phew... Thank goodness I just went along with Lilith's crazy plan! If I backed out now, she probably would have vaporized me on the spot...
Lilith leaned casually against the doorframe, a smug, triumphant grin plastered across her face. She tapped her chin thoughtfully, tilting her head. "Well, aren't you forgetting something important?"
Haruto groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "What now?"
He turned toward Philo, holding out the brooch. Before he could even step closer,
Without missing a beat, Lilith reached up and gently unclipped one of the royal brooches from her hair, holding it up between her fingers.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot about this."
With a flick of his wrist, he took out the brooch and tossed it right through the air toward Philo.
Philo effortlessly caught it, staring down at the intricate metalwork.
Lilith crossed her arms, her tone dropping into a mock-scolding register. "Hey! Show some respect to your fiancée, idiot. Put it on properly."
Haruto let out an exaggerated, heavy sigh, rolling his eyes so hard it looked painful. "Uff... fine, fine."
Stepping forward, he gently fastened the royal crest brooch into Philo's hair, his fingers brushing against her locks. Philo's face turned into a blazing tomato once again, her entire body rigid with bashful excitement.
Lilith watched the scene unfold with a wicked, satisfied smirk, flashing a victory sign. "See? I told you. I always win."
As Haruto finally walked out of the room to catch his breath, Lilith stepped closer to Philo, a teasing smile playing on her lips.
"Hmm, well look at you," Lilith hummed, adjusting her posture. "How are you holding up?"
Philo let out a nervous, breathless giggle, her hands still trembling slightly from the sheer shock of the engagement. "H-Ha... I guess it's all fine now. I can't believe it... we're practically family now!" She paused for a second, her curiosity finally getting the better of her. "Um... can I ask you a question?"
"One? You can ask a thousand," Lilith replied smoothly, crossing her arms.
Philo bit her lip, leaning in a little closer. "Back when we fought... I remember you defeated me but if my observation is right you can do it effortlessly without even using magic. And somehow, you even take a huge hit from me but you can easily dodge and counter every single one of my attacks before I could even land them. So why did you put on such a huge show back then?"
Lilith let out a soft, amused chuckle, shrugging her shoulders. "Oh, that? Honestly? I was just bored, and messing with you guys sounded like fun."
Philo stared at her, her jaw dropping slightly. "Bored?! Wait... if that was just you messing around, how much of your actual power were you even using?"
Lilith tilted her head, thinking for a moment. "Hmm. If you compare it to my prime form? Not even 10%. Probably around 2 or 3 percent, tops."
Philo's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, the color instantly draining from her face. "T-Two or three percent?! Are you insane?!"
Lilith smirked, leaning in with a playful glint in her eye. "Well, what did you expect? My level is 99, after all."
Thud.
Philo felt like the ground had literally vanished beneath her feet. Level 99. The sheer weight of that number crashed down on her, leaving her utterly speechless as she realized just how terrifyingly powerful the entity standing right in front of her truly was.
Philo grabbed her head, her voice cracking in pure disbelief. "M-Ma... Maa-san! You've gotta be kidding me!"
Lilith burst out laughing, waving a hand dismissively. "Relax, I only ever mess with Haruto this seriously." With a casual flick of her wrist, she pulled open her status window for Philo to see.
At the top of her glowing holographic profile, the bold text read: [Title: Goddess's Child | Level: 99]
Philo swallowed hard, her throat feeling bone-dry. "Wh-What's your HP looking like? Mine's already—"
"Oh, my regular status screen doesn't show the real numbers," Lilith interrupted smoothly. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a small, deep red appraisal stone, and pricked her finger, letting a single drop of blood fall onto it.
The stone instantly flared with blinding light, projecting an astronomical string of digits into the air: 15,678,689,616,768,787 HP.
Philo's soul practically left her body. Her eyes bulged as she looked down at her own respectable HP pool of 90,000,000—which suddenly felt less like a superpower and more like a microscopic speck of dust. "Are... are you actually insane?! That's a sick joke!"
Lilith chuckled, patting Philo reassuringly on the shoulder. "Hey, don't sweat it. you can't beat me, I'm practically at the absolute top of the food chain anyway."
Philo shivered, staring at her in sheer terror and awe. "Wh-What are you even considered in the eyes of the gods? Aren't you a threat?"
Lilith's smirk turned sharp and dangerous, her eyes flashing with ancient power. "Let's just say... I'm the one who killed my home god in the past."
Philo's jaw hit the floor, completely spellbound and utterly terrified all at once.
Before she could pass out from the sheer magnitude of the lore drop, Lilith waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, enough of that. We've got plenty of time together ahead of us while we keep an eye on Haruto, and I'll fill you in on the rest of the details then."
Lilith leaned in close, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Oh, and by the way... Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra are actually goddesses too. Keep that between us, don't go blabbing it to anyone else."
Philo froze dead in her tracks, her brain short-circuiting completely. "Huh. what?!"
Lilith gave a reassuring nod, leaning back slightly. "Yeah, they're ridiculously powerful too. Honestly, I'd say they're right around my level, though their true outputs are capped for now. And like me, they keep it under wraps, so don't expose them."
Philo clutched her head, her voice trembling in a panic. "W-Wait! If they're goddesses, aren't they going to vaporize me if I step out of line?!"
"Relax, they're not going to kill you," Lilith chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. "They're just as fiercely loyal to Haruto as everyone else here. Besides..." She smirked, her expression turning slightly smug. "Can you believe it? Haruto somehow managed to accidentally collect three goddesses into his party."
Philo let out a weak groan. "That guy is a walking disaster magnet..."
"Not a disaster, an anomaly," Lilith corrected, her tone shifting to something a bit more serious. "Some of them got here through ancient trials, others by sheer fate. But either way, things are about to get a lot crazier. Just stay sharp and get ready—we're going to put Haruto through some serious training soon."
She shot Philo a sharp look. "And remember, we don't mess around with Haruto's life. We protect it."
With that, Lilith turned and began walking down the corridor toward the exit, motioning for Philo to follow.
As they stepped out of the room together, Philo hurried to keep pace, her mind still racing with the terrifying realization of who she was now surrounded by. She glanced sideways at the level 99 entity walking beside her, her curiosity finally winning out over her fear.
"Um... Lilith?" Philo asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you... ever get scared of anyone?"
Lilith didn't even slow her pace. She didn't look back, but a cold, fearless smile touched her lips.
"Even when you know someone else is stronger than you... I mean, surely there was a time when you were weak, right?" Philo pressed on, her eyes wide.
Lilith stopped dead in her tracks, turning her head slightly over her shoulder. Her eyes gleamed with an ancient, untamed fire that sent a shiver straight down Philo's spine.
"I don't fear anyone," Lilith answered smoothly, her voice echoing with absolute conviction. "Because at the end of the day, everyone else bleeds just like me. Even the gods."