I Picked Up the Protagonist’s Heroine - Chapter 22

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ I Picked Up the Protagonist’s Heroine ◈

Chapter 22: Let's Try Kissing First

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“However.”

A rebuttal came to mind, and I opened my mouth.

After House Hasgard was destroyed, assassins had pursued me.

If Amelia’s guess was right, if their goal had been to leave only one survivor, there would have been no reason to chase me.

“However...”

I struggled to dredge up memories of the past.

The group that had pursued me no matter where I ran.

The pursuit had continued until I happened to reach the monastery and met the bishop.

Until then, they had tried to capture me and kill me...

...Had they really tried to kill me?

“Hasgard, your family has a spirit, does it not? Could that be what they’re after? What kind of spirit do you have?”

“Steel.”

“And who is the contractor?”

“My father, the current head of the house. It has been passed down for a hundred years.”

“A spirit that serves as your family’s guardian deity...”

Amelia rested her chin on her hand and pondered.

Her thoughtful expression made her look like an armchair detective.

It was hard to believe she ranked last in the entire second year.

“Hasgard, don’t misunderstand me. If everyone in your family but one were massacred, what would happen to Steel?”

“By contract, the remaining person inherits it.”

“Whoever that may be?”

“Whoever it is, that’s what happens.”

It had actually happened in my previous life, so I could guarantee it.

I was proof enough.

I had wielded Steel and Light, two spirits, at the same time.

Even contracting with one spirit made someone a notable figure in this world, but I had two.

That special quality was one reason I had never been able to think of myself as an extra until just before the end.

Though it meant nothing now...

“Hmm... I see.”

Seemingly having gotten the answer she wanted, Amelia lightly nodded.

“Then you and I are still in danger, are we not?”

“You believe the Death God Cult won’t give up?”

“I trust my instincts. They gain nothing by killing me. No matter how I think about it, I feel their true target is my brother, who would fall into depravity because of my death.”

“You’re certain he would fall into depravity.”

“Of course. That pathetic brother of mine couldn’t live a day without me. He’d be more than capable of entertaining extreme thoughts.”

Then...

If Amelia’s deduction was right, perhaps there was a route in the game where that brother of hers joined the Death God Cult.

According to her, he was the royal family’s finest swordsman. If such a route existed, he might stand out even within the Death God Cult.

He might become one of the Five Lamps, the Death God Cult’s executives.

Though, for an organization called the Five Lamps, I had only seen four of them.

“When you say brother, which prince do you mean?”

“The fourth. Kairon.”

...Unfortunately, the name meant nothing to me.

To begin with, I knew little about the royal family.

At least I knew his name now, so I would have to investigate him from here on.

“You should be careful. Even if you got lucky today, you may still be their target.”

“Then you can protect me. Like today.”

“I can’t stay by Your Highness’s side at all times. You should summon your guards.”

At my answer, her eyes narrowed.

“Hm...”

She puffed out her cheeks and looked at me with dissatisfaction.

What now?

“Yes, you’re right. You must be busy with all sorts of things. Forgive me. Go on, then.”

Her tone was cool, but her expression was nothing of the sort.

Ah.

I think I get it.

Had she expected me to say something like, “I’ll protect you,” even if only as empty words?

Should I play along a little here?

All her endings had already been cleared, but that didn’t mean I could simply abandon her.

Thinking coldly, there were one or two reasons.

First, I couldn’t give up my connection to the royal family.

Second, even if all the endings were locked, challenges remained.

There had been several Amelia-related challenges among the ones I had checked earlier, but one stood out vividly in my memory.

[How Far Are You Going?]

-Kiss Amelia.

Ah, right. That was it.

Maybe I could try for that now.

“I’m not leaving.”

“Didn’t you say earlier that you had something to do...?”

“I didn’t. How could I leave Your Highness alone after you went through something so terrible today? I’ll remain at Your Highness’s side today.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Her voice was awkward, but her expression already looked satisfied.

It was as transparent as her fair skin.

“Come to think of it, where are Your Highness’s guards? Do you have a way to contact them?”

“I usually keep them at a distance. I don’t particularly have any means of contacting them, either.”

“That’s a serious lack of safety awareness.”

“Well. I thought that was better. Today, that thought became a fatal mistake.”

“Don’t you trust your guards?”

“If someone as strong as you is the standard, there isn’t a single person worth trusting in the first place. In any case, they should be nearby, so they’ll find me soon. I’m always here at this hour.”

“I’ll go call them.”

“Leave them. I’m deliberately leaving them alone. They’ll learn what happened today anyway, and they must take responsibility, must they not? I should have all their heads chopped off. They have little life left, so I’m letting them enjoy it while they can.”

Ah... I see.

I couldn’t tell whether to call that merciful or cruel.

“So today, you alone are enough.”

“Yes, I’ll protect you.”

“Pfft.”

The moment I said it, Amelia burst out laughing.

“For a count’s son, you still seem not to have learned proper etiquette. If you wish to swear an oath to royalty, this is how you do it.”

Swish.

Amelia removed her white glove and held out the back of her hand.

Even without the white glove, her hand was still pale.

“Kiss it.”

She gave the order with a playful smile.

A smile she wore while demanding a kiss.

For some reason, it looked alluring.

I lightly grasped her slender fingers and drew her hand toward me.

Then I brushed a kiss over the back of her hand and carefully raised my head.

When I checked Amelia’s reaction, she had turned her bright-red face away and was trembling.

Why were you the more embarrassed one...?

In truth, I had led Amelia into bringing up etiquette and offering me her hand.

I had pretended to be ignorant of etiquette and oblivious so I could aim for the challenge of kissing Amelia.

Because that challenge seemed to have a catch.

It didn’t clearly state where or how I had to kiss her.

So I had tried it, wondering whether a kiss on the back of her hand might count.

...But the challenge wasn’t completed.

022

Shop, Open.

The Challenge Shop appeared before my eyes.

[Choice Navigation]

-200 Coins

-Highlights dialogue choices that greatly increase affection (one use).

I looked over the items in the shop.

They definitely felt like items designed to make clearing multiple playthroughs of a dating sim more convenient.

[Memo Pad with a Cute Animal Drawing]

-100 Coins

-An item that someone would probably really like.

[Universal Gift Box]

-500 Coins

-An item that anyone would probably really like.

Hmm.

Of course a dating sim would have gifts, too.

A gift that raised a particular heroine’s affection if given to the right person, but lowered it if given to the wrong one, cost 100 coins.

A gift that could be given to anyone cost 500 coins.

I had no urgent need to raise anyone’s affection, so I would skip those for now.

[Additional Save Point Creation Ticket]

-3,000 Coins

-Press any key to restart (one use).

[Ending Preview]

-500 Coins

-You can preview ending requirements and scripts.

“Oh.”

This seemed pretty good.

Ending Preview.

It was exactly the item I needed right now.

I had learned that locking endings not only ruined Laward’s romance routes, but also earned me coins.

Excluding the hidden thirty-first ending, I had thirty endings to clear in total.

Fifty coins per ending meant that if I cleared all thirty, I would earn 1,500 coins.

I would spend 500 coins now and earn 1,500 later.

Besides, summer break would end soon.

From the second semester of first year onward, the information I had would begin to run out.

Having seen only the one hidden ending, I knew less about the endings than I had thought.

Before I missed any endings, I needed to find out for certain.

“The problem is that I’m short by 100 coins...”

Would I have to clear another ending or complete a challenge to earn them?

The Challenge Shop had finally opened, but I was 100 coins short of buying what I wanted.

I needed to find a challenge I could complete as quickly as possible.

Thinking that, I pressed the shop’s item sorting button.

‘Sort.’

‘Lowest price first.’

No matter how much I needed to save coins, it would be a shame to leave without buying anything.

I had only just received this perk.

Even something that cost ten coins would be fine. I should at least get a taste of it.

When the items were rearranged by lowest price, I was surprised to find a free item.

[Affection Scout]

-0 Coins

-Enhances the user’s vision, allowing them to constantly check the affection of visible targets.

-Upgradeable.

Reading the description, it seemed to be an item I acquired for free and upgraded afterward.

But being able to check affection in a dating sim was practically cheating, wasn’t it?

In a dating sim, the target’s affection was more important than anything.

There were games where a difference of one point in affection changed the ending, so being able to see the number was an enormous advantage.

And it was free.

Mother, Lady Hasgard, had said there was no such thing as free in this world, but I couldn’t pass this up.

It could even be upgraded with coins later, so there was no reason not to buy it.

Click.

I pressed the purchase button.

You have purchased the ‘Affection Scout’!

Coins remaining: 400

Aside from the purchase message, there was no change at all in my eyes.

It said the effect was constant, so I had expected to feel a change immediately, but I felt nothing.

Knock, knock.

To test the first item I had purchased, I went to find Lucia.

There was no particular reason.

I happened to be at the Houndry hideout in Karma mode, and Lucia was the closest person.

“Lucia, it’s me.”

Knock, knock.

When I knocked again, I heard footsteps from inside.

“Yes, j-just a moment!”

Her voice was unusually high for Lucia.

Afterward, there was a rustling sound from inside the room.

More precisely, it was the sound of getting dressed, but as a gentleman, I would refrain from describing the details.

Click.

For some reason, Lucia opened the door in a slightly bent, hunched posture.

“What is it?”

My vision had changed.

A small heart symbol was visible beside Lucia’s face.

The number written inside the heart was 40.

Since 99 was MAX, 40 was higher than I had expected.

It was high enough to be surprising considering only one ending had been locked.

A very satisfying test result.

“Lord Karma?”

“No, it’s nothing. Rest.”

“Nothing’s wrong, right?”

“Yes.”

Lucia looked like she didn’t understand, but she gave a shallow nod and closed the door.

Now I could accurately know the heroines’ affection levels, and if I got Ending Preview as well, I might be able to clear every ending while adjusting their affection however I pleased.

Something this good cost zero coins.

Perhaps the Stage 1 perk included the Affection Scout.

“Ah, Lord Karma! Good night!”

As I walked down the corridor, smiling to myself, a guild member passing by deeply bowed in greeting.

After I returned the greeting casually, the man carefully slipped past me in the narrow corridor so he wouldn’t bump into me.

Huh?

What was that just now?

I had become familiar with the guild members’ faces by now.

He was definitely a member of Houndry.

He was definitely a man.

Then why...

Was his affection 99...?