Conquest Complete, So Why Is the Affection Dropping? - Chapter 101

The world of the second playthrough has disappeared. Not even a record of its existence remains.

Hexion has no memory of meeting me after running to the Admiral’s castle covered in blood, and Marvis has no memory of video calling with me from the Tower of Valhalla.

But still, Hexion is the Hexion I know, and Marvis is the Marvis I know.

Because Hexion has memories of walking through the temple with me, riding horses, and becoming intimate in the prayer room, and Marvis has memories of kidnapping me to Niflheim, giving me gifts, and sharing drinks with me.

This means that the two men and I still share the same memories.

But Kaint is different.

The me that the current Kaint remembers is nothing more than a stranger who visited the temple after the war and merely exchanged greetings once.

He has never taken me to his castle, promising to protect me and treated me with great care, never smiled while watching me play with his siblings, and never offered me flowers, walking with me through the underwater garden, and shyly kissing me.

So even if everything appears identical on the surface, I cannot consider this man to be the Kaint I loved.

“Actually, I was trying to seduce the Admiral.”

At my answer, Kaint’s body stiffened.

He tried to maintain an expressionless face, but he couldn’t hide the momentary disgust and wariness that flashed in his eyes.

Anyone watching would think I had sexually harassed him.

“To save a dying world and bring peace, harmony is important, right? If the hero of the Holy City lends his strength, citizens would be less resistant to joining hands with the demon race.”

“By borrowing my strength, did you mean I should offer my body to you, Divine Master?”

I chuckled. Perhaps because Kaint spoke so seriously, I didn’t feel embarrassed or awkward. Rather, a laugh escaped me.

“There’s no emotion that guarantees as strong a bond as love, right?”

“…Can you call that righteous?”

In modern times, having multiple partners is treated as immoral, but throughout history, there have been numerous cases of polygamy to quell unrest and balance power between forces.

Cases where emperors took all the daughters of feudal lords as concubines to establish a unified empire are so common they can’t even be specifically identified.

So the harem route, making the demon representative, temple representative, and Holy City representative—all handsome men—into the Divine Master’s bedroom slaves… no, lovers to maintain peace between demons and humans, must have been set as the easiest difficulty.

“I don’t want to force you if you dislike it. But it was you who said responsibility comes with position. I thought if the cause was clear, you wouldn’t refuse.”

“I’m talking about you, not me.”

“For someone who’s never been close to a woman, the hurdle might be too high… What?”

“I understand that the Divine Master has strong s****l desires.”

“Cough!”

“But the Divine Master is also someone who easily shows kindness to strangers, and cannot turn away those with whom she has been intimate. You’re lighthearted and moody, easily swayed by temptation, and believe others without doubt.”

Is he insulting me now?

“Also, you’re bright, cheerful, pure, and weak to affection. You’re not suited for shouldering great sacrifices and responsibilities. The person at the top faces wind and rain, but the second-in-command can avoid storms by hiding in the shadow of the first.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying that rather than a position that encompasses everyone, the Divine Master is better suited to being protected within someone’s fence.”

Fence. Protection.

Just listing the words makes it sound like he’s criticizing me for not doing my part, but it didn’t feel offensive.

That’s because memories of the previous playthrough came to mind.

‘So that’s why he prevented me from doing the Divine Master’s work.’

In the previous playthrough, Kaint protected me so much that I couldn’t raise my reputation and received penalties. He protected me to the point where I couldn’t even meet those who came from the temple, let alone demonstrate the Divine Master’s abilities.

This means he saw me not as the Divine Master bearing responsibility, but as someone he protected.

‘More precisely, that’s what he wanted.’

He would have wanted me to be without any worries or concerns, to not feel sorry or indebted, but to be comfortable and happy within Kaint’s protection, within his fence. Like his siblings. Like family.

That’s probably why he tried to protect me until the end.

“I am the Divine Master. Who do you think can protect me?”

“I am blessed with victory, so I can protect you.”

Swoosh. With a sweet fragrance, a faint sound of waves was heard.

I didn’t check the affection window. It was meaningless to quibble about the numbers.

“Isn’t a Divine Master who doesn’t save the world useless?”

“You could find peace.”

“But the Admiral doesn’t like me.”

“Protecting those who need protection is my duty. I’m not so petty as to distinguish between those I will and won’t protect based on personal preference.”

No wonder the Holy City residents were enthusiastic about him. Even if he hadn’t been a war hero, even if he hadn’t been born with beautiful features, there wouldn’t have been anyone who didn’t feel attracted to him.

How can this man say such things?

“Still, my answer is no.”

“Divine Master. Do you think I lack the ability to protect you?”

“No.”

“Then you must have been displeased by my attitude toward you so far.”

I was a bit hurt, but that wasn’t Kaint’s fault. It’s true that I behaved in ways that eroded trust.

“That’s not it either.”

“Then…”

“You just looked a bit like him.”

“Pardon?”

A man who says he will protect a woman he doesn’t even like, a woman for whom he doesn’t have even a hair of affection, with all his might. A man who doesn’t expect anything from the other person and only gives.

I understand why divine blessing follows him even though he’s not affiliated with the temple. Even if I were a real god, there would have been no way not to love this man.

“Actually, I had someone I liked too.”

Kaint’s eyes widened.

He must not have imagined that I, who was straddling between Marvis and Hexion, would have another man I liked.

“But because I couldn’t save the world, I lost that person.”

“…!”

“So this time, I want to focus on saving the world.”

I closed my eyes.

The sound of waves could be heard from nearby. Though the sea wasn’t visible from the temple, listening to that sound made me feel as if warm waves were rising in my chest.

‘Actually, the cause and effect are reversed.’

The reason I faced a bad ending in the previous playthrough was because I couldn’t let go of my greed.

If I had stepped into Kaint’s route, I should have loved only him, but I sheltered Hexion.

Although he yielded to me and accepted Hexion, it was Kaint who was inclusive, not the system.

Cedric appeared as if to punish me for not focusing solely on Kaint, and the world was destroyed.

‘A destroyed world can never be restored.’

Having already entered the harem route, the moment I choose just one person, this world will be destroyed again. I don’t want to repeat that terrible experience.

“Admiral, you resemble the person I liked.”

Kaint didn’t answer. The sound of turbulent waves faded away as if swept by the wind.

I slowly opened my eyes. I didn’t check the affection window. I didn’t have the courage to check.

Kaint is Kaint. If I hadn’t held a wedding ceremony in the previous playthrough, I probably wouldn’t have missed this opportunity and would have forcibly dragged him into my bedroom.

But I can’t do that now.

“I thought you weren’t alike, but you really do resemble him too much.”

To resemble means, in the end, not to be the same.

Did our souls truly connect through marriage? The difference between my Kaint and this person feels so painfully evident.

“So I’ll stop here. I don’t have confidence anymore either.”

There must be another way to establish the harem route. When pursuing one person at a time, I had to form deep relationships, but this is supposed to be the easiest route, right? There might be cases where you can complete the conquest by halfheartedly viewing a few events.

I have no intention of seriously pursuing Kaint. Because then “my Kaint” would truly disappear even from my memories.

“Return to your siblings, Admiral. It’s getting late.”

“Divine Master.”

“Or would you like to hear about how the world was destroyed? It’s not a good memory, so I don’t want to talk about it.”

Kaint visibly looked perplexed, then quickly stepped back and bowed.

He’s a man specialized in considering others. Being perceptive, he must have realized I didn’t want to talk about it.

I thought this answer would make him retreat, and indeed, my prediction wasn’t wrong. I don’t know whether to be happy or sad that he’s so similar.

Since my bedroom was right in front, Kaint left without confirming that I entered the room. He himself must have found our conversation quite perplexing, judging by his usually uniform footsteps becoming slightly irregular.

Only after his tall back disappeared beyond the corridor did I compose myself and open the bedroom door.

“You came alone?”

“Eek?”

Startled by the voice coming from the darkness, I gripped the doorknob tightly. The curtain surrounding the bed was pulled back, and a large silhouette suddenly emerged.

“You two disappeared, so I thought you’d come together.”

“Marvis! You were drunk and asleep…!”

“I was never asleep.”

Do you have insomnia? Then eat some magnesium. Don’t hide in the bedroom watching over me and scare me to death!