Damn it, having to endure Aesphyra's antics just to play a game, Winnie was truly helpless.
“Winnie, don't worry! I'll draw the key and come save you right away!” At that moment, Shikondell proved her thoughtfulness. Seeing Winnie in trouble, even within the game, she immediately called out to help him.
“Thank you, Dell, but you should probably take care of yourself first,” Winnie sighed. “This is an elimination game. If your HP runs out, you lose.”
“Hmm~ Let me think... just playing the game normally seems kinda boring, doesn't it?” Aesphyra suddenly gasped. “Everyone agrees, right?”
“What are you planning now?” Winnie, gripping the bars of his cage and sitting securely imprisoned, spoke with dark lines across his forehead.
After spending so much time with Aesphyra, he could instantly tell this nut filled with dark bean paste was brimming with malicious schemes and up to no good.
“How about we add a rule?” Aesphyra proposed. “The ultimate winner gets a reward, and the loser with the lowest score receives a punishment. How about that~?”
“Wait, aren't you drawing the target after shooting the arrow?!” Winnie snaps. “Seeing that this young master is already at a disadvantage, locked up in this cage, you decide to pull this stunt now??”
“Ah, Winnie, you shouldn't call yourself 'this young master' anymore,” Aesphyra teased. “Right now, you're the Radiance Saintess. For the sake of your classmates' gaming experience, please immerse yourself in your role. Calling yourself 'this Saintess' would be perfectly acceptable.”
“Go to hell! Don't act smug after gaining the upper hand!” Winnie growled.
“Eh? How can you say that, Winnie? This system can perfectly simulate female voices. Using such a voice to say phrases like that sounds really odd. If you don't believe me, just ask Miss Mirexia, she'll surely agree,” Aesphyra said, tilting her head.
Winnie instinctively glanced at Mirexia, only to find her silent and expressionless.
Great.~
“Let's follow the majority rule. So, does everyone agree to the reward and penalty system?” Aesphyra asked the group.
“I agree.” Milian was the first to raise her hand. The reason? Winnie thought it was simple, the golden-haired little brat was clearly delighted by his misfortune. Hearing that the lowest scorer would face extra punishment, of course she'd enthusiastically support it.
She'd absolutely love to see Winnie humiliated.
Trapped inside the cage, Winnie clenched her fists tightly.
“That makes two votes,” Aesphyra turned toward Mirexia and Isatia. “Miss Mirexia, don't you want to give it a try? What if you win?”
“Isatia, don't you want to try? Or do you already believe you can't win?”
“Three votes.” Isatia crossed her arms, calmly meeting Aesphyra's gaze.
“As for me, I'm fine either way.” Mirexia averted her eyes.
“Oh, 'either way' means you agree, right?” Aesphyra continued, turning toward Winnie. “Well then, Winnie? We already have four votes.”
“Even if you and Dell vote against it, it won't matter. The minority submits to the majority.” Aesphyra grinned confidently.
“Eh? Eh?” Shikondell, completely skipped over, had wanted to voice her opinion but found Aesphyra had already rushed ahead with vote-counting, ignoring her entirely.
“You can't object, unless you want to oppose everyone else's will.”
“You damn miniature bread roll!” Winnie bared his teeth inside the cage. In his imagination, he was a ferocious beast trapped in confinement, ready to wreak havoc once freed.
Unbeknownst to him, in the eyes of others, Winnie at this moment resembled nothing more than a delicate, imprisoned Saintess, weak and helpless, using harsh words to mask her inner fear and dread.
“Pfft, Winnie is as adorable as ever~” Aesphyra giggled.
'Virtue + 60.'
'Current Virtue: 6844.'
Damn it, this damn silver-haired nutball is definitely a sadist! Is she really this happy seeing me suffer?!
'Virtue + 80.'
'Current Virtue: 6924.'
'Virtue + 20.'
'Current Virtue: 6934.'
'Virtue + 40.'
'Current Virtue: 6974.'
'Virtue + 50.'
'Current Virtue: 7024.'
Wait, what??
Winnie stared at this sudden flurry of virtue increases, utterly bewildered.
What the hell is going on? Did Mirexia activate her ability again??
No, the amount of virtue increase doesn't seem to come solely from Mirexia.
Could it be multiple heroines contributing to it??
Winnie was stunned, scanning the female leads present.
Who exactly is it? Seeing him locked up and nearly gnawing the bars, someone still has emotional reactions? Who's this twisted?!
But judging by their expressions, Winnie couldn't tell, everyone looked perfectly normal.
Could it possibly be all from Aesphyra??
“Alright then, it's settled. The final winner can make the lowest-scoring loser play Truth or Dare. How about that?” Aesphyra swept her gaze across the group. “Any objections?”
Hearing this, everyone remains silent.
Mirexia repeatedly glanced at Winnie, seemed lost in thought, clenched her fist tightly, but ultimately said nothing.
“Wait, I have an objection!” Winnie shouted.
“Winnie, you're really not being a team player. Everyone else has no objections, yet you're the only one complaining,” Aesphyra raised an eyebrow.
“Isn't that obvious? I'm the one locked up here! You only brought this up after I drew the Iron Thorn Cage, aren't you deliberately targeting me??” Winnie protested.
“Alright, alright, it won't be anything too extreme. Or does Winnie already assume he'll lose?” Aesphyra deliberately provoked him.
“What do you mean 'lose'? You're the one who can't do anything! I'm perfectly capable right now! This young master thinks it's unfair!” No matter what, a man could never admit he was unable!
“Good, good. Admirable mindset. Truly worthy of you, Winnie~”
“Tch!”
“Also, I mentioned this earlier, Winnie, stop using 'this young master.' You're currently the imprisoned, helpless Saintess waiting to be rescued, aren't you?~”
Winnie was nearly driven mad by this stinking nut.
Next was Milian's turn to roll the dice. She rolled a two, advanced two steps, and drew a small box from a random chest.
“What's this?” Milian fiddled with the red little box, opened it, and found a key inside.
“Oh my, she found the key so quickly? I thought Winnie would have to stay locked up a bit longer. So, Milian, will you use the key to rescue Winnie?” Aesphyra asked upon seeing this.
“Huh? Rescue who? That blue-haired guy?” Milian glanced at Winnie. Truth be told, Winnie's current appearance in this immersive game was extremely deceptive, imprisoned in an iron cage, a fragile yet stubbornly strong Saintess. It stirred a pang of guilt and pity in anyone who saw her, to the point Milian had to quickly look away, fearing she might actually soften.
But Milian knew beneath this delicate exterior was that detestable blue-haired jerk. This entire image was fake!
So, Milian turned her head aside, completely ignoring the desperation, pleading looking in Winnie's eyes from within the cage.
“Can I choose not to rescue him?”
“Of course. It's your game, your decision,” Aesphyra added.
“Huh??” Winnie bit his lip, desperately wanting to shout, 'You pointy-eared brat, have you forgotten our past camaraderie?!'
But upon second thought, he realized he and Milian truly had no bond. He'd even humiliated her publicly before, and this golden-haired little demon had sworn revenge one day.
“Fine then, I choose not to rescue.” With that, Milian casually tossed the key aside. It landed not far ahead.
“You're really going that far??” Winnie gripped the bars tightly.
“Tch.” Milian scoffed, casting a disdainful glance at Winnie.
“Winnie, don't worry! I'll retrieve the key right away!” Shikondell quickly spoke up.
Nearby, Milian clicked her tongue even more resentfully.
It was Shikondell's turn to roll the dice. If she rolled a six, she could retrieve the key.
Both Shikondell and Winnie swallowed hard. The dice hit the ground, just as it was about to land on 'six,' it wobbled and stopped at 'one.'
“...” Well, even among fated heroines, luck varies. Take Shikondell, her fortune seemed perpetually lacking luster, second only to Winnie himself, though she excelled at encountering benefactors.
Shikondell was clearly unreliable. Next was Isatia's turn, who perfectly demonstrated the fortune and destiny a fated heroine should possess, she rolled a six and randomly obtained full stat buffs.
Then came Mirexia. True to her status as a fated heroine, after observing others' gameplay, she gradually grasped the mechanics. The key points were how to obstruct and attack others while defending against attacks, plus managing various random items.
Initially, Winnie, trapped in the cage, still hoped one of the fated heroines might rescue him. But as they became familiar with the game, they became fiercely competitive, especially Isatia and Aesphyra. Both were exceptionally skilled, with sharp awareness, precise judgment, and extraordinary luck.
Naturally, their clashes were the most intense, drawing others into the fray. Soon, everyone was locked in chaotic battles.
“Hey, um... have you guys forgotten about me?” Winnie, imprisoned the entire time, decided he'd never play this trash game again. The experience sucked, being stuck in a cage watching others play intensely while he could do nothing.
Literal imprisonment.
No wonder they called it the suicide card. Drawing it meant even if you didn't die, this game was practically over for you.
“Seriously, someone save me??” The pink-haired maiden in the cage looked at the battling fated heroines and spoke in despair.
He knew it was a points-based game, survival time didn't matter. Only the highest score at the game's end counted. Kills, rewards, and movement steps all contributed to points.
But him? Stuck in place, his score fixed. He could only watch as the fated heroines' scores soared past him, ignoring him completely, no one even listened to his pleas.
Moreover, for some unknown reason, the heroines had reached a bizarre unspoken agreement: whenever someone was about to pick up the key, someone else would intervene and knock it away, preventing his rescue.
Once or twice could be coincidence, but repeated instances made it hard to believe they weren't doing it intentionally.
What are they trying to do?!
Still, not every heroine ignores his pleas. Every time he begged, Shikondell would respond, “Winnie, just hang in there! I'll get the key soon!”
It made him wonder, has she actually submerged herself in the role??
Although heartwarming, like a daughter finally helping her old father carry some burden, considering Shikondell's intellect and luck, Winnie felt the hope was slim.
Her opponents were a group of overwhelmingly dominant fated heroines. Was Shikondell, a weaker fated heroine, really their match?
The reality proved Winnie hadn't underestimated Shikondell, he'd actually overestimated her.
Winnie could see Shikondell was truly trying her hardest. Yet no matter how hard she tried, she remained an outsider to the game.
Milian didn't attack her, and the other three fated heroines didn't even acknowledge her existence, deeming her unworthy of their attention. All their focus was on their perceived rivals.
Under such minimal threat, Shikondell still struggled endlessly, unable to retrieve the key no matter how hard she tried.
Winnie didn't know what to say anymore.
It felt like... everyone looked down on you, yet you were the only one making it funny.
Bored inside the cage, Winnie suddenly felt a profound enlightenment, as if he'd grasped the truth.
Was there a possibility, just a possibility, that the heroines were doing this on purpose?
Were they intentionally pretending not to hear him, fighting each other solely to win first place and become the ultimate victor?
That way, his score would inevitably be the lowest, and the winner could make him play Truth or Dare.
The moment this thought struck, Winnie felt the nature of the game had fundamentally changed.
He wasn't a player. He was more like a prize displayed on a pedestal, unable to move, while everyone below fought fiercely to claim him.
And a prize, of course, must remain in place. How could it be allowed to leave?
Although the analogy was far from perfect, that's exactly how Winnie felt.
No way... this can't be right??