Apart from Ronan, no one else could see the manifestation of the system's projection.
Hermann had just collapsed to the ground, half of his face grotesquely swollen. His skin had cracked open, and thin lines of blood seeped out. His mouth was full of fresh blood; he spat out several broken teeth in frustration.
His body wriggled on the ground like a worm. He tried to get up, but his limbs were completely numb and refused to obey his commands.
Aurelia sniffled softly. Despite the rough treatment she'd just endured, Hermann was still her fiancé. She walked over, reached out, and grabbed his arm. With her help, Hermann finally managed to stand, gasping for air. After a long while, he began to regain feeling in his limbs, and his previously trembling body started to stabilize.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at his timid fiancée standing beside him. His anger subsided slightly, but the humiliation of being publicly disgraced because of her quickly reignited his rage. A nauseating sense of disgust surged in his heart. With a forceful shove, he pushed Aurelia to the ground.
"Get lost, you shameless woman!"
Hermann couldn't care less about Aurelia. His bloodshot eyes fixated on Ronan with the fury of a feral beast, as if he wanted to tear him to shreds.
Kill him. Kill him. Kill him!
The thought roared in Hermann's mind, but in the end, he didn't dare make a move.
Aurelia fell to the ground, her silver-white hair cascading messily around her. She looked disheveled and pitiful. Lowering her head, her eyes reddened with tears. The pain and humiliation in her chest filled her with sorrow, her delicate fingers curling into small fists.
She couldn't understand why her once-gentle and chivalrous fiancé, who had vowed to protect her for a lifetime, had become such a person.
Through her dampened vision, she caught sight of Ronan. In stark contrast to her fiancé's fury, Ronan stood quietly in the midst of the crowd, as calm as ever.
He had only joined the Eternal Freedom Cult because of circumstances beyond his control.
Even though he suffered from the torment of the potion's allure, he refused to harm her.
He had said some cruel words to her, but only to reassure her that he wouldn't hurt her.
He had even risked punishment to release her when Hermann and the Dawn Knights arrived, knowing that she would be safe once they did.
Compared to him, her fiancé…
[Ding! System notification: Aurelia's favorability toward you has increased by 10. Current favorability: 40 (Friendship Level).]
The system's prompt jolted Ronan out of his thoughts. He glanced at Aurelia and Hermann and quickly pieced together what had transpired between them.
For a moment, Ronan found it amusing.
What was this? He hadn't done anything, yet Aurelia's favorability toward him kept increasing?
Could it be that Hermann had some bizarre tendency to push his fiancée toward someone else?
Still, seeing the frustrated look on Hermann's face—the rage of wanting to kill but being utterly powerless to act—was immensely satisfying to Ronan.
After a while, Ronan withdrew his gaze and raised his right hand lightly. That simple motion immediately caused many of the Dawn Knights to tense up. Despite their numbers, none dared to make a sound until Ronan spoke.
The strength Ronan had displayed earlier had struck fear into the knights' hearts. Every minor movement from him sent their nerves into overdrive.
Ronan, however, simply rested his chin on his hand, appearing deep in thought once more.
The earlier system prompt had been partially garbled.
What was the system trying to convey?
Interference?
Who had interfered with the system?
And what exactly was a "Repairman"?
Ronan wasn't foolish enough to believe that the "Repairman" was just an ordinary worker. No ordinary worker could fix worldlines.
If the worldline had already been repaired, didn't that mean Ronan was destined to die here?
In the future, he played only a minor role. And now, with the repaired worldline, how much of his accumulated experience would still prove useful?
He was trying to defy fate, but some unseen force was determined to crush him.
How interesting.
After a long pause, Ronan's gaze settled below.
Could this mean the "strategy system" was now activated?
He recalled a legendary player named Van, who had successfully romanced 38 men—some handsome, some imposing—in a game.
Another player had wooed 69 married women!"
The system's four quest lines had jumped from three to thirteen, meaning nine quests in between had yet to be unlocked.
Ronan's attention lingered on three names: Aurelia, Arianna, and Dolores.
These were the three main heroines of the first arc of the story.
Whether in terms of beauty, figure, or strength, they were exceptional women. Winning their hearts would undoubtedly be challenging, but the sense of accomplishment afterward would be unparalleled.
For Ronan, there was also an advantage: he had previously played the game and successfully romanced these three women. He knew their personalities, likes, and the trials they would face.
Aurelia was gentle but had an inner resilience. Once she gave her heart, she would remain loyal to death.
Arianna, despite her delicate name, was the kingdom's chief Valkyrie—a fiery-tempered woman with unmatched strength.
Ronan wasn't fond of domineering women, but white ones were an exception.
Dolores, the kingdom's eldest princess, was a strategist who had consolidated the military amidst a continent on the brink of chaos. Her iconic phrase, "If the money isn't used to train soldiers, should it be saved for reparations after defeat?" deeply impressed Ronan.
At the same time, she was an undeniable sadist.
They say every sadist harbors a masochist's heart. Was it true?
Strategizing for these three women seemed acceptable to Ronan, but what was this "strategy system" exactly?
If it was the cold, mechanical system he had known, Ronan would have had no interest. However, the newly manifested system… tempted him.
A smirk crept onto Ronan's lips. This game was finally starting to get interesting.
But Ronan had another pressing question: What would be the point of romancing these women? What were the Heart of Purity, the Heart of Valor, the Heart of Nobility, and the Eternal Heart? What did "The Gate" mean? Was it the way back to Earth?
Ronan's eyes gleamed. He didn't want to remain trapped in this game. If returning to Earth meant escaping his doomed fate in the repaired worldline, it was worth pursuing.
Suddenly, the cold, mechanical voice of the system echoed in his mind:
[Ding! Infinite Death System activated.]
[Mission Description: Someone has developed intense killing intent toward you. Your strength has provoked envy, and they seek to overthrow you. What will you do?]
Option 1: Flee
"Retreating isn't cowardice. Sometimes, it's the wisest choice."
Reward: +3 Agility.
Option 2: Kill! Spill Blood!
"Prove your strength with blood!"
Reward: Calculated by the number of enemies killed.
Death Countdown: 360 seconds!
Ronan exhaled lightly, a radiant smile spreading across his face. He had discovered another use for the system—death warning.
…
Dawn Farrokh, the second-in-command of the Eternal Freedom Cult's Lanaka division, was a strikingly handsome man—a quality that made him popular within the cult.
Now, however, his once-handsome face was dark with fury.
Farrokh, a one-star Panic-level fighter, had been the strongest candidate for the division's leader. Ronan's sudden arrival and appointment to that position had deeply unsettled him.
His final shred of pride—his strength—had also been shattered by Ronan.
Seeing Ronan standing ahead, seemingly unguarded, Farrokh was overcome with the urge to attack.
Now was the time to act.
With Hermann's hatred for Ronan, Farrokh knew the knight captain would ally with him instantly. Hundreds of cult members, scores of Dawn Knights—Ronan wouldn't stand a chance.
From any angle, this was the perfect opportunity.