The battlefield remained eerily quiet. Not because anyone had declared a ceasefire.
Not because either army had surrendered. But because...
Neither side knew what to do anymore. Thousands of soldiers stood frozen, watching three of the strongest warriors on the continent...argue over one exhausted office worker.
Rin looked from Kaelith...To Lucien... Back to Kaelith...
Then to the System.
"...Is this normal?"
[Loading answer...]
[Searching database...]
[Searching...]
[Searching...]
"...Why are you taking so long?"
[Because absolutely nothing about your life is normal.]
"...Fair."
A cough echoed across the battlefield.
Everyone turned.
An elderly demon wearing elegant crimson robes stepped forward from behind the fortress gates. His silver beard reached almost to his waist, and he leaned heavily on a polished obsidian staff carved with intricate runes.
Even Kaelith straightened slightly.
"Elder Veyron."
The old demon sighed.
"...General."
Then he looked toward Lucien.
"...Commander."
Lucien bowed politely.
"Elder."
Finally...His tired golden eyes landed on Rin.
"..."
"..."
"...You're the human?"
Rin raised one hand.
"Unfortunately."
The elder stared at him for a long moment.
"...You're shorter than I expected."
"...That's the first thing everyone says."
Veyron slowly rubbed his temples.
"I leave the fortress for one week and when I return the eastern army invades, the General has apparently found a human consort, the Holy Commander refuses to stop staring and half my soldiers are taking bets."
He looked toward the heavens.
"...My ancestors are laughing."
The System chimed brightly.
[Side Quest.]
[Locate the betting pool.]
Reward: Free snacks.
Rin blinked.
"...Excuse me?"
[Current odds:]
Kaelith - 45%
Lucien - 32%
Unknown Route - ???
Vorak - 23%
"..."
"...THERE ARE BETTING ODDS?!"
[Yes.]
"WHO IS RUNNING THIS?!"
[Information classified.]
"...It's you, isn't it?"
[...]
[I can neither confirm nor deny.]
Elder Veyron cleared his throat.
"This battle will pause."
Immediately, soldiers on both sides began whispering. Lucien frowned.
"...A ceasefire?"
"A temporary discussion."
Kaelith nodded once.
"Acceptable."
"The Holy Kingdom agrees."
Rin blinked.
"...Wait. That's it? You just...agreed?"
Lucien looked at him.
"It is generally considered polite to hear the other side before killing one another."
Rin slowly turned toward Kaelith.
"You could've mentioned that."
"You never asked."
"..."
"...I walked into a war!"
"You seemed busy screaming."
"...Valid."
Within minutes...
A massive command tent had been erected in the space between the two armies.
Neutral ground. Guards from both sides stood outside.
No weapons allowed inside except those belonging to the two commanders.
Rin stopped at the entrance.
"...Why am I here?"
Kaelith answered.
"Because they requested you."
Lucien answered at exactly the same time.
"Because I requested you."
"..."
"...See?"
Rin sighed.
"This is exactly what I'm talking about."
Inside...
A long wooden table occupied the center of the tent. Maps covered nearly every surface. Miniature stone figurines represented troop positions.
Several chairs surrounded the table. The seating arrangement was unfortunate.
Very unfortunate. Kaelith naturally sat on Rin's left. Lucien chose the chair on Rin's right.
Vorak arrived moments later carrying enough food for what appeared to be an entire village.
"I brought lunch."
Rin stared.
"...Is that...an entire roasted boar?"
"Yes."
"...For four people?"
Vorak looked confused.
"...Should I have brought two?"
The System immediately appeared.
[Daily Mission.]
[Feed the Male Lead.]
Reward: +20 Affection.
Failure: The Male Lead becomes hungry.
"..."
"...Which one?"
[Good luck.]
The notification disappeared.
"...SYSTEM!"
No response.
"...COWARD!"
Lunch began. Or rather...It attempted to begin.
Nobody moved. Nobody touched the food. Rin looked around the table.
"...Are we... waiting for something?"
Kaelith nodded once.
"The elder."
Right on cue, Elder Veyron entered carrying several scrolls.
"Good."
He sat down with a tired sigh.
"Before discussing war..."
He looked toward Rin.
"...I would like an explanation."
Rin smiled nervously.
"...About...?"
"...Everything."
"...Could you narrow that down?"
For the next twenty minutes...
Rin attempted to explain.
"I died."
Silence.
"I woke up here."
More silence.
"There's an invisible magical thing giving me missions."
The silence somehow became louder.
"..."
Lucien slowly raised one finger.
"...Invisible?"
"Yes."
"...Only you can hear it?"
"Usually."
Kaelith quietly added,
"I have heard it twice."
Everyone looked at him.
"You have?"
He nodded.
"Briefly."
Rin blinked.
"...Wait. You never told me that."
"You never asked."
"...I'm beginning to notice a pattern."
Elder Veyron leaned forward.
"This voice. What does it want?"
Rin hesitated.
"..."
"..."
"...Romance."
Dead silence.
A spoon hit the floor. Somewhere outside the tent... Someone sneezed.
Inside... Nobody moved. Lucien blinked twice.
"...I ...Beg your pardon?"
"It wants me to..."
Rin buried his face in his hands.
"...Fall in love."
The elder looked at Kaelith.
"..."
Then at Lucien.
"..."
Then at Vorak.
"..."
Then back at Rin.
"..."
"...This explains much more than I wanted it to."
The System chimed proudly.
[Thank you for sharing your feelings.]
"I WAS EXPOSING YOU!"
[Communication is healthy.]
"I'M GOING TO THROW YOU INTO A VOLCANO."
[Please stand in line.]
Lunch finally resumed. Mostly. Rin reached for a piece of bread.
At the exact same moment—
Kaelith placed cooked meat onto Rin's plate.
"You barely ate breakfast."
Before Rin could thank him—
Lucien slid a small bowl of soup closer.
"You should have something warm as well."
"..."
Rin looked at both dishes.
"..."
Vorak smiled brightly.
"You need vegetables."
A gigantic plate of roasted vegetables landed in front of Rin.
"..."
"..."
The elder quietly watched. Then slowly reached for his tea.
"I am suddenly fascinated."
The System exploded.
[MISSION COMPLETE.]
[All Male Leads have fed the Host.]
Bonus Objective Achieved!
Balanced Diet!
Reward:
+15 Health.
+30 Chaos.
"..."
"...THAT WASN'T EVEN THE MISSION!"
[Close enough.]
Rin looked down at his plate. It was overflowing.
Bread. Soup. Meat. Vegetables. Fruit.
Someone had even added dessert.
"..."
"I physically cannot eat all this."
"You should try," Vorak encouraged.
"It is nutritious," Lucien agreed.
Kaelith simply said,
"Finish your meal."
Rin looked toward Elder Veyron.
"...Help."
The elder calmly sipped his tea.
"No."
Halfway through lunch... The flap of the tent suddenly burst open.
A young demon scout stumbled inside, completely out of breath.
"GENERAL!"
Kaelith immediately stood.
"What happened?"
The scout swallowed hard.
"Our western supply convoy..."
"...It disappeared."
Everyone frowned.
"Bandits?" Lucien asked.
The scout shook his head.
"No."
"Then what?"
"..."
The young soldier looked strangely uncomfortable.
"...Survivors claim..."
He hesitated.
"...they were attacked by monsters."
Kaelith frowned.
"There are no monsters in that region."
"Exactly."
The scout's voice trembled.
"...That's why...everyone is afraid."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Whatever humor had filled the tent moments before disappeared.
Lucien's expression hardened.
"Our scouts reported similar incidents."
"You never mentioned this."
"I believed they were isolated."
"They are not."
Silence settled over the table.
Heavy. Uncomfortable. Rin looked between all of them.
"...Wait. If monsters are attacking both sides..."
Nobody answered.
Because everyone was thinking the same thing.
Someone... Or something...
Wanted the war to continue.
The System appeared.
For the first time since Rin had met it...
Its cheerful blue window flickered. The smiley face icon disappeared.
The text was plain. Cold.
[Emergency Story Update.]
[Hidden Main Villain has begun moving.]
[Warning.]
[The original story...]
[...]
[Has started to change.]
Rin's heart skipped a beat.
"...What do you mean..."
The screen flickered again.
Then—
Without another word—
It vanished. For the first time...
The System had gone silent.
And somehow...
That terrified Rin far more than all of its terrible romance missions combined.