"Hey, system, you said you had an update, right? What changes are there? Show me the missions."
World Missions:
First Mission: Help Natsuki Subaru cherish himself.
Reward: Unique ability – Skill Synthesis
Mission Two: Become Subaru Natsuki's friend.
Completed
Reward: Personalized Authority
Mission Three: Help Subaru Natsuki avoid his deaths.
Reward: Personalized growth-type weapon
Note: The more deaths avoided, the higher the weapon grade.
Special Limited-Time Missions:
Mission 1: Participate in the Snow Festival
Time Limit: 5 days
Reward: Basic magic
Mission 2: Save Felt from the assassination attempt
Time Limit: 3 hours
Reward: Felt and Reinhard's trust, 500,000 points
Basic Missions:
Mission 1: Kill Sin Archbishops → 100,000 points per Archbishop
Mission 2: Kill the Three Great Disaster Beasts
White Whale → 200,000 points
Great Rabbit → 250,000 points
Black Serpent → 300,000 points
Mission 3: Save Those Destined to Die → 1,000 points per person
Special Missions:
Become Reinhard van Astrea's friend.
Help Reinhard overcome her guilt.
Reward for both missions: Unique ability
Help Beatrice, the Great Spirit, leave the library permanently.
Reward: 50,000 points
Become Otto's friend.
Reward: 10,000 points
Help liberate the Sanctuary.
Reward: Unique ability
What are all these changes in the storyline?
Toyota never remembered Felt having an attempted assassination—and even if one had occurred, there's no way it could've gotten past the walking nuke that was Reinhard. But… a three-hour time limit? Even if he had a dragon carriage, there was almost no way he'd make it in time.
He knew about ground dragons, sure—but he hadn't seen one up close yet and didn't know how fast they could go. Judging by how long it took Subaru to return after the Royal Selection—probably half a day—even if Toyota had the resources, it still wouldn't be enough.
Then there was the first mission… and he didn't particularly want to do it.
He hated the cold.
He once asked to see snow, just once, because he wanted to know why people in movies dived into it, played around, and laughed like it was heaven. But when he finally touched it? All he felt was a sting—a spreading numbness that felt worse than fire.
The sensation of his body stiffening as feeling drained away was horrific.
That idea had only been cemented further when he watched Subaru die to the cold in the anime.
Fingers frozen solid and cracked off. A foot stuck and shattered. A head sliding off.
Whenever he thought of snow, he didn't think of joy.
He thought of pain.
He thought of death.
And yet…
This snow festival didn't seem bad.
He'd seen it in the anime. It looked fun. There was music, dancing, food. Laughter.
But he didn't have time to indulge too long. He still had to act fast and find Reinhard, prevent any early tragedies from unfolding. Magic? He didn't particularly care about learning it. Most people seemed to live fine without it, and against the truly powerful, magic often felt more like a cheap trick than a reliable weapon.
That said… now that he thought about it, he was curious.
What type of magic would he even have?
Would it be like Subaru's shadow magic… or would he fall under the more traditional elemental types like earth, fire, wind, or water?
Still, he wouldn't wait around too long for the Royal Selection to start naturally.
He'd stay just long enough to help the snow festival finish—and speed up the original storyline by waiting for everyone to return, then addressing the dinner meeting directly.
He hadn't even eaten a proper meal in this world yet.
What kind of cuisine did this world have?
He was eager to find out.
"System," Toyota said, "before I check out the updated Favorability system, I've got a few questions."
(Yes, Host. Proceed.)
"Did my physical stats increase after the soul synchronization? Some of the descriptions don't feel accurate."
(Yes. All physical attributes have been mildly enhanced through soul synchronization.)
"Okay. How does a passive like Whip Proficiency actually work?"
(It translates partial muscle memory from Envy Route Subaru, forming instinctive techniques and responses in combat.)
"Makes sense… One last thing—what do titles do? And what does it mean that I'm the 7th son of the Scarlet King?"
(Titles have effects specific to the user that even the system cannot fully interpret. The 'Crimson Prince' title was granted due to a unique alignment of personal achievements, fate threads, and story significance.)
Toyota exhaled through his nose.
"That answers my questions. Now, before you show me the Favorability system, explain what each percentage means. I had an idea, but I want to be sure."
(Understood. Since the system has updated, prior recognition may no longer apply. Here is the updated Favorability scale:)
Favorability Scale
(-100%) Irredeemable Hatred – Will try to kill you on sight.
(-75% to -99%) Hatred / Nemesis – Despises you. Only a miracle can change it.
(-50% to -74%) Hostile – Will attack or sabotage you if given the chance.
(-25% to -49%) Distrust / Annoyed – Dislikes you. Will only help if forced.
(-1% to -24%) Wary / Cold – Mistrusts you. Keeps their distance.
(0%) True Neutral – No opinion. You're just "there."
(1% to 19%) Mild Interest – Tolerates you. Finds you a bit interesting.
(20% to 39%) Acquaintance – Recognizes you positively. Casual help is possible.
(40% to 59%) Friendly / Ally – Likes you. Will help in non-serious situations.
(60% to 79%) Trusted Companion – Respects you. Will follow you into danger.
(80% to 94%) Deep Bond / Love – Strong emotional ties. Will sacrifice for you.
(95% to 99%) Devotion – Absolute loyalty. You come first.
(100%) Obsession / Worship – Irrational devotion. Sees you as divine or destined.
Current Favorability
Subaru Natsuki – 63%
Respects and partially trusts you | Points Received: 6,300
Rem (Blue Oni Maid) – 41%
Finds you a reliable ally | Points Received: 820
Ram (Pink Oni Maid) – 43%
Slightly respects you, but can't fully trust you | Points Received: 860
Maylee (Child Assassin) – ??%
Can't understand her own feelings | Points Received: 0
Satella (Witch of Envy) – ????%
Irrational and insane love | Points Received: 23,080
Beatrice (Great Spirit) – 81%
Feels a deep bond with the one who gave her hope | Points Received: 1,620
Roswaal (Clown Lord) – 15%
Mild interest | Points Received: 300
Puck (Beast of the End) – 13%
Mild interest | Points Received: 260
Emilia (Half-Elf) – 34%
Recognizes you positively as Subaru's friend | Points Received: 1,700
Total Points Earned: 34,940
Previously Spent: 500
Current Total: 34,440
After reading through it all, he started laughing maniacally.
"With this many points, I'm not doing too bad."
But after a double-take… fear crept in.
Satella's points kept increasing.
Sure, he liked the points—but not what they implied. That favorability? It was terrifying.
Still, being able to see what people thought of him? That was practically pseudo-mind reading. An insane advantage.
Now that he had a goal in mind—he knew exactly which Authority he needed to bring about a true happy ending:
The Authority of Sloth.
"Hey, System, what's the price for the Authority of Sloth?"
(Host, currently the price is 300,000 points.)
Right. When he killed the White Whale and his plan with freeing Beatrice early succeeded, he should be able to afford it.
Wait.
He paused—he already had the nerfed version of that ability.
Might as well test it.
Standing up, he focused around his chest and stomach, trying to feel something—anything.
He stood there awkwardly, looking constipated.
"…Hey, System, how do I activate the Fragment of Sloth ability?"
(Host, it is innate. You must discover activation through your own intent.)
"…Useless," he muttered, grumbling.
Still, the more he thought about it—the more broken this ability was.
No one can see it.
It can phase through solid objects.
It has a ton of power.
Eventually, he should be able to summon more than 10 hands—and they didn't even need to be hands at all. That was just the default for those with weak imagination.
The best part?
Each hand seemed to have partial consciousness.
This ability wouldn't just be powerful—it would be key to killing Regulus.
Without needing to massacre his wives.
***
Rem was looking at a pelted pink flower in the garden.
"Sis, look at this flower," Rem called to her sister, who was tidying up some bushes with the trimmers. "What could've happened to it… even though it just bloomed?"
She gently touched the delicate petals—only for the flower to fall limply onto the garden soil.
"Well, well… look what we have here."
The two maids looked up.
Their lord, Roswaal, had knelt and picked up the fallen flower, turning it in his fingers with a thoughtful expression.
"Master Roswaal…" Ram said cautiously.
"At this cru~cial time… and while we were busy with the Royal Selection preparations… it seems we've gotten ourselves two rather troooooublesome guests."
Roswaal's voice trailed as he stared at the flower. The wind picked up, and a few loose petals floated into the air. His expression darkened slightly with unease.
***
Beatrice sat alone, reading a book in the library, occasionally stealing glances out of the second-floor window—hoping, perhaps foolishly, to catch a glimpse of her future contractor.
That was when her view of the outside began to blur.
A thin frost crept over the windowpane, trailing like veins across the glass.
Ice.
Noticing the change, she slowly set her book down, her expression unreadable.
"…Hmph. What now, I suppose?"
***
Subaru finally returned from his failed scouting mission and was immediately greeted by Rem, who buzzed around him with concern the moment she noticed his ripped clothes.
"Are you okay, Subaru?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.
"Yeah, don't worry," he replied, waving her off—but she was very close. Too close. To the point where he felt like he was the one in the wrong.
"Uh… Rem, why are you so close to me? Like… it's natural for you to be here?"
"I just finished working in the garden," she said cheerfully, "so I was restoring my energy by watching Subaru's face."
Rem smiled wide at the clearly uncomfortable boy.
"Just what kind of energy is that…?"
"More importantly," she continued, "I have some good news that I think you'll want to hear. Your friend, Toyota—he finally woke up."
Subaru froze mid-step. Then, his whole body seemed to fill with energy.
"That's great! Where is he?"
"Master Roswaal will be holding a meeting soon."
"Perfect." There was a lot Subaru wanted to talk about, a lot he needed to ask.
As he made his way back inside the mansion, a sudden chill made him shiver. He quickly hugged himself for warmth.
"Hey Rem… it's a bit cold today, don't you think?"
"That's right. It is a bit chilly today," she replied with a warm smile. "As expected of Subaru—such keen insight."
Subaru felt weird. The constant compliments were starting to feel less flattering and more… unsettling. Still, he decided to ignore it.
"Well, anyone would at least notice cold weather. Yesterday was muggy too. Weird for it to change so drastically overnight…"
He glanced at her. "Don't you change your maid outfit seasonally? Must be tough wearing something so light in this kind of cold."
"Once the true ice season begins, I'll change into my winter maid clothes. They're stuffed with cotton, so they're very warm."
"Given this cold," Subaru said, "don't you think it's better to change into them now? If it's hard for you to ask, I can go talk to Roswaal directly."
"Me and Sister are used to it, so it's okay," Rem replied gently. "It's not worth bothering Master Roswaal about."
"If you're sure…" Subaru muttered, still hesitant.
(AN: I've had some conflicting opinions on whether to keep Mc weak and go for underdog vibe, or make him OP and make crush his problems, it's hard to appease both sides so I'm going to make a compromise and get him moments where he builds up his strength and shows his power as the Crimson Prince 👑
I've set an official release schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Bonus chapters will drop on Saturdays if my demands are met. 🔫
Trade deal:
You give me 70 power stones, and I give you a bonus chapter.
Sounds fair, right?)