Chapter 87

Thank you for always reading my works.

Thanks to your support, it has been decided that my work will be published as a book by Ichijinsha, and it is currently in preparation. It is all thanks to the points you have given. It will still be a few months before the book is published, so during this time, as a service to the readers who have supported me, I will be releasing a "This probably won't make it into the book" series of deleted scenes! First release!

"Brother, you have no allies left. You must declare your renunciation of the succession and give up on Miss Cerea."

None of the ministers would stand by him. His friends, fearing involvement, remained silent. When Prince Ren, the second in line to the throne, threw his words at him, Shin was shocked that things had come to this. He had not anticipated that the power of the Vistrius family, secretly working to have him disinherited, would be revealed at a graduation party like this. Now he realized that Milene Vistrius, the eldest daughter of the Vistrius family, had ingratiated herself with Ren as his fiancée for this very purpose.

"Huh? Huh? Huh? What do you mean?"

Lyns, who should have been the main party involved, was bewildered and did not understand what was happening. Pushing Lyns aside gently, Fried Black, Milene's real brother who had been adopted into the Black Marquess family, approached Shin with a cool expression and whispered to him.

"You've gone too far. You've shown off your excellence too much. You've been too full of yourself... Didn't you think someone like that would be crushed?"

Behind him stood Duke Larod Vistrius, known for his shrewdness, the husband of Eleena Stradis (née) who had been the student council president, and Fried's real brother.

"It's fine that you bullied my Eleena during your time at school. I learned the true nature of the prince. The problem is your arrogant and disrespectful behavior towards the nobility. The idea that there is no class distinction within the academy is just a facade to teach students while they are still young. There is a line that must be maintained, Your Highness. Your conduct within the academy, which has lowered the dignity of the nobility and the royal family, is absolutely unacceptable. Do you understand?"

Shin thought that was not the case.

"The king's intention was not that. It was his wish that students form true friendships by breaking down class barriers while they are still young..."

"That is where you are wrong. This academy is a place to discern the true nature of many people, to identify allies and enemies, the capable and the incapable, while you are still a student. You have misunderstood this, Your Highness. You were being tested as well."

Shin understood everything.

This is the world of the game Cerea spoke of. He had been too fixated on it... The events of the game were actually happening. Because of this, he had been too focused on game events and had neglected the reality that was progressing separately. He had neglected to solidify his own foundation. It was not enough to just improve his public service record; he also needed to secure the support of the nobility. Was this the punishment for defying the game system?

"I see, the palanquin is easier to carry when it's light."

This was about Ren, who was to be the next king. "Light" of course referred to the contents of his head.

"Is that a statement of disrespect towards Prince Ren?"

One of the ministers reprimanded him. All the work he had done for the country and the academy. Was it all just an eyesore to the nobles and ministers? Was it so obstructive to their vested interests and the status quo that they had to get rid of him? Had everything been orchestrated to have him disinherited? Had the reins of government already been seized by the ministers, the Vistrius family, and the Stradis family, led by Eleena?

"We have all the evidence. There is no more room for denial or for protecting Miss Cerea. Brother, you were threatened by Lady Lyns, who was trying to claim the position of queen, and out of jealousy, you harassed Miss Cerea, who always had to clean up after you. You are undoubtedly an accomplice."

"Ren, that's all hearsay. It can't be used as evidence."

"That's right! I was never bullied by Your Highness or Miss Cerea! On the contrary, Your Highness always protected me..."

Lyns stepped forward and shouted, but Ren glared at her.

"Who gave you permission to speak! Guards, throw this disrespectful person out!"

Lyns was immediately seized and dragged away. The atmosphere in the hall turned cold. Shin, who had never wielded his power as a prince within the academy and had always been kind and fair to everyone, had gathered popularity but had never enhanced the authority of the royal family. The royal family always kept their fangs hidden and would not hesitate to use their power to eliminate those who opposed them. Everyone was now remembering this nature.

"...Without even hearing the testimony of Lyns, who was supposedly bullied, you're just throwing her out. Was it that inconvenient, Ren?"

"The script is already written. Now, Brother, declare your renunciation of the succession here. Of course, your engagement to Miss Cerea will also be dissolved. The Colette family certainly won't commit suicide with you. If you don't want to be implicated, do it now..."

"I will not leave Shin. I am prepared to accept any fate with him. If you wish to punish us, do so as you please."

Cerea clung to Shin's arm and refused to let go.

"What a pity, Cerea. You won't be able to call me 'sister' anymore."

Ren smiled slyly. Beside him stood his fiancée, Milene Vistrius.

"Your Highness, it's impossible to continue the engagement with Miss Cerea now. You can't fix the scandal of bullying lower nobles just because you didn't like them in the academy. Are you prepared to fall with the Colette family?"

"It might still be manageable with just a disinheritance. Admit your guilt and cut ties."

...I see. From the perspective of the second prince's faction, the Colette family, which would support Shin, was a thorn in the side, and they wanted to eliminate it while they had the chance, Shin thought. He sighed and took out an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket.

"You can't just erase my engagement to Cerea, can you?"

"It can be done. An engagement is just a promise, and it only needs the king's approval. It's not within your authority."

The Minister of Justice even smiled slyly.

"It's impossible."

Shin tore open the envelope and took out the document inside.

"Because we are already married."

What Shin showed everyone was a marriage certificate issued by the church.

Seven years ago, when they were both ten years old, they had secretly held a wedding ceremony at the citizens' church in the town below the castle. This was the certificate of their marriage vows to the goddess Ranates.

"Y-You're married!"

Ren and the ministers were shocked.

"Your Grace!"

Called by Shin, the bishop, who was a guest at the party, approached.

"Please confirm that this is an official document."

The bishop, who was a guest, took out his glasses and examined the document.

"...It is an official marriage certificate from the citizens' church. It is from seven years ago. There is no mistake."

The hall buzzed. The ministers were also surprised.

"S-Seven years ago? They were only ten years old at the time!"

"That's right."

"That's invalid! You can't get married in a citizens' church when you're not even adults, let alone a member of the royal family..."

The bishop shook his head.

"No, a marriage vow is a vow to the goddess. It is of equal weight whether it is in a cathedral or a citizens' church. There is no discrimination, whether you are a royal or ten years old. This document is fully valid as a church-issued document. A marriage vow is a sacred vow. It is inviolable under the name of the goddess Ranates. No one can deny it."

The hall fell silent at the bishop's words.

"...Well, can someone explain this to me?"

Shin looked around the hall.

"Since we are already married, who exactly is jealous of us? Why would Cerea be afraid of losing the position of crown princess? There's no need for that at all."

"..."

Ren was speechless and looked around for someone to advise him.

"Whether I am the crown prince or Cerea is the crown princess, it doesn't matter to me. If you want it, I'll give it to you, Ren. It seems I have no supporters left. I'm impressed that you've come this far."

Duke Larod Vistrius looked away. He was probably the mastermind behind this.

"But I won't let Cerea be accused of such petty harassment or let the Colette family fall because of it. Go ahead, give me a reason that everyone here can accept."

Ren glared at Shin with a terrifying look.

"...Did you just say you'd give me the position of crown prince?"

"I did."

"Can I take that as a renunciation of the succession?"

"Sure."

Shin shrugged and took Cerea's hand.

"I won't punish anyone for this incident. Of course, I won't touch the Colette family in the future. If you agree to these conditions, I'll do as you say."

"...I agree."

The second prince's response made Duke Vistrius look a bit bitter. He probably wanted to crush the Colette family as well, but if he could smoothly make Ren the crown prince, it was a condition he could accept, so he did not say anything more.

"Come on, Cerea. We don't need to deal with these worldly people anymore."

"...Yes, thank you, Shin."

Everyone in the hall watched the two leave in a commotion. Of course, this caused a big stir, and the party was canceled.

"Why are you guys here!"

Jack was surprised. After graduating and being exiled, Shin and Cerea, who had left their hearts with him, had returned to his territory, where he had started to pretend to manage the land as a viscount's son, unable to do anything for them. They had come dressed as commoners, carrying their belongings.

"I thought I'd get hired by the son of a northern country noble, the Viscount Wyls."

Shin said casually.

"Hired, a prince...?"

"I'm not a prince anymore, and I'm just a commoner. Besides, didn't you say you'd hire me?"

"What did I say?"

"You said, 'I'll hire you, you'll make a good official, be my right-hand man.'"

"...Oh, I did! I did say that! I can't believe you remembered that little kid talk..."

Jack scratched his head.

"So, I'm Shin Deller, and my wife is Cereanne. If there's a job interview, I'd like to take it."

"There's no such thing. You knew I couldn't turn you down, didn't you?"

"What if I get rejected, I'll go somewhere else?"

"Wait, wait, wait! That would be a huge loss! Seriously..."

Jack was bewildered by the suddenness of it all.

"If I hire you, I can't give you special treatment. I'll treat you like any other subordinate. Is that okay?"

"There's no one else who would treat me like that besides Jack."

"Alright, alright, just meet my dad..."

Jack's parents, the viscount and viscountess, who had been worried about Shin and Cerea like Jack, welcomed them warmly and agreed to let them become Jack's aides.

Thus, Shin and Cerea settled in a small corner of the Viscount Wyls territory and worked hard to develop the viscount's territory with the newlyweds Jack and Silfa.

The king was greatly disappointed by Shin's downfall, but by the time he realized Shin's true intentions, Shin had already disappeared, and the king did not pursue it further.

Fried Black, who had joined in Shin's condemnation, despite being a neighbor of the Wyls territory, could not infiltrate the Wyls viscount's trading network and was not developing well. Despite being in favor with the second prince, who would later ascend the throne, he was cold-shouldered after graduation. His cool and opportunistic nature meant he was not a reliable presence.

Uriel Hargan, the captain of the royal guard who knew the truth of the matter, resigned in a fit of righteous indignation and became a commoner. As a result, his son, Powell, lost all his connections, left the noble society, and was conveniently dismissed by Prince Ren, working as a guard for a merchant caravan in the adventurer's guild.

Hartis Kepler, the third son of the Earl of Kepler, who was bedridden with a cold during the graduation party, later apologized to Shin for not being able to help him, but Shin did not seem to mind. As he had always wished, he continued his research in the astronomy department of the academy.

Lyns Brouwer, the heroine, was cut off by the baron's family for displeasing the royal family and could not return to her family, who had once abandoned her. She became an actress at the Globe Theater and was quite popular.

Picard Baljean, the eldest son of the Earl of Baljean, for some reason gave his title to his younger brother, left the nobility, and became a free man, following Lyns to the Globe Theater and becoming a popular actor. He became famous as a comedic actor, especially for his role in "A Midwinter's Night's Dream." The contrast between his stunning good looks and his comedic roles made many young ladies fall in love with him. It was rumored that he would marry Lyns, and he might have a surprisingly pure love side.

Prince Ren, who became the crown prince and later the king, had a bureaucratic reign where the king's voice was almost nonexistent. However, it was not particularly good or bad, and fortunately, there was no significant corruption, so the country's power did not decline. With the support of the great kingdom of Halph, it maintained its influence.

On the other hand, Jack's Wyls territory, with its prosperous and stable governance, became a model for the kingdom's land management and would be spoken of for generations to come...

"Hey! Can you do something about this kid!"

Jack called out as he brought milk, and Shin stopped grilling the barbecue to look. A young girl was making a boy of about the same age cry.

"Oh, oh, oh..."

Cerea hurriedly stepped in to stop them.

"I will never marry a boy weaker than me!"

The girl stood with a wooden stick, her arms crossed.

"Damn it! Just wait, I'll definitely become stronger than you!"

Jack called out to the boy, who was crying on the ground after his stick was knocked away.

"Jackson, give up, you can't handle Selena..."

Shin, looking very unwilling, picked up Jackson.

"Don't give up, Jackson. Selena will become a gentle girl when she grows up..."

Jack shook his head and smiled wryly at Shin.

"No way. Jackson's balls will be crushed before that happens."

"Even if he's the son of a lord, I'll make sure he doesn't do that..."

Cerea picked up the girl and scolded her.

"No, Selena. Girls shouldn't bully boys. You should support and praise boys and rely on them. Boys won't like you if you don't."

Hearing this, Jack and Shin turned around and were startled.

"...Are we being tricked?"

"Is the meat done?"

Silfa, with her large belly, slowly walked over and casually called out to them...

—I will not break the engagement, End of the Deleted Scenes Collection 1—

Thank you for reading.

This is more of a collection of NG scenes than IF scenarios. From endings that could have been to completely implausible scenarios, I will continue to add to this collection. Thank you for your continued support.