Chapter 59

"Ugh! Being able to choose a slightly more expensive jam in the morning is the best!"

Marie was in a good mood from the start of the day.

Seeing Marie happily spreading jam on her second slice of toast, I was eating toast with eggs and bacon on it.

When I came to Marie's house on a weekend, it seemed that breakfast had just been prepared. I ended up eating with her, and it had been a while since I had toast... I wonder why.

Even though Marie made the breakfast, it tasted incredibly nostalgic.

It was close to the taste of my previous life's mother.

Seeing me eating toast, Julius was surprised.

"Baltfart is used to it. I didn't have much experience with this kind of food, so I didn't know how to eat it at first."

That's right.

After all, toast only appeared after we came to the Republic of Alzer.

It didn't exist in the Kingdom of Holfort.

Greg was eating with gusto,

"It's delicious once you get used to it. I spilled it at first, though."

Chris was pointing this out.

"You're still spilling it, Greg."

A lively breakfast.

Zilc was brewing his own tea.

He was ostentatiously enjoying the aroma.

"Indeed, nothing beats this in the morning."

I tilted my head at the smell.

"That smells strange."

Then, Zilc ostentatiously sighed.

"You don't understand. You seem to have some knowledge of tea, but that's all."

I was irritated, but I decided to hold back.

Brad picked up the jam,

"Who's going to use it?"

Carla raised her hand slightly,

"Ah, I'll use it next."

During the lively breakfast, Kyle offered me a drink.

"Zilc is a tea enthusiast too."

"Hey, don't make it sound like I'm a tea enthusiast. I'm a gentleman who enjoys tea."

For a moment, everyone was silent.

But when Greg resumed eating, the conversation moved on as if nothing had happened.

"Anyway, when will the envoy from the kingdom arrive?"

I looked at Luxion.

'During the summer break, the first group will come soon. The second group will follow after that.'

It was almost summer break.

I felt like I hadn't been to the academy much, but that was due to Pierre.

I should have complained more to the Feve family. ...I did, though.

Julius looked down.

"But this time, it's troublesome. I didn't expect the Sacred Tree to be so problematic. I only thought of it as an object of faith."

They probably didn't teach that to outsiders.

In that sense, Pierre was reckless.

Marie was spreading jam on her third slice of toast.

"But, this way we can live in peace. The first semester is almost over, but the rest seems like it will be enjoyable."

The envoy includes servants to take care of Marie and the others.

Marie, who would be freed from housework, looked happy.

Then, the bell outside the mansion rang.

◇

In the parlor.

I was entertaining the guest with Luxion and—Marie.

The guest turned out to be Leila.

Marie and I whispered to each other.

"Why is the protagonist here?"

"I don't know. Maybe your brother called her? Ah! I think Carla mentioned someone visiting before."

It seemed she was too busy to pay attention, but it was probably Marie's fault.

"…Remember this, okay?"

"Wait! Big brother, I'm innocent!"

As we talked, Leila turned her gaze to Luxion.

And—

"That…is a paid item, isn't it?"

We looked at each other, then at Leila's face.

"How do you know?"

I had a bad feeling.

If Leila recognized it as a paid item, it meant—

Leila introduced herself.

"I'm also a reincarnated person like you."

Normally, I would have tried to cover it up, but this was the girl we thought was the protagonist.

Marie was surprised.

"Y-You're kidding! I thought you were the protagonist! Wait, are you the type who reincarnates as the protagonist? I envy you, you bastard!"

Leila's expression turned sour.

It was a far cry from when she was with Emile and Lav.

"That's my sister! I'm the twin sister! There's no twin sister of the protagonist in the original story. And I'm not the protagonist. —My sister is the protagonist."

I took a deep breath and said,

"I investigated here, and it seems you're the only one who could be the protagonist. What do you mean by 'twin'?"

"Just that. I reincarnated as my sister's—twin sister. The protagonist's twin sister doesn't exist in the original story. And I'm not the protagonist. —My sister is the protagonist."

I glared at Marie quietly.

Marie quickly averted her gaze.

There was no choice but to talk to Leila.

"…I investigated, and it seems you're the only one who could be the protagonist. What do you mean by 'twin'?"

"Just that. I reincarnated as my sister's—twin sister. The protagonist's twin sister doesn't exist in the original story. And I'm not the protagonist. —My sister is the protagonist."

I took a deep breath and said,

"Marieeee!"

"S-Sorryyyyyy!!"

Marie apologized, but there was one thing that bothered me.

"Hey, wait a minute. If that's the case, where is your sister—where is the protagonist? The first semester is almost over, and she hasn't come back. Could it be that she hasn't even enrolled?"

A reincarnated person claiming to be the twin sister was here.

Could it be that the real protagonist is no longer at the academy? That would be a problem!

"…My sister is doing well. Do you know how much effort I put into covering for her? And you guys go and ruin it! What are you going to do about it!"

Marie laughed.

"So what? If there's no problem, it's fine."

Leila was furious.

She stood up from the sofa, waving her hands and complaining to us.

"There is a problem! The sapling of the Sacred Tree was collected too early. It will wither if my sister doesn't collect it! That sapling is a key item, you know!"

"You're calling me pretentious! Don't joke around. You were the one showing off every day! You're the one trying to appeal to guys, you pretentious one!"

While the two were fighting, I placed the case I was holding on the table.

The sapling inside was green and hadn't withered.

Marie and Leila, who had been fighting, were surprised to see the sapling.

"It's there!"

"Why? Because my sister was chosen as the priestess, the sapling didn't wither."

That information wasn't in Marie's notebook.

Marie's memory wasn't reliable either.

Luxion explained.

'The sapling withers because the Sacred Tree exists. Only one Sacred Tree can exist on this continent. Therefore, the saplings wither one after another. However, it is possible to survive by mitigating the interference of the Sacred Tree.'

As long as it was protected in a special case, the sapling of the Sacred Tree wouldn't wither.

"What? I worried for nothing."

As I said this, Marie was messing up Leila's hair and making a face at her.

"I've been working hard too. I just misunderstood because you were getting close to the easy target."

Leila looked relieved and sat back down on the sofa.

"That's good. If the sapling had withered, we would have been in trouble."

I confirmed with Marie.

"Is that true?"

"The final boss is the Sacred Tree itself. It seems that the Sacred Tree without a guardian or priestess is prone to go out of control. The protagonist, who is chosen as the sapling, eventually wins and plants the sapling in place of the fallen Sacred Tree, leading to a happy ending."

Leila added.

"My sister has the same priestess aptitude as in the game. I don't have it, so the priestess is definitely my sister, which means the protagonist is my sister."

Marie was fixing her hair. It seemed that as she talked to Leila, her game memories gradually came back.

…If only she had remembered sooner.

"Then, the male chosen by the sapling's priestess becomes the guardian and fights the final boss together, right?"

Leila corrected me with an angry face.

"No, the guardian is also chosen by the sapling. It chooses a male who is compatible with the priestess, so it seems like the priestess is choosing. Did you even clear the game properly?"

"None of your business! I didn't clear all the routes, and besides, how many years ago are you talking about? Can you remember things from ten years ago clearly? Stop complaining."

Indeed, there are many things she can't remember. Especially Marie, who was reincarnated in the Kingdom of Holfort, might not have been very interested in the Republic of Alzer.

But there was one thing that bothered me.

"Then, there's no reverse harem ending?"

Leila laughed.

"There is, but it's not great. In the end, Erek is chosen as the guardian, and the others are treated as subordinates to the priestess. I can't believe in reverse harems."

Those words seemed to pierce Marie's heart.

"…Reverse harems are a girl's dream."

Hey, say that to my face. Say it to me, who has suffered for girls' dreams!

Well, leaving Marie aside, it seems Leila has more knowledge. From her relieved expression, I didn't think there would be a big problem in the future.

"Then, there's no problem. So, where is your sister, the protagonist—"

As I picked up the case, the back of my right hand was glowing.

"—What the—!?"

The back of my right hand, which touched the case, was glowing, and some kind of emblem was floating up.

Luxion said casually,

'Oh, this emblem is different from Pierre's.'

Marie's mouth dropped open, and Leila put her hands on her head.

"That's the guardian's emblem, isn't it!"

"Liar!"

Looking at my right hand, I saw some kind of plant-like design or emblem floating up.

Marie averted her gaze from me.

"I-I'm not. It's my brother's fault."

She said that.

"You, don't act like you're not involved! What are we going to do? This is the emblem of the protagonist's lover. Why is it on me? Luxion, take it!"

Luxion looked at the back of my right hand.

'…Don't worry. There's no danger to your life.'

"That's not the issue!"

As the three of us were yelling, Luxion started to explain to us.

'First of all, you all have a misunderstanding.'

The three of us fell silent and looked at Luxion.

'The sapling of the Sacred Tree and the Sacred Tree itself both desire a guardian. The Sacred Tree can exist alone, but the sapling needs protection to survive.'

Leila seemed to want to say that she understood.

"So, the guardian is chosen from among the protagonist's potential lovers. They each have their own characteristics and some power, so they are suitable candidates for the guardian."

Huh? Does the sapling see that much?

Looking at the case in my hand, I was surprised that the sapling could recognize such things.

'That's the story in the game, right? Who is currently protecting and guarding the sapling of the Sacred Tree?'

…Ah, it's me.

Leila and Marie's gazes pierced me.

"Of course, it's not my fault!"

"My brother is an idiot!"

I retorted to the two who were complaining.

"My fault!? Is this my fault!? No, right? Because I had no choice when Pierre got involved—"

Luxion said calmly.

'Master, you repelled the six great noble families. Perhaps the sapling judged you as a suitable guardian. This sapling has a good eye. It chose the master I serve, after all.'

Leila shouted.

"What are you doing!"

…What should I do? I seem to have caused some trouble.

◇

At the port.

A man and a woman descended from a single airship.

The man had distinctive medium-length hair with a spiky style and red hair.

His yellow eyes were beautiful.

However, he looked unhappy.

"…The fruit containing the gemstone didn't choose us. Could it be that one of our loves was lacking?"

However, his yellow eyes began to cloud.

The woman walking behind him shuddered.

The man's name was [Erek Let Barier].

The tall, handsome young man was a picture of beauty just by standing there. The clothes he wore were tailored for him.

In contrast, the woman walking behind him was in a uniform.

She was Leila's sister and the protagonist of the second part of the story.

She had blonde hair with pink highlights. The color became more pink towards the ends, and her hair was a fluffy twin-tail, slightly messy but reaching her shoulders.

She had yellow eyes and a strong, upturned gaze.

At first glance, she seemed like a strong-willed girl, but now she was looking down, and her usual strength and brightness were not visible.

"Erek… sir, well, the story about the gemstone is just a legend. So—"

There is a legend that the fruit of the Sacred Tree ripens and falls, and the gemstone inside is given as a token of the two lovers' love.

But it was just a legend.

Erek turned around and grabbed the woman's chin.

He smiled at her.

"So? Are you saying you're not to blame? You spent the first semester clinging to the Sacred Tree. You were also caught up in the chaos caused by the idiot Pierre. That's why you were told to return to the academy."

The woman apologized to Erek.

"S-Sorry. But—"

Erek pushed her away.

Then, Erek started kicking her.

"Don't talk back! I did it for you! And you!"

As the woman winced in pain, Erek suddenly realized and ran to her.

"S-Sorry, I went too far."

The woman looked down.

"Sorry. Really sorry. I just get emotional when I think about you. You understand, right?"

The woman nodded slightly.

(This is fine. Leila said so, and it's better to endure a bit to make things work out, and it's also for Leila's sake.)

Erek helped the woman stand up.

But what Erek was holding was a chain.

The chain was connected to a collar around the woman's neck.

"Come on, let's go. This time it didn't work, but we have a chance next. We'll definitely get the gemstone during the winter break and get my parents to recognize our marriage."

The woman, who gave a small response, walked while attracting attention at the port.

(…If I just endure, things will work out. I just have to… Besides, Erek can be kind too.)

A drone was floating in the sky, secretly watching this scene.

◇

At Marie's mansion.

When I asked Leila, she said her sister would be back soon, so I decided to send a drone to check.

But the video we saw was beyond our imagination.

Luxion reported calmly.

'Is this a man with a strong possessive nature? As Leila and Marie said, Erek is a slightly deranged—yandere, man. The "slightly" part is the key, isn't it?'

Leila, who probably didn't expect her sister to be in such a state, was speechless.

In the midst of this, only Marie—

"K—"

"K?"

"Secure her!"

She proposed that we secure Leila's sister.