CHAPTER 11: HIDDEN STORY EVENT

Nero sat at the small wooden table in the kitchen as a bowl of soup steamed in front of him.

He lazily stirred it with his spoon.

"Nothing much has happened lately..."

He murmured under his breath as he watched the steam curl upward.

"No new quests. No big story flags. Just... cleaning, cooking, and being tortured by that woman."

He took a sip of the soup.

『Tastes so real... the warmth, the texture, even the saltiness. There’s no way this is just code, right?』

Another spoonful went down, and he let out a small sigh.

『But I need to do better than this... be the main hero, be the prodigy, not just some random keeping the Archmage alive and hydrated. A total side character in my own dating sim. People hate that. They want a proper protagonist, not the one who mops puke off the floor.』

He looked at his reflection in the soup and smirked.

『Still, maybe being ordinary isn’t that bad.』

He nodded satisfactorily.

『It’s peaceful...』

That peace lasted exactly seven seconds.

"NE~ROOO!"

The kitchen door exploded open with a BANG!

Before Nero could react, Merlin grabbed him by the wrist with manic excitement sparkling in her eyes.

"Can you believe it—!? I just had the most brilliant idea for a new enchantment spell!"

Nero blinked slowly.

"Do I need to start writing my will?" (￣ ￣|||)

"Don’t be dramatic! This will revolutionize the entire study of mana flow!"

"That’s what you said last time, and I woke up with my eyebrows gone."

"That was a fluke experiment!"

"You literally used me as a lightning rod!"

Merlin huffed and placed both hands on her hips.

"At least I’m wearing clothes this time."

Nero blinked. Then blinked again.

Sure enough, she was.

A gorgeous violet mage’s dress hugged her luscious curves perfectly, with gold trimmings that shimmered faintly under the sunlight. Her long hair was tied up loosely, and her pointed hat sat a little crooked on her head.

"You look cute..." he said without thinking.

Merlin tilted her head and smirked.

"Oh? Smart boy. You’re trying to butter me up before I blow something up again, aren’t you?"

[Affection Static — "She’s heard that one before."]

It was a little surprising.

She didn’t even act like that was a compliment.

It was things like this that made Nero unsure of whether her romance route would pay off.

『Figures. She’s probably been called beautiful and cute by a thousand mages and kings already. I’m just the towel boy in her friggin’ story.』

It frustrated him a little.

"Come on, come on!"

Merlin tugged him toward the door.

"We’ve got a new spell to test!"

"Wait, I haven’t even finished my soup—"

"Soup later, magic now!"

･･･

[Location: Merlin’s Yard — Afternoon]

The wind carried the scent of grass and earth.

Merlin darted around like a caffeinated squirrel as she muttered spell formulas under her breath while arranging a chaotic circle of crystals, charms, and scrolls.

"Okay, flux stabilizers, check! Rune anchors, check! Unstable mana condenser... double check!"

Nero watched her pile up strange glowing rocks, then shook his head.

"You sure you’re not drunk again?" (눈_눈)

Merlin paused, eyes narrowing.

"I’ll have you know I am completely sober!"

"Yeah, sure. That’s exactly what you said before turning the nursery into a carnivorous plant."

"It was botanical innovation!"

"It tried to eat me."

She puffed her cheeks out adorably as she glared at him like a scolded cat.

"Hmph! I’m not forgiving you for that one." (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

Nero smirked.

"Fine by me. That’s like the 50th time you’ve said that this week."

She glared harder, then turned away with an overripe hmph! and went back to arranging her reagents.

He chuckled.

『She’s ridiculous. But cute when she pouts like that.』

･･･

That’s when the sound of hooves thundered across the dirt road.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Nero straightened in alarm as a formation of knights and armored adventurers rode into view, golden banners fluttering proudly under the sun.

Their armor gleamed gracefully.

Polished steel with white and crimson accents.

A gold dragon insignia shone brightly on their shields.

『That symbol...』

[Observation! You have identified the Banner of the Gold Dragon — Knights of Camelot.]

Nero’s brows shot up a bit.

『Camelot?! What the hell are they doing here?!』

He quickly scanned them with [Oracle Engine].

[Character Identified: Knight Captain Ardan Leor]

[Level: 52]

[Rank: B-Class Knight]

[Title: Royal Commander of the Fifth Order]

[HP: 10,340 / 10,340]

[MP: 3,200]

‣ Skills: [Sword Mastery] [Divine Aura] [Dragonbane]

‣ Status: On royal assignment

‣ Personality: Dutiful, loyal, humorless, easily flustered by cleavage

『That’s... concerningly specific.』

His heart began to race.

『Wait, this isn’t supposed to happen. I’ve been doing chores all week — no combat flags, no story events, no boss triggers. Did I mess something up?』

[System Alert: You have triggered a Hidden Story Event — The Red Dragon Incident.]

[Reason: Player inactivity in main questline detected.]

[Objective: Assist in the Royal Subjugation Mission.]

[Warning: This event is mandatory for progression.]

『WHAT!?』

His brain practically blue-screened.

『I was just trying to live peacefully with Merlin! How is that a crime?!』

He turned toward Merlin for guidance—only to find her still humming to herself, drawing runes in the dirt, totally oblivious to the knights staring at her.

The knights and adventurers dismounted, then dropped to one knee in unison.

"Great Lady Merlin, Archmage of the North Star, we humbly request your aid!"

Merlin yawned, scratching her butt through her robes.

"Busy..."

She said flatly.

"Come back later. Student training in progress."

A few of the younger knights went red as the side to side movement of her round buttocks caused the dress to ride up slightly.

The adventurers looked away, sweating bullets.

Nero just buried his face in his hands.

『I can feel their sanity points dropping.』

Knight Captain Ardan stood tall and bowed deeply.

His voice was sharp and formal.

"Lady Merlin, this is a direct request from His Majesty, King Arthur Pendragon himself. A red dragon has been sighted near the eastern wings of Bramble. The capital requests your assistance immediately."

Merlin finally stopped scribbling and turned to glare at him like a teacher interrupted mid-class.

"The king again, huh?"

She clicked her tongue distastefully.

"Always with the dragons. Fine, fine. But you’re carrying my stuff."

The entire knight squad looked at one another nervously.

[Quest Updated: The Red Dragon Incident — Part I]

[Main Objective: Assist Merlin in the Royal Subjugation Mission]

Nero lowered his head and sighed.

『There goes my peaceful domestic life.』

[Event Begins in...]

[00:03:56]

[Good luck, Player.]

『No, seriously—FUCK THIS.』

–

–

–

The rhythmic clop clop of hooves sounded.

Fifteen knights and adventurers walked in formation while their cloaks swayed lightly in the breeze as the dirt road narrowed into the thick, untouched greenery of the Bramble Region.

The sky above was slowly darkening.

The world felt still.

Except for the woman riding beside Nero.

Merlin tilted her chin up high, looking unusually smug.

"Hmph."

Nero ignored her.

She side-eyed him. Louder this time.

"Hmph."

Still nothing.

Then again, with more force and a tiny puff of air.

"Hmph!"

The other riders began glancing over.

They were half curious, half concerned.

Finally, Merlin snapped.

"I said HMPH!"

Nero groaned, rubbing his temple. "What now?"

She pointed a finger at him as her springy chest puffed out in exaggerated pride.

"Heh. You still haven’t thanked me for your gear, my ungrateful pupil."

"Oh yeah..."

Nero muttered, glancing down at what he was wearing for the first time since they left the cottage.

[Inspecting Equipped Items...]

---

«Evermist Robe» (C+)

‣ Defense: +12

‣ Magic Resistance: +8%

‣ Passive: Reduces fatigue from spellcasting by 10% via a rejuvenating magic mist

‣ Description: "Tailored by the Archmage herself."

«Ring of Flowing Mana» (B-)

‣ Effect: +15% Mana Regeneration

‣ Passive: Mana flow stabilizer (lowers casting instability)

‣ Description: "A mysterious ring that glows when the wearer’s heart rate spikes."

«Lumen Fracta» (A)

‣ Magic Power: +25 (currently)

‣ Properties: [Arclight’s Tutelage] [Mage Armor Focus] [Spell Catalyzation] [Mana Amplification & Efficiency]

‣ Description: "A magic staff made from Ironwood shaft, Orichalcum and Silver inlays."

---

Nero smiled mildly as the system window faded away.

"Huh. Guess I should thank you properly, then."

When he looked up, Merlin was already leaning in with her slender shoulders pressed gently against his as their horses trotted side by side.

Her black hair brushed against his cheek.

It smelled like beer with a hint of lavender.

"Good boy..."

She teased and tugged softly at his cheek.

"You’re finally learning how to appreciate my genius."

"Stop pulling my face!"

Nero grumbled, trying to keep the reins steady.

One of the adventurers behind them snorted.

"Oi, Captain Ard, uh... is something going on between those two?"

Knight Captain Ardan didn’t even glance back.

"Lady Merlin is the last person on this continent who’d ever be in a relationship."

The adventurer blinked, watching Merlin laugh as Nero tried to swat her hand away.

"Still, they look kinda cute together."

Ardan exhaled through his nose.

"That’s because you’re young and stupid."

The laughter and idle chatter faded again as the group pressed deeper into the wilds.

The air grew cooler. The trees taller.

The forest swallowed the horizon.

Hours passed. The sun dipped lower.

Suddenly, Ardan raised a hand.

"Hold."

The column stopped.

Nero blinked. "What’s wrong?"

Ardan’s tone was calm but heavy.

"We’re waiting. The one who reported the dragon sighting is supposed to meet us here."

Merlin stretched both arms dramatically and groaned like a whining child.

"Uuuuugh... my arms hurt. My everything hurts."

Nero side-eyed her.

"You’re an Archmage. You’ve fought sky serpents and death titans."

He clicked his tongue.

"Handle a horse ride like an adult."

"My back hurts!"

She whined louder, twisting in her saddle.

"Let me share a horse with you, pleeeease~ I can’t take it anymoreee!" ( ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )

The knights stared at Nero.

The adventurers started murmuring.

"Lucky bastard."

"Is she serious right now...?"

"I’d trade a limb to be in his place."

"She’s the Lady Merlin, right? I’d risk death."

Nero’s face twitched.

"You’re doing this on purpose."

She just smiled innocently as her violet eyes glimmered with mischief.

『She definitely is.』

He opened his mouth to scold her—but froze.

There was someone in front of him.

A woman now sat sideways on his saddle, facing him as if she had appeared out of thin air.

Long silver hair cascaded down her back.

Her pale skin glowed faintly with royal elegance.

Her jade eyes twinkled with mild amusement as she studied his face.

"Well, well, well... rich mana, handsome features, and such a calm spirit. I must say, that Merlin certainly knows how to pick her toys."

She lifted his chin with a single slender finger.

Nero went stiff.

『W-what the—!? I didn’t even sense her!』

The knights instantly unsheathed their swords—

"Hold!"

Ardan barked as he calmly raised a hand before any of them could charge.

"Stand down."

His gaze hardened.

The elven woman smiled.

"Still as uptight as ever, Captain Ardan."

Before Nero could speak—SLAP!

Merlin’s hand came down hard to smack the elf’s hand away from Nero’s face.

"Your proximity to my precious student is very much unwelcome, you elven slut."

The knights collectively froze.

Nero blinked twice.

"...Merlin?"

The elf’s smile darkened.

"Oh? Still possessive as ever, I see. Haven’t changed one bit, sister."

Merlin’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Watch your tongue."

The two women glared at each other.

Then they rammed foreheads like bumper cars.

[Warning! Affection variable shifting...]

[Merlin’s Envy +25%]

[Possessiveness Trait Intensified!]

[The title "Caretaker of the Archmage" is active!]

Nero could only stare blankly as both women kept glaring as their noses almost touched.

『I’m too tired for this.』

He finally managed a dry whisper.

"You two... know each other?"

Merlin folded her arms and looked away.

"She’s just an unsightly thing from my past."

The elven woman chuckled lowly.

"Unsightly? That’s CER~TAINLY no way to talk about your sister, dear Merlin."

A deadly silence fell.

Nero shook his head.

『This can’t end well...』 (◞‸◟;)