Chapter 25

Chapter 25
An apocalyptic middle-aged romance simulation game.

I gazed directly at her, questioning whether my ears had deceived me. Daphne’s cheeks turned completely crimson as she stammered through her explanation.

“A charming, mature man appears within an apocalypse military setting… I was playing this otome game… and before I even realized it… my consciousness had taken over a character’s body…”

Had an otome game ever even existed within the Safe Zone universe series? It was an old title, spanning a decade, but I remained confident that its core genre had always been strictly centered around survival in a wasteland. Then her user account name suddenly flashed across my awareness: Meursault’s Wife.

So that was the actual reason behind her choice of handle? If her moniker was indeed Meursault’s Wife, why on earth did she wind up married to Hayden instead?

“If that name implied as much, then what about my father—”

“Me-Meursault was never a character you could romance! He was merely a background extra! Completely unavailable for any romantic path!”

So within the version of the title Daphne had experienced, he was nothing more than extra furniture? In Apocalypse: Safe Zone, he actually held a substantial amount of screen presence. It featured the exact same non-player characters and the exact same setting, just presented through a completely different software format.

…Impossible.

A sudden hypothesis sliced straight through my line of reasoning. We had all operated under the assumption that we were dropped straight into a digital realm, but consider the evidence: identical casts and shared backgrounds. Players who inhabited these bodies originated through vastly distinct programs. Perhaps the software we consumed were simply digital replicas mimicking this very universe.

The instant that concept settled into my mind, a chilling draft swept down my spine. Someone had intentionally dragged all of us into this reality harboring malicious objectives. Regardless of whether it was Safe Zone or some silly dating simulator, someone out there had published programs that duplicated this plane of existence. I still lacked any clue as to their underlying motivation, but it certainly lacked benevolent intentions.

If their primary objective had been to prevent the total destruction of this world, they would not have masked it behind the absurd facade of a dating sim while distributing missions to wed background characters. Nor would they have funneled random participants inward via ordinary convenience stores. If they genuinely desired for us to rescue humanity, then what I perceived instead felt entirely like the toxic amusement of a voyeuristic spectator craving dramatic spectacle. The scoundrel who possessed us was nothing more than an absolute addict chasing cheap thrills.

“…Come to think of it, you mentioned earlier that you told my mother your actions were unavoidable for the sake of your route progression?”

“That is correct. The only directive I received was a mandatory prompt: ‘Reach a concluding milestone within twelve months or perish.'”

Achieve a conclusion within a year… or face death? Unlike our own system, which functioned primarily as a utility toolkit, her interface actually doled out mandatory assignments?

“The sole romanceable individuals available in this sector were the former commander and Hayden. Since I happened to inhabit the body of the former commander’s daughter, marrying Hayden became my only viable path!”

Ah. So that explained the entire dilemma. She still wore an expression of genuine grievance. Daphne downed her remaining warm tea in a single gulp, forced her turbulent emotions downward, and adopted a measured, composed tone.

“Speaking aloud about this as a fellow player… it has been nearly ten years.” She continued, her demeanor hovering somewhere between profound relief and lingering instability. “When word reached me that Luna Moon’s offspring had sought me out, frankness compels me to admit I simply could not fathom it.”

“You couldn’t fathom it?”

Daphne cast a sideways glance in my direction, her voice trailing off into a murmur. “Well… you understand how it is… bearing a child alongside a programmed entity… it felt entirely beyond imagination. Naturally, my initial assumption pointed toward an impostor.”

Astute observation. Entirely so. If Daphne had been bound by a twelve-month deadline quest, Luna Moon likely faced the exact same restriction. Yet Luna Moon went far beyond merely satisfying a routine directive—she went so far as to conceive a child with a digital resident. This implied that Luna Moon genuinely held deep affection for Hayden, even if Daphne ultimately usurped her place.

Perhaps Luna Moon never succumbed to illness at all. What if she simply failed to complete her designated route and suffered the ultimate penalty instead? The notion that a player could perish from a mere ailment had always stretched credulity, especially since our physical forms healed simply by consuming sustenance.

Recalling a detail Daphne had mentioned earlier, I posed a direct question: “What precisely did you ask of my mother regarding assistance? You claimed she departed from your presence with a cold demeanor, yet I find it difficult to imagine Mother would have possessed any knowledge on how to escape this realm either.”

“Ah… my plea wasn’t centered on finding a way out of the simulation.”

“Then what was it?”

“My marriage to Hayden stemmed solely from that mandatory quest… but regret set in almost instantly. Consequently, I informed her that facing death would still be preferable to remaining tied to Meursault, and I begged her to help me sever the marriage with Hayden. Yet by the following day, Luna Moon had vanished completely, leaving me isolated within this manor to guard the secret of my player identity for an entire decade until your arrival.”

…Pardon?

A peculiar dissonance lingered within that narrative. So she had already approached Luna Moon to orchestrate a divorce from Hayden? If that was the case, why would Luna Moon go out of her way to abandon Hayden and conceal herself within the impoverished slums? If Daphne’s inner circle held no hostile intent toward her, she could have simply remained safely on the estate.

Naturally, Daphne was surrounded by loyalist officers dedicated to her faction, meaning an outside party could easily have exerted pressure on Luna Moon. Alternatively, Daphne might simply be fabricating the account entirely.

The Character Inspection tool revealed solely Daphne’s participant data; it failed to verify whether her verbal claims held any truth. Regardless of the underlying reality… while her true sentiments remained opaque, I had successfully deduced the leverage needed to secure her cooperation.

“I will assist you.”

Daphne blinked rapidly in succession, reacting as though she had absorbed something utterly incomprehensible. “…Did you actually process everything I shared? Or did comprehension entirely elude you? Luna Moon met her demise largely because of me, more than anyone else. She undoubtedly faced that identical directive—”

“I am well aware.”

“You understand, yet you still choose to—”

“Mother offered her forgiveness. Furthermore, you remain the final surviving companion she possessed.”

Daphne stared straight at me, her gaze carrying an unreadable complexity. “…You are merely a child of ten years, yet conversing with you feels precisely like speaking with Luna Moon herself.”

Well, the consciousness residing inside this physical vessel happened to be a participant identical to Luna Moon. She proved to be far more trusting than anticipated. The ease with which Daphne accepted my assertions likely stemmed from the nature of the game she experienced—a lighthearted romance simulation rather than a brutal survival nightmare.

If treating Daphne as my mother’s old confidante and securing a powerful political ally meant helping her untangle herself from a dictatorial husband, I would gladly repeat the process a hundred times over. Besides, a separation between Daphne and Hayden carried distinct advantages for my own objectives, and engineering it promised to be far from difficult.

After all, I remained actively engaged in fulfilling the Three Rewards framework, leaving me with one final boon yet to claim from the commander himself. Hayden harbored no profound devotion toward Daphne either, meaning smoothing the path toward their dissolution would not prove overly burdensome.

The genuine obstacle lay elsewhere entirely. Commander Hayden might already possess direct awareness that Luna Moon was a fellow player. Evaluating his specific reaction upon discovering my innate healing capabilities… I suddenly grew certain that Luna Moon must have disclosed hints to him previously.

Because the commander had deliberately dropped a heavy preamble during our recent encounter. That grandiose speech delivered back then likely carried underlying weight precisely because he already recognized Luna Moon’s true nature.

If the commander holds awareness regarding our existence as players, I must prevent him from discovering my own status at all costs. Keeping my participant identity concealed from Daphne turned out to be the correct tactical choice after all. Moving forward, I had no choice but to diligently sustain the persona of the offspring Luna Moon brought into this world, continuing this act until the entirety of this sector rested securely within my grasp.

—

“What’s this?”

Upon concluding my dialogue with Daphne and exiting the manor’s interior, an array of hostile glares greeted me from the domestic staff—accompanied closely by the estate officers stationed behind them. Hardline loyalist officers aligned with Daphne radiated visible fury, while the pro-Hayden faction members exhibited nervous anxiety, cautiously evaluating the atmosphere.

Good grief, the psychological impact was absolute perfection. Watching these elusive high-ranking figures scramble over in a disorganized swarm purely because a youngster hopped a residential wall made it remarkably difficult to suppress a broad grin.

“Young Master Haydam! What on earth is the meaning behind this—”

A pro-Hayden representative started to question me cautiously, only for Anton, the head of the pro-Daphne faction, to interrupt him with a thunderous roar. “What in the world do you think you are doing?! Scaling Lady Daphne’s perimeter wall and even chasing off the domestic staff!”

Truthfully, I had not been the one responsible for driving the servants away. Catching my glance, they hurriedly averted their gazes and scurried back toward the main building. Those scoundrels had clearly bolted away to maliciously inform the authorities.

“A misunderstanding appears to have occurred here…”

“Indeed! A simple misunderstanding, correct? There is no conceivable reason Young Master Haydam would scale a physical wall!”

“Negative. The youth did indeed scale the barrier, but it was Lady Daphne herself who ordered the servants to depart.”

Did that pro-Hayden representative just shift his gaze away as though abandoning any attempt to shield me?

“If Lady Daphne elected to dismiss the staff beforehand, the two of you must have engaged in a discussion of considerable importance.” The speaker was Yosef, leader of the pro-Hayden faction. “Did the exchange proceed favorably?”

“Ah, yes, quite well.”

“The matter must have carried extreme urgency to justify scaling Lady Daphne’s private enclosure just to converse.” A pro-Daphne officer could no longer restrain himself and chimed in sharply. Anton, still visibly agitated, reinforced the sentiment: “Indeed, we require clarification regarding what emergency warranted such discourtesy. Such knowledge prevents us from misunderstanding Young Master Haydam and experiencing unwarranted disappointment, would you not agree?”

If their curiosity demanded an answer to that degree… I flashed a bright smile and delivered my response without an ounce of hesitation.

“I simply stepped outside after pledging upon my mother’s memory that I will guarantee the absolute dissolution of the marriage between His Excellency and Lady Daphne.”

“Wh-what…?”

“What did you just utter?!”

“This unhinged little brat—”

Anton’s complexion drained completely white. A fraction of a second later, he shoved off the earth and sprinted directly toward the manor’s entrance. He was likely panicked over Daphne’s well-being following the hypothetical verbal dressing-down I supposedly delivered.

Given that Daphne already consented to mutual cooperation, the pro-Daphne officers served no further purpose to me. I watched their figures vanish into the distance as they scrambled in a panic. Immediately afterward, Yosef gripped me firmly by the shoulder.

“What could possibly possess you to orchestrate such a stunt?! If His Excellency uncovers this—!”

Yosef was still in the middle of his reprimand when a deep, subdued baritone resonated from directly behind him.

“If you find out what?”