‘He's going to die, he's going to die, he's going to die! A twisted face, rolled-back eyes, wisps of black smoke billowing out, and that howl—unclear yet piercing, as if from an unknown depth of the abyss, the agony of having one's soul torn…’

Such was the miserable sight that greeted Llyn's eyes after being struck by the Forbidden Spell: Soulrend.

At this rate, His Excellency the protagonist Ivan really would die before he even gets started!

‘No! If you die, my lavish rewards will all go down the drain! All the blood, sweat, and tears from my previous run would be wasted for nothing, wouldn't they? No, no, no—never mind that vague talk of saving the world, eternal life, and a permanent godhood; if I don't get the plot back on track quickly—what about my current debts? Damn it, I don't want to become a breeding machine locked away in some deep palace!’

Recalling the bleak fate that might await him if he failed to complete the World-Saving Heavenly Scripture's tasks and didn't get the Guide's casual rewards, Llyn instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

‘What a rotten deal. I transmigrated into a cannon-fodder supporting character, and on top of that, I had to precisely transmigrate into a debt-ridden fallen royal descendant who could be seized by the Golden Oak Confederation at any moment under the pretext of debt collateral, and turned into a bloodline-laundering breeding stud for those Moon Clan merchants…’

That wasn't just Llyn being alarmist.

In the previous run, he hadn't directly transmigrated at the start of the plot. He had been born into this world as a baby, only to have his parents die young. To make matters worse, his distant relative who adopted him was a baron so impoverished that his territory consisted of just a single barren town.

Of course, in this era, nine out of ten down-and-out Sun Clan lords weren't much different from the Morsol Family from which Llyn's adoptive father came.

But the problem was—the Morsol Family happened to possess a gold-grade noble bloodline completely disproportionate to their actual power, commonly known as Royal Blood, passed down through generations with the bloodline secret technique Insight.

Such a background, in the eyes of those mercenary and ambitious wealthy merchants of the Golden Oak Confederation, was nothing short of prime meat, wasn't it?

‘In my previous life, the reason I ultimately yielded to that damned Guide and obediently followed the script of the World-Saving Heavenly Scripture was, at bottom, to avoid that wretched fate.’

Therefore—

‘Even if it's not for saving the world or all living beings, I absolutely cannot stand by and watch our dear protagonist perish like this!’

A sharp glint burst from Llyn's eyes.

Whoosh!

The next second, he lunged forward, his figure flashing between Louise and Ivan.

"Heh." Although he had already resolved to save Ivan, Llyn, ever mindful of the Guide's admonitions, continued to act according to his character as a cannon-fodder supporting role. He didn't openly show his true intentions; instead, he let out a contemptuous cold sneer and said, "It seems... the outcome is decided, pitiful fool."

Looking at Ivan, who was still rolling on the ground without any of the Savior's dignity, squirming like a worm, Llyn snapped his fingers with an icy expression.

Clap.

A surge of immense magical power firmly enveloped Ivan, completely shrouding that embarrassing figure.

"As expected, the Dust Clan remain the Dust Clan. Their lowly status is sealed from birth."

While using magic to cover up the protagonist's sorry state, Llyn racked his brain for a way to salvage the situation.

‘Phew, this should buy some time, right?’

Seeing the crowd below showing not a trace of suspicion, only faces full of excitement, Llyn breathed a sigh of relief.

‘First things first, I've got to ensure the protagonist's survival. Then... I need to find a way to help Ivan save face?’

According to the Guide, one of the essential conditions for shaping the so-called Child of Destiny was gaining the recognition of others.

Naturally, recognition from different characters brought vastly different benefits.

But in any case, with Ivan's utterly pathetic performance just now, let alone the noble female lead Louise, even the passerby supporting characters below would surely despise him from the bottom of their hearts.

The only silver lining was that before he transmigrated, even upon finishing the game's ending, he hadn't seen the protagonist make any romantic progress with any female lead. Moreover, the Guide and the World-Saving Heavenly Scripture hadn't assigned any missions in that regard, so Llyn's burden wasn't too heavy.

‘Come to think of it, should I thank the unscrupulous developer for deliberately leaving things open to sell DLC? No, no... More importantly, why did Louise suddenly cast a forbidden spell just now?’

Llyn forcibly suppressed his irritation, regained his focus, and turned around dejectedly to look at the pure and lovely female lead.

"Llyn~" Even after unleashing an incredibly venomous and vicious forbidden spell, Louise, standing beside him, still wore a gentle expression and spoke in a melodious voice. "My cultivation in the Arcane Arts seems to have advanced another level. This is all thanks to the Prefect's excellent daily guidance."

‘Excellent guidance? I didn't, I couldn't, don't you spout nonsense!’

Llyn nearly coughed up blood upon hearing this.

‘Young lady, if I could teach someone at the apprentice rank to cast a high-level forbidden spell, would I be wracking my brains over how to repay my debts?’

"No need for modesty." Swallowing his inner grief, despite his inward grumbling, Llyn maintained an unruffled expression and nodded slightly. "Junior Sister is of noble birth. It is only natural that you would display such Arcane mastery. Your senior brother would never dare claim credit."

"..." Facing Llyn's modesty, Louise pouted her lips, her brow hinting at complex emotions. After a moment of silence, she finally uttered a single line: "Ah, Senior Brother belittles himself so; you're being so distant~"

‘Tsk... What's going on? There's something off about this female lead?’

Llyn looked at the female lead in puzzlement, utterly unable to reconcile the memory of the original plot's Louise—who had many complaints about Llyn's "cold and unfeeling" personality—with this shy young girl before him, her voice full of grievance as if coquettishly complaining.

"But this is the Llyn I know."

Narrowing her eyes, Louise leaned slightly toward him, her exquisitely alluring face full of admiration. "Clearly hiding your true ability, brimming with talent, yet always preferring to conceal it."

‘Talent?’

Llyn shuddered, immediately realizing the "oversight" his carelessness had caused.

‘Ah, so that's it. Although her persona was generally "gentle and friendly," deep down Louise was extremely arrogant.’

Of course, with her outstanding qualities, she had every right to be arrogant.

But in any case, in the original work, though Louise was always "tender and lovely" to everyone, in reality, apart from a very few who excelled in all aspects, no one else could truly earn her recognition as a genuine companion.

‘In the original story, Louise didn't immediately bow down to Ivan the moment she met him. There was a long development process in between. Damn it, so this is what the Guide meant by even the slightest difference causing a butterfly effect? In my previous life, Ivan first displayed his talent by solving the spell formulas as a member of the Dust Clan, and only then did Louise plead for him, allowing him to be accepted into the mage tower's ranks as an exceptional menial apprentice.’

Rubbing his chin, Llyn ruefully understood the truth.

‘So I overacted this time, and it ended up with the protagonist being taken down before he could even display his talent? No, no, no—if this keeps up, how will he gain others' recognition and continue on his path as the Savior? I have to find a way to remedy this!’

Llyn furrowed his brow, his mind racing.

‘It was all because Louise had struck too viciously. That Soulrend Spell wasn't so easily healed... Wait! Healed?’

A flash of inspiration struck Llyn. Because of his love for the game before transmigrating, he had long memorized every detail and reacted instantly.

‘Healed... Of course! How could the dignified protagonist lack any trump cards or golden fingers?’

Even a cannon-fodder extra like him had the Guide and the World-Saving Heavenly Scripture.

‘If I recall correctly, back in Lotto Town, Ivan had a brief encounter with that wandering Legendary Mage, the one who knew his entire background and had a mysterious origin?’

A Legendary Mage!

A super powerhouse so rare that even within the same era, there might not be any at all, and the whole world could barely scrape together a handful.

Even in his previous life, though Llyn had obtained many rewards from the Heavenly Scripture and cultivated various Arcane Arts to the pinnacle, achieving the rank of Master, such a realm remained an unattainable dream.

Even the protagonist himself only barely broke through under numerous miracles in the late stages of the plot, when preparing to defeat the Demon King of World Annihilation, the Supreme King of the Myriad Laws Empire, which occupied a third of the continent and sought to annex the entire world.

For an existence at that level, the Soulrend Spell, deemed impossible to cure by others, would naturally be a trivial matter.

‘Heheh, as expected of the protagonist, to actually run into a Legendary Mage in my family's backwater? Oh well. I remember that the mysterious wandering Legendary Arcanist, besides hinting at Ivan's extraordinary background, also gave him a token?’

Although on the surface it was just a plain, unremarkable old medallion, Llyn, who knew all the game's tropes, remembered very clearly that this medallion possessed a heaven-defying function—Indestructible Body.

‘That was the protagonist's early-game trump card, allowing him to act recklessly without fear of utter annihilation. Hmm... I recall the activation condition was something like: Breaking through one's limits with an unyielding will when on the brink of death, right?’

A clichéd hot-blooded power fantasy setting, but—

‘I don't actually hate it. After all, clichés become clichés precisely because…’

Llyn's heart settled, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He began adjusting his magic confidently, ...they work!

* * *

Zzz—

Within the magic barrier, the various basic elements began to continuously rearrange themselves.

"Aaaaaaahhhh!" As the elements repeatedly scoured Ivan's soul, the protagonist, whose soul had already been nearly shattered by the forbidden spell, felt waves of heart-piercing pain once more.

"Damn it!" Rolling back and forth, Ivan clenched his teeth, his eyes bloodshot as he cursed, "To take advantage of my weakness? That Llyn is indeed a despicable and shameless hypocrite. And that wretch Louise..."

An image of Louise's soul-stirring eyes flashed through Ivan's mind. "To think I had a somewhat good impression after hearing Miss Sophie's stories about her. I never imagined she would be so vicious, a bird of the same feather as Llyn!"

‘Boy, save your complaints for now.’

Just as Ivan was angrily grumbling, an aged, kindly face surfaced in his mind.

"Mentor?!" Ivan's eyes immediately lit up. He certainly hadn't forgotten the mysterious Arcanist who had suddenly appeared and saved him back when he was rejected by his childhood sweetheart, filled with unbearable humiliation and despair.

‘Hmph, look at your lack of composure. It's merely a Soulrend Spell. Eight hundred years ago, I…’

"Stop, stop, Mentor! Your disciple here is about to die..." Ivan was about to plead for help, full of hope, when his expression suddenly stiffened. He felt pressure surging through his entire body. "Aaaah! Shameless Llyn! I'll make sure to pay you back double in the future!"

‘Spatial Restructuring? Oh, it seems you're in luck, boy. Llyn shot himself in the foot and actually did you a big favor instead.’

"A favor?!" Enduring the pain, Ivan's survival instinct instantly overpowered all other thoughts. He hurriedly asked, "Mentor, do you have a way to heal my soul and dispel Llyn's curse?"

‘Of course. Not only that, I can even help you win the recognition of that Louise. According to my deductions, Her Highness will be a reliable companion on your path to salvation in the future.’

“Companion?”

Recalling Louise's peerless beauty, Ivan felt a throb of secret delight in his heart. The humiliation from just moments ago instantly vanished.

"Hehe, not bad. The Princess of the Bauhinia Kingdom is indeed worthy of this Savior's status. As long as that woman sincerely repents in the future, I might even consider forgiving her."

Ivan made what he felt was a magnanimous declaration.

‘Alright, boy, put those wild thoughts aside for now. Do you still remember the medallion I gave you? Let me be frank: that is a top-tier secret treasure. Now, do this and that…’

Listening intently to his revered mentor's instructions, Ivan's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Indestructible Body? I never imagined such a wondrous thing existed in the world! Even the top-tier Arcane magical artifacts forged by the Magnates of the Moon Clan probably lack such divine power, right?"

Ivan's face lit up with ecstasy. He hurriedly followed his mysterious mentor's guidance.

Buzz!!!

Accompanied by a dazzling white light, the magic barrier Llyn had erected instantly collapsed.

* * *

‘It worked!’

Llyn, who had been eagerly anticipating this, finally relaxed.

Now the plot was finally back on the right track.

Next would be the protagonist showing off, turning the tables, and earning everyone's admiration.

Starting with that willful princess?

Llyn calmly looked at Louise, ready to appreciate the admiring gaze of the female lead.

"Shameless thief."

‘What did Louise just say?’