Let us review the days and nights that have passed so far.
There were 14 players: the werewolves CĂș Chulainn, Tamamo-no-Mae, Miyu, and Kuro; the Werewolf King Ritsuka; the Dreamcatcher Sakatsuki; the Witch Artoria; the Hunter Mordred; the Seer Draco; and the unlucky civilians Sasaki Kojirou, Diarmuid, Mash, Kiyohime, and Illya.
On the first night, Ritsuka targeted herself but was Dreamcatched by Sakatsuki, resulting in an unexpected peaceful night where no one died.
On the second day, CĂș Chulainn drew too much attention with his careless words and was voted out. Werewolves -1.
On the second night, Ritsuka was Dreamcatched to death by Sakatsuki, while the werewolvesâ attack on Draco was thwarted by Artoria. Werewolves -1.
On the third day, Miyu was exposed due to her excessive concern for Illya and was voted out. Werewolves -1.
On the third night, Sakatsukiâs masterful play was anticipated by bronze-level predictions, and Draco was killed by the werewolves. The Seer was dead.
On the fourth day, Mordred rebelled and was collectively voted out, taking Artoria with her. The Hunter and the Witch were dead, leaving only the Dreamcatcher among the divine roles.
On the fourth night, Kuro was Dreamcatched to death by Sakatsuki, and Diarmuid died. Civilians -1, werewolves -1.
Now, on the fifth day, Tamamo-no-Mae, realizing the inevitable, surrendered. The last werewolf was dead, and the game ended.
"This Dreamcatcher was way too precise! Every Dreamweave targeted a werewolf!"
Kuro grumbled. If not for the Holy Grail systemâs absolute fairness as the game master, she would have screamed "hacks!"
"Youâre still 20,000 years too early to beat me," the white-haired, golden-eyed boy chuckled, leaning back in his chair with infuriating smugness. "Only Ritsuka could give me a run for my moneyâtoo bad I took her out on the second day~~"
[The MVP has been selected. Player No. 1, please claim your reward.]
Golden light instantly illuminated the night. Under Ritsukaâs envious glare, Sakatsuki calmly grasped the Holy Grail.
[Please make your wish.]
"Ah... then let Diarmuid be exempt from punishment. After all, he died because of me."
The moment these words left his mouth, the entire room was stunned.
"Huh?!" Ritsuka yelled, grabbing Sakatsukiâs arm in an attempt to wrest the Holy Grail away. "Get a grip! This is the Holy Grail weâre talking about! Your wish is way too casualâyou donât even need the Grail for something like this!"
"Indeed, Mr. Sakatsuki, thereâs no need to go this far for me," Diarmuid also urged, but Sakatsuki merely smiled nonchalantly.
"Too late. Itâs already in effect."
[Wish granted successfully. The werewolf faction, please prepare for punishment.]
As the system announced this, Diarmuid felt a lightness in his spiritual core, as if a great will had lifted its gaze from him. Meanwhile, Ritsuka, Miyu, Kuro, Tamamo-no-Mae, and CĂș Chulainn suddenly tensed, a prickling sensation creeping up their backs.
"Wait..." A terrible premonition dawned on Ritsuka, freezing her in place. She even forgot about snatching the Grail. "Do we have to suffer punishment again even after being punished during the game?"
[In-game punishments and post-game punishments are fundamentally different.]
The Holy Grail coldly reminded them before proceeding mercilessly:
[Randomly selecting a dare punishment... Selection complete.]
[Punishment: The punished must kiss the nearest participant]
???
Holy Grail system, what the hell are you doing? I specifically deleted this during setupâwho the hell put it back in?!
A thousand curses roared through Sakatsukiâs mind as his eyes widened in shock. He instinctively tried to retreat, but his vision suddenly darkened.
It was redâflame-like hair that radiated passion.
Unable to resist the Holy Grail systemâs forced intervention, the girl closed her eyes, leaned down, and pressed her lips against Sakatsukiâs.
There was no helping it. Ritsuka had left her seat to fight for the Holy Grail, so the closest person to her now wasnât Mash, but Sakatsuki, who stood right before her.
Gasps erupted one after another. Mash covered her mouth, her face burning red; Illya stared at Sakatsuki and Ritsuka, her grip loosening unconsciously, freeing Miyu, who immediately locked lips with Kuro; seeing her Master kiss someone, Kiyohime nearly lost control, but Tamamo-no-Mae grabbed her shoulders and âbitâ down on her.
"Secret TechniqueâSwallow Reversal!"
Amidst the dazzling sword light, Cu Chulainn was sent flying, his lips still puckered mid-airâa sight too horrifying to behold.
"Get the hell away from me!" Kojiro clutched his cheek, his usual calm utterly shattered. It didnât need saying who Cu Chulainn had targeted.
Looking around, Ritsuka had claimed Sakatsukiâs lips; Kuro switched from defense to offense, kissing passionately; Kiyohime and Tamamo-no-Mae tangled together like a snake and fox, their ears flushed crimson; as for Cu Chulainn...
Well, good olâ Hound was still on respawn cooldown.
"Damn it, just wait till I find out who designed this punishment!"
The five werewolves and the collateral victims cursed inwardly, unaware that the very personâor rather, dragonâwho had sneakily reinstated this punishment was now drowning in regret.
Sheâd secretly added it back and tweaked the system to seat herself next to Sakatsuki. Two overlapping expectations shouldâve brought even more anticipation, granting her a dreamlike moment of happiness. Yet, whyâ?
Smack!
A sharp sound rang out as Draco felt a stinging pain on her rear. She glared up, only to find someone forcibly prying Ritsuka away, flashing her a terrifying grin.
"Tonight, weâll have plenty to talk about," he said.
"But... I want to sleep..." Draco blinked, feigning innocence and pitifulness.
"No, you donât."
"Hah... hah... You two really get along, huh?" Ritsuka panted, drenched in sweat as she struggled against the Holy Grail systemâs restraints. "But Dracoâs just a kid, Sakatsuki. You canât possibly... do that kind of thing... ah."
"Youâve got the nerve to joke at a time like this, Ritsuka." Sakatsuki raised an eyebrow. "Besides, Iâm not interested in flat-chested Draco. If I were to do anything... heh, itâd have to wait till she reaches her third Ascension."
"Over my dead body! Iâll never take that form!" The little red dragon reacted with her usual defiance, but when Sakatsuki smiled and raised his hand, even the lawless emperor couldnât help but flinch. "W-Wait... itâs not entirely impossible..."
Finally, Ritsuka let out a long sigh of relief, her tense body finally relaxing as he slumped forward, only to be caught by Sakatsukiâno, by Mash who had rushed over.
"Senpai, are you alright?!"
"Mash..." Ritsukaâs face was still beaded with sweat as he immediately slipped into theatrics, lips trembling. "Iâm sorry, Iâm tainted now, Iâm ruined, wuwuwu..."
"N-No, itâs okay, Senpai..." Mash was successfully led astray. "I-Iâll always stand by your side!"
"Kuro, thatâs enough!" Illya desperately tried to pry Kuro off. "Miyuâs about to pass outâher eyes are rolling back! Thereâs a limit to mana transfer, you know!"
"Pfftâahh, thanks for the meal~~"
"Miyuuuuâ!"
"Mikon~ Master, whatâs the big deal? Kissing the cheek is allowed too, right?"
"My... my pure and chaste body... the beautiful face I wanted to offer only to Master! Now even Master has been defiled by that man, why... why must things turn out this way?!"
"Calm down, little Kiyohime! Ah, donât unleash your Noble Phantasm!!"
In short, amidst all the chaos, everyone was thoroughly exhausted and took their leave to rest in their rooms, spending some time trying to forget (or remember) todayâs embarrassing incidents.
Thus, tonightâs dinner was postponed.
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? đ Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance Chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
đč
patreon.com/aarvan
đč