Vol. 4 Ch. 15

“Promise me, Leon, don’t let anyone else take you out before I do.”

“Hmph, don’t get cocky. I’m targeting you now, and you won’t survive to see the next meeting.”

“Oh really? Who was it that missed the very first meeting? Why didn’t you show up, Leon? Did you not want to?”

“That was me letting my guard down and falling for your trick, a simple role advantage, not skill.”

“Fine, fine. I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ll do next.”

“Stop wasting my time and move away. You’re getting in the way of my clue hunt.”

“Who’s in whose way? You’re the one coming closer.”

“Like I’d want to be near you.”

Both spoke in unison: “Hmph!”

Just as they were about to go their separate ways—one taking the high road, the other a narrow path—the memory stones in their pockets suddenly chimed with a synchronized NPC alert:

“[The King’s Old Friend] and [The Royal Chef], please be advised. [The King’s Old Friend] and [The Royal Chef], please be advised.”

“You have been affected by the item card [Unbreakable Seven-Day Lock of Love]. For the next six hours, you must act together and cannot be more than five meters apart.”

The couple froze, stunned.

W-what was this *Unbreakable Seven-Day Lock of Love*?

What a nauseating name!

After a moment of surprise, Leon and Rosvisser turned to look at each other.

“Did you use this card?” Leon asked.

“Do you think I’m crazy enough to use this on us?”

“Then who has such a twisted sense of humor?”

“Whoever it is, they must think this game isn’t chaotic enough.”

Rosvisser shook her head. At this point, there was no point in wondering who used the card on them. It was better to focus on the situation at hand.

“So from now on, we’re stuck together for the next six hours. Ugh~”

Leon raised an eyebrow. “What’s with that sigh? Being with me is a blessing. Watch closely and learn, dear.”

Rosvisser rolled her eyes so hard they nearly reached the ceiling.

“Just thinking about being chained to you, a vain, smug jerk, for six hours makes me miserable from head to tail-tip!”

Leon (confidently): “You’re lying.”

Rosvisser: “It’s the truth.”

Leon: “Liar.”

Rosvisser: “Truth.”

Leon: “It’s true.”

Rosvisser: “It’s a lie!”

*Clap*—

Leon clapped his hands. “See? You admitted it yourself. You really want to be with me.”

“...”

A dragon queen left speechless!

Rosvisser stomped her foot, her tail lashing. “I don’t have time for this.”

With that, she strode off down the hallway.

Leon, seeing how annoyed she was, felt a playful spark and followed her.

“Hey, hey, don’t go too far, darling. We can’t be more than five meters apart, remember?”

...

However, what Leon and Rosvisser didn’t anticipate was that being chained together wasn’t the worst part. The worst part—

Was being seen chained together!

“Rosvisser, brother-in-law, your acting is impressive,” came a voice.

The couple covered their faces in unison, preparing to endure the familiar teasing of Isha.

The Red Dragon Queen stood with her arms crossed, a mischievous grin on her face.

“I mean, you two were at each other’s throats at the meeting table, but now you’re working on tasks together. Ugh, getting force-fed dog food even in a game—it’s rough, really rough.”

*If it’s so rough, don’t hang around and torment us, sis!*

“Go do your own tasks, would you?”

“Sis, actually, we’re under the effect of the—”

“Wow~ Not only are you glued together, but you even use terms like ‘unbreakable love’ to describe yourselves? You’ve been married for five years—tone down the mushiness!”

“Should we take her out?” Leon suggested.

“Agreed,” Rosvisser replied.

“Hey, hey, just kidding, just kidding,” Isha said quickly, holding up her hands.

She knew full well that while her sister and brother-in-law often pretended to disdain each other, if they teamed up, they could probably speedrun the game.

Even Isha, as clever as she was, could only manage a stalemate against Leon. Add Rosvisser to the mix, and none of the other six players would stand a chance.

Unfortunately, the only reason they were together now was because of the item card someone had used on them. Cooperation between those two would only happen if absolutely necessary.

“So, did you find any useful clues?” Isha shifted the topic.

The couple shook their heads.

“Hmm... I haven’t found anything either. I’ll continue with my tasks then. You two enjoy your ‘quality time’ together.”

With a wave, Isha walked off.

When her footsteps faded, Leon asked, “Your sister is the [Doctor]. Do you think she’d have no role-related advantages?”

“What do you mean?” Rosvisser asked.

“Think about it. Your [Chef] role lets you use in-game items to prevent players from attending meetings and likely has other abilities. As the [Doctor], your sister should have even more strategic tools at her disposal.”

Rosvisser nodded, realizing the truth. “You’re right. And she’s been saying she hasn’t found any clues, but everyone must have completed tasks and found either information or items by now. How could she have no clues at all?”

Leon’s eyes narrowed as he mused, “Your sister... she wouldn’t be the lone wolf player, would she?”

“The lone wolf?”

“Yeah, a player who isn’t aligned with anyone and wins if they survive to the end.”

The fake lone wolf strategy: eliminate everyone.

The true lone wolf strategy: cast suspicion on everyone.

*Leon, brilliant!*

“Hmm... you could be onto something.”

Seeing Rosvisser’s mind working, Leon prepared to press the suspicion further, but she said,

“But it doesn’t really matter. Early in the game, you can’t trust anyone. Even if you’re tied to me now, I’ll still suspect you.”

Well.

Convincing Rosvisser with just a few words seemed impossible.

Leon shrugged. “Whatever. Let’s keep going with the tasks.”

The couple set off again.

About half an hour later, they completed a task.

However, the reward was a [Chef]-specific prize.

In other words, Leon had done all that work just to benefit Rosvisser.

The queen held up her prize card smugly. “Watch and learn.”

“That’s just pure luck,” Leon muttered.

“Yeah, right.”

Rosvisser didn’t say more and opened the clue card. It read:

**[Recipe]**

**[Item: Mint Tea]**

**[Effect: Drinking this can remove any negative status effects]**

**[Note: One-time use only]**

Rosvisser’s eyes widened. “If we make the mint tea, we can remove this ‘Unbreakable Love’ lock.”

Leon’s eyes brightened. “Then let’s head to the kitchen.”

“Right.”

They rushed to the kitchen, only to find someone was already there.

It was Noa and Helena.

The princess and her guard.

“Mom? Dad? Why are you together?”

“Uh, we’re here to do a task,” Leon said while glancing at the water tank beneath the sink. That was where he’d hidden the game’s key item, the Black Sacred Stone.

Since Leon’s main task as the lone wolf was to hide the stone and last until the game’s end to win, it was easy to guess that Noa’s victory condition as the [Princess] involved finding it.

Right now, the key to victory was less than two meters from his eldest daughter.

Leon pulled his gaze away, maintaining his composure.

“What about you two? Here for a task?” Rosvisser asked.

“Oh, no, we’re just wandering around, seeing if there are any tasks to do,” Noa replied.

“Got it...”

“Yep. We’ll leave so you two can get on with your task,” Noa said, turning to leave with Helena.

Just then, a sound came from Noa’s memory stone:

“[Princess] and [Friend A], please be advised. [Princess] and [Friend A], please be advised.”

“You have been affected by the item card [Unbreakable Seven-Day Lock of Love]. For the next six hours, you must act together and cannot be more than five meters apart.”

Noa blinked in surprise. “W-what is this ‘Unbreakable Seven-Day Lock of Love’...”

“Friend A? Is that one of the [Princess’s Friends]?” Helena asked.

The sisters’ task cards had indeed been [The Princess’s Friends], designated as [Friend A] and [Friend B] for differentiation.

“Sis! Sis!” Moon’s voice called from the doorway.

The little moon dragon clutched her memory stone, running up to Noa and grabbing her arm with wide, tearful eyes. “Sis, I-I think someone used an item on us!”

“I just heard too. This ‘Unbreakable Love Lock,’ right?” Noa replied.

“Yeah!” Moon nodded vigorously. “For the next six hours, I can only stay with you. I won’t

be a bother, will I?”

“Of course not.” Noa pinched her sister’s cheek, smiling fondly.

“Yay~ Sis is the best~”

“Do you know who used this card on us?”

“Nope! Moon has no clue!”

“Well... let’s go do some tasks then.”

“Mm-hmm!”

Before leaving, Moon remembered to wave at her parents. “Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!”

Leon and Rosvisser waved back, watching the girls go.

Once they were out of earshot, Leon turned to Rosvisser. “She totally used that card on herself, didn’t she? Totally did!”

Rosvisser chuckled. “Well, that’s how games like this should be played. Makes it fun.”

Leon scratched his nose, suddenly acting casual. “So, once we finish making the mint tea... should we really use it to break the lock?”

The queen arched an elegant eyebrow, reading the underlying meaning in his words.

But she decided to tease him. “Of course, why wouldn’t we? We don’t want to waste it on such a minor effect.”

Leon panicked a little, rubbing his hands, trying to act indifferent. “Well, you see, this isn’t a major negative status. If we use the mint tea now and later get hit by a worse status card, what then? The tea only works once, right?”

It all boiled down to one thing:

*I want to stay tied to you.*

“Hmm... you make a valid point.”

Rosvisser did want to spend more time with her husband, especially since this was a family-bonding game. When else would they get this chance?

Their true feelings were clear without needing further analysis.

They were just waiting for the right moment to drop their pretenses.

With their decision made, Rosvisser followed the recipe to make the mint tea, then handed it to Leon.

“For me?” Leon asked, surprised.

“Yes. You’re the one who likes wandering around. If you accidentally trigger a negative status, the mint tea can save you.”

“Oh, protective, are we, Your Majesty?”

“Don’t push it. If you don’t want it, give it back.”

“I’ll take it! Why wouldn’t I?”

Rosvisser gave him an exasperated smile. “Alright, hurry up and start the next task.”

“Yes, let’s go!”