2 Chapter 2- The Three Friends

I greeted my two friends with a smile. 

"Smarus, are you ready for the awakening? I'm super hype for it!" Ace said with bright eyes.

"Me too! I wonder what class I'll get," Luna nodded her head in agreement

"Likewise, but we have to wait for another month," I sighed.

There were a lot of moving parts to this that I should mentally break down. First off, Ace wore simple trousers with a plain shirt. As usual, he had a wooden sword with him. Luna wore a simple dress that went down to her knees. She also had a vest on and her sleeves were rolled up. Compared to my more casual clothing, they were ready for some sort of physical activity.

Back to the awakening, when people turned 15, they awaken a class. The three of us held off our awakening since we wanted to all awaken together. Ace would become a hero while Lune would become a saint. This would also mark the beginning of the end of my relationship with Luna since we were currently engaged. The villain would unlock the class Sage, but since I took his place, I wondered if that would change. Also, I pondered whether or not I should attempt to stay engaged to Luna.

Part of the reason for her unfaithful act of passion was because the hero, Ace, would be supporting her emotionally while the villain was too dense to pick up on social cues. That and Ace would solve a major family problem for Luna. I also can't be mad at something that didn't happen yet, but knowing it could, left a bad taste in my mouth.

"What classes are you hoping for?" I asked the pointless question.

"Maybe a knight or paladin would suit me best!" Ace raised his sword in the air.

"Yeah, that suits a knucklehead like you," I playfully shoved him,

"At least I'll actually have some fun in my life! You'll probably end up as a librarian or something," Ace laughed.

"A librarian isn't a class idiot," Oddly enough, I was enjoying our banter. A shame it'll all come down to ruins in a year.

"Hmmm!" Luna crossed her arms while pouting. "You didn't ask me yet!"

I sighed. "Luna, what class do you wish for?"

Her eyes lit up as she got closer to us. She was practically bouncing up and down. "I want to be a Healer! Wait no, a Sage! Wait, no a Saintess!" She changed from class to class.

"Yeah right! Then that'll make me a hero," Ace scoffed. If only he knew how right he was.. Or will be.

I sighed as I looked at them. Knowing the possible future, I couldn't help but be angry, but seeing them now, I can't judge them for it. Not yet at least. Come think of it, this game actually had a more developed story and character interaction… well apart from all of the sex scenes. Mid-game, the villain would have killed Luna, and her final words would have actually been an apology. She regretted the night of passion with Ace and how she hurt the villain. With her final strength, she kissed the villain. This only sent him into further descent into madness, but it was tear tear-jerking scene. This was definitely a gray area I wanted to avoid. It was also possible that she lied just to mess with the villain's mental fortitude.

"Yo, Smarus, you good? You just zoned out," Ace was in my face.

"Of course I'm good," I pushed him away. "I was just lost in thought."

I made up my mind. I wanted to preserve this friendship… or at least tried to prevent myself from becoming a murderer. At that, we spent the day talking and Ace and I had mock battles. He was stronger than me, and his stats proved it, so of course, I lost. Regardless, Luna cheered me on. Afterward, I walked Luna home. Ace at least knew when he should leave us alone.

"Luna, we should probably break off our engagement," I said in a composed manner.

"W-what?" She stopped in her tracks. Tears began to form under her eyes. "Was it something I did?" She looked at me with puppy eyes.

Considering the fact I was mentally 22, I didn't really find her attractive, so as a result I disregarded her feelings. Smooth one, Smarus. I sighed as I tried to come up with an excuse that wasn't 'I know you're gonna sleep with Ace and cheat on me.' I would sound crazy.

"Our engagement technically was never official. It was a promise we made as kids that just happened to stick. Once we awakened, it was completely possible that our classes would lead to us splitting apart to pursue suitable careers," I nodded my head, proud of my explanation.

"So what!?" Her normally soft voice reached a decibel that I didn't know she could reach. "I love you! Why would you say such a scary thing? If it's something I did, tell me and I'll fix it! Please… please don't leave me," She said softly.

Shit! Another grey area. There is technically no right or wrong answer, but it was definitely something I should be careful of. And if she begged, I might go on a power trip. I cleared my throat.

"Lunafreya," I spoke calmly. "What if you become a Saint and Ace a hero? Then you would be spending most of your time with him than me. Can you stay loyal then? Or what if I became a Hero and someone else a Saint, would you trust me?"

Shit, I just gave her a spoiler. A MASSIVE one. I felt like this would come back to bite me, but it did make her stop to think. I used the wrong formula but got the right answer, so I decided to roll with it.

"Let's wait until the awakening. If the outcomes are desirable, then I will bow down and apologize. Then we will marry and I will protect you for the entirety of my life."

Luna was shocked at my words. The villain was a prideful and even cynical person. It stemmed from childhood trauma, but regardless I was not him. As for the bowing down part, I only said that because I knew I was right. Luna wiped her eyes with a new determination in her eyes.

"Fine! And when you're wrong, you'll also have to tell me how beautiful I am every single day!" She puffed her chest.

But she was not… There was no way I was gonna say that to a 15-year-old! If I was a manga character, people would be giving me creepy stares! I waved the thought away.

"We have a deal then. Regardless of the outcome, you are a dear friend. Don't forget that," I waved to her as I left her on her front porch.

I wanted to shoot myself. I said such a cringy line because I panicked for a moment. What a pain. Luna seemed happy, at least, so I guess it wasn't a terrible interaction. Too bad she'll lose this bet. I shrugged. Better stop something from happening than to walk into a mess. It's for the best.

As I walked home, I made a mental plan for the next three years. Other than the main villain, there are two other big-name villains along with DLC villains. Assuming this world was like a photocopy, I definitely needed to come up with a plan. The Hero's sword is needed to beat one of the bosses, so I had to make sure Ace also stayed strong. Since I didn't plan on being a villain, I might be able to help him. I paused for a moment.

There was one DLC boss that I'm actually worried about. The God of Judgment. Considering the fact that Ace was a hero, he still did a lot of messed up things. The main ones were racking up bodies, breaking hearts, and cucking his best friend, but depending on how the player played through the story, the hero also refused to save people and other things of the sort. In reality, the hero is just as bad as the villain in a sense, but it's masked up by propaganda and overshadowed by his deeds… wow, maybe this game wasn't such a bad game after all.

Ding! Lunafreya's character log updated!

Well then. Since I just came home, I'll look at it after dinner. Upon walking inside, I was greeted by Anne.

"Greetings Young Master! How are you feeling?"

She bowed as usual, but something was off. When we made eye contact, she blushed. The kiss! It was kinda on a whim, but then again from her perspective, it must've been more. The cold and prideful noble kissing his maid's hand? Even if I'm engaged, she could become a concubine and her family would be set for life. I screwed up… wait, I'm only 15 and she's 20… actually, it was best to just leave it be for now.

"Hello, Anne. I am doing well. How are you?" Another mistake. It was a habit from my past life, but now it seems like I'm interested in her!

Thankfully she only blushed and gave a standard 'I'm doing well.' I sighed in relief as I walked to the dining hall. Anne followed suit.

"Dinner has been prepared, Young Master. Sir Dragonborne, your father, said he will be eating in his office again."

Figured. My… the villain's dad was a deadbeat. His mom died giving birth to… well, technically me, so now Dragonborne despises me. He only talked to the villain when it was absolutely necessary. 

"Thank you for informing me. In that case, bring dinner to my room."

Anne fidgeted with her dress as if she had more to say. She probably did after all, if she became a concubine, she would most likely never have to work again. A shallow thing to do, but who can blame her? Then again, that was a big IF. I wasn't so keen on having multiple wives. Just one would do.

"Yes, Anne?" She jolted up when I called her.

"I was... Ah… wondering if I could share a meal with you," She said shyly.

This was not good, she was so hot! I shouldn't mess with her feelings, but she was totally my type! 

"In that case, I will have my meal in the dining room. Perhaps it would be good if I took the time to know the staff slightly more," I tried to sound cold and calculating, but it had the opposite effect.

"Yes!" she bowed and rushed to the kitchen. 

A few moments passed before I heard a series of excited squeals. I sighed to myself. Maybe I was a pushover. I should definitely do something about that, but there was no use in complaining now. She looked so excited that I couldn't just deny her request. I had to make sure to set boundaries between us before anything escalated. I shook my head as I walked to the bathroom to bathe before dinner.

Ding! Anne's character log updated!

Shit.