47. Catherine — New Situation, New Plans

…I don't get it.

Why? Why is Luke, the supporting character, here?

Right now, I'm sitting in an empty classroom while clutching my head.

Just moments ago, I saw something unbelievable

Luke, the supporting character, was walking alongside Cecilia, he was dressed as a knight. 

He walked so naturally, that I had to take a triple look. But no, I wasn't mistaken. 

That face—it was definitely Luke.

And not just the face. Cecilia even called him "Luke."

When our eyes met, I panicked and run into this empty classroom to hide. 

But… wait. Why was Luke dressed like a knight?

Isn't Luke supposed to be an adventurer now? And what's this "Lady Cecilia" nonsense? Seriously, what is going on?

Could Cecilia also be a reincarnator?

Are she and Elizabeth conspiring together to trap me?

While I've been stuck doing charity work as a saintess—the work I never even wanted to do—did she somehow swoop in and "conquer" Luke?

But hold on. Luke is supposed to be a supporting character. He doesn't even have a romance route, does he?

"Aargh! This makes no sense!"

I'm so overwhelmed I can't think straight. 

For now, let's take a few deep breaths and knock on my head a couple of times to calm down.

Okay. Let's sort things out, step by step.

Luke should currently be working as an adventurer. Yet for some reason, he's now a knight.

Luke is a former noble. And yet, somehow, he's now associated with the Hartfield family… This is still okay. Perhaps he left the duchy as an adventurer and ended up at Hartfield later.

After all, the game doesn't explain what Luke was doing during this period.

So was it pure coincidence that Luke happened to be at Hartfield?

Or was he specifically travelled there?

"This is making me confused again…"

It's completely beyond my understanding 

Elizabeth being a reincarnator is pretty much a given. I mean, she's still walking around the academy like she owns the place. That must mean she had found some way to suppress Eleonora.

The only thing that puzzles me is the random mob she's always walking around with. 

That fiery crimson hair? I heard he's the son of a viscount from the duchy, but if I remember correctly, he's supposed to be killed by Eleonora in the game.

What's the point of "conquering" someone like that?

Ugh, never mind that for now. He's just a big, dumb guy with bad grades—totally irrelevant. Let's just assume Elizabeth has a thing for losers and focus on what really matters: Cecilia and Luke.

There's a real possibility that Cecilia might also be a reincarnator.

If Elizabeth were the only reincarnator, she'd definitely go for Luke over that big, useless redhead. At least, that's what I would do.

Or maybe Elizabeth just wasn't interested in Luke.

She didn't go for Edgar and the others, so maybe her taste in men is just bad. 

But even if that's true, I still don't understand why she helped Cecilia "conquer" Luke. The only explanation that makes sense is that Cecilia did it herself.

So, the chance that Cecilia is a reincarnator seems even higher…

I still don't fully understand. But one thing is clear: Cecilia figured out Luke's whereabouts and successfully won him over. 

Normally, Luke's movements and how to interact with him wouldn't even be known.

But I do have an idea of how she could have pulled it off.

"…Downloadable content. Or maybe a complete version release."

Yes, that's right. The kind of marketing where additional content is released after the initial game launch.

It's extra content designed to let players capturing a popular character. Or even a "complete version" that added new events and storylines.

Since I only know the original version of the game, those two must have come from a time after my own. 

In other words, they started with an information advantage I never had.

"Elizabeth…!"

I cant help buy let out a cry of resentment. 

That woman knew from the start that she was in a better position, and she had the audacity to put on that smug face when she accepted the cancellation of her enggement.

All the broken events, the disrupted storylines—it's all her fault. No, their fault.

This is bad. Really bad. At this rate, all my plans will crumble, and I'll end up heading straight toward a complete bad ending.

"Bad ending… I know what that looks like, but still—"

I muttered this out of anxiety. I know what the bad ending is. 

This game has an unusually intense focus on its combat system, so when I first played it without much strategy, I got beaten to a pulp by Eleonora and ended up in a bad ending.

Catherine and her allies are killed by Eleonora. The world falls into ruin.

That part is fairly standard. But then, right at the end of the credits, ominous text appears on the screen:

—Bad Ending A

It became infamous among players. Adding "A" to a bad ending, that means there's also atleast "B"

But as far as I know, no one ever found another bad ending besides the so-called "Bad Ending A."

Even if you go out of your way to stop Elizabeth's exile at the very start, the resulting ending is always named the "Saintess Ending". Or commonly referred as "Mob Ending"

If Elizabeth isn't exiled, Eleonora's seal at the shrine remains unbroken. 

That means no matter how deeply Catherine bonds with the conquerable characters at the academy, her destiny as a saintess awaits after graduation.

She'll begin a life of traveling the world, offering prayers to quell the evil. 

And, of course, her companions won't be Edgar or any of the other love interests. They'll be nameless church knights—generic NPCs.

Thus, the "Mob Ending."

But that's not "Bad Ending B." …

Despite all the effort players put into searching, no one ever found "Bad Ending B." 

There were rumors about it being "unlockable through DLC" or requiring a "key item hidden somewhere," but nothing ever happened.

Eventually, it was concluded that the "A" was just a typo from the developers' internal naming system for the endings—something they forgot to delete from the game text.

But…

"What if Luke's route was part of DLC, and Bad Ending B came with it as well—?"

　Now, I feared the possibility of an unknown bad ending.

"This is bad… how do I even avoid it?"

I don't know the choices to make, and for all I know, I might already be on that route…

"…Maybe I should just ask them—"

No, that's not good. There's no guarantee they'd tell me the truth. 

They'd probably just dodge the question and brush me off.

"Think, Cathy… Think of a way to crush their plans—"

A way to destroy the route that leads to my downfall…

"Wait, should I just destroy it?"

That's it. Why didn't I realize this sooner? It's simple. I just need to destroy it.

"If I just ruin the events they're trying to progress, it'll all fall apart."

I'm a genius. As expected of the protagonist! 

If this isn't the story I know anymore, I'll just turn it into complete chaos.

That's settled. I'll throw away everything I know about the original storyline.

I'll show Elizabeth and Cecilia who the real protagonist is. I'll crush whatever they try next. 

After all, everything Elizabeth does is a calculated move to push me closer to a new bad ending route.

Watch me… I'll keep an eye on you. Whatever you're planning, I'll crush it. I'll make sure you fail.

Now that it's decided, I'll discuss this with everyone.

I'll say I've received a divine revelation and spend my after-school hours praying in the grand cathedral. 

Meanwhile, I'll set people to watch Elizabeth and Cecilia's movements. 

Then, at the perfect moment, I'll declare that the "revelation" has come and mobilize everyone to ruin their event.

Sure, Luke is a strong supporting character, but he's just a weaker version of Edgar. 

On my side, I have Dario, a magic genius; Chris, who's great for covering multiple fronts; and Arthur, unmatched in swordsmanship.

Thinking about it, it makes sense why Elizabeth and her group were quietly sabotaging events.

If they faced us head-on, they wouldn't stand a chance against our current strength.

Alright, it's decided. This time, I'll counter them. Whatever they're planning, I'm going to destroy it.

"Perfect."

Now that I have a plan, I didn't panick anymore. 

Honestly, I'm impressed I managed to fight this long with such a huge handicap.

You let your guard down, didn't you? Showing off Luke at this point just gave me the opportunity to sweep you up!

A few random bystanders stared at me as I confidently stepped out of the empty classroom, but I ignored them. 

They're just background characters—they can't do anything to me.

"Alright, now that my head's clear… I should head back to everyone."

With my usual saintly smile, I began walking, feeling even the shining sun above celebrating my determination.

Now that I know their plans and what they're relying on, I have no weaknesses left.

Victory is guaranteed. Thank you very much!

—

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