TIRS 70

Posted by zahid, Released on September 2, 2025

CHAPTER 70……………..

Unforgettable, My First Love Who Ultimately Drove Me Mad
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“Sorry, sorry.”

I barely managed to comfort the sobbing Piya.

“Anselot didn’t say anything even when I sprayed water on him!”

Piya’s gaze made it seem as if she were saying, “Lulu, that’s disgusting!”—and somehow, that stung my heart.

“So why are you saying weird things? Bringing him along? Do you even know who he is?”

I pouted my lips, and Piya, who had just been sniffling, perked up and answered spiritedly.

“Piya welcomes anyone! As long as I can watch Lulu’s romance up close!”

She shouted as if the mere thought of it made her happy.

“Lulu’s romance! How thrilling!”

“Why are you getting excited over someone else’s romance? And it’s not really romance, anyway.”

“Isn’t it?”

Piya tilted her head curiously. I averted her gaze subtly and replied:

“Just… I completed a quest, that’s all.”

Last night, Anselot didn’t return to the palace.

It’s more accurate to say he couldn’t return.

From the moment her lips brushed against his, his heart had been pounding violently.

He simply couldn’t bear being in the same space with her.

His heart was fragile enough already; being in that confined carriage with her would have been unbearable.

Even though the carriage was large and many others were aboard, it didn’t matter.

After watching Ruivel safely board the carriage with the group, Anselot fled far beyond the Ruenhart border.

Only then did his heartbeat gradually settle.

And on a remote, treacherous snowy mountain, where no one tread, atop the cold, perpetual snow…

Anselot could think clearly again, but only after spending the night there.

As dawn broke, he calmly retraced his thoughts:

So… what did I just do?

……

……I kissed Ruivel.

“Ah…”

He remembered her pale, soft lips and the heat that surged through him when they touched.

His heart, which had once calmed, now thumped wildly again.

His mind was in chaos, and he spent a long while trying to steady himself.

Finally, the sky brightened completely.

In the cold early morning air, Anselot stared with bloodshot eyes toward the distant place where Ruivel might be.

His body was strong; staying up all night alone wouldn’t normally have caused his eyes to redden this way.

“Hah… this is maddening.”

He murmured, rubbing his dry face.

“…How am I supposed to face our princess now?”

Immediately after the kiss, Ruivel had been unusually quiet.

Was she angry? Upset?

Perhaps.

The pure girl, who had dreamed of a first kiss romance, might think that her dream had been ruined because he, overcome by an unknown impulse, had acted recklessly.

“But, Ruivel.”

Though she couldn’t hear him, Anselot muttered as if speaking to her.

“You didn’t refuse me either.”

He remembered her behavior when he called her name—her tiny hands clutching his clothing, looking up at him.

Seeing that, he couldn’t help but pull her to him by the waist.

So, this is all Ruivel’s fault.

Even knowing it was no excuse, Anselot blamed everything on her.

“So what. I’ve always been a coward anyway.”

Still, he muttered to himself, adding it as if to excuse the lingering unease in his heart.

This is serious.

The more he thought about her, the more curious he became.

At first, he wondered what was in that small head of hers. He wondered how much her eyes, round like a rabbit’s, could widen in surprise. Later, he began to wonder about her as a person.

And last night, he had acted recklessly out of curiosity about her soft lips.

Now, he wanted to know more than just her lips—he wanted to know everything about her.

The desire to know her more was undeniable and firm.

But…

“…….”

Anselot, who had been staring toward Ruenhart Palace, slowly lowered his gaze.

Click, click.

He lifted his right hand and unbuttoned his shirt one by one.

His chest, blackened and rotting, was exposed.

The scars, raw and painful to look at, were the result of dozens, hundreds, perhaps thousands of cuts.

His expression slowly hardened into a cold, resolute gaze.

His time was running out.

It had been a wish he had harbored for a long time.

Yet, he felt ashamed for being so curious about Ruivel.

In the end, he would vanish without ever truly knowing her or becoming anything to her.

He looked slowly up at the sky.

“…Sena.”

The name of the woman who had always given him the right answers carried a poignant weight today.

“What should I do?”

……

Of course, she didn’t answer.

Anselot clenched his fists and bit his lower lip.

Before embarking on the next scenario, I planned to prepare thoroughly here.

Because the next scenario, which I had not yet reached, would undoubtedly introduce…

“Light of the People, Targo.”

The last hero of , also called the Light Hunter.

The final ally I needed to meet before facing Helheim.

Even in the original story, he was a difficult character, and in this cursed game, a notoriously tough one for players.

Excluding the final scenario, is the scenario where the most players meet Game Over.

No wonder some players mocked it as “Light of Debt” instead of Light of the People.

As a devoted reader of the original, I had been outraged by such jokes.

“But now that it’s my turn, I’m kind of worried…”

Even in the original story, Hezen almost died at Targo’s hands.

I went out with Piya to purchase supplies in preparation for meeting Targo.

For once, Klaus didn’t follow to escort me—probably still weakened from yesterday.

Shopping and eating at a restaurant with Piya helped me shake off the chaotic emotions of the previous day.

“Being human isn’t so bad, Lulu! I can eat so much!”

Piya tapped her belly happily.

“No, Piya. You ate a lot even as a bird.”

Even in front of Anselot, I excused her—she could still eat plenty as a bird.

“But eating as a bird versus eating as a human… the amount I can fit in one bite is different!”

Piya took a large bite of steak with her fork.

“Exactly. Meat has to be plump to stay juicy.”

I agreed, and Piya became even more excited.

“Next time I want to eat cookies with magical energy and become an elephant! Then I could eat so much more than as a human!”

I imagined Piya as a giant elephant.

That’s not cute at all!

I felt an urgent need to stop her.

“But, Piya, do you know something?”

“……?”

“Elephants… can’t eat meat.”

“……!”

Piya’s face crumpled as if the world had ended.

“No way! That huge body can’t eat meat? This is a disaster! Horrible!”

“So, forget about becoming an elephant.”

I handed her my steak, and she kept eating noisily, though upset.

Now that I see her again, even a giant elephant Piya might still be cute…

After finishing with coffee and warm milk, we were in much better spirits.

Stepping into the bustling streets to wait for the carriage, I ran into a familiar face.

She froze when she saw me.

The crown prince’s fiancée, Helena Azelain.

Helena, daughter of the Azelain Dukes
Affection: -461

Ha… what did I do this time?

I looked at her affection score bitterly.

Of course, I had made a few remarks after seeing her harass Maria from the start.

And by chance, I had received a date request from the crown prince in front of her.

…I’ve done a lot. Just accept being disliked quietly.

Reflecting on our interactions, I felt solemn.

Helena, who hadn’t met my gaze, suddenly asked without greeting:

“Is it true?”

“What?”

Her voice wasn’t threatening, but as soon as our eyes met, a system message appeared:

[SYSTEM] is now in a Fear state.

“Th-That…”

Helena, who disliked me but feared me, hesitated to speak.

She squeezed her eyes shut and asked:

“Will you really go on a date with Prince Enzer?”

Ugh…

Saying it like that made it sound as if I were having an affair with Enzer.

I’m only doing it because of the quest penalty.

When I didn’t immediately deny it, Helena’s expression stiffened.

[SYSTEM] ’s affection decreased by -42. (Affection: -503)
[SYSTEM] ’s affection is below -500. now feels hatred toward you, accompanied by violence.
[SYSTEM] Due to extremely low affection, ’s fear state has been lifted.

Her fear lifted instantly as her affection dropped.

Ah, so this is what “seeing nothing” means.

I marveled at the system’s logic inwardly.

“Well, Prince Anselot must be busy reuniting with his first love, so perhaps she thinks she can borrow someone else’s man?”

“First love…?”

I looked at her in confusion at the sudden provocation.

Helena smirked, clearly confident she had the upper hand.

“I’ll generously allow you to borrow him once. That way, Prince Anselot can meet Lady Arbella without worrying about the princess’s gaze.”

Arbella… was Prince Arno’s wife, whom I had seen in the greenhouse garden of Ruenhart Palace.

But why would Anselot…?

“Oh, didn’t you know?”

Helena added with exaggerated expression and tone: