The Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health Chapter 337

On the way back home.

I found out a bit late that Bregemin (the highest council of the Mage Tower) was being held at the Sky Tower. That explained why the Sky Tower had been so empty today.

But what was making me uneasy right now wasn’t my master, whom I had left inside the barrier, nor the Sky Tower.

‘What on earth is this?’

The status window that disappeared if I didn’t think about it, but showed up right in front of me the moment I paid even a little attention.

[Save your master!]

Archmage Mercedes has lost consciousness for unknown reasons. By chance, you discovered the space where Archmage Mercedes isolated herself, as well as the archmage collapsed within it. Now, you are the only one who can save Archmage Mercedes.

Save Archmage Mercedes.

Upon success, gain protagonist share.

Upon failure, Archmage Mercedes’s ■■.

This thing was the problem.

Especially those last two hidden characters, ■■, really bothered me.

Death? Disappearance? Erasure? Rampage?

Whatever it was, I could tell it wasn’t anything good.

“This is confusing.”

It felt like the genre of my life had changed.

If my life used to be something like #reincarnated-into-a-novel, now it felt like it had suddenly turned into #possessed-by-a-game.

Yeah. It really felt like I’d become the main character of a web novel.

Anyway, what mattered was that this suspicious status window—whether it was trying to help me or use me—was clearly on my side.

I still didn’t know why the “Ask Me Anything” status window, originally based on Laplace’s Demon, had changed like this.

“I’m home.”

Anyway.

When I got back, Dad—who had gone off to cause chaos at the Imperial Palace—was already home.

“Our daughter’s back? Here! Your dad bought tons of bread you like.”

For some reason, Dad looked really happy.

“From here to here—that’s what I bought.”

The godfather separated out the portion he had bought while standing next to Dad. Dad frowned when he saw Ludwig’s face.

“Get lost and stop interrupting family bonding time.”

“I’m family too, you know.”

“Oh, shut up. Are you insane?”

“You’re the insane one, Valer. I never divorced your sister. So technically, we’re still ‘family.’”

“Die.”

Ludwig and Dad bickered viciously.

Mm. Just another normal scene at the Halbern estate.

“Welcome back, Arel.”

Next to them, Mehen—who looked extremely tired for some reason—greeted me.

That was strange. Mehen had looked fine this morning. Why did she look so unhappy now?

“Did something happen?”

“Nothing at all……”

“Something happened, didn’t it. Hang in there.”

“…….”

When I patted Mehen’s back, she rubbed at the corner of her eyes. Wow. Something really serious must have happened.

“Oh, right. Mom. Did you look into what I asked?”

I wondered if it was too harsh to push her after only half a day, but her response was oddly strange.

“Ah, that matter.”

“?”

Mehen stared at me for a moment, then murmured lightly.

“Well, you’ll find out soon enough.”

“???”

 

 

*****

 

 

 

 

Albret Times headquarters.

On a night as black as if it had been painted over with dark ink, the editorial department—including the editor-in-chief—was gathered, agonizing over tomorrow morning’s front-page headline.

“So, what should we put on the front page?”

“The third son of Gremwat asked us to run this article. Looks like he wants more public support.”

“Eh, that’s too weak.”

There just wasn’t a strong enough story.

One reporter scratched his head, then asked in a serious voice.

“What about the Halbern young lady?”

An issue guaranteed to sell the moment it was published.

But.

“Then we’d be dead.”

Everyone in the industry knew what had happened to the newspaper that once covered the Halbern young lady as a side feature alongside the “Duke Halbern’s Return” article—after pressure came down from the imperial family.

And on top of that—

“This time, Halbern also sent a cooperation request asking us not to write about Miss Arellin if possible.”

Calling it a request was generous—it was basically an outright ban.

The editor-in-chief vented his frustration.

“No, they say it’s fine to write about Duke Halbern all we want, so why is the young lady off-limits?!”

“How would I know?”

“Man, that’s really strange.”

“Halbern has a real power holder behind the scenes, you know. In practice, Lord Mehen holds the most authority, not the duke.”

“You haven’t forgotten all those guys who once boosted sales with ‘The Duke of Halbern Has Another Love’ stories, right? They’re all in prison now.”

“Ohhh.”

Newspapers were always under threat of lawsuits, but remembering how Halbern had once destroyed them with sheer power and money made everyone’s stomachs turn cold.

The vanished newspapers had cried media suppression and persecution until the very end—but in the end, they disappeared into history.

The reporters’ shared opinion on that was roughly this:

“Honestly, once you mess with Halbern, that’s on you. You could call that a natural death.”

“True enough.”

“So then… should we go with this article?”

“Hmmm……”

Editor-in-chief Albert stared suspiciously at the headline:

“Civil War Breaks Out in the Uyo Union!
Why Has the Beast King’s Granddaughter Taken Refuge in Albret?!”

It wasn’t bad. It really wasn’t.

But……

“Isn’t there something that could grab people’s attention even harder?”

Just as the editor-in-chief was agonizing over it—

Bang!

“Everyone!”

A woman burst into the meeting room.

Silvy of the Blark family—the true owner of the Albret Times—shouted confidently.

“I’ve brought an exclusive scoop!”

“Ooooooh!”

“Shugra Delegation Makes a Surprise Visit!

The official delegation of the Shugra Empire has announced its first visit in 521 years. The purpose is cultural exchange, and with many elves accompanying them—including the ‘Savior of the World Tree’—public anticipation is growing rapidly (excerpt)……”

The Shugra Empire.

Chloe stood in front of the intercontinental warp gate. Today was the historic day she would head to Albret.

‘I’m finally crossing over.’

There was just one thing bothering her.

In the original game, only her and her master—marked as benefactors—were supposed to go to Albret……

“Benefactor. Human mage. Prepare yourself.”

But for some reason, this time several elves—called a “delegation”—were tagging along.

‘Why are they coming with us?’

Perhaps noticing Chloe’s questioning gaze, Roel kindly explained.

“I’ve heard the Albret Empire has changed a lot recently. The stories told by the human mage sounded quite interesting. Elves value exchange. I want to see what kind of changes they’ve gone through.”

“I-I see.”

As if elves cared that much about exchange……

The words sounded nice, but basically it meant they were bored and wanted to tag along.

‘This isn’t going to change the story, is it?’

Chloe was cautious, worried this situation might cause an unexpected butterfly effect—but she still thought it was better to go with a delegation.

With elves present, the reception would be much grander than if it were just her and her master.

‘But what does it mean that Albret has changed?’

She knew it had near-modern-level civilization thanks to advanced magitech, but had something else been added?

‘Well, whatever.’

She’d find out once she got there.

Even if it differed from the game, that might actually be better. Higher difficulty only fueled a gamer’s motivation.

‘I know everything about this world.’

There was nothing she didn’t know.

And right now, Chloe was going as the “Savior of the World Tree.” Some might ask if that really mattered—but of course it did.

It was a much higher status than a mere baron’s daughter (her original position), or even a high-grade mage’s beloved disciple!

‘First, I need to clear this quest.’

【Main Scenario I: Greet the Key Characters (0/?)】

Chloe was confident.

This kind of thing would clear the moment she set foot in Albret.

Just look—she had already purified the World Tree faster than in the game.

‘Maybe… I can even reach that ending.’

The “reverse harem ending” that had been impossible to aim for because of locked choices.

Chloe’s eyes sparkled.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Excited at the thought of finally escaping Shugra, Robert smiled brightly as he poured mana into the warp gate.

As the gate activated, it swung wide open. Without hesitation, the delegation and Chloe stepped through.

‘The mage route really is the best.’

Just as Chloe resolved to raise her mana first and passed through the gate—

A completely different scene spread out before her eyes.

The dense, dark-blue trees that once filled the sky were gone, replaced by magnificent buildings, each boasting a unique and artistic design.

“……!”

This was Albret.

The scenery she had only ever seen through a screen now unfolded before her, vividly real.