Damn it. It’s all over.
Hale’s mind raced.
Anyone else getting this invitation would jump for joy.
Young nobles? They’d be champing at the bit, eager to prove themselves.
The Holy Church had only seven Vestal Candidates—each assigned to one of the seven Cardinal Bishops.
With the Papal throne vacant, the Vestal position remained empty too.
Four Cardinal Bishops governed church branches across the other four nations of the Western Continent.
Three resided in the Papal Dominion: two oversaw north and south; the third managed the capital Saint Louis and scattered eastern parishes.
Beyond the Dominion, those four bishops held power second only to their nations’ monarchs.
Vestal Candidates were among a bishop’s most vital proteges—
status nearly equal to royal princesses.
An invitation to tea from a princess? Every young lord’s dream.
Prime bragging rights among peers.
Christine stood as the frontrunner among the seven Vestal Candidates.
Noble circles—ladies, lords, elders—never tired of discussing her.
But Hale wanted no part of it.
Christine was one of the game’s pivotal heroines.
Unlike Siman, she wasn’t unlockable during initial selection in the first playthrough. Players had to clear three other heroines’ endings first.
In Hale’s memory, her routes often brushed against the world’s deepest truths.
Yet with endless endings, debates over the “true” one sparked flame wars—hundreds of replies deep, insults flying.
Still, Christine was dangerous.
She was the Church’s Vestal Candidate… yet not truly the Church’s Vestal.
In her most accessible route, she sensed the Church’s odd behavior and began investigating.
Result? Usually a bad ending.
While the Church triggered late-game events in other routes,
Christine’s route activated Church conflicts early—and enemies didn’t scale.
Enemy A? Level 80 in Siman’s late game?
Meet him in Christine’s early route—still level 80.
Her path demanded daily grinding, side quests, recruiting every heroine across nations…
Only then could players tackle her main story.
Finish all side content first, *then* face the first main boss.
But linger too long leveling others? Christine’s route could force-trigger events—or a story kill.
Like the Demon God Princess: skip recruiting her early while playing other routes, and she’d vanish forever.
High-risk character.
Worse, Hale died in bizarre ways on her path.
Example: trapped in a hopeless crisis, Christine would turn to him and whisper, “Let’s do it, Hale,” to save everyone.
Eighteen rounds of “magic replenishment” later—she’d carry the team; he’d be drained dry.
Living proof: no field wears out from plowing… only the ox dies of exhaustion.
While Hale’s thoughts spiraled, others watched him stand silent.
*Is he showing off?*
Christine’s personal maid summoned him—and he hesitated?
Even feigned contemplation?
Siman felt conflicted.
She’d met Christine. Adored her: serene, graceful, never aloof.
Once, she saw Christine share candy with a ragged little girl, laughing freely—
unbothered as her spotless Vestal gown gathered dust, glowing like morning light.
So why invite Hale today?
Yesterday’s spy incident? But that was the Inquisition Bureau’s duty…
“Hale! Stop spacing out. Answer Sister Maria,” someone urged.
“What does Christine need?” Hale asked, eyes locked on Maria.
He caught a hint of confusion on her face too.
“I… don’t know,” Maria murmured. “Christine-sama only said: meet her alone on the second floor of the pavilion behind Ron Cathedral. Strictly private—no servants, no one else.”
Maria was baffled.
She’d heard Hale’s name from noble novice nuns—
*that* kind of playboy. The type who belonged in the confessional, begging forgiveness.
Yet Christine-sama requested a private meeting with *him*? As her number-one admirer, Maria couldn’t accept it.
But she’d never question Christine’s will.
So she delivered every detail.
*Private meeting?*
Hale’s stomach tightened.
No way…
He’d played Christine’s route thoroughly. In-game, her invitation quest triggered *only* after the system flagged the player as struggling.
Complete it? Unlock “intimate bonding” options to boost stats and experience.
Sure, romancing the radiant Vestal Candidate sounded tempting—
but beyond the risk of being drained in crises, she had that absurd innate trait:
*Christine’s Resolve*.
Her compassion demanded exclusivity post-intimacy.
She’d insist Hale focus solely on her: “Let me bear this burden. I’ll grow strong enough to save everyone.”
Many players were moved. Her character never broke: damage-sharing passives, healing, wielding swords, staves, crosiers—versatile, resilient, radiant.
Worthy of early high-level foes.
But the reward came with *Christine’s Compassion* passive:
Level her up through intimacy? Fine.
Level *anyone else*? Hale gets “stabbed” next dawn.
Pure breach of exclusivity.
Rush her route too fast? Other allies stay underleveled. One hit KO’s. Even with shared damage, soon only Christine stands.
Hale had once called her his 2D wife.
Now? He wanted to refuse.
Survival first.
Then Maria’s next words froze the room:
“If you refuse… Christine-sama will come to you personally. Choose wisely.”
She saw his hesitation—and seethed. *Dare he hesitate over her invitation?*
