BLBJ 14.1

Holy, Holy, Holy

Fortunately, there was no morning sex.

Though there was breakfast with Count Felpertin.

‘Still, he didn’t say anything special about it being my second time.’

There wasn’t a single question about whether they’d meet again or anything like that. He just said, ‘Second time,’ and ate quietly. Should he thank him for preventing viewers from being greeted with sex first thing in the morning?

Anyway, having eaten quite satisfyingly, Eizen was able to return comfortably thanks to Christian kindly offering to drive him home.

“I’m glad I got some clothes.”

💬Why? I liked the handsome guy suit.
💬Such a shame, he finally had the chance to wear a truly extravagant one.
💬If Jeremiah finds out Christian bought him clothes, won’t he tear them all apart?
💬Ah, this time, instead of tearing them up, I hope they all buy him outfits.
💬Honestly, Eizen’s wardrobe has always been kinda empty.
💬At least the capture targets took turns dressing him, so it was tolerable.
💬Come to think of it, hasn’t Eizen almost never worn anything that was actually his?

“Thank you. Still, thanks to Christian, I don’t think I’ll need to buy clothes.”

Eizen smiled brightly as he neatly organized the clothes in the closet.

For the first time since starting the broadcast, he had obtained something useful for everyday life.

‘This is really tough.’

He’d managed to get meals here and there, but he’d never brought food home.

On top of that, even when he received clothes, Jeremiah would tear them up, or he’d leave them at someone else’s house. Either way, they weren’t much help for living.

Dressed in his new clothes, Eizen stood before the mirror feeling refreshed.

“Today, I’m going to meet Tennes and Pike.”

💬So it’s a date with Tennes and XX with Pike, right?
💬Aaaah, finally XX with Pike!
💬Pike looked so pitiful yesterday.
💬A date with Tennes… that sounds kind of kinky, doesn’t it?
💬Still, the dates with the other capture targets have been surprisingly normal so far, haven’t they?
💬Pike was anything but normal.
💬Yeah, agreed on that one.

💎ImBuyingAPenis donated 50,000 won — I’ll reserve the rocking horse first.

‘Rocking horse…?’

Eizen stared blankly, wondering what a rocking horse was.

💬lololol already picking out Secret Shop items.
💬Isn’t that a bit too hardcore for Eizen?

Only then did he remember it was an item from [♥Secret Shop – Pike♥]. Instantly, goosebumps spread across his entire body. Forcing away the ominous feeling, Eizen squeezed out a semblance of cheerfulness.

“First, shall we go outside?”

Once outside, Eizen immediately checked the locations of the capture targets.

Only two people remained. Since they had a clear objective, it seemed better to go find them rather than just wander the streets aimlessly.

🏰 [Christian – Temple]
📚 [Bartholomew – Imperial Palace]
⛪ [Pike – Temple]
🏛️ [Tennes – Temple]
👑 [Jeremiah – Temple]
➤ When moving to a location, detailed coordinates will be displayed.

“Huh…?”

Everyone except Bartholomew is at the shrine? What’s going on now?

Eizen frowned.

Anyway, to end today’s broadcast, all five of them would have to appear. Given the situation, should he stop by the Imperial Palace first to see Bartholomew?

Or should he see the other four first and then decide? Eizen was seriously torn.

💬Let’s stop by Bartholomew first.
💬Is there some kind of event happening at the temple?
💬Seems like it.
💬Still, it’s convenient that they’re all gathered in one place.

As the viewers said, it would probably be much better to meet Bartholomew first and then go.

‘Meeting Pike and then returning to the Imperial Palace would be tough too.’

He won’t be released until dawn at the earliest. Wouldn’t it be awkward to go meet Bartholomew again then?

“Then I’ll stop by the Imperial Palace first.

—

Meeting Bartholomew was very simple. What’s more, he found out what everyone was doing at the temple.

What feast day was it today? For Eizen, who had lived a life distant from religion, it was a day he’d never heard of before, but in the Empire, it was said to be one of the major St. John’s Days.

Jeremiah and the other nobles, even the knights, had all left the Imperial Palace to participate in the festival events. Perhaps because of that, the Imperial Palace, which was usually bustling somewhere, felt a bit empty.

“So, are you going over there too?”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”

“It’ll probably be boring anyway.” Bartholomew chuckled.

“Aren’t you going?”
“Far better to stay here than kill time over there.”

Of course, Eizen had no intention of attending the religious ceremony either. But since he was planning to head to the temple anyway, he didn’t bother correcting Bartholomew’s misunderstanding.

“If I leave now, I might just make it in time. Well, I’ll be off then.”

💬You can totally tell he’s just trying to wrap up the conversation here.
💬Bartholomew’s probably gonna feel a bit hurt.
💬Still, there’s nothing he can do about it.

As viewers pointed out, it was painfully obvious he was just trying to leave after seeing her face.

But unfortunately, Bartholomew had already used up all his chances for dates and sex, so there was nothing he could do.

Eizen quickened his pace a little.

A carriage would have been nice, but unfortunately, thanks to those useless capture targets that didn’t help in real life, Eizen was still stuck walking everywhere.

‘Damn it, and I don’t have any money either.’

But saying ‘Give me some money’ wasn’t exactly appropriate either.

He wouldn’t refuse a gift if offered, but asking for something first felt a bit tacky.

He couldn’t claim to have played an enormous number of dating sims, but he’d never once seen the protagonist say to a capture target, ‘I’m broke, so could you give me some money?’

‘It’s not like I’m extorting money.’

As Eizen hurried along, the viewers were discussing his poverty again today.

💬He’s got five capture targets, and Eizen’s still living in that run-down house.
💬With five of them, even five mansions wouldn’t be enough…
💬They think just feeding him is enough!
💬Honestly, as long as they keep him well-fed, does it really matter?
💬Food is the most important thing in life anyway.
💬And lately, Eizen’s been spending fewer and fewer nights at his own place.

That’s true. The days spent at home were indeed growing fewer. Not that it was intentional.

“The temple is quite far, isn’t it?”

💬Eizen walks around so much that if I played this game myself, I probably wouldn’t even get lost.
💬Reminds me of that game Assassin’s C***d.
💬Same! I played it so obsessively I almost tried to climb a wall while traveling abroad lol
💬lolololololol
💬But isn’t the real-life version kinda underwhelming compared to the game?
💬Agreed. You’re supposed to look down from the top, but you can’t do that here.
💬When this game officially releases, at least I’ll be able to navigate for sure.

Eizen glanced at the conversations among the audience members as he hurried along.

‘Once the event starts, will we be able to get in?’

That was his biggest worry. They’d managed to gather all four of them in one place, but what if they ended up having to wait outside because they couldn’t get into the event itself?

He hurried along so fast that his sweat was dripping, and when he finally arrived, the shrine was bustling, unlike usual. There were many nobles dressed in luxurious clothes. Many knights. And even more paladins.

💬You can definitely tell an important guest has arrived.
💬They usually keep everything open, but today the guards are on full alert.

If it had been any other time, he could have just slipped in without issue. But today, he had to prove his noble status as if entering the Imperial Palace. He saw several people turn back after reaching the temple’s entrance.

“Still, being a noble does have more use than I thought.”

Throughout his life, being a fallen noble had just been an annoyance, but getting entangled with the capture targets had proven surprisingly useful in various ways.

‘Well. It doesn’t help with daily life, though.’

That’s the problem, really.

As Eizen walked a bit further in, lost in useless thoughts, the nobles glanced at him sideways. Not knowing what to do, he offered an awkward greeting, and everyone smoothly parted to make way. As if telling Eizen to go that way.

💬Now that’s main character energy.
💬Who do you think is waiting at the end?
💬Jeremiah, obviously.
💬After all that chaos Jeremiah caused, everyone’s probably watching the Emperor’s reaction.
💬But it could unexpectedly be Tennes, you never know.

It was incredibly awkward. People kept backing away from Eizen like he was some kind of bug.

Eizen walked slowly, looking embarrassed, and at the end of the line was the very front seat.

Jeremiah was there, Tennes was there, and Christian was nearby – the very front seat. The kind of spot where dozing off during the sermon would guarantee everyone’s stares.

“Eizen?”

Christian, who had been scanning his surroundings warily, spotted Eizen first. Because of Christian, everyone’s gaze instantly converged on him. Eizen’s face flushed bright red.

“Ah, hello.”

He deliberately greeted them in a vague direction, one that would make Christian, Jeremiah, and Tennes all think he was addressing them.

“Eizen.”
“Eizen.”

Tennes and Jeremiah both called his name simultaneously.

‘This is so awkward I could die.’

Having all three appear at once was great, but going out alone with Tennes seemed impossible. After all, openly showing you’re flirting with someone else right in front of the people you’re flirting with is awkward in more ways than one.

💬What’s he gonna do lolololol
💬Let’s just have the three of them fight it out and see who wins.
💬What are you talking about? Wasn’t he here to go on a date with Tennes?
💬Yeah, but the atmosphere’s not that simple right now.
💬If he just goes, “Ah, I’m here to date Tennes, haha!” and walks out, do you think Jeremiah’s gonna let him go?
💬Then what’s Jeremiah gonna do about it?
💬In moments like this, they usually XX.
💬Oh hey, BunnyPrince, it’s been a while.
💬Is that the XX, or that XX?
💬What’s the difference between the two?
💬Either way, it’s still XX.

‘What are they all talking about?’ Eizen frowned slightly.

“Did you come to attend the event?” Jeremiah spoke first.

“No, I just… came.”

Jeremiah pointed to a nearby seat.

“Sit over here.”
“Do I have to be part of the ceremony too?”
“It’s boring, but this works out perfectly.”

“He’s not even wearing formal attire, Your Majesty.” It was Tennes who suddenly interjected.

“Formal attire doesn’t matter.”
“The priests might take offense.”
“What do those bastards matter?”

Eizen gave an awkward smile.

Jeremiah and Tennes locked eyes across Eizen. Should he admire the marquis for boldly voicing his opinion to the Emperor? Or should he admire Jeremiah’s patience for not immediately lashing out at his subject?

He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should step in and say something cringe-worthy like, ‘Don’t fight over me!’ Standing awkwardly, unable to decide, Christian gave Eizen a subtle wink.

‘What a mess.’

He didn’t even want to imagine the five of them gathered in one place. Eizen sighed softly, thinking that.

💬What’s there to think about? Isn’t today supposed to be the Tennes date?
💬Yeah, but the Emperor told him to sit next to him.
💬The Emperor outranks everyone.
💬It’s a game, who cares about ranks? In that case, just go date Bartholomew. He’s the only free one right now.
💬Where’s Pike, anyway? Doesn’t look like he’s among the Holy Knights.

Viewers started arguing because they couldn’t see immediate results.

Eizen sighed as he looked at the chat window, now a complete mess.

“We’ll proceed as planned.”

💬He said he’s sticking to the plan.
💬Plans exist so you can break them.
💬Ah, just XX right here.
💬Who keeps saying to XX anyway?
💬Wasn’t it BunnyPrince?
💬I only said it once earlier!

It’s a complete mess.

Eizen stepped forward to try and resolve the situation.

Jeremiah and Tennes were still engaged in their non-conversation. They were bickering back and forth about whether Eizen should attend the event or not.

Before long, the priests began arriving one by one, and the nobles found their seats.

Just as Eizen was about to say goodbye and leave, Tennes rose from his seat.

“Let’s go, Eizen.”
“Huh?”
Go? Where?

Eizen asked back, bewildered, but Tennes pulled him by the wrist without further explanation. Turning back, Eizen felt Jeremiah’s cold, piercing gaze on him.

“Where are we going?”
“Well…”

Tennes tilted his head, smiling slyly.

—

The two went to the inner garden of the temple.

Though not as splendid as the Imperial Palace, the naturally manicured garden was quiet. Just as he thought it was silent.

Ding! A bell rang.

“It’s begun.”
“Is it really okay to be absent like this?”
“No.”

Tennes laughed heartily. It was a refreshingly clear laugh, so much so that it flustered Eizen.

“Isn’t His Majesty going to be angry?”
“He probably will.”
“…”
“That’s something I’ll handle later, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
“But – ”

Even if Jeremiah showed an unusual tenderness toward Eizen, he was still a tyrant. So it wasn’t strange for Eizen to worry about Tennes.

“I can assume you came to see me, right?”

That was correct. But how did he know?

As Eizen blinked, Tennes stifled a laugh and gently brushed back his pink hair.

“If you came to see His Majesty, you would have sat down immediately when he tapped the seat beside him.”
“…”
“If you’d come to see Lord Felpertin, you would’ve exchanged glances with him.”
“I didn’t exchange glances with you, either.”
“You were worried about me, weren’t you?”
“What…?”
“I saw that troubled look on your face when you were talking with His Majesty the Emperor.”

He was incredibly perceptive. Pinned down like that, Eizen had no retort.

“Since I can’t go back in there now either. I suppose there’s no choice.”
“What is?”
“It means that my schedule is completely thrown off, and you’ll have to take responsibility for it.”

Suddenly, Eizen wondered, ‘Could Tennes be as sly as Christian?’

💬So where’s the date happening?
💬Tennes just gives off the vibe that even his dates would be kind of kinky.
💬Yeah, considering his XX preferences…

What exactly do viewers expect? He really didn’t want to know.

Eizen, who had unnecessarily shuddered, shook his head. Tennes’s tone was truly gentle, but he tried hard to forget the fact that his tastes were incredibly, truly, immensely perverted.

“Do you come to the temple often?”
“Ah, no.”

Before he could say anything else, Tennes firmly grasped Eizen’s hand and intertwined their fingers. He gently smiled as he locked their fingers together tightly, making sure they couldn’t slip apart even by accident.

“Really?”
“…”
“I thought you visited the temple quite often, surprisingly.”
“Uh, not really.”

💬There’s definitely a hidden message in that.
💬Sounds like he’s talking about meeting Pike.
💬Isn’t he actually the scariest one of them all?
💬He knows everything, seriously.
💬Did he install surveillance cameras or something?
💬Or maybe he’s the in-game character who hacked the main character’s route lol
💬Like… a meta-aware being who actually knows they’re inside the game?!

Eizen answered no without thinking, but upon reflection, he had come quite often. Because Pike was at the temple.

Goosebumps prickled up his back. The faintly smiling face seemed to tell Eizen ‘Don’t lie,’ making him feel a little scared.

“What business does Eizen have at the temple?”

Eizen only twitched his lips. It was painfully obvious he knew everything, and that made him even more confused about what to say.

“I heard you were close with Lord Pike.”
“… Yes.”
“Does he help your faith?”

The question felt a bit odd. It wasn’t like, ‘Does he help you believe in God?’

Eizen looked away, and Tennes chuckled quietly.

“Lord Pike is a man of intense faith.”
“He… is.”
“Though I don’t know who he believes in.”

💬Tennes is honestly the scariest one.
💬What if he’s actually the final boss?
💬Bartholomew’s creepy too, but in a completely different way.
💬Right?
💬How do I even put it… it’s like he sees through everything.
💬Bartholomew knows the situation itself is twisted.
💬Ah, just go on the date with Tennes already.
💬His affinity with Pike isn’t even that different, so why’s he only talking about Pike?

“I thought I’d be fine. But learning all sorts of things makes me think too much.”
“…”
“About His Majesty the Emperor. About spending nights with others.”
“Ugh.”
“I would rather not know. Do you know this feeling, Eisen, of having to know despite wishing not to?”

💬Tenneeeees!!
💬He’d be terrifying if he ever snapped.
💬He seriously knows everything lololol
💬He must be watching 24/7.

Eizen truly didn’t know how to respond to Tennes. Tennes’s red eyes were smiling slightly, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to smile back.

“I know it’ll bother me if I find out. But I still need to know.”

Tennes’s lips pressed firmly against his cheek. The heat of his body felt like it would leave a mark right there.

“But what’s most frustrating is that even though I get angry about everything, I can’t really say anything to you, Eizen.”
“Why?”
“Because I know you haven’t chosen anyone.”

Tennes was right.

Eizen hadn’t chosen anyone yet. No, he hadn’t been able to choose.

He tried to convince himself it was because of the donation money, but ultimately, he just hadn’t made up his mind. Who was better? Who did he want to be with?

Just as he tried to keep the affinity of his capture targets equal, Eizen’s own heart didn’t lean toward any one side either. If he chose just one person and raised their affinity differently – if he entered a single route – would his heart then become focused solely on that one person?

‘I don’t know.’

“Eizen.”

The lips that had touched Eizen’s cheek slowly moved downward. The moment their soft lips brushed against each other.

Eizen instinctively pushed Tennes away.

“Tennes…“

Tennes smiled as usual. He was relieved to see no particular hurt or surprise on his face.

”Well, it’s fair for everyone. It’s fine.“
”…“

”Though I don’t know what will happen later, Eizen.”

A thumb, calloused and hardened, slowly brushed across Eizen’s lips.

He was confused whether to call this a date or not. Tennes’s fingernail pressed firmly into the center of his lip.

“Ah.”

When Eizen slightly parted his lips at the pressing sensation, Tennes laughed out loud.

“So. Just keep it the same, Eizen.”
“…”
“Got it?”

Tennes lightly kissed him, his chin held up slightly. He lowered his hand again and interlaced his fingers with Eizen’s once more.

“There are many quiet spots in the temple.”

His voice continued calmly, as if he hadn’t said anything just now.

Eizen held Tennes’s hand and walked slowly.

‘Keep going like this, fairly?’

Of course, it was what he’d hoped for. Yet hearing words that felt like a warning made him feel a little scared. What would happen to Eizen if that balance were suddenly shattered?

‘No, more than anything else, how long do I have to keep doing this?’

Games aren’t played forever. Especially a game like this, with a capture target. it was bound to end someday. What was he supposed to do about that?

Eizen let out a short sigh.

💬Honestly, all of them living together really is the best ending.
💬Six-hi! (as in “Hi, SixSense!” 😄)
💬So when are we getting the 6P route?
💬lol do you think they’ll actually do it?

If this game has an end, what kind of ending will it bring?

What will happen?

All sorts of thoughts swirled chaotically in Eizen’s mind.

No matter how much he thought about it, no answer came.