IATVWAMOLS 56

56. Cayenne is Promoted to Male Lead Candidate!

While Cayenne was still reeling in confusion—

Men in black robes closed in from both sides and bound him.

“Let me go!”

He struggled fiercely, but there was no way a small boy could shake off several grown men.

“Stay still!”

The man who had been coaxing and soothing Cayenne just moments ago now barked at him.

Flinch.

Cayenne’s shoulders trembled.

“You’re just a lowly slave. You should be grateful enough that you’re being used for a great experiment that will change the future of mankind. And yet you dare to resist?”

The man glared down at him with eyes full of contempt.

“There’s no need to waste time. Take him away.”

At his signal, Cayenne was dragged off helplessly.

“Please, let me go—!”

Cayenne’s desperate scream echoed as he was hauled toward the experimental chamber.

I couldn’t bear to watch anymore and turned my head away.

Disgusting.

All because he was a slave… how could they be so cruel?

Seeing a small, frail boy treated like that made me sick to my stomach.

Thankfully, the scene soon faded into darkness.

Cayenne’s cries grew distant, like an echo, until at last I escaped from the nightmare-like memory.

The sensation of my body being sucked away ended, and the surroundings shifted back to the servants’ quarters.

Now grown, Cayenne looked up at me with a pale face.

Next to him, the duke’s guards had him restrained with an imposing air.

The place was different, the age was different—
but his situation didn’t look much changed from the memory.

One of the guards pressed me for a decision.

“My lady, what shall we do with this one?”

“…Lay him down on the bed. Then you may all leave.”

“Pardon? Ah, yes.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

For some reason, I felt nauseous—as if I was no different from the men who had once tormented him.

The guards hesitated but did as I ordered, lowering Cayenne.

Puzzled by my sudden change in attitude, they left the room one by one.

Click.

The door shut, leaving only Cayenne and me.

At the same time, a system window popped up before my eyes.

【SYSTEM: A hidden route possibility has been discovered!】
【SYSTEM: The hidden boss Cayenne has been promoted from Male Lead (Reserve) to Male Lead (Candidate).】
[1 ‘Lucky Roulette Ticket’ has been awarded.]
[☞ Spin the roulette now! ☜]

But the words bounced right off my mind.

My thoughts were still shackled to Cayenne’s memory.

“A black magic soul transfer experiment…?”

All that talk about overcoming the limits of humanity, about noble missions—
when in reality, it was nothing but abuse and violence against the weak.

And Cayenne was a victim of that horrific experiment…

My heart sank as I looked at him.

Was his sudden change of personality now and then related to that sorcery?

I was about to ask him directly when—

Cayenne spoke first.

“Are you… a magician?”

“What?”

“You just used some strange ability. It radiated a very complex and profound energy.”

“…!”

His crimson eyes, glowing like warning lights, pierced right through me.

A chill ran down my spine.

No way… he noticed I used a power?

How?

I’d used countless abilities before—buffs, luck skills, and so on—yet no one had ever realized.

My mind raced.

Magic. Yes, magic.

Cayenne’s instincts were far sharper than an ordinary person’s.

But it seemed he only suspected it vaguely, thinking of it as some kind of sorcery or special ability.

Then I just need to play along.

I forced myself to answer calmly.

“You mean this, right?”

“…!”

I lifted my wrist, showing him the bracelet.

It was a pair with the necklace I’d fastened around his neck—both embedded with powerful obedience magic.

“You’re right, this bracelet holds complex spells. If you ever try to harm me, its magic will immediately incapacitate you.”

“But the energy I felt was far stronger than—”

“No backtalk.”

I cut him off before he could argue further.

“You’ve been speaking so casually, but don’t forget—I’m your master.”

“……”

Cayenne bit his lip.

“If you’re going to live under this roof, you’ll have to understand your place. Got it?”

“……”

“Answer.”

“…Yes.”

Reluctantly, Cayenne nodded.

He still looked unconvinced, but my imposing manner kept him from pressing further.

I’ll need to prepare another safeguard soon.

Breaking into a cold sweat, I glared down at him with forced authority.

After smoothing things over, I quickly left the servants’ quarters, almost running away.

My heart was still pounding wildly.

If not for this bracelet, I wouldn’t have had even an excuse to fall back on.

“Administrator.”

The moment I returned to my room, I called out.

Ding!

【Administrator: Hello, my fiancée!】
【Administrator: ( ˘ ³˘)♡】

“…Fiancée?”

【Administrator: Oh, don’t play dumb.】
【Administrator: We promised each other forever, remember?】
【Administrator: ꉂꉂ(^ᗜ^*)】

Ah, so it was just a continuation of that marriage joke from before.

Honestly… has no idea what I’m going through.

I cut straight to the point.

“You saw it, right? Cayenne catching on to me.”

【Administrator: Of course I did!】
【Administrator: He’s not called a hidden boss for nothing—sharp as a blade!】
【Administrator: (°∀°)b】

“What happens if he finds out I’m a possessor? Will the original protection system kick in then?”

I had always intended to keep it to myself—that I was a possessor, and this world was inside a game.

Because once the truth slipped out, I had no way to predict how the story would twist.

【Administrator: Huh???】
【Administrator: Don’t worry. No one can ever truly uncover your identity.】

The administrator sounded certain.

“How can you be so sure?”

【Administrator: It’s obvious.】
【Administrator: Think about it—humans can’t look upon gods with their own eyes or grasp the laws of the universe with their hands, right?】
【Administrator: At best, they might sense the divine through religion or witness the supernatural by chance.】
【Administrator: But to truly perceive or interfere with a different dimension? Impossible.】

“…Say that in a way I can actually understand.”

My head was full of question marks. The administrator added:

【Administrator: Simply put—】
【Administrator: No one can step outside the world they belong to.】
【Administrator: Except for you, my beloved possessor, since you have all my special affection.】
【Administrator: ♪(´ε｀*)】

Still vague.

【Administrator: Same goes for this case.】
【Administrator: Cayenne is a character of this world. Even if he senses something strange, at most he’ll think of your ability as some mysterious magic.】
【Administrator: He’ll never be able to manipulate system windows like you, or learn the truth of this world.】
【Administrator: You and Cayenne—are literally on different dimensions.】

I rubbed my aching forehead.

It was hard to fully grasp, but I tried to follow.

“So Cayenne and I live in different worlds, since he’s a character and I’m a possessor?”

Which meant he could never realize the truth about me.

【Administrator: Exactly.】
【Administrator: (๑^⩊^๑)】

【Administrator: Characters move under the laws of their world.】
【Administrator: Possessors act under the laws of their own.】
【Administrator: And I, as the administrator, am the same.】

“So you and I are from different dimensions too, then.”

Even though I was speaking with the administrator in real-time, in truth, we belonged to separate realms.

【Administrator: Correct.】
【Administrator: That’s why if you interfere with the original story, the protection system kicks in.】
【Administrator: And if I interfere in your journey, I get penalized.】
【Administrator: The stronger the disruption, the harsher the penalty.】

Now it was starting to make sense.

Why the original protection system clung so tightly to me.
How everything I had done so far went against this world’s order.

Even the administrator’s earlier words about forging a new ending for the villainess rang a little differently now.

“Fine, I understand that much.”

Though my head was still spinning, I decided not to overthink it.

“This time, I’m asking not as a possessor, but as a character—do you think I can trust Cayenne?”

【Administrator: Huh? ( ¯⌓¯)】
【Administrator: I told you before—spoilers about the original require a paid subscription, dear customer.】

His tone instantly turned flippant again.

“I didn’t ask for spoilers!”

Not like Cayenne even showed up much in the original, so what spoilers could there even be?

I was just asking for his opinion.

“Your own thoughts. Not facts—your personal view.”

【Administrator: My thoughts?】
【Administrator: Hm… I usually don’t step outside the objective data of the original.】
【Administrator: ( • ༝ • )】

His expression turned serious.

“Then think about it now.”

【Administrator: Hmmmmm…】
【Administrator: Honestly?】
【Administrator: Since Cayenne’s handsome, wouldn’t it be smart to keep him by your side?】
【Administrator: Hehe. (๑^⩊^๑)】

Utterly useless.

“You really are hopelessly shallow.”

The administrator wagged his head.

【Administrator: No, no. (―3―)】
【Administrator: Haven’t you heard the saying? In this world, good looks are foreshadowing, and a handsome face is its own kind of logic.】

“……”

I wondered how the not-so-handsome managed to survive here.