"A-Are you... alright? I’m so... sorry!"
Adrian’s face burned with shame. He ignored the system prompt that had just appeared in his vision and rushed to apologize.
He swore, tripping her had not been his intention.
He’d just wanted a peek at her underwear. Nothing more.
"What happened?"
"Hey, are you okay?"
Elara and Liam hurried over just as the girl was pushing herself up from the floor, her lunch tray and its contents splattered around her.
"Don’t touch me!"
Isolde shoved Elara’s offered hand away, the force of it making Elara stumble. Isolde rose to her feet, and her gaze, cold as a winter morning, locked onto Adrian. If looks could kill, he would have dropped dead on the spot. A knot of distress tightened in his gut; he had no idea how to defuse this.
"Hey! She was just trying to help. What’s with the attitude?" Liam stepped forward, steadying Elara.
"Help?" Isolde’s scowl deepened. "Your friend tripped me on purpose, and now you’re going to stand there and play the hero? Do you think I’m an idiot?" She had been about to finally enjoy a quiet meal, and this oaf had ruined it. Of course, she was angry.
A dangerous crimson aura began to shimmer around her. She was a fire mage, after all, and her temper was anything but gentle.
"What? You want to go?"
Liam was no pushover. His own aura flared to life, a current of raw energy pushing back against hers.
The low hum of the cafeteria erupted into excited murmurs. A few students even started shouting, eager for a fight.
This is bad.
Adrian’s heart hammered against his ribs. He couldn’t let them fight. The consequences would be severe, and this was, without a doubt, his fault.
Moving quickly, Adrian pushed Liam back a step and planted himself between his friend and the furious mage.
"Miss... as I said, it was my mistake. An accident. Please, forgive me," he said, offering a slight bow. He glanced down at her soaked dress and lowered his voice. "You should probably go change. Class is about to start, and... you don't want to go like this."
His eyes flicked to her chest, a subtle gesture toward the drenched fabric. As he did, he caught the distinct outline of a small stud piercing her nipple. He definitely shouldn't have seen that.
Isolde’s eyes widened as she followed his gaze and realized the state of her dress. She instinctively crossed her arms, a hot blush of shame creeping up her neck as she felt the weight of the cafeteria's stares.
"This isn't over."
She shot Adrian and Liam one last venomous glare before turning and fleeing the scene, her every step radiating a promise of future retribution.
"Adrian, you didn't have to apologize to her," Liam grumbled, clearly still spoiling for a fight.
"Just drop it, Liam. I already told you it was my mistake, didn't I?" Adrian was grateful for his friend's loyalty, but the guy was a hothead. A brawl in the cafeteria would have landed all of them in serious trouble.
"Elara... are you alright? I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." After calming Liam, Adrian rushed to Elara's side.
"I’m fine. She didn't push me that hard, but..." Elara gestured to the dark, damp patch on her pants with a slight frown.
"Let’s get you changed, then," Adrian said. "We need to hurry before class starts anyway."
He quickly guided Elara toward the restrooms as Liam muttered about the mess. His own clothes were sticky with soup, and he needed to change as well.
Once he and Elara separated, Adrian ducked into the men's restroom and stripped down to his underwear. The soup-soaked uniform was clinging to his skin uncomfortably. Luckily, like all awakened hunters, he had a Dimensional Inventory. A spare set of clothes was always on hand.
Elara will take a while. Might as well check out that reward. Better be worth all this trouble.
Once dressed in a fresh uniform, Adrian finally focused on the prompt that had been hovering in his vision.
[Do you want to accept the reward?]
"Yes."
[Congratulations!]
[You have received +10 Charm, +5 Free Stat Points, and a slight increase in your Manhood.]
As the reward registered, Adrian felt a brief, peculiar itch below his waist.
"What the...?"
His eyes widened. He could already feel a distinct difference in his pants. Disbelieving, he risked a peek inside his trousers and froze.
Damn… It’s finally a normal size.
Relief washed over him so intensely he could have cried. In that moment, he didn't care about any other reward.
Ding!
[By completing the mission Underwear, you have proven your potential to become a Debauched Conquest Master.]
[Congratulations! The Debauched Conquest System has been fully activated.]
[New feature unlocked: Conquest Archive.]
[You can now assign a Conquest Candidate to your archive and generate quests related to that character.]
[Current Conquest Candidate: Isolde Valerius]
[Name: Isolde Valerius]
[Class: Flame Mage (S)]
[Level: 20]
[Status: Side Heroine]
[Chastity: Intact]
[Current Emotion: Anger, Hatred, Hunger]
Hmm... Valerius? Wait a minute... is she the only daughter of Seraphina Valerius, the Archmage?
Adrian gulped as he read the status screen. An Archmage was a hunter who had surpassed Level 500. He remembered now—Seraphina wasn't just an S-class Flame Mage; she was the guild master of the world-famous Valerius Guild.
Did I just publicly humiliate her daughter in front of the entire cafeteria?
Am I going to die?
He grimaced, then shook his head, clearing the panicked thoughts.
No... I just need to apologize to her. Properly. Before this gets any worse.
"System, show me my status panel," he commanded, eager to assess his own capabilities.
Name: Adrian Kingswell
Class: Archer (B)
Level: 12 (120/1400)
Aethelgard Rank: B
- Attributes -
> Strength: 21
> Agility/Dexterity: 37
> Intelligence: 21
> Endurance: 23
> Charm: 21+10
Mana: 22
> Luck: 8
Free Stat Points: 5
- Skills -
> Passive: Eagle Eye [B]
> Active: Piercing Shot [A]
-Quest-
> None!
-Status-
> Side Character
Not bad, but... not enough.
As a student accepted into the prestigious Aethelgard Royal Academy, Adrian knew his stats weren’t terrible. But they were a long way from exceptional. In fact, among his peers, he was likely near the bottom of the ladder.
Where should I put these free stat points?
His eyes landed on the 5 unused points in the panel.
As an archer, Dexterity is the most important stat. More Strength and Endurance would be good, too. But...
"System, add all 5 points to my Luck stat," Adrian decided after a moment of thought.
Even though Arcadian Hearts was technically a dating sim, it was set in a perilous world of hunters and monsters. Dungeons manifested frequently, and chaos gates could erupt without warning. The core game mechanic was about getting closer to the love interests while navigating those dangers. Unexpected peril, unexpected encounters, unexpected romance—that was the game's theme.
If Adrian wanted to survive the brutal early stages of this new reality, he felt he needed more luck than raw power.
Maybe it'll get me some easier quests, too. Who knows?
With that thought, Adrian pushed open the restroom door.
"Elara, you're out."
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw her waiting near the women's restroom. She had changed into a fresh uniform, but she’d swapped her ruined pants for a skirt much like the one Isolde had been wearing. It showed off the full length of her elegant legs.
Tch… if you’d worn that from the beginning, maybe none of this would have happened.
Adrian pushed the thought away as he met her gaze. She was just staring at him, her calm, piercing blue eyes unreadable.
"Elara… I'm really sorry. You got dragged into this because of me." He offered an awkward smile, braced for her to be angry.
But her next words caught him completely off guard.
"Adrian," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "I saw you trip her on purpose. Why did you do that?"