Chapter 56: The Phantom Wedding

Soon it was the day of the betrothal ceremony.

Song Ze looked utterly haggard after a night of restless thinking.

It wasn’t that causing trouble was difficult—he could control the development of this phantom realm to some extent. The real challenge was how to die smoothly while shocking the Elder Prince enough to break the phantom.

After all, with someone as powerful and resourceful as the Elder Prince by his side, even dying was a monumental task. The process would be interrupted in an instant; it required skill and imagination.

And if he died in the wrong place or at the wrong time, the shock might not be intense enough. He could end up dying for nothing!

At that moment, Song Ze’s spirit of game-route analysis exploded.

Thinking back, Idis had it so easy because in that phantom’s setting, his strength hadn’t grown yet. Otherwise, how could a mere cannon fodder have killed Song Ze so easily?

Moreover, Idis later gained the ability to control the undead. If the phantom had started from that point, even death might not have solved the problem—it could have triggered some weird bad ending.

But this time, there was definitely no issue!

****

Then came the preparation process, identical to yesterday’s.

When Song Ze changed clothes and was led into the venue, the Oster family head didn’t suddenly appear this time…

After all, the previous events had proven that the family head and Miss Oster were useless. They were just extras, at best providing an assist. Song Ze hadn’t arranged for them to appear, so without any stimulating force, the family head naturally wouldn’t be crazy enough to crash the Elder Prince’s betrothal ceremony.

Just as the two were about to begin the ceremony, Duke George’s men burst in and immediately clashed with the guards.

But this time, they didn’t even have the magic-suppressing array. Without that trump card, they were quickly subdued.

The other guests looked at them as if they were idiots, wondering why they would seek death in such a miserable way.

The Elder Prince coldly glared at them. If not for the important occasion, he would have killed them countless times.

These people seemed weak and unworthy of attention. They weren’t even taken away; they were left to wait nearby while the betrothal ceremony continued.

It passed like an insignificant interlude, and Song Ze and the Elder Prince entered the magic array.

Surrounded by clergy murmuring ancient prayers, the Elder Prince took Song Ze’s hand under everyone’s gaze. Song Ze took a deep breath and nervously looked at him.

…Now, the timing should be about right.

The next instant, Song Ze’s face turned deathly pale, and a sudden pain surged through his body. He couldn’t stand steady and stumbled into the Elder Prince’s arms, blood uncontrollably streaming from his mouth.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden incident, and chaos erupted.

The Elder Prince’s expression changed. He held Song Ze close and quickly checked his body with his power, then froze in shock.

“…How is this possible…”

His voice filled with disbelief, the Elder Prince abruptly stood up with Song Ze in his arms and hurried out.

At that moment, Duke George, still restrained by the guards, laughed triumphantly. “Your Highness, you never expected this, did you? Even you have a day like this… That s*ave is beyond saving. The curse he carries comes from the Divine Ruins. Only a god can break it. He’s as good as dead! Even if you leave now, you won’t find anyone to save him!”

In truth, Song Ze had used his imagination yesterday while the Elder Prince was still happy about the betrothal and the phantom’s binding power was weaker… Since the Divine Ruins were so powerful, he might as well blame everything on them!

The main thing was not to die in front of the Elder Prince, so dying behind the scenes would do! Song Ze secretly manipulated things, turning the universal magic-suppressing array into a curse targeting only one person—preferably an incurable one. That would be simpler.

He couldn’t control the obvious details; as long as the goal was achieved.

It was also thanks to the demon realm’s propaganda that many people knew the Elder Prince truly loved him. Naturally, they used the curse on Song Ze without a second thought, braving death to come to the scene just to see him suffer.

And now, his…

Damn, this curse was really powerful. Song Ze felt his body weakening rapidly, on the verge of death. In this setting, he was definitely beyond saving!

The Elder Prince said nothing, only quickening his pace, his face icy cold. Only Song Ze, so close, could hear his suddenly racing heartbeat, revealing how unsettled he was.

Although it was cruel, Song Ze knew this was the perfect moment to further shock the Elder Prince. He reached out and grabbed the other’s ceremonial robe—because of his weakness, the gesture was barely a light touch.

But the Elder Prince suddenly stopped, his voice as if afraid to startle Song Ze. “What’s wrong?”

At that moment, he clearly felt how fragile the person in his arms was, as if he could die at any moment. It shouldn’t have been like this.

“Your… Your Highness… cough cough…” Song Ze barely uttered two words before blood gushed from his mouth. He panicked and covered his mouth, but more blood seeped through his fingers, a tragic sight. “Am… am I dying…”

The Elder Prince’s face darkened. In less than a breath, Duke George and his men twisted in agony, didn’t even scream, and turned to ashes, dissipating into the air.

The guards restraining them stepped back in shock, cold sweat pouring, feeling they had just brushed against death.

Now everyone understood the situation. Song Ze had been lucky enough to catch the attention of Miss Oster and the Elder Prince, on the verge of a good life. But now he was struck by this terrible curse, doomed to die. Their only choice was not to provoke the Elder Prince.

For a moment, no one in the room dared to make a sound or move, fearing they’d attract his wrath.

Of course, they also sympathized with Song Ze, calling him unfortunate and pitiful…

The Elder Prince ignored them, trying to speak calmly to Song Ze. “You won’t die. Nothing will happen. Don’t listen to them.”

Although the negative emotions in his heart made his murderous aura almost uncontrollable, Song Ze was still in his arms. He absolutely could not do anything else, not wanting to further frighten Song Ze.

At this moment, he only regretted not having been harsher earlier, giving these people a chance to harm Song Ze.

“Your Highness… I know… the situation…” Song Ze continued to twist the knife. “But it’s okay. Meeting you… has been my greatest fortune. Even if I die now, I’m not afraid… cough cough…”

The Elder Prince held him tighter, gritting his teeth. This feeling of powerlessness and agony made the world around him blur. It seemed he shouldn’t be here; there was something more important waiting for him—

At that moment, Song Ze used his last strength to wrap his arms around the Elder Prince’s neck, leaned in, gently kissed his cheek, and gave a weak smile.

“Goodbye…”

With a low voice, Song Ze’s vision went black, and his consciousness sank into darkness.

Just before his eyes fully closed, he saw the space around him twist and shatter.

****

[Congratulations, host, for once again cracking the phantom of the Divine Ruins.]

[You also obtained a BE ending and plenty of CG.]

“You don’t need to tell me the latter.”

Anyway, this time I should definitely get the inheritance of the Divine Ruins!

Song Ze felt he had said that once before.

But this time, there would be no surprises! Only the Elder Prince and Idis had been teleported in with him—no one else was possible.

[Although the host’s reasoning is sound…]

“But?”

Song Ze had a bad feeling.

[But for certain reasons, everything is not over yet.]

Song Ze: “???”

What’s going on! How much longer does this phantom have to torment him?!

****

When Song Ze opened his eyes again, he felt indignant. He wanted to see who the protagonist of this phantom could be! Could someone pop out of thin air?!

Then he realized he was seated in a carriage, leaning against someone beside him. From this angle, all he could see was the other’s flowing golden hair.

Song Ze had a terrible premonition. He stiffly looked up and met a pair of emerald eyes.

For an instant, Song Ze felt suffocated.

****

Outside.

In recent days, the changes in the ruins had intensified, with golden magic array patterns spreading over the surrounding land.

No one could decipher the magic array around the Divine Ruins. Out of fear of the unknown, even though nothing had happened yet, the nearby demon civilians evacuated.

Those in the know waited silently for the moment to come, the event that would change the world’s landscape.

The Old Demon King watched from above, his expression complex, not one of triumph.

But this was getting closer to his goal. He had waited too long for this magic array to complete. No one could stop it—and no one had the power to do so.

In a hidden spot near the Divine Ruins, the Holy Son emerged from a magic array.

As he stepped out and saw the black-haired youth before him, countless spatial cracks appeared around them, like the deadliest blades pressing against Andreya’s neck.

“Although I don’t know what you’re planning, you’d better not be lying.” The Holy Son coldly stared at the Second Prince of the demon realm. “Otherwise, death will be your only end.”

If not for Song Ze’s unresolved matter, the Holy Son would have sent this bastard to hell right now.

“Do I need to lie?” Andreya remained indifferent to the danger, smiling lightly like a harmless youth. He sighed softly. “If not for Brother Song Ze’s sake, how could I cooperate with such disgusting church people?”

If news spread that the Holy Son and the demon Second Prince were cooperating, no one would believe it. It was an absurd notion, yet here it was.

“Ridiculous.” The Holy Son sneered. “Enough nonsense. I only want to know how to save Song Ze.”

“Holy Son, you should already know some inside information about this ruin.” Andreya said. “All these ruins are not for selecting a successor, but for resurrecting that god… And that god is also the origin of the demon royal family. You know that very well.”

The powerful ancient god was actually the Demon King, the origin of the demon royal family, and his temple ruins were even a holy site for the church—a truth that upended everything. Few in the world knew it. If not for Song Ze’s trouble, Andreya wouldn’t have learned these things from the Old Demon King.

“Of course.” The Holy Son frowned, which was exactly what worried him. “You mean…”

As someone with a special identity, he knew exactly what these ruins were for. But even though he was part of the god’s reincarnation, he had no intention of reviving his original self.

Last time, his plan to pull Song Ze back with a teleportation array failed due to interference. Since then, he had been unable to sense Song Ze’s situation, only calculating that Song Ze was still in the ruins, and he couldn’t even enter his dreams.

Not knowing how Song Ze was, the Holy Son grew more restless. He vaguely felt something extremely urgent was happening, so he reluctantly agreed to cooperate with Andreya.

Now Andreya was steering the topic toward the ruins’ true purpose, and the Holy Son sensed trouble.

“There’s still one last ruin, still in the elf territory. Song Ze has only obtained three inheritances. It’s not time for the god’s resurrection.” The Holy Son’s face darkened.

“It should be.” Andreya’s voice turned grave. “But what if someone interferes, forcing the god’s resurrection in this ruin? And that person’s goal isn’t to resurrect the complete god, but only to obtain his power… In that case, anything could happen, right?”

“You mean—”

The Holy Son’s expression chilled. He immediately understood the situation. “I didn’t expect people from the demon realm to have such ambitions. You’ve truly broadened my horizons.”

“Now is not the time for sarcasm.” Andreya said. “If this resurrection magic array succeeds, Song Ze, as the sacrifice to revive the god, cannot survive. Even his soul will cease to exist in this world.”

“Since you brought me here, you must have a solution.” The Holy Son looked at him expressionlessly. “Tell me.”

“Of course.” Andreya said. “At least on this point, our goals align.”

He glanced faintly toward the ruins, his crimson eyes darkening.

The only hope was that Song Ze could hold on inside.

****

Song Ze felt he couldn’t hold on any longer!!

“Why is Aliel here?! Why?!”

[Obviously, because he worried about the host, so he came in.]

“Of course I know that! I know it too well…” Song Ze felt like crying. “I’d rather he left me alone!”

And now this had happened—a situation even more severe than the previous two. After all, Aliel was the first target Song Ze had encountered after transmigrating, the one on whom he had invested the second most emotion (first being the Holy Son), and they had even done some unholy things. Song Ze’s feelings were complicated.

And why didn’t Aliel feel like his power was bound like in the previous phantoms? It felt just like the outside world—all his strength was available. This…

Song Ze tentatively stared at Aliel. Aliel’s slightly arrogant face slowly turned red, until finally he seemed unable to bear it and looked at Song Ze. “Stop staring at me.”

“Aliel, I mean, what are we going to do now…” Song Ze ventured.

Aliel’s cheeks were already flushed, and even his ears were tinged pink. He tried to sound indifferent but obviously cared a lot, his tone laced with happiness and a hint of pride. “Of course, we’re going back to the elf territory to fulfill our marriage contract. Don’t you remember?”

Song Ze: “??” WTF?!

Why did Aliel come straight at him with something so stimulating—they were getting married! No wonder Aliel’s power wasn’t bound; his affection was already through the roof!

[After all, the phantom needs to make the people inside feel happy to keep them. The first two targets were complicated because they went through too much after meeting the host. So it’s better to start over from the beginning.]

Song Ze: “…” That made sense. So for Aliel…

[Because for Aliel, going back to the start and marrying the host directly is happier. The phantom probably understood this and didn’t choose a different time point.]

“Why do I feel a bit guilty toward Aliel?” Song Ze thought. “But having such high affection from the start saves a lot of trouble.”

He thought for a moment and looked at Aliel again, wanting to probe for more information. “Aliel, are we… going back just like that? Is everything okay with what happened before…”

“What’s wrong?” Aliel said. “The church people won’t come looking for trouble. Besides, they’re busy dealing with the Dark Forest. They can’t interfere with us.”

Song Ze wasn’t asking about the church. He wanted to know something more important, more terrifying. “And… the letter I left you…”

“That letter?” Aliel said. “It’s still with me.” His expression softened as he spoke, and he took Song Ze’s hand. “I’ll open it when the wedding takes place.”

Song Ze’s body stiffened. “Mm… mm.”

Why was that letter still here?!

He hadn’t expected the letter to persist even in the phantom. How terrifying!

But… maybe it wasn’t so bad. If Aliel read the letter, the intense shock might break the phantom.

But was that okay?!

Song Ze felt cold sweat on his forehead. Idis and the Elder Prince were one thing—he didn’t care what happened to them.

But Aliel… he really didn’t want to hurt him. Seeing Aliel so happy, the psychological burden was too heavy.

Forget it… he’d take it step by step. Maybe there was another way.

****

Soon, they reached their destination.

It was Song Ze’s first time seeing the Elf Capital. Before, his only impression was from the game.

The entire Elf Capital was built on a giant tree. When one was on the tree, it felt like being on a high mountain—an astonishing sight of this other world.

The elven technology, or rather alchemy, was quite advanced. The whole elf territory looked very avant-garde. Many ordinary tasks were performed by magical machines, attracting visitors from other races.

Of course, outsiders couldn’t enter the central area of the Elf Capital, let alone the forbidden zone at the top, which even elves could only access if they were royalty.

Song Ze was captivated by the scenery along the way, but when they reached the entrance to the central area, he felt the pressure.

The guards blocked them and watched warily. “Outsiders cannot enter.”

Aliel said nothing, but the mark on his forehead faintly glowed, and soon light surrounded him. When the light dissipated, the person standing before them was no longer the human holy knight academy’s top student Aliel, but the sole heir of the elf race.

Even Song Ze had rarely seen Aliel’s true appearance. Now, he was once again stunned by his beauty. Aliel’s face was truly beyond words.

The guards were dumbstruck before realizing who he was. They bowed. “Prince Aliel.” “We didn’t expect you to return so soon.”

Song Ze and Aliel became the focus of everyone around.

Ordinary elves nearby immediately bowed, while other races stood frozen, never expecting to witness such a spectacle just by passing by.

“Your Highness, who is this?” a guard asked respectfully.

“He is my fiancé, Song Ze.” Aliel declared openly, making Song Ze’s face instantly redden.

Even though it was just a phantom, it felt so real—how embarrassing!!

Song Ze didn’t know what Aliel had reported earlier, but after his declaration, all the elves looked at Song Ze with respect.

These elves showed no rejection at all—impressive. How had Aliel managed their thoughts?

Or was it because this was his phantom?

This doubt continued to trouble Song Ze even when they entered the palace.

The elven palace had a completely different style from the demon one. The latter was heavy and ornate, while the former felt light and bright.

Then, before them appeared the Elf Queen, stunningly beautiful and looking nothing like someone with a grown son. If Song Ze weren’t familiar with the plot and characters, he would have thought she was Aliel’s sister.

Although she was extremely beautiful, compared to Aliel, she was slightly inferior…

Song Ze realized he didn’t feel so regretful anymore. After all, while the elf princess was nice, Aliel was also good. They could be friends.

Yes, that was it—he just didn’t want to lose a friend… even though now it seemed he had to go gay.

“You must be Song Ze.” The Elf Queen looked at him very kindly, even stopping him from bowing. “There’s no need to be so formal. Don’t make such sudden movements.”

Song Ze: “??” He was just bowing—it wasn’t a big deal. The queen’s excessive kindness was more frightening!

Aliel immediately supported Song Ze. “Mother, don’t worry. Song Ze will be fine.”

“That’s good.” The queen sighed in relief. “After all, the future heir of our elf race cannot have any mishap.”

Song Ze: “??”

What… what was going on? The queen’s tone gave him an ominous feeling.

“Mother, it’s still far from the heir’s birth…” Aliel couldn’t help saying.

Song Ze, terrified, grabbed Aliel’s sleeve. “What’s going on?!”

The Elf Queen looked at Song Ze. “Oh, hasn’t Aliel told you yet?”

“Told me what?”

“I’ll explain myself.” Aliel turned to Song Ze. “You might not know, but the reproduction method of we elves is different from ordinary humans.”

Song Ze: “Mm, mm, I know that.”

He vaguely recalled something from the game, but he hadn’t delved deep. Given the current elf situation, it probably wasn’t as simple as reproducing via a sacred tree; otherwise, how could there be families?

“Although ordinary elves reproduce similarly to humans, high elves need the sacred tree to produce offspring.” Aliel’s face flushed again. “High elves like me can only have one partner in a lifetime. The moment of union establishes something like a contract. At the same time, the sacred tree senses this and combines our powers. After a certain time, our child is born.”

“But generally, it doesn’t succeed on the first try… However, our powers seem particularly compatible, so…”

Song Ze: “…”

Song Ze: “…”

Song Ze: “?????”

His brain froze halfway through Aliel’s explanation. What the hell was this? Such a mysterious childbirth technique?! So he and Aliel had only slept together once due to plot needs, and now they had a child?!

Was this really necessary?!

Song Ze felt dizzy. Although this was just a phantom, the information was real… That meant when he left this ruin, he would really have to face having a child with Aliel.

So this was why the elves had accepted him so quickly! According to this setting, Aliel probably couldn’t find another partner in his life.

Why did this happen? He was the victim of sleeping with Aliel! But now there was a child, and he had to take responsibility!

Aliel quickly supported the shocked Song Ze. “Our mental states affect the child’s growth, so you can’t be too stimulated.”

“I… I understand.”

The Elf Queen looked very pleased, gazing at Song Ze as if he were her own son.

Initially, she had been dissatisfied that Aliel chose a human. But who would have thought this human would quickly gain the recognition of the sacred tree—something many high elves couldn’t achieve. The sacred tree’s approval meant it loved this human, so the queen and others had no objections.

Yes, it was because of the sacred tree’s approval that they had agreed to the marriage. The mysterious male pregnancy was just a side effect.

But for Song Ze, it made no difference!!

****

That night.

Song Ze lay alone on the luxurious bed, inhaling the calming herbal scent, grateful that the elf wedding tradition required them to sleep separately before the ceremony.

Otherwise, staying with Aliel would make it impossible to think calmly!

“System, is all of this real?”

[Host, it is real.]

“How could this happen!” Song Ze was utterly stunned. “But I still have to go back to reality.”

[It’s okay, host. After clearing the game, you can freely travel between the two worlds.] The system casually revealed something it probably shouldn’t have.

“What? Such a good thing?” Song Ze shook his head. “No, now is not the time to care about that.”

The most important thing now was to quickly obtain the inheritance and leave this ruin.

Because of this development, Song Ze no longer cared about hurting Aliel’s feelings. Leaving was paramount. As for that letter… Aliel would have to face it sooner or later.

Song Ze finally made up his mind.

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