Haruto finally gives in and agrees to go for a walk with Lilith, though he sets one strict condition: they must stay away from the backyard garden near the workshops. Lilith accepts with a warm, gentle smile, and as they step outside, Haruto finds himself truly looking at her for the first time.
Under the soft afternoon sun, her face appears breathtakingly beautiful—every feature seems perfect. For a moment, he gets the distinct vibe of a "Main Heroine" from a game, the kind of character who exists solely to support the protagonist. Given her usual personality, Haruto braces himself for an annoying comment or another demand, but Lilith remains uncharacteristically calm.
They walk in silence for three or four minutes, the air between them still and peaceful. Finally, Lilith spots a garden bench and breaks the silence.
"Let's sit there and talk," she says softly.
Haruto and Lilith sat down on the garden bench, and for a moment, the world seemed to slow down. Haruto found himself staring at her, unable to pull his eyes away. It was as if the more he looked at her, the more her beauty intensified—a phenomenon he couldn't quite explain.
Lilith sat there, bathed in the soft glow of the afternoon sun, looking so innocent and perfect. sh the reincarnation of the Goddess of Beauty herself. The fact that this girl was insisting on being his wife felt like a glitch in the reality he knew. Haruto continued to gaze at her, mesmerized, taking in every detail of her face as if he were memorizing a masterpiece.
The silence on the bench stretched for another moment before Haruto finally broke it, his voice cutting through the peaceful air.
"So, what happened? Why did you call me out here?"
Lilith turned her head, her eyes locking onto his. "Just to talk," she replied simply.
Haruto let out a short, skeptical breath. "About what?"
"Tell me about yourself," Lilith said, her voice soft but persistent.
"You said earlier that you don't really know me, so ask me something. This is your chance to find out who I am."
Haruto looked back at the horizon, then at the girl sitting next to him. He had a million questions about the "ten wives" rule, the "dark secret" she told Aeterna, and why she was so intent on him being the King.
Haruto looked at her seriously and didn't hold back.
"Ever since you met me, you've put me on this pedestal for some reason. You keep telling me to beat Kallen, but he's the one supposed to be your future husband, not me."
Lilith leaned back slightly, her expression unreadable. "Go on," she prompted. "What else?"
"Why do you even want me as a husband?" Haruto pressed. "And how does the King even know about me?"
Lilith took a slow breath, looking out at the garden.
"Alright, let's start from the beginning. First, the reason I don't like Kallen is that he doesn't love me—he's just in love with my beauty. Ever since the world found out I am the reincarnation of the Goddess of Beauty, everyone has been chasing me. They all want me, but not for who I am, just for how I look. Kallen is exactly like the rest of them."
She turned her gaze back to him, her eyes softening.
"As for the marriage... Every woman wants a powerful husband. At first, I didn't necessarily choose you; I just said I'd marry whoever won the duel. But when you rejected the offer so bluntly, I realized something important: you aren't chasing after my beauty like everyone else. That's when I knew you were the right one."
Lilith looked at the horizon and continued,
"As for the King—my dad—he knows about you because his rule is simple. He wants to hand the throne to someone truly powerful. If you defeat Kallen, it proves you are the stronger candidate, not him."
Haruto stared at her, surprised. The girl who was usually playful and constantly teasing him was now acting like a deeply mature woman.
"I have another question," Haruto said.
"I hear people talking about reaching Level 60, but most people around 20 years old that I've seen are still below Level 10."
Lilith smiled.
"Don't you know? It's because no one has their license yet. Everyone's level stays low until they graduate from the academy and get licensed to enter the Layers. The atmosphere in the Layers is completely different; it forces your level to rise rapidly based on your goal and determination."
Haruto suddenly remembered the Goddesses telling him something very similar. The thought made him even more impatient to enter the Layers as soon as possible.
"Anything else?" Lilith asked.
"I have a thousand more questions, but this is enough for now," Haruto replied.
Lilith looked at him softly.
"That's fair. But... you aren't angry with me anymore, right? You aren't upset?"
Haruto looked at her and shook his head slightly.
"Why would I be angry? I wasn't before, and I'm not now."
Lilith's expression turned more serious.
"Good, because I want to tell you something that can only be understood by a man who is truly calm."
"Go ahead, I'm listening," Haruto replied.
Lilith smiled, looking out at the horizon.
"You know, I often wonder why we are even born as humans. What is our purpose? This universe is so vast that we aren't even equal to a speck of dust within it. Whether I exist or not, it wouldn't make a difference to something so massive. So, why do we even exist?"
Haruto was caught off guard. He realized the girl's words carried a deep, philosophical weight that mirrored his own thoughts about life being a game. Suddenly, a light breeze began to blow, causing Lilith's hair to dance in the air. In the soft evening light, she looked even more stunning than before.
"Why...?" Haruto asked softly, finding her beauty almost overwhelming at that moment.
Lilith blushed as she looked back at him, the wind still tugging at her hair.
"Is that a good question? Let me tell you why: we exist to feel. If we look at the universe as a masterpiece, it is beautiful—but a masterpiece only truly becomes one when there is someone there to admire it. We are born into this universe to enjoy it, to admire its beauty, and to do something new every single day."
Haruto sat in stunned silence, realizing just how closely their thoughts aligned. While he viewed life as a game to be played to escape boredom, Lilith viewed it as a masterpiece to be admired and enjoyed every day. Her perspective was a mirror to his own "glitch" philosophy, where he fought to delete corrupt files to keep the game interesting.
Lilith turned her gaze back to him, her eyes soft in the fading light.
"Do you know what I admire most in this world?" she asked.
Haruto looked into her eyes and quickly interjected,
"Please don't say my name. I'm not that good-looking."
Lilith let out a light laugh and looked at his face.
"Why would anyone fall for your face? I love you for your Black Hood."
Haruto's heart sank for a moment. This revelation dropped Lilith from a potential lover to something else in his mind—she, like the others, was focused on his power and his identity as the Star-Child.
"You have the Black HUD and the title of Star-Child," Lilith continued, sensing his shift in mood.
"But do you know what I have?"
Haruto remained silent, watching her. Lilith stood up from the bench, the wind catching her hair. She pressed her hand against her chest, and with a sudden surge of mana, she manifested her own HUD. Haruto's eyes widened in shock. Lilith's interface wasn't the standard blue; it was a vibrant, shimmering pink.
Floating clearly in the air for Haruto to see was her title: Goddess's Child.
Aside from her title, the rest of Lilith's stats remained invisible, likely hidden behind a privacy filter. Lilith looked at Haruto and said,
"Your mana is a unique color, just like your HUD. My mana also matches the color of my HUD. We even have almost the same title".
Haruto realized his mistake. She wasn't just another person chasing his power; she was a potential lover who valued their matching nature. He looked at the shimmering pink display and asked,
"That's cool, but is a different color HUD really that special?"
"It means our aura is completely unique compared to normal humans,"
Lilith explained. She raised her hand, and a brilliant pink aura began to radiate from her palm—a color so rare and vibrant that Haruto had never seen anything like it before.
Haruto remained calm, not showing too much outward reaction to the pink aura, but his mind was racing. He thought to himself that his philosophy was right all along: there are entirely new auras to unlock in this world that his school had never even mentioned. It was another case where the "school system" was a "corrupt file" that provided incomplete information.
"I think we've talked enough, and we've seen enough power displays for one afternoon," Haruto said, standing up.
(Haruto's inner thought): "I should go back inside. Toya's blade should be ready any minute now."
Haruto started walking toward the mansion, but Lilith stayed seated.
"Wait, Haruto! I still have more to tell you," she called out.
"Later," Haruto replied without looking back.
"Wait! I'm serious," Lilith insisted, her voice gaining a sharp edge of mystery.
"I know a secret about you. A real one."
Haruto kept walking, giving a dismissive wave. "Haha, sure. Tell me later."
He continued to put distance between them, but Lilith's next words hit him like a physical blow, freezing him in his tracks.
"You're from Earth, aren't you?"