All the pieces of the puzzle had finally fallen into place.
Thud, thud, thud, thud—!
Surrounded by terrifying magical power, Marigold seemed poised to bring about the end of the world.
But Lancel was no longer afraid. He knew that he was the master of this dream. He understood that this was a nightmare phenomenon.
‘What unimplemented data was there among the knight’s techniques?’
Lancel pondered for a moment before drawing his sword.
A quiet smile crept across his lips.
‘For the first time, thank you, sis.’
Lancel saw the way forward.
“Sir Lancel.”
Lancel sheathed his sword, adopting a drawing stance as he fixed his gaze upon Marigold with unwavering eyes.
The dark orb hovering in Marigold’s palm slowly rose into the sky, drifting toward Lancel.
“This is the end.”
Lancel slowly drew his sword, facing the dark sphere that was lifting the very earth as it hurtled toward him.
With a deliberate, unhurried motion, he slashed through the air.
“Sorry, Mary. This skill is completely broken.”
Where his blade passed, all of space split in half.
Earth, gravel, light, air, the sky, magic, even Marigold herself—everything cleaved into two, the halves sliding apart with a soft hiss.
Lancel had used what was called “space charm,” a skill originally intended as a developer cheat, and an unimplemented data point that was nearly introduced as a limited reward for players who had achieved over 90% completion of the game.
From the moment he gained access to this skill, Lancel could defeat not only beings approaching godhood, but even the gods themselves if they stood before him.
No matter what it was, if it existed, he would cut it down. That was the purpose of the skill’s design.
Marigold’s eyes widened.
“…S-Sir… Lancel…?”
“It’s time to go back now, Mary.”
The world shattered into fragments.
Lancel awoke from a long dream.
30.
“…”
Lancel lay still, gazing at the full moon visible through the window. He stared at it for a long time, struggling to shake off the lingering sense of the dream.
Bandages were wrapped tightly around his entire body. With each breath, pain pulsed through various parts of him, making it clear he had suffered severe injuries.
He couldn’t recall how he had ended up in this state. His memory felt like a vast, empty void, with nothing coming to mind.
‘It must be a war or a rebellion, something like that.’
Suddenly, Lancel felt a heavy weight at his waist and glanced down. There, he saw a familiar face.
“Mary.”
Marigold was nestled against his side, her head pressed against his ribs, sleeping soundly.
A tiny sprout had sprouted from her head.
It was hard to imagine that this was the same terrifying being who had surpassed even the level of a great wizard and was on the verge of becoming a transcendent.
“You’re so weak.”
The magical power emanating from her body was barely between that of a Fourth Rank and Fifth Rank.
“Hey, with that kind of power, how are you ever going to become a great wizard?”
The transcendent being he had seen in his dream, a Twelfth Rank entity, had vanished like a midsummer mirage, leaving behind only the ordinary wizard Marigold.
Feeling inexplicably mischievous, Lancel pinched the sleeping girl’s nose shut. Her face flushed crimson before she gasped, “Phew!” and began breathing through her mouth.
“You little nightmare demon,” Lancel muttered.
============
[Playtime: 9 years, 364 days; 20 hours, 45 minutes]
—Caring for Lancel Dante is hard work, but I’m grateful that he is still alive. Yet, watching his health deteriorate daily reminds me that even this moment won’t last forever.
※Marigold wishes time would simply stop. Her fervent desire influences Lancel Dante’s dreams. Together, they experience moments they never want to wake from. Emotions, Magic Affinity, and Charm have gone up! Stamina and Condition have gone down.
============
‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen this.’
Lancel seemed almost pleased by the system notification, as if it were a reminder that he was still in the real world.
“Hey, Mary.”
He carefully plucked the sprout from her head.
“Mmm…”
Marigold blinked slowly awake, yawning widely.
“Haaah…”
It was definitely her—the same clumsy, sloppy, and foolish Marigold he knew.
“Umm… Sir Lancel?”
She drooled and sniffled before hastily wiping her mouth.
“Why aren’t you sleeping on a bed?”
“I just dozed off…”
“How long were you out?”
“Hmm, about an hour or two, I think.”
Still groggy, Marigold instinctively grabbed a nearby towel and began wiping down every inch of Lancel’s body.
Her movements were practiced, as if she had been doing this for a long time. Lancel realized from this alone that his time confined to the sickbed must have been quite extended.
After meticulously wiping away his sweat with a damp towel, she began to stretch languidly.
“Ugh… haaah…”
Her gaze was unfocused, as if she hadn’t fully woken up yet.
“…I think I was dreaming.”
“A nightmare?”
“No, not a nightmare, but…”
“Then what kind of dream was it?”
“What kind of dream was it…?”
Marigold pondered for a moment, then furrowed her brow.
“Hmm, what kind of dream was it…?”
Lancel quietly brushed aside her disheveled hair. He belatedly realized his mistake and withdrew his hand. The habit from their married life in the dream had unconsciously resurfaced.
“Heh heh heh.”
The 24-year-old Marigold giggled mindlessly.
‘Is this the final moment of this playthrough?’
Her wish for this moment to last forever would soon be shattered.
Only a few hours remained until the playtime reached the ten-year mark.
“Ah.”
Marigold’s mouth opened.
“Sir Lancel was there, and I was there… We were holding hands… and getting married?”
“Who said anything about marriage?”
“And sleeping in the same bed.”
“……”
A faint smile spread across Lancel’s face.
“It was a really good dream… I think.”
“Then I’m glad.”
Lancel replied, ruffling her hair roughly once more.
Looking back, it was truly an insignificant iteration—nothing more than a slightly prolonged dream.
Yes.
An insignificant iteration.
“It’s almost time for dinner. Is there anything you’d like to eat?”
“……”
Without hesitation, Lancel recalled his answer. If he could choose one last meal in this world, it had already been decided.
“A sandwich.”
Hearing his reply, Marigold smiled.
“You really do love those.”
And so, ten years passed.
.
.
.
[Playtime: 10 years, 0 days]
— Marigold turned 25.
— No marriage partner.
— Several achievements.
▶ Seventh Rank Wizard: +300 points
▷ Academy Valedictorian: +50 points
▶ Bloodline Awakening (High Elf): +200 points
▷ World Tree Seed: +50 points
— Total Score: 650 points
— Points remaining until the next “Succession of Memories” is unlocked: 1250/1500
[Extra Ending 3: World Tree Marigold]
— This ending was added to the “Album of Memories.”
— Album opening.
.
.
.
The great wizard Marigold was buried beside the land to which she had long been bound.
After eleven years spent in solitude, she finally found rest.
Ten years.
A hundred years.
A thousand years.
Upon this land, where countless empires had risen and fallen countless times, Marigold’s seed finally sprouted.
When its vigorous stem reached the very top of the sky, people once again faced the master of this land.
Great Earth Goddess.
World Tree Marigold.
May you endure forever.
[Extra Ending 3: World Tree Marigold – FIN.]
—Would you like to restart the game?
.
.
.
“Are you not even human anymore, Marigold…?”
An extra ending, practically a hidden easter egg within the game? Could things really go this far?
Lancel couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment. How could he not be dumbfounded, having stumbled upon something even rarer than the regular ending?
To be honest, Lancel had never even seen this extra ending in the game itself. Naturally, he hadn’t anticipated anything like this.
He’d had a feeling from the start that this playthrough was off. But to think that it would end like this…
Staring blankly at the ending screen, Lancel’s eyes suddenly widened again. The reason was the screen that immediately followed.
=============
—Congratulations! The game guide for “Fallen Noblewoman Simulation” has been successfully installed. From now on, whenever you discover an achievable achievement or ending, the “Player” will receive a notification!
=============
“Holy shit.”
Lancel shot to his feet.
Around him, family members celebrating Lancel Dante’s eighteenth birthday stared at him with bewildered expressions.
‘A game guide here?’
An ominous presence had materialized before him.
‘This is… a mod program, isn’t it?’
His sister’s Fallen Noblewoman Simulation was notoriously difficult, and this program was one of the many mods circulating among players.
Yes, in short, it was a mod—a guide program designed to make endings and achievements easier to obtain.
It wasn’t quite a cheat, but it was undoubtedly a convenient tool to have.
Of course, he couldn’t be certain until he saw it in action.
“No, no. This life is about clearing my head. A quiet vacation in the archipelago…”
Lancel quickly tried to erase the thought from his mind.
‘This playthrough is a vacation. This playthrough is a vacation.’
Lancel had already decided this back when he was wrapping up his previous playthrough.
His heart was already set on the archipelago.
Yes, even right now.
“No one can stop me from taking my vacation.”
Lancel shook off his complicated thoughts and finished preparing for his journey. He was heading toward the fantastical archipelago.
.
.
.
Boom!
The ship Lancel was on was sinkin into the raging storm.
“Hey, are you awake?”
Slap.
Slap.
When he opened his eyes, a familiar face was rhythmically slapping his cheek.
“……”
“Are you even alive?”
Slap.
“That hurts.”
“Oh, you’re alive!”
At this point, it had to be fate.
Lancel stared at the emblem on her shoulder.
‘Imperial Maritime Guard. The navy…?’
[End of Wizard Marigold]
[Next – Navy Marigold]
Probably my favourite route but why didn’t it say she got married in this one?
@scrub09 I don’t believe Mary and Lancel were actually officially married in this iteration. If you’ll recall in chapter 62, the professor explains the nightmare phenomena, which we find out is what’s been happening to Lancel leading up to his showdown with wizard Marigold (although it is kinda tricky figuring out exactly which moments were part of the illusion and which were real).
Fav yet
i still like merchant mary
Merchant Mary and Mage Mary are goated. Office Admin is great too
All the shit you would have to do to get those points but bounce the wee wee once in a life get you 1000 points is bat shit broken. Just put that in the strat book