Barghest's meeting with Fairy Tristan was scheduled for tomorrow. In the meantime, Jiang You had been playing the role of her lover, doing many things befitting that status. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that their roles were reversed; it felt like he was the one being a stay-at-home husband.
He had managed to grind some Affection this way, but the progress was excruciatingly slow. So slow, in fact, that he had only obtained three minor Cards so far—not even Barghest's base Card.
Previously, whenever Jiang You farmed Affection, he would always get the character's base Card right at the start, leading him to believe it was the most basic reward. Now, it seemed this method of grinding Affection was just too inefficient. If he had known, he never would have agreed to Morgan's plan.
Jiang You knew what Barghest liked, but he didn't meet the criteria. At this stage, Barghest was still the type to fall in love based purely on "performance" (physical prowess). Given Jiang You's current condition, he would instantly be labeled as "weak."
He decided to find an opportunity to settle things with a Duel instead. He was done with this dating sim nonsense. If all else failed, he could always resort to a Shadow Game to get a few Cards.
Just as Jiang You was pondering how to confess to Barghest, she pushed open his door.
Barghest reeked of blood. A village had been afflicted by Mors' Curse that day, and as one of the Fang Clan's leaders, she naturally had to fulfill her duties. As she put it: "The strong devour the weak, and the weak must obey the strong. But in return, the strong must nourish and protect the weak."
"Jiang You, let me hold you for a moment."
Barghest's nature was remarkably straightforward. She never concealed her affections; if she liked something, she simply liked it. Before Jiang You could respond, she had already pulled him into a tight embrace, greedily inhaling his scent. The Fang Clan shared canine-like customs, with companions even licking each other's necks.
Jiang You nearly suffocated. He certainly didn't want his first death to be this way. He struggled free of Barghest's embrace, no longer wanting to interact with Gawain through such methods—awkward, troublesome, and above all, this blasted System was far too noisy. If you're going to ban this behavior, fix the underlying code already! "Lord Gawain, there's something I need to confess to you."
Fairy Gawain was different from Fairy Tristan. Directly calling her by her birth name might break the restrictions imposed by her bestowed name, so Jiang You simply addressed her by Barghest's granted name.
"A confession..."
Fairy Gawain's expression gradually returned to calm, the previous infatuation fading completely.
"...You're trying to tell me you're not the person I remember, aren't you?"
Jiang You froze, startled. What's going on here? Morgan swore her Suggestion Magic was far superior to Oberon's! Barghest's Oberon-influenced memories weren't undone until the very end of the story. How could Morgan's spell be broken in less than three days? "You knew all along?"
Barghest shook her head. "I didn't consciously realize it, but my body's instincts kept telling me something was off... It was only when you said it yourself that I became certain. That child... she was clearly a weakling. Why would I ever do something like that...?"
Jiang You never expected to be tricked into revealing so much by Barghest. Despite her muscular, gorilla-like appearance—similar to Gawain's—she was actually a true aristocrat, possessing impeccable manners and profound knowledge.
There were, indeed, differences between illusions and living beings. For Barghest, the illusion—eternally replaying their final night together—felt more real than Jiang You, the constantly moving, breathing man standing before her.
"Then why... why are you still cooperating with me in all this?"
Now it was Jiang You's turn to be puzzled. He was the one hypnotizing her, after all.
"Because the unease began when Your Majesty Morgan summoned me. As a lover, you were truly faultless. Though our time was brief, I felt genuinely fulfilled. Her Majesty Morgan sought to stabilize my spirit, didn't she?"
Morgan's Suggestion Magic was still in effect; otherwise, Barghest would have already erupted in fury.
Barghest had misinterpreted Jiang You's motives, but at this point, he wasn't about to shatter her assumptions.
Barghest had confirmed that the boy from her memories had followed in the footsteps of her other lovers, but lingering emotions still clung to Jiang You, clouding her memories. "Besides, your eyes show no fear of me. Every one of my previous lovers knew my true nature... and from our physical contact these past two days, I've sensed that you possess considerable power, right?"
Barghest abruptly drew her Demon Sword. "But deception is deception, and once exposed, it cannot be ignored! Let's settle this with battle. I'm feeling rather hungry now, and I've indeed begun to grow fond of you. But make sure you entertain me thoroughly!"
"Battle?" Jiang You had achieved his goal, though the process had been rather bizarre.
"If we're talking about power, I'm certainly stronger than you. But my combat style isn't what you might expect."
"Any method is justified as long as it leads to victory." Barghest never hesitated on such matters. "The strong dictate the rules!"
"Then that's settled."
Barghest's straightforward personality was incredibly endearing. Jiang You felt like he was the one being charmed. He directly grabbed the burning Demon Sword forged from Barghest's own Demon Horns, successfully initiating the attack.
"Then let's settle this with a Duel!"
The Duel Space unfolded, its rules snapping into place.
"Is this... magic?" Barghest asked.
Her understanding of magic was limited, so she could only interpret it based on her existing knowledge. "You're a Magus? With such power, you're still willing to do her Majesty Morgan's bidding?"
"No," Jiang You shook his head. Barghest's direct approach meant he saw no need for roundabout tactics.
"Actually, I was the one who asked Morgan for this favor. I rather like you, you know. I'm sorry for using this method."
"Is this... a declaration of love?" Barghest suddenly seemed flustered. "You... are you serious? Things like this should follow proper steps, not this reckless approach. But if you can win this duel, the victor naturally holds the right to decide everything! If you lose, though..."
Barghest wanted to say, "I'll kill you," but couldn't bring herself to say it. She had always been a fairy deeply afraid of loneliness and prone to falling in love at first sight. Jiang You had filled the recent void in her life.
"I won't lose," Jiang You declared.
Jiang You glanced at his duel mail. His Affection rating seemed to be correcting itself. Since Barghest had acknowledged this method, he would respond with his strongest Deck.