AN:
1) Presumably, if you are reading this, you already have an interest in this fandom. As such, I'm writing this with the assumption that you have read most of the available content. There will be spoilers obviously (Vol 1-9 and the Marie Routes), so go read the official stuff if you don't want to be spoiled.
2) As the title indicates, this is a Marie-less Route what-if. Would this make it a what-if to the Marie Route what-if story or the regular story?
Walking through the main gate of the academy, I was met with a horrific sight. The prince and his entourage were standing firmly with angry looks strewn across their faces. The crown prince stepped forward and threw his glove at me.
"Bartfort! We challenge you to an honor duel for Olivia's hand!"
How could Livia unlock the NTR route, and why me?
It's been one month since I entered this school. By this point in the game, Olivia should have made contact with all five of her potential love interests and established some sort of relationship with at least one. Out of concern, I decided to sit in the courtyard to observe who she had chosen.
Looking from afar, I could see the protagonist surrounded by the five love interests of the game. I guess Olivia is going for the harem route. I always knew that she was a sly girl.
Sucks for all of the women that will be jilted by the crown prince and his entourage. I wonder if I should consider pursuing any of them. They'll certainly be in need of a consoling shoulder to lean on. Probably not the wisest thing to do since that would very likely put me on a collision course with the main cast. I did not want to get involved with the fallout that would ensue.
Although... I felt uncomfortable with the idea that I would have to leave my fate in someone else's hands. Plus, who knows what my existence in the world may have affected what with the butterfly effect and all. An upcoming adventurer baron would have definitely caused a ripple in the game's progression, and I already took away one of the most effective tools from Olivia (even if paid DLC wasn't necessarily required to beat the game).
She was also clearly in an open relationship, something that I have never seen to have succeeded in my past life. While the logic is different for the game, I was decidedly uneasy about the idea of trusting this shitty game.
It might be wise to keep an eye on them just in case something attempts to derail them from the scenario.
"Luxion, I need you to observe the protagonist, the prince and his entourage, and their current fiancees."
"Impressive, Master. I had not figured that you were a potential voyeur, but you have somehow defied my expectations"
"Stuff it, Luxion. I have more pressing concerns."
"Such as?"
"... I don't trust the main players to somehow not screw this up."
"You mean you do not trust your shoddy memory of the game."
This AI really loved trying to get under my skin. Repressing a retort, I stated, "The game was made to cater to young girls' imaginations of romance. It's hopelessly unrealistic. The only reliable information I have is who plays what role and that we need the Saintess to avert a catastrophe. I believe it would be wiser to play a hand in the background to ensure that our protagonist will be capable enough to defeat the Principality."
"That is understandable, Master. I'll have a stealth drone follow all of the individuals."
Luxion soon cloaked itself as the conversation had ended. Looking at the group again, I couldn't help but feel that the image was off. Maybe Luxion's observations will put me at ease
Luxion's initial reports for the first week were incredibly disheartening, to say the least. The protagonist was growing at an insufficient pace. In fact, she might actually still have her base stats.
"Those self-centered nobles," I grumbled.
Apparently, the prince and his entourage were so used to being waited on hand and foot that they had been begging Olivia to hang out with them each individually. As a result, the protagonist has had zero time to study or train. It didn't help that in addition to the boys eating up all her time, the other girls in the advanced course have made it their mission to bully her.
"This is such a sad situation that I almost pity the girl. She really shouldn't have tried to pursue all five of the boys," I groaned out as I contemplated how to help her develop without interfering too much.
"If I may interject, Master. My observations indicate that Olivia is unable to refuse the boys' advances."
"Excuse me," I said with a dead look.
"I believe that Olivia has been accepting the invitations because she fears the repercussions of dismissing the crown prince or any of his noble entourage. The added psychological damage from the bullying has likely ingrained an instinctual fear of the nobility into her."
"Of fucking course. That's just the fucking cherry on top of this shit sundae," I groaned.
"What do you plan to do, Master?"
"I'm not sure."
"You do not intend to separate Olivia from the boys?"
"That is out of the question. She needs to be with at least one of them for us to achieve a happy ending and based on those idiots' behavior, it may already be too late to divert from the harem path without triggering a bad ending."
"Sacrificing the one for the many. Your ruthlessly pragmatic approach to the situation is most impressive, Master."
"You trying to say something?"
"Only that in light of the unreliable information you have, you are making the correct choice."
"That does not feel like a compliment."
"But it is, Master. I, as a heartless AI, am in agreement with your approach."
The smug pride I could feel oozing from him made my stomach churn. Not wanting to continue that line of discussion, I tried to redirect the conversation to finding solutions to the issue.
"In any case, Luxion. Breaking up the group is not an option. We need to find a way to improve the situation."
"Let us recontextualize the situation, Master. If I am correct, the main issue is that Olivia is not improving at a rapid enough rate for your liking. What did the protagonist of the otome game do to improve her stats?"
"What did she do? Well, I recall that the most efficient method would be to have her study with one of her love interests and the corresponding stat would grow."
"While that may have been the most efficient way to improve her stats in the game, it has been proven ineffective in reality. Surely there must have been other ways coded into the game that could be utilized."
"Ah, I see what you mean. It's the usual set of things expected: study on her own, do part-time jobs, go into the dungeon, practice magic, etc. But she doesn't have the time with the boys clamoring for her attention. Even if she had the time, the other noble brats will probably get in her way given how they have been bullying her."
"Would it then be accurate to say that the main issues are clearing time for her to develop and ensuring that she does not come under harm during those times, Master?"
"I suppose that would be accurate."
"Then let us address each issue individually. What is causing the issue regarding her time?"
"The boys take up all her time, and Olivia can't say no due to her fear of repercussions caused by the bullying."
"From that, we have two options: break the group up, or give her a suitable reason to say no to the invitations. From the Master's previously stated preferences, I believe the most suitable path would be to aid Olivia by giving her a suitable means to reject the boys' invitation. Perhaps something such as an obligation to a third party?"
"Except the only third party that could have enough sway would have to at least be a noble, and given her newfound fear... Never mind that, even if we managed to find a suitable third party, she still needs to develop her stats properly. We can't be sure that... I'm going to have to be the third party, aren't I?"
"It would complete all objectives. Olivia would acquire time, protection, and proper guidance."
"Is there no other option?"
"From my calculations with the given restrictions set, you are likely the only known feasible solution. If we expanded the limits of acceptable deviation from the scenario, you might be able to find other candidates. Even then, you still produce the highest probability of success."
"... Fine, but now the problem is that we're going to have to find a non-intrusive way to separate her long enough from the boys to convince her to study under another noble, which she has grown afraid of."
"We could just use my original idea of blowing up the Principality. That would solve all the issues without involving the Saintess at all, though I suppose you would also need to eliminate all the new humans that would be targeting you afterward."
"I'm going to brew myself a coffee. We are not going through with the genocide route."
"I would much prefer the genocide route, but I suppose I will just have to be satisfied watching you struggle."