Title: Going Off Script

Summary: Results are unpredictable.

I stared at the angry face of the villainess once more. I shuddered in joy as my efforts were finally being rewarded. This was the condemnation event which would forever bind the five to me.

"Don't cry, my love. You have nothing to fear. I'll step up as your representative," Julius said gently as he caressed my face thinking my silence stemmed from fear.

"Your Highness!" the villainess tried to interject before she was interrupted by the rest.

Soon the room began to fill with whispers and gleeful barbs as everyone witnessed the fall from grace.

Julius, wanting to push Angelica into a corner, asked Angelica, "Are you prepared, Angelica?"

Angelica, after a moment of despair seeing her fiancée toss her aside, began frantically looking into the crowd. The fact that she was facing the five founding families was not lost on her. Stupid child. It really should have been obvious considering she had just publicly outed our polyamory.

"I'll represent her," an average looking guy sounded arrogantly as he stepped from the darkened masses. I resisted clicking my teeth as someone tried to derail the plot. Or perhaps this was a safety mechanism in the game. Clear it too early and allow a weaker champion show up.

Wait... wasn't that the mob character the original protagonist was hanging around with on the day of the dungeon dive?

...

"No!!!" I howled.

"What?" everyone asked startled from my sudden outburst.

"Anyone! Anyone but him!" I screamed as the impetus of my doom appeared. The power or plot armor ensured he was going to be broken. Why was the protagonist's chosen route trying to start beef with me?!

"What did you do with our sweet Marie," one of the five said.

"Nothing! I swear this is the first time I even met the girl!"

"Then why... Oh, I see how it is. Confess your involvement with her bullying, and we'll let you walk away," Jilk said slyly in order to convince the boy to step down with minimal fuss.

"I did nothing of the sort!"

"You need not fear of repercussions. We'll even protect you from the Redgrave's wrath. I'm sure she must have coerced you to commit such a heinous crime."

"I've already told you, I did no such thing," both the villainess and mob yelled in indignation with the same exasperated movements. They both turned to each other as they realized they had spoken the same words simultaneously.

"Then are you volunteering for some boon? Perhaps a favor? Ah yes, I do recall you being particularly close to a commoner. Perhaps Angelica promised to find you a loophole to marry the girl?" Brad postulated.

"Fweh?!"

The protagonist cried out in surprise like a chocobo. She turned red from excitement.

"Wait... there's a loophole to get married to commoners?" the boy asked in surprise with shoulders slumped.

"Why yes, of course. A necessity in order to avoid the risk of inbreeding, but it is not commonly utilized due to the lack of networking, training, and exchange of Dia marrying a commoner would present. Of course there are other circumstances in which marriage with a commoner has been accepted, but I digress."

It was at this that several of the lower noblemen cheered as their pool of available women just opened up significantly.

The protagonist just stared at Leon in awe as the option of them hooking up just became a reality. No doubt, she was entertaining ideas of some noble knight fighting the monarchy itself for her hand.

Which was all the more reason I feared this man. Aside from looks, he had all the characteristics pointing to being a protagonist.

"Well? If you were to step down, I can use the Fields name to expedite the process for you. The five of us would help you in acquiring true love."

"... No. I don't have any woman I'm currently interested in... except maybe one of the guild receptionists, but thanks for the heads up," the boy said pretty bluntly.

The protagonist collapsed on her knees in despair as she realized she had no shot.

"... Oh are you talking about Luna?" Greg asked excitedly.

Who? I gave Greg a death stare which he did not see. The other boys, however noticed, and stepped away from Greg. How dare this man look at another woman.

"Blonde, ties her hair up in a fancy bun, wears that pencil skirt that is scandalous but isn't because of the..." Leon started.

"Goddamn desk!" both exclaimed angrily before saying, "Eh," to each other. One was chill while the other was confused.

Greg was going to get an earful later.

Olivia seemed to be bothering some of the boys trying to figure out who Luna was. She didn't have much success as several seemed to be starting to choke each other for the right of proposing to the guild girl.

"Wait... We are not having a moment," the boy spat angrily after realizing he was in sync with Greg.

No. No. Please be having a moment. Anything to prevent this duel from happening.

"Aw c'mon. Every guy who joined the guild has popped one for her. No shame in that," Greg said as I mentally debated castrating him.

"Ugh... can we just... can we just discuss the terms of the duel?"

"Now hold on, we simply want to know why you are willing to act as Angelica's representative," Julius said.

"To convince me to step down? Sorry to break it to you, but I ain't going to walk away."

"Oh, that's a shame. But truly, we want to know why. After all, you will be going against the five founding families. There is literally no reason I or anyone else can think of as to why you would do something so stupid."

"Because I hate you five, and how you're all pedophiles!"

...

Was he referring to me?

...

Excuse fucking me! I'll kill the bastard.

"You take that back! Marie is clearly an adult! How else would you explain her being here?" the five angrily yelled back.

Leon walked over to the villainess. He then thrusted her forward physically before waving his hands over her to accentuate her figure and features.

"Are you for real?! Look at these curves! The large breasts! The narrow waist! An ass that you could bounce a Dia off of! The sharp eyes! The healthy blush!"

Leon would go on for quite some time detailing how sexy Angelica was. Looking over at Olivia, I saw she was having a conniption over not having the same features as Angelica.

Looking at the villainess, I saw her initially look infuriated for being displayed as though she were a piece of meat. Well, she was pissed, but she seemed to have gotten over it at some point. She accepted that this was happening and was trying to accept the demeaning boy's appraisal as his retarded way praising her. In all truth, it was somewhat awe inspiring and flattering how the boy went on for so long just praising her physical beauty.

The fact that none of his statements referred to her personality was telling though.

Boy would definitely had been one of those virgins who sat behind a screen all day if he was born in my previous life.

Returning my attention back to Leon, I heard him say, "... and you traded all this in for her! She's as flat as a board! Her cheeks are as chubby as a child! Her clothes don't even fit her or cling to her body! They are literally oversized! The school never even considered her size! You all are all trying to gangbang a child!"

Having heard enough, I tried to launch myself at him and began to try to pound his face in. Of course, my boys held me in place and prevented me from enacting my righteous justice.

"Shows what you know about feminine charm. Don't you realize the epitome of female beauty is youth?" one of my idiots stated. My neck creaked as I tried to figure out which one did it.

"... You're not beating the allegations of being a pedophile when you are highlighting her youth as her point of attraction."

"But am I wrong?"

Oh, it was Chris who said that. The moron must have taken too many hits to the head as a child. Maybe another would set his brain back in place.

"There is such a thing as too youthful!"

"Is it true, Julius?! Is the reason you hate me because of my body?! It all makes sense now! Ever since we've hit puberty, you've been treating me so much more harshly! It's because I grew out of being your ideal woman! I'm sorry, Julius! I should've known better! You are your father's son! Please forgive me!" Angelica hysterically screamed.

That was an odd response. Was it because the events were simply becoming too hysterical or was all this interference causing a glitch.

Also, Julius's father was a child diddler?

"Well regardless of what you may think, she is legal," Julius said to end the argument and to ignore Angelica.

Unfortunately, his response now made me concerned. He did not deny either his or his father's proclivities. Did I really want to have a child with him?

"Says the boy who will end up making the law. Of course it's legal if you say it's legal," Leon said scathingly.

"That's neither here nor there! Marie is our age! And before you say anything, Angelica is literally the same age! This is age appropriate!"

"And what happens if Marie hits puberty? What then? Are you going to toss her to the wayside like you did Angelica?"

"That would never happen!"

"Well it apparently did happen before considering Angelica thinks you were sweet on her up to a certain point in time. Suspicious that your attitude changed once she developed!"

"That's all a misunderstanding! I was just trying out some lines I read in a novel since the situation felt appropriate! I was never interested in Angelica!"

Angelica, with a devastated look cried out, "But you told me-"

Julius then spat out the titles of a few novels before the villainess finished. No one bothered checking the titles considering how quickly he shot them off, the page number, and the quotes. It was somewhat impressive how he had completely memorized such useless information.

And Angelica just slumped bonelessly to the floor as the shock finally was too much for her.

And now I was pondering if I had fallen for a similar scam.

"Bro... that's just cruel," Leon said stunned as he had nothing left to say to lower the founding heirs' images. He just sort of poked Angelica's cheek. She just looked like she blue-screened-of-death.

"Look, I can see now that trying to talk to you is an effort in futility. Maybe we can just discuss the terms of the duel?"

"... Can we just say that Angelica wins," I sighed out in exasperation as I really was quite done with all this.

AN

1) You'd figure that as a gamer, Marie would have at least considered the idea that Leon was an anime protagonist.

2) With how stupid the five get, I can feasibility see them just digging themselves down a hole.

Review Response

HalfmoonSilver80: Nothing aside from typical bullying. Probably have Leon ask Angelica to help look over Olivia to create the image that she just likes helping newbies instead of anything scandalous.

Monkey D. Conan: Probably the plot of a different version of this.

Kilo 526455: Your friend clearly has the right idea. Always be the guy in the bush and not the guy jumped by the guy in the bush.

Dranzergigs66: Honestly, I did end up copying the dialogues from A Petty Decision and filling in the monologuing parts appropriately. The original feels like a really good base for any story that chooses to have Angelica respectfully going to any tea party.

partner555: Every named woman who isn't blood related or Zola. Deirdre and Hertrude will likely get a dedicated snippet at some point. Just a matter of when an idea pops up. I don't take requests normally. I think the most successful case of me taking a request wasn't even that. Just argued/debated with one of my reviewers enough that I developed enough of a basis of a character in my head to do so. It lead to An Accurate Appraisal. Basically, argue about something about canon enough that the idea sticks in my head.

Pembaca Sampah: Best wingwoman.

Brandon Storm: You are mistaken. A Poor Baron's route has Angelica foisted on Leon. He didn't actively pursue her. If he did, that would have been a plot retcon by the author. There are fics about Leon seriously pursuing Angelica, but I can neither name them nor can I recall one in which Leon only goes after Angelica.

Guest: A Clever Girl (26) is the closest I've written. Obviously still off by quite a bit, and honestly one of my worst snippets.