Filimon Marquis’s Study.
Within the study, the Marquis of the Chester Empire—Marquis Bert Filimon—wore a grave expression as he solemnly took out a Black Gold Card and placed it on the table.
“Ian, you’re a sensible young man. There’s a million gold coins on this card. You should understand what I mean…”
Seated opposite Marquis Bert was a handsome youth with messy black hair.
As a transmigrator, Ian was all too familiar with this dog-blooded romance drama setup.
“Forgive me, Marquis, but there’s absolutely nothing going on between the Lady and me…”
Just as Ian was about to display his righteous pride as a transmigrator, Marquis Bert interrupted him blandly:
“This money is for your marriage with Otillia…”
“Ah?”
“After the wedding, you’ll become the Heir of the Filimon Marquisate…”
“Ah?”
“Only when I hand the Filimon Family over to you can I truly feel at ease.”
It took Ian a long moment to react.
So it wasn’t the ‘classic start’ after all. Well, that’s a relief.
Although the story wasn’t going as Ian had expected, there was no way he would accept this marriage.
“Marquis, you know me. I don’t have those sorts of feelings for Lady Otillia.”
Ian calmly declined Bert’s offer, his gaze reluctantly tearing away from the Black Gold Card with a hint of longing.
He looked clear-eyed at Bert’s face, which was both affluent and dignified.
Marquis Bert was quite surprised by Ian’s decision.
Ian Lanna was the orphan of one of his own knights.
Ian’s mother died in childbirth, and his father perished during a Beast Tide in the territory while saving both Bert and Otillia.
Thus, Marquis Bert took the young Ian in and raised him in the Duke’s Mansion.
Ian, in turn, displayed astonishing talents in management.
The road repair and land tax policies he proposed caused the Filimon Territory’s income to multiply several times over.
He was also humble and kind, and his gentle nature earned him the approval of everyone in the territory.
In the Filimon Territory, you might not know Bert Filimon.
But you would definitely know the black-haired young master who ensured the residents lived free from want.
Yet the main reason Marquis Bert chose Ian as his successor was because Ian had managed to cure his only daughter—Otillia Filimon—of Magical Rampancy Syndrome.
Ian Lanna was universally acknowledged in the Filimon Territory as Lady Otillia’s future husband.
He was also the next lord of Filimon.
But now, this future heir of the Filimon Marquisate was rejecting the Marquis’s goodwill.
“Why? Ian. Otillia is so fond of you, and you two have always been close…”
Close… Hearing Marquis Bert’s words, Ian couldn’t help but reveal a bitter smile.
So in the eyes of outsiders, his relationship with Otillia Filimon was actually ‘close’, huh?
***
Ian was a transmigrator, having signed a contract with a certain existence to be reborn in this world of swords and magic.
He would start a new life here.
But on one condition: he must correct the ‘female leads’ back onto the plot line, or else the world’s trajectory would become chaotic, leading to its collapse.
The hard-won, healthy new life he’d gained would be destroyed along with it.
Of course, since it was a ‘contract’ and not a ‘slave pact’, there would naturally be rewards.
For every ‘female lead’ Ian successfully corrected, he would receive rich rewards from the System.
And the first—and most difficult—challenge of his new life was none other than the only daughter of the Marquis of Filimon—Otillia Filimon!
The Otillia he first met was nothing like today’s ‘Imperial Twin Flowers.’
Back then, Otillia suffered from Magical Rampancy Syndrome.
Her body could only absorb the most violent magical energy from the air.
This violent magic would directly affect the absorber, twisting their mind and driving them into rampage, even deforming and demonizing them into something akin to a brutal magical beast.
As one of the female leads, Otillia’s magical talent was off the charts.
If not for Marquis Bert being a Sixth-Rank Legendary Mage, Otillia would have long ago been transformed into a rampaging magical beast.
To correct her, Ian had walked on thin ice for ten years.
Using the System’s ‘Departure Gift Pack’, he exchanged for the Magical Rampancy Syndrome Cure.
At the cost of an average 186 full-body comminuted fractures, 236 episodes of hypovolemic shock, and 469 bouts of deep coma per year.
Combined with some mysterious knowledge from his previous life, he managed to gradually restore Otillia’s mind, which was on the verge of being demonized.
It took him seven whole years to bring Otillia from a Demi-Beast ‘humanoid’ back to a true ‘human’.
Countless times he hovered on the brink of death, countless times he relied on potions from System rewards to repair his body amid excruciating pain.
As someone who’d suffer for days from a mere cold—a ‘fragile’ modern human—being able to persist until Otillia was cured felt unbelievable even to Ian himself.
As for how Ian felt about Otillia, the female lead…
Ian said: ‘If you could develop feelings for someone who bit through your bones and slashed your blood vessels every single day for seven years, my suggestion is to check into a psychiatric hospital.’
Moreover, to ensure the plot’s continued development, the System would only grant him correction rewards once he left the female lead.
So, no matter what, Ian had to leave.
***
“Please don’t misunderstand, Marquis. It was only necessary contact to correct Lady Otillia’s personality. I have never overstepped any boundaries with her.”
“Now that Lady Otillia has fully recovered and passed the Imperial Royal Magic Academy entrance exam, my promise is fulfilled. It’s time for me to depart…”
Marquis Bert let out a sigh, slumping into his chair in defeat.
After ten years together, he had witnessed all of Ian’s qualities.
He could say Ian was the most talented and outstanding young man he had ever met.
Even the Crown Princes of the Empire, in Bert’s eyes, couldn’t compare to this black-haired youth before him.
Except for being unable to use magic or swordsmanship, he was nearly the perfect successor for the Marquis of Filimon.
Most importantly, he was the one his daughter loved, and he himself knew Ian inside and out.
Yet, such an excellent successor was casting aside the title of Marquis within his grasp, wishing only to leave.
“Do you truly have to go?”
“I must.”
Ian nodded firmly.
Marquis Bert looked at Ian deeply, finally waving his hand with a trace of weariness and resignation:
“Go, child. But remember—the doors of the Filimon Family will always be open to you.”
Bert saw the determination in Ian, just as he had ten years ago when that small figure stepped resolutely into the room echoing with inhuman roars.
Ian stood up and solemnly bowed to Marquis Bert, thanking him for his years of care and nurturing.
He said nothing more, turning to leave that luxurious study, leaving behind the place where he had lived for over a decade, without looking back.
***
A few days later…
The moment Ian stepped out of the Filimon Territory.
[Ding, congratulations to the Host for successfully correcting the female lead: Otillia Filimon.]
[You have received 1 S-Rank Magic Talent Choice.]
[You have received 100 Corrective Points.]
[First-Level Store has been unlocked. The Host may now exchange items using Corrective Points.]
[Personal Panel is now open.]
Hearing the System’s announcements in his mind, Ian’s heart trembled.
Ten years of hard work and waiting—his golden finger had finally, officially, been activated!
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