Dark Magus Returns - Chapter 874: 30 Minutes, is all that’s left

TRPG, or Tabletop Role-Playing Game, is characterized by immersive role-playing where players embody their characters. Within the rules, players can steer the story in various open-ended directions, leading to different outcomes.“Cthulhu Campaign” is a major category within TRPGs. In it, players, as ordinary individuals known as investigators, delve into mysterious events, face unknown mythological creatures, and confront unfathomable fears. A key piece of advice in this realm is that the less you know, the longer you survive.Liu Xing, driven by curiosity, wanted to join an online Cthulhu campaign but accidentally became part of a real Cthulhu role-playing game…

Within the popular VRMMORPG «New Genesis», there was a ranker by the name of Arthur Holmes, commonly known by his in-game alias «Merlin».

I had thought that my life couldn’t get worse when I walked in on my fiancé cheating on me with my best friend. But after a series of unfortunate events, I opened my eyes in a world that I had only read about in a webnovel, the Erudian Empire, ruled under the domineering, bloody reign of Emperor Helio.

The worst part?

I’m not even the main character! Reborn as Winter Royberg de la Erudian, I am the pitiful side character who is discovered to be a royal bastard princess due to a certain physical trait only the imperial bloodline possesses. But I know the end of Winter’s story and the unwanted royal punching bag is framed as a witch and killed at age 16 on the guillotine due to the scheming of the cruel empress.

An aloof, murder happy father? Check.

Psycho half-sister? Check.

Meddlesome author who wants me to follow the script? Double check!

I don’t want to die an early death again, so I’m determined not to ever be discovered as a royal again. But before I know it, I’m trapped in a palace of blood and opulence playing tricky games of power, games I have no clue how to win. How will I survive to adulthood in the imperial palace and get my happily ever after? And am I really the only person who fell into this world?

Content Warning:This novel contains mature themes, including explicit sexual content, strong language, and adult situations. It is intended for readers 18+ only. Reader discretion is advised.______________________________________________________________________Haruki thought marriage would bring him happiness. He had been in love with Satomi since high school, and after years of struggling together, they finally built a stable life. But stability came with a price.Satomi was always busy. Work became her priority, and Haruki… was left behind. The warmth of their relationship faded, and intimacy became a distant memory. Nights felt colder, the bed emptier—even when she was right beside him.Loneliness gnawed at him.Then everything changed when Satomi’s family invited him to stay at their luxurious home.That was the first time he truly saw her mother.Kyouko.Beautiful. Elegant. Younger-looking than her own daughter. And for the first time in years, Haruki felt something awaken inside him—something dangerous, something forbidden.Living under the same roof, two lonely souls cross paths. And as Haruki struggles with his emotions, one question lingers in his mind:What happens when the one who understands you most… is the one you should never desire?