[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game":3,"chapter-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-412":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1218404,1604,"Chapter 412 412: Questions in love.","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-412",412,"\u003Cp>The semester was drawing to a close, and with it, her days at the academy were numbered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, strangely enough, Lorraine didn't feel like it was ending at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shit… why are we being bombarded with all this work?\" she muttered to herself, dragging a hand through her already-messy hair as she slumped over the stack of papers on her table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just because we're senior students now doesn't mean we don't get to rest, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was low, more of a grumble than anything else, barely audible above the soft clatter of plates and the gentle hum of morning chatter around her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frustration simmered beneath her skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All this effort poured into completing her thesis—just words and more words on paper—felt wasteful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would've rather spent that energy out on the field, doing something real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monster hunting. Guarding missions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anything that required action, movement, and instinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not this endless string of documentation and citations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, she couldn't exactly complain. Not too much, anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The academy had been surprisingly lenient with written exams lately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe they realized the seniors were all running on fumes at this point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or maybe they were just trying to get rid of them quietly before the new batch came in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either way, it helped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She shifted in her seat, her eyes drifting from the stack of papers to the wide view just past the balcony's edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It'll probably snow heavily today,\" she murmured, almost absentmindedly, as she watched the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clouds overhead were a soft grey, stretched thin and long like worn fabric, heavy with unshed snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The morning sun was struggling to peek through, casting the world in a faint silver hue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it was still early, the world already felt dimmer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quieter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Winter was settling in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Lorraine, for all her composure and strength, never particularly liked the cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chill always found a way past her defenses, creeping through her clothes and nestling deep into her bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It reminded her too much of long nights and silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Letting out another sigh, she sliced off a small piece of her breakfast—simple toast with soft butter and a drizzle of honey—and followed it with a slow sip of her steaming coffee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bitterness grounded her, if only slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, she sat on the second-floor balcony of one of the academy's more famous cafés, nestled into a corner seat with the best view of the main courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morning traffic passed below—students moving like drifting snowflakes, bundled up and half-awake, their breath visible in the cold air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She watched them with a certain detachment, a quietness in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't the worst way to start a day, she thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not peaceful, exactly, but... manageable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if her plate was full of responsibilities, and even if the world outside was slowly freezing over, there was still this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A slice of warmth in the cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lorraine could've easily made her own breakfast this morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hell, she could've just eaten at the academy cafeteria like everyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would've been quicker, cheaper, and far more convenient given how little time she had these days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She chose this café—again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like she had every other morning for the past few months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All because a certain someone used to love this place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stirred her now lukewarm coffee absentmindedly, watching the steam fade into the crisp air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze drifted once more toward the street below, eyes scanning the passing crowd like she had every day since then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But of course… she wasn't there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haah… where the heck did that girl go, anyway?\" Lorraine muttered under her breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her best friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been months since she'd vanished without so much as a goodbye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One moment they were cramming notes and laughing over midnight coffee, the next… nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No letters. No messages. Not even a whisper through magical channels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She understood Alice also got busy with her love life but that alone couldn't explain her disappearance…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a while, her sudden disappearance was the hottest topic on campus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whispers floated through the halls like wildfire—speculations, gossip, and bizarre theories ranging from secret missions to forbidden magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the most persistent rumor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Alice had eloped with someone powerful. Someone with enough influence to pull her out of the academy without raising flags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most absurd one?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That she was now a concubine to some nobleman's house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or more specifically a certain someone's house who also magically disappeared the same time as her…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lorraine scowled just thinking about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could people be so content with such half-baked theories? This wasn't just any student. Alice was a top-tier mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the best in their year. A future archmage, if not something even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People like that don't just disappear without a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if that \"certain someone\" really was involved—Riley, as many suspected—it made the whole thing feel even more suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It gave fuel to the ridiculous marriage rumors… but it also made Lorraine's chest tighten in a way she didn't like to think about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took another sip of coffee, forcing herself to stay calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We're about to graduate soon… and at this rate, I might actually graduate before her,\" she said softly, eyes fixed on the snow-dusted street beyond the railing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was only one semester left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Alice were to return right now, she didn't exactly have enough time to catch up with everything she had missed. Her credits. Her reports. Her thesis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention the practical exams and field work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lorraine had done her best to cover for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She'd spent extra nights submitting reports under Alice's name, quietly slipping in addendums and supporting documentation whenever she could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She even worked on Alice's thesis alongside her own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But still…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it would be enough to save her friend from academic failure was up to the academy's higher-ups.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then again, knowing Alice's influence and potential, she'd probably just get a slap on the wrist and a polite extension—business as usual for the important people in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sighed again, this time longer, deeper, as if trying to exhale all the thoughts swirling inside her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, with a slight shake of her head, she dismissed the last remnants of doubt from her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No. There was no way that was truly the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alice—her whimsical, unpredictable, occasionally spacey best friend—might've always floated halfway between daydream and reality, but she was no fool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naïve? A bit. Too kind for her own good? Absolutely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Alice was never careless. She always had a strange way of understanding things, even if she rarely explained them aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn't the kind of girl to just throw everything away on a whim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she disappeared… it was for a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Lorraine was almost certain she knew what kind of reason it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She's probably off somewhere,\" Lorraine muttered under her breath, \"doing something stupid and dangerous all on her own… just to protect someone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because that's who Alice was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She'd always been like that—selfless to a fault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was standing between a rampaging beast and a group of terrified first-years, or staying up all night healing someone who pushed themselves too far during mana practice, Alice never hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She always put herself last, no matter the cost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And over the years, Lorraine had learned that when Alice went quiet… it usually meant she was carrying the weight of something big.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought left a dull ache in her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't just worry—it was a quiet kind of hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small, unspoken sadness that came from knowing Alice hadn't trusted her enough to bring her along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That she had chosen to face whatever it was alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or maybe not entirely alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lorraine's lips thinned as she looked down at her coffee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because there was someone else who had disappeared the same day Alice did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The name itself stirred a complicated feeling inside her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Alice had to disappear with someone… if she had to put her trust in someone else instead of her…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very least, it was a small comfort that it was him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was strong. No—he was terrifyingly strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arguably the most powerful student in the academy, despite how low he kept his profile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a mystery around him that made it hard to pin down exactly what he was capable of, but\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lorraine had seen enough glimpses to know he wasn't ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anyone could protect Alice—truly protect her—it would be him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That didn't make it any easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haah… well, wherever those two are, I just hope they're both safe—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lorraine mumbled, her voice barely above a breath as she lazily poked at the last bits of her breakfast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as she brought her fork up, she froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fork never reached her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes widened, her lips parted slightly in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She blinked once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A-Alice?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft rustle of air followed a gentle burst of red light—like a scattering of crimson cards fluttering in slow motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From above, a small, elegant red portal shimmered into existence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, with her usual flair for the dramatic, Alice descended from it, gracefully landing with the weightlessness of a dancer, her long pink hair catching the golden light of morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her cloak swayed lightly as she straightened herself, brushing a speck of dust from her shoulder with casual ease, as if she hadn't just made a scene in the middle of one of the most popular cafés on campus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Murmurs rippled through the air like a rising tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"H-Hey, is that—?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait, she's back?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then… is the marriage real…?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's Senior Alice, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whoa… she's even prettier in person.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The early-morning peace was quickly disturbed by the small crowd of students scattered across the second-floor balcony and the lower seating area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it wasn't rush hour, it was still enough of an audience to spark a mild uproar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alice simply smiled, waving cheerfully like she'd just come back from a short stroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good morning~!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some students blushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few waved back in awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others just stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Alice didn't seem fazed—she was used to the attention. Used to eyes following her. She was always the type to shine wherever she went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her own gaze was already fixed on one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Lorraine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"H-Heya Lorraine!\" she said, her voice full of her usual vibrant energy. \"Long time no see, huh? How have you—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't get to finish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Lorraine was no longer in her seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was a blur—her chair scraping back with a sharp sound as she darted forward, arms wrapping tightly around Alice before the girl could react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The impact of the hug almost pushed Alice a step back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where the hell have you been!?\" Lorraine's voice cracked somewhere between fury and relief, her arms tightening as if afraid Alice would vanish again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alice blinked, stunned for a second by the sudden embrace… then her shoulders relaxed, and a warm smile bloomed on her lips as she hugged her back just as tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ehe… That's, well… a bit of a long story,\" she said, her voice softer now, almost guilty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You idiot…!\" Lorraine muttered, her face buried against Alice's shoulder. \"You absolute idiot… I thought you were dead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know. I'm sorry.\" Alice's fingers gently stroked her best friend's back. \"But I'm back now, okay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Yeah.\" Lorraine exhaled shakily, her throat tightening. \"You better be.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1909,"2026-06-03T14:40:38.926Z",1,"novelbin.me","1d3b5c9c7cbb2e6547b1d04e08f29a2f11ae4b1e184fcf2d2a0a675f0f93c620","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-413","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-411",727,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhow-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-cover.jpg"]