Transmigrated into Eroge as the Simp, but I Refuse This Fate - Chapter 300: Plot

Chapter 300: Plot

There was no brushing this off.

No chalking it up to a rare alchemical side effect or an old ritual flaring past its time.

This was something else entirely.

And that meant one thing.

It warranted thought.

Serious, precise thought.

Damien leaned back slightly in the bath, the warmth forgotten, his mind cutting through the fog like a blade.

’There’s just no way this is normal.’

The Sanguis Bath wasn’t something one stumbled into. It wasn’t a commodity you picked up at a merchant auction or brewed in a fancy cauldron.

This formula—this exact mix—was buried under generations of secrecy and cost. Not just wealth, but legacy. Bloodlines.

Only the oldest, most entrenched families had access to it.

Which meant—

’If someone managed to embed an Authority signature into this…’

Then it wasn’t about the bath.

It was about who was using it.

’They’re targeting the Awakened of deep-blood families.’

The idea sat heavy in his chest.

Because it made sense.

Families like Elford—they all prepared their heirs for Awakening with precision. With rituals. With resources few could even dream of. And this bath was a centerpiece of that.

’So if you wanted to influence the elite…’

This would be the method.

Subtle. Invisible. Cultural.

Not through war. Not through trade.

Through tradition.

He frowned.

’Why? And how?’

The “why” was still fog. But the “how”—that he could approach.

Because first, he had to answer the real question:

What would’ve happened if I’d let it happen?

If he hadn’t resisted—if his Singularity hadn’t activated—if he’d just let that presence in.

He didn’t shiver. But something cold moved under his skin.

He asked the System.

’System. If I hadn’t resisted—if the Authority had fully entered—what would have happened?’

The response came after a beat. Slower. Weighted.

[Answering query…]

[If host had submitted to Authority Imprint:]

[—Cognitive patterns would have shifted.]

[—Emotionally suggestive biases would develop.]

The System’s voice returned, but this time, it was different. Not just cold or calculated—there was a gravity in the words. A depth Damien hadn’t heard before.

[Continuing analysis…]

[—Cognitive patterns would have shifted.]

[—Emotionally suggestive biases would develop.]

[—Host’s connection to Primary Directive: [????] would degrade significantly.]

[—Expected outcome: Drift from original progression path.]

[Note: Secondary benefits include:]

—Significant life extension.

—Complete internal purification.

—Optimized cellular mana conduction.

—Strengthened musculoskeletal frame.

Damien went still.

Not tense. Not panicked.

But aware.

’So that’s how they do it.’

Not through chains. Not through force.

Through improvement.

Through gifts.

Offer someone a longer life. A stronger body. Cleaner blood. Then lace the deal with just enough Authority to pull the mind—just a little—off course.

And if that course happens to weaken the connection to [????]?

Then maybe that was the point.

He exhaled slow, steam rolling off his shoulders.

’This bath… this isn’t pure. It’s mixed.’

What disturbed him wasn’t the corruption.

It was the elegance.

Because if the degradation of [????]—whatever it was—was the goal, then suddenly it all made perfect sense. Every benefit, every improvement, every refinement of the ritual…

Was a distraction.

A cover.

And worse—

’System. Can this be detected by others? My father, any family mages?’

[Negative. Cognitive interference is subtle, non-invasive, and rooted in Authority-class resonance. Unless the subject is resisting or synchronized with a foreign directive, the interference is indistinguishable from natural progression.]

’So no one would notice.’

Even Dominic. Especially Dominic.

His father had spared no expense. That much was clear. He’d prepared the bath because it worked. Because the results were real.

And they were.

But that was the trap.

Results made you trust the process.

And Damien?

He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, eyes narrowing slightly.

His body felt stronger. Yes. But beneath the surface…

There was something else.

Something familiar.

Not in memory. Not in mind.

In muscle.

In sensation.

Like the exact pulse of pressure he’d felt when Dominic had stopped him, again and again, just short of Awakening.

’This… this feels like that.’

Damien’s eyes narrowed, breath steady as he let his body speak.

Not his thoughts. Not his analysis.

Just sensation.

He sank slightly deeper into the bath, water curling around his neck, and let memory blur into muscle.

’Which one was it?’

Dominic had put him through method after method, each one grinding him closer to the edge of Awakening. Each with its own rhythm, pressure, side effects. A cocktail of pain and potential.

He hadn’t bothered memorizing them all in the moment—he didn’t need to. His body remembered.

So now, he let it.

Closed his eyes.

Let the bath slip away.

And reached back.

The first method had been brutal—Pulse Saturation. Heavy mana input. Overwhelming to the point of collapse. That wasn’t this. Too blunt.

The second—Core Disruption. Disjointed, chaotic. Nothing smooth. Not even close.

Then there was Arc Induction—precise, mathematical. Cold. Efficient. The patterning had felt like being dissected alive.

He moved past it.

Next—

That one.

The one that left his skin buzzing. That made his mind feel like it was floating half a breath behind his own skull. That smooth, terrifying drift…

’There.’

A memory locked into place.

That one method. The most subtle. The most seamless. It hadn’t pushed his body—it had invited it. Carried him along like a current pulling under the surface.

He remembered Dominic’s voice then.

Clear. Dispassionate.

“This is the most commonly used method. Dangerous in its simplicity. Effective in trained bloodlines. We call it the Spiritual Immersion Process.”

Damien’s fingers twitched under the water.

He opened his eyes.

’System. Match sensory resonance between this bath and Spiritual Immersion Process.’

A heartbeat passed.

Then:

[Match confirmed: 89.6% overlap in neural feedback and mana circulation pattern.]

[Conclusion: The current bath formula is emulating the Spiritual Immersion Process.]

He let the confirmation sit there, rippling quietly in his mind.

’Of course it is,’ Damien thought. ’Of course it’s the one everyone uses.’

Damien stared at the water.

Still. Silent. Heavy with history.

Dominic had said it clearly—“Spiritual Immersion is the preferred path. Safer. Smoother. Almost no failures in proper candidates.”

That line echoed now like a curse.

Because of course it was preferred.

Compared to the Cradle, where raw mana storms and foundational instability could shatter an unprepared soul, this method was gentle. Controlled. Civilized.

The kind of Awakening the elites trusted.

’If this bath is emulating it… and if that Authority is woven through the bath…’

He didn’t need to finish the thought.

It didn’t have to be every family. It didn’t even have to be every bath.

It just had to be enough.

Enough heirs. Enough high-born children. Enough second sons and first daughters, wrapped in tradition and legacy, stepping into carefully-prepared baths—

And walking out carrying something they didn’t know.

’If someone arranged it…’

His pulse slowed, but his thoughts didn’t.

’If someone designed the path. Made Spiritual Immersion the safe choice. The smart choice. The right choice…’

Then the rest was obvious.

Why risk a Cradle, with its volatility and chaos, when you could awaken smoothly, quietly?

But if that “smoothness” was just the veneer—

If the safety was a leash, not a blessing—

Then it made sense.

Every noble house would push their heirs toward the same method.

Which meant every noble house was sending their future through the same gate.

And someone had already installed a lock.

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