"The incompetent bad boy prince" wants to survive ~ The only way for me to survive after being reincarnated as the third prince of a love smartphone RPG bitten dog was to not break off the engagement with the daughter of a yandere duke who is stronger than the heroine ~

Volume 1

Chapter 1 -: I reincarnated as the scapegoat third prince.

( TL by Zeus )

"Your Highness 'Harold,' it's time to prepare..."

Servants timidly entered my room, gauging my expression with caution.

Well, that's understandable. If they were to ruin my already unpredictable mood, who knows what consequences they might face.

"I understand. I'm sorry, but could you wait for just another thirty minutes?"

"Wha?! Y-Yes, understood..."

The servants, wide-eyed with surprise, quickly left the room.

Well, I'd like to think their reaction wasn't that extreme for just a slight delay in my response... but who am I kidding?

"Sigh... Well, it can't be helped, considering how I usually am..."

I gazed at my reflection in the mirror—a sorry character with black hair slicked back, shimmering gray eyes, and three white eyeballs.

My name is Harold Well Dehawbals, the third prince of the Dehawbals Kingdom, one of the powerful nations in the western regions. I'm a cunning, despicable, and utterly wretched man.

That's who I am.

Huh? Why do I speak of myself in such a derogatory manner? Well, it's quite simple. Because I am... the henchman character, the lackey of the rival character in this chat-based romance smartphone RPG called "Engage Hazard" (shortened to "Enhaza"). Complicated, isn't it?

In simpler terms, I'm the guy in those nationally beloved cat-shaped robot anime who worships the rival character, bullies the protagonist at every opportunity, and ultimately ends up suffering more than the rival character. It's depressing just talking about it.

I learned about this fact just this morning.

I woke up in a different world, experiencing that typical trope of suddenly recalling memories from my past life.

By the way, my previous life was that of a regular university student named  Tachibana Haru. I moved to the city from the countryside for college, but being inherently shy and introverted, I couldn't fit in. I was a loner. To cope with the loneliness, I started playing "Enhaza."

However, I got hooked on the lively chat talks of the heroines (or rather, the people behind them) in "Enhaza," spent most of my part-time job earnings on in-game gacha, and... it's just as depressing as it was before reincarnation. Damn it.

Anyway, this place is different from the world I used to know. I absolutely must prevent the scenario from the game from unfolding here.

If not, I'm fated to die.

I'd like to complain about why a mere lackey character has to go through all this, but unfortunately, this man named Harold eventually plots a rebellion.

Naturally, the numerous heroines, the first and second princes who become rival characters... well, almost everyone in this game recognizes and likes the protagonist, who is gradually gaining approval and affection. I can't help but feel immense jealousy.

However, this guy, having lived as the self-indulgent and whimsical third prince, was a pitiful man who couldn't do anything without relying on others.

Naturally, the rebellion wasn't going to go smoothly. The protagonist and heroines easily thwarted it, and in the end, I was executed in front of the protagonist, who had built a harem.

Despite wanting to change things, due to my arrogant behavior over the thirteen years of my life, Harold's reputation was at its lowest. It was a negative start even before the main story began.

By the way, the first and second princes, who were rival characters, had conveniently reconciled with the protagonist. No matter which route you took, they would never die. In fact, the two princes were originally handsome and cool characters, and the developers, feeling confident, even released something called "Enhaza ~Girl's Side~." In that, they appeared as cool, yandere handsome characters devoted to the female protagonist. Harold? He's nowhere to be found.

In any case, to avoid such a fate, it would be wise to improve my reputation while avoiding any involvement in the main story of "Enhaza." But...

"Well, it can't be helped, can it?"

Because the protagonist is my brother, the fourth prince, and the rival characters are my older brothers, the first and second princes. Just living a normal life means I'm inevitably entangled. There's no escape.

Fortunately, my current age is thirteen, and there are three more years until the main story begins. During that time, I must forcefully create a route where I absolutely don't exist in the game.

For that to happen...

"I can't afford to fail today's meeting."

This game, "Engage Hazard," aims for the protagonist to become the next king by fulfilling the condition of bringing the 'world's greatest fiancée.' It's a story of adventure and romantic comedy where the protagonist meets various unique and cute heroines, progresses through the love part with the heroine candidates—essentially fiancées—in chat format during the RPG part, solving events happening not just in the kingdom but all around the world.

However, this game, unfortunately, had an extremely innovative design. Due to the excessive innovation and the need for double the usual amount of in-game purchases for chat tickets and gacha pulls for heroines and weapons, it caused significant damage to players' wallets. As a result, criticism and low ratings from users never ceased from the game's release, leading to its unfortunate shutdown not even half a year after launch.

A week before the service ended, when I saw the sudden notice from the management, considering the amount I had invested, I wet my pillow with tears before going to sleep... only to wake up as Harold.

"Anyway, I won't die! I'll definitely survive!"

In this world where I can find nothing but despair for the future, I'll survive at all costs. Even if it means avoiding every event in the game. Please, let it work out somehow.

"And that girl... Kuahaha! I'll make my move!"

With a characteristic, somewhat petty laughter, I raised my fist towards the mirror.

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