Maybe Hard Mode is supposed to be played with dialog options off? It could be part of the design to have to unlearn playing with dialog options and taking bigger risks for bigger gains. It's like training wheels you eventually have to take off.
I think author is a little stuck on how to progress from this position, as story can go anywhere. The author will need to know where he wants to go with this before starting making next chapter.
I don't want to be offensive, but trying to avoid becoming villainess by doing what villainess would do is not a good idea, especially when in presence of mind reader.
As always, if male has handsome face he must be a good guy. If you smell blood, but a handsome guy says there's none, why would you doubt him? Only ugly people lie. /s
@RunaVolkov It's the new isekai: how many games have you played that had destined Hero fighting against Demon Lord?
These settings are used not because they're common or good, but because they're convenient and easy to understand. You can make a good story starting with generic premises: See...
Reminds me of when I decided to start transitioning my warrior character into battlemage and finally into full mage in Elona. It's really enjoyable experience to incorporate new spells into your strategy.
@feha You're bound to make some mistakes when you make something complicated like that, especially when you're not doing that specific thing for a living.