I walked briskly to my destination, it shouldn't have been more than an hour or so before the oracle began the prophecy.
Yet despite my fast pace, I still found myself immersed in the festive atmosphere of the city streets. While Charlotte may originate from the Holy Kindom, that didn't mean she was any less famous in the borders of Belmond.
The religion of the nine gods was believed throughout all of humanity and was the main religion of essentially every country within the world of NDA; Shu Lao was an outlier, being the only country with its own separate faith.
That being said, the streets were filled with many more commoners than usual for this section of the city, the average man didn't get many opportunities to see nobles within this world, let alone someone as reversed as the oracle.
Vendors selling snacks lined the sidewalks, excited children were hoisted above their parent's shoulders, and groups of students chatted enthusiastically with one another.
The fall breeze was chilly and cold, yet I couldn't help but feel warmth due to my surroundings.
It was a rare sight in the world of NDA, one I hoped would become more common in the future, though I found myself doubtful of my wish.
Ah, but why was I being so sentimental, I was here for a reason. I could mull about the type of world I had transmigrated into as much as I desired, but change would only come with action.
I finally arrived at the chapel, making my way through the crowds of people packed just outside its doors. A large stage had been built on the premises of the chapel just for this occasion, two choirs flanked the stage standing on a platform of their own, humming hymns in accompaniment to the sermon of a priest.
A mass was currently being held, speaking of the nine gods and their gifts to humanity.
None of the people surrounding me seemed to give much thought to the sermon, it was only done as a tradition before the appearance of the oracle, most were here simply to see a celebrity so various murmurs and chatter could be heard throughout the crowd.
Some spoke about the oracle's beauty, others whispered rumours concerning her love life, while many simply seemed eager to see the woman in person.
The excitement of the occasion seemed to make the usually devout crowd slightly disorderly.
I, on the other hand, paid apt attention to the mass. Many aspects of NDA's world had been divulged within the story, I had almost an encyclopedic knowledge about its facets and details. But the contents of their mass, which would last an entire hour or two, were never exposited for obvious reasons.
A small part of me may still see this world as my favourite game and not an apocalyptic tragedy I was unwillingly pulled into since I felt slightly thrilled at the chance to learn some information no other fan could possibly attain.
The priest spoke of the nine separate gods, each ruled over nine separate aspects of humanity.
The current era was titled the era of the Nine, an era of prosperity for humanity that began with the dominance of the gods over the Titans who ruled the previous era.
Humans, who were once weak and feeble before the might of the mythical creatures and races, were given power from the Gods, their 'essence'.
Virtus, the god of war and battle, gave man strength.
Sanitas, the god of protection and homes, shared his stamina.
The goddess Arte, of hunting and dance, imbued humanity with dexterity.
Scientia, who ruled over secrets and knowledge, imparted intelligence.
Acumentos, the god of agriculture and wisdom, taught humans to be wise.
Through Bragas, the god of danger and foresight, man received their instincts.
Aurum, who presided over fate and chance, gifted luck.
Lepos, of charm and beauty, lent charisma.
And finally Luxiem, the goddess of light and hope, the only god to have been born after the era of the nine, whose birth was believed to be the advent of the era, bestowed upon humans faith.
As humans would receive the favour of the gods, they could also receive their own domains while still mortal. In the modern day, these domains were called classes.
This was essentially the in-world explanation for the power system, of course, there were many more facets to the religion and hidden secrets and rewritten history within the sermons I knew due to having played the game. But the widely believed reason behind the current dominance of man was that the gods were responsible.
While I enjoyed listening to the sermon and learning new pieces of information about this world, it soon came to an end, much to the excitement of the crowd surrounding me as I saw their eyes light up upon the realisation they would finally see the oracle.
My eyes also lit up in a way, but not due to excitement. I remembered that I had to pay attention to see if Wendy would make an appearance but also felt strange knowing I would soon lay eyes on a person I had unilaterally hated for a good amount of time. A person I once thought was entirely fictional.
Soon, to cheers from the crowd, a young woman with bright pink hair and shining golden eyes began to come up the stage. Her long hair flowed down to her waist and was braided, and she wore white priestess clothes lined with gold.
Her demeanour was calm, collected and serene, as it always was in the game, up until the end of the story I could never tell if her bearing was a facade or not.
It was Charlotte Starseer, the oracle of the Holy Kindom, a person who had a marquis rank class at the age of 18 and in my own words; the pink-haired bitch.