Niveus stood before the mirror, looking at the reflection that stared back at him.
It had been a week since he told Starling about his origin.
And he had been in an unconscious state for three weeks. It meant it was already a month since he broke out of the Monolith.
No wonder Starling had a bag under her eyes. She was constantly worried about her brother's well-being. Although she tried to conceal it when meeting Niveus a week ago, she couldn't escape Niveus's eyes.
Naturally, Niveus apologized so many times for making her like that.
"Huff..."
So many things had happened while he was unconscious.
Niveus was surprised when he heard about the search and rescue mission to retrieve him from the second Monolith but found nothing when they arrived there.
Only after a few days did they find him suddenly appearing in a place that had been checked time and time again.
Was it possible for a Monolith to disappear once someone entered? No, even the emergence of a parasite Monolith didn't make sense in the first place. Even Nono, the all-knowing system, didn't have a clue.
However, since Niveus said he really entered the second Monolith and had fought against an unknown stone man-creature, its existence must be real.
Niveus reported what he had encountered inside the purple world: the colossal portal, alien landscape, bottomless abyss, immortal stone creature, and so on.
In exchange, he also got to know what happened when he was unconscious, such as the village's condition after the Monolith was destroyed and the Trailblazers, who encountered some problems during the Frozen Swarm subjugation.
The number of the Frozen in the Frozen Swarm incident was more than Niveus, Nono, and even the Trailblazers had expected. Luckily, the returning Glacend Knight's group led by Starling after they found Niveus aided them, though Starling was adamant about returning to the fortress to tend to her brother first.
She arrived like a hero in the night when the Frozen emerged to the land, successfully repelling the Frozen Swarm.
Thanks to that, the relationship between the Global Alliance, albeit just a branch, Trailblazers, and Glacend Knigth was strengthened.
Taking a breath, Niveus put on his new, dark-colored mask, which contrasted his white, long hair.
Amongst the many things that happened in a month, there was one that he hated.
It was where everyone in Glacend was finally convinced that the face behind his mask was something that could be on par with the Saintess of the Celerates Empire.
But it didn't end just there. The rumor had started to spread around the Salhju, even reaching its only city. It was only a matter of time until the whole Chrysantheus Kingdom became aware of the rumor, and the wandering Bard began singing a song about a certain knight whose beauty was like an angel sent by Celestia.
"Tch."
Niveus hoped that the future wouldn't go that way. Unfortunately, he could only hope.
Raising his hand, Niveus stared at the envelope with a royal family seal. Soon after, he ripped the seal and began reading the contents.
A tournament competition.
It was a prestigious event held every few years, drawing participants from across the continent. Sometimes, even the Empire would send some names to represent them.
It was not only for glory but also a chance. A chance to have what they wished.
Although small, Chrysantheus had the power to do so because of the artifact that no one but Nono and Niveus knew of its existence.
The Star Fragment. An artifact that could grant any wish. But since it was only a fragment, its uses were limited.
In the game's story, the artifact had been mentioned a few times but never actually appeared. Instead, it was the tournament itself that became the main stage.
The competition was an event to settle the player's romance option. A character with the highest affection would become their character's partner for the rest of the game.
And that was actually the problem for Niveus...
'The hell? We're already in this episode?'
It was the last three episodes before the endings, where every choice became more important as the player's character could die with just one mistake.
Although it had no business for Niveus, the fact he had reached the competition episode while two of the romance options, Alphonso and Eliana, were still in Glacend, meant everything would go a different way than it was in the game.
Again, he didn't care. But he was curious how the event would unfold now, especially with the addition of the Empire of the neighboring continent involved.
Setting the letter down, Niveus sighed.
The invitation came as no surprise—after all, Glacend Fortress had gained a reputation for producing some of the most skilled knights in the kingdom.
But with the mysterious events happening recently, Niveus couldn't help but feel uneasy.
But duty was duty, and Niveus knew that refusing the invitation wasn't an option, especially when it was because of Starling's request that he was specifically invited.
Not only him, but Starling also designated the two other spots for Alphonso and Eliana. She really wanted to mess him up.
'Those two didn't represent Glacend in the game.'
Niveus glanced back at the mirror, at the reflection that had become both a blessing and a curse. His thoughts drifted to the rumors that had spread like wildfire—rumors that painted him as a knight with an angelic face whose appearance rivaled even the Saintess of the Celerates Empire.
'All of that, yet they missed the important part...'
A part where it said the knight was a man. They didn't include it.
Those bastards.
The idea of being compared to a Saintess made him cringe, especially when it wasn't even his dream to be remembered because of his face.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Niveus? Are you ready?" Starling's voice called from the other side.
Taking one last look in the mirror, Niveus adjusted his new, dark-colored mask, ensuring it fit snugly over his face.
He opened the door to find Starling waiting for him. Behind her, Alphonso and Eliana seemed to be discussing something.
"Got everything you need?" she asked, her eyes briefly examining him and his room.
"Yes," he said, pointing at his new dimensional bag. "Everything I need is here."
"Great. Don't lose it next time, okay?"
Then Starling placed a hand on his shoulder as she leaned to whisper.
"Don't forget about what I said. Use this chance to gather more information."
Niveus nodded, understanding her words.
For him, the tournament was only an excuse to learn more about the strange happenings. Because if there was anything unusual going on, a big event where many people gathered like this might give him some leads.
"Alright."
As they left the room and made their way through the corridors of the fortress, Niveus couldn't shake the feeling that something was brewing in the kingdom, no, in the world, and he had a sinking suspicion that he was about to be drawn deeper into it.
Just like what Nono had told him.
["This world will end soon."]