Surrounded by seven statues lined up in a semicircle, the Saintess knelt with her fingers interlocked, deep in prayer.
A few moments later, she opened her eyes. The golden pupil glowed radiantly for a short time.
With a graceful motion, she stood up and looked at the statues. Her expression looked sad, and her gradually disappearing smile vanished completely as her eyes locked with the last statue to the right side of the grand chamber.
The silence stretched out for minutes.
After 5 minutes, she finally said, "Did you abandon us?"
Then, silence fell again, this time shorter.
The Saintess shook her head.
"No. I won't abandon anyone."
After speaking, she turned and strode toward the door. As she walked, her serene and compassionate face turned serious and her gaze sharp.
Outside the grand chamber, two people were already waiting for her.
Looking at them—at the black-haired boy in particular—with a smile, the Saintess said as she slightly bent her body.
"It is an honor to stand in the presence of the young dragon."
If it were other people, they had to perfectly execute the curtsy toward the member of the royal family.
Since she was a Saintess, a slight bow and a short greeting were enough.
"Saintess," the young prince began. "Your words. How truthful are they?"
The Saintess closed her eyes.
"It's a revelation from the Gods themselves."
"I see," the young prince went quiet briefly before looking at the Saintess in the eyes. "Then, all I need to do is to protect the youngest heir and bring her here, correct?"
Opening her eyes, the Saintess smiled.
"Yes. She's our only hope to face the impending doom."
===
Only a few weeks remaining until the opening day of the competition.
More people now swarmed the streets of the capital. The locals were busy preparing for the festivals.
But even in that lively and crowded place, Niveus could find peace inside the townhouse.
Albus was a Duke-ranked family within Chrysantheus. As someone who was adopted into the house by the next family's head, Niveus could enjoy the privilege of a noble.
Even though Starling, the next head of Albus, adopted Niveus without telling the current head or any of her family members, the Albus seemed to not mind.
Because of that, Niveus didn't have to worry about the internal drama. In fact, the Albus's members treated him like their own son.
The servants in the townhouse even pampered him like a baby.
'I never thought Starling's influence within the family was so strong even the current head never opposed her decision. At this point, she's already become the family head.'
Niveus walked through the corridor. Each time he passed a servant, they would bow and greet him respectfully, though he could feel their gazes lingering long.
'Haaa... this feeling again. They must be curious why I'm wearing a mask, don't they?'
Pushing past the stares, Niveus made his way to the first floor.
There, he spotted the head butler, busy instructing the other servants as they carefully decorated the house.
Noticing his master's presence, the head butler turned and bowed deeply.
"Good morning, young master. Are you heading out?"
"Yes. I'm going to find my... friends. Do you know where they're going?"
"I see. Miss Eliana said she would be at the grand library, while Sir Alphonso wished to explore the city. Shall I prepare a carriage?"
"No need," Niveus shook his head. "And I want to be alone."
"As you wish."
The head butler bowed and escorted Niveus to the main gate.
Taking one last glance at the townhouse, Niveus headed toward the bustling city.
Niveus vigilantly explored the city, actively seeking out rumors and information.
He didn't care whether the rumors or information sounded unbelievable or made no sense.
Because no matter how absurd they were, the appearance of the parasite Monolith, the colossal portal within the purple realm, and Nono's words about the world's end were more absurd and weirder than anything.
Whenever Niveus got information that sounded worthy and might have a link to something bigger, he made sure to take note.
As he roamed from one place to another, mostly getting worthless information, Niveus finally picked up something interesting.
"Where did you say you got the ring?"
"It's from the jewelry shop that opened last year in the Fountain district."
"Oh, that shop! Their products are amazing. I thought they were scammers when I heard they sold high-quality-looking goods for low prices. But they are the real deal!"
"I thought the same, haha!"
"You better hurry, though. They said they only sold these rings in limited numbers."
"What?! Are you serious?!"
Niveus watched as they bolted through the crowd.
When they disappeared into the crowd, Niveus frowned. He reached for his dimensional bag and pulled out the ring he had taken on the frozen river.
'How did that guy get his hand on this ring sold from the shop?'
In the first place, how could a poor villager buy something from the jewelry shop in the capital?
'Either he stole it from someone, or he found it somewhere.'
But if that villager found it somewhere near their village or anywhere in Salhju, why did the ring look exactly the same as that earlier guy's ring?
Wasn't it supposed to be exclusively made from that jewelry shop?
'I can smell something fishy.'
With that, Niveus decided to visit the mentioned jewelry shop.
When he arrived at the location, he spotted a carriage across the shop.
'Somehow, it looks familiar. Where have I seen that carriage before?'
Putting his hand under his chin, Niveus tried to recall the design of the carriage, eyes closed.
A moment later, his eyes fluttered open as if he remembered something.
'Ah, it's the carriage the player used in the undercover episode.'
That meant...
'There's a royal family member inside.'
Niveus wondered who it would be.
In the game, the player could only play as one heir and make them the king or queen. Then, in the undercover episode, only the heir they chose to play with was using that carriage.
However, in reality, there was no player and all the heirs probably acted in different ways than in the game.
Realizing he wouldn't get an answer just by assuming, Niveus shook his head and entered the shop.
Niveus paused when he gripped the knob, trying to ask Nono something.
'Nono, what's the situation with Chrysantheus Roy—!'
...but the door suddenly opened from inside.
In front of Niveus stood a figure whose height only reached his chest, their slender hands gripping the edge of their hood, trying to conceal their face.
At that moment, Niveus instantly recognized who they were—the royal heir. But which one? He didn't know.
"Excuse me," the royal heir spoke softly, their voice clear.
'This voice... a princess?'
Although it was hard to tell from such brief words, the high tone, which had a girlish vibe, made Niveus suspect they might be the princess.
"Sir, you're blocking the entrance. Can you step aside?"
The moment the royal heir spoke again, recognition struck Niveus like a lightning bolt.
"!!!"
The secret character...
"Hello?"
The youngest princess...
"Are you there?"
Aurum Chryseus.
"Ah, yes..." Niveus murmured as he quickly stepped aside, allowing the royal heir to pass.
As she brushed past him, grumbling under her breath, she deliberately tried to step on his foot.
"Oh, sorry—"
But the moment her foot made contact with his, both of them tensed as if an electric shock coursed through their bodies. Their minds reeled, their heads buzzing with a surge of unsettling voltage.
"Gah?!"
"Heuk?!"
Memories suddenly flooded Niveus's mind, overwhelming him.