Chapter 12
I had a dream after a long time.
Not literally a dream, but rather, I was reviewing the quests from the Regarium Kingdom part.
I needed to figure out what the promise Aisella Carsein mentioned was.
So, I decided to slowly retrace my steps to see if I had missed anything.
‘I did a lot.’
Human memory fades over time.
The main quest with the Regarium Kingdom took place at the very beginning, so I couldn't remember the process very well.
[Replay 【Tutorial - Regarium Kingdom】?]
"Yep."
With my answer, the world began to crumble and reconstruct itself.
Something like the power of a Constellation, transcending time and space.
-Kyaaaak!!
And what greeted me was... a familiar scream I'd heard countless times.
‘Ah.’
As I looked around the reconstructed world, I faced the sight of a luxurious mansion burning.
A familiar woman's shadow disappeared down the hallway.
Following close behind, a group of figures chased after the shadow at high speed.
The Constellation's Hounds.
They were pursuing the Princess with ferocious momentum, threatening her life.
‘Right.’
Aisella Carsein was a woman who has been betrayed once.
By her fiancé, no less.
She didn't like the political marriage in the first place, but this incident would have made her dislike it even more.
‘Who was it again?’
【Damién Carmos】
‘Ah.’
As the figure appeared, the status window automatically displayed information about him.
[Warning! Target is afflicted by a Constellation's Curse.]
Common blonde hair in this world, and somewhat crazed eyes.
"Kukuk, Princess. There's nowhere left to run. Today, you and I..."
That bastard, the last one chasing Aisella down the hallway, was the main villain of the tutorial and a foreign prince.
Apparently, he had secretly made a contract with a Constellation for the sake of his family.
‘Idiot.’
Look at him, making a contract just because it was with a Constellation.
His reason lost, his mouth dripping with desire.
Can that even be considered human anymore?
No, he was nothing more than a monster that needed to be eliminated.
"Help, help me..."
As the crawling noble begged for his life, the fiancé approached with a wicked smile.
-Chwaak!
What followed was the bestowal of eternal rest.
This was the day of the Golden Sun bastard’s grand circus show, possessed by a Constellation.
A grand party was held to celebrate the engagement, and he openly attacked the Princess and the nobles attending.
And the main mission of the tutorial was to have your Followers stop the Golden Sun’s tyranny.
‘At this point…’
The Religious Order was still small, and the number of Followers was low.
Brand new newbies, just spawned into the Game, would be scrambling around in confusion.
But I, already rotten to the core, am different.
I had made all the preparations to clear the Game optimally.
And what you need to survive as a weak Constellation is strong Followers.
-Kwaang!!
A wall exploded outwards with a loud crash.
Revealed amidst the thick dust cloud was a female Follower with flowing red hair.
‘Our Lisia.’
Our filial daughter Lisia, whom I pulled from the starting package, had arrived on the scene.
“...!”
It was a moment of pure admiration.
Seeing her like this in reality, after only seeing stiff graphics in the Game… the level of vividness was different.
It was a special experience, a moment shared during my struggles with low Progress.
‘This happened too.’
With a warm heart, I watched Lisia's actions.
“.....”
Lisia entered the building without a word and calmly surveyed her surroundings.
Piles of corpses, a burning interior, and…
The thick traces of a Constellation.
“Keureureureu…"
Monsters reshaped by the Constellation's grasp drooled at the intruder.
Their levels, displayed above their heads, were similar to Lisia's, making it seem potentially dangerous.
But in this world, in this Game, there was a Grade that was valued higher than level.
『S』
Our filial daughter, boasting the highest efficiency, displayed a combat prowess of a different class, swiftly clearing the interior of the mansion.
“Kkweep!"
“Kkeuek!"
Monsters falling with a single punch.
Despite their horrific appearances, their ends were pathetically simple.
After roughly taking care of the situation, Lisia looked up at me.
“....”
‘...Huh?’
[To replay the tutorial, please control your Follower.]
Ah.
Since it's a simulation, I have control, right?
I mentally instructed her to protect the Princess, and Lisia's avatar moved accordingly.
Proceeding straight towards the center of the Disturbance with Lisia, I found the hallway already littered with the bodies of dead Knights.
The fate of those who tried to protect their Princess.
Even if they were strong from a human perspective, their opponent was a Constellation's sponsor.
Essentially, a being of the same nature as our Lisia.
‘It's cheap to push with Grade.’
Leaving behind the pitiful victims of this one-sided slaughter, I guided Lisia further inside to grasp the truth of the incident.
And what we faced was…
“...I will offer you to the Constellation, and raise my homeland to an untouchable position, Kukuk.”
“Don’t, don't touch me…!”
The Golden Sun, excited at the thought of offering a sacrifice, and the terrified Princess.
Here, we had smoothly rescued her according to the tutorial.
-Peok! Peok!
“Ugh…!”
As I put down the bloodied Golden Sun, the tutorial quest was completed.
The Golden Sun's Constellation, seemingly having lost interest after losing its pawn, obediently erased its presence from him.
‘...No.’
To be precise, it pretended to erase it.
The true hidden villain of this tutorial immediately targeted the Princess right there.
“Huk, Keuk…!”
My breath caught in my throat as I observed the Princess's agonizing state. Just as I remembered, she was on the verge of being dominated by a Constellation.
'Right.'
Now, it all comes back to me with crystal clarity.
That day, in this very place, I saved the Princess from a Constellation's clutches.
And the Princess I rescued was filled with venom in her eyes.
"I... I despise you all, you Constellations...!"
What lovely words of gratitude after being saved.
Aisella Carsein, at that time, was bristling with thorns.
On the verge of losing everything to a Constellation, her savior was also a Constellation's apostle?
Constellations, Constellations, everywhere.
It's enough to make anyone sick of them.
But that's the fault of the Princess born into this world, a mere plaything of the Constellations.
'Whoa, whoa.'
I stopped Lisia, who looked ready to slap the Princess silly.
She's like this even in the simulation.
It's not bad, feeling her Love for me.
"You, in the end, must want my body too....! This cursed talent."
Talent.
Aisella Carsein's talent.
[Special Privilege: Child Blessed by the Stars (S)]
A unique Special Privilege that buffs the Followers within the Religious Order if a high Affinity is maintained with her.
Back then, the Community was overflowing with methods to recruit Aisella Carsein.
But it didn't mean much to me.
There were plenty of alternatives to that Special Privilege, and I was confident I could Cover it.
It's a tempting Special Privilege for newbies who exude a horny aura, but it's useless to me.
So I refused.
And since I was refusing anyway, I tried to give her some 'Objectification' using the power of the Special Privilege.
Any other human would have their head explode and die, but the Princess's talent made it possible.
So, I just showed her briefly.
How insignificant and laughable the Princess's existence was in this vast Universe.
[Would you like to share your Vision with Princess 'Aisella Carsein'? ]
How many Constellations are watching this place from beyond this world.
This world is far too cruel to hate it based on mere personal feelings.
"H-huk...!"
Aisella, sharing my Vision through Lisia, faced a fragment of the Universe.
Her dust-covered pink hair became dishevelled, and her entire body was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
But her eyes were full of alertness.
After thousands of stars passed through her pupils, Aisella finally stopped her hatred for Constellations and became still.
'That's it.'
That's where my knowledge, and the in-Game Progress, ended.
Princess Aisella continued to express her willingness to cooperate with the Religious Order after that.
And as everyone knows, I've repeatedly rejected her requests.
I wanted a business partner, not a ticking time bomb Follower.
The risk is too great to bring her in, tempted by her beauty.
And if I keep refusing, she's bound to get tired and give up.
At least in the Game I'd played to death, Ragnarok, that was the standard route.
'But why...'
Amidst the lingering questions...
Suddenly, a message window popped up in the corner of my vision.
[Princess 'Aisella Carsein' gains a profound Realization from sharing your Vision!]
...Huh?
I blinked in disbelief.
What Realization?
[After contact with you, Aisella witnessed the existence of you, a Constellation, within the flow of countless stars. A being filled with warmth and Love. In this world overflowing with evil, your existence was exceptionally special and precious.]
"Ah."
And the System began to reveal the Truth behind that hidden causality.
['Aisella Carsein' realized that day how insignificant and fragile human status, wealth, and honor are. And what she must do to find true happiness.]
"...I promise to serve you, right here and now."
The hidden Truth within the Game is revealed here and now.
No, wait. This level of detail is cheating.
'Hey, man.'
[Hidden Quest: 'The Princess Who Faced the Truth of the Stars' has been cleared!]
[Princess 'Aisella Carsein' has sensed the immense Divine Power within you.]
My Divine Power.
I don't know at what point this Divine Power is from, but it doesn't sound like good news.
'There has to be a reason for this.'
I need to create distance.
I needed to create distance.
She's the infamous six-star Villainess.
A bad NPC who lures and preys on poor newbies with her alluring appearance.
[Princess 'Aisella Carsein's' Affinity has greatly increased!]
[Princess 'Aisella Carsein' of the Regarium Kingdom pledges Loyalty to you.]
[The amount of Faith Level gained from your Followers increases.]`
Feeling dazed, I ended the Tutorial review.
#
"....”
Back in my room.
Or rather, the room the Royal Family prepared for me.
Looking out the window, bathed in the pale Moonlight, I organized my thoughts.
'What do I do?'
So, that was the reason she applied to join the Religious Order in the Game.
Regardless of the situation, Aisella's love call will continue, and I'll have to keep rejecting her.
But with a touch of finesse.
'Do you... dislike me?'
A blunt refusal would only cause resentment.
It's an unbeatable checkmate.
"Damn it."
I didn't know this would happen.
If I had known, I wouldn't have stopped Lisia from going to slap her that day.
['Aisella Carsein' Worships you.]
"....”
[Some Constellations are Jealous of the Princess's attention.]
"What the..."
Feeling a sense of emptiness at the absurd news, a notification rang from the Community window.
[Black Sun's Incarnation: The Princess of the Regarium Kingdom was a 'talent' everyone coveted.]
"I don't want her. You guys can have her."
[Black Sun's Incarnation: ...Anyway, it's going to get a bit annoying now. Even for you, most Constellations are crazy.]
Truthful words I haven't heard in a while.
[Would you like to inflict a Curse on the 'Black Sun' Religious Order?]
"You're the one who deserves a Curse."
[Black Sun's Incarnation: KYAAAAAH!!]
After punishing the annoying bastard, I started racking my brain.
...Should I just flip everything upside down?