Arc 3 : Prolouge

[Ariel PoV]

The academy break was drawing to a close. In two days, the welcoming ceremony for first-year students would begin, and academy life would resume as usual.

I was now officially a third-year student. Honestly, there weren't many formal lessons left at this stage, since the third year was meant for putting into practice everything learned during the first two years.

As a Priestess like myself, once I graduated, I'd be assigned to one of the Temple of Goddess Diana's branches somewhere within the Empire.

After that, Father would surely start looking for a husband for me.

I sighed and glanced to the side at the blond man walking beside me.

Brian... ever since his loss to Princess Alisha in the tournament finals, he'd remained gloomy like this. Even with several nobles expressing interest in him, Brian still seemed far from pleased.

Lately, I sometimes found myself wondering what actually motivated him to fight.

Watching him closely, it seemed everything he did was simply to draw attention to himself. Maybe Brian genuinely wanted to help others, but I felt he still lacked a certain maturity in how he went about it.

Still, we were friends, and friends ought to help each other through hard times, shouldn't they?

"Hey, Brian."

He turned to me at the sound of my voice.

"How long are you going to keep moping like this?" I asked him. "It's been a month since the tournament. You need to get back to your usual energetic self — aren't you the leader of the Swordmaster club now?"

That was true. Brian had become club leader. Many noble-born members had opposed it at first, but Brian had silenced them all with what he'd shown in the tournament.

"You need to show your new juniors the same passion for becoming knights that you have!"

Honestly, many students, especially those from common backgrounds, found real inspiration in Brian. Despite lacking the status and prestigious background nobles had, he'd managed to surpass them in ability.

That's exactly why Brian had become a symbol for them — proof that commoner students shouldn't be looked down on or dismissed.

Hearing my words, Brian smiled. "You're right, Ariel. I shouldn't be acting like this if I want to set an example for our juniors."

"Exactly! Losing a tournament isn't the end of everything!"

We continued on toward the Main Temple of Goddess Diana here in the city.

Arriving there, a crowd of citizens had already gathered around the temple grounds, eager to welcome the Saint candidates visiting before continuing their journey to the Holy City of Notredame, located in the eastern region of the Empire.

Though technically within Imperial territory, the Holy City of Notredame was actually an independent city-state, serving as the central seat of the Temple of Goddess Diana's authority.

"This place is so crowded," Brian remarked.

"Of course it is," I answered him. "You know, Brian, a Saint is a symbol of the Temple of Goddess Diana's teachings. Even a noble couldn't easily see one without a genuinely important reason!"

"So a Saint's status could actually rival a king or emperor!?" Brian said, sounding disbelieving.

"Even greater than that. A king or emperor only holds authority over the nation they rule," I explained to Brian. "But a Saint's authority extends to every follower of the Temple of Goddess Diana across this entire world."

"A Saint really is amazing, isn't she..." Brian murmured.

That's right — a Saint truly was remarkable. She was the most pure, kind, and generous girl in the world. She illuminated the darkness of humanity's worst impulses through her flawless character.

"Hey, hey, they've arrived!"

"Where, where! I want to see the Saint candidates!"

The gathered citizens began whispering excitedly among themselves as the procession carrying the four Saint candidates arrived at the area.

Flanking both sides of the procession, a formation of armored knights stood guard around the carriages carrying the four candidates. At the front of the formation, a knight in pale blue armor led the escort.

"Isn't that Knight Ludwig von Heisenberg!? One of the Holy Knights, known as the Water Dragon!?"

"That's right, that's right! I heard stories about him defeating hundreds of monsters attacking a village with his devastating magic!"

Holy Knights...

They were the strongest unit of knights operating under the Temple of Goddess Diana's authority. Their duty was to eliminate heretics, monsters, and demons still roaming the continent.

The Temple of Goddess Diana maintained a military organization called the Aques. Within this organization existed various units, each with different roles and specializations. But the Holy Knights stood at the very top of them all.

Before long, the procession came to a stop in front of the temple. The carriage doors opened, revealing four beautiful, graceful women stepping out one by one.

They smiled and waved to the gathered citizens.

"Look, they're smiling at me!"

"Don't be ridiculous! Only a true hero deserves the warmth of their smile!"

A hero, huh? Hearing those words, I glanced over at Brian. He was staring intently at the Saint candidates, seemingly captivated by their beauty.

I supposed it was only natural for him to be drawn to them.

A Saint was exactly the kind of woman every man ought to admire. There had never once, in history, been a Saint with a flawed appearance or character, since they served as this world's guiding light.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

I could never compare to them, full of shortcomings and a weak heart as I was. Still, I wished I could become like them, able to help others and bring happiness to everyone simply through my presence, just as they did now.

[Raul PoV]

While everyone's attention was fixed on the Saint candidates, I watched from a distance the woman who should have become a Saint in the game — Ariel.

I still couldn't understand why Ariel hadn't been chosen as one of the next Saint candidates. If I remembered correctly, candidate selection came purely through a ritual called Miracle Chosen.

A Vicar, the head of the Temple's authority, would perform this ritual alongside the Cardinals, and a name would then appear, written in Rune script.

The three candidates arriving today matched those from the game. But there was one name that differed, replacing Ariel's spot — Anastasia Romanova, Princess Alisha Romanova's younger sister.

According to the game's original storyline, Anastasia Romanova should have become Tsarina a few years from now, following the deaths of her sister and father.

Which meant the story's course had shifted once again, and the future would only grow murkier if this continued.

I needed to do something to steer things back onto the proper course, and that opportunity would arrive during the field practicum, set to begin in a month for the third-year class.

I needed to figure out a way to get Ariel chosen as Saint again, in line with the game's original story. I was certain she was the only one capable of fulfilling this role and repelling the demon invasion, should it eventually come to pass.

While watching Ariel, I noticed the ring Puppeteer had given me earlier beginning to glow. I quickly sought out a secluded spot before answering their summons.

Once I found a place I was certain no one would come across, I activated the rune on the ring.

I closed my eyes, and suddenly, my soul felt as though it were being pulled away by something. My head began to spin, and my stomach churned with nausea.

Once things settled back to normal, I opened my eyes. I found myself standing in a forest, the sky dark, as though it were nighttime.

Touching my face, I realized, for some reason, I was already wearing The Fool's mask.

"Hey, new guy, come over here already."

I turned around at the voice coming from behind me.

Three women and three men, all wearing masks, stood gathered around a bonfire.

I walked over toward them.

There was no mistaking it — they were the six Performers of The Masquerade, one of the antagonist factions in the game Path of Destiny.

"He really does look young," one man said, holding a large brush in his hand.

If I remembered correctly, he was the Painter, possessing the ability to bring anything he painted to life.

Beside him stood the Singer, who wielded illusion magic and could grant buffs to anyone who heard her singing. She served as the Painter's partner on missions.

"Hmmm... how old are you exactly?" asked a man with a bird perched on his shoulder.

He was the Tamer, capable of summoning Magical Beasts he'd formed contracts with.

Beside him stood a woman known as the Dancer. She wielded a short sword and possessed insane speed in combat. She served as the Tamer's partner on missions.

"Seems like you're still not used to Soul Jumping," Puppeteer said, looking at me with something like pity.

"Let's cut the small talk," interrupted a woman holding a book. "We're here to perform the Gift and Share Ritual for our new Performer."

She was the Keeper, the one who led the Performers and assigned them missions as members of The Masquerade.

"Come here and press your palm against a blank page of this book," the Keeper ordered.

I complied, stepping closer and placing my palm on a blank page of the book she held.

Before long, the word "Vengeance" appeared on the page, along with detailed information about this ability.

This was the Sharing process, where the book copied one of my Profound Codexes so it could be used among the other members of The Masquerade.

"We copy one member's Profound Codex so it can be shared and used by other members within this group," the Keeper said, looking at me. "In return, you'll receive another ability that's previously been copied into this book."

With this additional ability, I'd now hold a total of four Profound Codexes. I hoped I'd receive some kind of AoE ability, to make defeating my opponents easier.

The Keeper then closed the book. She murmured an incantation, and the book she held changed color, from red to black.

"Now, press your palm against the table of contents page," the Keeper instructed.

I did as she said. Glancing briefly, I could make out some impressive-looking abilities listed in the contents.

—Swooongg!

The book began to glow, and I pulled my hand away from the page. The book then flipped through its pages on its own, stopping at a particular page.

"Hmmm... the Profound Codex you've received is... Phantom Thief," the Keeper murmured.

Phantom Thief...?

Wait, let me think for a moment about what exactly this Profound Codex's ability actually does.

"It states here that the user can break any seal that exists in this world," the Keeper explained. "Nothing can restrain their movement, whether through sealing magic or any other kind of trap spell."

Ughhh... so I didn't get an AoE Profound Codex after all, huh? What a shame.

"I think this ability would suit infiltration missions quite well, wouldn't it?" the Painter said. "As it happens, we could use someone for exactly that kind of work."

Great, now I've become this organization's James Pond. Still, this ability would genuinely prove useful for escaping tricky situations, without having to worry about any spell restricting my movement.

Which meant it would be nearly impossible to capture me while this ability was active.

[??? PoV]

Some time ago, my lord, Regulus, summoned me to his residence. I didn't know what my lord wanted, but it seemed he'd received some kind of decree from the Demon King.

Right now, I was flying toward his residence at Vellachia Castle.

The sky in this world carried a strange mix of red and blue, a result of the growing imbalance in life energy plaguing this realm.

This had caused resources across this world to grow increasingly scarce, making it extremely difficult for us demons to reproduce here.

Truthfully, we didn't originate from this world at all. Our ancestors came from a world called Normandia, inhabited by humans, dwarves, elves, and other beings.

But long ago, our ancestors committed a forbidden act, one prohibited by Goddess Diana, ruler of that world.

Still, it wasn't entirely our fault. Acting on such instincts is simply our nature as demons, so it hardly seems fair that all the blame should fall on us.

Yet the Goddess refused to accept our reasoning and punished the demons by banishing us to this dreadful world instead.

Since then, we've sworn to return to Normandia one day and claim it as our own, in retribution for what the Goddess did to us.

Before long, I arrived at Lord Regulus's castle. He stood waiting at the front gate, as though expecting me.

"My lord, I — Vilmore — have come before you as commanded!" I said, kneeling before him.

"Rise, Vilmore," Lord Regulus said, smiling at me. "We have something important to discuss."

I stood as instructed and followed Lord Regulus into his castle.

We arrived in his chambers, where food and blood had already been prepared by the castle's attendants.

"Sit, and try this fresh blood, Vilmore," Lord Regulus said, taking his seat and drinking from a glass of blood on the table.

I followed his lead, sitting down and tasting the glass of blood on the table. My expression shifted slightly as I drank it.

"Our supply of humans, captured a hundred years ago, has run out," Lord Regulus said. "This is Bermouth blood."

The Bermouth were creatures that inhabited this world before we arrived. We demons hunted them for food and drink. Still, their taste was far inferior to that of humans.

"The Hero has been reborn in that world," Lord Regulus revealed.

The Hero? Weren't we planning to invade that world before long? Still, if this news proved true, he'd become a significant obstacle to our invasion, just as before.

"But according to His Majesty, the Hero hasn't yet reached his full strength. Which means we have an opportunity to kill him before we begin our invasion of that world."

I see. I think I know where this conversation is heading.

"Does my lord wish for me to cross into that world to find him?" I asked him.

"Precisely," my lord answered. "We high-ranking demons cannot simply pass through the barrier the Goddess has placed however we please."

That was true — demons with strong bloodline ties to our ancestors, like Lord Regulus, would be instantly annihilated if they forced their way into that world. But there was one method that had proven successful in breaking through.

Still, this method could only be used once every few hundred years, so it had to be timed with great precision.

"We can open a portal for a few demons like yourself to enter that world. You will locate the Hero and kill him before he reaches his peak strength."

If this truly serves the best interest of our race, then I will gladly sacrifice my own life to complete this task.

"Understood, my lord! I — Vilmore ur Salterin — shall fulfill the Demon race's hopes and kill the Hero without delay!"

With unwavering resolve, I will not falter, no matter how powerful an enemy awaits me there.