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As a consequence of using the dragon’s magic, I was disqualified.

I thought I’d be immediately escorted to the Empire after that.

“...Am I really allowed to go with you?”

I was currently waiting outside the arena with Duke of Whitewood.

Hearing my question, Duke of Whitewood looked back at me as if I had asked something obvious.

“Didn’t you yourself speak of the plan to assassinate the saintess? Then, the one who reported it should naturally stay involved.”

In truth, I had planned to negotiate and remain here no matter what.

Given the many variables that could cause the scenario to veer off course, I needed to intervene and steer it toward the proper timeline, even just a little.

However, without any need for such maneuvering, Duke of Whitewood had simply brought me here without hesitation.

Of course, this was a highly welcome turn of events for me.

‘Did she possibly realize my intentions and bring me along on purpose?’

It might have been an overly ambitious thought, but Duke of Whitewood’s insight was extraordinary.

If it were her, she might have noticed at least part of my plan.

Clink—

Meanwhile, Duke of Whitewood ordered a royal knight to unlock the handcuffs on my wrists.

The relief of being freed was palpable.

But still...

“What if I decide to escape like this?”

“Ha ha, try running if you want.”

There was no chance I’d escape.

If I followed along as things stood, I’d gain legitimate permission to use the dragon’s magic.

More importantly, escaping from Duke of Whitewood was out of the question.

Even if I fought with all my strength, I wouldn’t stand a chance against her at my current level.

She knew all this and still said what she did.

Of course, I was the one who had foolishly tested her.

“So, tell me your thoughts on this assassination attempt on the saintess.”

Duke of Whitewood dismissed the royal knights, allowing me to speak freely.

“Who are the individuals behind the plot to assassinate the saintess?”

“They are high priests from the Holy Kingdom of Lium and one cardinal.”

“Hmmm, and their motive?”

She didn’t ask how I came by this information.

That was a question for later.

For now, the focus was on why the perpetrators had planned such an act.

“The Holy Kingdom has two rulers, as you know.”

“King Lium and the Pope, correct.”

Normally, the term Pope would be used, but the Empire had decreed that the title of Emperor belonged solely to Hysirion.

As a result, even the Holy Church was forced to use Pope-King instead of Pope.

“The balance of power between the Pope-King and King Lium was originally stable.

But the emergence of one individual completely disrupted that equilibrium.”

“You’re talking about the saintess, Acrede Saint Narea.”

Duke of Whitewood immediately gave the answer.

She was a duke of the Empire.

Although she wasn’t deeply involved in the Empire’s current political affairs, she was naturally well-versed in global events.

Thus, even without me explaining, the story flowed seamlessly from her mouth.

“The emergence of the saintess destabilized the balance of power between the Pope-King and King Lium, and before King Lium could be pushed aside by the Pope-King, he sought to eliminate the saintess. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The ones attempting to assassinate the saintess were priests aligned with King Lium and one cardinal.

Having understood everything, Duke of Whitewood stroked her chin thoughtfully.

“But wouldn’t such an act cause trouble for King Lium himself?”

“It would, if it became known that the saintess’s death was ordered by King Lium.”

Duke of Whitewood’s eyes sharpened.

“King Lium brought in an outside organization, didn’t he?”

“Yes, a fanatical cult known as the Mysticism.”

“Pfft, ha ha ha!”

Duke of Whitewood burst into laughter.

I could understand her reaction.

The Mysticism was a group she had personally crushed with her own hands.

Her eyes glinted with murder.

“So those vermin have still managed to squirm around under my nose.”

The fanatical cult known as the Mysticism.

They believed that all humans should achieve ultimate transcendence through mysticism and enlightenment.

To achieve their goals, they required two things:

First, the denial of gods rooted in this world.

Mysticism, which was considered heretical for failing to become divine, was seen by them in a different light.

To them, Mysticism represented the ultimate form that life could attain.

Thus, they believed the world would only prosper truly if all traces of divinity were eradicated.

Second, the transformation of all living beings into Mysteries.

Since they preached that ultimate transcendence could only be achieved through Mysticism, they sought to convert all humans into Mysteries.

In fact, they had a history of capturing humans and forcibly mystifying them.

Duke of Whitewood, who single-handedly stopped them, was furious about this.

As a result, she went on a crusade, relentlessly wiping them out.

But they survived with cockroach-like tenacity.

And now, they were once again trying to impose their will.

“Lately, there’s been an increase in occurrences of Mysteries.”

“Yes, that’s their doing.”

Mysteries, which were twisted entities that failed to become divine, were artificially created by the Mysticism cult.

I clenched my fists quietly.

This was because the Steel Empress that appeared in the Spirit Forest was also their creation.

‘The Steel Empress is a subtle hint of the Mysticism’s presence.’

And this incident was the episode that brought the Mysticism to the forefront of the storyline.

The Mysticism was a troublesome faction within the story.

They increased the occurrence of problematic Mysteries.

Later, they even allied with the Duke of Robliage.

Thus, how thoroughly the Mysticism was dealt with during the storyline greatly impacted the difficulty of the final scenario.

In other words, the more the Mysticism was eradicated, the better.

That’s why I intended to root them out completely wherever possible.

“Alright, this changes things significantly.”

Even Duke of Whitewood couldn’t interfere in the Holy Kingdom’s internal power struggles.

But with the Mysticism involved, it was a different story.

The Mysticism was a group officially designated as criminals by the Empire and numerous other nations.

Duke of Whitewood now had a solid reason to intervene.

“And now I understand why you know so much about this.”

Duke of Whitewood’s gaze turned to me.

“You were approached by the Mysticism, weren’t you?”

I bore traces of Mystery.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Mysticism had reached out to me.

They were exceedingly lenient toward those touched by Mysticism.

‘Though, in truth, the Mysticism has never approached me directly.’

In the story, the Mysticism also contacted Lucas.

Like me, Lucas bore the steel body.

As such, he naturally drew their attention.

However, unlike Lucas, the Mysticism had shown no interest in me.

‘Well, I suppose I’m not Lucas, after all.’

Perhaps I simply didn’t meet their criteria.

But that was my perspective.

From Duke of Whitewood’s point of view, it wasn’t unreasonable to suspect the Mysticism might approach me at any time.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Given that my knowledge of the saintess’s assassination attempt could be attributed to the Mysticism, there was no reason not to use this misunderstanding to my advantage.

I quickly raised my hand, and Whitewood began to pat my head vigorously.

"Indeed, my eyes were right. It was worth saving the boy with the Hero Special Act."

Whitewood has a fondness for individuals walking the path of heroes.

In her eyes, I must look like someone destined for such a path.

But all I’m doing is desperately piecing things together.

"Now then, when do you think the mysteries will strike, boy?"

"I believe it will be the moment the saintess returns to the Kingdom of Lium."

When the saintess, weary from an international exhibition, lets her guard down the most.

At that moment, the cardinal and priests leave an opening for the mysteries.

In the process, several priests die, and the cardinal is gravely injured while resisting the mysteries.

Yet, ultimately, they fail to protect the saintess.

As a result, the Holy Church is shaken to its core by the loss of the saintess, who was a divine gift from the goddess.

‘Though, it would be ideal if it ended there.’

The failure to prevent the saintess’ assassination is one of the bad endings.

Bad Ending

The Goddess’ Disappointment

Due to the power struggles within the Holy Kingdom, the child blessed by the goddess dies.

It’s only natural for the goddess to feel disappointment.

However, this bad ending is slightly different from the usual ones.

Because the game itself remains playable.

The real problem lies afterward.

【 The goddess retracts her grace, and all divine power vanishes. 】

The disappearance of divine power.

This causes the priests of the Flame Butterfly faction to completely vanish.

The critical absence of the healer role.

From that point on, the Flame Butterfly arc becomes exponentially harder.

No matter how good a party one assembles,

the lack of a healer means casualties pile up steadily.

Even with someone like Grantoni, a spirit summoner, filling the gaps,

that only works for the protagonist's party.

Other parties entering the Demon Dungeon are utterly annihilated.

As a result, every academy student perishes.

The saturation of the apostles’ corruption spirals out of control,

and ultimately, the Demon Sovereign descends.

That is the bad ending, "The Goddess' Disappointment."

Naturally, it’s one of the bad endings that must be prevented at all costs.

So, I’ve made preparations.

"Then we’ll have to chop them into tiny little pieces to be sure."

The mysteries’ greatest fear.

The hero of heroes, Whitewood.

‘My finest gift.’

Do accept it with gratitude.

* * *

The Goddess’ Wings.

Dragon Ascension.

And even a student being captured as a price for learning the magic of the Ancient Dragons.

The main tournament was nothing short of utter chaos.

But the shockwaves they delivered were unmatched.

The audience could hardly focus on the other matches in the tournament.

"Wings of the Goddess? I never thought I’d see such a thing in my lifetime."

"Forget that; how about the Ancient Dragon’s magic? It was the real deal after all!"

Even as the main tournament progressed, the audience kept gossiping about the very first match of the Round of 64.

The clash between Hannon and Isabel had yielded no definitive result.

Both had unleashed their full strength in their collision,

and Hannon had been promptly taken away afterward.

Because of that, people debated who had the upper hand between the two.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by the crowd,

a man stepped onto the stage.

A young man with ash-gray hair, wearing a slightly irritated expression.

His name was Solvas Umbra,

known as the Shadow’s Son.

Normally, his trademark was an air of perpetual ease, but in this tournament, he struggled to maintain a smile.

The reason?

None other than Hannon Irey, who had appeared in the previous match.

In the qualifiers, Solvas had suffered humiliation at his hands.

Determined to take revenge, he had eagerly awaited the main tournament,

only for Hannon to steal all the spotlight and then promptly vanish.

Even now, it was the same.

Not a single person in the audience was focusing on the ongoing matches.

It was as if they had already seen the tournament finals.

To Solvas, it was beyond humiliating.

‘That bastard.’

Solvas clenched his teeth in frustration.

Grinding

At that moment, the sound of teeth grinding reached his ears.

Frowning, Solvas turned his head in confusion.

A gust of wind sent azure hair fluttering.

Solvas flinched instinctively.

Beneath that azure hair,

eyes as sharp as flames glared at him with an icy fury.

Grinding

Once again, her teeth ground audibly.

Solvas recognized her.

The unyielding azure flame.

Eve.

His opponent in the upcoming match.

"Hannon Irey."

Her eyes blazed with such intense anger that even Solvas, despite himself, felt a chill.

"I will not let this slide."

For some reason, Eve was absolutely furious.

"Let the match begin!"

At the announcer’s call, Eve’s azure flames surged to the heavens with ferocious intensity.

Even the spectators, who had been distracted by earlier matches, were stunned into paying attention.

Realizing he had become the target of her wrath,

Solvas quietly closed his eyes, casting a meager shadow in the face of Eve’s overwhelming flames.

Six stars or not,

how did things come to this?

He sighed inwardly, the weight of the situation pressing down.

"Hannon, you bastard."