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Chapter 05
Damn this cursed sense of direction.
Leonhard had proven his competence in every field after one incident after another, but perhaps the gods were fair, because he could never escape the flaw of being completely, utterly directionally challenged.
Of course, the clueless princess had done nothing wrong.
Even if your sense of direction is lacking…
Those bright, innocent words were all like daggers, but if Leonhard had known just how severe his condition was, he wouldn’t have said things like that.
- N-not that way… this, this way.
Following the attendant, his expression eventually twisted, and the unfortunate servant trembled as he guided him.
Leonhard sighed and draped his coat over the chair.
Noticing the roughness in his movements, William opened his mouth with a mix of curiosity and concern.
“Did something happen? You took quite a while.”
“…I met the princess. She was heading to the Sacred Blood Altar with the Saint.”
“The Sacred Blood Altar?”
At the serious mention, William straightened his posture.
“So she used changing her dress as an excuse to go to the altar. Just as our investigation suggested, the princess seems closely connected to the holy relic.”
William continued seriously, but there was no response.
When he turned his gaze, Leonhard was sprawled across the sofa.
Seeing the prince lying there without even changing his clothes, William slowly realized what must have happened.
“…William. Am I really that damn directionally challenged?”
“……”
“Not just slightly worse than average… right?”
So that was it.
William pretended not to know and picked up a letter from the table.
“Your Highness, I found out that the First Prince has sent a marriage proposal to Princess Charlotte.”
“Are you changing the subject right now?”
“This seems more urgent.”
At that, Leonhard’s expression hardened, but it was undeniably true.
“So he’s trying to build ties with Singkester through marriage to the princess.”
“More like a political gesture to get in good favor. Unless he’s insane, Singkester won’t agree to marry into Blake.”
“……”
“Why don’t you try using your looks too, Your Highness? I hear you’re far more handsome than the First Prince in Blake.”
At William’s words, Leonhard—who had been rubbing his face—slowly lowered his hands.
His eyes, which had burned like flames under the sun, were now soaked with exhaustion.
“I should just practice finding my way instead.”
In <SSS>, there were five continents and six oceans.
Each continent had a divine kingdom, and historically, none of those kingdoms had ever allowed foreign invasion.
This was thanks to the three sacred relics bestowed by God.
Because of that, they created the Sacred Blood Altar, reinforced with multiple layers of barriers, and stored the relics there for protection across generations.
Only the Pope, the relic keeper (me), the Saint Aurora, and two high priests were allowed inside the altar.
After parting with the prince, the two of us entered the barrier of the Sacred Blood Altar.
Inside, Erdan’s divine power filled the space like a greenhouse—soft and warm.
“The Emperor’s barrier is still at an exceptional level.”
“Ten layers. Even the best priests or mages wouldn’t be able to break through it.”
The altar was solemn and quiet.
Feeling the pressure, we walked silently along the pure white stone path until we reached the altar platform.
On top of it, covered in golden wool, three sacred relics were neatly placed.
A crown made of laurel leaves.
A massive ivory horn.
A mirror made entirely of pure gold.
At a glance they seemed ordinary, but they were divine relics bestowed by the main god of the Elysium continent, “Elisia.”
Aurora carefully examined each one and muttered.
“There’s no abnormality. I was worried there might be intrusion since so many foreigners are entering the palace, but it seems fine.”
“Right. If something were wrong, the relics would have warned us first.”
If anyone harbored ill intent, one of the three relics would have sounded an alarm, and then Cedric would have led the elite holy knight order to eliminate them before they even stepped into the capital.
That was how Singkester’s history of inviolability was maintained.
“That prince must have just gotten lost. This kingdom has never been conquered in over 5,000 years.”
I patted Aurora’s shoulder as she sighed in relief.
“Both in the past, now, and in the future, our kingdom will remain strong.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Trust me.”
Aurora smiled faintly and linked arms with me again.
“I trust the relics, not you.”
“……”
Seriously, just how low was my credibility with Aurora?
Sure, I had slightly… taken advantage of a few people here and there, but that was absolutely for the noble purpose of changing the original story.
A few minor incidents, yes—but nothing major.
As I briefly reflected on my past and started to feel guilty, I quickly forced a bright smile.
“Alright, whatever! Let’s go back then.”
After leaving the altar with Aurora, I immediately headed to the princess’s library.
On one side of the desk lay an expensive box containing a bracelet with a blue orb.
A magical communication artifact.
Since I had no divine power, I couldn’t use relics that required it, so I had to rely on magical tools instead.
Among magical items, there were mana-infused “mana stones” that even ordinary people could use.
Honestly, life must be hard for powerless villainesses.
Writers really should give side characters some special abilities.
That way they could create harsher trials for the heroine and strengthen her romance with the male lead.
I grumbled as I put on the bracelet and placed my hand on the crystal orb, chanting and calling out the name of a white owl.
“Sir Aron, I have a request. I’ll be waiting in the study.”
White Owls.
They were the shadow knights of the Singkester royal family.
They were called knights, but in reality they handled intelligence gathering, communication, and infiltration—so it felt like the author simply named them “owls.”
Not long after I sent the message, a man slipped silently through the window.
“Your Highness, you called for me?”
As I stood up from the desk, Aron immediately knelt on one knee.
With brown hair and a sturdy build, he didn’t look like someone who worked in the shadows.
“Sir Aron, I’d like you to investigate the 6th Prince of Blake who will attend the upcoming banquet.”
“Leonhard Blake, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“May I ask specifically what you want investigated?”
“Same as when we handled Knox Glaston. Gather as much information as possible. Even the color of the pen he uses… no, the nib.”
Knox Glaston was a villain in the original <SSS> who brought Singkester to the brink of destruction.
I had the White Owls investigate everything about him—including the fact that he hated eggplant fries—and then eliminated him.
Not that I killed him with eggplant fries.
“Yes, I will gather everything as quickly as possible.”
Aron immediately nodded and disappeared out the window just as silently as he had arrived.
“He really is good at his job.”
I stared at the open window for a while, then sighed at the stack of documents on the desk.
It was a list of guests attending tomorrow’s ball and their details.
In particular, the twenty men I would dance with were described across three full pages, front and back. A masterpiece of Abigail’s dedication.
“Marriage, huh.”
Truthfully, I planned to leave the kingdom after the banquet and travel across the continent.
I had worked myself to death changing the original story. Now it was time to live comfortably.
If I married, I could become a noble lady—or at worst, even a queen or empress.
In novels, noble ladies might live without lifting a finger, but this was reality.
I had already struggled just memorizing Singkester’s royal lineage—did I really want to start a second life memorizing another family tree after marriage?
Goodbye, characters of <SSS>—main and side alike~~
I’m shedding all chains and constraints of the original story and heading off to find my happiness.
