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Walking slowly, one step at a time, Arianne reached me and glared at me fiercely.
“You are…”
Recognizing my face, a flicker of momentary bewilderment passed over her features.
“Aren’t you Sir Hereis’s maid? What are you doing here? Moreover…”
Arianne trailed off as her eyes swept over me from head to toe.
‘Ah, I didn’t get a chance to change…’
I was still wearing the knight’s uniform I had put on to convince the villagers. It seemed I had accidentally committed the act of impersonating a knight long before I could even try impersonating the Saintess.
“Um, that is…”
“Where did you get that uniform? Did you steal it?”
Ding!
…!!
Are you seriously telling me to be a contrarian in this situation?
Before the timer ran out, my mind raced through the options, and I quickly opened my mouth.
“There’s a reason for all of this. It’s just…”
“Impersonating a knight is a serious crime. Oh, and since you stole the uniform, we can add theft to the list.”
I tried to add something to salvage the situation, but Arianne cut me off before I could even start. The atmosphere froze over, and I swallowed hard.
‘I do have one idea.’
I shot her the most pitiful, sorrowful look I could muster. This was something I had learned from Mina; I had been on the receiving end of it so many times that I knew this “sparkling eyes” look was surprisingly effective at lowering someone’s guard. It was perfect for appealing to the fact that I was insignificant and harmless!
“What’s with that look?”
“I have my reasons… I swear I wasn’t doing anything strange. Please, just trust me once.”
Arianne let out a small sigh, looking as if the wind had been taken out of her sails.
“Sigh. I’ll give you time to explain. But not here. Follow me.”
…That actually worked.
It was funny, but maybe Mina had been practicing a highly advanced social—no, survival skill all along.
“It would be improper for me to punish Sir Hereis’s maid according to my own whims.”
Ah, never mind.
My brief moment of cringing at my own embarrassment was cut short as we arrived at the largest tent in the area.
‘Is this Commander Frederick’s tent…?’
Inside, a man was pacing anxiously. The silhouette was familiar; it was the protagonist.
“Is the Commander still not back?”
“No. I have no idea where he’s gone while all this chaos is breaking out.”
“Sigh. Really. I shudder to think what would have happened if Sir Hereis hadn’t been patrolling the village at that moment.”
“Yeah… wait. Who’s that behind you?”
“I found a knight impersonator suspiciously wandering the streets, so I brought them in.”
“What?”
The protagonist leaned to the side to look past Arianne at me.
-No way
-It’s definitely Belita
-Oh my god
-LOL you got caught
-Still wearing the knight uniform?
“…”
“Did you know this person was here?”
Arianne continued, staring at me coldly.
“If you didn’t, then for the crime of daring to impersonate an honorable knight of our Empire, I will take them into custody and send them to the nearest city’s guard station.”
The protagonist started to speak but hesitated. Simultaneously, the time around me slowed down in an eerie fashion.
‘Another choice.’
And the contents were…
“Ah~ who should I side with?”
-Isn’t impersonating a knight a felony in that era?
-Even in modern society, impersonating a public official is a felony.
-But are you really gonna abandon Belita?
-If he defends her, Arianne’s affection level is gonna tank.
Ding!
Conflicting opinions and an unreadable flood of chat messages poured in. Mo Je-won looked away from the monitor and spoke as if possessed.
“Everyone, a thought just occurred to me.”
-??
“Seeing how every single choice involving her is this difficult, I’m convinced Belita is the hidden heroine.”
-Actually plausible
-Oh
-Fr
“The difficulty is insane. Isn’t it basically ‘die if you don’t know’ level?”
-That’s true
-It’s a miracle you’re still alive
“Ah, whatever! I’m defending her. We decided to believe in our Belita! Let’s go for the hidden route!”
Mo Je-won, fixated on an impulsive point, charged forward without a backup plan. But live streams are always vulnerable to this kind of momentum. Before long, the public opinion shifted toward trusting Belita.
-LOL
-I agree
-This is the way
-Je-won is so devoted lol. He’d make a good husband.
-He stopped being devoted the moment he gave up on Edelina;;
-Oh right lol
“Sir Arianne, wait.”
The moment time normalized and Arianne was about to call her subordinate knights, the protagonist intervened.
“Wait, Sir Arianne. Belita is a girl I cherish.”
“…”
“I only just found out myself that she followed us on the expedition. Let’s calm down for a second and hear what happened.”
“Well, very well. I didn’t particularly want to detain Sir Hereis’s maid either.”
“Thank you.”
“No need for thanks. That’s only on the premise that she hasn’t actually done anything wrong.”
I almost got detained. Vivid memories of the dizzying prologue flashed through my mind.
“Now, tell us. Why were you walking the streets in a knight’s uniform? That area was supposed to be completely evacuated and off-limits, so how did you even get in?”
“Yeah. I was curious too. Why did you call me to that mountain? And why did you follow this expedition?”
“Called you to the mountain?”
“She told me the magic beasts were coming down from the north side of the village. Belita summoned me there. It might be a coincidence, but thanks to that, I was able to rescue the residents.”
“Is that so…?”
The two of them were fully on guard, eyeing me with suspicion. It was obvious that a clumsy lie wouldn’t work during this interrogation.
‘I thought I was safe, and now I’m in a crisis again.’
Encountering Arianne was a variable I hadn’t planned for. I couldn’t think of a good excuse to resolve this situation. It was a bit earlier than intended, but I had no choice but to pull my next plan forward.
‘It’s sad, but I’m about to be treated like a crazy person.’
Well, it was more productive to lay the groundwork than to just stall for time. Operation <Maybe the Real Saintess Was Me All Along> starts now.
I put on my thickest skin and spoke with a straight face.
“Actually… I can see the future.”
Most of the game unfolds from the protagonist’s first-person perspective, but occasionally, it shifts to the viewpoint of other characters.
‘So right now, it’s Arianne.’
Since I could read her thoughts, a chance to make good use of this might come. Anyway, calling me crazy and delusional?
‘That’s a bit much.’
Even if I felt slighted, there was no time to stop talking. Not wanting to be dragged off to a mental hospital, I quickly presented my evidence.
“It’s the truth. You know it, don’t you? If I hadn’t summoned Sir Hereis to that spot, every person in that village would be dead by now.”
The protagonist’s eyes wavered—subtly, but unmistakably. In the midst of that, Arianne’s monologue continued to flow…
-Ouch, that’s harsh
-Too mean ㅠㅠ
Thanks for the compliment. It’s enough to bring a tear to my eye…
-Is Belita actually the mastermind?
A spy and a mastermind. All sorts of theories are popping up. I understand. It’s a reasonable misunderstanding to have.
‘But now is the time to endure it and move on.’
“Belita. I know you’re scared, but you have to tell the truth. Only then can I help you.”
To make matters worse, the protagonist sided with Arianne’s sentiment.
“In a short while, the Commander of the Berha Knights, Ilian Ruthi, will visit to meet with the Commander.”
I cut off Arianne’s monologue, which was becoming too much to bear.
“What?”
“The Commander is currently away. Therefore, Sir Hereis, as the Vice-Commander, will receive him instead.”
The protagonist wore an expression that said he didn’t understand a word I was saying, but I ignored him and continued.
“He will say he was passing through this route to escort pilgrims. He’ll say that upon hearing the commotion and coming to the village, he judged it to be a situation where help was needed, so he came looking for you.”
“And soon, another raid will come. On a scale incomparably larger than the previous one.”
At that moment, while the two of them were unable to hide their absurdity at my ridiculous words, a subordinate knight rushed in without permission.
“Vice-Commander! The Holy Knights have requested an audience.”
“What?”
Arianne and Hereis stared at me simultaneously. See? Just like I said, right? I wore an expression that said exactly that.
“Um… Commander? What should we do?”
“Tell them to come in.”
Soon, the tent flap was pulled back, and a man wearing a snow-white knight’s uniform, contrasting with the Imperial Knights, walked in. This man was Ilian Ruthi.
‘Despite hearing his name so many times, this is the first time I’m seeing him.’
The stolen Holy Relic in my possession weighed on my mind subtly…
“I was passing by this area and heard things were a bit noisy. I came out of concern, but it seems the situation is already settled.”
“Indeed. Thank you for your concern, but there are no casualties, and it seems we won’t be needing your assistance.”
The three of them exchanged greetings with light handshakes. Ilian looked at me standing awkwardly, but perhaps dismissing me as just ‘Subordinate Knight A’, he quickly looked away.
“That’s a relief. Then again, this is the Imperial Knights led by Commander Frederick; it seems our interference was presumptuous. Ah, of course, it seems Sir Frederick isn’t here right now. But you two are such outstanding individuals yourselves.”
“Thank you for the undeserved praise.”
…!
I almost burst out laughing…
-LOL
-She’s roasting him without even taking a breath
Ilian, who had no way of reading Arianne’s thoughts, smiled gently with his characteristically pleasant face and introduced himself.
“Ah, my introduction is late. I am Ilian, the Commander of the Berha Holy Knights under the Order of Ralphican. I am accompanying the priests to escort them on their pilgrimage.”
On the other hand, the faces of the protagonist and Arianne turned pale as they heard his words.
-A prophet, damn
-Insane
In contrast to the excited viewers, Arianne’s monologue remained rational.
“Indeed, this vicinity is a pilgrimage route. Are you heading toward the Kingdom of Brishwin around Mount Ratatu?”
“You know it well. That’s correct. If I may ask, for what reason are the Imperial Knights here?”
“Well, just the regular magic beast subjugation we do periodically.”
“You work hard.”
“It is a task we do gladly for the safety of the citizens of the Empire.”
The conversation wrapped up in a reasonably amicable atmosphere.
“Well then, I shall—”
Ilian, about to say his goodbyes, was forced to stop.
Woooooooooo.
Because a bone-chilling cold seized the surroundings in an instant.
“This is…!”
Hereis and Arianne’s eyes met in mid-air, and without a word, both headed outside.
“Look at the sky!”
Following the commotion, I also stepped out of the tent and looked up at the sky.
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