The Alliance

Helios's arrogant voice stabbed into my eardrums. It was the first thing he spat the moment he stepped down from the magic carriage.

I swallowed hard. Seeing him up close was utterly overwhelming. A face carved like a statue, a golden uniform that clung to him like a second skin—the S-class Crown Prince. Standing on the polished white stone pavement, he shone like the very sun of the empire itself.

Wow, that son of a bitch… He’s disgustingly handsome. Standing next to him makes me look like a pathetic squid.

I grumbled inside, but the overwhelming pressure rolling off an S-class made my legs tremble. Helios didn’t spare me a single glance. Still gripping Adelia’s hand, he spoke in a voice cold enough to freeze blood.

“Adelia. You were fifteen when the imperial family took you in after you became an orphan. Have you forgotten that grace?”

“……Your Highness.”

“It was a sacred engagement arranged by the imperial house. You, who are meant to become the empire’s sword, dare to tarnish my honor by associating with this nameless commoner… Have you no shame?”

Adelia’s face turned deathly pale. To her, the word “engagement” had never meant a vow of love. It was a shackle clamped around a lonely little girl who had lost her parents, branding her as the imperial family’s dog. Helios was now rattling that chain, openly claiming ownership.

I clenched my fists until my knuckles hurt. That bastard’s aura was no joke… it was terrifying. The feeling I’d gotten from reading the original novel was nothing compared to facing him in the flesh. The pressure made my heart feel like it was trying to claw its way out of my throat. But when I saw Adelia beside me—eyes trembling, body shaking—an inexplicable surge of defiance rose in my chest.

Adelia’s sanity had dropped five percent the instant she saw this damn Crown Prince. She was clutching the hem of my clothes, visibly frightened.

Anyone from the original story would have run away 100% in this situation… But I’m not them.

“Excuse me… Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

I spoke with a trembling voice.

“I’m sorry, but… don’t you think your words are a little too harsh?”

“……What?”

Helios turned his head. The look on his face was exactly what you’d give a cockroach that had suddenly learned to talk.

“Before she is the empire’s sword, Adelia is a person. And an engagement only has meaning when both sides cherish each other, doesn’t it? Forcing it when she clearly doesn’t want it seems… rather unbecoming of the man they call the Sun of the Empire.”

Silence fell. Every single person on the bustling street stood frozen with their mouths wide open. Helios’s face twisted in an instant.

“Haha… How utterly ridiculous.”

Uuuung—!

Golden killing intent exploded from his body like a storm.

“A mere worm dares to lecture the imperial family on its own laws?”

My breath stopped. I was going to die. This was real death. Right then—

Kiiiing!

A white back blocked my view. A chilling cold swept over me. Adelia had drawn her sword at some point and was now aiming it straight at the Crown Prince’s heart.

“Shut your mouth, Your Highness Helios.”

“……Adelia?”

“The imperial family, the engagement—none of it matters. If you lay so much as a fingertip on Roy… I’ll kill every last one of you.”

Adelia’s eyes burned crimson. It was a killing intent she had never shown once across 999 regressions—an intent that existed solely for me.

Yet Helios didn’t look flustered in the slightest. Instead, a twisted smile crept across his lips.

“Ha. So blinded by your little love game that you’ve lost even your sense of judgment. You seem to have forgotten, Adelia… In this empire, ‘power’ is the law.”

His once-gentle tone toward her had turned ice-cold.

Snap.

He flicked his fingers lightly.

Kugugugung!

The space around the waiting magic carriage rippled, and knights clad in golden full-plate armor rose from the shadows. One, two, three… Seven in total.

“This is insane…”

A despairing groan slipped from my lips. Sending seven S-class knights just to deal with one E-class student? But the real despair came after that.

The seven S-class knights parted like the Red Sea, bowing their heads in perfect sync. From the darkness behind the carriage, a white-haired old man slowly walked out, using a sword sheath like a cane.

He wore no flashy armor, carried no weapon. Just an elderly butler in a neat tailcoat. Yet every step he took caused the solid stone pavement to sink silently beneath his feet.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

This can’t be… Why is Sword Saint Bale here?

In the original novel Pilgrim of the Eternal Night, Bale should have already collapsed from illness and been recuperating—or dead. That was why Adelia had been the only SS-class power capable of checking the imperial family in the early stages. Yet here he was, perfectly healthy, walking out from behind Helios.

Did the story start twisting the moment I possessed Roy?

A chill ran down my spine. This wasn’t the scenario I knew. The only monster in the human race capable of standing toe-to-toe with SS-class Hero Adelia had just appeared.

“It has been a while, Miss Adelia. Your sword has grown rather dull.”

The old man offered a gentle yet chilling smile as he raised his sheath and pointed it at me.

“His Highness has given his command. Since you have also taken the Hero’s Oath, dispose of this foreign substance and return to the imperial palace.”

Adelia’s eyes shook violently. She knew. Facing both her master the Sword Saint and seven Royal Guards at the same time while protecting a burden like me was impossible.

I couldn’t breathe. This was… a fight we could never win.

Uuuung—!

Space itself screamed. At the tip of Sword Saint Bale’s sheath, an impossibly dense aura condensed, powerful enough to twist the air. There was no flashy chant, no grand gesture. The old man had simply thrust the sheath forward, yet the flow of the atmosphere had stopped completely.

“No…!”

Adelia screamed and threw herself forward to shield me. But the seven Royal Guards were faster.

Clang-clang-clang!

Seven swords were drawn at once, perfectly sealing off Adelia’s movements. The empire’s finest had created an iron wall formation with their lives on the line. In that instant when Adelia’s feet were bound—

Bale’s eyes gleamed coldly.

“Rest in peace.”

Flash!

A pure white streak of light shot from the tip of the sheath. An absolute power that could neither be dodged nor blocked. It was death itself, falling straight toward my neck like the blade of a guillotine.

I reflexively squeezed my eyes shut. Every hair on my body stood on end as terror seized my brain, making my heart feel like it had stopped.

So this is how I die.

I’d barely survived this long, only to get dragged into the Crown Prince’s engagement issues and die again. It was so unfair. Above all, the thought of regressing and having everything reset was the worst part. Yet one second passed, then two, and no pain came.

Instead, a majestic ringing of bells echoed in my ears like an auditory hallucination.

Ding— Ding— Ding—

BOOM!

A massive impact rang out. When I opened my eyes, an unbelievable sight filled my vision.

What had blocked Sword Saint Bale’s strike was a pair of enormous golden wings that had manifested in midair. Thousands of feathers formed from pure light wrapped around me like a mother bird protecting her young.

Beyond that absolute sanctuary of defense, a golden-haired woman stood with her hood thrown back. The divine power radiating from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her entire body painted the entire street pure white. Yuriel smiled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠softly at Bale. Her lips were curved upward, but her golden eyes were freezing cold.

“Sword Saint Bale. Respecting one’s elders is a virtue, but don’t you think you’re being a bit too rough with a young student?”

“……Saintess Yuriel?”

Even the world-renowned Sword Saint couldn’t hide his shock as he withdrew his sheath. Yuriel’s divine power had completely neutralized his aura. She deliberately stepped in front of me, then turned to look at Helios standing behind her.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince is also going too far. Are you trying to make an enemy of the Holy Kingdom?”

“……What did you just say?”

Helios’s brows crumpled like crumpled paper. Yuriel gracefully extended her hand and pointed at me, still sitting there in a daze.

“This junior, Roy, is no ordinary student. His Holiness the Pope himself is watching over him. He is an honored guest of our order and my personal sanctuary.”

Of course, it was half fabrication. But when the continent’s only Saintess spoke, her words became law and truth.

“Attacking a guest of the Holy Kingdom… If the Vatican hears of this, the non-aggression treaty between the empire and the Holy Kingdom is going to become rather noisy, don’t you think?♡”

“Ha…”

Helios let out a hollow laugh as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“A Saintess interfering in the empire’s internal affairs… Very well. Friction with the Holy Kingdom? I’ll gladly accept it. This bastard dared to seduce my fiancée. Not even the name of God can wash away that sin. All units—attack!”

The moment Helios lost his reason and tried to give the order again—

KWAAAAANG!

The solid stone pavement suddenly erupted upward like an explosion.

“W-what the—!”

“T-the ground is moving!”

From the cracks, house-sized tree roots began growing wildly. The smooth road that symbolized imperial civilization transformed into a primitive jungle in seconds. Massive trees bound the Royal Guards’ feet and blocked out the sky. From the center of that forest, an elf with blue eyes rose into the air, her green robe torn to shreds.

Behind her, the colossal form of the storm-wrapped Spirit King rose like heat haze. The moment the Spirit King roared, a violent wind pressure strong enough to warp the S-class knights’ armor swept across the street.

“Princess Iris?!”

The Royal Guards recoiled in panic, breaking formation. Iris looked down at Helios from the air and snarled.

“Hey, blond Crown Prince. Are your ears clogged?”

He frowned at her appearance and glared.

“……Even the elf princess.”

“It’s not just the Holy Kingdom. The Elf Kingdom (Great Forest) is here too.”

Iris waved her hand, and massive tree trunks rose like spears, aiming at Helios’s carriage.

“You dare call my ‘human’ a worm? Open that mouth one more time and I’ll turn the entire imperial capital into a jungle before you can blink.”

The situation had flipped in an instant. No—the entire board had been overturned.

And right at the eye of that storm stood E-class nobody Roy.

This was no longer at the level of school bullying. If they touched Roy, the empire would have to face a civil war (Hero’s Rebellion) and wage war against both the Holy Kingdom and the Elf Kingdom at the same time. They couldn’t start a world war just because of petty jealousy.

“……”

Even the almighty Helios closed his mouth. His clenched fists were shaking. His face flushed and paled repeatedly from rage and humiliation.

Sword Saint Bale let out a deep sigh and approached Helios.

“Your Highness.”

“……Bale.”

“We must withdraw. We have no justification. If we escalate this any further, His Majesty the Emperor will not overlook it.”

The S-class Royal Guards sheathed their swords and watched Helios’s reaction. Using force in front of the Spirit King’s killing intent and the Saintess’s divine power was far too dangerous.

Helios bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. His arrogance, his pride, had been shattered to pieces. He glared at me with murderous eyes.

“Roy Banes…”

His voice slithered into my ear like a snake. Wait, how the hell does he know my name?

“You certainly excel at the talent of hiding behind a woman’s skirt.”

“……”

“I will not forget today’s humiliation. I will personally… wring that neck of yours.”

Wham.

Helios spun around violently and climbed back into the carriage. Bale gave a polite bow before vanishing, and the Royal Guards scattered like shadows.

Uuuung—

The magic carriage let out an irritated ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠roar as it drove over the destroyed road and disappeared. The street remained deathly silent the entire time.

“Hoo…”

The tension finally broke and strength drained from my legs. I collapsed to the ground.

Fuck. I survived. I really thought I was going to die…

My back was drenched in cold sweat. I let out a sigh of relief and looked up.

“Whew, thank you, everyone… Thanks to all of you…”

But my words didn’t get to finish.

“Hey! Extra!”

Someone roughly grabbed me by the collar and yanked me up. It was Adelia. Her eyes were brimming with tears, but her expression was furious enough to reach the heavens.

“Are you crazy? Do you have ten lives or something?!”

“A-Adelia? Wait a second…”

“Why did you provoke the Crown Prince back there! Have you lost your mind?!”

She pounded my shoulder with her fists as if her anger still wasn’t satisfied. It hurt, but her hands were shaking violently.

“If I fought my master (the Sword Saint)… I might have been able to win thanks to my trait. But you would have died in the aftermath! I couldn’t have protected you in that chaotic battle!”

“……”

“Please… please stop stepping forward. What am I supposed to do if you die?!”

Her near-scream left me speechless. She wasn’t simply angry. She was terrified—terrified of losing me, terrified of a situation where even her own power wouldn’t be enough to protect me.

“I was wrong. I’m sorry… for worrying you.”

When I apologized, Adelia bit her lip and whipped her head away. She glared to the side, still huffing.

Zap—

Her gaze landed on Yuriel and Iris. The meaning in Adelia’s eyes was crystal clear. I’m the one who should be protecting my man. Why are you two butting in?

But she couldn’t say anything. After all, they were the ones who had saved Roy at the critical moment. Without their help, I would already be a corpse.

When Adelia could only fume in silence, Iris crossed her arms and snorted.

“Hmph. What are you staring at? If you’re grateful, at least bow or something.”

“……”

“By the way, you two are really shameless. Sneaking out on a date by yourselves? Huh? If I hadn’t followed you, it would’ve been a disaster!”

Iris shouted as if she had been wronged. Yuriel, standing beside her, smiled brightly and chimed in.

“That’s right. I’m a little hurt too, Junior Roy.”

Yuriel gently took my arm and met my eyes.

“I’m supposed to be your number one believer, Roy… Shouldn’t you take me with you on such an important occasion?♡”

“Ha…”

Adelia let out a hollow laugh as if she couldn’t believe them. But she had no grounds to argue. In the end, she shouted in a voice mixed with irritation.

“Ugh, I don’t care anymore! Do whatever you want! Just know that if you interfere, I’ll cut you all down!”

And so, the cozy two-person “Find the Artifact” date I had planned turned into the most dangerous and noisy four-person party in the world.