The Invisible Saintess
Rendering glitches can happen for a variety of reasons.
First, when lag spikes prevent the model from loading in time.
Second, when a bugged item is equipped, turning the character completely invisible the moment they put it on.
Or, in some cases, the code itself is so broken from the start that the character simply doesn't render for other players.
'Judging by her clothes, she looks like a member of the clergy. The way she called me "Brother" points to that, too.'
I stared blankly at the figure whose face was completely missing.
Her pristine white robes, gloves, and veil looked as if they had been worn specifically to hide the fact that she had no physical body.
It was a classic case where the character model failed to load, but the equipped gear rendered just fine.
"Ah, my apologies. This is my first time attending a social gathering... I was just hesitating to go inside."
I spoke politely to the faceless cleric.
Seeing the knight-like bodyguards flanking her and the elegance of her attire, she had to be someone of high status.
Perhaps she was a cardinal's daughter, or held a high-ranking position within the church.
"You worry too much. Tee-hee. You don't need to be so afraid. The nobles here are all very kind."
"Ah, yes. I see."
This woman is living in a dream world, I thought.
Her face was invisible, but her voice and the curves of her body made it clear she was a woman.
Though her voice was on the lower side, it carried a husky, charismatic quality that was distinctly feminine.
In the romance fantasy genre, nobles existed solely to be exploited for the female lead's social climbing.
It completely shattered the traditional image of blue-blooded aristocrats who supposedly belonged to a different class of existence than commoners.
"...May I ask for your name?"
The faceless cleric chuckled softly as she spoke.
Among nobles, exchanging names and greeting each other meant establishing a formal acquaintance.
Was I really that interesting to her, standing here hesitating in front of the Crown Prince's banquet hall?
"Theodore Baskerville. I am the youngest son of the family that serves as the Empire's sword. This is my first time at a social gathering."
"Ah, so you are the youngest son who famously shuts himself away at home. You are... much cuter than I expected."
"How do you know about me?"
"The Baskerville family is famous. Even someone as sheltered as I knows the terrifying reputation of your sword."
Had my older brothers been spreading embarrassing stories about me at these parties?
The "terrifying reputation" she mentioned referred to the sheer might of the Baskerville swordsmanship passed down through our bloodline.
While this was my first time attending, my older brothers frequently socialized with high society.
"Did you happen to meet my brothers...?"
"No, I only heard rumors. I am quite busy myself, so I rarely attend events like this."
The nameless, faceless cleric giggled again at my question.
Since she was showing this much interest in me, I felt a sudden urge to fix the rendering glitch affecting her body.
Seeing how anxious her maid or bodyguard looked beside her, she really might be someone of immense importance.
'Scoring some points with someone like her now will make my life a lot easier in high society later.'
With that simple thought, I quickly began manipulating the items inside my coat.
In gaming terms, I was going to spam equip and unequip to force the engine to re-render the surrounding models.
It would only last for a fraction of a second, but it should temporarily bypass the cleric's invisibility.
I used to fix this exact bug all the time back in Fantasia Island.
"Anyway, my name is—"
"Could you hold this coin for a moment?"
I rapidly opened and closed my hand around the coins in my pocket, overlapping a silver coin and a copper coin.
It was a bugged item that caused a brief lag spike when transferred to another player, forcing a re-render.
The effect would only last for a split second, so I thrust my fist forward before she could finish introducing herself.
"Pardon? Ah, yes..."
With a soft clink, the coin dropped.
As if melted together in a forge, the copper and silver faces of the coin were fused into a single, glitched object.
"...My Lady, watch out!"
Sensing something amiss, the female knight beside her reached for her hilt, but it was already too late.
It was already too late.
The coin, designed to force a re-render via the Item Swap Glitch, landed in the faceless cleric's hand—
"Huh...?"
Instantly, her face was revealed to the world.
Pure white hair, white eyelashes, and sparkling eyes met my gaze, like a portrait drawn on a pristine canvas.
She must have seen her own reflection in my eyes.
The faceless cleric was so breathtakingly beautiful that I momentarily lost my train of thought.
"Saintess Astoria...!!"
The shout erupted from right beside her.
The female knight guarding her glared at me with a low growl.
The moment I heard the word "Saintess," I doubted my own ears.
A Saintess? The Saintess? This invisible woman?
In this world, the Saintess possessed authority that could rival even the Pope.
I had heard she was chosen directly by the Lord, possessing immense holy power...
And yet, that legendary figure was standing right in front of me, blinking in bewilderment.
"Y-You... What on earth did you just do to me...?"
Whoosh.
The Saintess, blushing furiously as she covered her mouth with her hand, vanished back into thin air.
The coin glitch's duration had run out, reverting her model to its default, glitched state.
'If I get involved with her, things are going to get incredibly annoying.'
My mind raced.
What I had just done wasn't as simple as revealing the face of some high-ranking noble lady.
I had just pulled a stunt on the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom of Valentia, a nation sharing a tense border with the Empire.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Saintess. I must take my leave."
Leaving the Saintess behind—who had collapsed to the ground as if her legs had given out—I hurried inside the banquet hall.
If I could just blend into the crowd and lay low until the party ended, I would be fine.
It had happened in the blink of an eye, so Saintess Astoria might just dismiss it as an illusion.
Since I had cut myself off from the world to avoid getting tangled up with the female lead, Alice, in this world of Royal Child...
...I simply hadn't known that the Saintess was an invisible ghost.
Then again, the fact that the Lord's chosen woman was invisible was probably suppressed as a blasphemous rumor.
"Wait! Please, Brother... Just a moment...!"
Ignoring the Saintess's desperate cries calling after me, I walked briskly into the Crown Prince's banquet hall.
The banquet hall was a spectacle of glittering chandeliers, gold-plated candelabras, and tables overflowing with mouthwatering delicacies.
High society's elite mingled throughout the room, engaged in their silent, invisible warfare.
Contrary to the Saintess's naive beliefs, nobles were inherently insidious creatures, constantly plotting for power.
Sure, some took good care of their vassals and tenant farmers.
But many more would gladly risk their lives to defend a single inch of land or a shred of authority.
"So, I hear the youngest of the Baskervilles is attending tonight?"
"His brothers are renowned swordsmen. I wonder if he inherited the same blood..."
"I heard he's been sickly since childhood and shut away at home. He probably can't even hold a sword properly."
Sharp whispers followed me with every step I took.
The atmosphere was as cold as thin ice, making it clear that high society was rejecting a newcomer like me.
They were desperately guarding their political turf, terrified that an outsider might usurp their positions.
'I expected as much.'
I knew the romance fantasy genre inside out.
It claimed to be medieval, yet boasted technology and culture that rivaled steampunk.
And then there were the male leads—the Crown Prince or the Duke of the North—who would throw away their pride, power, and sanity for a commoner girl or a terminally ill female lead.
Despite the female lead's low status, the men surrounding her were always of the highest nobility.
They would tear each other down in the most underhanded ways, fueling the court intrigue.
...It was a trope so overused it had become cliché.
Soon, the female lead, Alice, would make her grand entrance and start raising flags with all the male characters.
'Is she working as a maid? I can see a very conspicuous blonde head over there...'
Sipping my wine, I glanced at a woman cleaning near the Crown Prince in the distance.
I didn't know what kind of tricks she would pull, but it wouldn't be long before the Crown Prince and the Duke of the North fell head over heels for her.
To avoid the female lead, I headed toward a quiet balcony outside.
I offered a silent cheer to the Crown Prince, who was destined to join her reverse harem.
'If this world really runs on the rules of Royal Child, my best bet is to live quietly and stay as far away from Alice as possible.'
I wasn't the type to lose my mind over a girl.
Having never experienced romantic love, I couldn't comprehend such intense infatuation anyway.
I missed Fantasia Island. At least it didn't have these childish romance dramas.
How did I end up reincarnated in a world like this, forced to start my life all over again?
As I was lost in thought, a familiar voice suddenly whispered in my ear.
"Brother, we need to talk."
At the same time, I felt a heavy weight in my hand.
It seemed Saintess Astoria had followed me all the way here.