<...>
I went silent for a long moment, the only sound between us the crunch of gravel under our boots and our special breathing workout.
Whatever the case, I already knew the face of that traitor. That was an advantage. I could watch him now, anticipate his moves. That prince guy had just made himself my number one problem after the Hollowlands itself.
But the traitor was a secondary concern. The true weight pressing down on me was the final trial.
I had to connect the dots. Vance’s information about a mandatory trial for all heirs, and my vision of them all fleeing together in that frozen hellscape... it wasn’t a coincidence. It was cause and effect.
That vision was a main scenario-level event.
And also the climax.
The first four trials... they weren’t the point. They were the grind. The fetch quests before the final dungeon, in a simpler explanation. Meant to weed out the weak, to force alliances, to grant power-ups and resources to those who proved worthy. The usual story progression.
But the fifth trial... the one in the Hollowlands... that was the key. That was where the succession game would reach its terrible conclusion. That was the event that would trigger the catastrophe I witnessed.
It wouldn’t just be a trial. It would be an annihilation. A slaughter that would wipe out nearly everyone involved. The vision showed that clearly. Only a handful—the main characters of this twisted story—seemed destined to survive that frozen apocalypse.
And my family... the acquaintances I made... the people here in this Keep...
We weren’t in that category. We were the background characters. The ones who die to raise the stakes.
The chilling certainty of it settled in my bones. This wasn’t a threat I could avoid. Even if I wanted to grab my family and run, the scenario would likely drag us in anyway. The system didn’t seem to care for peaceful retirements. A 99 percent probability was a certainty in my book. Heck, something even more catastrophic might occur.
Hmm...
A part of my mind, the part that always looked for the cheat, the way out, scrambled for alternatives. There had to be a way to prevent it.
Maybe... Maybe...
I could... expose the danger early? Use Glacia Sinfonia to create a massive illusion of the beast, a frozen horror show to scare the kingdom into canceling the trial? It was a thought. But it would probably never work.
The court would just send their strongest knights and Resonators to handle the ’new’ threat. And those powerful fighters, reliant on their vast aura reserves, would march into the Hollowlands and be reduced to frightened mortals before that thing. I’d just be sending a different group of people to their deaths.
And if by some miracle they believed me and called off the trial... what then? The monster was still real. It was still there, in the blight. Who was to say it wouldn’t decide to leave its territory and come for us anyway? I’d have avoided one catastrophe only to potentially unleash another.
Well... I could also ask for external help.
Go to Virion, to Lady Nisha, and tell them everything. But what would I say?
’I had a vision of the future where everyone dies, please fix it’?
Virion would likely stroke his beard, give me some cryptic nonsense about facing my own challenges, and send me on my way. Lady Nisha might be more sympathetic, but even she seemed to operate by rules I didn’t understand. She might deem it a necessary trial by fire.
They wouldn’t stop it. This was a path I had to walk myself.
I sighed deeply, the sound lost to the wind, and shook my head. The weight of the future was a heavy cloak on my shoulders, but now was not the time to be crushed by it.
Not when I finally found my Path.
Not when I—
Hmm?
My internal monologue was cut off as I noticed two figures standing not far away at the threshold of our running path, right where the gravel met the courtyard. They were waiting, it seemed, for us to finish our circuit.
Cassandra and Princess Aurelia.
And, as usual, they were both carrying boxes. Aurelia held a small, lacquered chest with an air of delicate uncertainty, while Cassandra balanced a larger crate of what looked like a freshly cooked meal.
I squinted inwardly, my steps slowing to a walk as we approached them. Vance followed suit, his own breathing still a bit labored. More importantly...
Hasn’t she been playing her role a bit too perfectly recently?
The thought surfaced before I could stop it. At first, our fake relationship was a simple, mutual agreement for convenience. We revealed it after the necessity disappeared, like to my mother. But then the act had to keep going. First, for Carmine and Captain Rose, which made sense—maintaining a cover for outsiders, especially for Carmine’s girl.
But then... these two. Vance and Aurelia. They weren’t supposed to be part of the act. Yet somehow, they’d been looped in, and the performance had continued seamlessly. Cassandra had slid into the role of the devoted, slightly possessive wife with an ease that was starting to feel... less like acting.
Why do I feel like she’s... enjoying this?
The way she’d subtly position herself near me in conversations, the slight, knowing smiles she’d give me when others were looking, the casual, intimate nicknames we called each other... It had all started as part of the script. But now?
Now it felt like she was ad-libbing. And she was a disturbingly good actress.
But of course, I wasn’t entirely against it.
I mean free breakfast, not... not that.
Because I’m not exactly ready for that yet, and my situation isn’t that good either.
"Have you finished your training, dear?" But looking at her offering me a meal with a gentle smile on her face...
Man, my confidence keeps wavering.
"Oh, yes, we did." I nodded, turning to Vance. "Right, young friend?"
Vance nodded.
"Good, then let’s enjoy breakfast together like the last time before they take their leave," Cassandra suggested, with Aurelia nodding in agreement.
Well, like I said previously, I’m almost always up for free food.
"Alright then, let’s do it."