Chapter 3: What a Mere Green-Haired Camera!

Abel swallowed hard. 

He recalled the opening plot of the game—the majestic figure that suddenly descended when the Goddess Festival match reached its climax.

The entire arena instantly turned into a living hell.

This was the beginning of the original story. 

It was also the start of the player, as the new knight commander, encountering the two girls.

How could he have forgotten something so important?!

Although Abel did not want any entanglement with those infuriating women, he was not cruel enough to stand by and watch them die.

In the original work, the two had been fighting for a long time. 

Their stamina had already bottomed out when the Descent Event occurred. 

Without the protagonist’s appearance, the two of them would definitely die at the hands of the “god”!!

That’s right, what descended upon the mortal world was a fallen and corrupted god!!

Because the underlying logic of this world was not that gods created humans. 

In ancient times, humans, thirsting for greater power and wisdom, had created the gods!

And those gods, over the passage of millions of years, gradually wore down and developed bugs.

Present-day humans had long lost their civilization. 

They could hardly resist the fallen gods that descended to the mortal world. 

They could only rely on the protagonist and the members of his knight order.

This was the framework of the original story: mortals defying gods!

The smile on Julius’s face vanished instantly. 

“…What’s wrong?”

He did not think Abel was joking. 

The grave expression on his face could not be faked.

But a god’s rampage was top-level classified information. 

Even the player only realized it after several versions of the plot—

‘What exactly is the player fighting against?’

Within the current kingdom, probably only the royal family knew part of the truth.

Abel had no way to explain to Julius. 

He could only make up a lie while walking. 

“While traveling through the kingdom, I once encountered an evil organization called the Demon King Cult. 

I destroyed one of their strongholds and learned from the high priest’s mouth that they plan to launch a Holy War on the final day of the Goddess Festival! 

The entire arena is their sacrificial site!”

This statement left Julius stunned.

“Such an important matter, you should have said it earlier!”

“…I was immersed in the joy of reuniting with big brother, and then there was the princess assassination incident, so I forgot about it?”

Abel felt his explanation was full of holes. 

Fortunately Julius was very tolerant toward his younger brother. 

Moreover, now was not the time to dwell on it. 

He immediately snapped his fingers. 

A luxurious carriage promptly stopped beside the two.

Although no attendants followed them, how could these noble servants dare stray too far from their master?

Julius stepped onto the carriage first. 

“Get on! We’re heading straight to the Goddess Festival arena!”

Abel nodded. 

Decisive action had always been his older brother’s style. 

It had remained unchanged after so many years. 

Only when Julius pulled him onto the carriage did Abel notice why his brother’s hand felt colder than a normal person’s.

It was even a bit soft. 

A strange sensation…

But the matter was urgent. 

Abel did not dwell on such a small detail.

The coachman raised his whip. 

The entire carriage kicked up a cloud of dust as it rushed toward the festival arena.

As a top influential noble with real power in the kingdom, no one in the royal capital dared to stop Marquis Noct. 

It did not take long to reach the arena entrance.

Everything after that could be left to Julius to handle. 

With the marquis’s prestige, how could the person in charge of the sacrificial site dare to be negligent?

They immediately prepared to do as Julius instructed. 

However, a sharp voice rang out.

“Wait, Lord Julius, the Goddess Festival is the most important sacrificial ritual in the kingdom. 

It is the way we convey our people’s respect to the Goddess…”

Accompanied by this somewhat familiar voice laced with deep arrogance, Abel saw Princess Prim, dressed in a violet palace gown, slowly walking over surrounded by her maids. 

“If we rashly call it off, wouldn’t that cause our kingdom to lose all face?”

“Moreover—”

She approached. 

Her eyes stared straight at Julius. 

The flowing gaze in her eyes made it obvious to Abel who she liked.

Saying so, she reluctantly withdrew her gaze. 

She covered her mouth with a feather fan. 

Then her eyes fell on Abel’s face. 

Deep disgust filled her pupils. 

Thinking of the ridiculous marriage decision her father the king had made on a whim, that disgust grew even stronger!

Lord Julius was so handsome and gentle. 

Yet his younger brother Abel was nothing but a slovenly wanderer?!

Such a person as her husband?

Dream on!

“Can you tell me the source of this intelligence and whether it is accurate?”

Abel shot Julius a look. 

But the latter seemed not to notice and answered honestly. 

“It is intelligence obtained by my younger brother at the risk of his life after infiltrating the heretics’ stronghold…”

“Is there proof?”

Julius looked toward Abel. 

The latter shook his head.

Seeing this, Prim snorted and showed an extremely dissatisfied expression. 

Her water-blue eyes stared straight at Abel as her voice suddenly rose. 

“In other words, this is baseless, relying only on words, and you want the kingdom to stop this nationwide festival?”

“…In an emergency, we must act accordingly. Please, Your Highness…”

“Nonsense!” 

Before Abel could finish, Prim loudly interrupted him. 

“If we stop the kingdom’s most important Goddess Festival based on nothing but words, and it turns out afterward to be a farce, where would the kingdom’s face go?”

“I guarantee it with my life.”

“You cannot guarantee anything. 

You are nothing but a commoner without even a title! 

Your life is insignificant compared to the kingdom’s honor!”

Prim pointed at Abel. 

Her snowy white, full northern hemisphere seemed to heave continuously from anger. 

All her resentment was now poured onto Abel! 

How good it would be if you had never come back!

Saved her life?

Who cares about you saving me?

She even suspected that those assassins might have been arranged by this person himself, just to stage a “hero saving the beauty” act! 

The kingdom’s elite guard knights collapsed in one strike, yet this person could single-handedly fight a large group of bandits—who would believe that?

She did not dare vent her anger at her father the king. 

Nor could she blame her beloved Julius. 

So the person she targeted was naturally Abel.

The more she thought, the angrier she became.

So Princess Prim continued to spout nonsense. 

She was completely unaware that both Julius beside her and Abel, whom she was pointing at, had somewhat unpleasant expressions. 

“Moreover, what is there to fear from mere heretics? 

The kingdom’s elite knights are already guarding every entrance to the arena! 

If these heretics dare come, we will make sure they never leave!!”

With that, she raised her chin high. 

She imagined the scene of Abel “failing in his scheme” and looking “lost and dejected”!

Hmph, maybe this is also your plan! 

To further shape the image of a kingdom hero, right, you despicable scoundrel! 

You’ve been seen through by this princess!

She heard footsteps. 

She slightly opened one eye and saw Abel walking forward with the sunlight behind him.

Hmph, even if you beg me, I won’t…

Just as she thought this, she felt herself receive a hard slap to the face.

Slap! 

The crisp sound rang out especially clearly at the entrance of the arena.