The morning sunlight poured over the royal capital’s city gates, coating the ancient walls in a warm golden hue.
Aiko stood beneath the sycamore tree outside the gate, hands clasped in front of her, her heart beating a little fast.
She had arrived very early.
She had gotten up before dawn and spent a full hour choosing what to wear.
In the end, she selected a light blue, practical long dress with a white short jacket over it. Her hair was styled in a simple single braid falling over her shoulder.
It was neither too formal nor undignified for a saintess.
“It’s just carrying out the archbishop’s orders,” she told herself softly, as if trying to hypnotize herself. “It’s simply the saintess’s duty.”
But a small voice in her heart pushed back:
You clearly want to confirm whether he is that person from back then.
You’re clearly looking forward to what might happen on this journey.
Aiko’s cheeks grew slightly warm.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
Then, she spotted another figure not far away—
Princess Prim.
The pink-haired princess had changed into a sharp hunting outfit today.
A deep purple short jacket, white riding pants, polished long boots, and even a slender sword at her waist.
Her hair was tied up high in a ponytail, revealing her slender neck and delicate earlobes.
She looked valiant and heroic, completely different from her usual courtly appearance.
Their gazes met in mid-air.
In that instant, it was as if lightning and thunder clashed, sparking intense flames.
Prim’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, the corners of her mouth turning slightly downward—an instinctive disgust toward church personnel.
Aiko subconsciously tightened her hands and lowered her eyes—a natural awe toward royalty, along with… a faint sense of vigilance.
But soon, both realized this was not the time to act freely.
Prim took the initiative to step forward, a proper smile on her face.
“Good morning, Miss Aiko. You’re here quite early as well?”
Her tone was polite yet distant, like a routine greeting.
Aiko curtsied. “Good morning, Your Highness. Yes… I wanted to arrive early so as not to keep Young Master Abel waiting.”
“What a coincidence. So did I.” Prim walked over and stood beside her under the sycamore tree.
“Looks like we had the same idea.”
Aiko smiled but did not reply.
A subtle silence fell between the two.
More and more travelers appeared outside the city gate—farmers heading to market, merchant caravans setting out, knights doing morning training.
The noisy voices and footsteps flowed past them, yet the two women simply stood there quietly, waiting for the same carriage to arrive.
Aiko secretly glanced at Prim.
The princess’s expression was calm, but deep within those aqua-blue eyes lay complex emotions—unwillingness, determination, and a trace of stubborn defiance.
I cannot lose to this woman!
Before she left, the archbishop had specifically instructed her: she absolutely could not lose to anyone from the kingdom!
This woman is fake and insincere. She doesn’t treat Young Master Abel as an equal at all.
She’s only using him as a stepping stone to reach the peak of power!
At first, I might have thought the same, but now these feelings of anticipation and nervousness… they’re different!
Therefore, I absolutely cannot let her succeed! Even without the archbishop by my side, I cannot lose!
Aiko silently cheered herself on and mentally labeled Prim as “the bad woman who must not be allowed near Young Master Abel.”
Aiko believed her own feelings toward Abel were not false, because she had almost confirmed that he was the savior from her childhood!
After returning, she had also verified it with people in the church who had been involved in the incident back then.
After their identification, it was almost certain that the person who had saved her and delivered her to the church was Abel!
So she carried gratitude in her heart and wanted to confirm this fated reunion.
Yes, this was fate! This was divine guidance!
‘The saintess will be the Hero’s lover.’
What a wise oracle!
This prophecy must be true!
As for this ‘fake and insincere’ princess…
She’s probably just unwilling because she can’t have him, right?
It must be so.
Hmph, loser! I’m different from you. Young Master Abel and I are connected by the red thread of fate.
A strange sense of superiority rose in Aiko.
“They’re here.”
Prim suddenly spoke.
Aiko looked up—
A carriage bearing the Noct family crest was approaching from inside the city.
The carriage was not overly luxurious but was finely crafted, pulled by two magnificent horses.
The carriage stopped before the two women.
The curtain was lifted, revealing the butler’s face.
Old Mr. Sebas saw the two of them, paused for a moment, then showed an expression that said “as expected.” He turned back and said something to those inside.
Moments later, Abel jumped down from the carriage.
He was dressed suitably for travel today—a deep green short jacket, white shirt, black pants, a longsword at his waist, and sturdy boots on his feet.
His green short hair swayed gently in the morning breeze. He looked more natural than when he had been in formal attire at the banquet.
Aiko’s heart skipped a beat.
Yes, it was him.
The youth who had walked toward her with a sword at dawn in the depths of her memory perfectly overlapped with the young man before her.
“Your Highness, Miss Aiko.” Abel nodded to both. “You really came.”
His tone carried a hint of helplessness, as if he had already accepted his fate.
Prim stepped forward.
“Young Master Abel, please allow us to travel with you. I already demonstrated my divine arts during the arena incident in the royal capital. I’m certain I can be of help to you!”
As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at the ‘newly appointed saintess’ as if provoking her.
Aiko naturally noticed the provocative look, but she was confident in herself as well!
She stepped forward and said earnestly, “Young Master Abel, the archbishop asked me to bring you a meeting gift!”
With that, she clapped her hands. Two accompanying holy knights carried up a large box.
Prim sneered disdainfully. “What kind of meeting gift? How could Young Master Abel possibly be interested in something like this?”
In Prim’s view, it was probably just gold, silver, and jewelry.
Unfortunately, the second son of the Marquis family had no interest in such things.
She had already failed once here; it would be rather entertaining to watch someone else step into the same trap.
Aiko glanced at Prim and curved her lips into a faint smile.
“No. Young Master Abel, I’m sure you will be very interested in these.”
The two knights opened the box.
A dazzling silver light immediately filled Abel’s vision. He raised an eyebrow slightly, then showed an expression of “just as expected.”
These were mass-produced anti-god armaments developed by the church.
After all, the number of “Combat Angels” was limited, so it was impossible to equip everyone with them. These inferior products had to suffice.
Although they were inferior goods with only R and SR ratings in the original game, they were quite decent as early-to-mid stage weapons.
While their effect against true gods was weak, their damage against ordinary “Apostles of God” was quite significant.
One could say that with these weapons, Aiko and the others could properly participate in battles.
Aiko naturally noticed Abel’s expression and gave a gentle smile.
“Compared to certain women who only know how to boast about themselves, practical assistance is much more useful, isn’t it? Young Master Abel, the battles ahead will be very difficult. I hope these weapons can be of help to you!”
Abel nodded and picked up one of the knight’s longswords from inside.
The weapons Aiko had brought were indeed very useful at this stage!
Although Sutis’s “Armored Transformation” was extremely powerful, it also consumed a great deal of energy. Abel could not pull out “Sutis” every time they encountered a few weak monsters, right?
Aiko looked at Prim, whose expression had turned somewhat ugly, and smiled.
“Your Highness, you may also choose a weapon that suits you. The archbishop said these are gifts from the church. Please feel free to take one.”