Katia’s world is always divided into two colors: black and white. It’s not a metaphor; the world she sees is literally split into just those two shades. Perhaps it was part of the process where all her senses became warped due to the divine protection forced upon her entire being.
Heat, cold, the flow of air, the texture of clothes, taste…
If she had never known such sensations from the beginning, it might have been easier. But after her initial vow, losing those senses made it all the more unbearable. Her body, numb to everything. Among all the ruined senses, only her eyes and ears remained intact. Even those, when they began to degrade due to the divine entity coiled within her, she could still vividly remember the despair, even though it happened so long ago.
The dead appeared black. The living appeared white. And when she looked at herself in the mirror, she always appeared gray.
A human who lived without dying. In a world divided into black and white, she alone existed in that state, as if isolated from the world. It was excruciatingly boring, to the point that she didn’t care what happened.
Until just a moment ago.
“Damn it!”
The Lionheart’s scream echoed beside her. A bullet, white enough to burn into her retina, flew straight at her and pierced her heart.
“Pain.”
A sensation she had long forgotten returned. In that instant, something no one had ever achieved—her divine presence, deeply rooted in her body, was suppressed by an external force. Her physical senses returned as well. Though it was only for the fleeting moment when her heart was pierced, in that brief second, colors returned to the world.
Vivid colors.
A scenery she thought she’d never see again appeared before her eyes. The black night sky, the pale light of the moon, the faces and expressions of the people, the air, the splattered blood around her. Not in black and white, but in their true colors—just like everyone else’s world.
And standing at the center of it all was a man named Aiden Kellerman, holding a revolver with smoke rising from the barrel, locking eyes with her.
Time seemed to melt and blend as his figure was etched under her eyelids. She made sure to capture that image firmly in her sight, as if even the time to blink would be a waste.
As the divine presence within her vanished, her body also lost its strength, collapsing. But still, she kept staring. Staring continuously. Until her consciousness faded and everything turned dark. Katia kept him in her sight, as if she would never let him go.
As usual, the cleanup was handled thoroughly. Rounding up the remnants, seizing smuggled weapons, and detaining the unconscious Katia—all of it was taken care of in just a few hours. Of course, even with such a neat resolution, there’s always at least one person who feels unsettled. In this case, it was Aiden, staring at his status screen with a deeply serious expression.
No one died, Noel was fine, and Aiden himself wasn’t injured—everything was wrapped up well. But to be precise, for Aiden, it was only “the beginning” from this point onward.
Skill Info
Power: Oath of the Savior
Unique – Only this character possesses this skill!
Restriction: Saves the world.
This is the only vow offered to the Ascendant God, Urgan. When performing actions related to this vow, power significantly increases.
Quest Info
Act 1, <Crack in the Capital>
– You have formed a close relationship with key figures in the main scenario.
– Your existence is now officially part of the scenario. The scenario will be restructured around you.
The damage was already done. Aiden chuckled bitterly.
“It was something I never intended to do, but in the end, I did it.
Of course, having come this far, he doesn’t particularly regret it.
‘Without the protagonist, everyone dies anyway.’
Since that guy is gone, the only one who knows the future of the world and can prepare for it is Aiden.
More than anything, when the future unfolds without the protagonist, Aiden himself and his family will be caught up in it.
There’s no reason not to act.
He slapped his cheek with a loud smack and took a deep breath.
Now that the task is clear, it’s only natural to move more proactively than before.
Above all, ‘Nothing has followed the original story.’
Starting with the absence of the protagonist, the sudden appearance of Katia, the mystery of who is leading the arms smuggling, the strained relationship between the emperor and the second prince—none of it is as it was in the original.
The framework of the original story hasn’t strayed too far from what he knows, but the details filling it are worlds apart from his memory.
So, what’s needed right now is to catch up with the gap between this real world, where the cogs are misaligned, and the original world he knows.
Only then can he be prepared when the ‘first act begins in earnest.’
He already knows the rough progression.
But, he’ll have to scrutinize each of the characters involved in that episode.
Main Quest
Act 1: “Crack in the Capital”
Chapter 1 will soon begin!
Aiden narrowed his eyes, gazing sharply at the window that appeared before him.
“If it’s Chapter 1…”
It must be the “Ghost Knight” incident in the capital.
An organization involved in weapons smuggling forces this event to create chaos within the city.
Every night, at a fixed time, a ghostly knight clad in armor suddenly appears in the streets, terrifying the citizens.
The protagonist’s role is to eliminate this ghostly knight and ensure the citizens’ peace.
In the original story, it’s around this point that the protagonist meets Noel, marking the real start of the scenario.
Of course, Aiden himself has skipped that whole process and already taken the place of Noel’s fake husband.
“Aiden.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Just as the saying goes, “Speak of the tiger, and it will appear,” Noel entered the room, looking utterly exhausted.
It’s rare for her to show such fatigue, but the sheer scale of the tasks she had to manage likely explains it.
She probably had to clean up the mess caused by foreign royalty on her own, so it’s hard to imagine the extent of the workload she endured.
“How’s the princess doing?”
“Surprisingly, she’s cooperating quietly.”
Noel sighed as she removed her hat and brushed back her hair.
“Since there were no victims in the first place, we’ve decided not to make a bigger fuss about it and to keep things quiet for now.”
“Is that so.”
“It’s fortunate, though not entirely satisfying.”
As with Prince Daniel previously, royal authority is beyond imagination.
Honestly speaking, although both incidents were close to self-defense, it wouldn’t be surprising if some kind of threat were directed at Aiden, who had harmed two members of the Holy Kingdom’s royalty.
If the matter is being quietly settled, it’s not necessarily a bad outcome for Aiden.
“They mentioned sending an additional delegation from the Holy Kingdom to discuss related issues.”
“A delegation?”
“Leaving aside the matter of Princess Katia, the issue of Aiden’s control over divine power remains unresolved. It will take some time, but they plan to handle it formally, sending a large group.”
– That means…
A high-ranking official from the Holy Kingdom is coming.
To meet Aiden, they first sent a princess, and now they’re sending someone even more important…
Aiden’s mind briefly calculated the possibilities.
He already has a rough idea of which high-ranking official might come from the Holy Kingdom.
If such a person arrives as part of the delegation, Aiden’s task will be…
“That’s good news.”
“Pardon?”
Aiden gritted his teeth as he responded.
“I’ll make sure to collect all the debts from their side.”
After all, he was in a position where he had been provoked twice in a row by the Holy Kingdom’s royalty. If they had come this far, it wouldn’t be fair if he didn’t get something out of it.
Seeing Aiden’s expression, Noel’s lips curled slightly.
“Do you have a plan of some sort?”
“I do. Certainly.”
“…I’m looking forward to it, then.”
Just wait and see. He intended to make them experience something quite amusing.
As he repeated this determination to himself, Noel sighed and continued.
“And… Princess Katia has set a condition, agreeing to behave quietly for the time being.”
…It’s amusing that even behaving properly comes with conditions.
Still, he should hear her out.
“A condition?”
When Aiden asked in surprise, Noel scratched her cheek.
It was a sign that she, too, was baffled by the request.
“…She requested a meeting with you. She insisted you visit her, at least once.”
Aiden scratched his head, looking ahead.
When he heard that Katia was confined in the underground cell of the Imperial Headquarters, he expected a more hostile atmosphere.
However, the sight before him—Katia lying sprawled on the bed, lazily rolling around—quickly dismissed that expectation.
The previously showcased ferocity was nowhere to be seen, making her look more like a lazy cat…
“She seems… more free than expected?”
Given Katia’s personality, it wouldn’t have been surprising if every measure possible was used to restrain her.
Aside from being trapped in a room, there didn’t seem to be any other restrictions.
To Aiden’s remark, Noel responded with a wry smile.
“In fact, things were quite tense just a moment ago.”
“Is that so?”
“The moment I mentioned bringing you over, she calmed down.”
It was surprising that the princess, who had rampaged like a monster, became so docile just for a chance to meet him.
Instead of expressing his bewilderment, Aiden merely nodded slowly.
It wasn’t an incomprehensible reaction.
Quest Info
<Life is Beautiful>
– Katia Heinkel Craven desperately wants something from you. Help her feel ‘sensation’ as fully as possible!
★ You have succeeded in making the target feel ‘pain.’
You have wisely handled the incident. Speak with the character to receive your reward.
From the moment he received the quest, he anticipated that he’d get more entangled with this woman than before.
Even without knowing the details, someone who had never felt any sensation before would find pain impossible to ignore once it was introduced.
‘I don’t know what kind of reward it is…’
According to the quest details, the way the ‘Weaver of Fate’ operates was said to change.
It probably meant that Aiden’s actions would alter the nature of his relationship with Katia.
Which direction this change would take was unknown.
…Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too bad.
That was his sincere wish.
Of course, once he achieved the goal of making her feel sensation, it wouldn’t likely turn into something harmful to him—but then again, who knows?
It’s hard to find someone as unpredictable as Katia.
There’s always the possibility that she harbors some kind of grudge against him…
***
“Ah.”
As Aiden was lost in these thoughts, Katia, who noticed his approach to the cell door, suddenly stood up.
“You’re here!”
Her voice was full of boundless enthusiasm, causing Aiden’s expression to become odd.
It wasn’t just her voice; the smile on Katia’s face seemed to use every muscle, shining flawlessly.
It was like the look of a pet reunited with its owner after a long time apart.
…
What is this?
It felt bizarre, like watching a massive dinosaur trying to act cute.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about a lot of things!”
Even as Aiden stood there frozen, Katia continued talking cheerfully, unaffected by his reaction.
“I’m not going back to the Holy Kingdom!”
Aiden turned to Noel, wearing a dumbfounded expression.
It was a gesture meant to demand an explanation, but seeing Noel equally agape suggested that this was news to her too.
No.
Setting aside how she planned to achieve it, what she intended to do, and whether it was even possible, there was one question that needed to be asked first.
The moment he managed to squeeze out this question, the answer came back immediately, as if Katia had been waiting for it.
“Of course.”
Quite literally.
With a face that seemed to say, “Why ask such an obvious question?” Katia, still wearing her bright smile, continued.
“Why would I go back when you’re here?”
With that eerie statement, a window suddenly appeared before Aiden’s eyes.
Quest Info
<Life is Beautiful>
The related quest has been resolved.
– The application of ‘Weaver of Fate’ regarding ‘Katia’ has changed!
– The bond form has been altered to ‘Obsession’!
The target will now pay great attention to your every move, with the importance of your relationship becoming crucial to her overall mental state.
– Additional skills that can be copied are unlocked!
…
What?
Cliche Novel 
This… is… the reward?
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This… is… the reward?
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