In the center of Hwangdo, the majestic atmosphere of the Claris Empire’s Royal Palace.
In this place, there is a sacred ground that seems to have gathered the holy and sublime of the continent.
As if a stillness and tranquility had descended,
At the center of this dreamlike, blue forest stands a moon-shaped structure,
And like countless shooting stars had come to a halt, a kaleidoscope of twinkling colors blends together to create a sense of mystery.
In this peaceful sanctuary, as usual…
With a flicker of light,
The owner of this place, Saint Psyche, has returned.
…Accompanied by a little fox.
*
– “The saint has returned…!”
– “She returned from that living hell, Pandemonium!”
– “It’s a miracle… this is a miracle…!”
– “Oh, thank you, gods!”
News of the return of the saint, who was a symbol of the empire and the ally of Kroon, stirred the Hwangdo Saints for several days.
The entire place was festive.
The standing of the saint is absolute.
Just her existence strengthens the power of the sanctuaries spread across the continent.
This results in psychological stability and an increase in faith among the citizens.
Moreover, it significantly prevents the intrusion of demons, thus restoring the empire’s sovereignty.
Therefore, the royal family, which had not shown their faces much due to Psyche’s absence, greeted her warmly.
And so…
A few days have passed.
…
Royal Palace, Psyche’s personal sanctuary.
“Saint, Saint. Can I ask you one thing?”
“Yes, feel free to speak.”
The maid helping Psyche with her grooming asked, gazing at the gray fox.
“Is the animal you brought with you… a divine beast?”
“Oh, it’s not. It’s the little one that was next to me when I woke up.”
“I see… that’s interesting…”
As the maid’s gaze lingered on the fox, Psyche felt compelled to speak.
“I, I can manage the rest by myself…! Why don’t you take a little break, Sophia?”
“Ah, understood…”
Hopeful to serve the admired Psyche, maid Sophia reluctantly left the room.
Psyche let out a sigh of relief.
‘Ugh… It’s not a lie, after all…’
As a saint, she cannot lie.
But she must come up with some excuse.
This little fox is the one who has saved her life…
Psyche knelt on the ground, aligning her eyes with the fox’s.
“I’m sorry. My schedule has become busier than I thought… I want to see Sinatis as soon as possible, but… I’ll probably be able to return to the Academy in the day after tomorrow.”
– Grrr…
The fox let out a faint whimper as if it couldn’t be helped.
“Speaking of which, you mentioned you had to go to Claris Academy, right?”
– ?
“Tomorrow, there’s going to be an award ceremony honoring the Claris students who performed well in the selection test from Hwangdo.”
Psyche continued with a smile.
“I’ll be handing out the awards… and my successor will be coming too. Ah, that was a secret… Ah!”
She suddenly stood up, surprised, and hurried to the door.
“Anyway, I’ll go back and… try to coordinate my schedule. It might be inconvenient, but please bear with it a little longer…”
– Argh…
“And… since this hall is my personal space… you can roam around if it feels stuffy. But you have to come back before the moon is fully up, okay? Otherwise, the blessing will wear off.”
With that, Psyche hurriedly exited her room.
*
‘It turned out to be more of a drag than I expected.’
…Somehow, I’ve become an animal.
A gray… fox at that.
The reason is simple.
The plan to return to the sanctuary through Psyche’s power was good but…
…
– “You wanted to return as soon as possible, right?”
– “Yes, Saint.”
– “However… the only sanctuary that I can return to in my current state is the capital Saint’s sanctuary…”
Psyche looked at me with great concern.
– “The royal family’s security is very strict. Ordinary people cannot enter… Therefore, I will have to say that I returned through the sanctuary along with you…”
In other words, I’m bound to be suspected.
The saint is a treasure of the royal family, and I’m an outsider…
Moreover, since the saint cannot lie, if she reveals that she returned from Pandemonium,
I’d have to explain how a first-year student like me ended up in the very heart of Pandemonium. Talk about a headache!
– “Of course, I will do my best to vouch for your identity… but the royal family is notoriously conservative…”
To sum it up, until all causal relationships are proven, I might be suspected as a demon spy and imprisoned.
‘Ugh, so annoying…’
It’s not for nothing that Rezilus gave up his position as the captain of the knights, claiming the royal family was too stifling and founded Crow Pay.
Perhaps because of the protagonist focusing on Caeran in the [Hwanseangaka], the royal family had been overly concerned with their own standing, and indecisively so.
“If only I could hurry back, it would ease my worries…”
Surely they haven’t forgotten me by now…
I want to be nagged by Aria and Yeriel at least once.
In the end, what I can do is…
Defeating Markosias and using the chosen skill.
Utilizing [Markosias’s Power – Transformation].
Disguising as a being other than a human to avoid suspicion… it’s a simple trick.
This is dark magic, and if I use it carelessly, I’d instantly be labeled a heretic.
Fortunately, just like with the Great Demon, Bunea,
[[Would you like to combine Wind Archery with Markosias’s Power?]]
I could once again complete a combination technique.
—————————————————
▶[Wind Skill · Transformation] [Lv.1] (Active) (Ultimate Technique): Erosion Level / It can change the form of the caster through the wind’s energy.
– When using Erosion Level:
: Shadow Wolf (Lv.1)
: Twilight Fox (Lv.1)
– When using Wind’s Energy:
: Gale Wolf (Lv.1)
: Windstorm Fox (Lv.1)
[Combination technique with Wind Archery and Markosias’s Power (Transformation)]
[*Due to the contract with Ariel, the consumption of wind’s energy is reduced]
Exp: (0/2000)
—————————————————
Since Markosias used transformations based on wolves and foxes, there were only two choices.
‘The omnivorous fox seems better, right?’
But perhaps because my skill level is 1…
For better or worse, I’ve turned into a little fox the size of the palms of my hands.
…
Back to the present.
– Trickle trickle…
‘…’
With Psyche gone, the twilight darkened to a deep blue.
The sound of the fountain beautifully echoed as a pleasantly cool breeze blew through.
Psyche had so many things to handle upon her return that she said the soonest personal time she could manage would be in the day after tomorrow.
And at that time, she promised to take me to Claris.
In the meantime, there might be an award ceremony for Yeriel, Aria, and Edwin, who defeated Markosias and saved the Mystic Island during this selection test.
‘Maybe, we’ll meet before that?’
I can’t just sit still.
– Ding!
—————————————————
[Until Transformation is Released…: 120 hours 32 minutes]
[Until Blessing is Released…: 5 hours 31 minutes]
[*Due to the blessing of Saint Psyche, you cannot be detected by any high-level magician]
—————————————————
Thanks to Psyche’s blessing, no high-level magician could detect my transformation.
However, perhaps due to the issues with the closed beta classic version,
during the period the blessing lasts, I can’t release my transformation even if I want to.
And when the blessing wears off, the transformation will wear off too. A bug as annoying as a dog bone.
‘Well, what could possibly go wrong…?’
Before that, I can just get Psyche to renew the blessing.
– Scurry…
I moved beyond the window, heading towards the center fountain of the sanctuary’s corridor.
*
Psyche’s maid, Sophie, was busy.
The saint had returned, numerous events were happening, and tomorrow there was an award ceremony to honor the students from the academy.
Coincidentally, she had just heard that the protagonists of tomorrow’s ceremony had met with the Emperor.
Traditionally, guests visiting the palace for good reasons would first greet the Emperor in the reception room, then move to the sanctuary to receive the saint’s blessing.
Taking charge here, Sophie immediately received them.
In Psyche’s sanctuary corridor, Sophie greeted the three with formality.
“Welcome, distinguished guests. Thank you for making such a long journey.”
“It was nothing much. There’s a dimensional gate to the academy from Hwangdo.”
Edwin replied with a slight smile.
With the saint’s return and the festive atmosphere in Hwangdo, they had received warm welcomes all along the journey, but…
‘Lev…’
After all, this accomplishment came with his sacrifice.
I felt a bittersweet twinge.
Edwin turned back and asked, “Are you okay? Yeriel?”
“Yeah… I’m fine.”
“And Aria?”
“I’m good.”
The two seemed to understand his feelings and smiled faintly.
“Well then, I’ll go fetch the saint, so please wait here for a moment!”
Sophie said and hurriedly disappeared.
…
“Eh…? The saint was just here a moment ago…”
When Sophie knocked on Psyche’s personal room, there was no response.
As she had heard that Psyche would occasionally sneak out of the palace to care for children in the past, this wasn’t too strange.
But since the Claris students had arrived earlier than expected, it caused a scheduling hiccup.
She quickly returned to the group to apologize.
“I’m sorry. The saint is currently unavailable… It’s my oversight…”
“It’s alright. We arrived early… By the way, this place is quite beautiful. While we’re waiting, may we stroll a bit? The corridor is so lovely.”
“Of course!”
Sophie replied with delight, enchanted by Edwin’s words.
Sanctuary corridor.
She had been diligently cleaning this place without skipping a day, believing in the future of Psyche’s heir, despite the long absence of the saint.
Now, finally seeing its worth rewarded.
Just then, while she was immersed in her thoughts,
– Trickle trickle…
– …
In the beautifully crafted fountain, resembling a piece of the moon,
the silver-haired girl, Aria, was gazing at a little fox.
