Precipi stared at the man in front of her with a blank stare.
It wasn't because she was confused or surprised.
No, it was simply because the man was ridiculously handsome.
'Was there someone like this in the game?'
Since the game was a dating simulator, all of the male characters were ridiculously attractive. And they were all tall, too – Dietrich, Siegfried, Ivan, Noah Duverne, even the late Atari Hannan. Their appearance was able to attract attention anywhere. But unfortunately, their characters were as salvageable as trash in a landfill.
However, Presippi still thought she had seen it all until recently.
When she first met Fenric, she realized something unusual.
Even non-targetable characters can be ridiculously handsome.
And she thought Fenric was the limit.
But when she saw this man, she realized how superficial her thoughts were.
It was amazing – almost too much.
There was no doubt that Fenric was impressive, but his aura was dark and ominous. However, this man exuded warmth and kindness, quite the opposite.
His hair shone like molten gold, his eyes were a brilliant dark blue, and his skin was so fair and radiant that it made hers look pale in comparison. His delicate and striking features were breathtaking. There were no words to describe his beauty – she felt as if just looking at him could conjure a thousand stories in her mind.
'Is this what an angel looks like in the scriptures?'
Of course, except for the wings.
However, despite his heavenly face, his appearance was completely different.
Sure, most of the male characters in the game had good physiques, but this guy? He looked like he belonged in a class of his own.
He was taller than Siegfried, who was the tallest of them, by at least two spans of a hand. His shoulders were incredibly broad, and his body was strong and muscular.
Could he be the real male hero...?
Precipi's gaze instinctively moved to the top of his head.
But as expected, there was nothing there.
'No, I don't think so.'
However, although he seemed nice and friendly, his manners were terrible.
For someone so handsome, he certainly wasn't up to the responsibility. He bumped into her and knocked her down, and he didn't even apologize. Was he serious?
“…”
Prisippi frowned as she stared at him. At the same time, the man continued to look at her, his face completely devoid of any expression. She couldn't help but feel confused. His initial impression of warmth and kindness was like a cruel lie.
But perhaps he was not entirely heartless. The man extended his hand to her, albeit slowly.
Precipi hesitated, looking at his outstretched hand. Even his hand was attractive – slender and elegant, the kind they called a “jade-like hand” in stories.
“…Thank you,” she murmured briefly, taking his hand.
It didn't change the fact that he had knocked her down first, but she had a conscience, after all.
The man grabbed her hand tightly and pulled her off the ground without any effort. His strength was undeniable – he lifted her like she weighed nothing.
Then, as Precipe rose to her feet, he suddenly released her hand, as if he had touched something dirty.
It was as if he was dealing with garbage or insects.
'What...is he crazy?'
Precipe's face twisted in disbelief.
“I mean, what the hell-”
“Excuse me.”
That was all he said. The man said these two empty words and then left the church without looking back, as if it did not matter to him at all.
“How rude…”
Prisippi clenched her fists, her cheeks turning red—not from embarrassment but from pure annoyance.
"How could someone act like this? Shouldn't he have apologized properly first? What, does he think I'm dirty or what?"
Still grumbling, she looked at the sleeve of her shirt and hesitated. Slowly, she raised it to her nose and inhaled.
“Nothing, no smell,” she muttered to herself.
“…So, is he one of the NPCs associated with Siegfried?”
Just as Fenrick was linked to Dietrich, this man may be linked to the Church. In the Atiloa Empire, the only male figure associated with the church was the knight leader Siegfried.
However, judging by his clothes, he did not seem to belong to the clergy. Rather, his clothes were more like casual clothes.
“…But if that’s the case, didn’t the game artist make a grave mistake?” Presibe asked.
Fenric, this guy – characters like them should have been the main focus of love. And not annoying people like Noah or Attar.
Lost in her meaningless complaints, Presibe resumed walking.
But her talk did not last long.
She stopped suddenly, her mouth open in disbelief.
“What the hell…?”
In the middle of the church hall…
There were broken statues, broken into countless pieces and scattered all over the ground.
[System: You have visited the church for the first time.]
And then, as if to mock her, the system appeared with another annoying notification.
With unexpected words filling her mind.
[System: The chapel in the Atiluia Imperial Palace houses a very special statue.]
“…”
[System: How about we take a closer look at the statue?]
"Take a closer look? At what?" Precipie murmured, her dry lips parted as she stared into space.
“They were all smashed into pieces.”
Dragging her feet, she approached the remains of the statues scattered on the ground like trash. Given the sheer size of the fragments, the statues must have been huge before they were destroyed.
However, there had to be something salvageable. There is no doubt that a statue of this size must contain at least one piece that has preserved its original shape.
Hastily, Precipe began examining the larger pieces. However, it was so completely shattered that there was no way to discern what it once depicted.
Could this be another error? Or was this the way the Secret Mode story was supposed to go? Was the man who violently went out earlier responsible? But how could one person single-handedly destroy something so massive? To cause such chaos in a church and then simply run away – was that even possible? What if she ends up getting into another mess?
“Fuck you...”
While cursing under her breath, Presibe kicked one of the broken pieces as hard as she could.
Then I freeze.
“Huh?”
Her eyes widened, and she quickly bowed down.
What I picked up was a small piece buried under the larger pieces. This piece was not part of the statue itself, but rather appeared to be a fragment of an engraving that may have been displayed in front of the statue.
However, it was shattered into so many pieces that the only clear word she could understand was:
“…Demon King.”
Demon king?
She frowned upon hearing that sudden and annoying word.
[System: The statue located in the chapel of the Imperial Palace of Atiluia.]
Another message appeared.
[System: ??? Added to incident log and summary ??? ?????? ?????? ???]
insect.
Yes.
This statue should never have been destroyed in the first place.
Prisippi's face went blank as she stared at the notification.
And then, at that very moment.
From the inner part of the church - opposite the entrance from which I entered - a door opened.
It was a private entrance used exclusively by church officials.
Those who intervened were the archbishop and a group of priests.
“…”
They must have just returned from abroad, unaware of what had happened. Their faces reflected confusion and disbelief. Like Precipe earlier, they stared expressionlessly at the scene, muttering incomprehensible sounds like “oh, oh,” before their expressions turned into shock and, eventually, anger.
With voices full of anger, they started shouting:
“Who dares to commit such attrocities?!”
"Archbishop! What happened here on Earth?!"
“Where are the guards?!”
As she listened to the wave of angry voices, Precipe's intuition began to work.
I've definitely run into another problem.
“….”
As if to confirm her suspicions, the archbishop, with a stone-hard expression, began to advance directly towards her.
Nervous, Precipe reflexively held the left side of her chest, her breathing becoming shallow and rapid.