The building was collapsing all around me.

Debris was crashing down fiercely over my head.

However, I didn’t suffer any injuries from it.

Before I even had time to think, my wings moved instinctively. Emitting a gentle light, they wrapped around me, offering protection.

Of course, they couldn’t block all the debris.

But that was fine.

With a stigma strong enough to heal incurable diseases, it certainly could handle mere scrapes.

The wounds healed before any blood could even flow.

Thanks to my healthy physique, I didn’t feel any pain unless it was something serious.

So, essentially, I came out of it without any damage—mentally or physically.

I brushed the rubble off myself and dusted off as I crawled out from the wreckage of what was once the training area.

‘…What the hell was that?’

I stared blankly at the remnants of the training ground.

I had only intended to test my strength. Just wanted to see what I could do.

So, why did everything have to end up like this?

Why did it suddenly collapse?

It shouldn’t have fallen apart so easily!

The sudden turn of events left my head spinning. Just as I was rubbing my aching forehead…

I heard footsteps.

Currently, there were only three of us in the mansion, including me.

“Haah… Hah…”

And the only one who could be running this hard was someone about to pass out from exhaustion.

Of course, it wasn’t long before I spotted someone with bright red hair rushing towards me.

Ruby was standing there, her white pajamas slightly soaked with sweat and almost translucent, her messy red hair sticking out all over the place.

She must have burst out of her room after hearing the loud noise.

Her expression was one of pure shock.

The oddly out-of-place kitchen utensil that seemed to be hastily grabbed fell limply to the ground.

Ruby stared at the partially collapsed training area… and rubbed her eyes, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Not satisfied, she pinched her cheek hard, yelping in pain.

And finally, Ruby looked at me.

That gaze…

How should I put it?

It was like she was looking at a madman who had just demolished a building with his bare hands.

…And it was true!

Given how she already viewed me as some sort of otherworldly being, it was obvious what kind of misunderstandings this would create.

I quickly opened my mouth to explain to Ruby.

I’m just an ordinary person, really.

So there’s no need to be scared.

However… that was all that came out.

Saying that would only make things weirder.

“Yeah, I just demolished a building with my bare hands, but I’m actually a normal guy. Just ignore the wings; I’m totally ordinary, so don’t worry!”

There’s a limit to nonsense!

I might as well have been spouting, “I just want to live quietly and have no involvement in the main story,” like some web novel protagonist who’s reincarnated.

So, in this situation, I could only say the most fitting, necessary, and above all, the most standard response.

“…I’m sorry.”

Of course, such words wouldn’t solve everything.

I had to desperately calm down the now-frazzled Ruby.

Should I call this a blessing in disguise?

Since I had been through this a few times before, I somehow managed to explain the situation and reassure Ruby.

I guess I had truly mastered the art of calming an older sister experiencing a regression to childhood.

…Whether that was something to be proud of, though, is up for debate.

*

An unexpected accident.

The training ground collapsed in a ridiculous turn of events.

But thankfully, it didn’t lead to any serious issues.

No one got caught up in it since there were no people around, and all the items in the storage room were intact.

Plus, my buddy Asher had generously provided financial support, so repairing the training ground was a simple matter.

So, what I really needed to focus on now was… the changes happening to my body.

‘First of all, this isn’t some kind of blessing.’

That suddenly appeared stigma.

I had conjectured that maybe the God of Light had bestowed it as a blessing, but it was high time to scrap that idea.

If the God of Light had given me wings and enhanced my physique to this extent…

It just didn’t add up that they could do such a thing while turning a blind eye to the atrocities committed by the Holy Church.

So then, what exactly was behind this change?

In the end, there was only one possibility that I could consider.

[■■’s Status]

[The one who can stand above all others.]

Yeah, that’s it.

This trait was practically waving a neon sign saying, “Hey, I’m suspicious!”

The change in my royal status was highly likely to be the root cause of all this.

‘…Should I consider this a good thing?’

What can I say? It’s all so ambiguous.

If I only look at the current situation, it still seems like a good twist for me.

I realized that the trait I chose had something hidden beneath it, and indeed it was providing me with the missing power.

Although, with how munchkin-like my companions were, it wasn’t like I had ever struggled due to a lack of power.

But having my own strength isn’t a bad thing.

However… I can’t shake off this nagging feeling.

It seems like there might be even more hidden elements that haven’t fully revealed themselves yet.

It’s purely instinctive, but…

This doesn’t feel like it’s going to be the end of the changes.

If that’s the case, where would the end be?

What am I even turning into?

Thinking about that made my head start to hurt, and just as I was letting out a deep sigh…

– Knock, knock

Suddenly, a sound echoed.

When I opened the door, there stood Ruby.

I was actually planning to visit her shortly, but it seemed she had come looking for me first.

“I…I have something I want to discuss with you. If you’re busy, we can talk later!”

I indicated that I had all the time in the world and brought over two chairs to set the scene.

In the small room, we faced each other while seated.

An awkward silence hung in the air for a while.

After a moment of hesitation, I broke the ice.

“I truly apologize for what happened last time.”

That was pretty much all I could say.

I had just randomly demolished the building she had carefully constructed. You can imagine how frustrated she must be.

“Oh, it’s alright! We can just build another one. After all, thanks to your recipe, our finances are doing well lately.”

However, Ruby waved her hands as if to brush off my concern.

I could only keep repeating my apologies and expressing my gratitude to her.

“Besides, you had your own circumstances, right? You lost control of your power after regaining it after such a long time or something.”

Ruby mentioned that.

What on earth did she mean by regaining power?

What kind of a person was I in her mind?

I wanted to correct her misunderstanding, but…

At this point, trying to explain that I’m just an ordinary person probably wouldn’t bear any fruit.

I resigned myself to it and directly returned to the main topic.

“So, what was it you wanted to discuss…?”

“There’s someone who keeps sabotaging our business. But they’re too influential… we can’t just confront them.”

With those words, Ruby handed me some documents.

Sian Rudbes.

An all-too-familiar name and face caught my eye.

Indeed.

This was one tough opponent.

His family’s influence. Wealth and power.

He had everything you could think of—even being a powerful 8th circle mage.

Originally, he should have been dead at the hands of the protagonist, but perhaps due to the tangled story, he was still alive.

And maybe, he had even grown stronger in the meantime.

But…

A smile crept onto my lips.

‘Sure, facing him directly would be no cakewalk.’

But if I didn’t confront him directly, then that meant I could solve this problem in a different way.

Let’s play the story a bit, just like I had seen in the previous work. No need to wear myself out in a desperate struggle.

If I could get someone else to do the fighting for me, that would make it much simpler.

‘This guy could be taken out with just a few words.’

I knew.

The Swordmaster of the Empire.

I knew the secret that Sian accidentally killed the son of such a master and pinned the blame on someone else.

So, the solution to this issue was straightforward.

If he kept meddling with our business as he was, I could easily whisper that story into the Swordmaster’s ear and bingo, problem solved!

So, I confidently announced.

“You don’t have to worry about it. It’s a problem that’ll be solved quickly.”

Ruby’s face turned quizzical.

I proceeded to share my plan with her.

…Well, I was about to share it.

A strange sound suddenly filled the air.

The notification signal for the magical transmission spell.

It wasn’t a call for me; it was clearly a communication meant for Ruby.

And indeed, Ruby’s frequent informant’s face popped up on the screen.

And that informant said:

—“S-Sian Rudbes is dead! Next to his bisected corpse, the word ‘Alliance of Fools’ was found…”

That bastard, Sian.

He had to go and die at such a ridiculous timing.