Froy didn’t trust human nature. They were born inherently wicked from birth.

If beauty and ugliness existed as concepts in this world, perhaps the deity had expended all beauty in creating the heavens, seas, land, and the flora and fauna that dwelled upon them.

And then, with the leftover scraps, It instilled reason and attached limbs, resulting in humanity.

-My son. Why do you look at me with such eyes? Are you displeased with the ability you’ve been granted?

Thus, they would adorn themselves with outward beauty to conceal their repulsive inner selves, just as his father had adorned himself with splendor to hide his sin-tainted soul.

Of course, there were also those whose wickedness was manifest from the outset.

Even now, there were signs of sacrificing others for their own well-being.

“The target… the target has appeared.”

“So if we kill that woman, this will become easier?”

“Probably. I definitely heard as much.”

The mercenaries who had just witnessed comrades perishing, the warriors sworn to protect this city, began wavering greatly.

You have found the target of the third trial!

-If the target dies, the trial’s difficulty will decrease drastically.

-Those who contribute to the target’s death will receive additional rewards.

It was as if the blue window, appearing so opportunely, had swept away even the faintest pangs of conscience lingering within their hearts.

Shwooosh!

One mercenary, having seemingly steeled his resolve, loosed an arrow.

Brimming with mana, the arrow sliced through the air before abruptly halting right before Froy.

“…Huh?”

Like flipping a card, the space twisted around.

Unable to evade the arrow’s swift return, the mercenary who had fired it let out a brief scream.

“Ugh!”

Reflecting malicious intent was all too familiar to him. Moreover, the overwhelming ability he was borrowing from Rosha complemented his own perfectly – the power of foresight.

Swish swish-

As the attacks multiplied, the golden trajectories crisscrossed in a dizzying array.

While the frenzied pace might confound others in combat, the calculations were clear to Froy’s swift processing.

‘So this is Path Observation, is it?’

Innumerable potential paths would appear and vanish according to the situation.

It was now evident.

Rosha’s ability was akin to ‘seeing’ – perceiving further and more extensively.

Keeee-

The widened spatial rift swallowed incoming fireballs whole, rotating like a mobile shield to deflect arrows.

As he adapted to the ability, Froy found himself with some leeway.

He glanced at Rosha’s profile, bathed in the pale pre-dawn glow and golden radiance.

-Lend me your defense for a moment. The God has made me a promise.

Above her head, where she arrayed mana in all directions while even mobilizing mana stones, the diamond mark glimmered.

Despite being the target of so many people’s hostility, Rosha remained utterly unfazed.

‘She did mention enduring many ordeals in the previous world due to others coveting her ability.’

Just what kind of experiences would forge such indifference to this situation? And why didn’t she become disillusioned with humanity?

It was at that moment.

Boooom!

“Everyone, hold your ground!”

Noticing the offensive becoming increasingly divided against the monster, Nardil stomped the ground with a single foot.

His heavy, grounded stance matched the weight in his hardened expression.

“What in the world are you all doing!”

His forceful presence gave pause to those who had been attacking Rosha, allowing some warriors to join in the scolding.

“Have you no shame!”

“Even if she’s the target, it seems she’s trying to help us, at the very least don’t attack her outright!”

Fortuitously, the Queen’s spellcasting had momentarily halted their assault on this side.

‘The prince’s authority is keeping them in check for now.’

But it wouldn’t last long, Froy cynically surmised.

They could potentially turn on Rosha and join the white serpent and monstrous Queen at any moment.

However, that wasn’t necessarily the case.

Shaaaaak!

Retrieving a long spear from somewhere, Nardil hurled it towards the serpent with a single arm.

Despite just a casual overhand throw, the spear flew with tremendous force, releasing a powerful sonic boom as it shot towards the serpent.

Unable to underestimate the attack, the serpent hastily dodged with a series of sharp turns.

“Ooooh…!”

“As expected of the prince!”

The prince possessed an unwavering belief in his innate abilities and skills.

Recognizing this, the warriors swiftly regained their resolve and fell in line, their momentum even persuading the mercenaries to resume attacking the serpent with curses on their lips.

However, the serpent now seemed to have shifted its target towards Rosha instead of the shore forces.

Goooooh-

Potent energies converged at the tip of its horned, gem-studded head.

Sensing the serpent’s intense focus, Froy tensely gathered his ability’s power as well.

Summoning the mansion’s entrance to relocate would be ideal, but Rosha had already progressed too far into her spellcasting to be moved safely.

‘She did say the God had made her a promise.’

While uncertain of this God’s exact identity, it wouldn’t have made such a claim lightly. Thus, he had to protect her somehow.

It was at that moment that a mana-infused voice boomed loudly:

“Viviaaaan!!”

The serpent, having been aiming at Rosha, flinched and turned towards the source.

Lysithea had approached the shoreline, cupping her hands around her mouth as she called out the serpent’s name.

“…Not bad.”

Her deft mana control might seem unremarkable, but showcasing such insight by exploiting a mere name to disorient the foe was rather clever.

And Froy wasn’t the only one who thought so, as a faint smile seemed to grace Rosha’s lips as well.

Having heard Lysithea’s voice, Rosha inwardly murmured.

‘So her recent magical studies are bearing fruit.’

With all preparations complete, Rosha finally turned her gaze forward.

Her vision, brilliantly illuminated in golden hues, revealed a vast expanse of mana stacked like dominos.

If the 5th stage involved grand spells, the 6th allowed dismantling established magics and reassembling them anew according to one’s abilities – a stage where innovative spells frequently emerged based on the individual magician’s talents.

‘Whew, I barely managed this thanks to [The Guiding Lantern].’

Even for a spell tapping into the 7th stage’s ‘Domain’, weaving the mana flows that she had once effortlessly infused was now exceedingly arduous, akin to finding a needle in a sandy beach.

Of course, [The Guiding Lantern] had effectively located that ‘needle’ this time.

‘While not to the extent of temporarily losing my sight like before, my eyes will likely ache for a while.’

As Rosha resignedly massaged her eyes, Koko, having meticulously inspected the amassed mana, gave a nod of approval.

“Hmm, you’ve constructed ample barriers for the deception. Even the God should be satisfied with this level.”

As the parrot’s words implied, this wasn’t a mere 6th-stage spell Rosha was attempting.

It was a 6th-stage spell’s guise, allowing the God a momentary intervention.

The ‘Guide God’ commends your efforts.

The ‘Guide God’ says it will now briefly borrow your eyes.

The original owner of the ability residing in Rosha’s eyes was the Guide God. Hence, the God borrowing her eyes for a short while wasn’t entirely impossible.

The penalty for the extent of its intervention would need to be confirmed, however.

‘Just what kind of connection does he share with the Queen?’

Yet there was no opportunity to resolve that query.

Koko, perched atop Rosha’s head, enveloped her brow with his wings, urging her to focus.

“Alright, now let’s take a proper look at how you use this ability of yours.”

True to the parrot’s words, Rosha’s vision gradually overlapped with something else.

An inexplicable sensation of her consciousness ascending and becoming buoyant washed over her.

Soon, densely woven golden lines blanketed her sight, not the coarse strands she typically perceived, but an intricate tapestry of delicate threads.

It was like gazing into a world within a painting.

The subjects within a painting are unaware of how they were rendered, but to Rosha, it seemed as if she could discern the brushstrokes’ directions, the colors used, the areas of light and shade.

As if perceiving everything.

“…!”

The overwhelming panoramic view, encompassing both the whole and its components, left her barely able to breathe – a sense of dread akin to an ant becoming aware of the universe’s vastness.

It was then that someone firmly grasped her hand. Froy.

Only then did she recall.

Ah, right. She had shared her ability with him.