After entrusting the workshop staff to the Saintess, Rupert led the Crown Prince to the drawing room. Although it took some effort to calm the Prince, who was insistent on pursuing the remnants of the dark wizards immediately, it was not a wasted effort.

It was clear that, for reasons still unknown, the Crown Prince was convinced that everything happening at the Somerset estate was the work of dark wizards. Moreover, Rupert had gathered that the Prince had been dealing with matters related to these dark wizards before arriving at the estate.

‘For the Crown Prince to lose his right arm… the only dark wizard organization capable of such a feat on the continent is the Abyss Cult,’ Rupert thought.

In the original story, the Abyss Cult was one of the forces that attacked the academy where the third prince and Amelia were located. As the last remaining dark wizard organization on the continent and a secret society, they played the role of villains who drove the academy to the brink of destruction.

The original story, although a romance fantasy, was set in an academy, and it faithfully depicted various evil organizations attacking the academy. The Abyss Cult was one of those that appeared in the middle of the story.

‘The leader’s name was Viallom, right?’ Rupert recalled. Viallom had been a particularly ruthless character, one who saw even his subordinates as disposable. He was a dark wizard of considerable skill, enough to give the third prince a hard time.

Although the third prince eventually defeated him after awakening following the sacrifice of another male character from the academy, Viallom was the first truly formidable villain in the story, making his defeat no easy task.

“Could it be that you’ve been involved with the Abyss Cult?” Rupert asked, making a calculated guess based on the Crown Prince’s intense wariness of dark wizards and his injuries.

The Crown Prince’s expression hardened as he nodded.

“They were fiendish indeed. Who would have thought they could control a tunnel snake? If it weren’t for Sir Eustaf and Sir Harun, things could have turned out much worse.”

Eustaf? And Harun? Rupert knew Harun as the master of the Alchemist Guild, but what was his connection to this?

No matter how Rupert tried to piece it together, the combination of the Crown Prince, Eustaf, and Harun was too bizarre.

“Thanks to Eustaf, who found a clue after seeing the transmutation circle in your manga, the investigation was able to proceed,” the Crown Prince said, as if reminiscing about a great adventure he had completed.

Rupert, however, was too busy processing the situation to be caught up in the Prince’s nostalgia. He suddenly recalled how Eustaf had visited the estate, asking all sorts of questions about the transmutation circle he had drawn in his manga.

The Grand Mage had looked at Rupert with suspicion, demanding to know where he had seen the circle that he had depicted.

‘The plot has changed,’ Rupert realized.

The Abyss Cult was not supposed to appear at this point in the story. And while they did control tunnel snakes, there was no mention in the original story of them trying to inscribe a dark magic circle in the Imperial Capital, which the Crown Prince was now excitedly describing.

‘In the original, they tried to breach the academy’s protective barrier by digging underground with the tunnel snakes and launching an attack.’

The idea that they would try to sacrifice the residents of the Imperial Capital, Caldea, to summon a demon was far beyond the original scale.

The Abyss Cult were nothing more than the losers of the era, like the bald villains in some stories who failed to take over a single school.

Thud!

But that wasn’t the most important issue right now.

Rupert had already grasped the general situation from the Crown Prince’s words. He realized that his next actions would determine whether this would become a crisis or an opportunity, and he began to act immediately.

Rupert got down from the drawing room sofa where he had been sitting across from the Crown Prince and prostrated himself on the floor.

“Why are you suddenly showing such formal respect? Didn’t I tell you to be at ease?” the Crown Prince asked, startled by Rupert’s sudden action.

However, Rupert remained in his position, unmoving.

“Your Highness… In truth, when I created those works, I never imagined that anyone would understand the hidden truths within them,” Rupert said.

“Well, of course. If it weren’t for Sir Eustaf, everyone would have thought it was just a work of fiction,” the Crown Prince agreed.

“Indeed, while Sir Eustaf’s wisdom is astonishing, I am even more grateful for Your Highness’s insight in recognizing the truth within my work,” Rupert continued.

“Sir Rupert…” The Crown Prince seemed deeply moved, struggling to find words.

Seeing the Prince’s reaction, Rupert discreetly lifted his hand to his eyes, pretending to wipe away tears as he lightly touched the corners of his eyes.

Tears began to well up, and his eyes turned red, making it look as though he were genuinely overwhelmed with emotion.

In a voice choked with feigned emotion, Rupert continued, “Your Highness, you are correct. Our family was indeed entangled in the nefarious schemes of the Abyss Cult, and we were left with no choice but to reveal the truth in such a manner. Please, forgive us for not being able to disclose it more openly.”

The Abyss Cult, wherever they might be in the afterlife, would surely protest the unfairness of this accusation. But Rupert thought, the dead don’t speak, and it’s the living who must survive.

After all, what was one more crime on the heads of such evil people?

“No, it was because of your method of revealing the truth that a disaster was averted. I must admit, at first, I misunderstood you, thinking you were an arrogant and insolent man,” the Crown Prince admitted.

Rupert winced internally, but he was prepared for this as well. Without losing his composure, he stood up and retrieved a letter from a drawer in the corner of the drawing room.

“From the moment I received Your Highness’s letter, I resolved to become your loyal subject,” Rupert said, presenting the letter the Crown Prince had left during his previous visit, though it had been anonymous at the time.

“Ah, I knew it! I believed you would recognize my intentions even without me revealing my identity,” the Crown Prince exclaimed, delighted to see the carefully preserved letter in Rupert’s hand.

‘If I’d thrown it away back then, I’d be in serious trouble now,’ Rupert thought.

In ancient times, when humans were still more animal than they are now, there were body parts that existed for survival but have since become obsolete. Wisdom teeth, for example, were once necessary for our ancestors to chew tough foods before the advent of cooking, but are now largely unnecessary.

Much has changed to shape the humans of today.

Yet, just as people still feel an instinctual fear when they see a snake—an instinct embedded deep in our DNA—Rupert now felt grateful for the survival instinct that had prevented him from discarding that letter.

Of course, not all mysteries were solved.

“Do not heed the rumors about you and continue to act as you see fit. Even if others do not understand, I do.”

Rupert still couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of the letter. What rumors? And why did the Crown Prince claim to understand him when others might not?

Did they have something in common? As Rupert thought about it, nothing seemed to connect them.

Their hair colors were different—Rupert’s was blond, and the Crown Prince’s was black. Their ages didn’t match either, with the Prince already in his mid-twenties.

Surely, their shared trait wasn’t simply that they were both men.

“Growing up without a father who cares and with a mother who passed away early… It’s a lonely life, isn’t it?” the Crown Prince suddenly said.

“Pardon?” Rupert replied, caught off guard.

“Sigh… But at least you’re better off than I am. I couldn’t even take care of my younger sibling,” the Prince continued, his tone somber.

Rupert wasn’t sure how to react to this unexpected confession. In truth, Count Bradley and Ada had become like real family to him, living together every day, though he had no memories of the Countess.

‘Now that I think about it, the Crown Prince and the second prince did lose their mother, didn’t they?’ Rupert remembered.

Among the Emperor’s four children, the first and second shared one mother, while the third and fourth had another.

This division later led to fierce internal strife when the battle for the throne intensified.

As Rupert realized that the Crown Prince might feel a connection to him because of their shared experience of growing up without a mother, he was at a loss for words.

‘This isn’t some cheesy superhero story,’ Rupert thought, recalling how certain heroes in stories would bond over shared trauma with a single line.

However, Rupert found himself not disliking the Crown Prince, who was now enthusiastically sharing tales of his investigative work and the dangers he had faced.

‘So, this is who he really is,’ Rupert mused.

The image of the Crown Prince that Rupert had held onto from the original story—a simple, unruly scoundrel—was being replaced by the reality of a more complex and honorable person.

The Crown Prince was someone who became angry at the needless loss of innocent lives, who, despite fearing dark wizards, never backed down.

He was a true hero, with genuine courage.

Rupert realized that since he had been transported to this world, he had subconsciously treated the main characters of the original story like NPCs.

But this world was now his reality, and the people within it were not mere characters—they were living, breathing individuals who could change and grow, just as the Crown Prince had.

“By the way, you must have been cursed as well. Are you alright now?” the Crown Prince asked.

“Pardon? Oh, yes! I’m fine now, thanks to the Saintess’s care. I’ve completely recovered,” Rupert replied.

“That’s good to hear. But how did the Saintess know about the dark wizards’ plot and come here?” the Crown Prince asked.

Rupert’s mind raced to find an answer.

But he couldn’t afford to give a careless response.

The Saintess wasn’t someone he could easily implicate in a fabricated story. She might take offense and react angrily if she thought Rupert was trying to use her as an excuse, which could lead to an even bigger problem.

“Why do you hesitate? Sir Rupert, is there something you cannot say…?” the Crown Prince began, sensing Rupert’s hesitation.

Just as Rupert found himself in a tight spot—

Creak.

“Please excuse me,” came the Saintess’s voice as she suddenly entered the drawing room.

“The Saintess! Have you finished attending to the workshop staff?” the Crown Prince asked, standing to greet her.

Normally, it would have been considered rude to interrupt a conversation, but given who she was, it was understandable.

“Yes, I have completed their treatment,” the Saintess replied.

“Thank goodness. To heal those afflicted by dark magic so quickly—truly, a miracle befitting the daughter of Gaia,” the Crown Prince said with admiration.

Rupert’s heart sank as the Crown Prince once again brought up dark magic, fearing that the Saintess, unaware of the situation, might simply mention that it was only food poisoning, which would unravel everything.

But instead, the Saintess responded, “Yes, it was not easy to overcome the curse of dark magic, but fortunately, my Mother granted her grace, allowing me to heal them.”

“Oh, thank the goddess. That is truly a relief,” the Crown Prince said, clearly relieved.

The Saintess glanced at Rupert, giving him a subtle, knowing smile.