Calling it a solution was a bit of a stretch; in reality, Albérico only told Dolores about the gemstone’s effects.
She didn’t explicitly mention the system. Instead, she explained that it was a tool capable of resisting even a demon’s Mental Erosion, though it could only maintain the very last shred of one’s sanity.
At the same time, Albérico mentioned that she had several similar tools at home and only needed a little time to retrieve them.
Just like Siebel’s process of learning divine arts, everything required time.
Albérico couldn’t see favorability values like Dolores could, but if nothing went wrong, no matter how fast Greene moved, Dolores could hold out until Albérico delivered the items.
That was, as long as Albérico didn’t throw away the necklace she had been given.
Because everything was clear from Albérico’s perspective, she didn’t feel any particular sense of urgency.
There was a mastermind behind the scenes, but they weren’t who Dolores imagined.
Felz IV and her brother weren’t dead yet, and no one was going out of their way to pay attention to a mere princess.
However, the palace would likely notice Dolores’s disappearance in a little while. Although she had reported her departure, it was almost time for her to return.
Dolores stood up to leave.
Albérico told her that in three days, she would bring her a tool that could eliminate Mental Erosion.
While she called it an item to eliminate Mental Erosion, it was actually a miraculous item used in the game when one wanted to see a capture target’s expression of disgust, as it could lower favorability.
Dolores agreed without the slightest hint of suspicion, allowing Albérico to breathe a sigh of relief.
After seeing her guest out, Albérico collapsed onto her bed like a puddle of mud. She wasn’t feeling much pressure, per se.
It was simply that the information overload was too great. She needed to digest it properly and reorganize her plans for the future.
The disaster in the royal capital revolved around the subterranean Past Kingdom and the King of Landis himself, Felz IV.
Albérico sat at her desk, idly flipping through the *Fifth Bible* that Siebel had returned. After reading for a while, she lowered her head, reinserted the bookmark, and tucked it back into its place.
‘With the environment this chaotic, I should wait for things to quiet down before I continue with my own business.’
She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a moment and noticed that the ends of her blonde hair were quite messy, and her robes were filthy.
Her favorite Academy Hat had somehow been stained with blood, and a look of exhaustion was hidden within her green eyes.
From the start of the dragon disaster until now, she had been running back and forth without any rest.
Her physical fitness wasn’t that high yet, and she was only a beginner in her magic studies.
Her busy schedule had revolved around Siebel and Greene, with the occasional bout of intervening in local injustices.
Narrowing her eyes, she pulled her hat over her stomach like a small blanket. Drowsiness slowly embraced Albérico.
Gradually, she drifted off into dreamland.
*Knock, knock.*
The sound of knocking echoed. The person outside announced her name in a steady, sweet voice—it was Siebel.
“The door isn’t locked; come in,” Albérico said, having been jolted awake. She glanced at the clock on the wall.
It was 5:00 PM. She had accidentally slept for two hours.
Siebel turned the doorknob and explained how she had found the place.
“I ran into Dolores and the others leaving a short while ago and said hello. After I finished clearing the monsters from the streets, I asked a few people and managed to find you.”
Albérico scanned Siebel’s condition. The woman’s white nun’s habit was naturally prone to getting dirty, and after high-intensity combat and treating the wounded, it was already covered in bloodstains and soot.
At the same time, though Siebel hadn’t noticed it herself, there were several bloodstains on her hands as well.
Siebel’s gaze fell upon the *Fifth Bible* on Albérico’s desk, and a few tears quietly escaped her eyes.
“Thank you, Albérico.”
“Alright, there’s no need to keep repeating your thanks. Once is enough.” Feeling awkward about the gratitude, Albérico guiltily averted her gaze.
“You’re filthy right now. If circumstances allow, you should take a break. You can take a bath here; the bathroom is over there. There are new undergarments where I’m pointing.”
Siebel shook her head, about to say she was fine, but Albérico interrupted her.
“You should think more about your image. Now that the dragon has left, there are many citizens in Urgrich who follow the Holy Religion. I imagine they would prefer to see a beautiful, tidy nun.”
“Many of them are currently mired in despair, fear, and unease. If a nun can stand up at a time like this and tell them not to be afraid—especially the believers—and tell them that death is not the end, then most of their negative emotions will vanish.”
“I know you want to help others in your capacity as the Saintess, but you are still young. You cannot expose yourself too early.”
Hearing this, Siebel lost her reason to refuse.
Albérico took Siebel’s white habit. When she had designed the setting in her previous life, she hadn’t made it black to avoid certain implications. She also knew a few simple spells that could help Siebel wash away some of the blood and dirt from the clothes.
“Miss Albérico, why are you helping me so much? If you wanted me to be grateful, wouldn’t it have been better to appear before me at that moment rather than giving me the book in advance?” Siebel asked curiously.
“There’s no particular reason. I just felt it was unnecessary… Wait, stop. You don’t need to thank me anymore.”
As Albérico spoke, she caught sight of the smile and the slight opening of Siebel’s mouth. She moved quickly to prevent the other girl from thanking her again.
‘She’s practically becoming a thank-you monster, even though she was quite rebellious when we first met.’
Siebel entered the bathroom.
However, Albérico felt an inexplicable sense of irritability. She couldn’t quite explain why she was doing such stupid things, like the folly of stuffing that book into Siebel’s hands.
She knew full well that simply pulling her away at the plaza to prevent her from meeting Greene would have been enough… Ultimately, the fact that she was even carrying the *Fifth Bible* was her own problem.
Dolores had already deviated from her established path because she remembered the past.
Now, Siebel was also changing under her influence. Would she still follow her previous development in the Holy Kingdom and do those secretive things?
If nothing went according to the script, how was she supposed to utilize her greatest advantage—her familiarity with the plot?
Albérico’s own abilities weren’t outstanding; she couldn’t compare to these genius capture characters.
“Honestly… Why have I been doing nothing but redundant things ever since I met them?”
Albérico bit her lip, her voice kept extremely low as if she were condemning herself.
It was the same with Dolores and Siebel.
They both possessed qualities that Albérico lacked—they were kind and gentle. Compared to them, Albérico felt like some sort of dark, shadowy character.
These were children from Albérico’s own pen; it was impossible for her not to have feelings for them.
But it was precisely because of this that Albérico hesitated even more.
Whenever she thought about what Dolores and Siebel might suffer at Greene’s hands, her heart felt like it skipped a beat.
Dolores knew it would be miserable, and Albérico knew it too.
It seemed to be an unsolvable situation, all because she had grown close to Dolores and the others, giving rise to a soft-heartedness she shouldn’t have.
Albérico couldn’t help them. Even the things she did that made Siebel thank her repeatedly were nothing more than meaningless self-consolation.
But if she tried to help them, Albérico felt she would get dragged down as well, and she hadn’t even properly enjoyed the sights of this different world yet.
How could she possibly resist Greene, the designated protagonist of this story?
Albérico looked at the notebooks filling the bookshelf. They were all traces of her learning, filled with notes and bookmarks.
She wanted to understand this world better.
Albérico had already died once, and she was absolutely unwilling to foolishly put herself at risk.
She cherished being alive more than anyone else.
She could sit by and watch as tragedy befell others.
Even if they were characters from her own writing who were now living and breathing in this world.
That went for Dolores, Siebel, and anyone else in the future.
Nothing was safer than staying close to Greene and his system.
Siebel poked half her head out from the bathroom.
“Even though you interrupted me, Miss Albérico, I still want to say thank you one more time.”
Albérico was startled so badly she nearly flipped the desk. Several books fell to the floor. She responded with a flash of irritation.
“I already said you don’t have to keep thanking me! That was just something I did in passing; it’s not important!”
Albérico’s small face was flushed with anger.
The fallen books lay open on the desk, covered in dense notes—the fruit of the girl’s immense effort.
She was studying, very properly and very seriously…