The next day at noon, Grin was woken by a knock at the door.
When he opened it, a Royal Knight stood there.
“Mr. Grin, Her Highness the Princess invites you to visit her.”
Grin nodded and said he would go shortly.
After the knight left, he stepped out, turned right, and walked a few paces.
He knocked on the room Alberke had found earlier.
There was no response, so Grin opened the door.
Inside, the room looked unchanged. After all, Alberke wasn’t a permanent resident. She carried important things with her, and the troublesome daily necessities were probably in her university dormitory.
Normally at this time, maids would come to clean regularly.
But now there was a shortage of manpower, and Alberke had taken advantage of that loophole.
Walking into the bedroom with the large bed, Grin finally saw Alberke fast asleep. All the noise he made earlier hadn’t woken her.
Only when he entered did he sense a faint ripple of magic.
Alberke, who was sleeping soundly, woke up like a startled cat. When she saw it was Grin, she slowly relaxed.
Sitting up, Alberke threw on her academy robe and tidied up her appearance.
Taking the chance, Grin mentioned Dolores’s invitation.
“The news from the Eastern Expedition should have reached the king’s ears. She’s meeting you at the Rock Hall, right?”
Grin nodded and corrected, “That’s the final destination. Before that, we can go see Dolores first.”
“Mm… I also need her to vouch for my identity. After all, I snuck into the palace.” Alberke agreed with a nod.
“With such a conspicuous outfit, you’ve never been caught?” Grin asked curiously.
“I know some magic to hide my tracks, and I have items with the same effect. I’m also familiar with the palace layout. Only someone on Hagel’s level could catch me. But I’ve been lucky—I’ve never run into people like that.” Alberke answered casually.
That wasn’t luck; it was Alberke’s own skill.
People at Hagel’s level—there were only five or seven in the entire palace, even including Felts IV himself.
Sure, Felts IV and the Royal Knights could use their battle formation to fight fiercely against dragons, but that power was extremely limited. If the dragons hadn’t insisted on attacking the palace, they wouldn’t have stood a chance against them.
The Land Kingdom was ultimately too weak. So far, not a single truly living Transcendent existed in the kingdom. Otherwise, Alberke wouldn’t be able to sneak around so freely.
Still, it meant her magical skill was already quite impressive.
Walking together toward Dolores’s resting chambers, Alberke no longer needed to hide, but her face carried a tired expression.
She clearly looked sleep-deprived.
This made Grin wonder if he had been neglecting their rest. After all, both Alberke and the princess seemed to be ordinary people.
If Alberke, who had learned some magic, was this tired, what about Dolores, who was still an ordinary person?
Noticing Grin staring at her, Alberke didn’t want to be underestimated, so she explained:
“Not long ago, I used the teleportation array in the Ruins Forest to travel back and forth to Hegeholin. That’s why I exhausted so much energy. Those arrays are old and worn out, and the magic crystals that supply power are empty.”
“A round trip consumed both energy and magic, so that’s why I’m so tired.”
Alberke rubbed her eyes and yawned.
“Ha… Although I have some potions and items that can temporarily restore energy and perk me up, I’m saving them for later exploration or emergencies.”
That could explain why Alberke was so exhausted, but Grin suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Alberke asked, puzzled.
He had heard a familiar name—a place that little Dolores had once entrusted Hagel to visit, and to find someone.
“Hegeholin… Alberke, do you know Duradfi?”
Alberke thought for a moment, deciding that one-sided acquaintance counted, and nodded.
But soon, Alberke guessed where Grin might have learned of this person. She asked tentatively,
“The little Dolores in the memory sent Hagel to find Duradfi, right?”
Alberke hadn’t forgotten that Hagel, whom Duradfi had mentioned, was the one who made her trip fruitless.
Alberke racked her brains but couldn’t understand how Hagel could be connected to the System.
But if little Dolores had ordered it, then everything made sense.
This was partly Grin’s fault—he had started his story from the moment he met Dolores in the Rain Garden, forgetting to tell Alberke about these earlier details.
①
But fortunately, he remembered halfway.
②
However, realizing that this item had passed through Hagel’s hands, the other party might have recalled some memory fragments from the previous life.
Alberke told this to Grin, advising him to keep an eye on it.
But Grin was more concerned about what item Dolores had commissioned Hagel to get from Duradfi.
“Brief Sobriety of the Starry Sky. A item made from meteorites with special methods.”
“Originally, it was a system reward item you were supposed to obtain in other regional main storylines.”
Alberke’s explanation was brief, but Grin pressed further.
“What does it do?”
Alberke hesitated, which Grin noticed. He asked in a not-too-forceful tone,
“You can tell me. I know it must be related to Dolores.”
“It lowers Favorability in the System, but only before 【Unswerving】. Because 【Unswerving】 is the endpoint of the Favorability system. Even if there are tasks afterward, they are built on a new foundation.”
Alberke sighed, then added, “I initially went looking for this item because of Dolores’s commission. It was taken by Hagel, and it can only be used before 【Unswerving】.”
Grin recalled the moment when Hagel interrupted his conversation with Dolores. It had been too abrupt.
But as Alberke said, for this item to have an effect, it had to be before 【Unswerving】, and Hagel had been commissioned by Dolores.
“Leaving room for choice… So that’s what it meant.” Grin murmured.
“It seems you’ve figured it out. I won’t repeat myself.” Alberke resumed walking, motioning for Grin to follow.
“Alberke, do you think the current Dolores is pretending not to be affected by the System?” Grin asked.
“I don’t know. That’s something you need to find out for yourself. But I do have some advice.”
“What?”
“Focus on the System’s tasks first. Dolores will wait for you, but tasks and regrets won’t.” Alberke said.
Then she looked toward the white-haired loli not far away and continued to Grin,
“Dolores has already seen us. Let’s go say hello.”