Artist pulled up the System map, confirmed the marked location, and turned toward that direction.
“Central continent, plains, middle of the woods…”
Sweeping his gaze quickly from high in the sky, Artist soon locked onto the marked location.
However, he did not find a village.
Instead, he saw the most prosperous kingdom of this period.
“Master, are we going to the Muse Kingdom?”
“…Based on the ‘mark’s’ location, yes.”
“Please give the word, Master. Tell me who to catch, and I shall return shortly.”
“No, we will go together. After all, this is the first task the System has given me; I need to test the process,” Artist said.
“Besides, I see a very ‘shining’ material. Perhaps I can forge an ‘artwork’ that is unique in all the world.”
“As you wish.”
With that, the weirdo Artist dived toward the Muse Kingdom with his maid, Eileen, on his shoulder…
[Task Start]
A few minutes later, facing the “weirdo” who was about to take her life, Princess Lillian Aphrodite would recall the moment she saw her “beloved” while bathed in the gaze of the crowd.
For the past fifty years, until now, the Muse Kingdom had been the most prosperous nation on the entire continent of Absur.
It stood at the pinnacle of human civilization, encompassing the cultures of various races with bustling houses, and possessed the most shining “star” of this world.
Princess Lillian was that “star.”
She was currently standing on the highest platform of the castle.
It was the place with the widest view and the only place where the people with the highest glory in the country could stand.
From here, the crowd below was as dense as ants.
The entire world was a palette of monotonous colors, and even the sunlight seemed dim.
The loving Queen looked at her, the elder brother who doted on her most watched her, and the supreme authority of the kingdom, His Majesty the King, her father, personally placed the platinum crown representing adulthood and royal status upon her head.
In the eyes of everyone, at this moment, she must have been the happiest daughter in the world.
The citizens who came to celebrate below cheered without exception, and the ministers of the kingdom sent their most precious gifts.
“Today, my daughter has truly grown up! She will possess the qualification to inherit this kingdom and become a candidate for the Queen of this world!”
Her royal brother applauded her.
The Queen Mother draped a velvet cloak over her, embroidered with gold thread and adorned with tens of thousands of pearls, diamonds, emeralds, and rubies.
The King Father continued to say things that were completely irrelevant to her—nothing more than “royal duties,” “royal glory,” and “the morality of those in power.”
The crowd continued to cheer, and the area below the castle was a cacophony of voices.
However, the world in Lillian’s eyes remained monotonous.
‘Too boring.’
Right now, she only wanted to go to a quiet place or be kidnapped.
It would not matter even if she had to lose these “external possessions” and so-called “honor.”
She only wanted a quiet life.
Suddenly, a terrifying winged monster appeared in the sky, blotting out the sun.
He was tall, comparable to the conical roof of the castle, and his appearance was hideous.
He had a humanoid silhouette, and his entire body was covered in a flowing, dark silver light.
His features were similar to a human’s but much more ferocious, as if a fierce face had been intentionally carved with a knife.
The most heart-stopping thing was his eyes.
Only those eyes were “different.”
They clearly were not human eyes, yet they were different from the monotonous world around them, revealing a kaleidoscope of colors.
“It is Artist! Protect the King! Quick, protect the King!”
At the King’s command, all the elite guards on the platform immediately took their positions, forming a circle.
They wore the finest armor and held the sharpest spears and the sturdiest shields, sworn to protect the safety of the royal family.
The crowd below instantly fell into chaos, scattering in all directions.
Terrifying rumors about Artist were known to everyone on the continent.
People said he possessed enough power to destroy city-states and would only appear in kingdoms that were about to fall.
“Artist, why have you descended here? Has my kingdom’s luck truly run out?”
The winged monster did not answer.
Instead, he pointed at Princess Lillian.
The King instantly understood his meaning.
Anger overcame the fear on his face as he roared, “Don’t you dare touch a single hair on my daughter’s head!”
The Queen was equally firm.
She shielded Lillian, using her body to block Artist’s path.
The royal brother quietly retreated, hiding inside the castle.
He used Communication Magic to contact the kingdom’s strongest combatant, sending a message: “Dragon-Slaying Hero Siegfried, the time has come for you to fulfill your mission!”
A small blue magic circle floated before him.
The process of waiting for the information to transmit felt extremely long.
Before the message could be sent, a young maid with a well-proportioned, elegant figure and a beautiful face appeared before him.
With a simple flick of her finger, a flash of lightning shattered the communication magic circle.
“First Prince of the Muse Kingdom, His Highness Garcia, your petty schemes cannot stop any of Master Artist’s actions. Please sleep for a while.”
“Who are you… Someone come! There is a traitor—”
Before he could finish his shout, he felt a sharp pain in his jaw.
The last thing he saw was a powerful whip kick from a leg clad in black tights beneath a maid’s skirt, and then he lost consciousness.
More elite royal guards rushed from inside the castle, but they were all blocked at the staircase by the maid.
“Gentlemen, my name is Eileen. I am Master Artist’s exclusive maid, responsible for resolving all troubles on his behalf.”
For some reason, the lead guard did not dare to move an inch.
It was because the young girl in the black and white maid uniform appeared extremely powerful, and the fluctuations of magic power emanating from her were unfathomable.
He swallowed hard, gripped his spear tightly, and let out a great shout.
“Argh—For the glory of the kingdom!” He charged at the maid.
“Communication is ineffective. In that case, please die.”
Eileen tilted her body and easily dodged the spearhead.
She struck the guard’s breastplate with a single punch.
Not only did she shatter it, but the force of her punch formed a powerful energy wave that surged into the guard’s chest, sending him flying and smashing him heavily against the inner wall of the castle.
When he fell, his companions behind him caught him, only to see a large amount of blood flowing out from his full-face helmet.
“He’s… He’s dead?”
The death of their companion further incited the guards’ fury.
They swarmed forward, all attacking Eileen, but they were all instantly killed by her martial arts.
The King, standing at the highest point of the castle, turned around to see that the First Prince had fainted and was lying on the ground.
The elites who had come to support them were all blocked at the stairs by an unidentified maid.
He looked back at Artist, but he could only clench his fists as his hands trembled uncontrollably.
“Human, I only want your daughter. If you comply, I can ensure your kingdom remains untroubled,” the weirdo spoke.
“Shut up! I could never reach a contract with an evil devil like you, let alone sell out my daughter!”
Lillian was not moved by the King’s words, because today’s coming-of-age ceremony was prepared just so she could be married off to some man who seemed excellent.
After all, she was the princess of the most developed nation.
The Queen held Lillian even tighter, but she also did not feel this would be useful.
According to the legends, Artist was omnipotent.
He was the most terrifying monster in the world, capable of entering people’s dreams and rewriting the future of a nation.
“I gave you terms, and you did not accept them. Then I shall let nature take its course.”
Artist raised his large hand and pointed a finger at Lillian.
A seven-colored light glowed at his fingertip.
Lillian, who had been behind the Queen, instantly disappeared and reappeared before Artist in the next second.
“No! Lillian! Give her back to me!” the Queen shrieked.
Lillian was bound by five multicolored light rings.
She did not find it strange at all, as she had read about such Binding Magic in books.
Once entangled, it was absolutely impossible to break free.
“Human, you don’t seem to be afraid of me?”
Artist said.
“No. Your eyes are very beautiful. They are the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life,” Lillian smiled.
“Hahaha, interesting. It seems this trip was quite a harvest,” Artist called toward the castle’s interior.
“Eileen, we’re heading back!”
“Understood, Master Artist.”
“Farewell, scum! I’ll come back to trample you next time, hahahaha!”
The weirdo snapped his fingers.
Lillian, Eileen, and Artist himself instantly turned into a streak of light and disappeared from everyone’s sight.
The Queen began to cry in despair, sitting on the ground as her tears flowed uncontrollably.
The King, however, was filled with both fear and shock.
He had clearly seen Lillian smile just now…
That child had never smiled once since she was little, yet she had just… smiled?
The King forced himself to calm down.
Suppressing his anger and shame, he immediately issued an order.
“Issue an announcement to the whole world. Whoever rescues the princess will receive the highest reward and gain status and glory equal to my own!”
***
After capturing Lillian, Artist brought her to the location Outside the Three Realms.
First, he used Sealing Magic to block the princess’s five senses.
Lillian instantly lost her hearing, sight, smell, and touch…
This caused her to feel panic; she had probably even lost her sense of taste.
He handed Lillian over to Eileen for her to handle.
Artist then summoned the System.
He inquired, “System! I found the place and caught the person. See if this works?”
[System detection in progress…]
[Detection complete, task passed]
‘What? I just grabbed a random person and it passed?’
[The System has detected the current time node as: Conquest Era 451]
[Task Location: Correct]
[Task Objective: …………&**（）%……#@！Correct]
[Host Status: Undetectable]
“Eileen, what is the current era?”
“It is currently Year 50 of the Muse Era. Why do you suddenly ask, Master?”
“Uh… When was Conquest Era 451?”
“Exactly 500 years ago, the year you saved me.”
‘I’m screwed.’
It seemed this damn System had made a mistake, issuing a task from 500 years ago…