There was no such thing as a planned route here, especially in domains that Doloris had never explored.
The concept of Route Guidance had been thoroughly discussed by Doloris and Little Fish—whether it was as straightforward as invisible walls, or using terrain and debris to block the way, or providing bright light sources in dark scenes.
In the end, all of it served to guide the player along the intended path.
As for Hidden Passages, after Doloris and Little Fish’s discussions, they decided not to put them on the main route, but instead to leave some hints and hide them in certain places.
The game’s major settings corresponded to several key districts of the royal capital.
The Royal Palace, the Royal Library, the Nobles’ District, Urgresh Academy District, City Market, Slums, South Gate.
Unfortunately, at this very moment, Doloris was nowhere near any of the districts she recognized.
The closest was probably Mercury Street, a road stretching between Urgresh and the City Market.
It held several Hidden Passages, as well as special Events.
Within about a quarter of the royal capital, Doloris could distinguish directions by architectural features, using some Hidden Passages or Events.
But as luck would have it, she was in the three-quarters that lay outside that familiar fourth.
“……”
She was almost dizzy from the labyrinthine roads here.
In reality, there was no need to detour or climb just because of piles of debris or a locked door; any hole big enough for a person could serve as a route.
She could use anything at hand to climb up to a second-story roof if need be, and certain high walls or balcony rooftops were already intended as part of the path.
It was nearly dawn now, with the morning sun providing light.
But it also set the stage for chaos.
The dragon’s flames sparked raging fires, destruction and monsters brought turmoil, and unextinguished oil lamps rekindled new blazes.
The chaotic scene left even the maid at Doloris’s side somewhat lost, but the nearby Integger and another guard were guiding them forward.
Doloris was not squeamish—she could pass through narrow alleys or bloodstained paths without a care for appearances, which made Integger breathe a sigh of relief, allowing them to take many shortcuts.
At the same time, the maid would warn the group about the locations of powerful monsters, so they could adjust their route as needed.
There were many wounded along the way, but most were too far to save or beyond help.
The four of them were now hiding in a half-collapsed house, peering through a gap in the curtain to watch the outside, waiting for a fanged humanoid monster to leave.
A piercing male scream—a shadowy figure caught the monster’s attention, drawing it away in pursuit.
Integger held back a comrade who wanted to rush out to help, saying only, “He won’t survive…”
“Integger! That’s not like you… You usually can’t bear to see this even more than I can!” the comrade whispered harshly.
“He’s very close to us. If I go out to draw attention, maybe he’ll live.”
“Our job is to escort Her Highness the Princess to the military camp,” Integger said.
His comrade looked at him in disbelief. Up until now, all their inaction could be explained by inability to help, but this time the man was right in front of them…
“If we escort Her Highness the Princess to the camp and distribute the armor, then the few of us who are left can save even more people…”
A trace of sorrow crossed Integger’s eyes. “If only we had managed to get those suits of Celebration Armor out sooner, so many of us wouldn’t have had to die.”
“Even the Guard Captain wouldn’t have lost his arm trying to save others.”
Even here in the royal capital, these guards responsible for maintaining order were poorly equipped—one might even say terribly.
The truly skilled soldiers could form battle lines and achieve victory by using strength in unity.
But guards like Integger only needed to keep the peace; there were others whose jobs were to hunt criminals and handle other tasks.
Yet, when disaster struck and no one could have predicted it, they were the first to shoulder the most dangerous duties, preserving order and organizing rescue efforts.
His comrade understood and calmed down, gripping his weapon tightly.
“He was my neighbor… I knew him.”
He hung his head.
Doloris, who had witnessed the whole thing as well, felt a strange discomfort.
Doloris felt like she might vomit; she had seen such a bloody scene more directly this time, but made no sound—though the distress was visible on her face, and all those present noticed.
To Integger and his comrade, this princess of their kingdom was not accustomed to bloodshed or danger.
Yet she was still willing to help people like them—”ordinary folk.”
Oddly, Doloris’s expression, neither “brave” nor “gentle,” had a calming effect on the guards. Perhaps it was because it reminded them that the princess was indeed as young as she looked.
But even such a young girl was not fleeing—she was risking her life here with them.
“Your Highness, please don’t mind us. It’s just… too many of our friends have died in this sudden disaster.”
“For your proposal and your actions, we are always grateful. Even if you weren’t a princess, at your age, facing danger, no one would blame you for running or hiding.”
The monster that had torn apart the citizen finally left, and a severed right arm—still clenched in a fist—fell not far away, right in a blind spot of the street, along the only path to the camp.
Integger hunched down and led them on, prying open the dead hand. In the palm lay a triangular brass medallion engraved with the Holy Emblem of the Church.
He silently picked up the Holy Emblem, glanced back at Doloris, and said quietly, “Your Highness, if I survive this, I will always pray for your safety and fortune before the gods.”
Doloris shot him a look; he was so plain as to be indistinguishable from most people, neither scarred nor marked by any eccentric feature.
His words felt just like a flag being raised—in the next moment, he’d cover their retreat, then die right on the eve of victory.
“Just ten more minutes to the camp. Stay close to me.”
Doloris remembered the clothes Integger wore—she had drawn them herself. She even vaguely recalled the set they were about to retrieve, as she might have doodled it offhand.
When the Protagonist became king, she had only sketched the most basic guard and soldier units beneath him.
Wait, guards… someone she’d drawn… Integger?
In that instant, Doloris recalled a nearly forgotten conversation with Little Fish.
Little Fish: “Hey King, for this guard’s portrait, can you remove the helmet and just draw a completely average face, the kind that screams NPC? I need it for a plot event.”
Doloris: “Are you planning to make him the Guard Captain or something? It’d be easier for players to tell by tweaking the armor. Why make him a template?”
Little Fish: “Mm… I want a character who plays a small part in the story. If I use a generic portrait, it’ll feel perfunctory, but a unique one would compete with the Protagonist—not worth it, and it’d annoy the players.”
“Just sketch something, anyway I’ll probably reuse the assets. Calling him ‘Integger’ is good enough. At least I didn’t name him Hagrid or Grey, which is as respectful as I get for naming, considering how much I suck at it.”
Doloris: “Is he important to the story? You’re writing the bit about the Princess’s betrayal of the Protagonist now, right? Does he matter there?”
Little Fish: “No, but he’s tangentially related to the Queen… I just feel that for a virtuous hero, to make players want to take the initiative and settle scores with the female leads after rebirth, you need a lot of hate! So I’m reworking the plot, starting with the Queen.”
“Reasons? Forced circumstances? Or just pure malice? I want to flesh out why the Queen betrayed the Protagonist, so that it’s enough to justify revenge after rebirth, but also gives the ‘reason’ and ‘validation’ for that revenge.”
Doloris: “So by your logic, players would hate the Princess after rebirth, but she’s supposed to be a nurturing, motherly character…”
Little Fish: “That’s why I’m counting on you for the event illustration. I’ve reworked the story, but the scene in the Holy Maiden’s Memory doesn’t need to change. Just a few details to tweak.”
Golden patterns spread like bloodthirsty vines, encasing the girl in filth; silver, like her own blood, streamed from her eyes, cleansing her flesh.
That painting had been drawn by Doloris herself.
It appeared in Hilberu’s memories.
And it depicted the Disaster of the Dragon’s Attack upon the royal capital.