Unable to make sense of anything, Timothy suddenly heard his sister’s voice.

“Big bro!”

She ran toward him. He smiled warmly, scooped her up, and hugged her tightly, refusing to let go.

“You’re alive, Alicia… I’m so relieved… Please don’t run away again, okay?”

“Sorry… I won’t do it again…”

As the girl promised softly, Timothy nodded and kissed her forehead. Louis watched the scene in silence while villagers began gathering around him.

“It’s Prince Louis?!”

“T-Thank you for saving us!”

“We had no idea you were here…”

“Prince Louis, that was incredible!”

“It’s really him?!”

“He used magic to heal us—just like his mother!”

“So the rumors from the capital are true… he’s awakened his dragon powers…!”

Louis remained quiet amid the praise. “It would be better if you stayed away from the Entity’s remains. There’s still a risk of miasma infection. Later, we’ll need to investigate where this one came from. There may be smaller miasma patches we haven’t cleared yet.”

“Prince Louis! Your Majesty!”

Suddenly, a father and son approached Jonathan and his father, the village Hunter. Both looked honored to stand before the Prince.

“Prince Louis, it’s an honor!” the Hunter said with awe. “P-Please, would you reconsider… erm, well, rewarding our efforts? It was thanks to me and my son that we held back that creature from completely destroying the village…”

“Yeah—I-I lured that thing here so we could stop it…” Jonathan added stupidly.

Louis’s eyebrows twitched and furrowed.

“And my arrow definitely stopped that thing in its tracks!” the Hunter boasted loudly.

“So it was you?” Louis asked. He released his full aura over Jonathan until blood began trickling from the boy’s nose.

“Aaaaaggh!” Jonathan screamed in pain, unable to resist the overwhelming Fantasium Aura of a Spiralwalker as powerful as Prince Louis Drakeheart.

“Fool! Why did you lure that monster here? Many lives could have been lost if we hadn’t been present!” Louis said furiously.

“Wait, Your Majesty! This must be a misunderstanding—my son would never—”

“Silence.”

With a single word, the Hunter felt crushing pressure across his entire body. He froze in terror as Louis held his son.

“Your arrow, you say? Timothy—what did that thing actually do?”

“Eh? Ah…”

The Hunter and Jonathan glared at him with fury, as though trying to intimidate him with their stares alone.

But Timothy smiled lightly, holding his sister securely in his arms.

“They were useless. He only shot one arrow, and the Entity was completely immune to it. Then he ran away like a coward!” Timothy said.

“Y-You dare?!” the Hunter roared. “I’ll kill you, you damn brat!” He charged forward—only for Louis to drive a fist into his face.

BAAAM!

The Hunter flew backward and crashed into a house, collapsing it with a single blow. Steam rose from Louis’s white gloves as he looked down at Jonathan.

“I could execute you right now, but that would be distasteful. Your foolishness can be corrected, so I will spare you—for now.”

He dropped Jonathan to the ground. The boy coughed blood and groaned in pain, glaring at Timothy—who was now receiving all the attention and recognition for no reason at all, infuriating him even more.

“Ignore him,” Louis said, patting Timothy’s shoulder. “You were made for far more than this, young Timothy.”

“R-Really?!” the young farmer asked in disbelief, his big blue eyes shining. “Wait—what’s even happening anymore? I’m so confused!”

“Wait here,” Louis instructed. He stepped onto a small stage beside the village chief, explained the situation, and gave a brief speech to reassure the people. “I sincerely apologize for this incident. We were pursuing rogue Entities that escaped a recently cleansed Corrupted Domain. It appears the last few were in this area. As we speak, several Agents of the VPI are cleansing the surroundings to prevent further miasma corruption and Entity outbreaks.”

The villagers reacted with a mix of relief and lingering fear. Louis wasn’t certain they fully understood, but once he assured them everything would be alright, they relaxed somewhat. He worked with the chief and local sorcerers to reinforce the village barrier. The chief also promised to reprimand Jonathan after learning who had lured a Level 3 Entity into the village.

“It’s done. Shall we go to your house?” Louis asked with a gentlemanly smile.

“Hi! You must be Timothy. Nice to meet you,” the girl Timothy had seen earlier said, walking beside Louis. She occasionally clung to his arm, acting very affectionate toward the prince—even though he often seemed focused elsewhere. “I’ve heard from Louis that you have some strong hidden potential? Is that true?”

“Uh? I… don’t know?” Timothy tilted his head. “I seriously don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’ll know soon,” Louis said. “Bring me to your house, Timothy. I need to inform your parents that you have received a scholarship to Sinners Academy.”

“Y-Your Majesty, are you serious? I… can’t you at least explain, please?” Timothy pleaded.

“Well…”

Louis explained in the simplest terms he could manage. Timothy learned he was a “Sinner”—though he denied it at first.

“But aren’t Sinners like freakish hybrids— Ah, I’m so sorry!” he stammered, realizing the prince himself was half-dragon, half-human—a Sinner.

“Mirai here is also a Sinner,” Louis said. “She was born in Yamato to two human parents. You’re similar to her. Sometimes Sinners are born from ordinary humans due to random mutations from Fantasium exposure or other supernatural causes. You possess the hidden potential of a powerful Grievance within your Soul, along with exceptional talent for a certain Spiral—one you can develop with almost no additional requirements beyond leveling and cultivating your Fantasy Heart.”

Spiral Talents were extraordinarily rare. Those gifted with them often didn’t need rituals or strict conditions to advance. In the game, it had been simplified for geniuses. Sometimes they awakened their Spirals spontaneously—like Louis, who did so after absorbing a Resonance Heart.

The same applied to Mirai and her unique Spiral of Entropy. Timothy, too, possessed remarkable talent for a rather uncommon Spiral—plus an exceptional Soul Psyche and Body Physique.

Soul Psyches were special soul types with unique affinities, powers, and strengths; his Soul in particular resembled a powerful Spirit. Physiques were rare, ultra-resilient bodies with extraordinary abilities. Louis had been trying to forge his own Physique for some time without much success—though the Five Elemental Spiritual Roots were something similar.

In the game, Timothy had been an overlooked character—dismissed for his plain appearance and boring background. Players disliked his cowardly yet occasionally mean personality and rarely used him. His spells and skills weren’t flashy, but they were useful. Louis planned to rebuild him from the ground up, transforming him completely using the build he had designed.

First, he would gift Timothy an early Soul Treasure to accelerate his growth before full awakening. Soul Treasures boosted stats, affinities, and progression while equipped within the Soul. Afterward, Louis intended to force him to master numerous Cultivation Methods…

“Heh…”

“Why are you laughing?!”

Timothy was genuinely intimidated by Lord Louis. The prince would sometimes fall silent for long moments, then smile like a psychopath.

“Don’t worry, Timothy. Your future is bright—just like you’ve always wanted, right?”

“I… I guess so? It happened so fast though. But what sort of power is it?”

“You felt it when you fought that thing, right? I was going to save you, but I let you struggle a little longer before I finished it.”

“Eh? T-That’s cruel…”

“Only through life-and-death situations can one truly grow stronger, Timothy. Suffering builds character, as some say.”

“…Prince Louis, you really are different from what I imagined.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s nice of you to say.”

“No—I don’t mean it in a good way…!”

Mirai chuckled at their exchange. While Zorba always praised Louis, Timothy had a much more confrontational personality. The two seemed destined to clash often.

“Haha, Timothy, don’t worry. He might seem like this on the outside, but Lord Louis genuinely cares about his subjects,” she smiled.

“A-Ah… is that so?” Timothy blushed as he looked at Mirai’s smile, making Louis’s eyebrow twitch in annoyance.

“Why are you blushing at her like that? Snap out of it,” Louis said, lightly smacking the back of Timothy’s head.

“Aagh! Your Majesty, did you have to do that?!” Timothy groaned, clenching his teeth

“Sometimes a brat like you needs correction. That’s all,” Louis replied. He refused to admit he felt a flicker of jealousy seeing another man look at Mirai that way.

“Don’t be mean to him, Louis,” Mirai sighed. “Oh, Alicia—do you like your lollipop?”

“It’s yummy! Thank you, big sis,” Alicia answered happily. Louis had bought her a lollipop earlier to keep her occupied. Though she was still shaken, sweets always helped children recover.

“Is that your house?” Louis asked, nodding toward a modest building in the distance.

“Ah, yes…” Timothy said.

“No wonder we couldn’t find it sooner. It’s all the way out here on this road in the middle of nowhere,” Louis sighed. “Come on now—knock on the door. We’re going in.”

“Ugh… okay, here goes nothing,” Timothy muttered. He knocked softly, then slowly opened the door.

Inside, his parents were peeling potatoes and carrots for lunch.

It was a very humble home with very humble-looking people. Timothy felt a wave of embarrassment as the prince and Mirai stepped into the simple wooden shack.

“Huh? Who are they, Timothy?” his mother asked. “S-So beautiful… Is he a noble?”

“I haven’t seen him around here,” his father added. “Introduce yourselves.”

“I am Louis Drakeheart Yggdrasil,” Louis said, placing a hand over his heart with a warm, gentlemanly smile. “Prince of Frostbane. Nice to meet you, Timothy’s parents.”

“…Louis?”

“Drake… Drakeheart?”

Timothy’s parents exchanged awkward glances. Their eyebrows twitched. Their hands dropped what they were holding as they gasped in disbelief.

“THE PRINCE?!”

—–

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep