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Was it about how this world was designed? Or perhaps the way things not mentioned in the original work operated?

Take the seasons, for example.

In the original story, it was stated, “Early winter is the season when the monsters become most aggressive.”

However, the exact ecology of these monsters was never explored.

‘Well, that was probably a hastily thrown-together plot point.’

The author likely wanted to write a scene where the female lead is saved by the male lead.

Thus, they created the setting of monsters becoming dangerous in early winter. Without much thought, the female lead ventured into the forest and was rescued by the crown prince.

The trigger was that trivial, but the setting introduced in the story became absolute.

That particular rule had to manifest into reality.

Thus, this world was designed in reverse.

The essential settings were established first, and the unexplored areas were twisted and filled in to make everything else seem plausible.

At least, that was my theory.

The strongest evidence was none other than myself and Sirien.

We were supposed to be the quintessential villains, yet Sirien was the Grand Duchess of Eilencia.

It was nearly impossible for someone of such noble status to end up as the Saintess of Hibras, with its murky reputation.

Therefore, destiny had to weave an abundance of tragedies just for us.

‘In the end, both of us joined Hibras side by side.’

Anyway, because of that wretched setup, monsters during this time of year were exceptionally ferocious.

Normally, they wouldn’t dare attack due to the overwhelming disparity in strength. But today, they had completely lost their minds, throwing themselves recklessly at us.

We had been attacked by monsters exactly six times today.

And more than ten times, fiery pillars of flame had erupted from the rear of the procession, courtesy of Mary.

And we weren’t the only ones enduring the assaults of these frenzied monsters.

I didn’t know which fool decided to venture into the northern mountain range at this time, but they must’ve been desperate like us. Normally, people would detour around the mountains to save time.

“Sirien, do you see that up ahead? The ones fighting the monsters?”

“Yes, I see them. Looks like nobles.”

“Can you recognize their crest? I can’t see it from here.”

“Wait a moment… Now I see it. A sword entwined with vines… It’s quite famous. That’s the Ashik Count’s household.”

The Ashik Count’s household.

The name was all too familiar—it was the family of the Sword Saint, Dersian Ashik.

“For now, let’s help them. It wouldn’t hurt to have a debt owed by such a household.”

“Hmm.”

“Razen?”

“…Fine, let’s go.”

The Sword Saint.

Dersian Ashik was one of Razen’s greatest adversaries in the original story.

Living up to his grandiose title, he was depicted as a formidable warrior, one of the few capable of facing me head-on.

Though he suffered countless defeats, he played a crucial role in my eventual demise as my most formidable foe.

Looking back, Dersian killed more of my allies than the crown prince did.

Though the prince stole many of the spotlight moments, Dersian quietly claimed numerous impactful scenes for himself.

The author clearly had a soft spot for him.

And now, that same man was groveling before us.

“Thank you so much for your assistance. If not for you, we would have been in serious trouble.”

“It was mere coincidence that we crossed paths.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you helped us. I will ensure you’re properly thanked when we reach Edelmarion.”

Dark blue hair and violet eyes.

A man whose appearance could only be described as the embodiment of the word handsome, befitting the male lead of a romance novel.

Dersian Ashik bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

Yes, Dersian was bowing his head… to Sirien.

The sight was enough to cause a sense of cognitive dissonance within me.

In the original story, even after Sirien became the Grand Duchess of Eilencia, Dersian never failed to act stiff and defiant toward her.

At the same time, my thoughts grew darker.

‘Should I just kill him?’

This was Dersian before his awakening.

He wasn’t yet the Sword Saint, nor even a Swordmaster. He was currently weaker than Isha, who was still in her early stages of growth.

Right now, I could kill him in three moves without even using sword energy.

Moreover, this man was different from Russell.

Russell was a character who perished before the original story began, but Dersian was destined to become our enemy in a few years.

Not just any enemy—he would be the most troublesome adversary I’d face in battle.

Killing him now would drastically alter the power dynamics in the future.

But for now, it was better to hold off.

I could figure out how to deal with the aftermath, but there were simply too many witnesses.

There were ordinary employees of the merchant guild all around, and silencing all those mouths was impossible.

If I acted rashly, it would only make things difficult for Sirien.

Besides, there would be plenty of other opportunities to kill Dersian Now was not the time.

“Ah, Saintess, who might the person behind you be?”

“Oh, that’s my dependable knight. He’s also a protector of our Church.”

While I was lost in thought, the conversation shifted toward me.

Dersian, catching my gaze, smiled with the most innocent expression imaginable.

“I see. It’s an honor to meet you. May I ask for your name sir?”

“Razen. You can simply call me Razen.”

“Understood. As I mentioned, my name isDersian Ashik. I’d be grateful if you’d address me by name as well, Sir Razen.”

“Sure.”

Somehow, I ended up shaking hands with Dersian.

I couldn’t help but feel deeply uncomfortable about the whole situation.

“You must’ve known how dangerous the northern mountain range is this time of year. What brings you here?”

“Well, I was originally headed to a trading city in the northeast. However, urgent matters in my household forced me to take this route over the mountains.”

“I see. I hope it’s nothing too serious.”

“It should be fine. It wasn’t entirely unexpected, just poorly timed.”

I had a rough idea of what might have happened.

There weren’t many matters urgent enough to compel someone to traverse the mountains at this time of year.

Dersian still introduced himself as the “heir” of the Ashik family.

That meant the current head of the Ashik family, the Count, must have passed away.

In the original timeline, Dersian had already inherited the title by this point, having lost his father early on.

I had thought he’d already established himself in the capital after taking over the title.

It seemed we had arrived a little earlier than in the original timeline.

Since no specific dates were mentioned in the story, I couldn’t be certain.

“So, I’d like to ask—would it be alright if I joined you on the way to the capital? I will properly express my gratitude once we arrive, of course. This request is separate from the assistance you’ve already provided.”

“That’s not something I can decide on my own. I’ll need to discuss it with Baron Esquente, but he’s just arriving now.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

In the end, Dersian joined our group on the journey to Edelmarion.

Baron Esquente seemed particularly interested in the “gratitude” promised by the Ashik family, and Sirien appeared to take the pragmatic approach of accepting the situation without complaint.

In the original story, Dersian’s personality was portrayed as upright and polite, a truly virtuous young man.

His friendliness quickly won over the group, especially among the female employees of the merchant guild, who were particularly impressed by him.

As night fell, the group stopped for dinner.

Sirien and I sat side by side near a campfire, eating skewers of roasted meat.

Suddenly, Sirien created a thin barrier of divine power around us.

It seemed she had something she wanted to discuss.

“Razen, you don’t seem to like Dersian very much.”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say I dislike him. Was it that obvious?”

“No. No one else would’ve noticed. But I can tell just from looking at your face. You seem to dislike him.”

“I don’t bother hiding it from you.”

From what I had observed, Dersian wasn’t a bad person.

That much was only natural—if anything, he was meant to be on the side of justice.

If he weren’t destined to become my enemy, I might’ve thought highly of him.

But I had no intention of growing attached to someone who was bound to die.

Sirien chuckled softly.

“Maybe we should’ve told him not to follow us. Honestly, I don’t like him much either.”

“Why? Everyone else seems to like him.”

“He looks too feminine for a man. And for a swordsman, he seems too feeble. I bet he’s not even that skilled.”

“Not a great first impression, huh?”

Sirien’s head naturally leaned toward me, her warmth blending with the heat of the campfire.

It felt as though the winter chill was melting away.

From a distance, I noticed Dersian and Isha standing not too far apart.

As always, Isha maintained her wary demeanor, though she didn’t seem to be outright avoiding Dersian.

Her posture was more like a cautious stray cat keeping its guard up.

It was remarkable to see the two of them together without conflict.

In the original story, their first meeting involved them drawing swords and trying to kill each other.

One thing was clear—this encounter had never happened in the original timeline.

Sirien, still leaning against me, lifted her head. The divine barrier around us dissipated like grains of sand scattering in the wind.

This typically happened when someone was approaching.

“Looks like he’s coming our way.”

I had been too focused on eating to notice, but sure enough, Dersian was walking toward us.

He glanced at both of us, then his expression shifted as if he had come to some sort of realization.

The look on his face was one of utter clarity and relief.

What was that?

What exactly had he realized?

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