I was startled by that small number.

“No way!”

Of course, lowering one’s faith by 1 could not break anyone’s hypnosis.

While I was looking at the system notification window in bewilderment, the attacks from the cleaners continued.

“Aaaargh!”

I quickly dodged and opened my inventory.

Item

A bible believed by a suspicious religion. Reading the verses of the bible lowers the faith of people in the same location.

Confirming there were still 499 verses remaining, I started reading the rest.

“The god of light Luce and the god of darkness Nox ruled the world together!”

[SYSTEM] Using .

[SYSTEM] The faith of people in the vicinity decreases by −1.

“Nox, who lost his divinity due to Luce’s scheme, was driven out of the realm of gods and became the dragon of the earth!”

[SYSTEM] Using .

[SYSTEM] The faith of people in the vicinity decreases by −1.

“From then on, the god of light Luce became the sole god of this land and ruled the world!”

[SYSTEM] Using .

[SYSTEM] The faith of people in the vicinity decreases by −1.

I diligently read verse by verse, but the faith of the people only decreased by 1 each time.

“How long will it take to read them all like this!”

Narrowly dodging another wave of attacks, I screamed at the 496 verses still remaining in the bible.

“Is this all you can do?”

It was then that Sedrick sneered at me.

[Player! Activate ‘Auto-Use Items’!]

“Auto-use items…?”

I recited the words that appeared in the system window.

[SYSTEM] Please tell me which item to activate for auto-use.

“…?”

Answering with uncertainty, the in my hand began to shine.

[SYSTEM] Auto-use activated for item .

[SYSTEM] Using .

[SYSTEM] The faith of people in the vicinity decreases by −1.

[SYSTEM] Using .

[SYSTEM] The faith of people in the vicinity decreases by −1.

Even without me reading it, the pages of the bible turned automatically and the system notification sound rang.

“Damn it… damn it…!”

Sedrick cursed fiercely, glaring at the system window with a mixture of shock and anger.

“We’ll have to do something about that first.”

He threw a golden shining dagger at the system window, but my sword deflected it immediately.

“Ugh….”

Sedrick let out a soft groan, looking at the Azester greatsword imbued with golden aura.

At his signal, the system cleaners rushed at me again.

I blocked them with more composure now.

[SYSTEM] Using .

[SYSTEM] The faith of people in the vicinity decreases by −1.

[SYSTEM] Using .

[SYSTEM] The faith of people in the vicinity decreases by −1.

Meanwhile, people’s faith was steadily decreasing.

But there was nothing Sedrick could do.

As Orent’s aide from the beginning, he had high intelligence but relatively low combat ability.

His face turned pale.

I couldn’t figure out the exact faith value that turns people into cleaners.

But from the start, as the empress mother had a poor relationship with the Great Temple, the people of Azester didn’t have very high faith.

As their faith continued to decrease, those who fell below a certain value slowly broke free from the hypnosis one by one.

Thud.

Thud.

Those freed from the hypnosis collapsed to the floor as if fainting.

“Elder sister Elizabeth…!”

[They’ve fallen asleep to recover their minds. Don’t worry too much, Player.]

The system window, which had quietly become my ally, explained.

And before I knew it, the had reached its final page.

[SYSTEM] Using .

[SYSTEM] The faith of people in the vicinity decreases by −1.

[SYSTEM] Item has been fully used.

[SYSTEM] Auto-use activation is disabled.

The disappeared from my inventory and the auto-use was deactivated.

“Damn it… Damn it…!”

Seeing all the cleaners in the area collapsed on the floor, Sedrick cursed fiercely.

Recalling how Anselot once laughed evilly, I tried to curl my lips in a similar way.

Sedrick was startled and took a step back.

I didn’t need any great skills or support items.

Just basic attacks were enough to deal with Sedrick.

“Wait, wait, wait a minute. Just a moment, Princess. Let’s talk…”

Ignoring Sedrick’s attempt at conversation, I simply raised my sword.

As Sedrick, the system administrator, had a human form unlike the bald kraken, I felt resistance to attacking him directly.

‘I can’t hesitate, Luibel.’

Telling myself that, I swung my sword at Sedrick.

“Aaaaaargh!”

Unable to run away, Sedrick faced my sword head-on with a pale, terrified face.

The moment I thought the sword pierced his flesh.

Zzzzt, zzzzt—

Sedrick’s body flickered like a hologram, then disappeared without a trace.

“I got rid of him…”

I muttered blankly, looking at where Sedrick had vanished.

As I stood there in a daze, unable to fully grasp the situation.

Suddenly, I looked up at the strange sensation above my head.

【Glorious Swordmaster】 Lv.17 Luibel Azester

The text above my head began to move and wriggle.

“…?”

Startled by the shuffling letters, in that instant.

System Bug: no.000000000589

Similar to what I had seen above Anselot’s head before, bold red letters were branded like a stigma.

“…!”

[Gasp! B-b-b-bug…!]

The system window let out a silent scream in surprise.

“Ugh…!”

I felt a sharp, piercing pain in my heart and sank to my knees.

[P-Player? Are you alright? Player…!] [SYSTEM] System adjusting due to a sudden bug!

[SYSTEM] System adjusting due to a sudden bug!

[Oh no! Player…]

With a crackling sound, the system window shut off.

“Ugh, urgh….”

The unfamiliar pain felt like my heart was being burned.

I tried to support myself with both hands on the floor, but the tears streaming down obscured my vision.

“Nngh….”

I tried to say something, but only painful groans escaped my constricted throat.

As I struggled and suffered in agony.

Clink—

A cool metal chain touched my skin, and the searing pain slowly subsided.

Lifting my head with difficulty, through my hazy vision, I saw Anselot crouched in front of me, calmly observing me.

“It’s okay.”

He reached out and cupped my cheek. As his cool thumb wiped under my eyes, hot tears were swept away.

“An…selot…?”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore, Princess.”

As if his soft voice was a magic spell, the pain gradually disappeared.

My panting breaths that had been constantly escaping my lips also quieted down.

“Can you stand?”

“…”

When I didn’t answer, he took it upon himself to slip his hands under my arms and lifted me up.

Just moments ago, my whole body was burning with searing pain, but now that the pain had subsided, a cold chill took its place.

Anselot draped his uniform over my trembling body.

I bit my lower lip and clutched the fluttering hem of his uniform.

Slowly lowering my gaze, I saw the red pendant hanging around my neck.

The cool metal chain that had touched my skin earlier must have been this.

I raised my head again to look at Anselot.

“Just now, that was…”

“The system cannot tolerate beings that deviate from its order.”

Anselot, who always grinned mischievously, explained to me with a serious expression devoid of his usual smile.

“But you were fine.”

I recalled the moment when Anselot revealed his existence and asked.

Even when he declared himself a bug, he seemed perfectly fine without any sign of pain.

“Well, I’ve gotten quite used to it, you know?”

Anselot slightly raised the end of his sentence and then chuckled.

But I couldn’t laugh along with him.

“Used to it? Don’t tell me you’ve gotten used to that pain from earlier…”

“Don’t take this necklace off your body.”

Anselot interrupted me and tapped the red gem hanging around my neck.

“This will hide you from the system’s eyes.”

He gestured above my head as he spoke.

【Glorious Swordmaster】 Lv.17 Luibel Azester

The text above my head had already returned to its original form.

“What exactly is this necklace?”

“It’s the heart of the Archduke.”

Anselot answered in a monotonous tone as if reciting a lunch menu.

“To be precise, it’s half of the heart.”

“…”

I stared at the red gem hanging around my neck, holding my breath for a moment.

‘This gem… is the heart of the Archduke?’

I had thought it was no ordinary object, but its unexpected identity made my chest tighten.

“The god of darkness Nox, who lost his divinity due to the scheme of the god of light Luce, became the Archduke Helheim.”

“No way. There’s no such thing as a god of darkness…”

I paused.

As I was about to refute Anselot’s words, I blinked and looked at him, feeling a sense of familiarity.

‘This… was in that cult bible earlier!’

Anselot continued his explanation in a calm voice.

“This half-heart contains the strong power of Helheim, the only one who fought against the god of light with his horn. That’s why it can evade the system’s eyes.”

“…”

“At the same time, this red gem is the only weapon that can kill the Archduke.”

“That doesn’t make sense. The only weapon that can kill the Archduke is the Archduke’s own heart.”

Anselot smiled brightly at me upon hearing those words.

“If you fully acquire the Archduke’s heart, you can gain much stronger power than this.”

“…”

“And perhaps, you may even be able to shatter the system. The order of this world.”

Why did those words about shattering the system sound so tempting?

I glanced above my head once more.

The golden name plate that marked me as a player was still shining brightly above my head.

But the moment I remove this necklace, that name will change to an ominous red number.

I wanted to escape the life of a player, but now I had the additional burden of being a bug.

Perhaps, as Anselot said, defeating the Archduke may be the only way to break free from the system.

“But I don’t even know how to use that power. And it’s uncertain if I can really kill the Archduke.”

Anselot whispered in a gentle voice, as if to reassure my hesitation.

“I’ll protect you.”