Their carriage was one of the few arriving at the ritual, as most people used flying ships to get there. However, the princess had a weird belief that she needed to befriend everyone, and flying ruined that for her.


    Niki tried to think of ways to prevent Master Edward from learning about the assassination. However, the more he thought of it, the more confused he became.


    If Master Edward truly learned about the assassination, there was no doubt that he would save his disciple, restoring the original timeline. As for the consequences of him learning the future, Niki couldn''t even imagine.


    The war might even be brought closer since the strategist would use this chance to strike the Bestial Kingdom. As he sat in the carriage, Niki realized that there were so many different oues that he could not decide which one would be the right path.


    All he knew is that the divergence was caused by the existence of a high-fate character in his vision, or what the system called Manipted Fate. Since that was the case, Niki needed to prevent Master Edward from knowing the future.


    ''It is time to stall,'' Niki thought to himself as they got off the carriage, and he offered his hand to the princess. With a smile, she took his hand and descended the steps.


    The rest of the guests looked at her with a dazzled expression. Her hair, which she hid before, was following after her as she walked. Her hair was the color that you would only exist in fairy tales, a silver color that shimmered beneath the light of day.


    Niki followed after her as they dazzled the crowd. Then, to his surprise, Niki noticed that someone winked at him. It was a young man as old as he saw, but he didn''t know who he was.


    ''Or right, I''m in the future. So he must be someone I met at the party,'' Niki remembered, so he simply nodded in greeting.


    They walked into the ritual grounds, whichnterns had lighted up. The ritual will happen at sunset after thest rays of light leave this world.


    They reached the temple like before, and it was full of people from every corner of the world. The Bestial Kingdom was proud of the protector of thisnd. Thus, the ritual happened close to the border.


    Niki''s body had goosebumps when he saw how many people were there. These people were all faces that he was familiar with from his past life. What uneased him a little was that some of these people were Niki''s victims.


    As they walked closer to the pond, someone in a red cloak greeted them. He was a beastman with horns of a goat and a long beard, and he grabbed the princess''s hand to kiss it.


    "Greetings, Princess Maria," the priest kissed her hand, and his yellow eyes left Niki feeling disgusted. "We are delighted to have you here today,"


    "For peace," the princess smiled sweetly, and the priest nodded in response. When he turned to Niki, there was a moment of curiosity that died away quickly.


    Niki was truly confused by now, as he wondered how no one got to sense his horns. Of course, there were bound to be people with detecting abilities among the crowd, but they didn''t seem to notice.


    ''Wait, did future me find a way?'' Niki wondered as he tried to examine his headband. It was minute, but there were traces of enchantment on it.


    "Princess, I''ll follow your orders and talk to the crowd until the ritual. I''ll be back before it begins, is that alright?"


    "I''m d that you are taking your role seriously," the princess smiled before nodding. "Take your time," she said, even though she was ufortable by the priest''spany.


    However, Niki couldn''t care about her feelings given the circumstances, and he knew this was only an illusion that matched what was going to happen. So, as he turned and found some people to talk to, he picked the perfect timing to slip away from the temple.


    Niki walked out when he felt someone''s presence behind him. As he turned, he found the young man from earlier who had a childlike demeanor.


    "Lyle!" the young man called out behind him. "Are you sneaking out again?" he asked with expectations. "You weren''t thinking of leaving me, did you?"


    ''I don''t even know you,'' Niki thought to himself as he looked at the giant words in his top view. The divergence has reached 14% again, meaning Master Edward was starting to deviate from his original path.


    "You will have to excuse me," Niki said before hurrying to leave the temple. Then, as he thought he had left the man behind, he heard the pping of wings above him.


    When Niki looked up, he saw the same young man standing on top of a giant eagle. With a grin, he had the eagle block Niki''s path.


    "I think you need a ride?" the young man said, and Niki wondered again who the hell he was. After all, he was someone never seen before in his past life.


    However, looking at the giant eagle, which couldn''t be other than, at the very least, the work of a Grand-skill, Niki felt tempted. After pondering his options for a bit, he nodded and jumped to ride the eagle.


    "Haha, let''s fly!"


    As the eagle soared into the sky, Niki saw the divergence change into 20%, but he didn''t know if it was his actions or something else. The identity of the man before was nothing but a mystery.


    As the eagle rose higher, a green light surrounded its body to block the wind. Then, with the young man sitting in front of him, Niki had to grab into the eagle''s body lest he fell.


    "Are you going to the city? Did you forget something?" the young man asked, and Niki chose to be silent. He would have to find Master Edward somehow, but he didn''t know-how.


    ''Who is the old friend?'' Niki tried to guess, but it was futile. They reached the city in nothing but a few minutes, and Niki could have never made it this quickly without the young man.


    "Can you take me to the mansion?"


    "Princess''s Maria mansion?" the young man yapped with surprise with a blush on his face. "I don''t think it would be appropriate for me to be there," he said as he yed with his curly hair.


    Niki squinted his eyes at the young man, who seemed to have special feelings for the princess. However, he was no different from every noble kid out there, who shared the same crush.


    "I need to find Master Edward," Niki said again, and the young man simply nodded while ying with his bangs.


    The eagle drew an arc over the city as it turned toward the mansion,nding in one of its fields. The servants ran as the knights surrounded them, and Niki had to take out his badge before they attacked.


    "Sir Lyle," the knights retracted their weapons after they recognized him. The name sounded pleasant on his ears, and all of the knights seem to call him that as Princess Maria''s retainer. "I thought you apanied the princess?"


    "She sent me to look for Master Edward. Have you seen him?"


    "No, he disappeared since early morning. I couldn''t find him in his room, too," the knight shook his head. Niki looked around and began walking toward the stables.


    "Where are you going, Lyle?" the young man skipped behind him, and it seemed the knights didn''t recognize this person as well. However, the way he carried himself did not resemble a noble, but his clothes and appearance said otherwise.


    "Uh, I think I know how to find him," Niki absent-mindedly said as he looked through a couple of drivers in the stable. But, as he suspected, the old driver wasn''t here. "Excuse me, do you know where the old man is?"


    "Uh, he left early in the morning, I think," the driver who distrusted Niki a few days ago answered readily. "I was loading some carriages when I saw him leave in a certain direction. I can guide you!"


    Niki looked at him with suspicion as he thought that this man must have ulterior motives. However, he wasn''t even an F-ranker, so Niki allowed him to lead them.


    "Weren''t you looking for Master Edward?" muttered the young man as they boarded the carriage. "Wait, Master Edward is known as to disappear a lot. Can he be a shapeshifter?"


    Since they met, Niki had to take an extra nce at the young man for the first time. After all, one wouldn''t be so sharp without holding a particr intellect. The young man noticed his gaze and grinned in response.


    "Did you think I was nothing but a beautiful face?"


    "I didn''t even think you were a beautiful face," Niki said unconsciously, but the young manughed heartily.


    "Haha, I''m d that you are back to normal," said the young as he wiped away his tears.. "Now, let''s find Master Edward," he said with a mysterious grin, but Niki didn''t have the heart to him for his name.