Chapter 2 : When the Gates of Ovolin Closed
The road to Ovolin was, for the most part, smooth. The carriage arrived at the capital’s gate precisely as expected—neither delayed nor hastened.
Now, all that remained was to cross that towering gate before me.
At last, I had reached that cursed place where my original character resided!
“My heart trembles with anticipation—I cannot wait to see what that scoundrel looks like.”
Clenching my fists tightly, I fixed my gaze solely on the massive gate. The crowd pressing toward Ovolin was vast, the entrance brimming with eager travelers.
Yet judging by the speed at which people passed through, it seemed the wait would not be long. An hour, perhaps?
Leaning halfway out of the carriage window, I cast my eyes upon the distant, colossal clock tower. Once I confirmed the hour had not yet struck nine, the stiffness that tension had woven into my body began to ease.
“I’ll make it inside before midnight, without fail.”
For the first time since my arrival in this world, things seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
Settling back into the carriage as I watched the line inch forward, my heart grew calmer.
Though I had suddenly been thrust into a hopeless predicament, I still had a year. The odds were slim, but perhaps… I might yet find a way.
I twirled a strand of my long silver hair around my fingers, imagining what I might do once I confronted my original character.
But then, all at once, a deafening sound split the air.
Craaaaaan—
“…..What is that?”
I straightened, peering again out the window—only to see the very gate, wide open mere moments before, now groaning shut before my eyes.
The sole entrance to Ovolin.
My face stiffened. No, there were still people here waiting to pass!
“Why are they closing the gate all of a sudden? Does this mean we cannot enter?”
“I must deliver a parcel before the day’s end..…”
“My daughter is home alone, I beg you!”
I was not alone in my bewilderment. Murmurs rippled through the throng.
Then—suddenly—the closed gate shuddered open just a fraction, and through it surged knights clad in gleaming white armor.
At once, the murmurs swelled louder.
“Are those… the Templar Knights?”
Templar Knights?
The warriors who battled the Demon King with the radiance of holy light?
I caught those words from a nearby whisper and sighed. Pulling the hood of my cloak over my head, I slipped from the carriage.
It was clear now—I would not be entering Ovolin by carriage.
In <Fantasy World>, the player’s goal was to defeat the Demon King, and the Templar Knights were among the most prominent figures encountered in the main quests.
There must be some calamity now as well… I knew it had been far too strange for things to proceed so smoothly.
“Attention, everyone!”
A resonant voice boomed across the road. From among the armored knights, a man stepped forward, addressing the crowd with calm authority.
As we had suspected—they were indeed the Templar Knights.
The restless murmurs stilled. Every gaze locked upon the knight at the fore. Such a sight was rare indeed.
For Templars only ever appeared when facing monsters or the Demon King himself. To behold them here, before the city gates, was extraordinary.
‘Even for me, this is the first time seeing them with my own eyes.’
Yet unlike the rest, my gaze was not fixed on the knight who led the announcement. Instead, it was drawn inexorably to another.
A man standing quietly at the rear, surveying the scene as though from afar—golden hair gleaming, crimson eyes piercing.
Howard Chilston.
Commander of the Templar Knights of the Fedos Empire. Duke Chilston. The emperor’s sole nephew.
As the Commander, he was the most interactive NPC in <Fantasy World>, the one from whom the player received the greatest support.
‘And beloved by all the players as well.’
So beloved, in fact, that the developers had crafted limited-time romance events featuring Howard, simply to draw new players and retain the old.
A jest had long circulated: Howard Chilston was the one feeding <Fantasy World>.
And there was truth to it. For Howard was not only the sole figure capable of standing against the Demon King before the player’s advent, but also a man of striking beauty and immeasurable wealth.
‘And above all, a tragic past was woven into his tale.’
Little had yet been revealed, but it was said, almost in passing within the main storyline, that his family had been slaughtered when he was young.
He was the archetype of the NPC adored by players.
‘Not just by players—even women of this world never cease to whisper his name.’
It was said that if all the marriage proposals sent to Duke Chilston’s estate were piled together, they would form a mountain. Yet he refused them all without hesitation, as though marriage itself had no place in his heart.
‘Never did I imagine I would see this famed character face-to-face.’
To glimpse Howard at all was rare, unless one visited specific locations. Typically, he stood within the temple from dawn to dusk.
Unless the main questline altered its course, his movements remained unchanged—save for the late night and dawn hours, when his whereabouts grew unpredictable.
Since this world mirrored <Fantasy World> so closely, the same must surely hold true here.
‘Howard’s presence in this place can only mean something monumental has already occurred.’
For the Commander himself to intervene… I swallowed dryly, nerves taut.
‘Has a monster appeared in Ovolin?’
Though such creatures usually prowled only the dungeons, I had heard tales of them sometimes raiding villages for prey. Not entirely unthinkable.
“Why must this happen precisely when I am here?”
I sighed softly.
Truth be told, encountering Howard was… somewhat troublesome. For he was one of the three who knew that this world was influenced by <Fantasy World>.
And should he, by some chance, discover that I could access the system while in his presence… how complicated things would become.
“I don’t even want to imagine it.”
No need to worry.
Such a thing could never happen… right?
I shook my head, forcing my gaze away from Howard, and turned to the knight who was beginning his proclamation. As though waiting for the precise moment, he launched into the heart of his message.
“From this moment forth, as decreed by the Temple, those who have not received the divine mandate shall henceforth be known as ‘Nox,’ and will be branded heretics—followers of the Demon King. To be chosen is to bear the Temple’s blessing; to be unblessed is proof of heresy.”
…..What? Nox?
A cry of shock rose in my throat, but I stifled it.
What madness was this?
‘Does this mean… I am now a heretic?’
I had not even glimpsed a strand of the Demon King’s hair, and now, suddenly, I was counted among his followers?
As if bearing the curse of imminent death were not already enough, I was branded a heretic as well.
How far could a person’s misfortune spiral?
Truly… this was unbearable.
“As all are aware, the mark of heresy takes the form of a black butterfly etched upon the flesh. To safeguard the capital, from this moment onward, every individual seeking entry to Ovlin shall be searched by the Templar Knights. None shall pass unless they bare both arms and legs before the knights.”
The crowd erupted into chaos at the sudden decree.
Amidst the shouts of knights struggling to calm the panic, I fell deep into thought.
‘Arms and legs only, then…..’
It was well known, after years of war with the Demon King, that the closer one stood to him, the nearer the mark appeared to the heart.
And yet, searching merely arms and legs meant they sought only the weak.
I pondered a moment, then nodded slightly.
Indeed, if the Demon King’s close aides could conceal the mark, such inspections were meaningless. The mark could easily be hidden beforehand.
More accurate to say, “at least to capture the weak.”
‘At any rate, it has nothing to do with me.’
Whoever had spread this nonsense—that those without the Temple’s mandate, dubbed “Nox,” were heretics—it seemed I, at least, would not be discovered among them.
Still… one thing troubled me.
“Will they truly search this entire mass of people one by one?”
I gazed at the long line stretching still ahead and bit my lip.
I had to arrange for my lodging within Ovolin before midnight struck.
True, there were inns nearby, but if I wished to meet my original character, I had no choice but to pass through that gate.
And since they had decided to inspect everyone at every entry into Ovolin, staying outside the city would be utterly inefficient.
Nor could I risk the inspection methods changing without warning.
‘I can only pray the search ends swiftly.’
That was the sole way to safeguard my money—and my safety.
…..But two hours later, I found myself cornered.
‘Damn it, when will my turn finally come?!’
The sheer number of people was overwhelming, and since this was the very first day of inspections, neither knights nor citizens were accustomed to it, making the process agonizingly slow.
From the time I arrived, the line had halved at best. Which meant I would not set foot in Ovolin until long past midnight.
“This is unacceptable.”
For by then, I would be utterly penniless. Even the very clothes upon my back would be stripped away!
Better, then, to find a nearby inn outside.
Though enduring daily inspections would be troublesome, I must at least preserve my severance pay—and my dignity.
‘I must move quickly, before midnight strikes.’
With that decision, I slipped from the line in haste—unaware of the sharp, watchful eyes that followed me from behind.
