After the disastrous encounter with the System Manipulator, the entire kingdom was thrown into disarray. With the world's authority being contested by a growing number of higher beings, securing humanity's safety grew difficult. As the only sentient World-Rune left, there was no one left to call out for. That is not even mentioning my chosen representative, Lyra Songbird, the sword saint, who chose to leave this world due to a mistake out of her control.

  In order to protect humanity, drastic decisions were made. Decisions that gradually lead to the weakening of my own authority. Spirits are a stubborn existence whose only intrigue in humanity relates to their legacies. Once that was gone, there would be no other way to receive their favor. This dilemma needs to be solved before the kingdom turns into the same state as that of the South. Dear otherworlder, you have to destroy the Ley Line.

  - ???

  "I don't get why we have to do this now. It isn't like the kingdom is going to collapse now. We have enough time to think this through."

  Trash hummed. "Agreed. Diplomacy is so boring. Just fight already."

  Alice folded her arms. "That won't do," she said and paced around the room. "This otherworlders guild has to be the key to solving this situation. If they can help by doing … something, then it would be worth any risk."

  "And that's why you want me to travel to the South?" Tom coughed. "I appreciate your trust in me, but I still haven't moved past my Breakthrough yet. I am still missing my third ring too. Can't I get more time?"

  She stopped and mumbled something to herself. "Alright. Before the Sermon of Sainthood, you have to make contact with the otherworlders guild. I will try and do something myself" Then she sped towards the door, slammed it open, and ran through the hallway.

  "What has gotten into her?"

  Tom shrugged. "No idea."

  He was planning on taking it slow, learning more about his observer role, and then ditching Alice by fleeing to the South. But she was practically pushing the task of leaving to the South on him. Ever since they were allowed to travel to the capital, she had been acting so weird. And this otherworlders guild…

  "Do you really think there is a secret society of otherworlders out there? Hiding from sight."

  Trash hummed. "Does it matter? Focusing on getting stronger would be the best action to take right now. Please don't do something weird and get arrested again."

  He rolled his eyes. "I didn't get arrested on purpose." Stretching out his arms, he yawned. "I'll have to work on progressing tomorrow." As the supposed son of the Duke, he had free access to much of the capital. It was about time he met with one of his fellow observers.

  ***

  The guard gave him another ugly look. "For the last time, lord Rossi, none may speak to His Majesty's observers."

  "But why?" He finally found the place they stayed at, the observers guild in the nobles sections, but it was a giant closed-off tower.

  "The observers here directly work under the king. You may find some other observers to talk to," another guard said.

  Tom raised his eyebrow. "I was told practically all the kingdom's observers are working under the king. There are no other observers for me to find!"

  The guards just looked at each other and shrugged.

  "We simply follow orders."

  With no more luck getting through to them, he walked away. How was he supposed to learn about being an observer now?

  In the corner of his eye, he saw a group of white-clothed people. Walking closer he noticed a familiar face. "Ilona. There you are."

  She turned to look at him and smiled. "Tom. I thought I would find you here." Saying something to a priest, they all left and she walked over to Tom. "Where are the others?"

  "I was planning on talking other observeres today, so I told them to go out and check the capital for themselves." He gave an annoyed look at the guards behind him, who didn't look faced at all with the saintess in front. It didn't look like he could use her clout for access. "But it seems I will have to talk to them another day. What are you up to?"

  "Preparing for the Sermon of Sainthood, of course. The date is approaching swiftly and I have to decide of a proper way to share my blessing with the populace."

  "The Sermon of Sainthood." Alice had told him to finish up his task before that date. "What does it entail?"

  The smiled. "I am glad you asked. It is a ritual held by the saintess connected to the capitals World-Rune, which is me of course. The collective will of the people will beat in unison, and the World-Runes blessing will shine on them anew."

  "… Could you explain it in more simpler terms?"

  She hesitated. "Think of it like recalibrating the connecting between the World-Rune and the populace. It is also the day, if there is no living saintess, where one is chosen."

  "I see." He scratched his head. "You must be busy."

  "Not that busy. I could use a break. Didn't you say that you wanted to see the World-Rune? I can take you."

  His eyes widened. "Yeah, the World-Rune. But will I still be able to converse with it without having reached by Breakthrough."

  "For the faithfull anything may be possible. But alas, none should be too arrogant as to wish for the will of the divine to bend to their will."

  "… So it's a maybe?"

  She nodded. "Yes, pretty much."

  Leaving the nobles district, they walked along a path connected to the grand church. The building had a significant height compared to the castle, but instead of traveling further up, Ilona led him down flights of stairs to a basement level.

  After they passed through two giant gates, they were inside a giant dome with a massive white crystal in the centre. It looked milky white, but when they got closer, he could see small shifting colors inside it. There was an open circular window at the top of the crystal, and the rest of the room was covered in pure white marble, distinguishing the crystal even more due to the flickering lights.

  Ilona nodded back to the the people greeting her and led him towards an elevated circular platform in front of the World-Rune. Seeing it close up the sea of different colors inside was even more visible. It was almost like seeing an aura in the real world.

  "So this is the World-Rune." He looked at Ilona. "How do I ask it to give me a cooler blessing?"

  She clasped her hands. "Praying. If your wishes are accepted by the archangel, then it will come true."

  "Praying it is then." He awkwardly got down on his knees and closed his eyes.

  Recalling how much of a pain his adventure had been so far, he prayed to the World-Rune for an OP power to make this isekai worth it. Strangely enough, he could sense a humming sensation, as if the World-Rune was trying to tell him something, but besides the odd gibberish word he couldn't understand what it was saying.

  "I don't understand what it is trying to say. The words aren't coming through."

  "You are hearing words?" She said, confused. "Most people only feel emotions and sudden bursts of knowledge when they receive a boon."

  He opened his eyes and looked at her. "What do you mean? Aren't you able to talk to the archangel? You are the saintess."

  "Even though the World-Rune functions as the physical tether for the archangel, speaking with the World-Rune mostly means in terms of emotion and information. Having a conversation with the archangel instead is much more difficult. It is not something I have been able to do." She sighed. "The previous saint, sword saint Lyra Songbird, was able to speak with the archangel at will. This must be one of the many reasons why people don't like me." She stared at the floor.

  "I don't think they hate you that much. Aren't you one of the people? And surely you try to help out once in a while?"

  She hesitated. "Even though I am the saintess, the head priest Nelic is the one in charge of finances. I am not allowed to do much besides acting as a figurehead."

  "Yeah, then I see why people hate you."

  She crouched down and buried her face. "I am horrible."

  Trash hummed, making him resonate with the feeling of shame. Around them, people were staring at him and whispering to each other.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Tom quickly helped Ilona back up. "Come on. It can't be that bad. What about taking a trip to the city to check out your old place? I haven't been able to see around the capital much anyway."

  "… My old place?" She hesitated. "There is not much to see there for you."

  He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Since the observers will be difficult to reach and the World-Rune silent, I have nothing else to do today anyway besides waiting for Alice to get free. A sightseeing trip would be nice."

  Ilona nodded. "If you say so." Wait here for a minute. I will go get changed into something that would make me blend in better."

  After a while, she returned wearing a cloak. He had no idea how that outfit was supposed to be less suspicious, but he went along with it. They traveled to the main road he had already been on, then she led him to the north-western part of the capital. The number of people walking along the street plummeted, and eventually, they arrived at an elevator.

  "An elevator?"

  She nodded. "A part of the capital has a much lower elevation than the rest. Some people say it's natural, whilst others say wicked otherworlders sunk the land. Either way, Botside is where the poor congregate.

  They went inside the elevator, and Tom looked out the small hole in the elevator with his mouth agape. The difference in architecture with the rest of the capital was stark. Here he saw a much more diverse assortment of foreign architecture. Colored abstract domed buildings he had never seen before, small cottages that looked out of place, and even Japanese style buildings. In the distance he could also spot a few skyscrapers.

  "This looks like where all the influence from otherworlders went."

  "More precisely, the parts of the city that couldn't afford to renovate buildings to discard the otherworlders influence. Here, most of the buildings were abandoned, with no plans for maintenance, left to crumble from the work of time."

  The elevator reached the ground with a thud, and they walked out into the street.

  Crowds of people were making their way through the streets. Their clothes did not look well mentioned, he he did actually see a lot of people wearing cloaks. Rather then Ilona standing out, he was with his purple uniform. As they made their way through the street, he saw several beggars on the street. Some of them looked pale and weren't moving.

  "It must have been difficult to get food here and make a living."

  "Not really. It wasn't," she said, with a hint of nostalgia. "If one knew their way around the capital, then it was manageable. Rather than hunger, most of the people here pass due to mana poisoning."

  "Mana poisoning?" He repeated. "That must be because of all the trash around. Bad hygiene and such. I learned a bit about it from Misha from the trash collection elective."

  "Trash is one of the many causes, but even when the street was clean, the mana poisoning would not go away. That is why people stopped bothering to take care of this place. A curse from the otherworlders it must be, one that I haven't been able to figure." She tightened her fist. "That is another reason why they don't like me. I know what they all are going through, yet I haven't been able to find a way to fix it."

  Tom stayed silent. It being a curse from otherworlders could obviously not be true. But mana poisoning not only coming from the trash or excrement of people didn't make sense from what he knew. Mana poisoning in itself was from clumps of spiritual energy. He couldn't understand how they would appear naturally. And why in only one part of the capital?

  They arrived statue of a female knight, with a real sword held in its hands. Ilona sat down on the bench in front of the statue and sighed. "I need a small break. Perhaps if it try purifying the air again then it could help? Or — you are an observer. Maybe you will be able to notice the problem?"

  Tom sat down beside her and tried sensing the surrounding auras using [see area]. The visages of buildings and people, with the Ley Line flowing through. "Sorry. I don't sense anything out of place."

  She looked defeated and didn't say anything.

  "Can't you lobby for the church and the nobility to help the people here? If the place in itself is the reason why, then relocating everyone to new homes shouldn't be a problem. You could even have some of them move to places outside of the capital to get a new chance at life."

  "I tried," she said. "But everyone sees me as a fool.

  "Then fight them." He pointed at the statue behind them. "She seemed respectable enough, and it has to be because she picked up the sword."

  "I … can't. I am cursed, forbidden from picking up violence. Healing using the power of the archangel is all that I can do."

  He tilted his head and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

  She looked around the place to make sure that no one was paying attention. Then she turned and reached her hand towards the sword the statue was carrying. Instantly small balls of light appeared out of nowhere. Tom looked in amazement at the colorful balls with small shifting shapes within them, giving off an extremely weak humming sound. Then she retracted her arms making it all disappear.

  "That was amazing. Spirits. I could see spirits."

  She nodded. "Even before I was chosen as the saintess, every time I would try to pick up a weapon, they would reappear, warning me."

  "Are you sure?" He said.

  "I am. High priest Nelic explained it to me. He also told me about his ambition for greater influence, something you have already experienced with those calling themselves gods knights. Using the lord's name in vain is a sin, but the high priest looks the other way."

  "Can't you remind everyone of those virtues? The teaching you always talk about?"

  Her eyes looked empty. "Then I would lose support from within the church, and they would surely blame me for anything bad that would inevitably take place. The populace hating me enough to support my execution, so a new saintess can be chosen, is also something that could happen. There is nothing I can do. Even with the strongest healing skills, and being able to heal life-threatening wounds with ease; this is a problem I can't mend." She gulped. "Me having no power to change anything is also why I agreed to ignore the ultimate taboo at the Sermon of Sainthood: I will attempt to summon an otherworlder."

  His eyes widened. "Summoning an otherworlder? Doesn't everyone hate otherworlders? From what I know it was the previous generation of otherworlders and the Hero that made the world into a mess."

  "I know it is a horrible decision, but what other options are there? According to the head priest, the other saints from the rest of the World-Runes have already attempted to summon an otherworlder. He told me it would only be one, with a fated redemption they all needed. With the conflict with the demons, and the beastkin declaring war, we have to do something. And, if things turn out bad, he told me the god's knights would kill the otherworlder on the spot."

  Tom scratched his head. "This still sounds fishy to him."

  He himself had been summoned to a random place in this world. If the rest of the saints were summoning otherworlders, then one of them could have been the one who accidentally summoned him. If so, maybe one more fellow otherworlder wouldn't be that bad.

  "Don't worry. I will join the sermon in case something bad happens. Maybe they could be able to help the kingdom?"

  She sighed. "I don't believe so. But if this is the last job for me as a saintess, then so be it. I can't handle being useless anymore."

  "You're not—"

  "I know," she cut him off. "I am just accepting my own inability to do the impossible. She stared at the sky, which was beginning to darken. "We should head back. I have something to take care of, but you could check out the main street. As I knew, the sightseeing trip here wasn't worth it."

  He didn't say anything else and followed her back to Topside, and the main street. She left on her own.

  Feeling tired, he walked into a nearby alleyway, leaned himself by the wall, and sighed. All he wanted was a stereotypical isekai adventure, but with all this tension and information he was learning, it was getting so complicated. Maybe he should listen to Alice and travel straight to the South. Sierra even said it was fine, but it felt wrong to leave her behind. That wound she had gotten did look horrible, and he did accidentally insult her brother. And he couldn't leave behind Ilona. She was going to summon a new otherworlder to this world. He had no clue what kind of otherworlder would appear, but maybe it was the companion he needed for his adventure.

  "Oh my. Someone help me!"

  Outside the alleyway, he saw an old woman struggling to keep a hold of her purse from the grasp of a masked figure.

  Tom smirked. And unsheathed Trash. "Time to take out the trash!"

  "Oh," Trash hummed, exited. "That one was good."

  He put Trash close to the hooded man's throat, who instantly let go of the purse.

  "Woah! Careful there. I have a family."

  Tom raised an eyebrow. "That excuse won't work with me, thief. Now — ouch!" He looked to the side and realized the old lady had hit him with her purse. "What are you doing?"

  "What are YOU doing?" She repeated. "Leave that poor child alone. He is only following his profession."

  "Profession? Stealing is a crime, isn't it?"

  The thief shook his head. "Actually, I would rather describe it as art. Dangerous art."

  The old lady hit him again. "Now stop it."

  Tom retracted the blade and looked confused at the old lady. "What even is your problem? I was trying to save you from getting robbed."

  "Are you part of the city watch?" She asked.

  "No."

  She hit him again. "You and your fellow social justice warriors are a scum on earth. Why are you trying to act like that wicked Hero? Keep this kind of work for the city guard."

  "Now listen here you—"

  "Did someone ask for help?"

  They all looked up and saw someone standing on the roof of a building, wearing a huge fedora, with their entire body hidden under a long black cloak.

  "Who are you?" Tom asked.

  "Me?" The man made a dramatic pose, putting their hand in front of one of their eyes. "I am—." A massive explosion thundered from behind him. "Oblivion!"

  Desperate cries echoed from behind him where the building had exploded. The one who called himself Oblivion ignored it and seamlessly floated down to them.

  The old woman clasped her hands together. "Oh, mister Oblivion. It's you!" She pointed at the hooded assailant who had his hands in the air, seemingly already giving up. "There is the thief." Then she threw a glare at Tom. "And that one is a wretched wannabe Hero."

  Tom gasped. "What the space? I helped you! And this Oblivion does not at all look like he is part of the city guard. Why don't you have anything against him?"

  "Because he isn't trying to act like the Hero. He is a superhero," she said matter-of-factly.

  He grunted. "That is kind of the same thing."

  The old lady hit him again. "How dare you compare a great superhero such as Oblivion to that wretched Hero!"

  "Please calm down, young lady," Oblivion said, making the old woman blush. He pointed his hand at the thief. "[Greater Restraint]." Metal chains appeared out of his hand and tied the thief in an instant. He gave a simple nod to Tom before taking the old lady's arm. "Let me escort you home."

  She held on tightly to his arm and giggled as they left with the thief caught.

  "What even happened? A superhero? How — there is no difference with the concept of heroism," Tom complained.

  "There is a small difference," a voice behind him said.

  He turned around and saw a girl hidden under a cloak. "The Hero is one individual everyone puts their faith in, whilst the capitals superheroes are numerous, Oblivion the most popular one of them all. People appreciate help, but not being chained under their legacy."

  "Are you another dumb superhero then?" He glared at her. "I want no part of that nonsense."

  She moved her arm in front of herself. "No, no. I am no superhero." She took off her hood, revealing her blonde hair. "Only an observer." She looked at him. "You are one too, aren't you? We first thought it was some joke. How was the son of a Duke an observer? But your aura does indeed look like that of an observer."

  He nodded, hesitating. "I am suffering from a mild case of amnesia right now, but I am an observer. Although, not an observer enough to be allowed to talk to other observers. Those guards at your place didn't let me inside."

  "Oh, that place is merely where we pretend to stay. The nobles sought to confine us in paranoia. Finding a way out was quite easy." She started walking back into the alleyway and signaled for him to follow. "We have been expecting you for a while now."

  He stumbled after her until she stopped in front of a manhole. She crouched down and effortlessly moved it aside.

  "You guys stay in the sewers?"

  She shrugged. "Easy way to travel across the capital." Then she began descending and waved for him to follow.

  After entering the sewers he held his nose from the stench. "Hold on. Aren't we at risk of getting mana poisoning here?"

  "Yup. But observers have a slightly better resistance."

  "… Slightly."

  He followed her through the sewers holding his nose, until they arrived at a dead end. She put her hand on the wall. It shook and moved backward, revealing a secret door. Sneaking through they entered a dark room.

  "Why is there no light?" He said, with no response. He tried squinting and realized the girl wasn't beside him anymore. "Where did you go?"

  A bright light pointed at him. Tom instinctively closed his eyes and used his hands to shield them from the bright light. "What the space?" After readjusting his eyes to the light, he saw a huge group of people surrounding him, each of them with their own gun aimed at him.

  In front of him, standing closer, was a middle-aged woman with her shotgun pointed at his head. "You don't fool us, you fake." She spit on the ground and glared at him. "Morphling."