In response to Udriela’s proposal, Ryan let out a brief, ironic laugh that resonated strangely throughout that endless void.

The red-haired woman observed him in complete silence for a moment, keeping her hands clasped before speaking.

"Do you not believe my words, Ryan?" she asked in a soft voice that did not denote annoyance, but rather a slight disappointment.

Ryan did not respond immediately. With complete deliberation, he guided his right hand and sheathed his sword.

He was well aware that any attempt to fight in that strange space was useless, since she herself had said she was only an image.

Then, he took a firm step forward, stopping a short distance away and fixing his gaze intensely on the woman’s light-colored eyes.

"It’s hard to believe in something that lacks logic," he replied coldly, crossing his arms over his coat.

"Are you implying that the church will simply forget the deaths of their valuable S-rank holy knights?" he continued questioning.

He paused briefly, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the calm features of the redhead’s face.

"The fact that you offer to erase my record so easily only confirms my suspicions that your true motives are much darker than you admit."

Udriela sighed slightly, and the blue glow surrounding her flickered for an instant at the young man’s negative response.

"So you are rejecting my offer? Are you aware of the magnitude of problems that will follow you if you decide to remain this way?"

Ryan averted his gaze for a second toward the white floor, weighing the options he had in his current scenario.

’At this point, I can’t be sure if what Ophelia said about the deity is real,’ he reflected internally.

’But I’ve already seen with my own eyes how the church acts; there’s no way they’re going to overlook everything I did in the forest.’

’Besides, if I surrender to them, they would undoubtedly execute Beatrice for being a demon, and the elves and beastmen of the village as well.’

He raised his head again, holding the deity’s gaze with unwavering resolve.

"I’m sorry, but I am not interested in becoming a holy knight, nor in following their orders like a pawn," he replied firmly.

"That’s a shame," she said with clear resignation in her tone of voice, lowering her arms to the sides of her white dress.

"It is very bad manners to reject the offer of a beautiful woman, you know?"

"Nonsense, I don’t even believe this is your true appearance."

"It seems it was a grave mistake on our part to take so long to contact you directly through the system."

Then, Udriela began to look around, paying attention to the changes occurring at the edges of the void.

Ryan also focused on the surroundings, noticing how the variables of the place suddenly began to distort.

The space where they were standing was growing smaller by the second, being swallowed up by a dense tide of darkness.

That gloom advanced from the edges of the room, rapidly reducing the bright white area.

"It seems we have no time left. Unfortunately, this is the last time we will be able to speak like this," Udriela commented.

"So, if you regret your decision in the future, I will have no way of knowing or intervening for you."

Ryan frowned slightly, finding a strange limitation in the capabilities of the deity who had brought him.

"Can you not come here whenever you please?" Ryan asked curiously, seeking to understand the capacity this deity had to intervene with him through the system.

"No, this projection is something like a welcome from the environment," she explained as the darkness reached her feet.

"Consider it simply like the tutorial of a video game. Regrettably, I couldn’t see you earlier because of what you carry with you."

The space then turned completely dark, devouring the last bit of light from the smooth floor they were standing on.

Udriela began to fade away amidst a bright flash, but before disappearing entirely, she uttered one last sentence.

"We will see each other again someday, little Ryan," her voice whispered right before the environment collapsed completely.

Then, the space that had been completely covered in black suddenly shifted, shattering like a crystal mirror.

"Ryan, snap out of it, Ryan," a familiar voice began to whisper directly into his left ear, pulling him out of his lethargy.

He blinked hard, dispelling the temporary blindness as the cold sensation in his body vanished.

When he looked to his side, Mirian’s silhouette was the first thing his eyes managed to focus on clearly.

He realized he was standing exactly at the entrance, right inside the elven village.

"Did you come back to your senses? Why were you so surprised to see everyone gathered here?" Mirian asked strangely.

’Gathered?’ Ryan thought, turning his head to evaluate the scene spread out before him.

Ryan began to look around, and surprise reflected on his face upon noticing the massive crowd occupying the place.

All the elves, beastmen, and elders were organized in perfect rows, one after another.

The entire population remained on their knees in a deep bow toward the spot where he had just entered.

The elder leader of the elves took a step to the front of the formation, solemnly raising his arms toward the sky.

"We honor the presence of our rightful sovereign!" the old man exclaimed powerfully.

"Long live the king!" all the inhabitants repeated in unison, making the echo of their voices resound through the houses.

Ryan just looked at them in silence, feeling the weight of the symbolic crown while his mind remained trapped in the white space.

He was still carefully thinking over the details of the conversation he had held with Udriela just a moment ago.

’Could it be that the entire time I spoke with Udriela was actually only a couple of minutes here?’ he thought with intrigue.

Then, Helen leaned a bit closer to Ryan on his right, and Mirian remained on his left side.

’For now, it will be better if I don’t say anything about Udriela, regardless. Now there is something important I need to ask Runa and Mika.’