Faust readily agreed to Viviana's request.
Delegating authority to his childhood friend wasn't a big deal. What was she going to do, stage a coup?
Faust didn't doubt Viviana's loyalty in the slightest. Never mind that the Roselyn family and the royal house were practically joined at the hip—he had the girl herself wrapped around his finger.
As long as it was his request, Viviana couldn't refuse. She'd pour every ounce of effort into making it happen, working herself to the bone without complaint. The reason? Wasn't earning her beloved's approval and praise enough?
That's why Faust could say Viviana was easy to handle. She was just too easy to read.
The prince of Aurum granted her authority equal to his own on the spot, allowing her free access to any location and use of all resources.
Faust smiled at Viviana. "I'm counting on you."
The golden-haired, violet-eyed young woman closed her eyes and slowly clenched her fists, as if steadying herself as she murmured, "I will meet your expectations. Always have, always will..."
Viviana's behavior seemed a bit strange, but Faust didn't think much of it. He entrusted the task of finding "Cinderella" to his childhood friend and threw even more resources behind the search.
For several days, royal spies, palace attendants, and even kingdom bureaucrats were all dispatched by Faust for the sole purpose of finding one woman within the country.
Just having people try on the slipper wasn't enough. Faust had to consider the possibility that "Cinderella" might be unable to come in person for some reason.
This called for taking the initiative.
Finding "Cinderella" was essential. It wasn't just about Faust's path to becoming a Tyrant—it was key to whether the Kingdom of Aurum could survive the fate of the Witch's Feast unscathed.
But the commotion had reached the point where even allied nations were raising eyebrows, and Faust found himself summoned to the king's chambers.
In that warm but dimly lit study, the old king sipped his thick, bitter medicinal tea and said to the prince, "Faust, I hear you found a woman who caught your eye at the ball."
"That's right. I'm searching for her now."
After receiving confirmation, the king said without expression, "But I hear you've gone overboard. All this for one woman?"
His adoptive father's somber tone carried immense weight. Anyone could tell the king was furious.
He wasn't upset about Faust's ridiculous actions wasting resources and burdening the people. He was furious that his usually calm and steady heir had acted "impulsively over some girl."
The wise don't fall in love! How could someone obsessed with romance lead Aurum to greatness?
The old king struck the armrest repeatedly.
"I've seen far too many people act on emotion. They burn through everything they have in a brief moment of passion and end up achieving nothing.
As a ruler, the only emotions we need are duty and love for our kingdom. My boy, you've never disappointed me before..."
After being confirmed as crown prince, Faust's power was nearly equal to the king's. Using that power to indulge in a little whim was perfectly acceptable, but no matter how you looked at it, this was taking things too far.
The prince was naturally well aware of this, and he'd long prepared his response for his adoptive father.
Faust clasped his hands behind his back, straightened his posture, and said calmly, "This is a revelation from the Fae."
"What?!"
The old king's withered arm trembled, spilling medicinal tea onto the blanket on his lap.
The old man's hawk-like gaze locked onto Faust as he asked, word by word, "You've already spoken with the Fae?"
Faust nodded. "Yes, just a few days ago. Mephisto gave me a revelation. That girl is important to the kingdom, and to me."
He even knows the Fae's true name?
"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"
The old king clapped with excitement, repeating the word three times. A flush of color appeared on his pale face.
"So soon? As I thought, you are deeply favored by the Fae."
"Why is that girl... no! You don't need to answer me. Just follow the revelation."
"Whatever you need, just say it. The kingdom will support you with everything we have!"
The old king's faith in the Fae's authority bordered on blind devotion. He didn't even ask questions, afraid of souring the great Fae's mood.
His father's understanding gave Faust some relief. No need to deflect with other excuses now.
As for his deal with Mephisto, best not to let his adoptive father know yet. Besides, telling him wouldn't help anyway.
On the way back, Mephisto spoke.
[This is correct. The Children of Man who have not awakened cannot bear the weight of fate, especially the heroes among the Children of Man. They are fate's most obedient servants.]
Was it his imagination, or did Faust detect... pity in Mephisto's murmur?
What did that mean? Were the unawakened just unfortunate souls in the Fae's eyes?
Faust pondered the deeper meaning in Mephisto's words as he returned to his room.
It was already late.
Normally, the prince's nightlife would be quite lively, often summoning maids or noblewomen for wild parties, but he certainly wasn't in the mood for that now.
If "Cinderella" wasn't found, the Witch's Feast would hang over his head like the sword of Damocles.
Only after solving this immediate problem would Faust have time to worry about other matters.
But there was no point in stressing over it. Faust had done everything he could. All that remained was to hope they wouldn't trigger the "defying fate" route.
Not that I'm opposed to "defying fate," but please, not right now.
With that thought, Faust decided to meditate for the night and check on his mystical progress.
When the prince closed his eyes, information appeared on his retina:
[Faust of Aurum]
[Path: Sovereign Ruler]
[The path toward the Supreme Sovereign. As ruler of a nation, you shall conquer, govern, and crusade, achieving the great deeds of heroes and kings.]
[Path of Conquest: Conquer the hearts and minds of humanity, conquer nations and wilderness, making them submit utterly to you, seeing you as their sole sovereign.]
[Path of Governance: Lead your nation toward prosperity, command your armies to victory, guide your followers to glory.]
[Path of Crusade: Challenge mighty demons and catastrophic beasts, destroy the ancient enemies of your generation.]
Don't misunderstand, this wasn't some system interface but a simple inspection spell, a little trick sorcerers used to examine their own path.
The extraordinary beings of this world could broadly be divided into Sorcerers and Heroes.
The former, as the name suggests, was a profession that continuously gained knowledge and power through talent, study, and research. They were the most common type of extraordinary beings.
Heroes were more special. Their power didn't come from training and study, but from walking their path.