I Became the Narrow-Eyed Character in the Little Prince Game

Dawncatcher Suppression Operation.
With the looming dawn at our backs, we put together a plan.

It wasn’t anything grand enough to truly be called a "plan"—
but we each took on a role to respond swiftly to the crisis.
The Sovereign and I would head to the plaza in the city’s center to destroy the “Seed.”
Neria would handle the phantoms from the outskirts.
A standard flanking formation.

“There’s an overwhelming power difference… but we still can’t afford to let our guard down.”
The situation favored the enemy.
Thanks to the underground terrain of the city, Dawncatcher’s weaknesses had been completely offset.

And more than that—she was absorbing energy from the citizens trapped in their nightmares.
The Seed, powered by countless living batteries, was approaching Phase 3.
“How troublesome.”

What normally should’ve taken a month to reach,
was already on the verge of completion thanks to the perfect synergy between Dawncatcher and this city.
The nightmares tangled within the city had fully bloomed in a single day.
As mentioned in the original game, Phase 3 Dawncatcher is functionally invincible.

Unless specific conditions are met, she becomes unkillable.
Even for the Sovereign, she’d be a difficult opponent.
“They really did their homework.”

Perhaps the Kingdom was meant to fall today.
In a single battle, the Sovereign may have overwhelmed her—
but in the scope of a full-blown war, the cult would have won.
Baob must have been grinding their teeth in preparation for this.

“Well… it’s not like that matters anymore.”
I muttered while adjusting my sleeves.
All around us, the shredded remains of phantoms scattered like torn paper.
We advanced step by step, taking down the monsters as they came.

A casual wave of my hand shattered their forms into nothing.
“Hmm.”
Had the cult been doing research of their own?

The chimeras that had taken phantom forms were much more annoying than before.
Strong enough that they’d wipe the floor with your average academy cadets.
Though to me, they were still barely worth a mouthful.

I flicked my fingers lightly.
“The cult’s really leveled up.”
Fsshk—
A phantom drifting nearby vanished into ash.

No lingering miasma, no trace—just the faint scent of blood hanging in the air.
“Kehkeh… brutal, aren’t you?”
“I don’t think you’re one to be saying that.”

I glanced at the Sovereign behind me.
Beneath his casual tone was a flare of heat in his eyes.
The phantoms he’d passed were all neatly overcooked.

The old man hummed a light tune and spoke.
“Chimeras… I have to admit, they seem quite useful.”
“Looks like Baob hasn’t just been sitting on their hands either.”

“Maybe after we clean this up, I’ll have the Kingdom start building some of these myself.”
“You don’t even believe that. You go feral just from smelling miasma, ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) let alone dealing with chimeras.”
“Now, now. Isn’t that a bit harsh? I’m a very open-minded person.”

“Then maybe let go of the severed head you’re holding first?”
“Oh dear.”
The old man casually set the head down.

The flesh that had been sizzling in his grip popped like a balloon as it hit the ground.
Blood and viscera flowed into the cracks of the cobblestone.
They’d all been black mages who had rushed at us—
none had made it two steps.

The Sovereign wore an ever-cheerful smile on his face.
In contrast, I looked down with contempt smoldering behind my otherwise calm gaze.
“…You’ve got some terrifying tastes.”

“You should try it sometime.”
“I’ll politely decline.”
“Feel free to decline rudely, too. Still—what a shame, not to appreciate the joy of proper texture.”

“At the very least, I’m thankful that depraved appetite of yours is reserved for cultists.”
“Isn’t that love? A passion dedicated solely to them.”
“I’m sure the church would collapse if they overheard you say that.”

Pointless banter passed between us.
Even so, our feet moved quickly through the city.
Thanks to Neria drawing the attention of most of the phantoms,
we’d managed to press forward without any serious resistance.

“Still… a bit disappointing.”
“Hm?”
While tearing through yet another phantom,
the old man at my side suddenly spoke, his unsettling grin slightly dimmed.

“I thought maybe I’d get a chance to speak with her after so long.”
“…Surely you’re not referring to the vice-captain.”
“Who else would I mean?”

“Hah.”
“Oh dear, your eyes look rather scary now.”
“Pardon me, I simply find you lacking in shame.”

“Shame, morals… such things are meaningless formality for the weak.”
“And despite what you did to Lady Neria, you show not even a hint of guilt.”
My brow furrowed.

Back when Neria was known as “The Faithless,”
the Sovereign had subjected her—still only eleven years old—
to ruthless torture and indoctrination.
All for the sole purpose of breaking her and using her as a loyal subordinate.
He was, by all accounts, an unrepentant villain.

“Is it necessary?”
But the old man didn’t even hesitate in his response.
“You sometimes expect too much from villains, Snake.
You’re not under the delusion that I’m some kind of ally, are you?”

“……”
He wasn’t wrong.
The Sovereign was neither an ally, a comrade, nor even a friend.

The role assigned to him by this world was simply: villain.
He was only ever loyal to himself.
“I’ll leave you one piece of advice.”

“……”
“Don’t place your faith in things too easily.
They’ll betray you. Always.”
“That ‘thing’ includes you, doesn’t it?”

“Of course. Who knows when I’ll stick a knife in your back.”
“If that day comes, I’ll personally kill you.”
“Ah, such a warm promise.”

The Sovereign laughed shamelessly.
His golden eyes—serpent-like and glinting—still betrayed nothing of his intent.
And so, side by side, we raced through a city drowning in nightmares.

“Well, it might have sounded like a joke… but at least the part about not trusting anything was sincere.”
“It didn’t sound like a joke at all. More importantly, what exactly are you telling me not to trust?”
“There are plenty of things. People, situations, convictions… sometimes even the concept of faith itself.”

“What a truly uplifting lesson. ‘Trust nothing in the world.’”
“I didn’t say to distrust everything. I said to avoid having certainty.”
“That sounds like nothing but wordplay to me.”

“Kehkeh… maybe it is.”
Puh-ung!
The old man crushes the head of the phantom in his grasp.

The scorching flare incinerates even the miasma.
Calmly, the Sovereign brushes off the scattered remains.
Without losing a beat, he continues.

“For example… let’s say, the Academy.”
“You’re bringing up the Academy all of a sudden?”
“Just hear me out.”

A sharp retort, laced with sarcasm.
Yet, the old man remains entirely unshaken.
“Ever found it suspicious?”

“What exactly?”
“That girl… Neria was a child living deep in the northern outskirts.
A village on the map, located directly opposite the Kingdom.
So how did the Kingdom find her?
A girl who had been hiding for years, at that.”
“……”

“Who could have tipped them off about her existence?”
“…Surely, you’re not suggesting—”
“Gaston Galimar.”

A name that answers the unspoken question.
An all-too-familiar name.
For a brief moment, my mind goes blank.

“Galimar Academy. Or to be more precise, the Academy’s Headmaster.”
“The Headmaster… you’re saying he leaked information about Lady Neria?”
“I advised you, didn’t I? Never hold on to certainty.”

Faith is but a fleeting illusion.
The Sovereign murmurs quietly.
Meanwhile, my mind swirls with unresolved questions.

I want to ask more, but the Sovereign’s footsteps come to a halt.
We’ve arrived at the plaza in the center of the city.
“We can discuss this further with the man himself later… for now, let’s focus on what’s right in front of us.”

“Indeed. There will be time for conversations once we’re done here.”
“If we survive.”
“An unfunny joke.”

Before us stands the Seed.
A grotesque, pulsating structure shaped like a heart.
It towers nearly 30 meters high, throbbing and oozing with a dim, eerie glow.

“Disgusting design.”
“Agreed.”
The Seed.

Inside, the accumulated nightmares of the city’s people are packed densely.
The structure looks like it could explode at any moment.
We both raise our energy levels, light flaring to life.

Step. Step.
Our steps echo as we move toward the Seed.
Standing before the writhing heart is a figure cloaked in a crimson veil.

A woman, hands clasped in prayer.
“Bring them back to the dark.”
A guttural chant, spoken in reversed speech.

Even through the jumbled words, the meaning is unmistakable.
It’s her. Dawncatcher.
She must have been waiting for us to arrive.

The Sovereign chuckles at her audacity.
“Keh… Bold woman.”
Despite the overwhelming aura of murderous intent, she continues her prayer.

Yet, from behind the veil, I can feel her eyes.
Eyes soaked in blood and malice.
“.■■■■, greet the forgotten star.”

A clear and deliberate pronunciation of four syllables.
It’s not even surprising anymore.
Just like the other Apostles, she knows.

Somehow, they all know that name.
How they know it, I can’t even begin to guess…
I let out a sardonic laugh.

“So, the Apostles know of me, huh?
Never would have guessed I was so popular among the vermin.”
“Not yet, but you will.
But one day, even you will be unable to avoid the end.”
“Ugh… with all that garbled speech, it’s a pain to even understand you.”

“.The dark shall descend, and the stars will fade.”
Swish—
A breeze stirs around the woman.

I keep my eyes on her, merely observing.
The atmosphere is suffocating.
The pulsating Seed begins to slow, its surface starting to crack.

From the cracks, jet-black darkness starts to seep out.
Dawncatcher rises slowly from her kneeling position.
“O god of chaos, hear my voice… ah…”

The chanting subsides.
Silence falls.
The lullaby-like hymn is eerie yet strangely soothing, a song of death and despair.

Beside Dawncatcher, the purple aura intensifies.
I know what this means.
“.A place where even the gods will not reach.”

The Seed is about to germinate, and Dawncatcher is on the brink of awakening.
Time is no longer on our side.
Her crazed eyes gleam with delight.

“.Give back the night to those who were denied it.”
Bang!
Sensing the impending danger, the Sovereign springs forward.

A brilliant flash cuts through the blackness and pierces the woman’s heart.
But—
“.Ah, ah… still alive.”

Dawncatcher remains completely unscathed.
The invincibility phase has already begun.
Which means Phase 3 has officially started.

The Sovereign meets her gaze and lets out a sigh of resignation.
“Well… this is bad.”
“.Return to the primordial night.”

KABOOM—!
The cracked Seed finally explodes.
An overwhelming wave of pitch-black mist surges forth, swallowing the entire plaza.

Darkness pours down like a tidal wave, drowning everything.
All I hear is the woman’s lullaby.
“.Sleep now, all you pitiful souls.”

In the next moment—
A world cloaked in darkness is plunged into absolute blackness.
My consciousness begins to slip away, rapidly.

The Sovereign collapses where he stands.
Thud.
I’m no different.

Knees buckle.
Vision blurs.
The grip on my consciousness loosens.
But I don’t resist.
Instead, as my eyelids droop shut, I murmur a single phrase.

‘Just as planned.’
A faint smile plays at my lips.
From the moment we arrived in the Kingdom, this was my primary objective.

The plan I had constructed alone, executed flawlessly, without a single misstep.
I close my eyes.
‘Neria…’

I picture the girl who will now be left behind.
And I let go of my consciousness completely.