Cooperation with the Defiers

When such words defying the gods came from Veronica, who had always presented herself as devout, Gawain found the feeling indescribably strange. And after hearing them, he noticed something else—the faint sense of discord about Veronica was not merely "inhumanity." Within this Saint Princess, Gawain also sensed something... unfamiliar.

Though her appearance had not changed at all, and her manner of speech, actions, and bearing remained much the same as before, subtle details of the princess's temperament seemed to have shifted in ways difficult for others to notice. She was still the same person, yet inwardly... she seemed different from before.

Gawain truly could not describe these differences, which were nearly impossible to put into words. After all, he knew little about Veronica herself. But he guessed that the changes in her must be connected to the ancient person who called herself "Ophelia Norton."

"What are you thinking about?" Veronica—or rather, the ancient person calling herself Ophelia Norton—asked when she noticed that Gawain had not answered for a long time.

"I'm wondering what exactly you are..." Gawain said frankly. "An ancient soul that keeps reviving? Residing within this shell? Did you replace the original Veronica Moen at some point? Where is the original Veronica? Or rather... did she ever exist in the first place?"

"Is that question important?" the woman, who had maintained a serene expression throughout, asked gently. "Camil is right beside you—an ancient Archmage who has survived since the Starfire Era. From the perspective of bizarre impossibilities, shouldn't he be even more incredible than us, considering that his very life form has fundamentally changed?"

"But I trust Camil. I cannot simply trust you in the same way, so this question is important," Gawain said. "You have too many secrets and have said too little. You operated under another