*
One day, that pillar guy said something to me during a raid when we were chatting over voice talk in the game.
“Hey, has the Saintess fetish come?”
“Why did you invite me to catch the Demon King of Innocence? I already got all the rewards here.”
The place I entered after receiving the invite was where the Demon King of Innocence made its first appearance in Black Heart.
A Demon King in the guise of a gray knight.
It looked like it wouldn’t harm anyone, but it was like a tutorial that reveals the type of powers the Demon King possesses for the first time.
“I just discovered a new gimmick.”
“This guy secretly spreads poison. Is there more gimmick?”
Opposite to innocence, it wields harmful powers.
It spreads colorless and odorless poison unknowingly, and once the poisoning is over, it suddenly deals damage over time that cuts your health.
Since this is a power, it had to be blocked using artifacts or masterpieces, and even status debuffs wouldn’t show up.
This is why I always assess the Demon King’s powers first before fighting—not that I have anything against the guy.
“Yeah, bring the chess pieces, Black Knight.”
“See, that’s why that pillar guy won’t do. It’s a habit he can’t shake.”
I brought a crystal-clear chessboard and pieces. Normally, I could just snap its neck and be done with it, but,
“I’ve played chess and won before.”
“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have even called you. Do you know who I am?”
To get additional hidden rewards, we had to win by playing the game against the Demon King like this. Especially when it came to games like chess or go.
“Ah, right, you claim to be the best brain in the North.”
The reason was that the Demon King of Innocence was summoned by Akasha, the god of intellect. I vaguely recalled reading some interpretations in the game community.
“Suhyun, what do you think is the most important thing in the game?”
The pillar guy conceded to the Demon King, and the Demon King began moving a white chess piece without any response or change in expression.
“Wasn’t it memorizing patterns?”
“Of course, that’s true. But you play like a meathead, without any sense.”
Clack. The black chess piece responded accordingly.
Sitting across was a man with striking white hair and red eyes, displaying a relaxed demeanor.
“I think understanding your opponent is more important, Suhyun.”
“You’re not suggesting….”
He was playing chess while talking to me, but he continued to poke at my weaknesses.
“Has he memorized all the patterns?”
“Hey, there’s a limit to playing like you do. That’s the thing about knight classes.”
Click, clack. The black and white pieces seemed to tussle, capturing each other’s pieces, but unlike the pillar guy, who hadn’t changed his speed,
“There’s a unique opening for everyone.”
The Demon King’s thinking time gradually extended, continuing to attempt a game-over for the North’s Duchess’ husband with his powers.
I didn’t know if it was unconsciously spreading poison or intentionally, but it was a very fascinating Demon King. He wasn’t taking direct attack actions like swinging a sword.
“Is it which piece to move first, the pawn or the knight?”
“Exactly. You fear people, but…”
He pulled out an hourglass from his inventory to block even such sneaky moves.
“At least, I’m not like that.”
As the pillar guy flipped the hourglass, the sand grains trickled down with a clatter.
“For example, do you know what our Duchess’s first move was with me?”
“What? Was it to greet me in her first meeting?”
Thinking of Pina’s first dialogue when I was Saintess, he shook his head and laughed. What did she do without even greeting me?
“No, she invited me to dinner and tried to poison my character.”
“What..? You must be kidding?”
Now, in a completely advantageous situation. With a time limit set, the Demon King’s moves became predictable.
“Incredibly fiery person, our Duchess.”
As he countered the monotonous attacks, the white-haired man’s movements became strange while tightening the position of the white king.
“Actually, rulers usually eliminate potential threats rather than face them….”
I didn’t understand the pillar guy’s actions as he traded queens. Why is he making that trade now? Isn’t that disadvantageous?
“He uses a binary option approach to recruit allies?”
Clack. Instead, he saved the knight and began delivering unusual checks. Was he going for checkmate?
“Well, it’s a bit of a metaphor, but this is how it turns out. Lee Su-hyun.”
Tap. Moving the rook last, he cornered the opponent’s king.
At that moment, the Demon King’s hand stopped. What? Isn’t the king already out of check? I inspected the pillar guy’s chess pieces closely.
“Stalemate. Winning isn’t the only thing that matters.”
He stood up as he said that, and it seemed like the game was over for the Demon King.
In chess, stalemate occurs when the king is not in check but cannot move, resulting in losing the game unless they self-sacrifice their own king.
“In this case, it looks like a draw in chess, but…”
Calculating all possible outcomes, there was no move left that the Demon King of Innocence could make, except for a draw.
In terms of rules, this wasn’t a loss but a draw.
“In actual combat, it means self-sacrifice or aligning with my side. Doesn’t that reflect our Duchess’s personality perfectly?”
The player’s nickname, adorned with an emoticon giving a thumbs up, was North Duchess’s husband.
“You’re severely misguided. I don’t want to live like that.”
“Someone who can’t even have a happy ending or a romance with that Saintess speaks well.”
Click. The sound of a treasure chest unlocking behind the chair where the Demon King sat echoed.
“You really need to experience romance to understand women, you virgin.”
“I get it, Giseok.”
He quickly checked the contents and closed the chest again. Maybe the desired loot wasn’t there?
“Oh, and don’t interpret people in binary. You’ll get hurt.”
“Why the sudden shift?”
The pillar guy changed the topic and spoke like he was scolding me. Why is he suddenly lecturing me?
“Do you remember that NTR Gold Knight?”
“Of course, I remember.”
He was the guy who, instead of going for our Saintess route, pushed for harem or NTR routes, saying insane things that were hard to repeat. I had expelled him before.
“He posted about being wronged in the community.”
“He had a nickname that was eerily similar to mine… and now he’s going even further?”
“No, it’s not like that.”
When I clicked on the link he sent, there was a post from someone who admired me, thinking it was a joke just because their nickname was similar, and never expecting to get expelled.
“This guy was actually just a concept player, with a name and words to match.”
“What? That can’t be possible.”
The pillar guy showed me the player’s card, which recorded the end and achievements.
“Here, player card. Look at it with your own eyes. You really need to fix that personality of yours.”
The player card lists everything about the owner, like the route they took, ending, achievements, class types, etc.
“You should’ve realized that joining a guild that only focuses on one character was a contradiction. You really have no awareness.”
I do check who I accept into my guild beforehand too. Don’t want any scammers or players who use cheats.
“Seriously, you didn’t go for a harem or NTR ending?”
“Yeah, I was the one who picked them. Even if they had a foul mouth, their skills were top-notch.”
“Did you really have to bring someone that strange into our guild, Giseok?”
But he was the one who suggested creating a harem around our Saintess, wasn’t that crossing the line?
“Since they’re also a knight class, I thought it might help when you’re looking for information on the Magic Hat. Is that okay?”
“Well, you should’ve mentioned it.”
“Who was the guild leader who expelled them before I even got to say anything~? I wouldn’t know.”
It was definitely an excessive measure, abusing the guild leader’s authority.
Usually, I was calm, but I’d get emotional when it involved our Saintess.
“Expulsion was a bit much, Suhyun. You could’ve just challenged them to a 1:1 practice match instead.”
The action of attacking my character with a spear drawn from behind. The PVP setting was off, so the attack cut through thin air.
“Anyway, from now on, pay attention to people’s natures. Pure-hearted Black Knight.”
“Alright, oh, you Duchess’s husband.”
As I sighed and acknowledged my mistake, North Duchess’s husband passed the reward item to me.
“Uh? Is this for me? The reward for the stalemate?”
“You really have no clue…. No, the brother is going to the gym now.”
Giseok, the pillar guy, logged out just as it was time to open the gym door.
His character appeared to be an exaggerated form with white hair and red eyes, but,
“…”
He was a friend who always gave me advice when I struggled and enjoyed the game with me. Suddenly, I began to remember him now that I was in the North.
*
Don’t think of people in binary.
‘What I thought was black could very well be white. Winning the game isn’t everything….’
Thinking of those words, I began to reflect on Pina’s recent actions, contemplating the possibility that she might have feelings for me.
‘Could it be that she actually likes me?’
In reality, love is not an emotion that can be easily categorized into like or dislike, nor is it something that can be easily understood through someone else’s interpretation or explanation.
‘Yeah. When I have time later, I should ask Pina how she thinks of me.’
Though the evidence was still lacking, her actions clearly showed she treated me differently than others.
“Pina, could you please back off a bit?”
“No. I want to stay close to you, Licht. It’s too cold in the North.”
Given how much closer my distance with Pina Grancia had become since the battle against the Head, it was necessary to create some space.
“You could just use warmth magic.”
“Ugh, don’t touch my tail… Licht….”
“Pina, we should keep some distance when we meet Asha.”
At this rate, it might interfere with my Grand Route strategy. I could afford to worry about my affection levels after capturing all the Demon Kings.
What mattered most was Pina Grancia’s happiness.
“If you don’t, it will be hard to help Senior Nex and Senior Schartines.”
“Fine, I understand, Licht.”
As I played my hand, she loosened her tail, covering her round cheeks with her hair. Her blushing face seemed to steam.
“Ugh… such a pervert…”
What significance does a tail hold for beastmen? When she was the Saintess, she seemed startled but somewhat enjoyed when I touched it for a moment.
“I think we’ve arrived, so please behave yourself, Licht.”
I probably took it too lightly before. I remembered she didn’t like it when I pet her in reverse.
“Pina, we know we have a special bond, but we need to differentiate between business and pleasure.”
Following the North Duchess into the palace interiors.
Upon opening the inner door, I saw a woman with golden hair sitting there.
“Welcome, Drake, and… Princess Pina?”
Seeing the shining golden phoenix seal reflecting sunlight like Nex’s made me feel a sense of déjà vu.
The woman hurriedly set her tea down after almost dropping her cup.
Asha Aureus.
Known as the living sun and wielding spirit magic through phoenix usage, she was one of the Ten Heroes.
“How did Princess Pina Grancia find her way to the North?”
“That just happened.”
So far, my first encounter with her was going well. How would I convince her, as an outsider, to successfully unite Nex and Schartines?
“Nice to meet you, O Living Sun.”
I greeted her politely to ease Asha’s wariness.
Well, if I could manage to converse properly after dealing with the apostles, I thought I could get through the conversation. I knew why Nex’s hair was purple.
I clearly thought Pina had black hair during Mardol’s activities.
Now that I thought about it, why is our Pina’s hair white? Having never found it odd until now, I suddenly turned to look at her, and our eyes met.
“Uh, Licht. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing at all, Your Highness.”
She perked up, startled, and her ears twitched. Just how long had she been staring at me?
Her awkwardly turning her head away to hide the fact that she had been staring was even more suspicious.
“My name is Licht. I have come to assist in stopping the Northern monster assault.”
“Oh, are you the hero who defeated the Demon King of All Knowledge?”
I ignored Pina’s burning gaze, which I had felt since earlier, and continued.
“Yes, I am the ‘Hero of Intellect,’ Licht.”
In an attempt to put out the urgent fire, I boldly declared my ambition with a lie.
