I entered the room and tidied up some clothes.
[Shar♡Nex 64% ‘NEW!!’]
Seeing the status window pop up in front of me, I sighed in relief. Thank goodness. It worked just as I thought.
In fact, what I told Asha was a bit serious.
Considering she didn’t find it strange, there must be cases like Laplace or the Sage.
This status window is really amazing. When I think about the situations up until now, they don’t seem like simple numbers after all.
“… There’s still a long way to go.”
I sighed looking at the long way to go in my affection level, and I began to question the meaning behind these numbers.
‘I was told to preserve the pairings from the previous game.’
But did that previous game include [Black Heart]? This is the third work, after all.
Then, do the harems created by players count towards the pairings? Most users in the game community said so.
When heroines get duplicated, is there really no reason not to?
Honestly, I’ve heard that it makes the party stronger and increases the fun of the game.
But I didn’t do it. The reason is simple. The Saintess Pina Grancia automatically becomes the neglected one.
The Saintess route completely breaks when a harem is formed. It’s like a glass wall is set, and as a supporting character, she couldn’t insert herself among the main characters.
Dates? Flirty affection? There was none.
[Lee Soo-hyun♡Pina Grancia 3%]
“…”
I felt like I was missing something again as I pondered over the strange differences in these letters.
Considering it is not referred to as the Nameless Saintess, I guess it’s true that I’ve turned the future upside down. Why do I feel so uneasy?
“Pina, I know you’re there, so come out.”
“How? I erased my presence with magic…”
At that moment, I stared at the wall in the room as I suddenly felt a gaze. That spot has a slightly distorted pattern.
“You’re sharing a mana circuit with me. I can at least tell where you are.”
“Oh, ugh… I made a mistake…”
Pina had sneaked into my room and was secretly watching me. She was hiding behind a mirror where objects appeared distorted.
I closed the distance so she couldn’t escape. Was it a side effect of the finger kiss? She was retreating like a cowardly wolf when she saw me.
“Please don’t run away, Pina.”
Is she worried about her 3% with me? What kind of feelings does she have for me?
Now that she’s not a Saintess, the story I’ve built up until now has crumbled, and even if she might dislike me…
“I have something to confirm.”
I cannot overlook this affection level.
To save her from the Magic Hat, there’s no other way but the Grand Route. The creator has proclaimed it, after all.
Personally, I hate representing love with numbers, but this is the only reliable thing.
“Ugh, Licht. Don’t scratch my chin… It feels weird…”
“Don’t puppies like this?”
So I decided to test if the numbers go up when we really show affection. I gently stroked the underside of the wolf-eared beauty’s jaw with my finger. She momentarily flinched but soon accepted my touch.
“I’m a wolf, though…”
If such a cute person is a wolf, every hunter in the world would be captivated. It could actually be a nine-tailed fox. Where did that shy look from earlier go?
“Definitely a puppy.”
“What can a pervy mutt say… No.”
Pina smiled softly, her golden eyes drawing a smooth arc. In times like these, I often think it’s worth embodying a beta tester.
But still, my affection level doesn’t go up. Is it really hard for me and Pina to connect?
“You’re too skilled at this… you playboy…”
“Me? Do I look like someone like that?”
I’m the one who saved her life after all.
My body and soul seem to be at her mercy.
Calling me a playboy is just unfair. I playfully moved my fingers, teasing her more.
“You like the Nameless Saintess, don’t you?”
“…”
Thud. She grabbed my wrist, stopping my movement with her strength.
“… You’re really not a playboy?”
“I’m sorry.”
I apologized to Pina, who looked angry.
This is my fault. I couldn’t even clearly tell her that I’m from the future.
“You should be sorry. Yes, Licht should be very sorry.”
The princess scolds me with a tone. The upright wolf ears and tail looked slightly sulky.
Maybe I should pet her head more later. Just as I thought that.
“Licht, can we talk for a moment…?”
The door burst open, and the black-haired northern duchess was aghast at seeing what Pina and I were doing.
“What are you two doing…?”
“Nothing at all.”
I only scratched her chin healthily. I hurriedly pulled my hand back and hid it behind my back, trying to act nonchalant but—
“..Hic.”
I broke a cold sweat because of Pina, who started hiccuping again.
Did I eat something wrong today? She keeps doing that. I might as well get her a warm cup of water later.
I was unexpectedly asked a question when I moved to Sophia’s office.
“Licht. Where did you hear that earlier?”
“Are you talking about the conversation I had with Asha?”
There were piles of documents stacked high, and signs of her ruling the north appeared everywhere.
“No, I mean the talk about seeing a person’s true self.”
Her iron-blooded black eyes seemed to pierce through me, as if she had some inkling, and she pointed at me with her quill.
“I heard it from a friend of mine.”
It was something the pillar brother used to say to me. Why is she asking this now?
“Actually, a strange guy who came to the north a few days ago said the same thing.”
“A strange guy? What do you mean by that?”
Now that I mention it, the duchess’s attitude is oddly gentle. She used to show a chilly attitude before, without the heart unlock.
Could it be that another player is in this world besides me?
“He was a strange guy who knew there was poison in food but ate it anyway, calling it a reward.”
Ah, for now, it’s definitely not Giseok. Knowing his personality, he would never do such a thing. He’s thoroughly calculative, so he rarely takes actions that are detrimental to himself.
Even though I advised to match him with the one he loves, he must have called me crazy…
“That guy also hinted to you, saying you were crazier than him.”
“..By any chance, what was his name?”
Hoping it might be Giseok, I asked for a name. But the nickname that slipped from the duchess’s lips was something I had never heard before.
“Plints.”
Plints? Did a love line form with someone else first?
“… He was an amusing person. Now he’s gone north, making some strange excuses about having a problem with his heart.”
Sophia’s face softened with a gentle smile as if reminiscing a pleasant memory.
Perhaps another player or reincarnator prioritized wooing Sophia first over my beloved northern duchess.
“Would you consider being introduced to someone, Duchess?”
If the pillar brother knew, he would break down sobbing. He knows about the hereditary heart disease of the Coldheart family too.
‘The guy must have concocted an effective medicine first and walked the path to salvation.’
While making community quotes saying that if there are no events, then just create one,
having traveled all over the country to unlock affinity, he must feel so sorry for losing all the connections he cultivated.
“I’ll decline. No one except someone like Plints can satisfy me.”
“…”
Despite such expectations, what returned was a cold refusal. The duchess had transformed back into her usual self.
She seemed to be showing the imposing presence of a ruler now that the white-haired princess was gone.
Should I be the one fixing this love line?
‘Well, if it’s someone Sophia cares for, the pillar brother should concede.’
I decided to take a step back. One’s emotions should never be meddled with, and that’s also the reason why I don’t mention the Nameless Saintess to Pina.
‘Ultimately, individual will is crucial in love. Lee Soo-hyun.’
If one clings to past relationships and tries to manipulate emotions like love, that’s not pure love at all. I feel sorry for Giseok.
“..I apologize for my sudden slip of words, Duchess.”
This is how it should be.
I am a pure black knight. I have no intention of forcibly connecting love lines without respecting the feelings of others.
Honestly, isn’t that basically NTR?
I don’t want to believe in stories about future lovers or destinies. That’s why I’ve always tried to keep a certain distance from Pina.
‘Saying I loved the future version of you, sounds unconvincing from the listener’s side.’
In the end, it ends up seeming like I’m overlapping feelings for another person rather than the current one.
“Okay, that’s enough. I have one more question for you, Licht.”
“What is it, Your Highness?”
Sophia paused, placing her hand on her forehead as if her head hurt, then she halted the quill she was moving.
“Are you dating Pina?”
“I couldn’t possibly be.”
I felt wrong-footed. It seemed like she was trying to see if I was a good or bad person. Did she think I was a playboy exploiting innocent Pina’s affections?
“Then why is she clinging to you?”
Even though I feel like she’s not around. I was looking around just in case.
“The Grancia princess. No, my friend Pina was the brightest girl in childhood.”
The duchess sighed deeply and began to talk about Pina Grancia.
“But about ten years ago, everything changed, Licht.”
A chill filled the conversation space. I don’t know if it was because she used magic or if it was the dark story I just heard.
“Her once black hair turned completely white, and all the letters we used to exchange suddenly stopped.”
The cold atmosphere surrounding her made it feel like ice was freezing my insides.
So Pina’s hair turned white because of the stress from that incident?
I’d read a few books where they said excessive stress could trigger such rapid changes in a single day.
“You know it was all because of the Magic Hat’s attack, right?”
“I do, Your Highness.”
It was definitely the Demon King of Truth’s doing.
He probably wanted to take Bellin Grancia to strengthen his attacks. He’s the kind of lunatic who carries people around in cards.
“Pina saw her mother murdered back then, and all her close maids and servants, except Dijur, were killed.”
Looks like Sophia doesn’t even know that Bellin Grancia turned into cards. The duchess stood, holding a spear, slowly radiating killing intent.
“… After enduring all that, the Pina I met after a long time became like an empty glass.”
She felt pity seeing her friend who transformed into a glass knight always wearing a masterpiece armor.
Even when I told her to have tea and talk about novels like before, she was too focused on training with swords and magic, saying, ‘I must become stronger.’
“My friend Pina sent me a letter just a few days ago. Take a look.”
As I read the letter handed to me by the northern duchess, she pressed her spear against my neck.
“About the new hero who defeated the Head…”
The icy coldness of the letter’s ending sent chills down my spine, and I gulped. Pina must not be around me.
“Hello, Sophia… Do you happen to know the transplantation method for Dragon Heart…?”
Did she send a letter to Sophia to save me? I’m grateful that she even sent a precious dragon’s heart.
“Licht, she took the time to write that letter herself after years.”
Seeing my dazed expression, the duchess cast ice magic in a displeased manner. My body began to freeze from my toes.
“Honestly, tell me. What do you think of our Pina?”
She was just confirming I wasn’t some disrespectful guy disguised as her friend.
Now that I think about it, from Sophia’s point of view, I might appear as a playboy who monopolizes Pina Grancia’s interest while using her.
“How do I think of Pina Grancia? It’s obvious.”
Even though I was frozen up to my neck, I replied calmly. My pure feelings for Pina won’t change, and it can’t possibly make me any colder than this.
“… I adore her.”
A pure flame-like emotion.
That’s why I was worried she might be scared if she knew. I was afraid of her getting hurt, which is why I was avoiding her. If my answer satisfied her.
“Good. So at least you’re on Pina’s side.”
The duchess released all the ice magic surrounding me, smiled with satisfaction, and pulled back her spear.
“Sorry, I thought you were a playboy taking advantage of our innocent Pina.”
“I completely understand.”
The warmth returned once more.
Since it was magic, the ice melted, and there was no trace left of the previous situation.
“So when will you confess to Pina? When will you two start dating? No, who fell in love first….”
Suddenly bombarded by Sophia’s rapid-fire questions, I was thrown for a loop.
“Cough, cough.”
I choked on my spit and was on the verge of tears. It hurt like hell. Why is she suddenly like this? Wasn’t she the one who tried to kill me earlier?
“Duchess Sophia… a commoner and a princess could never be together…”
“Do you really think that way? This won’t do.”
Seeing me, she took a book from the shelf and started reading, the title saying it’s a famous spot in the north.
“… I need to use my authority as a duchess.”
It looked like she had a good idea, giving me a meaningful smile and sporting a devilish grin.
It felt like I shouldn’t discuss things with her any further; it might end badly.
As I finally managed to stop coughing, I looked beside me due to the sunlight softly illuminating the office.
I noticed a gleaming object in my vision,
“What are those chess pieces?”
“Oh, those are left by Plints.”
Looking at the crystal-etched black-and-white chess pieces gave me a strange sense of déjà vu. I had seen those during a battle against the Demon King of Innocence.
“What kind of person is this Plints, Your Highness?”
I questioned the bear-eared woman in front of me, assuming he might be someone I already know.
“He’s a bit eccentric, but he’s a brilliant strategist.”
“Does he stay cooped up in a corner, manipulating people from the shadows?”
I listed the traits of that guy from when I was in the guild. While I focused on personally defeating bosses with my physical prowess and game knowledge,
he would meticulously solve puzzles and mazes through logic and calculation. Even game companies recognized his talent for finding Easter eggs.
“Right? At first, I thought he was just a bear who ate my food in the palace.”
“Can he play chess? Can he stalemate against you, Your Highness?”
“Exactly. I was surprised too.”
Sophia nodded vigorously, and I threw her a final confirmation question.
“What color are that guy’s hair and eyes?”
“White hair with… red eyes. Do you know him?”
I can confirm that it is indeed that guy.
