The next day, I woke up to find my affection level with Pina Grancia had increased.
[Lee Soo-hyun♡Pina Grancia 6% ‘NEW!!’]
Yesterday, Kainel wore a smug smile while listening to my excuses. Now that I’m on the receiving end, it really ticks me off. The mutt knows Pina’s identity instinctively, that’s why he acts like that.
If I help the hero couple’s romance more, they might confess their feelings.
I went to the North again and resolved Nex and Schartines’s problems. I caught the Head and reverted Dennis and White Lily’s relationship back to normal.
What else do I need to do?
‘What I need right now is….’
I thought the schedule heading to the Grand Route would go smoothly, but meeting someone named Blanc turned my thoughts upside down.
At least I won’t pursue the flower route with both hands.
I know that if I go for the harem route, our Pina will end up in the cold, and I also think that if I’m not genuinely in love, it’s not true love.
Other couples would probably think the same way.
‘Oh, there’s the sage.’
At that moment, something clicked in my mind.
I need to prepare for the future that’s about to come, considering the existence of the status window or the contents of the prequel game.
Becoming the Nameless Saintess might still be a valid option.
“Licht, what are you thinking about?”
Pina paused, noticing my hurried steps, and asked. The glass armor glimmered as it reflected the sunlight.
Ever since I resolved the issues, the heavy-armored knight had become more comfortable attending the Academy.
After class, during the empty time.
“I need to go to the bathroom for a moment.”
I lied to Pina.
Saying I’d stop by the bathroom was half the truth since I was heading to the library. If I don’t brush her off like this, she would definitely follow me.
The last sage who survived the Wizard Tower. Azmodius.
I dashed to the Academy’s library to meet her.
*
As I entered the library, there was, as always, a woman with demon horns sitting atop a pile of books.
“..You’re here.”
Her violet hair and demonic eyes indicated her species was a demon. She flipped a page in her book and nodded as I entered the library.
“Hello, Sage.”
Well, even if she’s a demon, she’s not related to a demon king or anything, so she doesn’t get discriminated against. She’s just a bit specialized in black magic.
Servi was an exception. The Apostle of Rage or the Apostle of Gluttony are not demons.
Now that I think about it, why is it “Demon King” when she’s not a royal demon? It makes me uncomfortable about the creator’s middle school-level naming sense.
“I found the person known as the Nameless Saintess.”
The sage casually said as she closed the book she was reading. At that remark, my heart sank like a lead weight.
“Sage, what do you mean by that…”
Finding her—didn’t I change Pina Grancia’s grim future like I usually pondered?
This is a prequel. It seems there was something lacking to twist the characters appearing in the original and the sequel at will.
In the case of the Northern Duchess, an easter egg was set up by the creator.
I deeply felt that without the Grand Route, there was no hope.
“She’s someone who got caught by all the demon kings and was experimented on, right?”
The sage looked at me with sad eyes. It was a sympathetic gaze since she also had her moments with a demon king.
Looks like I was right. It wasn’t just one demon king, but rather a combination of powers from multiple ones.
“It’s unfortunate that I can’t specify who it is.”
But the Head’s ‘ignorance’ should have vanished. Why isn’t there any mention of Pina Grancia?
“Wait a minute. Why can’t you specify who it is?”
“…I don’t know. If I try to access more information, it gets blocked.”
If the Head resurrected after regression, all information should be completely hidden. Why can’t I know Pina’s identity while knowing the future of the Saintess?
‘..Is it because of the Magic Hat?’
The current Magic Hat has been obsessively attached to me for some unknown reason. If he did something to Pina, that would definitely be possible.
“The Nameless Saintess has similar futures for the most part. Licht.”
A magic circle appeared in the sage’s hand, and she pushed it in front of my helmet.
“Ah, even if you’re a hero, you probably don’t understand this. The future I see looks like this.”
Illusion magic. The surroundings that had just been the library changed into a forest.
The chirping of birds and the rustling leaves in the wind felt lifelike, and the suddenly transformed environment looked as if teleportation magic had been used.
“For example, if you saw ‘walking in the forest and encountering a monster in the future…’”
Before she even finished speaking, a group of goblins, each holding small staves or branches, appeared in front of me.
“That could be goblins….”
Whoosh, as if a scene was transitioning from a movie, when the sage waved her hand, the monster group began to change into different types.
“It could be orcs or trolls.”
The enemies had transformed into high-level monsters mixed with orcs and trolls. Given my current skills, I felt I could handle them easily, so I swung my sword, but there was no feeling of cutting.
“Even at a low probability, you might encounter dragons.”
She continued, watching me with a mocking expression.
Suddenly, a dragon boasting crimson scales charged at me as if it would devour me. Was she sharing the future she saw with me?
“I was trying to scare you a little, but why isn’t my illusion magic working on you?”
“My mana circuits must be tangled.”
Even the dragon with its mouth wide open showed a calm demeanor while the sage reacted in surprise.
“A precognitive ability to visually see possible futures. Well, this is how it works.”
A character that shows me all possible routes of unresolved possibilities.
The sage could sweep away incorrect routes by saying, ‘It’s a low probability, so it led to another future.’
“The Nameless Saintess dies in every future I see.”
The sage delivered the shocking news to me. My hands trembled, and my breath quickened.
“Her pure white saintess robe was soaked in blood. I couldn’t see her face, but she seemed different from Schartines…”
No, is there really no possibility left? Just yesterday, I helped create Pina’s clone. Did the survival flag get completely broken?
“..How does she die?”
“She dies at the hands of the Magic Hat, after hundreds of cards….”
“Stop.”
Damn it. As expected, there’s no happy ending unless I catch the Magic Hat. Those sadistic creators. Once isn’t enough; they do it again.
Including the fact that I need to raise the affection level too makes it quite a challenging task.
Stress was making my head throb. It felt like a woodpecker had begun pecking my brain.
‘Wait, if she hasn’t been specified yet…’
So, the sage didn’t recognize Pina with the white hair and wolf ears.
Is the future fragmented in pieces?
It’s the ability to see all possible routes. Something doesn’t add up.
Why isn’t there any mention of Pina being a princess? There’s still something stuck in my mind.
If it’s covered by the Magic Hat’s ability to lie and isn’t visible, there’s still hope.
“Is there no future where I can catch that bastard and kill him?”
“…It seems possible, Licht.”
Of course. I’ve already caught him once.
Even though my equipment and levels may be lacking compared to when I was leveling up Licht in the game, I still have plenty of time.
“Of course, I can.”
“It’s impossible. You’d be caught by the Magic Hat as well. Want me to tell you how you’d be tortured?”
“….”
Think. Is there truly no way out? If it’s the equipment or techniques used when catching the Magic Hat in [Black Heart], it might be possible.
“Will it show potential if it’s Demon King Kill or the Magic Sword Horizon, Sage?”
Items I bought at the auction house in a panic, using them as substitutes for the holy sword.
A dark purple great sword. An artifact that performed the roles of both armor and sword.
With this, I could go toe-to-toe with the demon king in the game without worrying about defense.
It was a cheat item that mostly deflected physical attacks.
“Wait, were you a demon king?!”
“Of course not. I have to borrow someone else’s. Focus on that and look at the future again.”
The moment I mentioned the magic sword, the sage jumped up in surprise. It’s because the hero’s holy sword had fallen into darkness.
I also corrupted the holy sword with darkness while fighting the Magic Hat. There were guards who touched the Head’s revolver too.
“I… don’t know. This time, the future is vague. I’ll see from your perspective again, Licht.”
As expected, if it’s my item from the game, there’s likely to be potential. The sage’s ability isn’t ‘omniscient,’ so she can’t know everything at once.
Being vague means it’s possible to save. There must also be parts obscured by the Magic Hat’s lies.
“Oh, but this….”
Just when I was relieved to have managed to get this far, a shocking statement came from the sage.
“Licht, why are you locked up by that black-haired Inrang tribe woman?”
“….Huh?”
Her demon eyes narrowed as she questioned me with a scrutinizing demeanor. She looked flustered, as if she’d seen something unspeakable. Why is that?
When she asked about the Saintess earlier, this topic didn’t even come up.
Maybe I stopped the future of becoming a Nameless Saintess. The sage seemed to have suspected me after seeing those wolf ears and tail.
“Chains on the bed… black rose petals? Who did this…? Eek!”
The sage, who was looking into my future, fell backward in shock. The loud scream that suddenly erupted made the nearby students look at us.
There was no soundproofing magic cast; this was a major disaster.
“I lost the prediction because I was spotted by that woman. What did you do?!”
If that black-haired Inrang tribe woman is Pina, then it’s true. The one who noticed the sage’s foresight.
Gulp, I swallowed hard. There really was a fear of being locked up in the royal dungeon.
The sage’s declared future of being imprisoned in a twisted love.
If I don’t become the Nameless Saintess, would she become obsessed?
Pina with black hair, not white—it was turning the imaginations I had in my head into reality.
“Did you see anything else?”
“Sorry, it was really dark around.”
Pina might have turned black-haired while practicing changing her attribute. What she heard during her lessons with the Celestial Demons became the flag.
The moment the game’s system started to feel terrifying.
“..Thank you.”
“Then, you’ll make sure to explain it well to Drake, right? I really helped you, didn’t I?”
“Of course.”
I hurriedly said my goodbyes to leave the room. Since our mana circuits are shared, we can sense where we are vaguely.
When I noticed Pina’s clone last time, her location felt too close for comfort.
“I’ll be sure to deliver the message.”
If I delay any longer, Pina will come to the library. What if she hears this and gets jealous, tying me up with chains too?
I can ask Laplace about finding the magic sword. He knows information from the past, so he should know.
As soon as I burst through the library’s front door.
“Ah, Licht. Where did you go…?”
I came face to face with the very person who would lock me up in the future.
The image of Pina tying me with chains on the bed flared up in my mind.
I darted toward the principal’s office like a mouse encountering a predator.
