*
I have a reason for wanting to check the imperial power like this. In dreams, the concept of time feels different from reality.
Emperor Rock puts down the knife he was holding and looks deep in thought. Now that I see it, his eyes aren’t even injured. The feeling of dissonance grows stronger.
“The imperial power… this year marks ten years, right?”
The Emperor got the year wrong. The current imperial power is 18 years; the empire was established two years after Pina was born.
Thus, Pina and I are the same age when she entered the academy. It becomes a contradictory fact.
This may be the wish I desire.
Since I didn’t lose Queen Bellin to the Magic Hat, Pina’s dark hair has become a part of her, and there shouldn’t be any issues regarding our marriage.
“By the way, when will the wedding be held?”
Emperor Rock mentioned the marriage. After all, since I’m set up as his fiancé, it’s only natural for such discussions to arise.
Saying just one word seems to be a struggle, as his face contorted with disdain.
“I’ll think a bit more about it.”
The shocking concept of being a fiancé felt appealing, but if it came to that, I would want formal approval for marriage with Pina.
At the very least, I don’t want love that I didn’t acquire by my own hands.
“Licht, why are you like this…? You weren’t like this when we spoke yesterday…”
She brushes my thigh under the table. I quickly grab her hand, stopping her movements.
Unlike the Pina I know, this one is proactive. She isn’t an empty glass knight as if her emotions have been drained.
“Could it be… that you don’t like having such a pretty fiancée like me?”
“Of course not.”
Even after being pushed away once, she intertwines her fingers with the hand I’ve caught, expressing her affection. The black wolf ears perk up adorably.
It would be wonderful to marry a pretty and beautiful princess.
Pina Grancia is objectively beautiful. Even within the academy, there are boys seeking her out.
Money? Honor? The accompanying things are countless, you can’t even count them by hand. Her exact title is the imperial princess with the right to the throne.
But the reason I like Pina Grancia isn’t because of this status, but because of her simplicity itself.
“Or has love changed… Licht?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Even chewing meat was difficult. No matter how fake this is, seeing Pina looking sad because our marriage has been postponed tugs at my heart.
“You’re colder than others…”
Her black wolf ears and tail droop down, not rising. I put my fork in my mouth, glancing at Pina while someone spoke up.
“Licht.”
“….”
“You and Pina were engaged since childhood, right? Why suddenly delay the marriage?”
I never expected to hear my name from that person.
While sipping on soft milk tea, Queen Bellin spoke up. Dressed in black, just like the fake Pina, she smiled softly.
She’s the character trapped in the Magic Hat’s Heart Queen card. I’ve never met her normally within the game. Hearing her talk like this evokes nostalgia.
“When you couldn’t live without each other… what’s the problem? You look perfectly handsome.”
My face, checked in the mirror earlier, had no burns. As Kainel said, I’ve got an average-looking exterior.
This blurred line between dreams and reality? This is already the third time, and it’s getting exhausting.
“…Just get married to Pina here and live happily.”
Is she not even going to try to hide it anymore? The Queen, upon realizing this isn’t the real world, spoke directly.
I grasped the nature of Tardun’s shrine. A place where you make the opponent complacent and break their will.
I hear it was also used in the coming-of-age ceremony of the Inrang Tribe, so she seems relaxed.
“Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted, Licht?”
“I want Pina’s happiness, not my own.”
I spoke politely towards Queen Bellin. It’s a given that unless the Grand Route is completed, Pina cannot be happy.
Every time I attempt to catch one of those Demon Kings related to the Nameless Saintess, my status window warned me.
Whether considering the past or current information through my abilities, her death seems inevitable.
“…That’s what I think love is.”
The way the fake one was flicking her three-inch tongue made me angry, and I got up from my seat. If it were the real Queen Bellin, she probably wouldn’t have even mentioned such things.
To push for marriage in hopes of her daughter’s happiness? I found it absurd.
“Licht..! Wait for me..!”
The black Pina chased after me. She lifted her long dress with both hands to prevent it from dragging on the ground, her hurried footsteps starting to annoy me.
“What did I do wrong…? Is there something bothering you?”
The person I love is the glass knight known as Pina. I don’t love just anyone named Pina.
I fell for her when she was the Nameless Saintess; it felt like my first love.
‘I feel love for her as Mardol now.’
Even though we didn’t know much about each other, she’s cared for my burn scars and taught me swordsmanship, and was someone who always worried about me, always coming to see me first.
I’ve owed my life to her twice; once during the Apostle of Gluttony and when I fought the Head. She even took shots to pull me out of dreams.
“I want real love, not a fake one.”
Moreover, the real Pina is resilient. No matter how much I try to escape from my emotions, she keeps challenging me. It’s been that way in the North and remains the same now.
Love that overcomes all. I’ve already hopelessly fallen for the silver-haired princess.
Thinking I want to escape this illusion made the surrounding space begin to transform into black. A scene shifting like a single black-and-white Polaroid.
“….”
Everything froze in a still shot.
The fake Pina could no longer approach me, frozen in place. A single drop of her tear rolling down gave me a pang of guilt.
‘Testing my will, huh? It certainly feels dangerous.’
With the powers of the Apostles or at Akasha’s shrine, the world within the game feels just as real, doesn’t it? This is no wonder it’s so colorful.
I wiped her gem-like shining tears. A cold sensation at my fingertips left me feeling unsettled.
[As expected from Lee Soo-hyun, you won’t easily give in! (￣3￣]
That moment, a status window suddenly popped up right in front of me.
Like usual, a light pink status window overflowing with hearts began to obscure my view.
This thing works here too?
[Although it is indeed like a Black Knight dedicating everything for their purity… don’t you care about the creator’s seriousness?]
The creator of [Black Heart] must have the ability to stretch into the game world. The status window was evaluating my actions.
[Tardun must’ve specially put in effort to make Pina Grancia a max charm character.]
Upon further inspection, her back was deeply plunged, and there was a garter belt outfit. Pina’s soft curves clearly showed through her black dress.
Rather than thinking it’s indecent, it sparked an admiration for how beautiful she looked.
Unless the real Pina has gone dark to suffocate me, this is a mere illusion.
[So the coming-of-age ceremony of the old Inrang Tribe was like this… perhaps it might have been too easy for you.]
[Well, congratulations. You passed this test! But we’ll be watching if Pina can do the same.]
[You need the will to escape this happy situation!]
Ending that sentence, I noticed a white door creaking open.
*
Pina Grancia snapped out of her daze upon hearing the chirping of the birds.
“…Where is this?”
As she rose her sluggish body and glanced around, the strange scenery came into view.
A place with many giant white structures. The black floor looked like a stone path, but it was rough.
“How’d it go today on the midterms?”
“Don’t even ask. It was a complete disaster.”
“Then, do you want to go to the PC bang or maybe karaoke?”
In stark contrast to the attire of Grand Hertz Academy, boys and girls dressed in black passed by. Pina recognized that group of students.
‘They look similar to the people I saw during Licht’s nightmare last time…’
Unlike Pina, who has wolf ears and a tail, there are humans with black hair, similar to Licht.
Fearing that she might seem odd, Pina pressed her hands against her wolf ears.
“Let’s grab some cup noodles over there.”
But caught in her own thoughts, she didn’t notice, instead wondering about the people passing by.
Watching some people eating something red in front of a shop made Pina feel a surge of fear.
“Licht..!! Where are you..!”
In this unfamiliar land where she knew nothing. At least last time, there had been a goal of needing to save Licht.
Used to being alone, Pina now felt uneasy without him. The growing worries in her heart gnawed at her.
“Licht..”
The princess of the Grancia Empire relied on Licht.
She thought they would once again challenge the dungeon together, as always in this shrine that tested their will.
For Pina, Licht always was that way. Like a Black Knight rushing in during times of danger, the unrivaled knight who knew no defeat.
But now, there was no heartbeat she usually felt. Perhaps due to her magic circuit being cut off, her now frosty heart felt cruelly cold.
“Where are you..?”
It hurt as though shards of glass were embedded in her heart. Her voice, once fading, turned into sobs. In time, Pina collapsed to the ground.
“….”
No one was looking for her. The situation was similar to when she cried alone locked in the imperial palace during her childhood, and she fell deeper into despair.
“Sister, why are you crying…? Are you lost..?”
How long had it been since Pina burst into tears? Suddenly, someone appeared before her. Lifting her head, the familiar face came into view.
“…Licht?”
“My name is Lee Soo-hyun!”
The boy with silky black hair and brown eyes, just like the night sky, emerged from the burning white building.
“Are you perhaps a foreigner, sister…? Your hair color is pretty!”
The child version of Licht brightly smiled and sat next to Pina.
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