*
5 kilometers away from Grand Hertz Academy.
In a clearing in the forest, chaos erupted.
“Your Majesty, please hold still!”
“O mighty wolf king of the empire, your dignity!”
The knights, each donned in different colored armors, and the emperor, fully prepared for battle, kept a wary eye on each other.
“Make way. Royal Guard.”
His gaze was as vacant as the sea beneath the cold ice.
His right hand, gripping a hand axe, was stronger than ever.
Veins bulged visibly in his wrist and temple.
“Is it really happening now?! My daughter… our Pina is already playing around with some outside man…!”
Losing his usual tone, Rock began to wail.
His daughter, whom he treasured like gold, was wearing something akin to an engagement ring, causing him great outrage.
The necklace worn by the Inrang tribe implies a submission to the opponent.
The shocking imagination struck his mind that she might have already fully surrendered her body and heart to Licht.
“…I will not allow it. No way, Gold.”
With the heart of a bleeding father, Rock was about to dash towards the academy to confront some man.
Praying he was mistaken, of course.
“That girl wouldn’t be dating yet. It must be a misunderstanding. Once, she ran to me saying, ‘You’re the coolest dad in the world!’”
Though a lot of time had passed, the memories felt fresh, like yesterday, deeply etched in his heart.
“That Licht fellow must be scheming! If not… why the collar?!”
Rock recalled memories from the time when Queen Bellin was still alive.
“Your Majesty… that was more than ten years ago.”
The high-ranking Royal Guard captain, an Inrang tribesman in golden armor, rebutted.
Gold knew how Pina Grancia acted when she was with Licht.
A smile he hadn’t seen before.
From the emptied, doll-like appearance, she was slowly regaining her former lively self.
“Now that Princess Grancia is an adult, I believe it’s time to let her go.”
Gold remarked, flexing his lips. He wasn’t daunted even by the ice-cold aura radiating from Rock.
So what if the princess wore a collar?
He determined that the current princess was safest by Licht’s side.
When they faced the Demon King at Tardun’s shrine, without him, they’d all be dead by now.
“Gold, what if that Licht guy started wearing a necklace too?”
Rock frowned. Grinding his teeth, a slow, heavy voice escaped him.
“Th-that would, essentially imply a marital bond, right?”
Clang! The vicious axe blade turned toward the Royal Guard. The shining steel aimed for their necks.
“Yeah, if our Pina lets go of her status as a princess, could she then wear a dog collar on the street without anyone touching her? What should I do?!”
It was possible. In the medieval era, common law marriages were prevalent.
Though it was socially acceptable due to the freer relationships compared to formal marriages.
“Later, that would be whispered among the nobles. It might be fine while I’m alive, but…”
However, like with Nex and Schartines, noble status is not guaranteed without formal permission.
And furthermore, any child born between them wouldn’t inherit the family name…
“…”
Rock sealed his lips. He seemed to have no intention of replying any longer.
He charged at the Imperial Royal Guards. The Emperor rushed forth intending to clear his path.
Boom—!! The earth-shattering sound of metal clanging filled the air.
The shockwave generated a fierce gust. Nearby trees made crunching sounds and began to splinter, creating a clear path toward the empire.
“…Your Majesty, no matter what, you cannot pass through here.”
He awkwardly came to a halt in between. The Guard members flung from the wind stood up and looked around.
When the rising dust settled, an elderly gentleman appeared.
“If you don’t want to be hated by Lady Pina later, you should stop here.”
Dijur, the butler serving Pina Grancia and top of the Imperial Royal Guard.
Now retired due to old age, he stood to support the bond between Pina and Licht.
“…Dijur? You came all the way here, what brought you?”
He barely blocked Rock’s hand axe with a rapier. The fierce gaze of a wolf bore into him.
“If you need a punching bag, I’ll gladly oblige, Your Majesty.”
Swoosh—! With a gentle flow of power, Dijur immediately targeted Rock’s right arm. A swift movement.
“No matter how much you’re Drake’s friend, you can’t stop me.”
But even that move was anticipated. Golden eyes glinted as they pierced through him.
With a single swing of his axe, Rock knocked the rapier away.
“There are times you must fight even knowing you’ll lose. Just like with Licht.”
Weaponless, Dijur smiled in resignation. He had come, expecting to lose from the start.
What he could do was to buy as much time as possible.
“What did you just say? Dijur.”
Mentioning the name of the Black Knight in the helm was all he could do to rattle the Emperor.
In that moment of distraction…
“…Now! Royal Guard!”
Dijur seized the opportunity, commanding the surrounding Royal Guard members.
“Captain Gold. I will obey.”
“The Silver Wolf, may it be honored in the love for the wolves.”
A colorful pack of wolves sprinted to tackle the Black Wolf, attacking with biting strikes from all sides.
“The Copper Wolf shall protect the two of the empire.”
Their designation for Licht and Pina had already changed.
It was the least respect shown for the Black Knight, who would protect the princess’s life from Magic Hat and the Head and restore her past bright demeanor.
Among them, the knight donned in steel armor stood with a serious gaze to block Emperor Rock.
“Steel Wolf, Iron… I will make up for my past mistakes.”
The Inrang tribesman who had pointed his sword at Licht since their first meeting.
He now intended to atone for past misdeeds.
If the Emperor knew of this, he’d probably faint, but Licht had already passed Tardun’s test and was recognized as an honorary Inrang.
No matter how fickle human hearts may be, he thought, as long as he liked the princess he was meant to protect, he wouldn’t dislike Licht.
“….”
Countless collisions echoed. Swords pierced from here and there, yet Rock did not change his demeanor.
“I know you cannot harm me, yet you still flaunt your boldness.”
No, to be precise, the swords could not penetrate his body.
“I will personally suppress all of you and head to the academy.”
The wolf king made a grand gesture, then began to howl loudly to the sky.
*
Suddenly, the howl of a wolf echoed throughout the academy.
Not merely in the ears, but it shook his whole body.
It felt as if every nerve was on edge, stepping onto the precipice between life and death.
Having faced the specters when fighting enemies, he thought he wouldn’t be scared by such a thing.
Yet, during the preparation for the athletic meet, he felt his body freeze. The cold metal sensation pressing against his neck.
‘…Rock Grancia?’
Now he felt like he was lying on the guillotine, about to have his head chopped off. What had he done to deserve this?
The howl he’d heard in a previous game PV.
On some hill, that howl had been echoing with many Inrang tribesmen following him.
He was notorious among players, following it with dramatic scenes where he wiped out all demons.
He thought it was meant for communicating with the Inrang tribes around him.
“Hiyaaaaak!!”
But why was it affecting even the hero couple?
Ariel, trembling and shaking her legs, caught the strange glances from all around her.
“Ariel, don’t be scared. It’s probably just because of the preparations for the athletic meet.”
Now that they were dating, there was no hesitation; the blonde hero comforted his childhood friend who had burrowed into him.
“It’s… not just about preparing for the athletic meet…”
Pina softly murmured from the side. Unlike her usual chilly demeanor, she let out a long sigh.
“I feel like… I might hate my dad…”
Decked in glass armor, she bowed her head in frustration. Was she able to comprehend what her daughter-obsessed father was crying about?
Without needing to interpret, anyone would agree that it was crazy to put their hands on a daughter as sweet as Pina.
It felt a little unfair. They weren’t even officially dating, and there hadn’t been any romantic actions yet.
So far, all he had done was put a collar on her. Otherwise, he had been pushing her away.
“Mardol, don’t worry. Just wear this.”
He handed her the team uniform for the upcoming athletic meet.
Stealing runes from the opposing side was the game’s objective.
The heralding voice announcing the start of the ‘Solarulunavel Capture War’ echoed from everywhere.
If they couldn’t use the techniques corresponding to the symbols written on their respective runes, they couldn’t move them.
They said there were stones engraved with symbols representing magic, swordsmanship, spirit magic, and divine power hidden in each front.
But now, I probably couldn’t use spirit magic? Should I ask senior Nex for help if we run into each other?
“…It’s the Ceres team. The blue wolf.”
“Yeah, is the size right?”
Divided into blue and red teams like the blue team and red team. Pina, clad in a blue vest over her glass armor, stood beside me.
The team of the sun wolf, Helio, was red, whereas the team of the moon wolf, Ceres, was blue.
“I told you before, that’s rude. Licht.”
Though it looked comically snug, it was the only size available.
Besides, she couldn’t go around exposing that she was a princess. She was already quite the public figure.
The first-ever appearance of the empire’s top figure in years. It must be quite the enticing topic.
Pina was still just Pina. Did being a princess mean that much?
“Ariel, have you calmed down a bit?”
“Yeah.. Kai.. thank you..”
I could see Kayne and Ariel clad in a red wolf vest directly across from us.
“We have to win against Licht this time. We need to stay sharp.”
Like having a health potion and a moon potion separately, the hero couple and we were split into different teams.
“I’ll have to fight Kai and Ariel.”
Pina wore a sad look behind her glass helmet. Her heartbeat grew slower, yet it persisted.
“But we aren’t really going to fight, right?”
“Exactly. Oh, speaking of which… Licht.”
I grasped her hand, not letting go of that trivial part.
Then, unexpectedly, the anxiety seemed to fade as Pina giggled.
“…We’re wearing the same clothes right now.”
She spoke of the blue vests everyone was wearing like it was some special outfit.
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