*
After Drake’s class, Mardol ran off somewhere.
He had to go to a place, leaving behind the tired Kainel and his party from hiking.
─ Creeeak.
A dimly lit place that seemed deserted.
The cathedral located in a corner of Grand Hertz Academy.
As she opened the door and stepped inside, a pair of red eyes glinted in the darkness.
“Pina! You came!”
“Shahr, sister.”
“Oh dear! Why didn’t you come sooner?”
“Sorry.”
The vampire saintess tightly hugged Pina.
At that, the glass knight flinched in surprise. The wolf ears in the helmet twitched.
“Presence. No.”
“Why? It’s fine. There’s no one here but me!”
“One other, is present.”
Pointing with the finger, the knight seemed to be flustered, as if confused, indicating a shadowy corner.
“Got found out. Ah, I thought I could trick you~”
A tiny purple flame barely visible with eyes half-open.
It was Nex Aureus.
“Yo! Mard… no, your Highness. Long time no see!”
“Nex, big brother?”
“Yeah, it feels like just yesterday we saw each other as ten heroes, and now you’re enrolled in the academy.”
“You seem different.”
Seeing him raise his hand, Pina let out a sigh of relief. The purple-haired man just kept smiling,
“I have changed quite a bit. Right, Shahr? Ack! Don’t hit me again!”
“Nex, you scared Pina!”
“…True.”
He again provided Shartines with an opportunity to hit him. Seemingly having no intention of fighting back, he endured the divine power punch while trying to maintain his composure.
“Ugh, still stings. How on earth does a vampire use divine power?”
“Then why are you a phoenix and not a fox, Nex?”
“Probably because of my family. I really want to get away from this home.”
“How about living as a priest at our church?”
“…Should I?”
Nex, sporting a defeated smile, was looking at the second saintess, who was laughing at him.
“You’re cute.”
“Chirp!”
Watching the spirit perched on Shahr’s hand, Pina, wanting a closer look, took off her helmet.
“Oh, indeed, you are that princess I used to know.”
“Your hair has grown a lot, Pina.”
“Yep. Shahr, sister.”
Her long, pure white hair cascaded down.
Seeing the sparrow, her golden eyes widened slightly.
Though she had little change in expression, perhaps seeing familiar faces after a long time brought her some relief.
“…Long time no see.”
Pina’s face relaxed slightly.
“The princess is still troubled by those guys.”
“I’m honestly angry. They were the ones who messed up…”
“My fault.”
Sighing, the two looked at the glass knight’s armor.
‘How did our white wolf end up like this…’
At least as Shahr remembered, she was someone who loved cute things just like earlier and didn’t fit in heavy armor.
“You don’t need to say it twice… yes, daughter of Rock. How’s school these days?”
“I’m doing okay.”
“…”
The two shifted the topic. They noticed her white ears drooping.
They thought if her tail went down as well, she might really cry.
“…I lost, for the first time.”
Trying to smooth over the awkward atmosphere, an unexpected reply came.
“Pina? What did you just say?!”
“…I was surprised myself.”
“There’s someone strong.”
The previous Pina had vanished, and her ears and tail perked back up.
A sense of rivalry.
“Who is it? Your Highness. Anyhow, defeating Rock’s daughter is…”
“An unusual person.”
“Hmmm… I’m worried you might be making bad friends…”
“A soaked puppy.”
As the purple-haired man combined nonsensical phrases, he wracked his brain.
Minutes later, the conclusion arrived.
“…Could it be? That black knight?”
“Uh, uh? The boy in a helmet who looks like Pina?”
“You’re acquainted with Licht?”
As soon as her name was said, her wolf ears perked up.
Seeing the change in Pina,
‘Interesting. I didn’t think she’d react like this.’
The purple fox recalled this morning’s events as if she sensed something.
‘Considering the way he looked down on our chief, he did show some resolve.’
He probably didn’t approach Pina just by looking at the royal bloodline or power. That way he wouldn’t have spoken poorly of Asha Aureus.
‘And he didn’t tell us anything about Mardol either.’
No fool would mistake a heavily armored knight using a pseudonym for a noble. He looked very much like the son of a northern duke or a commander.
“…Your Highness, how do you know Licht?”
“Same class.”
“Is that all? Isn’t that a bit too simple, Pina?”
“Yep, and he’s strong.”
Fortunately, there was nothing concerning hanging over her head. She was already aware that the princess had an obsession with strength.
“I see. He didn’t seem like a bad guy.”
“Hmmm… but I’m a little worried. I wonder if he approached Pina with some intention in mind. The fact that he asked if I was a saintess…”
“Licht. He’s unusual.”
“Should I find out more? I could participate as a TA in the class.”
“How?”
Nex had a method that was relatively trustworthy. The magic he worked on alone to not be abandoned by his family.
“I’ll try asking the spirits.”
He grinned like a fox.
*
“Ugh.”
“What’s wrong, Licht?”
He was watching Kainel’s stance during their sword training. Mardol had run off somewhere after the class ended.
“I felt a threat to my chastity.”
“What nonsense…”
Why the sudden chill? Is it because they overlapped two routes? Nex Aureus only had love lines with women.
‘They will probably be keeping each other in check.’
According to my experience, the rival route and the crown prince route.
These two cannot coexist. Even if I were kidnapped by the royal family, wouldn’t Nex come to rescue me?
[Thanks as always, Elder Nex… he is the god of escaping harems!]
The influence was strong enough that consistent posts went up about it. In [Night Heart], getting help from him to stray easily.
“Try again. But this time a bit faster.”
“This way? It’s different from when hunting slimes.”
“Shine Strike only focuses on speed. That’s its strength.”
Whoosh!
The blade of light shot out, embedding itself in the wall.
Only by concentrating all my nerves could I keep up with that speed.
“Alright.”
“Hmmm… wasn’t the area supposed to be good? Since it’s light, right?”
“That’s more Ariel’s strength.”
“True.”
That’s how you’ll use your combination moves. Please hold back on the useless techniques.
I crossed my arms, tapping my fingers against my arms.
‘How ridiculous a skill that is.’
The monsters dragged in by the demon king? With just this, they’re all wiped out. It was so convenient in the game.
It was hard to master though.
“If the speed is high, even I would struggle to dodge with my technique.”
“Really? You’re serious? Licht!”
“I didn’t lie.”
In reality, there were more ways to break it, but just a little encouragement seemed to make him follow like a puppy.
‘This was so much easier back in the Kainel companion route.’
This is how a true hero should be. Nowadays, these so-called heroes all seem to have a case of human distrust.
“Wait, Licht. Isn’t that Mardol over there?”
At that moment, the golden-haired hero noticed something strange while swinging his sword and pointed with his finger in that direction.
“Uh? It is.”
Reflecting light, his full body armor sparkled.
He really has an obsession with true swordsmanship. When did he sneak up on me? It still seemed like he hadn’t conquered any flags. I approached the glass knight.
“…What are you doing?”
“Practicing swordsmanship with Kainel.”
“My turn, now.”
As soon as I got closer, he looked at my sword.
I didn’t want to teach him. I wondered how long I could keep evading it. Should I just run away abroad?
‘Especially this guy, I don’t feel any connection to.’
There are levels even among playboys. There are guys like Nex, who hit walls with women while being popular, and
there’s a multi-legged octopus like Rufus in front of me who plays with dozens of them.
“Exchange, promise.”
“I’m still undecided.”
“…You lied before, didn’t you?”
“I apologize.”
The type I truly dislike.
Who comes to school wearing full plate armor?
I could at least insist it was fashion if they only wore helmets.
Suddenly, a curiosity struck me. Why was he so obsessed with strength? It’s always good to know information that isn’t known beforehand.
“I’d like to ask one question.”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“Why are you trying to get stronger?”
I barely squeezed out the words facing the deeply bowed Mardol. The connection part of his helmet clinked.
“…”
How long had it been, before he started to speak.
“…I can’t protect them, if I’m weak.”
“What does that mean?”
“Weak people can do nothing. Licht.”
“Hah.”
Immediately after hearing those words, a sigh escaped me.
My expression distorted. Is this negative thinking really coming from the protagonist in Part 3?
Why wouldn’t it get exposed now that I’m writing this? Even as the crown prince, that statement made my eyes roll.
At least Kainel had the goal of protecting Ariel.
Rufus in [Black Heart] had a more promising outlook. A prequel is bound to be a doomed game now.
“…Who said that?”
“Uh, Licht?”
“What kind of reasoning makes someone who seems to have lived their life say ‘if you’re weak, you can’t protect’?”
He sounded just like Kainel. The mindset was wrong. Why is this guy’s self-esteem so low?
“You. Your tone.”
“There’s someone here who can’t use magic, where mana is low and circuits are tangled.”
“That’s true.”
“But am I strong now? By ordinary standards, I’m probably weak, right?”
It felt stifling. Suddenly, his golden eyes shrank as they surveyed my casual tone.
“No. You’re strong, Licht.”
“Then at least do your best and regret it. Don’t think that way.”
“…I’m not sure.”
Has he seen my swordsmanship during today’s practice? His assessment had gone up. That might be why I was pursued.
While he was meant to break the flags, my true feelings surged unexpectedly.
Everyone worked hard and suffered for the happiness of the Nameless Saintess.
If you’re weak, you can’t protect?
That was nonsense. It’s definitely not because I was disturbed by what I heard from the saintess this morning.
[No matter how weak I may become, I will always be by your side, Knight.]
“…”
“What on earth happened? At least talk about it.”
As the beloved voice surfaced, I placed a hand against the forehead part of my helmet. My memory worked excessively well at times like this.
“Back then, I couldn’t protect.”
“Now is it impossible?”
“Maybe.”
The voice of the glass knight came out heavy. Why were there so many unknowns? Something felt off.
‘At least in [Black Heart], it wasn’t like this.’
Now that I thought about it, these guys are still first-year students. Let’s calm down a bit.
Isn’t this embarrassing behavior caused by a girl I like? Taking a deep breath, I continued speaking.
“Mardol.”
“…Huh?”
“You really can’t do anything?”
“Is that really true?”
When I was first sucked into the game, I was utterly weak. I couldn’t even do a single push-up and fell quite a few times.
“Even if I’m weak, I can protect.”
“That doesn’t seem likely.”
“Can I show you proof?”
Pulling my sleeve back, the long scar appeared. A wound resembling that of a beast bite.
“I’ve been weak to the point of being bait before. But I protected someone.”
“Why, Licht…?”
This was quite a long time ago.
The glass knight, who seemed not to understand, asked me. Rufus probably only saw my strong side. That’s natural.
If the impact was significant, his eyes were shaking.
“There’s always a time for weakness, Mardol.”
In fact, five years ago, I almost died when surrounded by a wolf pack.
But I managed to save a man and his son by escaping.
I intentionally provoked them, risking it all. Did some courage bloom inside me back then?
Though I was a bit hazy since I bled too much.
“It’s not a lie, is it? Just look at my hand.”
“…It really is.”
“From the start, if you think negatively, you’ll only hurt yourself.”
Rolling my sleeve back down, I revealed my rugged hands, calloused at every joint. The rough marks of practice.
If I had magic, I would have had some protection. But honestly, it didn’t matter to me.
“What do you think? Can you understand a bit better now?”
The day after swinging my sword, I had some rough aches from exhaustion.
‘If I had thought I was weak and given up back then, I wouldn’t have what I’ve achieved now.’
There were many moments I wished to give up.
But every time I thought of that, the suffering of her in the sequels flashed in my mind, reminding me to push through, and I grew stronger.
This time, I wanted to make her happy. A common reason.
“You’ve tried hard.”
The glass knight’s gauntlet covered my hand. It felt smooth without any warmth.
Oh, his hands are smaller than I expected?
The cold and alien sensation brought me back to senses. It was too late to take it back.
What nonsense did I say in front of the only prince of the empire?
‘My original habit popped out again. Damn.’
No matter how much I thought about it, the saintess’ tone didn’t quite seem to fit me.
When I was related to her, I seemed to loosen. I’m sure I’m doing well though.
It would be better than speaking casually. Many feared me in reality after all.
I lowered my head.
“Ah… I’m sorry. I got a bit emotional. I’ve been weak since childhood… so that’s why.”
“…My mistake.”
Don’t be so gloomy. If the imperial guard hears me, I’d likely lose my head. Save me.
An image of four colorful characters appearing like ninjas and eliminating the player flashed through my mind at the game event.
“Licht, you’re unusual.”
Amid the confusion, our fingers touched. Sweat began to bead on my palm.
Wait, what’s happening? Is there such a significant change in my mood?
A knight gripped me firmly.
“You don’t have to keep watching.”
From inside the glass helmet, golden eyes sparkled. The closer look made her quite pretty.
It felt as if sheer beauty radiated from her gaze alone.
“I still don’t get it well.”
“Is that so…”
Time to think would likely be needed. He lifted his chin, gazing at me once more.
Flag breaking success? Unexpectedly, it seems I did succeed. Yet I felt like I touched a tender spot.
“Hey… what are you two doing holding hands?”
Before Kainel’s statement burst forth, I thought that was just the way it was.
Perhaps the number of times I had left for the Nameless Saintess has been exhausted.
Hey, give me my first handhold back.
