After getting off the train, the place I arrived at was a quiet and spacious valley.
The clear and transparent stream, shimmering in emerald tones, revealed the bottom so clearly.
With small trees and boulders densely packed together, it looked like a hidden gem created by the forest.
Whoosh—
Every step I took stirred up white foam, chilling my feet in the valley.
“Welcome to Calisium Valley, everyone!”
Leading the way, Dennis and the professors of the Academy gathered to guide the students.
“You can play over there in the adjacent valley, but don’t wander too far, it could be dangerous.”
Now that the Demon King’s threat was gone, it seemed they could leave the Academy for a while.
“Hahaha!! Everybody, grab a tent!! We’re staying the night, so be careful of bugs!!”
Drake looked cheerful as he handed out tents to the others.
Wasn’t he secretly suggesting that this would be a good training spot?
“You can get cooking utensils from me. Everyone..!”
Professor Maria appeared with a wooden ladle and a metal pot, whose origins were unknown.
Probably something she scavenged from nature due to her dryad heritage.
“We will have a campfire in the evening, so don’t go to bed too early, little lambs.”
Beatrice smiled without her eyes joining in, that smile was a bit terrifying.
People shouldn’t be judged solely by their looks, after all. She was the professor who evacuated students during the Hero Church’s attack.
Oh, by the way, I can’t see Blanc.
Where did she go? After all, she had a knife drawn against the Princess of the Grancia Empire.
Could she really join the valley trip directly sent by the Emperor? If Locke found out, he would probably have her head.
It was understandable if she suddenly disappeared.
I personally dislike it a lot.
“Hehe, Kai! Catch!”
Soon, the students split into various groups to play.
The Academy’s students scattered throughout the long valley, splashing around in the water.
“Eek, Ariel! It’s cold, stop it!”
Despite being early autumn, I could see a couple of heroes in swimsuits.
“Hurry up and join us! Helm! Mardol!”
This valley, the homeland of dwarves, radiated warm heat, probably a side effect of being located in the Land of Fire long ago.
“Mardol, are you sure you don’t want to come play?”
I spoke to the glass knight, who was just dipping his feet in the stream while sitting on the gravel.
“…Yeah, I’m okay.”
Pina looked downcast as she buried her face, watching Kainel and Ariel from a distance with sad eyes.
I was guarding her on the side, as I had to prepare dinner soon.
‘..Some things never change.’
This was the same in the game ten years ago. In the original [Night Heart], Pina also couldn’t join the fun.
Was she set up not to be able to swim? I remembered she was the only one separate while other NPCs were splashing around.
What kind of luck was that? A saintess who couldn’t cook or use her divine power well.
If that character appeared nowadays, they’d probably catch a lot of flak.
“Well, I guess I should take care of her.”
It wouldn’t hurt if just one thing changed.
I tossed aside the layered outer robe of the Academy and rolled up my pant legs.
“Li, Licht?!”
After all, it wasn’t deep enough for a person to drown. And this wasn’t the original story anyway, so I wouldn’t need a life jacket.
Ten years before [Night Heart], in the world before Pina became the Nameless Saintess.
“You’re light.”
I lifted Pina into a princess carry. To a passerby, it might look like two grown men were acting silly.
“I’m not heavy! How many times do I have to say it—”
Now, I didn’t care about others’ gazes.
Splash! I plunged Pina into the stream. A huge splash erupted, sending ripples around us,
“Mardol. Isn’t it refreshing?”
I smiled at the glass knight, who was now dripping wet.
“You… really…”
Splash! Pina retaliated with a splash. That hand movement was filled with emotion, whirling up water with the force of her strength.
“Mardol. Stop, I’m sorry!”
“Hehe, so now you realize you did something wrong?”
My face felt a bit stung. Truly, like father, like daughter.
It reminded me of the terrifying woodsman I saw during the sports festival. Can’t she be a bit gentler?
Cold water dripped around us, laughter mingling as we playedfully splashed each other.
“Hey! Mardol, why haven’t you jumped in yet~!”
At some point, a blonde hero joined in with a large splash next to me.
“Hey, let’s attack Licht together!”
Kainel and Ariel also approached, joining us for fun.
“Why am I the only…! Hahaha! Mardol, take off your armor!”
“No way, you pervy mutt..”
Now Pina was also joining in without holding back, playing around with everyone.
Yeah, this is how it should be.
[Huh? Why did you come all the way to the valley and aren’t playing in the water?]
[Well, I’m not good at swimming…]
My wet shirt clung to me, growing heavier.
[If you and the knights enjoy themselves enough for my share, that’s enough for me.]
That’s silly. If you came to the valley, you should play.
[Even just dipping my feet in the stream can give me a good time.]
The Nameless Saintess wasn’t happy. No matter how much I told myself it was okay, it still felt wrong.
“It’s cold, ahh…”
The future can be changed, after all. Seeing Pina play like this brought back memories.
It would have been nice if she could just take off her armor and join in the fun. For now, she was still holding to her masterpiece title in the Academy.
“…Mardol? Why are you suddenly like that?”
She paused, suddenly stopping her splashing. She awkwardly covered her face.
“Li, Licht… your clothes….”
What’s wrong with my clothes? What could have happened? They shouldn’t be torn.
Gold eyes peeked through her fingers. Though the front of the helmet was obstructing it, something seemed off.
At that moment, murmurs erupted around us.
“Hey, hey… look over there…!”
A group pointed towards me, covering their mouths.
What’s going on? What in the world is happening?
*
Like the water’s edge, everyone’s eyes were moist. Around Licht, a mix of admiration and desire clung to the air.
Now, Licht had openly walked around the Academy.
In a way, it could be seen as a fantasy that only girls could possess.
“Hey, hey… look over there!”
From afar, a girl poked her elbow into her friend’s side, resembling a woodpecker.
“Ah, why! That hurts…!”
For a moment, the scream stopped. The elegantly dressed student was focusing silently on one man, as if forgetting the pain.
Gulp. As Licht waved his arms, the girls’ eyes followed, and their throats swallowed hard.
“His name was Licht, right…? I think?”
“Oh my, that’s right…”
More people gathered, the balance of male and female shattered. While it was inevitable for efforts to yield attention,
Pina wasn’t pleased with the clingy gazes from the ladies.
Right now, she felt uncomfortable. The last time at the hot springs, when she saw him naked to the north.
‘..It wasn’t like this before. I was okay with it.’
The scene in front of her was more than enough to warm up Pina’s cheeks.
Why was this happening? Her flushed cheeks and widening eyes were almost pitiable.
Didn’t she see something even more amazing before?
The lightly clinging white shirt was soaked, sticking tightly.
The muscles developed from swinging a sword were evident in his arms.
“Mardol, what’s going on?”
With abs carved like chocolate and broad shoulders contrasting that innocent expression— she was angry.
She’d rather he hadn’t said that.
It was way too stimulating. No matter how hard she tried to focus on Licht’s face, her gaze was drawn downward.
“See, you got weird looking at the helmet guy!”
As she stared blankly at Pina, the red-haired mage regarded her strangely.
Ariel showed no reaction at all. Was she not swayed by temptation, even after seeing that body?
If this kept up, the Grand Hertz Academy would descend into chaos.
“Licht, what have you done?”
“Nothing..?”
Pina’s wolf ears perked up at the sight of the man wearing the Black Knight helmet.
High-pitched whispers started to grate on her nerves.
The evaluation that changed after defeating the Demon King of All Knowledge. Because Licht revealed his face during the sports event,
His story spread like wildfire throughout the Academy.
I was the one to recognize him first.
While I felt proud of his effort gaining acknowledgement, there was a stifling sensation coursing through me… something was displeasing.
“Mardol..? Why did you suddenly… create a magic circle?”
Pina immediately fired her magic at Licht. A sparkling glass magic circle emerged from her outstretched palm.
Splash!
In a moment, a massive splash erupted, and Licht’s figure vanished.
Quick sand. The earth element magic struck, trapping Licht in a pit like an antlion.
Bloop. As air bubbles surfaced, he found himself with just his head sticking out of the valley’s bottom.
“Sorry!!”
Eventually, Pina realized what she’d done and screamed in shock.
It was a spur-of-the-moment mistake, a desire she never wanted to show anyone.
And Pina’s embarrassment created a disaster.
