*
The valley shimmered softly under the moonlight, draped in a golden hue.
The sounds of insects buzzing and the rustling trees filled the air around us.
“Licht… aren’t you tired? I can go alone if you want…”
“This much is fine.”
I sliced through the waterfall with mind swords, reshaping the terrain to create structures as I ascended.
Pina Grancia was utterly exhausted right now and couldn’t muster her strength.
She clung to me like an octopus stuck to a rock.
Pina wrapped her arms around my neck like hooks, pressing tightly.
Maybe she just wanted to support me, but she would occasionally tease me by rubbing her face against mine.
Is it comfortable for her?
Seeing her like this makes me forget she’s the fearsome daughter of the Wolf King.
There were clues, but they weren’t enough.
“Licht… why are you so nice to me…?”
Pina said in a whisper, her tone slightly rising as if it were incomprehensible.
I guess that’s how she feels. No matter how much I saved her life, this level of kindness was excessive.
“Is there a need for a reason to save someone? Pina.”
Inside the glass armor that seemed unbreakable was a girl more tender than anyone.
“Is it because I’m a princess… that you’re being so nice?”
She was someone in a position that others couldn’t easily imagine.
Pina might be a far lonelier wolf than I understood.
“Do you really think so? Then why are you being nice to me?”
She flipped the question back at me.
If that’s the case, why was Pina being nice to me?
“I’m just a guy wearing an ill-fitting helmet; I’m no knight.”
On the day of the first rain, I couldn’t help but share my umbrella.
Even after the swordsmanship exchange, there was no reason for her to approach me with goodwill.
…When I got shot by the Head’s gun, there was no need for her to risk her life to save me.
She’s the only princess in the empire, and a legitimate heir to the throne.
Someone like me — a commoner — should normally consider myself less than a pebble in the street.
“I’m just… Licht is… kind.”
She finally spoke. What came out, after much deliberation, were simple words.
Kindness.
I was momentarily frozen in shock; I felt as if I had been struck hard on the back of my head.
“…That’s the same reason for me, Princess Pina Grancia.”
You were the only person who was kind to me after everything had burned away in the fire.
If it weren’t for Pina, my life might have fallen into the abyss of hell.
“Few people don’t see a scarred person as ugly, you know.”
They’re either scared, frowning, or looking at you with pity.
People who only care about the outward appearance and not the ‘me’ inside that shell. I’ve always despised such hypocrisy.
“Licht is okay even with scars.”
“Thank you, even if it’s just words.”
Now, I’ve become that kind of person. A wolf stacking lies to hide the truth.
“…I mean it.”
Transforming into a villain straight out of a fairy tale, I even wondered if the name Black Knight suited me now.
I shouldn’t have used the nickname change voucher. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have felt this embarrassed.
I inhaled the cold night air and kept running.
“To be honest, I think it looks like a cool badge.”
“Then you don’t need to put on ointment anymore, right?”
When I saw her reaction, which seemed dissatisfied, she continued.
The more I ran, the faster my heart raced, and my arms and legs grew heavy.
“No, until you need me, I want to be there for you.”
Just the fact that Pina was on my back was already my strength.
What’s wrong with a church of heroes bullying someone so kind?
To keep the powerful emperor of the empire in check?
No, if that were the case, they would’ve made their move at the athletic meet.
The Magic Hat attack during the group project in the forest.
And seeing the Head break into the academy made me realize something.
‘…The predetermined future.’
It might be an outcome that doesn’t change.
As I encountered various events with Pina, their attacks were becoming more meticulously planned.
The Hero Church is always like this.
The moment people hold on to hope, they swiftly shatter it.
Becoming someone without memory, friends, or even a name.
No matter how much life is filled with unwanted things, there’s a limit to it.
I will never allow that.
At least while I have my eyes wide open, I have no intention of letting it happen.
Even if I ended up here because I fell for the Nameless Saintess.
“Pina, we’re almost there; could you put on the masterpiece again?”
My foot pressed firmly on the structure made of mind swords.
What motivated me right now was Pina, who donned the glass armor.
A small, delicate wolf, much purer than I thought.
And a person who extends a hand to help others before anyone else.
“Why didn’t you say so sooner, you perverted pup…”
Pina tugged at my neck slightly, speaking in a teasing tone.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t think of it.”
Honestly, I was so moved that she woke up that I had no room to think about anything else.
I thought I had saved everyone. I didn’t think the most important person was missing.
“It’s okay, Licht. You don’t have to apologize.”
“…Huh?”
Pina spoke to me while putting on her glass armor and helmet again.
I felt the hard texture against my back. It was a bit disappointing, but her safety came first.
She was someone who didn’t want her status as a princess to affect her within the academy.
“It wasn’t on purpose, was it…? You knew all along.”
Pina’s voice changed to a low hum as she continued.
How does she know that? I felt a little jealous as if she had read my innermost thoughts.
Did I give it away with my foolish reaction? After all, I had rescued someone who was unconscious.
“I wanted to monopolize my swimsuit look… so lewd…”
Ugh, she completely misunderstood in the wrong direction.
“Stop it, Pina… it’s not like that.”
I hurriedly defended myself. If it got out that I tried to lay hands on a princess, let alone do something lewd, I’d be executed in the square when Emperor Rock found out.
“…That was a joke. Were you surprised?”
She chuckled mischievously, her hee hee laugh echoing in the air.
If she made two more jokes like that, my heart was about to drop.
But then I remembered she used to tease me like this when she was the Nameless Saintess. I’ve fallen for it again.
“I thought it was serious.”
“It wasn’t completely empty talk… was it, Licht?”
Pina was showing varying facets like painting over glass with different colors.
At first, she felt like a doll without emotions.
She seemed like someone who disliked forming connections with anyone but now…
“Thanks for saving me again today, knight.”
She was directly expressing her gratitude to me.
“….”
Feeling the nostalgic fragrance of that title, I couldn’t help but stare into the distance.
Finally, I could see the end of the waterfall. The campsite in Calisium Valley came into view.
*
The place where I had camped with Kainel and Ariel.
We arrived at the spot where the academy students had huddled together, but…
“What is this… a mess..? Licht?”
“I don’t know either.”
Tents lay torn and shattered like paper.
They looked like they had been messed around by a child.
Only a quiet silence welcomed us.
“Licht, while you were coming to save me, something must have happened…?”
This couldn’t be happening.
Even if the valley water rose and damaged surrounding structures, everything seemed off.
Besides, apart from Pina and me, there was no one else here.
Neither Dennis, Drake, nor even Kainel or Ariel.
It felt as if only the two of us were left in the world.
A chill crept over me, and every nerve in my body stood on end.
The likelihood of the Demon King attacking was extremely high. This wasn’t just a simple prank from a disciple.
The ‘concept’ that blankets the world is strong enough to turn everything upside down.
“…Pina, get ready to fight.”
I immediately drew my sword, scanning the surroundings.
In the stillness of the dawn when that not even a breeze stirred.
Rather, that calmness felt disturbingly unsettling to me.
What should be there wasn’t. The buzzing of insects I had just heard was now gone.
“Are you Licht? It was a real nightmare just to see your face.”
Crunch, the sound of grass crunching echoed as I sensed a presence.
A red-haired man stepped forward.
He wore black sunglasses on his head, and there seemed to be knuckles on his fists.
What kind of style is that? Sunglasses in the middle of the night, really?
“The Demon King of Might…? How did you end up here…?”
It was Pina, not me, who recognized the identity of the man first.
So, the Demon King of Might. If so, that guy must be Finn, the brother of Intinium.
“You know me! I did well to turn the tide during the war after all.”
Finn cracked his knuckles. The Demon King grinned, showing his teeth.
Seeing that, Pina drew her sword and prepared to bring out the Glass Knight to fight but…
“Ah, but you should back off. I want to take out the heroes all at once!”
Finn stretched out his hand into the air as if grabbing something.
“Light Hero and Hero of Conviction! I was curious about who would win if I fought with these two!”
In that moment, a white wall appeared behind the Demon King.
“…I need to thoroughly torment the despicable bastards who touched my little sister.”
No, looking closely, that’s a torso.
It was the upper body of a Cyclops I had not seen while fighting Intinium.
Its arm and massive hand reached toward us, and I pushed her away from it.
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