The Ideology Helmet signifies a different thought, not the ideology (理念).
I started to understand why the helmet I had been wearing was removed.
Just like when I looked into the mirror and felt I wasn’t the reincarnator.
‘…It interfered with my thoughts.’
The helmet that made me think I was reincarnated into the game.
Perhaps it was a plan to allow me to escape the powers of the Demon Kings.
Based on what the Demon King of All Knowledge said,
Could it be that I was chosen as a hero long before entering this game?
If not, when did this world become reality?
“…..”
After removing the helmet and looking around, I felt a vivid sense of reality.
It seems it was a gift from the Nameless Saintess Pina Grancia to me from the start.
No matter how much I think about the phrase engraved inside, that’s all I can come up with.
The fresh air I was feeling after a long time was cool and cold. My hair had grown long enough to poke my eyes.
“Licht.. It really looks better without the helmet.”
Pina stared at my face, drawing a soft line on her lips.
The reflection in the mirror behind her was no longer that of a saintess, but that of a princess clad in glass armor.
I could say the unfortunate future had disappeared.
“…Thank you for the compliment, Pina.”
“But I don’t like you getting other girls’ attention. Can’t you wear it again?”
She pressed her lips against my face once more.
From a relationship built on lies, we now expressed our hearts without hiding anything.
Instead of her usual stiff expression and tone, her face was completely relaxed.
When she wagged her tail vigorously or laid her ears back while looking at me, her affection was practically dripping.
“Still, it’s been five years since I took off the helmet. Please bear with me a bit, Pina.”
“You’ve known the Saintess for 15 years or so…”
“…I’m sorry. I’ll wear it again.”
It seems there are still many problems to solve.
It’s a punishment for not recognizing her sooner.
“..Hehe, I’m just kidding.”
Pina Grancia giggled, covering her mouth while glancing at her wrist.
It seems she has indeed awakened as the beloved warrior.
[Lee Soo-hyun♡Pina Grancia 50% ‘NEW!!’]
It’s a progress that’s like a certificate of love. And accompanying it is the message.
[Pina Grancia has awakened as the beloved warrior!]
Unlike Kainel, who didn’t congratulate me, it looks like Pina is indeed the warrior from the prophecy.
The status window had shown me a strange reaction since I entered this shrine.
It doesn’t check if I’m on the Saintess route or warn me when I’m about to drink the potion of forgetfulness.
The fluctuation in affection levels jumping from 0% to 50% proves it seems I can’t just raise it arbitrarily.
It’s a measure that shows the relationship between people.
Nothing more and nothing less.
What meaning does a number-only love hold?
‘…Is the creator of [Black Heart] really the one?’
Hearing about the mirror maze from Pina felt bizarre.
She mentioned how she watched me play [Night Heart] during my school days, yet she said that she confronted herself, the saintess, in the library.
Could what can reproduce my past and even touch my memories really be called a game?
In reality, it’s possible that this is the reality, and the world I knew was the lie…
“So, I pretty much know most things related to Soo-hyun now.”
No way. Even if that were the case, that pure smile couldn’t be fake.
Perhaps she was trying to test if I could still love her even if I mistook it for being reincarnated in a game?
Both the world I knew and the game world were probably real.
The saintess in the mirror knew my name. That’s the only possibility.
With a guy like Kainel, who likes the Northern Grand Duchess getting reincarnated,
It would have been unnecessary to put a helmet on me and raise the affection level on the status window.
‘What a troublesome princess….’
Pina leaned her face against my chest until I pet her head.
“When we’re alone, it’s okay to call me Soo-hyun..? Sir?”
“…You’re asking me to use formal speech on purpose, right?”
“Hehe, you caught me.”
She seems more like a sly cat than a wolf now.
A beast that toys with emotions while knowing them. Playing with a ball of fur.
Determined not to let my heart go, holding it tight.
“Still.. you like me too, right?”
“….”
As she tried to kiss me, I bent down to meet her gaze.
Was she asking me to show my affection that I didn’t express before? She was coming at me openly.
“…Ahem. Young people. The exam is over.”
Her hands untying my tie and buttons ended with the manager’s hint.
And we stepped outside the shrine, our faces ablaze.
*
“Beautiful..”
The salt desert had changed, looking like glass after a rain.
A contrast to how it was when I first arrived. So, this is why the Uyuni Salt Flat is famous.
“…I guess it rained.”
“Yeah, maybe it reacted to your feelings?”
The scenery that reflected the sky like a mirror was beautiful.
Could it really be my feelings affecting this desert as she said?
“Surely not.”
“No. Love is the strongest thing in this world.”
Pina held my helmet lovingly while walking.
She said she’d keep it in her room or something. Looking back, I was loved more than I ever deserved.
‘Pina’s room isn’t decorated like mine, right?’
When I suddenly looked at Pina’s face, she seemed to have some guilty conscience as she hiccuped softly.
No way. When I visited her room, I saw nothing related to me.
A princess would never do such a thing. Could she have?
The name Grancia has its reputation to uphold.
“I can now complete the Licht collection.”
“Uh.. Pina? Isn’t the weight of love a bit too much?”
The startled wolf eyes sparkled, and she wrapped her tail around my leg to keep me from stepping away.
Pina Grancia, who had resumed the actions she had stopped in the North.
“But love isn’t something to be ashamed of. Right, Sir?”
Leaning her head on my shoulder, she repeated the same phrase she had told me before.
A sweet rose scent spread from her white hair, paralyzing my reason.
No wonder she seems to switch between the innocent Nameless Saintess and the Princess.
‘The basics of攻略 are memorizing the patterns….’
I’ve been completely seen through. They said people resemble those they love.
Pina now shows off a cheeky side thanks to my influence.
Beneath her innocent face, pretending to know nothing, there was a hidden heart wanting to mesmerize me.
Just before her soft wolf tail slithered up to my thighs, making me uncomfortable.
“Pina! You’re back!”
“Licht. I was worried..!”
The hero couple rushed over to us, asking without hesitation.
Pina must have told them I had lost my memory while inside the shrine.
“Did your memory come back? We hadn’t heard from you since then.”
“…Ah. It took a little longer than expected.”
Before I could say anything, Pina stammered.
She wouldn’t be able to tell them we got lost in kissing and couldn’t contact them.
“So, what are you and Pina doing now? Why are you wrapping a tail around her leg?”
That moment, the sharp-eyed Ariel immediately noticed the shift in our relationship.
Covering her mouth in shock, the mage gasped.
“That’s something the Inrang Tribe does to their spouses…. You two, don’t tell me..?”
The Inrang Tribe had something like that? I had never heard of it.
Since Pina became the Nameless Saintess, she had been like a blank slate. I had overlooked this part.
Which means, from the time we traveled to the North…
‘…She liked me.’
Seeing Pina’s face turn red, she turned away, trying to hide her embarrassment from me.
When did she start liking me?
Looking back at that kiss she gave hoping to regain my memories, that feeling seems anything but light.
She had even gotten teary-eyed when I saw her after drinking the potion.
How much trouble must she have gone through to cry?
We’ve only just met again; isn’t it a shame to separate now?
“….Licht. You two aren’t dating, are you?”
“Uh, it just happened. Starting today is Day 1.”
I answered the blonde hero’s question right away.
Adding the words I had long wanted to say startled Kainel.
“…What? No, hold on.. You two look close, but she’s a princess?”
“I’ll catch all the Demon Kings and get ahead.”
I’ve received permission for marriage from Emperor Rock.
If that guy who became a pillar married the Grand Duchess, it might somehow be possible, right?
“Then… wouldn’t your father oppose it?”
“I’ve already gotten the go-ahead. Pina.”
Despite the title of a hero that weighed heavily on me, for her, I could bear this much burden.
“….Really?”
With her hands cupped around her mouth as if in disbelief.
The helmet fell, making a sound as it hit the ground.
“Licht. But you did talk about your first love well, right?”
Ugh, Kainel. Don’t bring that up when the mood is so good.
The hero asked if I had well talked about the Nameless Saintess while grinning.
Is he getting revenge for something from the carriage?
“It’s fine. The size of my heart is bigger than that person.”
Suddenly, Pina pulled my arm towards her, showcasing her soft royal aura.
I can’t imagine there being anyone bigger than her.
“…..”
Ariel’s gaze turned sharp, looking at me as if she were staring at a pervert.
Would they believe I didn’t fall for Pina’s looks?
Just as I was at a loss for how to explain,
“Your Highness!!”
“Ahhhh—!!”
We heard a familiar cry behind us, and two fur balls of different colors came rushing over.
Kkamang and Hayan. Where on earth did they come from? Nex didn’t use Spirit Perception Magic.
‘..Being honest with emotions is incredibly hard.’
There was a saying that spirits appear once you’re honest with your feelings.
Since Pina and I confessed our emotions to each other in Pantos Shrine,
“Hehe, Kkamang, did you miss your sister..?”
The spirits may have come out.
Pina was playing around while hugging the black Pomeranian.
“Hack, hack.”
Like a true master, Kkamang kept licking Pina’s face.
Pina reciprocated by petting its fur wildly.
“Meow…”
“Yes, you were also Pina’s spirit….”
Hayan approached me and rolled over, revealing its belly. Spirits represent human emotions.
From the start, they probably liked me.
There were so many signals I could’ve picked up on earlier.
The intuition I inherited from my father is just cruel.
While I was petting Hayan’s belly, I was shot a sharp glance from Pina.
[Plints♡Sophia: -50%]
A strange status window appeared before me. Not a plus, but a minus.
“..Pina, have you received any messages from Grand Duchess Sophia?”
Something was seriously getting tangled up.
