*
The Demon King’s power isn’t perfect.
Even if the Nameless Saintess can use Divine Power or the Demon King of All Knowledge invades the Academy, the Heroes can still resist.
No matter how capable the power that silences speech, there were always loopholes.
So, Giseok left clues for his friend through chess.
A clue that the game company that created the [Night Heart Trilogy] was actually the Gods.
“…Looks like they caught on to us.”
Lee Soo-hyun struggled to protect Pina Grancia.
While Giseok racked his brain to understand what kind of world this was.
“I’m fortunate to have such a friend… But if it wasn’t a stalemate…”
Two different players.
One became stronger, albeit weak, to protect their loved one.
The other sought to understand the true nature of this world to keep their loved one safe.
Although they were so different, their destinations ultimately converged.
The fact that this world wasn’t a game but reality.
“Demon God. Can we stop it this time?”
By the time Lee Soo-hyun realized the truth of the world.
From outside, four pairs of eyes watching him cast different evaluations.
One God sighed at seeing the penalties of a completed Status Window.
Another God smiled intriguingly while observing him.
“I believe it’s quite possible!”
The separation of space.
Like a smaller cube inside a bigger one, the Gods observing Lee Soo-hyun added their comments.
“No hasty conclusions, Pantoze.”
“Seeing Akasha say that is unexpected. Does it imply there’s potential?”
They existed in a place like scattered stars of the Milky Way.
Gods in peculiar forms, akin to the chess pieces he had just played with.
“…No. The Grand Route is absolutely insane.”
Among them, Akasha, the owner of the Library of Truth, sighed.
The man wearing glasses had legs like an octopus.
“With even a small twist, everything could be turned upside down.”
Flipping through pages, marking something with a pen, Akasha.
The paper was filled with flags that could have existed in the past.
“However, Akasha. It’s common for people to risk their lives for the lofty goal of saving the world…”
Hearing that, a gray wolf chuckled and responded.
He looked like a sculpture made of steel—Tardun.
“Sacrificing oneself for a loved one is rare.”
“I think so too, Tardun.”
He prepared the Sun Potion and Moon Potion for Lee Soo-hyun and Pina.
As a God of the Inrang tribe, Tardun could know firsthand what their love was like through trials.
A place to show ‘the happiness the opponent desires’ and break their will.
In Akasha’s case, he couldn’t trust without using a librarian to approach.
“Pantoze. No matter what, the emoticons were over the top.”
“…I thought this would keep us from being suspicious!”
Among the surrounding Gods, one wrote messages to send through the Status Window.
Pantoze quickly wrote words in the sand.
[Plints♡Sophia:-50%]
With the sound of sand falling, the numbers changed.
As the God of Emotions, she couldn’t hide her gloomy mood and added more emoticons.
“Is this all we can do again…?”
The woman in a black veil narrowed her eyes at Lee Soo-hyun.
A God with dragon horns cast worried glances at Pantoze.
“Jisheer. From the beginning, what we did was merely grant their wishes.”
Pantoze spoke, lowering her eyes towards Jisheer.
As lower Gods, all they could do was watch.
“Surely the God of Light and the God of Darkness must have some thoughts on this.”
Flipping the hourglass nearby, she let out a long sigh.
The sand falling from top to bottom. Could a person’s life flow in such a manner?
“……”
Perhaps impossible.
What makes it possible might be the human heart.
Wishes.
It seemed like a simple wish, yet it became complicated, entangled like a jumbled thread.
“…How did it come to this?”
Beliefs and affection.
It was a moment to ponder the difference between these two concepts.
*
Fantasia.
The game company that developed the [Night Heart Trilogy].
From the original [Night Heart] that I enjoyed during my school days, followed by the sequel [Black Heart].
The mastermind behind sending the beta tester mail for [Grand Hertz Academy].
“So the rumor of a trilogy was true.”
Feeling the embarrassment akin to being played, my hand naturally went to my face.
I knew the developers of the original and the sequel were different.
“Giseok, what on earth does this mean?”
You say it’s the Gods?
At least I recognized that this place was not a game but reality.
I thought modern people passed through here to make the game I enjoyed, but lurking behind it was something much greater.
I instinctively placed my hand on my chin.
The pieces on the chessboard surely represented the Four Gods of this place.
‘…Could it really be that the Gods are messing with us?’
This truly feels like being summoned as a Hero.
I was only thinking of changing fate for the Nameless Saintess.
Previously, it could have been the helm I was wearing or the memories imposed on me, but now…
‘I used to think I was reincarnated into a game.’
Seeing Giseok having directly become the character he played, it might not even be that.
Could it have been a large-scale simulation?
Wasn’t everything just electrical stimulation in the brain of the ordinary?
“If not…”
Maybe what I played in the game influenced this place.
While staring at the chessboard, which ended in a stalemate, various thoughts crossed my mind at once.
The Saintess I had seen in my dreams remembered me.
“…Creator. No, what should I call you now?”
A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.
What were the Gods of this world thinking when they created the original [Night Heart] and its sequel [Black Heart]?
The gap between the original and the sequel was significant.
The Status Window even used unpleasant emoticons while trying to acknowledge me.
Furthermore, if all the reasons for knowing my past were the Gods, that would make sense.
[On Failure: Demon Transformation]
The Status Window that doesn’t answer when I call.
Even now, the translucent window sending warnings was plastered with emoticons.
From the clues Giseok left, the most likely candidate to break the Demon King’s power is the Status Window.
The Hero’s ability to oppose the Demon King.
I thought it was a setting that the Gods bestowed upon humans.
‘…Then what will happen to me and Pina?’
If this world is not a game but real, it would apply equally.
There were too many contradictory situations.
Beliefs and affection.
Just what is “prophecy” that turned Pina into the Nameless Saintess?
[Plints♡Sophia:-50%]
Why do I see this kind of Status Window?
I grasped important information, but the Affection Level remains stagnant in the negatives.
‘Things don’t add up.’
It feels like solving a puzzle with a missing piece.
Parts I hadn’t considered important until now flicker through my mind.
The Heroes of this world possess a Holy Sword and abilities matching their names.
But why didn’t I have a Holy Sword, and why didn’t Pina know she had one since childhood?
It’s contradictory.
The sword I’m wielding is a fake produced from my training with the Celestial Demon.
‘Pina doesn’t even remember it.’
But the Heroes of the Hero Church called us Heroes.
We even succeeded in subjugating them, and borrowed Kainel’s Holy Sword for our adventure.
Is being a Hero determined by actions rather than qualifications?
“Pina, Lady Sophia. Could you come over here for a moment?”
I called out to her, observing me from a distance.
If Pina truly was the Hero foretold in the prophecy, she must possess abilities matching her name.
“Sure. Licht.”
“…Did you find a way?”
It would likely be the same logic for me, who didn’t fall to the Demon King’s power through Pina as well.
In retrospect, I had once repelled the Magic Hat’s influence too.
Beliefs.
The reason I could save her in the never-ending Monster Forest might be that.
Normally, I should have lost my way due to the Magic Hat’s powers.
“Ladies, may I ask you to listen to what I’m about to say?”
If so, what abilities does Pina Grancia, the Hero, possess?
Considering she was the Hero foretold in the prophecy, she’d be a significant threat to the Demon Kings.
“This friend was someone I was close to in the original world.”
If I hadn’t been there, Pina would have become the Nameless Saintess.
Gazing at her long white hair cascading down to her shoulders, I spoke slowly.
“Currently possessed by another being, but… she was originally just a person.”
“…I thought she looked familiar. Plints kept talking about you.”
Unless it was Sophia, I wondered if Pina would believe this sudden revelation.
There was no other way now.
“Yeah. So what can I do for you?”
Nodding vigorously, she replied.
I thought she’d give me a weird look for calling her a friend.
Pina clenched her fists with vitality, her eyes not cold as usual, but somewhat lively.
“Su-hyun is my partner. Your friend is precious too.”
“…What? When did you two get that far?”
At her shocking statement,
The North Duchess’s eyes were alternating between me and Pina, looking slightly deflated.
“…Anyway. So, there is a way to revert Plints back to normal, right?”
With an expression that seemed to say she expected as much, Sophia asked me her question.
The Duchess’s actions of furrowing her brow were quite intriguing.
“Yes, but first, let me ask one thing. Duchess Sophia.”
How delighted would that guy be if he knew how much I was focusing on him?
Clinging to my last hope, I posed a question to the Duchess.
“If Plints’ appearance changes, can you treat him the same as before?”
“What… does that mean?”
This is all I know.
In the Pantos Shrine, Pina’s love had restored Plints’ memories before.
“…So, even if he becomes a completely different face, can you still like him?”
If so, Giseok’s relationship with Sophia would be crucial.
I bit my lower lip in frustration.
Would my frozen heart be able to ignite enough to break the power?
This now depended on the feelings of Duchess Sophia.
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