*
Blazing eyes.
Honestly, I didn’t expect this kind of reaction.
“Please summon the Hero. I’m ready.”
A definite answer while looking at me and Pina Grancia.
The determination to save Giseok was evident on the face of the Grand Duchess.
‘I guess I should say I’m envious. Giseok.’
Pina nodded, as if she understood Sophia’s feelings, and I gave a small smile to form a curve.
Who would have thought that the cold northern Grand Duchess would change this much because of my friend?
I had foolishly thought that love couldn’t happen if bodies were different.
‘I thought it was a limitation of the reincarnator.’
After all, I was just borrowing someone else’s body.
I thought love would wilt if I got caught reincarnating or returned to my original body.
That was also the reason I couldn’t tell Pina the truth before.
“…I’m learning a lot from this.”
But should I call it a cautionary tale?
Or was it trying to tell me that exceptions always exist in the world?
The relationship between Giseok and Sophia was more tender than I imagined.
Because in love, looks aren’t that important.
“Actually, the original Plints was a vampire who lived a thousand years ago.”
I began to recite what I knew about Plints.
The story Giseok used to brag about to me.
Honestly, I thought it was just a typical middle school delusion.
“He was originally a loner. An immortal whose only acquaintances had disappeared from the world.”
Considering that this game is real rather than virtual,
there’s a good chance that this setting might be true.
“He felt the passage of time painfully, so it’s said he chose to sleep in his castle.”
Lonely.
The people Plints knew all died over time, but he couldn’t die even if he wanted to—a rare condition.
‘Wasn’t it said that not dying is a curse rather than a blessing?’
Whether it’s because of thick blood or because Plints’ condition is rare. After all, vampires aren’t supposed to be immortal beings.
The title “Vampire Lord” didn’t seem like mere arrogance after all.
Unlike how Schartines appeared dead in the sequel.
“Why did the original Plints decide to sleep all of a sudden?”
“…Because his beloved died.”
Pina, who was curious, asked me a question.
A bitter taste lingered in my mouth as I answered.
“Ah…”
Pina let out a long sigh at the reason I hadn’t considered.
The backstory that surfaces when acquiring the hidden class of spear user.
According to Giseok, Plints went into eternal slumber after his lover died.
“Then Giseok’s soul must have entered and woke him up.”
The vampire who said he no longer wanted to live in a world without his beloved.
When he returned to that castle and opened his diary, he could verify the message he left behind.
‘Thinking about it, we are alike.’
He lost the hope to live when his loved one died.
Right now, I can still vividly recall Pina’s death with Magic Hat.
What would it feel like in a world without Pina?
Even after dozens of retries, I couldn’t save her from the unfortunate future.
Can I succeed this time? If I complete the Grand Route and still fail?
“…..”
No, this time I’ll definitely succeed.
Once or twice misfortunes are enough.
No matter what kind of future lies ahead, I want to grant her wish.
‘The dream of wearing a pure white wedding dress.’
It was the reason I kept striving to live even after being pulled into this world as a beta tester mail.
So Plints will surely understand us.
“So, if we summon the Hero, I won’t think badly of it.”
A little sigh mixed in with the bitter story I told.
Looking at the white hair and red eyes, I felt a tinge of pity.
“…Plints’ wish is to meet his beloved again.”
The wish of an immortal vampire who truly desired it.
Paradoxically, it was death.
Knowing this, the gods must have reincarnated Giseok. Otherwise, there would be no need for such trouble.
“Providing rest through Hero summoning… it’s a bit bittersweet.”
“It’s a sad story.”
Sophia nodded as she listened to me.
The Northern Grand Duchess seemed to have something else to say, opening her mouth.
“No matter how much I searched, there were no records about Plints.”
She said she had investigated Plints but found nothing.
Fortuitously, it seems like she didn’t steal someone else’s life.
Sighing while holding her precious one’s hand, the Grand Duchess expressed her thoughts.
“So how will we summon him?”
Pina continued speaking, thoughtfully looking between Sophia and Giseok.
With her pure white wolf ears perked up, she posed the question.
Right? What should we do?
Even in the game, the method for summoning the Hero wasn’t listed.
‘..It seemed like the demon kings of the Hero Church were offering living sacrifices.’
That’s what I inferred from when we fought the Apostles before.
It was the same in the underground of the Academy and in the Northern mountains.
But we can’t use such methods now.
The moment we do that, we’d become the Demon King instead of the Hero foretold in the prophecy.
[Plints♡Sophia: 50%]
The affection level changed from negative to positive.
I leaned against the wall for a moment, pondering.
Considering what Giseok left on the chessboard, he must also be a god.
After all, he is also the creator of the sequel, [Black Heart].
[The hint for Hero summoning was given before! Lee Soo-hyun!]
The creator, either aware or unaware that his identity was revealed, still bombarded with emoticons.
What did he mean by he already gave a hint? When did that happen…?
“……Pina, do you know the magic called ‘Arcturus’?”
At that moment, something suddenly popped into my mind.
The spell that the Nameless Saintess Pina wrote in the dream I had before.
If it’s this, there’s a high chance it will work.
Speaking of which, this guy’s status window reacted sensitively to the Nameless Saintess Pina.
Didn’t he check if he was on the Saintess route when we visited the shrine?
He also stopped me from trying the potion that would make me forget my memories.
‘It felt too vivid to be just a dream.’
When I listened to what Pina said while escaping the maze, she seemed to know me, too.
If the gods are involved, then the Nameless Saintess I saw in my dream must have been real too.
“‘Arcturus’ …? What does that mean…?”
Pina tilted her head as she heard the name of the magic I mentioned.
I’d never heard the term before she mentioned it.
“Could you please extend your hand, Pina?”
“Su, Soo-hyun. How impudent…”
Instead of an explanation, I immediately took her hand.
Her palm was perfect for holding, unlike our size difference in the dream.
“This way, the magic circuit can connect, and I can cast magic too.”
Then Pina’s cheeks flushed slightly.
As I teased and smiled, she laughed too.
“…You really are a perverted dog, Sir Knight.”
A nickname.
Now Pina dropped the name Licht and calls me Lee Soo-hyun.
When I asked her why, she said she wanted to call me differently from others.
Seeing her occasionally use honorifics like the Saintess, she seems extremely jealous.
“Please repeat the incantation after me, Pina.”
“…Alright. I’ll believe whatever you say.”
As if trying to prevent further misunderstandings.
“Seven wills, voice for the stars….”
I recited the incantation, matching her golden eyes.
The reason to say the parts of the magic that can be omitted is.
‘To slowly face the intelligence.’
Recalling what the Nameless Saintess Pina had taught me.
Around us, small lights began blooming like flowers.
“Gather water in your palm, imagine not spilling it….”
I slowly closed my eyes to focus.
For this friend, the Hero of Affection, not just my level of affection but also mine would be necessary.
“There shall be light. ‘Arcturus.’”
A deeply loving heart for someone. Affection (親愛).
Maximizing each other’s magical power to bend fate.
Once the incantation was over and I opened my eyes, a large sphere of light rose between us.
“It’s beautiful…”
As she gazed at the magic that resembled soap bubbles, Pina sighed.
I think she finally realized what the luminous source was that had gently illuminated our surroundings in the dream.
‘A mixture of mana and divine power.’
Using intelligence to create miracles in reality.
And using consciousness to ignore the physical laws of reality.
If these two are combined, then we should be able to summon the Hero in reality.
The sphere, which was slightly floating, popped with a bang, losing its shape.
That light source turned into a small cluster of light, fluttering around Giseok’s body like fireflies.
The light disappeared as if melting away.
In the meantime, a man’s face and body began to change gradually.
From white to black hair.
His pale face began to take on color, and his delicate, slender build morphed into a muscular physique.
“…..”
Oh right.
This guy was the one into fitness.
*
“Where… am I?”
His eyes regained focus.
A man with black hair and dark eyes, similar to mine, spoke.
“Plints..! You’ve woken up!”
“Princess..? I surely had to deal with Magic Hat… how…?”
As soon as he regained his senses, Sophia embraced the man.
Even with a changed appearance, she paid no mind. What a relief that was.
“Thank goodness…”
To become closer to the Northerners, he had exercised.
The shabby appearance had vanished, replaced by a muscle-bound frame with prominent quads and biceps.
“Giseok. It’s been a while.”
I greeted my friend, who had a dazed expression trying to grasp the situation.
This name is more fitting than Plints.
“..Is that voice? Could it be Soo-hyun..?”
Staring at my face, Giseok asked.
He recognized me immediately, noting that he knew my name and my actual voice.
“Seeing the scar on your face, I guess it’s true… you really were here.”
He struggled to talk from Sophia’s embrace.
The state where he couldn’t move due to the Demon King’s power had vanished like a lie.
“I finally realized. The hint was a bit difficult.”
“That’s difficult? The promotion and stalemate were the easy hints!”
Giseok, even after nearly dying, still managed to act like a showoff. Some things never change.
If it wasn’t for me, he probably would have forgotten about Sophia, or he’d never wake up in that state.
“So, is that person next to you the Saintess?”
Giseok smirked at Pina beside me.
It was obvious that she was the Nameless Saintess, yet he deliberately provoked her.
“….That’s right. She was the Saintess of the past.”
“Hello.”
Recalling how he didn’t recognize Pina earlier, I spoke.
After all, she is the same person. Even if Giseok knows the Northern Grand Duchess, he must be meeting the current Pina for the first time.
“..Sister-in-law, please take care of my foolish friend.”
As soon as I nodded in greeting, Giseok wore a contented smirk.
