*
So, summoned to the world as the Hero…
“Licht, are you practicing again today? Take it easy.”
“…….”
This place was definitely not easy for me.
No matter how much the game mimicked this world, it wasn’t exactly the same.
Drip drip Sweat flowed like rain.
No matter how many times I swung it, the steel grip felt unfamiliar.
“Not enough yet.”
My body was weaker than in the game.
I couldn’t see any numbers for stamina or mental strength.
I stuck my sword into the ground and gasped for air.
“…To defeat the Demon King, I still need more.”
Even though I borrowed someone else’s body, my spirit, untrained in swordsmanship, was out of place.
To accomplish my mission of hunting down the Demon King, harsh training was essential.
The Black Knight Licht had ties to the imperial knights.
As soon as I possessed his body, I joined the knight order.
I tried to use every bit of knowledge I gained from the game.
“The Demon Kings of the Hero Church have already been dealt with by the Ten Heroes, right?”
“Not necessarily, Lord Leon.”
Making acquaintance with Leon, the son of the imperial knight commander, was about it.
Maybe he thought it odd that I kept swinging my sword blindly.
“…Working hard is good, but this kind of repetition is actually harmful.”
Leon, subtly worried.
I remembered him as a reckless playboy in the game.
“There’s a limit to fighting against training dummies, Licht.”
Here, he came off as quite the diligent young man.
He certainly held the reputation befitting the son of Reinhar, the knight commander.
The wooden dummy beaten to pieces countless times.
“Most imperial sword techniques use mana, but what’s important is actual combat.”
Leon looked down at the exploded dummy.
He had joined the knight order to learn the imperial swordsmanship.
I was trying to master the technique where I caught the Magic Hat in the game.
Had I messed up somewhere?
“In actual combat, it’s common for bodies to stiffen.”
“I’ve heard that.”
Words from the Dragon Slayer Drake.
People who use mana often have delayed reactions in emergencies.
“I learned that from Lord Drake at the academy too…”
“Right now, it’s impossible for me to go.”
The Grand Hertz Academy, once a crucial scholarly institution, can be called the heart of the empire.
“Yeah, now there’s hardly anything left.”
That was because the Demon King of All Knowledge blew the whole place away.
‘Where could everyone be now?’
I let out a small sigh.
Unlike in the game, finding my comrades was difficult.
If the academy existed, it would have been easier to locate people.
Drake, the sword instructor there, or Dennis, who acted as a professor.
Even Kainel, the Hero of Light, scattered after graduating.
Maybe that’s why even the Nameless Saintess was nowhere to be seen.
‘I thought the Saintess was in some monastery.’
In Night Heart, she’s someone you meet right away.
Yet, I hadn’t found any detailed information despite searching around.
As if she had been erased from existence.
‘I got the Magic Sword Horizon, but I missed the most important thing.’
I looked at the pitch-black armor I was wearing.
No matter how good the equipment was, I still needed much more training to fight the Demon Kings.
“Oh, right. I heard recently that a Demon King is appearing…”
“A Demon King?”
As I sighed and tangled my hair, Leon casually handed me a wanted notice.
“They said it’s a Slime Demon King. Want to give it a try?”
Slime Demon King. A squishy.
Despite its cute name and appearance, it was famous as a newbie shredder in the game.
Why was this guy on the wanted list?
Normally, as long as you didn’t poke at it, it wouldn’t be a problem.
“Understood, Lord Leon.”
“Okay, I’ll take a short break, so don’t tell my father.”
As Leon secretly packed up to leave the knight order,
He was pushing his job onto me, huh?
Why… Oh, I see.
“Leon! You’ll miss the play in the theater if you take any longer!”
Then, a sharp voice floated through the breezy air.
“Alright, Windy. Don’t rush me.”
A mage dealing primarily with wind.
It seemed he was off for a secret date with Windy, who had sky-blue hair.
Yeah, with a reason like that, I should let it slide.
With a faint smile, I set off to subjugate the Slime Demon King.
*
After switching carriages numerous times, I finally arrived at an isolated location.
I was facing a slime in the most remote field of the empire.
“Kya ha ha!! I’ll make you regret daring to invade this domain!”
A large slime with devil horns.
Despite its soft and squishy appearance, it had powers to harden its body like steel.
And unless the core inside was cut, it just kept regenerating.
‘Damn, is there no way?’
If I let this thing be, I wouldn’t complete the mission written on the wanted notice.
I had already tried to slash it countless times.
“You’re so slow!”
Each time, the demon king hardened its body and countered me.
Even if I managed to break the shell, it would just change the location of its core.
We were stuck in a stalemate.
Swinging my sword using mana caused delayed reactions.
But if I fought purely with my physical abilities, I wouldn’t win against that thing.
‘Black Knight Licht is a late bloomer.’
Weak at first but slowly gets stronger later.
I trained to enter the knight order knowing that.
Maybe I should have trained under Drake instead.
No, that wouldn’t work. I’d run short on time. I only had about five years until the Magic Hat shows up…
“Uagh!!”
“Kya ha ha! You’re weak, Black Knight! To fall before me!”
Crash!
The sword strike I unleashed was deflected, and the slime swelled up.
The recoil sent me flying, and now I was rolling on the ground.
“Go train some more!”
I was already covered in dirt.
And the fading vision was cruel.
My eyes were slowly closing. I couldn’t faint here.
In the game, there was a respawn point, but… what would happen here?
‘My vision is fading… I feel like I’m hearing things too…’
─Sir Knight. Sir… Knight!
─Stay awake!
It felt like an angel was calling me with that voice.
─Oh no, I have to move quickly…
A soft, high-pitched voice lingered in my ears, and then I lost consciousness.
*
Later, when I opened my eyes, a soft, fluffy bed welcomed me.
Huh, I must have lost consciousness while fighting the Slime Demon King.
“…Where is this?”
Where on earth am I?
Who moved me after I collapsed?
My Magic Sword Horizon that I was wearing earlier was gone.
As I tried to grasp the situation, a voice came from beside the bed.
“This is a cathedral.”
It was a familiar voice. Could it be…
“You were lying on the street, so I brought you here.”
With a white veil.
The little wolf ears atop her head moved slightly.
“How’s your body feeling?”
A gentle, soft voice tickled my ear.
“Are you okay… no injuries?”
The Saintess, continuously asking about my condition as I regained my senses, looked somewhat sad, worried for me.
‘Nameless Saintess.’
The person I had yearned to see my whole life appeared right in front of me.
Is this a dream? It still hurts when I pinch my cheek.
“Ah…”
I couldn’t find the words, just watching her in a daze.
She was really alive.
In the game, she was supposed to die five years from now.
If Night Heart and Black Heart simulated this world,
She should be in some monastery, not here in the cathedral.
‘Maybe… things are a little different from the game…’
The game I played and this world don’t match perfectly.
“Ah, yes. I’m fine, thanks to you.”
“Phew, I’m glad to hear that.”
When I said I was alright, the Saintess finally wore a smile.
Thinking about it, how should I introduce myself to her?
In the game, my first impression was terrible because I didn’t know her well.
“I was worried you wouldn’t wake up until dinner.”
Now, I could change that.
This isn’t a game; it’s reality.
I wanted to say something proper to her as she smiled brightly.
“Well, I’m going to go pray now…”
“Ah, may I ask your name?”
My words rushed out in a panic as I was about to leave.
“A name…?”
What use was a question about her name when she couldn’t even remember her past?
‘I messed up.’
I should have said something cooler.
After making an irreversible mistake, better words flashed in my mind.
“Oh, I will support you beside the Saintess…” Wouldn’t that be great?
With my prepared speech turned blank, I felt a complete sense of failure.
“Well… I don’t have a name.”
Placing her finger on her lips, she seemed deep in thought.
“If you need a title to call me by…”
In that tense moment, hoping not to hurt her feelings, she smiled and turned toward me.
“Could you call me… the Nameless Saintess?”
A Saintess without even a name.
So purely and beautifully white.
Her smile was so bright that it shined clearly against the setting sunlight.
“…Yes…”
That was etched into my heart under the bright sun.
My heart raced.
I felt like electricity coursing through my body.
“…Understood.”
I gasped, momentarily losing my breath at the sight.
“…….”
Instead of the cool line I had prepared, I could only manage a dumbfounded expression.
“Sir Knight? Your face is red… Are you okay?”
Like a boy who just fell in love for the first time.
