*
Everyone lived happily ever after.
The kind of phrase that always shows up at the end of fairy tales.
It’s such a cliché that you can’t even call it trite anymore, but I loved that predictable stuff.
Ding!
My lips naturally curled upwards, and a warm feeling bloomed in my chest.
No matter how grim reality might be, there’s always room to hold onto hope.
[You have achieved 100% affection level between Kainel and Ariel!]
Maybe it was because I recreated the happy ending I had seen in [Night Heart].
[EVENT CG: 「[Knight Hearts] – True Ending」 collected!]
The name of the game and the words “True Ending” written beneath it struck me impressively.
Like it was blessing their future.
Even the rain that turned to tears seemed like flower petals used for a wedding reception.
“I always believed you’d propose someday, Kai!”
“The timing isn’t great… but if not now, when?”
Ariel was staring at the ring on her hand, grinning widely.
“You really are my hero!”
The two couples shared joys with warm hugs.
Kainel winked at me in thanks, and I gave him a thumbs-up as always to signal that it worked.
“Now, only one couple is left.”
“Right. Thanks for your help.”
Pina Grancia, who had gently leaned her head on my shoulder, was watching the scene.
The rose scent was enough to dull my senses. I mustn’t fall into temptation.
[There is only one love line left for the Grand Final Route!]
Connecting the love line between Kainel and Ariel made all the things I had done so far flash before my eyes.
[Schartines♡Nex 100% ‘Ending Collection Complete’]
The seniors I had met for the first time at Grand Hertz Academy were a pair.
A noble son who was a troublemaker and a saint known for her vampiric traits.
They were a couple with contradictory traits.
If history had gone as it should have, Pina would have become the Nameless Saintess and ruined her life.
“But that won’t happen now.”
By preventing Schartines from being kidnapped, their fate began to change little by little.
[Kainel♡Ariel 100% ‘Ending Collection Complete’.]
At first, Kainel showed hostility towards me.
The boy who had no choice but to lie because of being a hero and the girl who couldn’t be honest with her feelings.
It’s been almost a year since I tried to get these childhood friends together.
[Lee Soo-hyun♡Pina Grancia 100% ‘Ending Collection Complete.’]
The princess gently breathing next to me.
The mysterious figure hidden behind sparkling glass armor.
“Can love really be quantified, Soo-hyun?”
The nameless Saintess I had longed for so much.
There might be people who think the outward signs of love are important.
But reality is a high, thick wall, cold enough to take away a person’s warmth.
“No, even without this, we always liked each other.”
But we were pretty much the opposite.
Rather than an ideal love with no flaws, it was a messy love that could embrace each other’s wounds.
Me, who was left with a big burn scar on my face due to an accident in childhood.
“Hehe, that’s right. Good job, our little pup.”
And Pina, who had lost her memory, name, family, and friends, but whose kindness remained unchanged.
Even a pair of mismatched opposites like us could create a miracle together.
“Soft and squishy.”
Pina looked at the affection level displayed in the status window and poked my cheeks.
I’m not a rice cake, you know!
[Giseok♡Sophia 100% ‘Ending Collection Complete.’]
Thanks to me and her, a hero without modifiers got summoned.
They say character is more important than ability in a hero.
Maybe it’s because they’re friends, or should I say they must’ve met because they’re similar.
These two had a lot in common with us.
Giseok and I couldn’t even confess properly because of being reincarnated.
‘Both Pina and Sophia had their parents killed by the Demon King.’
We were very close friends who could share our difficulties, and yet we both managed to find happiness in our own ways.
[Drake♡Azmodius: 0%]
“……”
How in the world should I raise these two?
No matter how much I racked my brains, I couldn’t come up with an answer.
Even if I turned back time and returned to the past, the all-knowing Demon King, Black Cloud, was already dead.
I lost my way to help my teacher, who had lived his life seeking revenge.
“Don’t worry about Black Cloud. It’s fine, Soo-hyun.”
“What…? What do you mean it’s okay?”
While I sighed heavily, Pina took my hand and guided it to stroke her cheek.
The feeling of soft, squishy flesh.
My fingers pressed lightly, feeling like sticky marshmallows.
Is that why Pina touched my cheek?
“This time, the Magic Hat will resurrect all the Demon Kings and storm the academy.”
In an unexpected moment, it was as if nothing happened as Pina spoke.
Like the seven trumpets announcing the end of the world.
“Wh-What… does that even mean?”
“Just as it sounds. That guy has returned to this time, right?”
The Demon King’s powers are anything but perfect.
Just like how Dennis remembered the Celestial Demon, erased by the powers of ignorance.
It meant that the fact that I had nullified the existence of the Magic Hat was merely a temporary measure.
“I think I realized I can’t do this alone. It’s already past the time when they should have attacked.”
Chills ran down my spine.
It was tough to handle even one at a time.
But all four of them will storm the academy?
I had seen them resurrect other Demon Kings like zombies before.
“We should let everyone know immediately… right?”
“Now we should. I just found out too.”
She nodded as she watched me try to spring up from my seat.
For a brief moment, her golden eyes turned crimson.
Did she see the future with the power of omniscience?
“This time, we’ll win, Soo-hyun.”
Pina’s confident chuckle echoed as she showed determination.
She was a Saintess, a princess, and even a Demon God, so I really didn’t think we’d lose.
[Dennis♡White Lily 100% ‘Ending Collection Complete.’]
In that moment, the final status window popped up.
Seeing the phrase regarding the Celestial Demon White Lily and the Hunter Dennis, a sudden thought hit me.
Why hadn’t I thought of the fact that I had two teachers?
The Western swordsman and the Eastern swordsman.
Among them, the Celestial Demon White Lily hadn’t participated in the last battle.
“I’ll talk to Professor Dennis for a bit.”
The Grand Route, where all possibilities and world lines connect.
Maybe all the love lines I had been protecting people for were for this moment.
After all, it would take everyone’s strength to defeat the Demon Kings.
*
Thus, every person in the academy’s president office had gathered without exception.
It wasn’t just about me defeating them alone; it was also about getting everyone’s help.
Those here were strong enough to be called the natural enemies of the Demon Kings.
“Junior, we came because you said we were needed… but are you sure it’s okay?”
“Pina, it seems like you’ve gotten really close to Licht Junior…?”
Nex and Schartines, who had been hiding from the Duke’s family, sensed the strange atmosphere regarding Pina, who was by my side.
I had told her to hold back in front of others.
But she was currently giving me a light kiss on the lips, showing her possessive side.
“…Son-in-law.”
“Greetings… Father-in-law.”
Pina’s behavior didn’t stop even after Emperor Rock arrived.
His glaring gaze seemed to shoot sparks at me as he gritted his teeth.
“Hehe, Soo-hyun’s ears are turning red. How cute.”
Pina was sticking her tongue out playfully, enjoying my surprised expression.
“Isn’t it because I came here saying my daughter Pina might be in danger…?”
His hands trembled slightly.
The axe blade held by Rock shone sharper than ever.
“Disrespecting me right in front of my eyes…?”
“No, please believe me.”
I waved my hands frantically, trying to clear up the misunderstanding.
But Rock kept approaching me, breathing threateningly as if he was blind to reason.
“Calm down, Wolf King. What’s wrong with a couple being affectionate?”
At that moment, a woman stepped in front of the furious Rock.
She stopped the axe he swung down with just a finger.
“Junior. It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“Yes, Master.”
The brown-haired woman was the Celestial Demon White Lily, who smiled at Pina and me, revealing her dragon teeth.
“Hehe, I knew you were a lovely couple. You do seem like you’re destined for a hard life.”
A wife who struggled while eating chaff and rice bran during tough times.
It was indeed a perfectly matching word with Pina.
“I worked hard for the man I love the most in this world.”
“D-Daughter… Didn’t you say when you were little that Daddy was the best?”
Upon hearing Pina’s statement, Rock’s expression began to distort.
He must have been in such disbelief that his face turned pale.
“I don’t like Soo-hyun because he bothers me.”
Pina cheekily stuck out her tongue and delivered the final blow to her father.
Seeing that, the Emperor retreated to a corner of the room, finally silent.
Is this really okay?
“Master, how could you come here? I thought you couldn’t…?”
I looked at White Lily with curiosity.
I thought she couldn’t join the battle before.
How could she be here now?
“Shh. Junior, you’re too loud. I just fell asleep a moment ago.”
The Celestial Demon signaled me to lower my voice by putting a finger to her lips.
At the end of her gaze was a small cradle.
Soft breathing and the sounds of a music box were faintly heard.
Inside, there was a being who carried peace amid this noise.
“She’s the daughter of the Nameless Saintess and Dennis.”
With blue hair and matching blue eyes like her father, and dragon horns and tail like her mother, she resembled a mythical blue dragon.
“It’s still too young to lift its head properly.”
“Congratulations, Professor Dennis.”
Suddenly nearby, Dennis was bragging about his daughter.
His face was smiling softly as he looked at the snoozing baby.
That smile made me think of my father.
“We haven’t decided on a name yet. Could Licht decide?”
“…Me?”
Dennis asked me to name his daughter with an amused smile.
Is it really okay for me to decide something so important?
“Of course. If it weren’t for you, this child wouldn’t be here, right?”
“The name can determine a person’s fate, encapsulating the weather.”
White Lily and Dennis gently rested their hands on my shoulder.
A gesture encouraging me to gather my courage.
“They hope this child will grow up like you.”
In all the 25 failures he had, I never heard about him having a daughter.
‘This is possible because it’s the Grand Route.’
A new possibility.
A life that people would call a miracle was breathing before me.
“…How about Mir? Professor?”
After a moment of contemplation, I spoke.
In pure Korean, it means ‘dragon,’ and in English, it sounds like the first part of miracle.
This name would definitely suit this child best.
“Mir… You really did well leaving it to Licht.”
“That’s a lovely name. Well done, Junior.”
When I called her name, little Mir fumbled her mouth.
As if she liked the name I gave her, she murmured in her sleep.
