*
How long has it been since I swung my sword? Dusk began to settle in, announcing the arrival of night.
“I think the downside of Drake Style swordsmanship is the strain on the body.”
“Is that so? Not the speed?”
“Just a gut feeling, but isn’t the wind kind of a no-go? Right, Licht?”
There was no need to hunt monsters at this hour. Kainel and I were currently checking each other’s flaws in swordsmanship.
“Exactly. It relies solely on pure physical strength, not mana…”
“Is it really alright to use it consecutively?”
“It’s me, not Kainel.”
“…It’s kind of irritating, Licht.”
Honestly, it wasn’t alright. I was putting on a brave face, but it was lacking when facing the Demon King. They were fundamentally beings that had more than two phases to them.
“The biggest downside I see is the low speed. It requires prior preparation.”
Even if I tried to break the limits of speed with Wolf Fang, it was unfavorable for short battles.
Right now, the only way for me to protect our Saintess from the Hero Church was to stake my life or do something crazy.
Or both.
‘In the imperial palace, I would feel safer. I can’t let my personal desires harm her safety.’
I habitually touched the chin area of my helmet.
Should I provide information about the Demon Kings? No… they’d probably suspect the source and drag me to the torture chamber.
Just then, a red-haired mage walked by.
“Kai! I got the tent from the professors. Here, also a share for Helmet!”
“Oh, thank you, Ariel.”
“Looks like you’ve regained some strength! That’s a relief…!”
Seeing her reminded me of when I first met the hero couple. Back then, I had pretended to be a crown prince.
“Licht, why..?”
I looked at the glass knight, shimmering under the moonlight even at night. I hadn’t expected flags to be retrieved this way. It seemed my own cleverness had backfired on me.
‘Huh? Wait a second.’
In [Black Heart], it was depicted that Ariel hadn’t met the crown prince. Could it be that my involvement caused this to go awry?
“Mr. Mardol, is it your first time seeing Ms. Ariel at this academy?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
Then, did that mean players fix the flaws left by beta testing in the sequel? It’s like locking the barn after the cow has escaped.
What a real scumbag this creator is. I’ve noticed this ever since they wronged our Saintess. I felt dizzy again.
“Licht, are you alright? What’s up again?”
“…It’s nothing.”
I sighed. As I stared aimlessly at the ground, Kainel asked with concern.
“..Anyway, it’d be better for you to utilize the Holy Sword more. Like flying around or causing explosions, you know?”
“Was there such a thing..?”
As I offered my advice, the blonde-haired hero’s eyes widened in surprise. Well, he did train alone without a proper master.
“Would you like to have a practice match with me? I can teach you directly?”
He lacked practical experience, and calling him a hero was still premature.
“No, not today. You should rest too, Licht.”
But contrary to my expectations, Kainel shook his head.
“..What?”
“You look really tired today; your hands have been shaking since earlier.”
I had heard similar from Nex. It seemed whenever the Saintess was involved, my body reacted instantly.
“I’m fine. Probably.”
I lied, feeling the guilt stab at me repeatedly, but I couldn’t show weakness. It was a situation where the Demon King might attack at any moment.
I mustn’t let my emotions take the lead….
“Ha.. seriously. Just come with me, Licht.”
After hearing my answer, the light bearer frowned and began walking me down the forest path.
Creak, creak, the sound of grass being crushed and insects chirping filled the dense night.
What’s going on? Are you mad because of me? I didn’t really do anything to upset anyone.
“..What’s going on suddenly?”
“Hmm. This seems like a good spot. We can see our campfire from here, so we won’t get lost.”
The hero moved to a tree stump, sat down as if it were a chair, and said, “Let’s talk, Licht.”
He uttered a phrase I’d heard somewhere before, demanding conversation. Could it be that he’s trying to raise his affection level with Ariel?
“..Do you need love coaching?”
“No, the opposite, Licht.”
Kainel put one foot on his knee and continued speaking.
“The reason you weren’t well this morning was because of that white-haired woman.”
A sharp sentence that hit home. I’ll have to pretend I don’t know anything. The clueless neighboring dog has no way of knowing.
“What are you talking about? I just felt unwell.”
I was sweating profusely inside my helmet. From the growing anxiety, I made something up.
“..I may lack in perception, but I have good instincts, you know?”
But this time, it didn’t work. The hero’s blue eyes narrowed, and he questioned me as if he found it curious.
“Licht, you thinking I wouldn’t find it strange that you disappeared a few days ago?”
“…I kind of figured you would.”
“You disappeared for not just a few hours but two days! If it was just a day, I would’ve thought, ‘Maybe something came up…’.”
He’s not normally like this. Could it be spending time with me has sharpened his instincts? He was digging into every little thing.
“It’s just that I had some things going on.”
“A guy like you skipping class and sleeping in? How did you sneak back into the dorm after curfew?”
Well, I was transported as a purple Phoenix. Seriously. To an outsider, it does look like a very questionable situation. The clueless neighboring dog scolded me incredulously.
“Did you have something to do with that beautiful white-haired girl too?”
The two days I suddenly vanished.
“Answer me. What the hell happened?”
“…”
I returned, clasping my lips shut like it never happened.
“…You must have a good idea of what happened.”
“Just as I suspected. You’re terrible at lying, Licht.”
It was a situation where someone who thinks of me as a friend can’t help but feel angry.
“In this situation, that person is in danger.”
“..What? So that’s why you skipped class without telling us?”
“Yes, that’s correct, Kainel.”
I had no choice but to speak the truth. Feeling like I was caught, I began to explain.
“Who are you talking about?”
“..It’s the Nameless Saintess, who will soon be chosen as one of the Three Great Saintesses.”
“Really? Well, I suppose you haven’t been wrong about your sayings so far.”
There shouldn’t be anyone listening. I was distant from Ariel, and at this range, the crown prince wouldn’t interfere either.
Remembering the time I learned the secret of the Holy Sword, the hero nodded along attentively.
“..I was saved because of her.”
“That sounds quite in the past, Licht.”
“Fifteen years ago.”
With the ten years in reality where I lived thanks to her, and the five years I wielded the sword after being possessed, it added up to…
“What…? So you’ve known her since childhood? That’s quite a long time!”
“Absolutely not. The Saintess doesn’t know me.”
This was a one-sided crush that had lasted exactly fifteen years. The hero’s mouth fell open in surprise.
“So, why…”
“I’m just trying to repay a debt without her knowing.”
I acknowledged it neatly. It was about time I let go. If I was going to meet her, it should have happened by now.
“She tends to have bad luck, so I should protect her…”
“Was this the morning incident? What’s putting her in danger?”
Kainel’s expression turned serious. People really are good after all.
“You have an idea, Kainel, don’t you?”
“..Could it be?”
“Yes, that possibility. The Hero Church.”
I put on a bitter smile inside my helmet. Kainel must’ve suffered greatly due to the Demon King as well. I wondered if I could freely talk about this.
“..With your ability, isn’t it possible to protect that white-haired Saintess?”
“Not a chance. It’s utterly insufficient.”
Kainel was speaking without having faced the Demon King before. The power that envelops the world conceptually is a different category than simple magic or swordsmanship.
‘At the very least, I thought I’d learn Dragon Kill and face them. Those Demon Kings.’
If I learned the Ultimate Move, I’d be able to cope to some extent, but… my current ability wasn’t enough. My weak and flaccid self was pushing it to the limit.
“You’re swordsmanship level is already at Sword Master rank, Licht.”
“..Who’s saying I’m a Sword Master? Are you kidding me?”
I made a ghastly expression at the random comment. Even though my helmet was on, my voice carried the anger.
“When I can’t even protect those I want to keep safe while wielding a sword, how can I be a ‘master’? Even a passing dog would laugh at that, Kainel.”
“Haha, were you saying that for my sake?”
I began to reveal a little of my true feelings. Upon reflection, I had only reached this level from concentrating on the Saintess. Now that I couldn’t even catch a glimpse of her.
“..I suppose you have a point; I may have felt somewhat wronged.”
“But with your amount of effort, it’s genuinely sincere. Why not suggest having dinner together or something?”
“Is this revenge for the last time? Is this a reverse love coaching session?”
Even if I talked to Kainel like this, the Grand Route shouldn’t be affected. I had tried to break the crown prince’s flag and it was useless.
“You know what I mean. After you graduate, people are going to be dying to have you.”
“Wouldn’t that apply to you as well, Kainel? You’re good with a sword too.”
“I have… Ariel.”
The hero smiled lightly and said it casually. He might lack perception, but I liked it when he was sincere in this regard.
“That’s great for you.”
A genuine smile spread across my face for the first time in a while. How long had it been since I smiled like this? But why hasn’t he confessed? Why aren’t they dating?
“But you sound like her lifesaver…. You should at least create some point of contact first.”
“..Me?”
“No matter that she doesn’t know you; if she hears you’re a Saintess, even from a distance, she may pray for you or something, right?”
“..That’s somewhat accurate.”
Again, the light bearer hit the nail on the head. This is why I hated Rufus’s negative aspect. A protagonist like this should hit right where it hurts.
“My face is probably too ugly, so I don’t think I could be that popular.”
“..Do you have something?”
“There are severe burn scars. And they’ve been around for quite a while.”
Only then did Kainel release a brief sigh, patting me on the shoulder as if to cheer me up.
“..Don’t sweat it. What does that even matter?”
“Wanna see?”
“Yeah. I need to see how scary it is that you use honorifics all the time.”
Why was it that I was getting tangled up with these men when the shoulder counts also belonged to the Saintess?
Clang─.
“See, this is why I always cover my face when I eat.”
“…”
I revealed my face to the hero after removing my mask.
Aside from the game’s Saintess, Kainel was probably the first to see me like this. It felt somewhat strange. Since he’s a basically good person, it should be fine, right?
I was sweating a lot in my palms, fearing he might hate me.
“Hey, Licht. I’m really sorry to say this.”
Kainel examined my face carefully and spoke with an expression of surprise.
“..You should be just moderately good-looking?”
That was the first time I had ever heard that. No way that could be true. He’s just saying that to give me confidence. His excessively praising statements made me feel embarrassed.
“Even jokingly, people around me have always been criticized because of me…”
“A deceiver. Ha.. how can you live feeling wronged?”
My explanation elicited a sigh from him as he looked up at the night sky, seemingly in disbelief. I closed my helmet again to hide my face.
“So, I think there’s nothing wrong with it. What’s wrong with having scars? It’s the bad guys who look at them strangely.”
“..People’s feelings aren’t that easy.”
“You really seem to like that Saintess. You were really flustered earlier.”
“Could it be that obvious?”
The blonde-haired hero nodded repeatedly with a smile. If Nex could notice, it probably was quite evident.
“Why don’t you at least give it a shot? Be it the Hero Church or anything, you can take them all down!”
He yawned widely as if he felt tired after a long chat, but still offered me optimistic words.
“Honestly, I just hope she can be happy without someone like me.”
The Nameless Saintess has been unfortunate in both [Night Heart] and [Black Heart]. If she could be happy without me, that would be the best case scenario.
‘Since I’ve already been possessed in the game, that won’t happen. She’ll probably keep facing one misfortune after another.’
“What’s more important, her happiness or yours?”
“..Of course, it’s her.”
Whether he knew it or not, Kainel didn’t stop talking.
“It’s the Saintess.”
He didn’t hesitate for a second, and the words came out immediately.
“..You really are a pure-hearted man. Training up to the Sword Master rank to protect the one you love.”
“This world is too harsh for kind-hearted and naive people to live in.”
It’s probably because the sequels have been terrible.
“You should at least do what I would do for Ariel. Back during the time of [Night Heart], I would’ve at least been the hero for the sake of one person.”
I envied the blonde-haired hero who had no knowledge of his future.
“So, are you really going to do nothing? So you didn’t ask Mardol to find the ‘Nameless Saintess’? Considering he’s of the highborn.”
“I took a different approach. I asked him to keep her safe while I wasn’t around.”
I had already done that beforehand. The flag was leaning towards the crown prince route, and there was no way I could slip through.
“…Will that really work?”
“I believe if it’s true love, then genuine love is being willing to sacrifice that person’s happiness. Kainel…”
Just then, a presence made me stop speaking.
“Mardol?”
“…What are you doing, Licht?”
The shining glass knight approached as he discovered Kainel and me. Could he be showing up to put a stop to this too?
“We were just having a truth game among guys… well, talking about various things.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Mardol.”
“..I see.”
The glass knight finally nodded. Surely, he didn’t hear anything I had said, right?
“Mardol, did you… hear what I was saying?”
“Yeah, a little.”
I guessed it was already over after the damage was done. I was worried he might embarrass me in front of the Saintess later if he didn’t check.
*
Pina went out searching for the two missing men as if drawn by fate.
“Mardol, Helmet, and Kai, where did you go?”
“I don’t know, Ariel.”
The red-haired mage next to her was also anxious.
Arriving at the tree stump, she started eavesdropping right from when the blonde-haired hero said, <“You really are a pure-hearted man. Training up to the Sword Master rank to protect the one you love.”>
That’s when the current events unfolded.
“Licht, he really is strong.”
This was her conclusion after listening to everything. A unique statement that even with weakness, one could still protect someone,
“Are we back to this again…”
“His heart is strong.”
The immensely strong yet clumsy demeanor was all revealing why.
“..Me? No way.”
He wielded a sword for the sake of someone he loved. She had figured that out.
‘That’s different from me.’
Pina quietly thought as her wolf ears perked up inside the helmet.
“..Is the Saintess strong?”
Anyone who could reach this level would certainly fit among the ranks of the strong. After all, Licht had come first in the practical exam using only swordsmanship without mana.
“..Yes, I’m someone who fully admits.”
“Got it.”
What kind of person could he be? Was he the beloved former master she admired? The clumsy aspect was evidently growing. It felt like he was lying, yet could be truthful.
“..I want to spar with Licht.”
“Absolutely not. Not a chance.”
Watching the sighing black-knight armored man, she began to take an interest in the Nameless Saintess.
