The battle in the forest ended in no time.
“Well, that was quite fun! Hehe, you were even able to injure me!”
The battlefield fell silent, as if announcing defeat.
The mage, with a broken arm and a cut cheek that bled slightly, had her black tuxedo turned into rags, blood seeping from various places.
“I didn’t expect this. The Glass Knight and the Hero of Light!”
Magic Hat, rubbing her white hair, made thud sounds while waddling toward the collapsed Hero. Her expression was filled with delight.
“Kainel! Please, get a grip…!!”
Ariel was shaking Kainel’s shoulders while crying. The holy sword with golden hair was already planted into the ground, and the Hero leaned against a broken tree trunk as if asleep.
“No way.. This can’t be happening..”
The red-haired elf had scratches and wounds all over, but her condition was better than the Hero’s.
Ariel’s crimson eyes glared reproachfully at Magic Hat’s golden eyes.
“I really love this kind of love. Um… your name is Ariel, right? This rookie has been calling you that.”
“Get lost!! You crazy woman!!”
The elf mage shot off fireworks magic toward the approaching mage, but,
“It’s useless. That’s an ‘ability’ that creates lies, you know?”
The magic she cast fizzled out as it touched the mage’s clothes, as if it never intended to hit in the first place. The Demon King dusted herself off.
Magic Hat was pleased, watching the red-haired mage using divine power to hold onto the Hero.
“Love, broken apart, realizing its worth, and trying to stick back together again. How precious that is. Hehe.”
She gave a smile to the weeping elf, who looked proud, and Ariel felt a sense of horror seeing that.
Then it happened.
“Magic Hat..”
“Oh my, you still want to fight after all that?”
The Glass Knight stood up again, showing hostility toward the white-haired mage. The wolf-like eyes behind the helmet did not lose their fighting spirit.
“Are you seeing hope just because I’ve been hurt a little? Really?”
“Yeah..”
Panting, Pina pointed her sword at Magic Hat. The Demon King pulled out a card with a sneer.
“… this should make you give up. Queen of Hearts.”
The Q Heart-patterned card glimmered, and a mature woman with black hair and wolf ears jumped out. Seeing her made the Glass Knight flinch.
“Now, Queen of Hearts. Please restore her!”
“…”
As Magic Hat gave the command to the woman with black wolf ears, the mage’s clothes and wounds all healed.
“… oh.”
The black tuxedo seemed completely undamaged, looking brand new, and
“Hoo, I feel much better now. Is it because she’s the Empress Rock? The performance is really impressive!”
Even the broken arm returned to its original state. The white-haired mage laughed as she waved her arm around normally.
“… mother?”
The woman in the vintage black dress summoned by Magic Hat wore royal insignia as accessories, and
“Oh? Do you know each other? So, are you from the royal family? That’s unexpected.”
Except for her black hair, she resembled Pina so much that they looked like mother and daughter. The Glass Knight froze, memories of the past resurfacing.
“You… you had her…”
Pina’s hands holding the sword trembled. A reaction borne from learned fear. Her wolf ears and tail drooped in despair.
She never dreamed that her mother, who she thought had died ten years ago, would be used as a subordinate by the Demon King of Truth like this.
“It’s me! Get a grip!!”
“…”
“It’s useless. No matter how much you call, she can’t hear anything but my orders.”
The Empress of the Empire, even upon seeing her daughter Pina, stared back with vacant eyes, obeying only Magic Hat’s commands.
“What have you done to my mother?!”
“I told you before. For my lord, ‘I won’t kill her.'”
Magic Hat, who had somewhat figured out Pina’s identity, started teasing with a smug smile. With crescent-shaped eyes, she tried to provoke her opponent.
“Well, it might have been more painful than dying! I wonder if becoming a card hurt?”
“Magic Hat!!”
Seeing this scene, the Glass Knight’s anger reached its limit as she charged at the Demon King. Her sword attempted to pierce through the mage’s defenses multiple times, but,
“It’s useless. With that level of will, you won’t even reach me. You aren’t even a hero, are you?”
“Shut up..!”
A woman with white hair blocked the Empire’s swordplay effortlessly with a single card. Mockingly, the sword could barely reach her neck.
“It’s not going to be the same this time..!”
“But have we met before? I’m meeting you for the first time….”
Magic Hat showed a bored expression even against Pina’s attack, propping her chin on her hand as if in thought.
“I never saw a Glass Knight like you when I was collecting Queen of Hearts…”
“My mother doesn’t have such a name!!”
The Glass Knight, bewildered by the anger, swung her card around.
“Well, who cares. That person who was dying just a moment ago is now so lively!”
With her “fun” mentality, the Demon King smirked, then threw away a card left in between Pina’s armor.
“Ugh..!”
A joint at her leg buckled.
A sharp card flew in, breaking Pina’s stance. An involuntary scream escaped the woman; her voice altered by the shuddering pitch of her helmet.
“Masterpiece quality armor… All good, but isn’t it too copied? It looks like our lord’s.”
Pina, who sat on the ground holding her knees, seemed badly hurt, biting her lower lip hard to suppress the pain.
“I’ll kill you…”
She had not given up yet. Gritting her teeth, she glared at the mage. Seeing such deadly intent, the mage chuckled in amusement, then said,
“Your weaknesses are similar, too. The gaps in your armor. Ah…”
Suddenly looking sad as if something came to her mind, she made a face as if she was about to cry, cupping her face with her hands like a tragic heroine shedding tears.
“… ugh. How pitiful for our lord…”
Something felt off. Even as she cried, her emotions seemed insincere. Pina’s well-trained eyes caught that point and felt a chill.
“I’m still preparing, so… it should be fine…”
A fake mask showing itself in those perfectly normal tears.
“This time, I’ll do anything for my lord…”
A madman’s muttering. That was not a sentiment of sorrow.
“… she’s insane.”
As the hand hiding her mouth was removed, the Demon King’s twisted smile was revealed to be crocodile tears.
“I’m insane because I’m in love, right? Isn’t it beautiful? Hehe!”
Magic Hat, colored with lust and ecstasy, pressed a card against the Glass Knight’s neck.
“Now, it’s the finale, love’s intruders.”
The Demon King of Truth gave a gentle smile.
*
Thanks to Dennis’s teleportation, I returned to the forest again.
“Damn.”
As I briefly scanned the surroundings, the gravity of the situation hit me.
“Is it already too late?”
Kainel’s Shine Strike had left traces of use countless times, and trees burned to ashes from Ariel’s fireworks magic.
‘They probably lost since I wasn’t able to learn the Ultimate Move first.’
Even though there had clearly been a big fight, the absence of the Hero’s party signaled defeat. A sense of despair welled up, and I touched the forehead section of my helmet.
“… oh.”
Pieces of shattered glass scattered on the ground, aligned like a guidepost. Mardol must’ve left a trail.
Following this, I would surely find the Demon King. I readied myself for a full sprint.
“Wolf Fang.”
I embraced the boiling blood rushing through my body without hesitation. A martial art driven solely by instinct.
‘Think. If it’s Magic Hat, she knows all the patterns.’
I had to prove here why I only adopted the Grancia style. I must not let Kainel, Ariel, or Mardol die, for all would be in vain.
‘Even if I encounter the Demon King, there’s a way to protect everything.’
I had to do something reckless or risk my life, or perhaps both.
Running like a wolf chasing prey, my breath was caught in my throat. My heart felt like it was about to burst. My legs felt heavy as lead.
I dashed into the clearing in the woods.
“…”
The sparkling shards of glass came to an end there.
“Now, it’s the finale, love’s intruders.”
No matter how hard I tried to forget, I couldn’t help but recognize the mage dressed in black from head to toe.
The Demon King of Truth held a fallen Holy Sword, a corrupted version of herself, threatening the life of the Glass Knight.
“Kai… I’m sorry… I’m… weak…”
Next to Kainel, who was unconscious and bleeding from his head, Ariel clung to him with an injured body, but it was futile.
“… Ha, seriously.”
I couldn’t hold it in any longer. With rage, I drew my sword strongly. This had crossed a line. Looking at the nauseating smile of Magic Hat made me feel sick.
“Good to see you, you bastard!!!”
I released my anger, shouting as I unleashed a Void Slash. Even so, it only briefly separated Mardol from the fray.
“Uh, oh? You are….”
Magic Hat, startled, looked at me and exclaimed.
Quickly, I unleashed Wolf Fang to dig into the opening, using Reverse Scale Stab in succession to target her weak points.
‘Is it truly necessary to be a hero to do this?’
Without the Holy Sword, it seemed impossible to land effective hits on the Demon King. The sword passed through multiple times without making an impact. I needed to utilize wind pressure.
─Thwack!
I sent the Demon King of Truth flying with a Void Slash. That should buy me some time. The storm I created slammed Magic Hat into the trees.
Serves you right. A middle schooler.
“Richt..?”
“Helmet guy!! What happened?!”
The people around me spoke up once they recognized me. Thankfully, aside from Kai, they still had the strength to talk.
“Mardol. I need to borrow your hand for a second.”
“Uh… okay.”
Seeing the status window was fine, they might still be saved. I took the hand of the Glass Knight.
“Savior Sword.”
A skill of the Paladin.
I had risen to the occasion, preparing an ability to supplement the Nameless Saintess’s inadequate healing power, so everyone around should be fine.
Even with my limited mana.
I’d learned an efficient method, hoping our Saintess wouldn’t be jealous.
Maintaining the connection with Mardol, I drove my sword into the ground and knelt, adopting a vow pose toward the sky.
─Plop.
A clear sound of droplets falling echoed, accompanied by a wave of white light radiating outward.
“Richt, amazing.”
“Are my injuries… healing? Even I couldn’t do that….”
Since Savior Sword was a higher skill than the common healing, I guessed divine power could be used in this way. Finally, I sighed in relief. This actually worked; Kainel’s and Ariel’s wounds were fully healed.
“K-Kai? Are you conscious?!”
“Ariel..? Are you okay? The Demon King…!”
Thankfully, the Paladin’s skill worked effectively. I wondered what would’ve happened if I hadn’t realized that holding hands with Mardol would use magic.
“Did you sleep well, Kainel?”
I teased the awakened golden-haired Hero with a playful joke. Worry not; I didn’t want to trouble this rookie Hero.
“… Richt? How did you come here….”
“You’re a Black Knight. Of course, I should come.”
I smiled reassuringly to the yellow-haired one, who cracked a joke the moment he woke up. There was still no one to catch Magic Hat in the meantime.
“Richt..”
“Oh, I’ll let go of your hand now.”
I quickly released his hand, but Mardol was staring at me intensely. Did I flag again?
“That’s not it.”
Oh, noticing now, I’d also healed the Glass Knight’s leg injury. The bleeding from the joints of his armor had stopped. So that’s why they called me.
“Is your leg okay, Mardol?”
“… thank you, Richt.”
If you die here, our Saintess will never be happy. And I truly hate seeing people die.
“Don’t mention it.”
When I confirmed everyone had returned to normal, I finally sighed in relief.
“Kai!! Waaaaah, I thought you were dead….”
“Maybe dying would be better than getting your tears and snot on my clothes.”
“… Hmph. I’ll let it slide this time, Kai..!”
The four of us faced each other, confirming we were okay. Even Ariel nodded at me, thankful I saved the Hero.
“That’s a relief. Everyone.”
“Thank you, Helmet Guy… you’re a Paladin.”
“Richt, you’re truly a cheat…”
Honestly, it could’ve been a state I couldn’t heal, like in Black Heart. Just making it here against the Demon King stood as good fortune.
“… Richt. Be careful up ahead.”
At that moment, the insane mage took steps closer, letting out a voice full of madness.
“That black helmet… Could it be… my lord? You’re alive!!”
A woman in black tuxedo looking at me as if she knew me.
With open arms, the delighted Demon King smiled widely, but something felt very wrong.
“… Let me ask you one thing, Magic Hat.”
Why does it seem like she’s not a man? Her body took the curves of a female shape, and her voice and hair were the same.
“Why are you a woman?”
With her long white hair and golden eyes, nausea rose up inside me. How annoying, stirring people’s insides like that.
“My lord… you must still have hazy memories!! I was always a woman!”
To an unknown person, they might say, ‘Isn’t that the Nameless Saintess?’ The Demon King, blushing and retracting as if ashamed.
But to me, it was entirely different. I shook my head, expressing unpleasantness.
First of all, according to what I knew, she was a man. All four Demon Kings of the Hero Church were.
“Come with me to the Hero Church, my lord!”
“…”
Secondly, she had human ears, not wolf ears, and her eyes weren’t the eyes of a wolf. Just an ordinary golden eye, and her voice was different.
“Shut it.”
I boldly raised my middle finger. Magic Hat expressed confusion at my gesture.
“Uh, oh? My lord, don’t you remember me at all? It seems unlikely since you’re here now…?”
Finally, the Nameless Saintess should not know me at all.
Just like with Servi, that lunatic abruptly acting familiar with me couldn’t be our Blue Rose.
“Yeah. I don’t know someone as crazy as you.”
My heart only belongs to her.
That’s pure love for the Black Knight.
Who’s calling me “my lord”? What a ridiculous thought.
