Pina Grancia.
Her keen eyes could distinguish the lies people told.
So, from a young age, she could easily detect flattery or words devoid of sincerity. However,
“…”
She saw the expressions of those who viewed her as a monster. If a liar firmly believed their own truth, her eyes wouldn’t work on them.
She hated her keen eyes multiple times a day.
To blend in with people, she had to remain silent about such truths. It was a similar case with Nex Aureus.
An incomplete talent. It felt like a curse.
But this time was different.
She recalled someone who lied even after becoming the Demon King.
A strange man donning a black knight’s helmet. An unusual person who had somehow drawn close to her.
“Thanks to you, I had fun all this time. Thank you.”
To her eyes, this statement was a muddled mix of lies and truths.
In hindsight, he likely didn’t want to die leaving them behind.
He was walking straight into danger. After all, he had a fair bit of understanding about the Head.
He didn’t try to subdue his opponent with the Drake Style swordsmanship as usual.
The angle of his Void Slash created space by knocking the Magic Hat away to heal her and others with the skills of a holy knight.
Immediately after that, he borrowed the Holy Sword to do something strange.
So it seemed he guessed that the Demon King of Truth was powerful, since the Holy Sword was an effective weapon against Demon Kings. A reasonable conclusion.
“Contradictory. Licht. Don’t show off… If you hadn’t, it wouldn’t hurt as much.”
But the man had an oddly gentle heart, contradictorily speaking.
What came out instead of, ‘Fight with me, I’m scared. I might die,’ was a sad farewell laced with lies.
In truth, he wanted to keep staying with them. A truth glued to the underside of those words; only Pina noticed it.
Thus, Pina believed that the man named Licht would appear again. His words were steeped in regret.
“Mr. Mardol, did you miss me?” or “Kainel, Ariel, what are you up to?” she imagined him cheekily saying.
A month passed like that. Every day, using teleportation crystals, searching the forest had become routine.
Even when the imperial guards, like Gold, urged her to stop, she didn’t skip a single day in her search for him.
She dreaded the thought of people dying because of her again, like with her mother. It scared her. She felt nauseous at her own weakness.
“..What the hell. Making me worry about people.”
But when he returned as if nothing happened, saying just one word, “Sorry.” How naïve could one be?
He even asked her to take care of the “Nameless Saintess,” and he was a black knight who practiced sword training for the sake of someone he loved.
He seemed like someone who loved youthful love.
Just yesterday, he called her out of the bakery, allowing Kainel and Ariel to enjoy their time alone together. Even someone dense couldn’t miss that.
..She did have a little emotional incident where she cried hugging Licht. But still.
‘I couldn’t help it. I thought you were gone for over ten years…’
The man Licht was merely there to comfort her gently. Even in weakness, he could protect her. Sweet words like “It’s not your fault,”
“…”
Warmly healed a part of her wounds.
Rather than judging her life-saving acts or strength, these things approached Pina positively. She had expected him to scold her.
‘You could have blamed me more, Licht.’
But there was none of that. She could’ve almost died against the Magic Hat. She didn’t know what method he had used to recover, but,
The strongest Demon King she had seen appeared without a scratch at all; that was even suspicious. He might have healed at the cost of his life.
‘Good little liar.’
A person who always piled up lies and built walls to solve things alone. That sort of person was one she truly disliked,
‘..But Licht is different.’
In Pina’s heart, the black knight was evaluated differently. She eventually realized that he had worked hard for her and the hero party.
Gently examining the Queen of Hearts he had handed her, her golden eyes moved slowly. A small fire burned in the study.
‘..If I catch the Magic Hat, mother would go back to normal.’
In that space was a silver-haired girl. Remembering what she had asked Laplace and the sage, she sighed in relief.
‘Thinking back… This wasn’t the first lie, was it? Licht.’
This time, Pina reflected on Licht from their first meeting.
He was someone she had never imagined.
When she heard the Holy Hero came from a small village, she asked her servant Dijur to check if he could match her in combat.
However, Kainel’s skill was below her expectations, and just when she was disappointed and trying to lose interest, she heard his name.
‘..Licht.’
She learned about the strange man wearing the black knight’s helmet. The Shadow Wolf, a grade-five monster, had a tendency to sneak into shadows, often catching even strong foes off-guard.
She learned through books that one needed to be wary of darkness extinguishing, and weak points were in its two eyes.
‘It’s only natural that Licht defeated a Shadow Wolf so easily.’
Knowing the weaknesses of hard-to-deal-with creatures meant he had the skill to match.
So she headed to the Academy. A place she had always wanted to visit.
She thought she could become stronger there, even wearing Masterpiece-grade glass armor to attend school. She wanted to avoid drawing threats from the Magic Hat or being recognized as a princess.
Later, while applying to join the Magic Club, she saw through Licht’s lies.
It was when he was explaining the theory of 3D Magic Circles.
“Licht, where did you hear this theory from?”
“I thought of it myself. Since I can’t use magic, I find it fascinating.”
What a contradictory person. She wished he wouldn’t tell such impossible lies.
‘Even if it wasn’t me, it would be too obvious…’
His black knight’s helmet made his naiveté easy to spot, as if he was broadcasting it to the world. His voice would tremble and speed up whenever he lied; even the usually clueless Kainel picked up on it.
The same went for the Swordsmanship Exchange. At first, it genuinely seemed like he was teaching her Drake Style swordsmanship,
“I’m still thinking about it.”
He was someone who could change his words like flipping his palm.
But because his lies were so evident, he was so openly honest and immature that
“Everyone has weak moments. Mardol.”
“If you think negatively from the start, only you will get hurt.”
The worry he expressed back then during the swordsmanship training.
“I’m fine, Mr. Mardol. It’s not your fault.”
“Thank you for fighting till the end.”
The heartfelt conversations they had at the Grancia Empire bakery felt genuinely uplifting and warm, as if they were all truthful.
‘There really is a kind Demon King…’
It was oddly pleasant to her. She didn’t need to discern lies, and even though she had known she was a princess long ago, he didn’t treat her with special favoritism.
‘..Do I truly know him well?’
Pina suddenly pondered. The man Licht understood her well. Wearing glass armor, he possessed a body similar to that of a heavy-armored knight.
To be honest, she read fear in his eyes, but even with physical contact, he merely awkwardly smiled.
She felt a peculiar curiosity about what kind of reaction he’d have if she took off the glass armor, but again, her wolf ears and tail drooped.
‘Not yet… That’s still a no.’
This time in the endless monster forest, her people almost fell victim to the Magic Hat for the second time. Remembering the past, she found it hard to breathe.
“Ugh..”
Clutching her chest, she complained of pain. The mad magician had killed her mother and all the maids she was close to.
She fought to the end because she never wanted to see such sights again.
She couldn’t have stayed idle, just like Licht had said, she protected despite her weakness back then.
“…”
Would she have mustered the courage to fight the Magic Hat if that man hadn’t told her those words?
No. She endeavored to defend the hero party, hoping that even in weakness, she could protect them.
Perhaps thanks to the encouragement she received yesterday, she still couldn’t accept the black knight’s words that it wasn’t her fault,
‘It is my fault, Licht… I’m still weak.’
Pina clenched her fists. Once more, her ears and tail regained their vigor. She finally managed to gather her thoughts and sighed.
“..Is Licht wanting the Dragon Heart in the yearly exam?”
She wanted to repay him somehow. She hadn’t told her father yet, fearing he might faint from the shock.
‘Since he couldn’t use magic… Perhaps that’s so?’
She wanted to prepare something for the black knight who saved her mother. Such feelings began to fill her empty glass-like heart.
‘..Huh?’
What was the reason behind these thoughts? Questioning herself, she noticed her unusual act.
‘It’s not just because he saved my life. It’s closer to curiosity… Ah.’
Like someone’s habit, Pina found herself resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought. How much time had passed?
“I… I want to know him…”
Pina slowly opened her golden eyes that she had kept closed.
“…I want to know him more.”
She was surprised by the words that slipped out unbidden, covering her mouth with her hand.
