*
Ariel had a curiosity.
In the case of Licht, it was mentioned that he couldn’t remove his helmet, but who on earth was Mardol that he wouldn’t take off that glass armor? That’s what she pondered.
There were plenty of clues to figure out the identity.
“If even Nex oppa knows him, could he be a descendant of the Ten Heroes?”
In reality, the Ten Heroes often had close relationships. They were heroes who shared life and death during the war.
The last time she met Licht at the Swordsmanship Training Hall, she thought Licht and the glass knight were separated from each other, so they wouldn’t know each other. After all, she had never seen them speak before.
Even if Kainel was clueless, the fact that he called his direct guard when looking for Licht indicated he was someone immensely important.
In the Grancia Empire, symbolized by the wolf, if you had to name someone with that level of power, it could only be a member of the royal family. Perhaps Leon, the knight commander’s son, was the only one she had recognized from the previous match.
“Well… there’s that possibility. But…”
The only person publicly known was the Crown Prince. Rufus Grancia. But that seemed too strange to be Mardol’s identity.
He was a cute guy who liked sweet things and had the innocent emotions of a girl who liked them just like her, so in that sense, they connected quite well.
He would recommend the delicious menus from the Grancia Empire’s bakery based on what she liked, like the sweets and breads he enjoyed.
He was also such a nice guy, as if he didn’t know how the world worked.
He shared expensive candy made from sugar and honey, and even tried to buy her sandwiches. He fought valiantly for her and Kainel during the battle with the Magic Hat.
The reason she had fewer injuries was not only because Kainel protected her but also thanks to the glass knight’s help.
Because of this, even the cunning Licht seemed to be wary of Mardol to some extent, but a few days ago, when she came out of the bakery, they were seen hugging and talking.
Something felt awfully suspicious. Ariel’s red eyes turned to the distant glass knight.
Sure, guys could hug and comfort each other, but with her good instincts, she sensed something tickling her heart.
“Is he really not a girl?”
He was quite tall. But considering his hands were just as small as hers, it was odd, and it didn’t match his body proportions.
It was contradictory.
The eyes behind the helmet were also handsome. A guy could have nice eyes, but if related to hands, it seemed very suspicious, and the behavior of holding or caring for the black wolf spirit was strangely feminine.
“..Ariel? Why did you call for me?”
“Mister Helmet, have you ever thought that Mardol is suspicious?”
“I’ve thought that many times…”
Just to be sure, she kept Kainel, who had no clue, and Mardol, the person in question, away, and called Licht, who seemed talkative enough to have a conversation.
“Think about it, if he wears that armor every day and no one says anything, that’s to a suspicious degree!”
“Well, there must be a reason for it.”
“No! Mister Helmet!”
She began her reasoning, linking the reason he doesn’t take off his armor. She heard that removing it would weaken him.
At that time, she thought it was something that shouldn’t be mentioned and skipped over it, but it truly was some overpowered equipment given how it nullified all magic.
She plopped down in a chair and sighed. There were ways to aim for the gaps in the armor, but that was something Mardol would easily block.
When she saw the mixture of swordsmanship with magic during the battle with the Magic Hat, she got a grasp on the glass knight’s skills. She thought he might be as strong as Licht.
During the combat practice, Licht blew away half the forest to rank first, while Kainel, who looked the strongest she knew, ranked third.
“Mardol ranked second, and during the group project, he knocked out all the bees…”
As time passed, after the semi-final matchups were decided, her worries increased.
“If this goes on, Mardol and I will face each other today! I don’t stand a chance!”
“..I’m facing Kainel.”
“That’s that! Anyway, our Kain will win, right!?”
The red-haired elf shouted out her complaints.
“That kind of glass armor is cheating against mages! Cheating!”
No matter how much she thought, she couldn’t find a way. Seeing how he blocked all her wind magic made her fall into despair.
“..Equipment is just equipment. The user makes the difference.”
Then, a man in the black knight’s helmet, resting his chin on his hand, started pondering together with her. After some time, a new suggestion popped out of his mouth.
“How about using it against him and attacking inside the armor?”
“Oh! I hadn’t thought of that!”
Unlike Windy, the sky-blue mage, her magic was purely fire-elemental. It focused on burning the opponent and making them hot.
As she contemplated the connection to Mardol’s identity, she completely blanked on such a simple thing. Moreover, her magic right now was a series of explosions like fireworks.
“..Thanks for the advice, Mister Helmet! I’ll definitely try to get Mardol out of his armor!”
When processing glass, she also used heat. The magic that isolates the person inside the armor and turns them into a trapped rat was the most suited for this.
Ariel gave a mischievous smile like a cat.
*
“Hehe, just wait and see! Mister Helmet!”
“..What do you expect? Even if you strip him, what’s inside will…”
“About Mardol, you might learn something new!”
“Eh?!”
What was she saying? Something new? Mardol’s a boy. A Crown Prince at that. Not something she could easily brush off coming from an astute red cat.
“…”
She contemplated every possible solution. From here, a new discovery.
“Don’t tell me… Like the Magic Hat, has his gender switched?”
No way. Absolutely not. That couldn’t be. The thought that flashed through her mind stunned her.
“Ariel, what the hell are you talking about?!”
“Intuition of a woman? I guess? Whatever, that’s what it is!”
How close had she gotten to Mardol, and if there was a girl nearby, their saintess would be immensely jealous.
The indirect kiss of the tomahawk. That was the biggest problem. Even if she made excuses, her saint would really try to kill her. She could vividly picture her patting her back with both fists.
“The knight is a playboy! A lecher! Casanova! It’s clear she’d be sulking and wouldn’t talk to me for years.”
A cold sweat flowed down in the helmet. Memories of the past surged momentarily. Holding hands, hugging, swordsmanship exchanges…
“Ugh, huh!”
She couldn’t breathe. Her head was spinning. If she had thought he was a girl from the start, she would have kept her distance; there was no way this flaw happened to her.
The nickname Pure Love Black Knight could be tainted, turning into Harem Black Knight. Only those kinds of people would unconsciously keep planting flags.
Thud. She collapsed to the ground, groaning from the throbbing headache.
“Mister Helmet! Are you okay…?!”
“Wait… I feel dizzy… But why are you suddenly saying that…?”
Her hands pressed against the ground, preventing injury. Her tongue twisted like she was drunk, and her former casual way of speaking spilled out.
“Anyway, there are many things being hidden right now. Including you and me.”
“That’s true…”
She was also hiding the fact that she was a reincarnator from them. Dennis and Nex had already caught onto it somewhat, misunderstanding her as a hero.
“No matter how much it’s a game, this can’t be.”
She had overlooked the fact that the creator of [Black Heart] was a notorious villain. Seeing as the Magic Hat was a girl here, others could very well be like that too.
“What if Rufus changed gender because it was a prequel?”
It was common in games for things like using magic or misusing potions. It also fit with her other assumption that there was another real Crown Prince.
It wasn’t uncommon for a creator to make the hero into a heroine to garner fan interest. In reality, it was often seen for new love lines to be added that weren’t in the original.
“AAAAAH!!!”
“Mister Helmet, why are you suddenly doing that?!”
The clues swirling in her head kept tormenting her. Words like gentle person, precious one, etc., proliferated the doubts of ‘Could it be…?’
Just how long had she made a fuss, scratching the ground?
“Well then, I’ll take my leave! It’s time for the match!”
Ariel, who had been concernedly gazing at her for a long time, left to prepare for her semi-final match. In reality, she might have also run away because she was scared to see her like this.
“No!! That can’t be!!”
From a distance, Kainel was running toward her, surprised to see what had happened. Mardol must have already gone ahead to the arena.
There’s no way he could be a girl. No way that could ever happen. Even if the heavens split, that shouldn’t occur. How could she have lived looking at only her saintess?
Just like the male protagonists in typical rom-com manga, there’s no way she unconsciously planted flags like that.
*
[Finally, the semi-finals of the grade examination! The first match is with the red-haired elf mage, student Ariel!]
Laplace announced loudly, drawing cheers from the audience. He was among the younger crowd, which made sense, being slightly quirky.
[And the glass knight, student Mardol!]
Clunk. The moment she heard that name, her body jerked abnormally. There’s no way the person inside that armor could be a girl. Such a development was common in romance stories, but still.
“Junior Licht, are you okay?”
“Junior Licht! Your hand is shaking again.”
With Nex, Schartines, and Kainel by her side, she couldn’t let any flags spring up for her. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath as the match was about to begin.
After introductions were finished, both sides stepped out and exchanged brief salutations.
[Then, let’s begin!!]
As always, the sound of a horn rang out, signaling the start of the match.
“First, let’s see you take off that armor! Mardol!”
“What?”
Ariel’s courageous declaration echoed through the audience thanks to amplification magic. She just gritted her eyes and joined her hands, praying to the heavens that her assumption was wrong.
