A few days after that commotion, I was slouched in my chair, waiting for my upcoming match against Kainel in the waiting room.
Even if I lose, my instincts screamed that I had to confirm Mardol’s gender. If she’s the new heroine, she could keep our Saintess from appearing.
Thinking back, there were many strange points.
Like those oddly feminine traits, such as liking cute and sweet things like Ariel, or having small hands despite wearing heavy armor.
I thought she was really Rufus just because Nex said he was the Crown Prince. But in hindsight, she also sometimes spoke awkwardly.
Mardol didn’t call Shartines or Nex “sister” or “brother” either.
Nex probably disclosed he was a Crown Prince to conceal his identity as much as possible. Or maybe he was a bad guy who approached me knowing he was of royal blood, testing me.
After all, Mardol was someone who was obsessed with strength. She might have thought of it as her weakness.
“I can’t believe I didn’t notice such a simple fact…”
Thanks to many distractions and just thinking about our Saintess, I never considered Mardol might be a girl.
To reach the Saintess route, I had to avoid making a harem. There was just too much information diverting my thoughts that way.
“I have to make it to the finals.”
I needed to shatter the glass armor and verify if she really is Rufus’s sister. If she turns out to be a female character, I could keep my distance from now on.
I let out a long sigh. Thinking this deeply about another girl… If our Saintess knew, she’d give me a piece of her mind. Ariel was fine since she had a coupling with Kainel.
“What’s the route I’m currently on?”
Thinking that way, I needed to check how I was acting to achieve the Grand Route. In the end, I had to make an effort for the happiness of the Saintess.
I really wanted to see the wedding dress illustration. If I die without even achieving that, it’s the Creator’s fault.
In the end, to catch the Demon King, Mardol’s help was indispensable. Her physical strength was genuinely strong, and she seemed to excel over the Hero couple in magic and swordsmanship.
“… Is it the companion route with Kainel and Nex?”
If it comes to that, I could settle for just the companion route. The protagonist of [Night Heart]. Dennis would definitely not end up with a player. His only love was the Celestial Demon White Lily.
There’s no way the glass knight would end up with a player like me. Since my name hasn’t appeared on the status window, I still had a chance to get closer to our Saintess.
Ignoring the ominous sensation crawling up my spine, I stood up and headed towards the arena.
It’s only our Saintess for me. I won’t get distracted.
*
[The academic examination of Grand Hertz Academy is nearing its end!]
Laplace’s voice boomed, heating up the audience stands.
[An exhilarating semi-final between Licht, wearing a Black Knight helmet, and Kainel, with striking blonde hair! Only one of these two swordsmen will advance to the finals!]
They’re hiding the part about “Hero.” I stood quietly in the arena, gazing at the audience. The glinting glass armor reflecting sunlight stood out even from a distance.
They came to watch my match. Must be because of the companion route?
“Licht. Are you okay?”
“… I’m fine.”
The blonde warrior, who stepped forward, seemed worried about me. Maybe my distress over wandering around with our Saintess was visibly apparent.
“Alright, if you say so, I’ll believe you. There are some things in the world that are hard to talk about.”
“… Thank you.”
“I’ll definitely defeat you this time, Licht! I can’t keep relying on you forever.”
The nice smiling Light Hero spoke positively.
Seeing that, I formed a faint smile behind my helmet. Nowadays, heroes all seem to have something off about their personalities.
“If you feel like it, go ahead and try.”
They are filled with despair toward the world. The Demon Kings from the Hero Church are the same. You could allow for some corruption, but why pointlessly shove the barrel at others?
That’s definitely wrong. They should end their own faults or misfortunes there. That’s why I’m trying to take both the Grand Route and the Saintess Route.
Because of that evil Creator, she doesn’t even get a happy ending.
“Licht.”
“What is it, Kainel?”
That’s when it happened. He brandished the Holy Sword and gazed at me seriously, unlike before. It seemed he had something specific to say.
“… We’re friends, right?”
“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
I tilted my head, questioning his strange inquiry. He wasn’t someone who would say things like this. Did something change in him after the battle with the Magic Hat?
“I just felt there are so many things we don’t know about each other for us to be considered friends.”
“…”
Our clueless pup has really grown up. I wish he’d pick up on Ariel’s feelings and quickly start sweet-talking her.
“We are friends.”
“Really?”
I reassured him, noticing his unease. From [Night Heart] to [Black Heart], Kainel, we’ve shared a decade together.
“Why ask such a basic question?”
“… Right, you’re right, Licht.”
Now that he’s healed from his trauma with the Magic Hat, our Saintess won’t have to worry about returning after running away from the Demon King’s battle.
“I was worried about nothing.”
“Well, that random aspect of you is what makes you Kainel, so I’m fine with it.”
“Is that a compliment? You get all chaotic too when it concerns the White-haired Saintess.”
“… Let’s get started quickly, Kainel.”
Oops, I got hit even before the match started. The blonde hero grinned mischievously like Ariel. They say love makes you similar, but I never expected to see it here outside of Nex.
[Now, let’s begin the final match of the semi-finals!]
At that moment, the horn sounded, and both swordsmen raised their swords.
I took my stance for Void Slash immediately, releasing the wind pressure from my right hand as I did during my battle with Leon. The gust shot straight at Kainel.
“Shine Strike.”
Seeing that, he reacted and countered. A crescent-shaped blade of light flew toward me. Our attacks clashed, neutralizing each other and creating a massive gust around us.
“… Feels a bit weaker now, huh? Licht.”
“Not a chance.”
Kainel’s provocation continued. He must have realized that my swordsmanship gets affected by emotions after bringing up our Saintess, too.
He also seemed to easily detect the weaknesses of the Drake style I practiced. Aiming for physical strain, of course. I charged him with Wolf Fang.
“Your posture could use some work.”
“Ugh…!”
He needs to be focused on speed, but it was still slower than my Void Slash. Closing the distance, I used Reverse Scale Stab to whittle down his mana protection.
“Shine Strike!”
Kainel fired another light sword at me. This time, I was at a disadvantage because I had to prepare. Backing away, I took a defensive stance.
“Exactly that, Kainel.”
Scrape, scrape. My feet dragged on the ground. The power felt stronger than before, nice. A proud feeling welled up inside me.
“Seems like old techniques won’t cut it to beat you, Licht.”
“… Huh?”
Looking at the blonde warrior who maintained his smile even after being hit once, I started to wonder what he meant. What remaining moves could he possibly have?
“Shine Advance.”
In an instant, his body began to glow. A technique that allows the wielder to move at light speed by concentrating the power of the Holy Sword onto their body, how could the current Kainel…
‘Could it be that he thought he needed to grow stronger watching Ariel?’
After the match with the Magic Hat, he must’ve adopted that mindset. The conditions were already met. Surprised by the unexpected development, I let my guard down.
Light beams rushed toward me.
“Where’s that confident attitude from earlier gone! Licht!”
“Not bad… Kainel.”
Clang, clang! I struggled to fend off Kainel’s attacks, soaring like a flash, as his strikes relentlessly came at me.
Kainel still had a lot of technique, and while it wasn’t like I finished things with one attack as I did before, I was on the defensive, and if it continued this way, I would lose.
‘… Looks like I have no choice but to use it.’
I had saved it for Mardol. I had to pull out another card I was holding.
The Holy Sword should be countered by the Holy Sword. They say a fake can’t beat a genuine one, but there’s still a difference in basic effort.
“I believe in love.”
With a whoosh, it started to rain. A cobalt sword dropped above the beam of light.
“… You barely dodged, Licht. That was surprising! A summoning ability for a sword?”
“Say hello. This is my son.”
Kainel quickly dodged but the ability of this sword isn’t that simple.
While it was forged with thoughts of the Nameless Saintess, it could almost be considered my child.
Crackle, crackle. The sound echoed from Kainel’s body, and he paused for a moment, observing the falling raindrops and the blade that had fallen on him.
“Belief. Rain of Desire.”
“That’s a magnificent sword. It rains down like the rain itself, huh?”
Maybe it’s my instinct kicking in. If he’d just attacked, he would have definitely lost, but he carefully watched my movements, picking up the sword while keeping on guard.
“No. The real ability of this sword is…”
“… Huh?”
I suddenly vanished from view. Kainel turned his head in confusion, and as he spun around, I reappeared, wielding my blade.
Clang! The sound of metal clashing resonated in our ears. He noticed that! Kainel has really come a long way.
“It can transform into raindrops.”
As I spoke, I turned into droplets, merging with the rain falling down. I could freely change position and easily dodge their attacks.
“So what of that sword? If you cut me before it transforms into water, that’s it!”
“Go ahead and try.”
Panicking, he kept on attacking me with Shine Strikes. Normally, with the light speed added, it would be a formidable technique.
“… You must be able to deflect every raindrop, Kainel.”
He’s still a rookie hero. This isn’t the same as back in [Night Heart], and there’s no way I’m losing with this sword that can replace our Saintess’s tears.
Besides, Shine Advance is a brief-use technique. The duration’s already over, and his movements slowed down.
“Looks like you still don’t quite have the level for it.”
If he can’t deflect every raindrop, it would be impossible to strike me. I approached him slowly, swinging my sword from above downwards.
