In her room at the Imperial Palace, Pina Grancia sighed.
“What on earth did he find out…?”
As she took off her helmet, she tilted her head in confusion. How did Licht see through the Masterpiece?
“Guess he has good eyes like me.”
Placing her hand on her chest, she released her glass armor, revealing her long white hair cascading down to her waist, with wolf ears and a tail poking out.
She looked in the mirror at her reflection. Her height had shrunk, and her figure had become smaller. The only thing left were her sorrowful, wolf-like golden eyes.
“It’s a Masterpiece, so he shouldn’t have known about my gender…”
Since the attack of the Magic Hat, she had been hiding her identity as a woman. Because of her younger brother Rufus’s status, she also used that to deflect attention, doing everything possible to prevent the Demon King from getting involved.
“…”
As a child, she was powerless. She had to witness her mother’s death and the killing of close friends with her own eyes, unable to do anything.
“…I looked like I was scared.”
Was she afraid of women, or did she feel there was something wrong with being a princess? Licht, just now, had hurriedly asked about her gender.
Her ears and tail drooped down. He must have known she was from the royal family. Was he treating her casually by mistaking her for Rufus?
“Now that I think about it, aside from that ‘Nameless Saintess’ or whatever, it seemed like he had no relationships with women.”
Whenever Ariel and Kainel had their cute romantic moments, the man in the Black Knight helmet either took charge of the situation or stepped back completely.
As if it wasn’t his place to join, he had even called her out separately to leave.
Maybe he just didn’t like getting involved with other women.
“I really think that if you truly love someone, being able to give up that love for their sake is true love.”
She had previously said that she had someone she liked. If that was the reason he had become sensitive, she could understand.
Pina had also caused a nuisance in trying to forcibly hold hands or hug. Even pressing her ear against his chest to check if he was alive. Though she had her own reasons.
“That was true back then.”
Words she had said when asking someone to take care of the Saintess. Every word oozed with sincerity.
Anyone could see she was asking someone because she thought she couldn’t be by their side. Who in the world would be happy about that?
She had always been someone trying to do everything alone. Even when she fell to being the Demon King, she transformed into the shape of a knight clad in black armor, so she had to admit it was fitting for a Black Knight.
“…I’m a little jealous.”
Who in the world lives where that man, Licht, could concentrate such strength and techniques without showing up?
She felt jealousy, unlike herself. He was already at a level where he could create sword pressure just from the wind, a skill beyond Master Sword status, and even defeated the Magic Hat that she and Kainel couldn’t stop together.
“…Since I got my mother back, the fact that it’s a trap is also true.”
Her gaze shifted to the framed Queen of Hearts. The fact that he brought that is proof he beat the Demon King of Truth.
“Maybe he’s a hero from another world…?”
Pina recalled Licht from the last year’s exam. He handled the blonde warrior’s attack and even showed off using a new sword.
To overpower Kainel, the Hero of Light, simply didn’t make sense. The gods of this world were divided into two tiers.
“He might be weak, but… Kainel is a hero marked by the highest deity, the God of Light.”
Pina carries the bloodline of Emperor Rock, the number one among the Ten Heroes, and her mother had outstanding magical talent.
There were plenty of reasons she could be stronger than Kainel. With the help of the Masterpiece, of course.
But there’s no one like Licht who would train to Sword Master level for someone he loves. No matter how great a master he had, like Drake, one of the Ten Heroes.
“…So it really is just through effort that you can achieve that.”
He had definitely worked hard without any shortcuts. When she glanced through her good eyes, Licht really seemed like someone lacking any innate talent.
“Low mana, tangled circuits… and swinging a sword so much that there’s not a single good spot left.”
The rough hand she once held came to mind. Traces of rigorous training were evident, down to the calluses. The scars etched into his arm were definitely from a wolf.
“…Holding his hand calms me.”
This was the reason she always interlocked her fingers. Though it felt cold, it was reassuring. It felt like she wasn’t the only one trembling in anxiety to get strong anymore; she had a comrade.
“…Will I be able to win against him in the exam?”
In just a little over a month, that man had grown even stronger. She needed to grow too, clenching her fist tightly with determination.
“If I’m not number one, it’s meaningless…”
She had already lost once to the Magic Hat and once to Licht. For her, there shouldn’t be two losses.
Pina thought no further weakness could be tolerated. So she would fight him with all her might. There were things she held back in her fight against the Magic Hat, afraid of involving her surroundings.
“…I’m looking forward to it.”
Imagining fighting Licht made her heart race. He probably wouldn’t be someone she had to hold back against. Pina placed her hand on her chest to put her glass armor back on.
“I worked really hard making this back then.”
Looking at her large gauntlets reflected in the mirror, she muttered. How could that man, Licht, see through her like this?
“Can it really be covered?”
Closing her eyes, she began to reflect. She needed to check if there was anything she had missed.
*
Pina Grancia’s glass armor was an item that received slight modifications yearly. The reason it became bulky was that…
“Princess Pina, we can’t make the armor you want!”
“Why not?”
Discussions had arisen among the dwarves who originally made her armor. Dwarves with beards of various colors had told young Pina their thoughts.
“You want us to create a Masterpiece level armor that nullifies all magic while also being durable?!”
“If it’s heavy armor, maybe! But light armor is out of the question!”
“Then make it like that! Heavy armor!”
“Understood!”
The armor needed to nullify the magic of a demon king called Magic Hat just couldn’t be thin enough to perfectly fit her body.
Thus, full plate armor was made to cover her body entirely. The dwarf who claimed that more exposed armor increased defense found himself in jail for a few days.
As time passed, the reason her height and size clearly grew every time she donned armor was…
“Your chest is too big; the proportions don’t match!”
“This is an act that tarnishes the name of ‘Masterpiece’!”
“…”
Because Pina Grancia’s breasts had grown larger than any other part, the dwarves, demanding that the armor’s size be increased, locked the furnace shut, leading to…
“Make the equipment bigger! Your Majesty the Emperor!”
“Yes! Yes! This can’t go on!”
“It’s too crude! The ratio is off!”
Due to their quirky and stubborn nature, Emperor Rock had no choice but to accept. He was swayed by the argument that the armor could be made safer too.
As a result, the moment she wore her armor, her height grew similar to Licht’s, and her size expanded like a massive crystal.
“Your Highness, how shall we handle the helmet?”
“…Whatever you want.”
“You mentioned that a demon king called Magic Hat said it was a problem because it’s a woman?”
“Uh, yes.”
The Demon King of Truth had laughed chillingly, talking about killing maids. The terrifying face of Magic Hat, grinning in an incomprehensible way, flashed before her eyes.
“Let’s keep your identity hidden! Your voice! Let’s disguise it!”
“We’ll make it separately from the armor!”
“…Alright.”
“Hey kids! We got an order like that! Prepare it!”
The voice of the glass helmet buzzed, making it impossible to identify who it was, because of the behavior exhibited by the Demon King of Truth when she was attacked.
“With this, you will be safe! I swear on the name of the unmoving mountain!”
All the detailed considerations concluded as the sounds of hammering and grinding filled the air, signifying the production of the armor she would wear.
These three factors combined meant that no matter how much detection there was or any other magic used, no one should have known Pina’s gender or face.
*
The white, glass-like shining armor looked like walking crystal. If someone saw her now, they might call her a glass knight or a white knight.
Pina slowly opened her eyes. There shouldn’t have been any flaws in the dwarves’ design, so could Rufus have made contact and figured out her identity?
After all, he knew her mother was Bellin Grancia. The only remaining possibility was that, and if he mistook her for himself, then it was only natural for him to react that way.
“Hmm.”
At that moment, Pina slightly held her breath in anguish. Once again out of her armor, she looked over her body in the mirror.
“…Lately, my chest area feels so constricting.”
Wearing the armor made her acutely aware of the pressure pressing against her chest, which she tried to ignore but failed. It felt like it was growing more and more lately,
“Will it get in the way when I fight Licht…?”
Having undergone her coming-of-age ceremony last year, she thought this was the end of her growth, but that was a mistake. It was the moment she began to loathe the fat inflating like ripe fruit.
The alluring curvy line. Surely some of the other male academy students would throw her flirtatious glances if they saw her. This was also one of the reasons she hid her gender.
“When in the world will this stop growing…”
She bit her lip. She was larger than Ariel, known for her beauty as an elf, and while attending the academy, she hadn’t seen anyone larger than herself.
Worried that someone might think it superficial if they saw this part, she sighed and donned the glass helmet she had placed beside her.
