In the empire, places selling wood were common.
Emperor Rock’s original job was a Woodsman, so his influence had to be strong.
“Come on in! Knights!”
As Mardol and I stepped into a shop, a man with bear ears appeared inside. “Nice to meet you, Druid.”
Seeing the vines growing around, it must be a Druid shop. He was watering flowers and trees.
“..Hello.”
At least it was better than when I first saw Mardol. Normally, she would have just bowed without a word.
She talks casually to Kainel and Ariel, but formally to someone older than her.
‘I thought she’d look down on me because she’s a princess.’
She probably has to hide her identity. You’re having a tough time too, Mardol. I nodded lightly, understanding her situation.
“..What’s up? Licht..?”
“Nothing. Ah, do you happen to have any oak branches?”
As I was thinking this, the glass knight turned toward me, his golden eyes shining. I asked the Druid a question to change the subject.
“Of course! What do you need them for?”
“I want to use them for a Kuer costume, but not me, this one.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I pointed at the glass knight in heavy armor. The man squinted and started calculating the price.
“Hm, definitely… a Kuer should work!”
“I think so too. It’s certainly big.”
“…”
“Then I’ll get some branches and dirt! Knights, please wait a moment!”
After finishing his sentence, the Druid entered what looked like a storage area. Now, only Mardol and I were left in the shop.
‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I heard someone call me ‘Knights.’’
Today’s nostalgic feeling lingered in my body. It was a nickname the Nameless Saintess often used for my character.
Then…
“..Licht.”
Tap, the armored elbow of the glass knight lightly nudged my side. Why is he suddenly doing this? He seemed to be looking down at the ground, looking gloomy.
“..You’re bad. Pervert. Licht.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I thought you wouldn’t tell anyone…”
Ah, could it be because I said it’s big? I just meant tall or strong. It seems I’ve caused a misunderstanding. I quickly waved my hands to deny it.
“I just said it’s big like Kuer.”
“…”
“Mardol?”
Thud. Now it shifted from a light tap to a thud. The glass knight tapped my back with both hands like a baseball bat. It wasn’t painful, though it was firm.
“Not big, Licht. Fool…”
Looks like he’s being considerate because he’s strong. If he had hit me with full force, my ribs would have broken. I felt a bit chilled.
‘Looks like this is a choice that decreases favorability.’
Seeing him react this way, I was actually relieved. With the rhythm of his taps, I breathed a sigh of relief.
He’s not the tsundere character like Ariel, and he’s just misunderstanding things, so I’ll let him be.
“Knights! Thank you for waiting!”
How much silent pressure did Mardol send my way?
“To make your costume more realistic, I specially brought not just any oak, but Kuer branches!”
“Oh, thank you.”
The shopkeeper knows a thing or two. The Druid came back to us, showing the items, and I smiled satisfactorily from inside my helmet.
“Oh dear, thank you! Come again, Knights!”
I took out some silver coins from my pocket to pay. Mardol attempted to pay, but I jumped in first.
“Ah, I’ll cover it…”
“It’s fine. Mardol.”
No way would anything suspicious resembling a debt bill come my way. It’d feel a bit awkward to keep receiving like this anyway.
“Mardol, you’ve bought all the materials, so now it’s just me buying my helmet.”
As I turned to leave towards the clubroom after only needing to buy the knight’s helmet,
“Hey, Licht.”
A buzzing voice from the side pulled at my ankle.
“..Can you help me?”
“What’s going on, Mardol?”
Is fame also an event? It’s usually good to ask for help, right?
I paused. To rescue our Saintess, the protagonist’s help is essential. It’s better not to miss this event if I want to go on a companion route.
‘There’s no way I’m raising favorability at a place selling wood.’
Probably, it would be fine. It’s not a meal date like last time. I know even someone with no experience in romance realizes that this doesn’t count as a date.
“Help me with my costume.”
I couldn’t refuse the princess’s request, fearing the guards would come out. I nodded and agreed, knowing she’s a girl now. I just need to be careful.
*
In a corner of the shop, Licht and Pina faced each other.
“..Do we really have to do this here? Mardol?”
“Yep, Licht.”
She wanted to be alone a bit more with the armored man. She was slightly annoyed by his earlier behavior and thought,
‘It’s nice not having to pay attention to any extra details.’
Licht was a comforting presence, and without her realizing it, her emotions started to slip out.
“Well, it’s hard to do it alone, so I’ll help you.”
The clueless man always acted like this, coming two steps closer while still,
“I’ll buy my helmet quickly.”
Yet he would take a step back again. Their distances felt like they were parallel and just out of reach, but
“Thank you, Licht.”
Pina didn’t dislike him. He was considerate towards her in heavy armor, and he was so clumsy that even his lies were obvious.
“It’s nothing special.”
Emotions might be symbolized as a gentle brown-eyed knight represented by a soft black puppy.
He began to gather dirt with his hands and layer it onto her armor. His hands were tough and rugged from holding swords for a long time. Then…
“..Mardol?”
“Ah, um.”
“Is something wrong?”
“…”
She flinched. Every time the rough man’s hands touched the glass armor, she was startled.
“Is the dirt cold?”
“..Yeah, a bit cold.”
Unintentionally, Pina Grancia lied. Licht’s hands were cold. It hadn’t been that way before; why is it like this now? He was just layering dirt onto her armor.
‘Why am I reacting like this?’
She tried to calm her shaking body by catching her breath.
“I’ll warm it up a bit with my hands.”
“..Thank you, Licht.”
Watching Licht knead the cold dirt to warm it gave her a strange sense of appreciation.
“Is it okay now?”
“Yeah, it’s okay…”
In reality, she wasn’t calmed down at all. How much time had passed?
‘Only now has my tension settled.’
When his touch finally stopped, she could finally take a breath. Her shoulders dropped, and the tension melted away.
“If we attach branches here…”
She thought, ‘It must’ve been Licht tickling me, or maybe I was startled by his sudden touch.’
Because of that, she started to dislike the brown-eyed man who glanced at her armor everywhere.
‘..Pervert. My father was right about men being wolves.’
Pina puffed her cheeks within her glass helmet.
If she later invites him to the royal palace, she would have to warn the maids.
“It’s done. Take a look.”
Before long, that thought faded away.
“…”
“Why are you like this again?”
“This isn’t… cute at all… Licht.”
Looking in the mirror at the tree monster costume Licht had made, she saw her armor transformed into something terrifying.
“It’s supposed to be a Kuer costume, so it can’t be cute.”
The man with the black knight’s helmet reproached her. It’s an experience meant to be scary, so how could it be anything but that? But there’s a limit to everything.
“..I’m not feeling well.”
Pina squatted down right there. Her current appearance would scare any child passing by and make them cry.
“Uh, wait a second! Just hold on!! Mardol!”
“Licht..?”
Footsteps echoed loudly several times. Seeing her gloomy while in costume, the man dashed somewhere. Pina felt puzzled by his reaction.
“Mardol. How does this look?”
Moments later, a sweating Licht returned to her side.
“..Oh? Flowers..?”
“They may be dried, but to enhance the scary vibe, please hold on a moment.”
Dried flowers. Where did he get those from? He decorated the dull branches with colorful dried petals like flowers blooming in spring.
“..It’s pretty.”
The colors splashed across her armor. She felt that Licht had quite the eye for details.
In that moment, Pina felt a sense of unease. There were no flowers famous as the empire’s national flower.
‘Oh, roses are missing.’
Even while wondering if he’s still thinking of the Nameless Saintess, she noticed that none of the flowers he brought had roses. They must have sold out.
‘..Mana roses too; it’s a bit envious.’
What kind of relationship might they have? It seemed he became a Sword Master just for a person he liked, so
‘A lover..? No, that seems unlikely.’
Watching Licht’s hands decorate with flowers, she studied the emotions behind his eyes.
“It’s done. And additionally….”
From the start, Licht was trying his best not to touch any inappropriate areas. It was okay since it’s armor, but he was meticulous.
As she felt a touch of jealousy, Licht pulled out something glimmering.
“It’s a little doll.”
“..Fox Slime.”
“Yes, this was what we got together last time. Thank you back then.”
A tiny doll, only the size of a finger joint, connected by a metal ring. She noticed that the man with the black knight’s helmet had a somehow sad look in his eyes.
“..Licht. Are you sad?”
“Me? Why would I be..?”
“You look that way.”
“I’m not sad at all, Mardol.”
Another lie. His words were awkward from the start. Why ask if she looked sad? His denial came first and felt like a slip-up.
“..Dolls fit perfectly for a scary vibe.”
“Licht.”
“Even if it’s cute, people wouldn’t pay much attention because it’s small anyway.”
“…”
He awkwardly tried to change the subject. Looking at the shimmering dolls made her feel angry for some reason. It was probably because of that Saintess.
‘..I don’t think they’ve met.’
Licht didn’t show up after trying to fight the Demon King to the death, and the exam results left him embarrassingly in second place, making him grab Mana Rose.
‘Perhaps… there’s a reason he’s told to take care of her.’
Pina recalled what Licht had said last time.
That kind of longing wouldn’t show in their meeting. Even without her good eyes, it was obvious from Licht’s gestures that he was longing desperately.
“..Cheer up.”
Pina knew not to say only comforting words, but that’s all she could do right now.
“Thank you for your support, Mardol.”
The glass knight’s vacant gaze looked emptier than ever.
