In an imperial weapon shop,
“Ha ha! How about this one!”
“…Please show me something else.”
“What? This one’s no good too? Then how about this helmet…!”
A dwarf with a black beard was raising his voice at a wooden monster.
“Mardol…”
“What is it, Licht?”
Mardol looked around the display with a frown, shaking his head in disappointment.
“…My costume. Can’t we just do something simple?”
“No way.”
The dwarf and I exchanged the gear we brought back and he seemed to be pondering my costume with dissatisfaction. Maybe it’s because she’s a princess.
“Can you bring all the helmets here? Just pick the black ones.”
“Just make sure you don’t regret it! Customer!”
The dwarf let out a hearty laugh as he walked off with a box bigger than his body.
“What kind of helmet are you looking for?”
It’s not even your costume. Why are you so invested? Perhaps it seems like he has a crush on Durahan. Otherwise, there’d be no reason for him to help me pick it out.
“…Black Knight.”
Ah, you want a black helmet like the one I’m wearing. I’ll need to buy a lightweight armor set too.
“Isn’t that a bit too expensive? We need armor as well.”
“I’ll buy it for you, Licht.”
“Please don’t. Friends can’t be bought with money.”
Doing stuff like that gets you caught. I don’t need others finding out about my wealth.
I remembered Rufus, treated like a walking piggy bank in [Black Heart].
‘Must be in the genes. There are similar traits after all.’
Then that person must be a beauty as well. A black-haired, wolf-eared cutie? But that’s totally the opposite of our Saintess. Different personalities and looks.
I rested my chin on my hand, contemplating whether it’s okay to maintain such an ambiguous relationship.
‘In the end, the Grand Route ending could get tangled, and I might distance myself from our Saintess…’
This person isn’t bad at all. I could even say she’s nice. This part is frustrating.
“…Licht, what are you thinking?”
“I’m not thinking about anything?”
“…Liar.”
I sighed. Being the protagonist of [Night Heart Trilogy] means most protagonists are good people. Dennis and Kainel are no exceptions.
And since he’s the protagonist, he must have a separate love line with a character other than the player.
‘Had I known she was a girl from the start, there’d be no need to hesitate this much.’
That’s why it was better not to draw any interest in the main heroine.
I feared I wouldn’t save her again during the final battle of the sequel. One might say it’s just a game character, why worry.
‘But I owe her my life.’
Yet I was saved by the Saintess. She was my only light, shining through a world filled with darkness.
The warm feelings of the Nameless Saintess saved a life. Not even as a main, but as a side character.
Perhaps all a person needs to live is just a tiny refuge?
“…”
In a cold world like this, such things are necessary. Especially in a place swarming with Demon Kings. I finished my thoughts and looked at Mardol.
“Licht, why are you suddenly looking this way…?”
“I was thinking about you.”
“..Huh?”
Mardol Gransia.
I already learned a lot about her. Getting involved with Magic Hat, she hides her identity and wears a glass armor because of it.
She may look like a huge wooden monster right now due to her disguise, but…
“Licht. Wait a minute. Why is this real…”
If I say she’s unfortunate, it could be called unfortunate. If it’s a misfortune, then it can be called misfortune. A fated princess.
She had overflowing wealth and power, but aside from that, she was the same kind of human I was as a child.
That point kept bothering me. She must have struggled without a place to lean on. I did too.
“I’m just a bit worried about Mardol.”
“..Why?”
“Because she resembles someone I know.”
A bitter smile formed. It could just be a wild speculation, a self-imposed comfort. Feel free to call me a hypocrite, or see it as cheap sympathy; I didn’t care.
“Another one of them?”
“No. Not at all.”
“..Licht.”
I now understand that for a person to be saved, it doesn’t require tremendous sacrifice or effort. The deeds of that pure white woman.
“I hope Mardol opens her heart to someone other than me.”
“…”
Just a single phrase.
A single warm word can be a great help to someone.
‘It’s better to overcome trauma to a certain extent, and keeping her close as a comrade is the best.’
Moreover, pushing her away now could lead to something serious. Knocking out a heroine with a backstory? That’s likely to trigger a Corruption Route or take a bad turn.
‘Mardol could really confine me in the palace’s basement.’
Or we might end up as adversaries. Considering everything that’s happened, that was a very real possibility. A shiver ran down my spine.
“I’m still too weak.. can’t do it. Licht.”
As I wondered about Mardol, her eyes shaking as if something was broken.
“Here! All the helmets I asked for!”
The dwarf waddled over carrying a box bigger than himself and slammed it down with a thud.
“..Hmm. Good.”
“Wow, that’s a lot? I thought black helmets would be rare.”
“What do you think of our dwarf’s craftsmanship! This is easy!”
The pile of black helmets looked like dozens. Mardol carefully inspected them, rotating each to see if they suited me.
“…It needs to be uglier than the one I’m wearing. Disqualified.”
That’s a very strange standard, Mardol. While rummaging through the box, I found a rough-colored helmet at hand.
“Oh, customer! You’ve got an eye! That’s our most popular item!”
“…I think this might be good.”
“I should’ve noticed it when you were wearing that helmet!”
Then the dwarf came at me with bizarre words. ‘That helmet’? Are you talking about the special one I’m wearing? I pointed to my helmet with my hand.
“Are you referring to this…?”
“Yeah, that! It seems to have water breathing too! Where did you get such equipment!”
“..I got it by luck.”
I got it from defeating the global first kill boss. I thought there’d be something special about the Magic Hat. Dwarves really have a knack for spotting things.
“It looks like it was made by our ‘Mountain That Doesn’t Move.’ You can see his unique wave patterns!”
“Then this is from the Ten Heroes…?”
“No, I just made it look similar! It just looks luxurious!”
So the gear I’m wearing is at least a masterpiece on par with Mardol’s. But what does that matter? It’s bound like a cursed item so I can’t take it off.
Even in this game, there are plenty of high-grade items with terrible performance.
‘Maybe the extra ability is in the Status Window…’
It could be that wearing this helmet allows me to see the Status Window.
It’s a power unique to me in this world. That’s the closest hypothesis I could think of.
‘If only it was a Holy Sword instead.’
I sighed. To confront the Demon King, a sword would be more effective than this helmet. That’s why I even imagined a fake Holy Sword in my mind.
“Let’s go with this.”
“…I think so too. Mardol.”
Suddenly, as I was pondering something that didn’t quite sit right, she nodded while staring intently at the helmet I was holding.
“That’s going to be quite expensive. Are you okay with your finances?”
“I don’t care. Do you have armor?”
“Of course! That’s a good choice!”
She pulled out something glimmering golden. The empire’s coins adorned with wolf motifs. I couldn’t believe my own eyes.
“Mardol, wait a minute!”
“Quickly, let’s check out.”
“Ha ha ha! You two seem to get along very well!”
Not at all. It’s more like we’re rivals or comrades, like a business relationship.
I reached out to stop Mardol, but she blocked me with one hand instead.
The strength of the wolf king. I was so flustered, I lost track of my thoughts. Why? Didn’t I clear all the flags?
“Sure is expensive, never met someone who’d buy armor with this!”
“…Looks luxurious, but it’s ugly.”
“Exactly! This is more for decoration, not for battle! So it’s gotta be ugly!”
Though it was close to harsh criticism, the dwarf smiled widely as soon as he saw the gold coins. Dwarves really do fit the term quirky.
“Mardol, I really don’t need this kindness.”
“It’s fine. Licht. I wanted to do this.”
It felt burdensome for her to give this much, and before I knew it, Mardol had quickly brought over a black armor piece and stood next to me.
“Come on, try it on.”
“…Understood.”
Mardol’s assertiveness meant I had no choice but to become a fully armored Black Knight before heading to the club room.
“Yeah, just as I imagined.”
“…”
From head to toe, the Black Knight stared back at me in the mirror.
It looked similar to the one during the glitch in the Corruption Route, but this combination matched better with the helmet I wore.
“You have a good eye.”
“Yeah. Licht, how did you know?”
Mardol’s shining golden wolf eyes curved like a crescent moon, looking pleased.
*
I only intended to buy materials, but I inadvertently came out fully dressed for a costume.
“…I wonder how Kainel will react when we get back to the clubroom.”
“He’ll probably be shocked.”
I, a Durahan holding a Black Knight helmet, while on the other side is the forest guardian Kuer.
In a way, we were both protectors of something. A wooden monster guarding the forest, and a knight sacrificing for someone.
“…Awww. Ugh.”
“That’s not how Kuer cries.”
At that moment. Mardol, curling her hands like branches and howling like a wolf, a member of the Inrang tribe. It’s terrifying. Someone keeps overlapping in my mind. This shouldn’t be happening.
“Well then, growl…? ”
“That’s not it, is it? Gruuurr.”
There’s a saying that blood is thicker than water. Since Rufus showed similarities to our Saintess, is that inference correct? I mimicked Kuer’s sound.
“…Huh? Mardol, wait…”
As I got caught up in memories of the past, something unusual caught my eye.
“Teehee!!”
I saw a carriage speeding through the middle of the empire, almost hitting a child. I dashed forward using Wolf Fang.
Clang! The newly bought helmet fell to the ground before I could even lift it, and I blocked the path in front of a child wearing a magician’s hat.
The startled driver pulled the reins to stop the horses, but it was too late. Dust rose to prove the speed that could not be halted.
‘Was it too late…?’
A child sitting on the ground and crying. I left my black helmet behind and had no way out. It was too close to try to scoop them up. Would I get crushed like this?
If I get hit first, I’ll be badly hurt, but I only hope this child won’t end up with a serious injury.
“..Be careful. Licht.”
Just then, Mardol lifted both me and the child into the air with magic. The carriage passed under a transparent glass floor.
“Thank you, Mardol.”
Thanks to the ground beneath us rising like a flying carpet, no one got hurt and the situation seemed to settle down.
“..Dad?”
“What?”
The black-haired girl I had just saved looked at me and said something strange.
“Black Knight armor..! It’s definitely you, Dad!”
I am, and always will be, a no-dates solo.
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