*
The morning of the academy dawned again. I stared at the transparent status window in front of me while attending the first class.
[카이넬♡아리엘 35% ‘NEW!’]
Feeling sick like a bedridden chicken from a hangover, I pondered: isn’t something strange about this?
“Did my affection level increase just from buying food?”
It counts affection even when I’m not looking at it. It was the same after my showdown with the Magic Hat last time.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure if this was even working. The “penalty” hadn’t changed from ‘?? (translating error)’. As my worries stacked up, I propped my chin and looked ahead.
“…So, gentlemen, the three basic elements of magic are mana, circuit, and incantation.”
A blue-haired man was drawing three circles on the board, resembling a Venn diagram. It was Dennis conducting the lecture.
“Magic is a discipline that defies the physical laws of the world. It’s overseen by the God of Wisdom, Akasha. Now, Mardol student.”
Stopping in the middle of something he was writing, Dennis threw a question toward the glass knight.
“Can you tell us what the other gods are responsible for?”
“Tardun is in charge of swordsmanship, Pantoze of spirit magic, and Jisheer of divine power.”
“Correct.”
After hearing the answer, he resumed writing on the board, underlining what each god was responsible for.
“Though there are two higher gods above, they are reserved and…”
I glanced at the four sculptures around me. That seemed pretty accurate. Drake also mentioned Tardun’s name before leaving for the group project.
“Laplace also mentioned Akasha’s name during the entrance ceremony.”
In the setting guide I had seen before possessing this body, I hadn’t known their names accurately, but now anyone could just stop a passerby on the street and find out how famous they were.
A world composed of magic, swordsmanship, divine power, and spirit magic. That is the world of the [Night Heart Trilogy] game, after all. Makes sense, I guess.
“…Licht.”
“What is it?”
“Do you want to see my notes?”
Seeing the glass knight unable to focus with arms crossed, Mardol next to me struck up a conversation.
“It’s fine.”
“…Okay.”
Licht slumped his head down. Seeing that made my heart feel a tug. If he’s that gloomy, it makes me look like the bad guy.
“Never mind. Just show me a peek. I missed the explanation you just gave.”
After the drinking party, our relationship had become a bit more comfortable. The misunderstanding about being the Crown Prince was cleared up, and he didn’t seem to be going for a reverse harem.
“You can start from this page. Licht.”
“Thank you, Mardol.”
Since we recognized each other’s strengths after clashing swords in the year-end exam, we had become friendly rivals.
‘Not removing his helmet makes him feel like a real male friend.’
Besides, she was too kind and innocent to just push away because she was a girl. She was also the first person to notice my wounds and care about them since the Saintess. That alone was quite comforting.
“Your handwriting is round and cute.”
“…Ah. Yeah. Is it?”
“Mardol? What’s wrong?”
“Ah… never mind.”
I had just blurted out a compliment out of gratitude. She once again lowered her head in response. Maybe my encouragement didn’t help much.
“Licht likes cute handwriting… do you?”
“I’m just envious since I have terrible handwriting.”
“Then I win.”
She still had that competitive spirit, huh? I felt a little sure that there wouldn’t be a love line between me and her.
‘Nothing like that happens between rivals in games. Definitely not.’
Unaware of the flash in Mardol’s eyes as she stared at my hand, I copied her notes.
*
Pina Grancia was staring intently at a man’s hand.
‘Those veins are really prominent. Licht.’
Having good vision, she instantly recognized it as a result of years of training wielding a sword.
A badge of honor, a mark of hard work. Without realizing it, Pina swallowed hard inside her glass helmet.
“…What’s wrong?”
“Ah, no. I wasn’t looking at your hand at all.”
“Huh? Is something on my hand?”
Recently, whenever she looked at Licht, she felt a strange sensation. Her gaze kept drifting and an odd feeling tickled her.
‘…Is my handwriting cute to him?’
Glancing at the completely opposite man’s writing, she fidgeted with her finger on the notebook. An impulse suddenly surged within her to touch that vein.
“Mardol, I don’t think we learned this part…”
“Ah, that, I added some content I know in advance.”
“I see. So this is how you twist the magic circuit.”
Then, suddenly startled by the voice of a black knight wearing a helmet, she spoke hurriedly, unlike her usual self. A ridiculously long sentence.
‘Why am I acting so weird these days?’
Maybe it was because Licht was the most comfortable person to face.
Someone strong like her, knowing her story related to the Demon King, and understanding her.
A comfortable support to lean on.
‘Is it just gratitude… just gratitude?’
As she gazed into his soft brown eyes, she thought about how he resembled a creature she’d read about in a book before—like a hedgehog with needles.
“All copied down. Thank you so much.”
“D-Did I help?”
“Of course, Mardol. I’ll get you a drink on the terrace later.”
Isn’t he now like a completely tame black puppy? Remembering Licht’s spirit from before, Kkamang, with fluffy, soft fur.
‘Then, is Licht’s hair… soft too?’
Pina imagined the man behind the helmet and, triggered by that sudden question, her white tail shot up high within her armor.
*
At that moment, in a count’s house in the Grancia Empire, once known as the land of water, a man and a woman were sitting facing each other in the reception room.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Nothing much, you wish to engage with Nex Aureus, don’t you?”
The young lady, sipping her Earl Grey, froze at those words. Her intentions had been laid bare to her surprise.
“How do you know…?”
“This old man was at the social club.”
A gentleman with monocles and a mask smiled at the black-haired woman in front of him. Head Ake spoke.
“Lady Aqua. I hear you control orca spirits.”
“…Get to the point.”
A striking woman with black hair reminiscent of an orca’s appearance, who had previously thrown a glass at Nex at the club, demanded.
“It’s nothing much. Just use your spirit magic, and I’ll help you finalize your engagement with Nex.”
“That’s it? You seem to have ulterior motives.”
“As expected, right on the mark, Lady.”
Noticing a strange sense of danger, Aqua responded aggressively. Head coughed slightly and pulled out a book from his pocket.
“All you need to do is impede Professor Dennis at the Grand Hertz Academy.”
“…Against the Ten Heroes? There’s no way I could do that.”
“If you find all the fragments of the legendary treasure from your family, then it should be possible. Am I wrong?”
“Then the person who told me the location…?!”
At that moment, Aqua’s eyes narrowed. As she stood up, water splashed around her. The salty scent of the sea tickled Head’s nose.
“Is it fun to become a lady of a fallen house overnight thanks to my scheming, Lady?”
“…Who are you?”
“Me? Just a common name.”
A massive orca loomed from the floor, threatening to swallow Head whole, yet his expression remained unfazed.
“Head Ake. Demon King of All Knowledge, at your service, my lady.”
“…”
“I’m not asking you to kill anyone. Just submerge them in sufficient water to dilute their drinks.”
The reason Aqua’s family had risen again was thanks to a treasure revealed by a mysterious guest who came in the past. Feeling like she had been caught in his schemes right from the start, she gazed at the man in front of her with a shiver.
“…Orca, bite him!”
As soon as she heard the Demon King’s name, she used her spirit magic to attack him, but something felt off. The orca was just lying there, not moving a muscle.
“…Huh?”
“Not going as expected, my lady?”
“Why isn’t Orca listening to me?”
“Orca… Orca, that was surely its name. But what a shame.”
Gently stroking the head of the black orca peeking out of the water, he spoke. The spirit’s eyes were dull and without focus.
“This child no longer holds such a name.”
“…Huh? What is that orca… It was definitely… definitely precious…”
Feeling dizzy, Aqua staggered. She tried to recall the name of the spirit in front of her but failed repeatedly.
“…Everyone has their headaches, Aqua My Lady.”
“Is my name… Aqua?”
“Not sure, but perhaps they would know better than you.”
As the man put down the teacup, the woman in front of him began to sink further into the abyss of forgetfulness, losing her very name.
“Miss!! Where are you!! Lady Aqua!!”
Even the servants hurriedly moving around the reception room failed to detect either Head or Aqua. They kept passing by the woman with long black hair and the man with monocles right next to each other.
Like a train running along parallel lines, maids and butlers rushed about searching for the mistress they served.
“Why did the power of oblivion work so well, but it didn’t work on that boy, Licht, yesterday? Hmmm… No matter how I think about it, it’s puzzling.”
As he stood up pondering, after a while, the spirits vanished and Head spoke to Aqua again.
“…Will you accept my proposal? A fallen house must repay its benefactors in due course, don’t you think?”
Shaking off the water from his damp clothes, the Demon King wore a friendly smile.
