Chapter 1 – The Pure-Hearted Black Knight Must Go to the Academy.
‘Grand Route.’
A system newly added in the second game, *Black Heart*.
It’s a special method of continuing the story by inheriting data from the previous game and using it in the sequel.
There were many events and choices that you wouldn’t normally encounter.
For example, if you maxed out the affection score like I did and followed the saintess’s route, you meet her right at the start of the sequel.
[Hello, lost puppy?]
Normally, you’d have to go all the way to the monastery where the saintess is and use various methods to gain her trust.
[Excuse me, have we met before? You seem familiar… somehow.]
[Oh, you’re the one who donated to the orphanage! I knew it!]
[Do you have time this evening? I’m thinking of buying a cute doll… What? No, I’m not buying it for myself! Absolutely not!]
But here, there’s no need for all that.
From the start, the nameless saintess is a rather blunt character.
She only treats people gently if she recognizes them as trustworthy.
[The hero and the mage getting married… time sure flies, doesn’t it? Don’t you remember anything about me?]
And so, in the sequel, you get to experience another happy ending over and over—that’s the ‘Grand Route.’
I still remember the advertisement that promised a new ending.
But there was a problem.
No matter how strong your character was in the previous game, you had to start from the beginning.
The only thing carried over was the ‘relationship’ with the characters from the previous game.
And if you made a single mistake, your save file was gone.
The *Black Heart* developer was a piece of work—one of the worst.
But the absolute worst part was… I ended up inside the game.
“I’ll never play *Black Heart* again. *Knight Heart*… you were right… please come back…”
I lowered my head. How could I forget that it was made by the same infamous sequel developer?
As soon as I got the email, I should have trashed it. Or reported them for fraud.
But this morning, when I woke up, there was a transparent status window floating in front of me.
[Ta-da! It’s finally time for you to go to the academy, Lee Soo-hyun!]
“What the hell is this?”
I rubbed my eyes. I wasn’t imagining it.
For the first time in a while, I felt a bit of joy from reading the developer’s words. Maybe they were about to guide me step-by-step, like a helpful tutorial fairy? I got my hopes up.
I forgot for a moment that they were the kind of people who’d throw you into a beta test without any warning.
[There’s a new system in *Grand Hearts Academia* as well!]
What now? I thought possession was the new thing after inheritance.
[It’s the heart-pounding… thump-thump~ ‘Love Meter’ system!]
[What kind of event happens when a character’s love reaches 100%? Isn’t it exciting?]
“So… this is what they mean by romance-fantasy academy?”
[Yes! Catching the Demon King and getting a normal happy ending has been done to death. By the third game, people start complaining, you know?]
Not affection, trust, or reputation…
Love meter?
[I know you hate spoilers, so that’s all I’ll say for now!]
As I stared blankly, a large window popped up right in front of my face.
The giant words “Grand Route” were displayed, followed by a long list of smaller sentences.
[Objective: Achieve the Grand Route 0/1]
[From now on, you can start linking romantic lines! Progress the romance story in the academy!]
[Just make sure to protect all the couples from the previous game! Good luck!]
[Reward: Return to the real world, Grand Route ending for the nameless saintess.]
[Failure: ???]
“…”
I stared at it for a long time.
The strange color scheme, proof that this was a game.
What the hell? Why is it pink? Why is there a heart decoration? Developer of *Black Heart*, you made this yourself, didn’t you? And why are the consequences of failure marked as ???.
Of course, if I fail, my save file will probably get wiped.
“So that’s what they meant by ‘beta tester’?! You crazy bastard!!!”
I yelled. My vision was obscured.
It was because the item I received as a reward was blocking my view. By the way, it won’t come off. I even have to wear it while eating.
“If you were going to send me to raise a love meter at an academy, you should’ve sent me right away! I thought I had to defeat the Demon King again, so I’ve been trying hard all this time!”
Since there had been no messages, I assumed I had to defend the academy from an attack.
In the first and second games, the romantic plots mostly progressed through moments of crisis. I thought that by getting the happy ending, I would achieve the Grand Route.
But it turns out that wasn’t the case? That’s why I’ve been cursing all morning.
“At least let me take off this helmet!!”
Tears blurred my vision.
“Status window!! Open status…!! Nothing’s happening!”
I spouted a dozen or so cliché commands, but all of them failed.
My cries fell on deaf ears. In the end, it was all up to the developer’s whim. I had no choice but to accept the situation.
“Hah… If it weren’t for the saintess, I wouldn’t have gotten trapped in this.”
I sighed deeply. It’s already been five years since I got stuck in this game. I almost died when I first fell into the unknown forest.
Luckily, an elderly couple with kind hearts took me in. I guess I should be grateful for becoming younger.
“Black Knight Licht.”
I had become possessed by the same character I always played in the previous games. I had been inherited into the game.
“At least let me use magic like Licht. Is it because it’s a prequel?”
I looked in the mirror. A warrior wearing a black helmet, pressed down low. Even though the armor felt unfamiliar, it was enough to call me a Black Knight.
“Surprisingly, it’s pretty comfortable.”
Well, there’s no turning back. Now that it’s come to this, I’ll show them. Do they really think I don’t know how to play a romance story? I’ve memorized even the tiniest details from the lore.
“…This time, I’m really going to see the ending. You bastards.”
Why did the saintess have to die in the second game anyway?
I hated that, so I learned all the attack patterns, pushed in every tiny bit of damage I could, and cleared the boss after 16 hours of nonstop play.
I twisted my body and barely managed to beat the game, only to find out that the ending hadn’t even been implemented.
Now that I think about it, I even ended up hooked to an IV and woke up to a “strange ceiling.” I didn’t think I’d get possessed in this way—it was all foreshadowing.
“You’ve picked the wrong person to mess with.”
I grabbed the notebook from the bookshelf. I’d written down all the information I could when I first arrived here, afraid I might forget. Right now, it was my most powerful weapon.
I dusted off the cover.
“The Cursed Dragon of Spring and Drunk Dennis… I haven’t dealt with them yet.”
*Knight Heart*, the protagonist of the first game. Blossoming love under the magnolia tree.
To save these people, I have to defeat the Demon King. For now, let’s put that on hold.
“The ability to ‘turn lights on and off without touching them’… well, that’s not something I need to worry about.”
He’s a man who became the head of the academy for the sake of his loved ones. I already know the news, so there’s no need to worry.
“The Grand Sword Master and the Sage of the Magic Tower.”
Are they both at the academy? One of them is a swordsmanship instructor, who I served as my master until a few days ago, and the other practically lived in the library.
“A healthy mind resides in a healthy body!!”
Just reading what I’d written down made it feel like I could hear his booming voice.
I’m sorry, Master Drake… I still can’t use aura as your student. No matter how hard I try, some things just don’t work.
I turned the page.
“The Northern Duke’s daughter was an Easter egg character.”
I haven’t read many romance novels, but I should’ve read more on the internet. I wonder how far my game knowledge will take me.
My gaze stopped, caught in a mix of emotions.
“…The Hero of Light and the Mage of Flames.”
The protagonists of *Black Heart*’s second game. The clueless neighbour’s dog and the shy red cat.
They made a good couple.
These jerks were actually pretty decent in the original game, except for their escape in the sequel.
It’s still the past, so I should be able to change things.
They are crucial heroes and the dumbest pair when it comes to romance, with the highest chance of failure.
“I’ll start with these childhood friends.”
Turning a friendship into a romantic relationship can be hard, but their love story is genuinely sweet.
“It looks like it’s going to be a lot of work.”
I sighed as I organized my thoughts and stopped turning the pages.
“…”
I placed my hand on my forehead. Unlike the other characters I had organized, the spot where a name should have been written remained blank.
I almost forgot.
“Who should I pair the nameless saintess with?”
The first healer to appear in *Knight Heart*.
An NPC as blank as a pure white canvas.
[Pleased to meet you.]
Her white hair fluttering, wolf ears peeking out from beneath her nun’s habit—a character who seemed like an homage to a Japanese shrine maiden.
Honestly, I started playing the game because of her.
Now, all the characters have become painful memories, but…
The reason I grew attached was clear. I loved seeing how this once cold NPC slowly opened her heart.
…And she was beautiful, too.
[Good morning. How are you feeling?]
A rare random event.
I think it was the first time I defeated the Demon King, and my character was in critical condition.
[In fairy tales, knights always protect the princess. But I prefer heroes who protect everyone.]
[You’ve worked hard today as well, Sir Black Knight.]
Her first smile.
The sunlight shone from behind her, reflecting off her hair beautifully. It was a special line for my class, whether by chance or fate.
Honestly, I picked it just because it looked cool.
From then on, all the way to *Black Heart*, I played as the Black Knight, largely because of her.
[If you wouldn’t mind… ah, would you consider speaking more formally? There will be people who aren’t afraid of you, like me, if you do.]
At one point, she even suggested that if I started speaking formally instead of casually, people wouldn’t be scared of my scars. And if they bothered me, she said she could heal them.
It was just character customization, but…
The way she expressed concern felt so real, like she was a living person with rich emotions.
That’s why I loved the original game.
[I like sweets, too. Could you give me one, Sir Knight?]
[My holy power feels a little low…]
When I was eating a candy buff item, she would sometimes ask for one. If I didn’t give her one, she would sulk all day.
And she’d adorably grumble about it.
[Sir Knight, if I don’t eat something sweet, I won’t be able to heal!]
It became a habit to buy extra candy from the shop.
Looking back, was she just a gold digger?
[Hoo-hoo, thank you. May the blessing of the gods be with you, Sir Knight.]
Those were one of the few moments when her ice-cold expression softened, making it worth it.
[If you can’t trust anyone, then I’ll be the first to believe in you.]
She encouraged me after I was betrayed on the way to the Demon King’s castle.
[Do you know the meaning of blue roses? At first, they said it was impossible. But if you don’t give up, an opportunity will come.]
When I failed too many times, her wolf ears and tail would droop noticeably more than usual.
[Even if just once, I’d like to try on a wedding dress. It’s a silly dream, isn’t it?]
‘That’s why I worked so damn hard.’
At the end of *Knight Heart*, in the final ending, the saintess could only dream about wearing a wedding dress, talking in her sleep.
She was just a supporting character.
There was no official happy ending where she got married. The closest I got was following the ‘Saintess Route.’
It was just a lighthearted nickname the users gave it.
Such a simple word.
“I was always that guy… only ever looking at that route. Thinking about it now, I kind of miss it.”
I closed my eyes. I had trusted in the ‘Grand Route’ ending. That’s why I kept playing *Black Heart*.
Maybe this time, it’ll work out. Honestly, I don’t think the developer who even managed to possess me would lie.
“Right, let’s go meet the hero and the mage first.”
There are two days left until the academy entrance ceremony.
At the very least, I have to make sure the childhood friends end up together.
“I don’t want anything else but to see our saintess happy.”
Those two were the most helpful in tackling the sequel.
They’ll be the key.
The start of a happy ending that will stretch from the past to the future.
I closed the book.
I’m ready. Now it’s time to write a new story.
A ‘Grand Route’ where she can be happy.