EP.101 29-2. 1%.
***
The hallway of the building where Licht was receiving treatment.
“Hasn’t our disciple woken up yet?!”
“…Drake, calm down a bit.”
Dennis, a blue-haired man with impressive white eyes, and a yellow-haired man with many scars on his face from a knife.
“The problem is that kids these days don’t grow up strong! Tsk, tsk.”
Dragonslayer Drake was sitting and looking at the tightly closed door with a worried attitude.
“So, even that great Heavenly Demon can’t fix him?!”
“…”
“Dennis! In the end, shouldn’t you have done better! You were the one by his side…!!”
Drake, who seemed dissatisfied and continued to get angry, soon turned around with a face full of anger.
“I’m sick and tired of this damn infirmary. I’m going out first!!”
The other door opened with a bang, but Dennis calmly spoke to him.
“Drake, the way out is the opposite.”
“Oh, euahaha!! I made a mistake!”
He was heading towards the scene where Phine was performing the surgery, not the exit.
“Don’t think about going to the surgery for nothing and sit here.”
“…Was I caught?”
The Grand Sword Master, who had his intentions read, made an awkward expression and plopped back down on the chair.
“…Drake.”
“Why, Dennis.”
He opened his mouth to the swordsman, thinking of something that had suddenly come to mind. A question he had always had.
“Why did you take Licht-gun as your disciple?”
When you think about it, wasn't that right? A Sword Master of the empire, for the mere reason that he was from the same town or that he didn't have mana in his body.
“..Because he had the eyes of someone who was about to die!”
“What? Licht?”
If he was going to accept him as a disciple so easily, it was less convincing that he had refused to accept the princess, Phine Gransia, as a disciple.
The eyes of someone who was about to die.
That was why Drake had said about Licht’s first impression, ‘What are you going to do with those lifeless eyes!!!’
“When I first saw him, he was almost killed surrounded by a pack of wolves!”
“Licht could have easily….”
When Dennis imagined the power that the current Dark Knight had, Drake crossed his arms and shook his head.
“No, that wasn’t the problem!”
The Dragonslayer recalled that night. He, who had visited Sprout Village after a long time, heard a sound asking for help.
“First, two people, who seemed to be a son and a father, were slightly injured and looking for someone else.”
“Licht must have saved them.”
“Yes, that damn disciple saved them!”
After hearing what the father and son were saying, he immediately ran to the forest and saw Licht surrounded by a pack of pure white wolves.
“At that time, that disciple was weak! He wasn’t as skilled as he is now, Dennis!!”
A quiet midnight. The jet-black helmet was sparkling with the moonlight, and the boy was slumped against a tree trunk.
“A guy with no strength was trying to protect people!”
A cheap-looking iron sword was stuck in one wolf, and a rough tree branch was held in the hand of the boy wearing the Dark Knight helmet, as if he was trying to swing it instead.
“…My disciple Licht doesn’t know that his own life is precious.”
Both arms were bitten and blood was scattered everywhere, and the boy was waiting for his approaching death.
He was satisfied that he had saved the father and son he had seen earlier, and he didn't even scream or beg to be saved.
“I bet it was the same this time. What madman in the world would think of winning against the Demon Lord of Omniscience!!”
After hearing Licht’s explanation five years ago that he didn't make any noise because he was afraid that the people who had escaped might come back, Drake couldn't help but feel miserable.
“He thinks he’s Roque. Really.”
“So that’s why you accepted him as a disciple. I was wondering why the stubborn old man accepted a disciple so easily.”
“Yeah, if a weak guy fights without running away and dies, it’s recklessness…. Wait.”
Dennis made an expression as if he finally understood.
“I’m not that old yet!!”
Given the nature of Dragonslayer Drake, he couldn't have left such a boy alone. He might have taken him as a disciple to change the way he thought.
“I really didn't know that he would master even my Vacuum Slash in just 5 years….”
In the meantime, he was incredibly diligent, so he had no choice but to teach him swordsmanship. The blue-haired man nodded at the explanation.
“Let’s just wait and see. That hyungnim’s ‘daughter’ is doing something.”
“What? Phine?!”
“Actually, if you exclude Licht, that person is also amazing.”
If Emperor Roque was famous for his martial prowess, his wife, Empress Bellin Gransia, was a person who was well-versed in magic.
“She’s a bloodline of Bellin.”
She didn’t participate in the war, but what she told the Emperor was very helpful.
“Then I can trust her… Hmm.”
The reason why Phine had a lot of mana from birth was also due to her mother’s genes.
A constitution that could really be said to be blessed in this world.
That she, who had Emperor Roque's tremendous strength and Empress Bellin's excellent mana sensitivity, was with Licht now.
“Dennis. Why do I feel so cold on my spine…?”
“I suddenly feel a chill. Why.”
The two of the Ten Greats felt as if the cold blade of an ax had touched the back of their necks.
***
When I came to my senses, I was in a field where I felt a sense of nostalgia.
“…Where is this?”
“Ah, knight. It’s here. Here!”
White wolf ears and tail.
Someone pure white, like a blank musical staff, called me from afar with a bright smile.
“Saintess…?”
I definitely fell after being shot after fighting the Demon Lord of Omniscience. Why am I here.
“Wait, now that I think about it, the helmet….”
I felt the touch of the wind, so when I gently touched my face, I felt a rough sensation. The Helmet of Ideals was off.
I was so surprised that I looked at my body. Below my neck, I could see the black armor I had worn in the game.
I tried to bend my fingers back to my hands, and it worked.
‘This is a dream.’
One thing was certain with this. The place I am now is my dream. It also combined the memories of when I played the game.
“Knight, you said you would learn a magic with me this time!”
It’s a daydream with the Nameless Saintess. No, where did our Phine go? This isn't really the afterlife, is it?
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“Hehe, it’s okay. Come quickly!”
First of all, I decided to go along with the Saintess's suggestion. How long has it been since I saw her? It’s been 5 years in game terms, and this is the first time I’m seeing her like this in person.
“…Knight? You feel different today?”
“It’s just your imagination.”
As I approached, the cute wolf ears were turned back as if welcoming their owner.
“Did you become more handsome…?”
“I’m not even wearing a helmet right now, Saintess.”
Damn it, even her tail is wagging wildly from side to side. It doesn't seem like it's an attack from the Apostle of Gluttony or Lust.
“That’s why I’m telling you this, Knight.”
“Aren’t you disgusted by the burn scars…?”
In fact, I had many dreams about her in the real world, so it wasn't awkward.
It sometimes happened when I stayed up late playing games and went to sleep.
“No, I’m okay with them? You silly puppy.”
My heart fluttered a little as I saw her smiling brightly even after seeing the burn scars covering my face.
“Here! Hurry and give me your hand.”
“S-Saintess?!”
When I reached out my hand without much suspicion, her pure white and slender soft palm gently went up, showing off the difference in size.
“Hehe, operation successful!”
At her initiative, a hand clasp that only lovers would do was put on. Well, it was like this with Phine in the swordsmanship training hall, so is it similar this time too?
“You clueless Knight… This way, the magic circuits will be more attached and I can use magic too!”
Ah, this time it’s the opposite. I swallowed hard in nervousness. I felt like blood was rushing to my face and it was turning red.
“Seven wills, a voice for the stars.”
Regardless, the beautiful golden eyes of the Nameless Saintess were meeting my eyes with a straight gaze.
“Magic isn’t about chanting. Knight.”
I know. I already learned it at Grand Hearts Academiia. Something that can be omitted among the three elements of magic.
“It’s about slowly facing your own intellect.”
That was the incantation. It’s amazing to hear it from the Saintess’s mouth like this.
“Hold water in your palm, with the image of not spilling it….”
She closed her eyes and showed a focused appearance. Her long eyelashes were noticeable. Women's eyelashes are pretty.
“Let there be light. 「Arcturus.」”
Like the lighting magic Merak, a sphere of light was created and emitted a faint bright light around it.
The faint light source gradually became powder and spread out, hovering around me like fireflies before disappearing like melting snow.
‘Is it fatigue recovery magic.’
I felt like my body was lighter and my fatigue was relieved. Well, I'm in a body that had gone through a battle with Head, so even this small rest was nice.
“Wow! I succeeded! Knight!”
Even if it's a dream, I'm with that Nameless Saintess. She probably doesn't know how much I suffered at the academy.
The pure white therianthrope woman was jumping up and down with joy, happy that the magic had succeeded.
“…Knight?”
I wish I could see our Phine looking that happy too. A foreign sensation was felt as the thought flashed through my mind.
“Saintess, I can’t be here.”
I immediately released her hand clasp and said my point. Perhaps it's because I was attacked by the Demon Lord, I look weak. She didn't overpower me with force.
“There is something I have to do outside.”
“Is it more important than me…?”
“Yes, someone precious to me is waiting for me.”
As my attitude suddenly changed, her ears and tail drooped as if she was sad. You're making me weak-hearted. Stop it.
“Surely, you didn’t get another woman…?!”
“…Euk.”
She's really quick to notice. No, to be exact, is it not another person? She was even starting to sob and trying to hold me back.
“Look at how you can’t answer… You’re a womanizer…”
“That’s not it. It’s just that you are precious to me….”
I tried to smooth things over somehow. In the end, I had to give up on our Saintess in order to wake up from the dream and see Phine Gransia.
“If I’m precious, can’t you give up on the person outside?”
“That’s not true love, Saintess.”
“…Huh?”
Is there no choice. I tried to hug the sulking Saintess to appease her. A small body that fit perfectly into my arms.
“Euut. Do you think I’ll forgive you if you do this…?! Ah, don’t touch my ears….”
“Calm down.”
I even stroked her head. Soft hair and wolf ears were caught in my fingers, and the faint rose scent tickled my nose.
“Huhu… Ah, that’s not it…”
Looking at her smiling brightly with an expression that had melted into my arms, I spoke calmly.
So that she can understand. Even if it’s in a dream, so that our Saintess doesn’t feel bad.
“It’s not pure love to not be able to love that person because they’re not the appearance you want.”
“So, you’re going to meet me from when I was the same age instead of me, who is older…?”
“Oh, you knew.”
She buried her face in my chest. The Nameless Saintess puffed out her cheeks as if to emphasize her sulkiness.
“Of course. You're telling me that our knight, who only knows me, has someone else who is more precious….”
The armor must be hard. She was looking up at me from below as if a cat was looking up pitifully with big eyes.
“…Who wouldn’t notice.”
“I’m sorry. Saintess.”
“Heueuk… I hate Knight… I hate Lee Soo-hyun…”
Her eyes were gradually turning red, and she was shedding small, jewel-like tears. I can't do this.
“Don’t cry. Saintess. Please…. I can’t leave if you do this…”
“..Hmph, you can’t leave until you stroke my head 300 times as a punishment.”
How strong her possessiveness was. But seeing her indirectly talk to me like this even in a dream, it seemed that Phine Gransia was really the same person as the Nameless Saintess.
‘My spirit rushed at her as soon as it saw her.’
I thought while continuing to gently stroke her hair. No matter how much I thought about it, there were too many similarities, and what Head was aiming for was Phine in the end.
‘Maybe if she was hit by the bullet of Ignorance….’
It was terrifying just imagining it. Losing all her memories or being forgotten among people, becoming an idiot like the pure white woman in my arms right now.
I squeezed my eyes shut. At that moment, I felt something soft and skin-like, and I flinched. A soft and overwhelming feeling of pressure. Could this be….
“Saintess..? T-That, the breast area is touching?”
“I’m making it touch on purpose. So you can’t run away.”
“…”
“..Bite your tongue and die, perverted wolf.”
There were about 100 times left. Could my reason really endure it? As I was singing the national anthem in my heart, I kept stroking the Saintess's head.
“Knight. No, Lee Soo
It was then. She called my name while stroking my cheek.
“Why is that? There are still 95 head strokes….”
“Hehe, I know enough about how much you love me.”
She smiled with a face that was slightly flushed from crying. With a bittersweet face that I didn’t know whether she was crying or laughing.
“Actually, I don’t have any memories from before I became a Saintess.”
“…Saintess.”
“The reason why I was able to be happy in the midst of this life was thanks to our Soo-hyun-ssi.”
She was telling me the truth one by one. Even if it’s inside my dream, it's still inside the game of <Grand Hearts Academia>.
“I have no friends or family…. I always wished and wished to the God of Light that I would have someone by my side….”
“It’s okay now. Phine.”
Everything she was saying right now must be true. If it wasn't for me, it was an accepted theory that she would have been kidnapped by Head and become a Saintess.
The Demon Lord had also talked about her in the pub in a way that suggested he knew her. Phine was also an important figure in that ‘prophecy’.
There were no inconsistencies in the story, as she became the Nameless Saintess and appeared in the original work or sequels.
“You were the one who appeared right then. Even if there’s Dennis, the Heavenly Demon, Kainel, and Ariel now….”
“…”
“..At first, I only had you, Lee Soo-hyun-ssi.”
After all, I was the only one who had cleared Magic Hat by taking the Saintess route. To her, I was like a savior.
“But Saintess. That’s the same for the you on the outside.”
“Why..? That person is a princess, and she has parents. She’s not as incompetent as me either…!”
That’s why she’s being greedy with me. After all, the empty space is bigger than the space that was there. She might be afraid of feeling that emptiness again.
“It’s the same as you right now. Phine Gransia.”
“…Huh? The same as me? We only look the same. We’re different people….”
But I had already made up my mind to accept her coddling. In the end, if I die like this, she will walk the same path.
Once again, her precious person will be murdered by the Demon Lord, and she will live like a dead person, unable to wash away her guilt. Because I had been like that.
“No, no matter what anyone says, Phine is Phine.”
“Liaaar…”
“My heart proves it. Saintess.”
Both are just equally wounded wolves. Two pure white women who have come too far to find happiness. I released the armor and took her hand and placed it in the center of my chest.
Thump. Thump.
The heart beat that was getting louder and louder.
“Did you see? It’s single-minded.”
“..It is. Amazing.”
From the beginning, my heart hadn't even budged unless it was Phine, and it didn't flutter no matter what woman I saw.
“I have to be there.”
“If Soo-hyun-ssi says that much….”
She opened her mouth after stepping away from my arms and wiping away her tears with both hands.
“I have no choice but to tell the truth that we are the same person….”
Whether she was frustrated that she had lost to her past self, she spoke with a slightly disappointed attitude.
“But I love you more than I loved myself 10 years ago…!! This won’t change…!!”
She emphasized as if to show off, sticking out her chest forward to check the Glass Knight Phine.
Looking at it like this, there's a clear difference…. I had to fold these irreverent thoughts away. As I lowered my head,
“Then Soo-hyun. When you wake up in reality, promise me just one thing.”
“Anything. Phine.”
Phine put her ear close and whispered a small and sweet whisper.
“Never cheat on me. And.. please take care of me in the future too.”
The seductive voice of a wolf that I could never forget, even in a dream.
The voice of a loved one.
“…I understand.”
As soon as I heard that, I felt my heart beating faster, and my whole body felt like it was floating.