Chapter 17: 5-3. Spirits Reflect Human Emotions
***
After Drake’s class, Mardol ran off somewhere.
Leaving behind Kainel’s group, who were exhausted from the mountain climbing, she had somewhere she needed to be.
─Creak.
A dark and seemingly empty place.
A cathedral in a corner of Grand Hearts Academia.
As she opened the door and entered, she saw someone’s red eyes glowing.
“Phine! You came!”
“Char unnie.”
“Oh my! You should have come sooner!”
“Sorry.”
The vampire saintess hugged Phine tightly.
Then, the glass knight flinched in surprise. Wolf ears twitched inside the helmet.
“Presence. No good.”
“Why? It’s okay. There’s no one else in this cathedral but me!”
“One person, there.”
Perhaps confused, the knight pointed a finger towards a place shrouded in darkness, her arms flapping cutely.
“Caught. Ah, I could have fooled you~”
A tiny purple flame, barely visible unless you squint.
It was Nex Aureus.
“Yo! Mar… I mean, Your Highness. Long time no see!”
“Nex oppa…?“
“Yeah, it feels like just yesterday we saw each other as the Ten Champions, and here you are, enrolled in the academy.”
“Different person, like.”
Seeing him raise his hand, Phine seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. The purple-haired man just kept smiling,
“I’ve changed quite a bit. Right, Char… Ow! Don’t hit me again!”
“Nex, you surprised our Phine!”
“…Right.”
He had once again provided Charteness with an excuse to hit him. He seemed to have no intention of fighting back, managing his expression as best as he could while enduring the holy punches.
“Ugh, still stinging. How can a vampire use holy power?”
“Then why are you a phoenix instead of a fox, Nex?”
“Probably because of my family. I want to run away from this damn house.”
“Would you like to live as a priest in our church?”
“…Maybe.”
Nex gave a hollow laugh, and the Second Saintess smiled, watching him.
“Cute.”
“Chirp!”
Looking at the spirit perched on Char’s hand, Phine, wanting to see it closer, took off her helmet.
“Oh, it really is the princess I knew.”
“Your hair has grown a lot, Phine.”
“Yeah, Char unnie.”
Pure white long hair cascaded down.
Her golden eyes widened slightly as she looked at the sparrow.
Although she rarely showed her emotions, she seemed relieved to see familiar faces after a long time.
“…Long time no see.”
Phine’s expression softened slightly.
“Your Highness is still like this because of those guys.”
“Honestly, I’m angry. They’re the ones who did wrong…”
“My fault.”
Looking at the glass knight’s armor, the two across from her sighed.
‘How did our white wolf become like this…’
At least in Char’s memory, Phine was a girl with a girlish sensibility who liked cute things, like the way she was just now, and didn’t suit heavy armor.
“It’s no use repeating myself… So, daughter of Locke. How’s school these days?”
“I’m doing okay?”
“…”
The two changed the subject. They noticed her white ears drooping.
They thought she might actually cry if her tail drooped too.
“…Lost, for the first time.”
A topic she barely managed to bring up to lighten the mood. An unexpected answer came from there.
“Phine? What did you just say?!”
“…This surprised me too.”
“Strong person, there.”
The Phine from just a moment ago was slightly gone, and her ears and tail perked up again with renewed vigor.
A sense of competitiveness, one might say.
“Who is it? Your Highness. Even so, to defeat Locke’s daughter…”
“Unique person.”
“Hmm… I’m worried you might be making the wrong friends…”
“Dog getting rained on.”
Combining these cryptic words, the purple-haired man racked his brains.
The conclusion he reached after a few minutes.
“…Could it be him? That black knight?”
“Oh, oh? That boy who resembles Phine with only his helmet on?”
“Licht, know?”
As soon as the name was spoken, her wolf ears perked up.
Seeing the change in Phine,
‘That’s strange. She’s not the type to react like this.’
The purple fox seemed to have noticed something as he recalled the morning’s events.
‘Judging by the way he belittled, he seemed to have a strong spirit.’
He didn’t seem like the type to approach Phine because of her royal bloodline or power. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have insulted Asha Aureus.
‘And he didn’t say anything to us about Mardol.’
There would be no fool who would mistake a heavily armored knight using an alias for the princess. Anyone would think he was closer to the son of the Northern Duke or the Knight Commander.
“…Your Highness, how do you know Licht?”
“Same class.”
“Is that all? Isn’t that too simple, Phine?”
“Yes, and strong.”
Fortunately, there seemed to be nothing to worry about. They knew that the princess was obsessed with strength.
“I see. He didn’t seem like a bad guy.”
“Hmm… Still, I’m a little worried. Whether he approached Phine intentionally or not. Considering he asked me if I was the saintess…”
“Licht, unique.”
“Then should I check him out? I can participate in the class as a teaching assistant.”
“How? Nex?”
He had a somewhat reliable method. A magic he had been researching alone to avoid being abandoned by his family.
“I’m going to try talking to the spirits.”
He smiled like a fox.
***
“Ugh.”
“What’s wrong, Licht?”
I was practicing swordsmanship with Kainel and watching his posture. Where did Mardol go after class?
“I feel a threat to my chastity.”
“What crazy talk…”
What a sudden chill. Is it because two routes are overlapping? Nex Aureus only had romantic relationships with the opposite sex.
‘They’ll keep each other in check.’
According to my experience, the rival route and the crown prince route…
These two cannot coexist. Even if I’m kidnapped by the Imperial family, wouldn’t Nex come to save me?
[Always grateful to Elder Nex… He’s the god of harem escape!]
The influence was strong enough for such steady posts to appear. It’s easy to derail with his help in <Knight Heart>.
“Try again. This time, a little faster.”
“Like this? It’s different from when I catch slimes.”
“For Shine Strike, focus only on speed. That’s its strength.”
*Clang!*
The sword energy made of light flew and pierced the wall.
A speed that requires full concentration to follow with your eyes.
“Good.”
“Hmm… Isn’t it supposed to have a good range? It’s light.”
“Ariel is better at that.”
“That’s true, but.”
That’s so you two can use a combination skill. Please, just get rid of those useless techniques and unleash your power.
I folded my arms and tapped my arm with my finger.
‘That’s such a cheat skill.’
Small fry brought by the Demon King? This will wipe them all out in one go. It was really convenient in the game.
Although it was difficult to learn.
“If the speed is fast, it will be difficult to avoid even with my skills.”
“Really? Are you serious, Licht?”
“I wasn’t lying.”
Actually, there are more ways to counter it, but… It’s nice to see him follow me like a puppy with just a little encouragement.
‘This is why the Kainel companion route is easier.’
This is what a true hero should be like. These days, all the so-called heroes are distrustful of humans.
“Wait, Licht. Isn’t that Mardol over there?”