“…Hold on. We’re not friends.”
“Friends…?”
“Come on, you know exchanging swordsmanship is something you only do when you mutually acknowledge each other,” Chartines said playfully.
“I didn’t know that,” I replied, caught off guard.
So that’s what it meant? I hadn’t even realized I’d triggered such a flag. It felt like being scammed on a second-hand marketplace, like buying something for the lowest price only to find out it was half off somewhere else.
To think there was information about the game I didn’t know—it was a bit shocking.
‘This is the first time I’ve ever done a mutual exchange like this.’
I had only ever learned things one-sidedly. I had no idea there was this kind of backstory behind the exchange of skills.
“My wolf has adapted so well! As Chartines, I couldn’t be happier!” she said, clearly excited.
“Stop messing around,” Mardol groaned.
“Who told you to walk around the academy wearing such scary armor, huh?” she teased, poking fun at his appearance.
“Stop, don’t do that.”
“He’s so adorable, keeping it all to myself feels like a crime!”
Chartines slid her hand between the joints of Mardol’s helmet and armor, trying to remove his helm, while Mardol squirmed to stop her. Seeing her call him a “wolf” confirmed that Mardol was indeed Lupus.
From a distance, it might look like friends playing around, but Mardol wasn’t the type of person to joke like this. He was the obsessive type, and I couldn’t help but think Chartines should be careful.
The Glass Knight and the vampire saintess—both of them were characters I had no knowledge of. I crossed one leg over the other, feeling a growing sense of unease.
‘Something feels off, like I’m missing a piece of the puzzle.’
I stopped speaking for a moment to sort through my thoughts. It felt like I was missing something crucial, just like how I hadn’t known about the swordsmanship exchange rule.
‘The second-generation saintess, whose fate was unknown, and Nex, before he turned into a complete mess.’
The gap between these two.
At this point in the game, there wasn’t even a harem yet, and from what I overheard, it seemed like Nex’s spirit had only recently awakened.
‘He was originally someone who wielded a spear while commanding his phoenix.’
His usual weapon was nowhere to be seen. What was going on? My thoughts raced as blood rushed to my head.
“Do you really like my spirit that much, Chartines?” Mardol asked.
Then, a sudden thought clicked in my mind. I slapped my knee, a realization dawning on me.
‘Spirits are born from emotions.’
This had been bothering me for a while. The Nex Aureus I remembered didn’t care for his spirit. He only used it as a weapon or shield—nothing more.
His spirit didn’t rub its cheek against someone’s hand or salute by climbing onto someone’s finger.
I had forgotten this because it wasn’t fully grown yet. His phoenix was supposed to be a majestic, regal bird.
‘Hmph, nobility doesn’t need spirits to be strong.’
In *Knight Heart*, Nex had even shown disdain for his phoenix.
That was a line he would say after winning his first battle against a rival. He didn’t even summon his spirit back then.
“Stop it,” Mardol grumbled.
“Ugh… It’s impressive, though. Dwarven craftsmanship, I guess,” Chartines remarked, still struggling to remove his helmet.
“It won’t budge, no matter how hard I try,” she added.
I watched as Chartines tried with all her might to take off Mardol’s helmet.
Her jet-black hair was reminiscent of the Orca beastwoman who was his wife in the game. That thought reminded me of something.
‘He never looked at me that way.’
I recalled a line from *Black Heart*. The duchess sat by the campfire, hurling bitter words at her husband.
‘After rejecting several marriage proposals, you suddenly accepted for no reason. You’re a despicable womanizer.’
‘The head of the family said it was because our hair color was the same. That was the only reason!’
‘He never even laid a finger on me. There was never any love during all those years of marriage…’
The duchess, with her orca-like fins, had said this with such bitterness. I had glossed over this part quickly while focusing on my saintess route.
So that’s where everything started to go wrong.
‘Was there really a love line between Nex and her?’
The realization made everything clear. Her speech patterns, the way she spoke—everything was too similar. The head of the family must have pulled some strings.
But biologically, there must have been a sense of rejection.
In the end, she was always yearning for someone else.
“I’m the second-generation saintess! Mardol, just take off your helmet already!”
“No.”
“Holy Power Punch! Holy Power Grab!”
“It won’t work.”
Even as I was lost in all these thoughts, the two of them seemed to be enjoying themselves, though it was clear they weren’t going too far. They were playing along with each other.
‘He’s not the type to be so emotional. There’s only one explanation.’
My train of thought continued, solidifying my theory of a potential romantic connection. There were still unknown variables, but I had gathered enough.
It was time to confirm my suspicions.
“Sister Chartines,” I called out.
“Huh? What is it,junior Licht?” she replied, looking at me curiously.
“What’s your relationship with… Nex Aureus?”
I needed to get this right. No more hesitations, no more regrets.
“Me and… Nex?”
Her red eyes reflected the image of my black knight’s helmet.