Chapter 26: 8-3. The Purple Phoenix and the Vampire Saintess.
If I were to explain why I know so much about the Nameless Saintess, we’d have to go back to when I first encountered *Knight Heart*.
It was a hot summer during my school days, with cicadas buzzing in the background. There was an advertisement where you could win character merchandise by buying canned drinks.
“Soda again today, Soo-hyun?”
“Yes, I’ll have that one, please.”
Back then, I always bought a specific soda brand with eight stars on it from the school snack shop. I didn’t care for bitter drinks much, anyway.
“Why don’t you try something else once in a while?”
“This one’s part of the promotion. Here’s the change.”
I still remember the shop owner making that comment. I didn’t pay much attention, though. Honestly, soda’s great, right? It’s refreshing.
“…But this isn’t what I wanted.”
While others aimed for characters like Ariel or the polymorph dragon, my goal was different.
“But I did get it in the end.”
The cold feel of steel glittered in my hand.
It was the SD keychain of the white-haired saintess with wolf ears, her expression joyful instead of her usual stoic demeanor. I was glad it wasn’t a serious expression. That keychain became one of the few items I still own from that time, even ten years later.
As a middle schooler, I had felt the limits of my finances.
“A life-size figure of the saintess, and it’s not for sale? Are you kidding me?”
When *Black Heart* was released, and I almost missed out on the exclusive merchandise, I was an adult by then and didn’t hesitate to use all the money in my bank account.
They were giving it to the player who bid the highest. That event from the infamous sequel… I still don’t like thinking about it.
[Wow, someone actually bought that. You’re a whale, I admit…]
[Not a whale, but at this point, don’t you have a saintess fetish?]
[Mooooo~~]
[Look, the cow speaks human!]
[Look at that cheap giant pile of fat…]
└[Pure Love Dark Knight: What are you talking about?? That’s the ‘one and only true partner’ here.]
└[Yeah, sure. Next time, try getting the main girl.]
└[Even in the harem, she’s just the side character. That’s a bit sad, don’t you think?]
└[Pure Love Dark Knight: (Saintess emoji holding a heart)]
What was I supposed to do? I happened to like someone with that kind of build.
“…”
In reality, she wasn’t a popular character, so I didn’t have much competition. People in the game community treated me like a madman, but I didn’t care.
“Haha… I guess it’s instant noodles for a few months.”
The giant package had arrived at my apartment, almost too large to manage, but I managed to get it into my room.
I finally met her.
“This is what she’d feel like if she were real.”
Her white hair cascaded down to her waist, and it felt surreal. I never knew hair could be that long. Her golden wolf-like eyes looked even more stunning in reality than in the game.
“She’s shorter than I am. Is that why she acted that way in the height event?”
[You’re quite tall, Knight… Lemme stretch!]
There was an exclusive event where she imagined kissing the player while measuring their height together. I could never forget her adorable attempt to lift herself on tiptoe for a kiss.
[Well, it’s done now, Knight. But with that helmet on, you looked taller than usual!]
But why was there no kiss event for her?
While enjoying the *Knight Heart Trilogy*, my room slowly filled up with white-themed merchandise, and the life-sized saintess became the centerpiece.
From head to toe, she was like a white sheet of music paper, serene and pure.
“Maybe it’s true I fell for her face.”
She had such a beautiful smile. It lifted me up whenever I was exhausted from life’s daily grind.
“I’m rooting for a happy ending in the sequel, Saintess.”
That’s what I told myself the night before I received *that* email. It felt like I was a groom about to be sent off by his bride… perhaps that’s why I got isekai’d into this world.
Anyway, that’s how sincere my feelings were. There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize my saintess.
***
“Ugh, my tongue feels numb… No way am I giving my first kiss to just anyone.”
As if a fog had lifted, my vision cleared, and I found myself standing once again in the chapel-like space, sword in hand.
A dream is a dream. Reality is reality. Even though I had blurred the line between the two, no real harm had come to me, and my tongue remained intact.
“This… heretic!”
“You shouldn’t have imitated my saintess from the start.”
I glared at Servi, who was clutching one side of her face, trying to heal herself.
“You… You dare ruin the Omniscient Hero’s prophecy!!”
“Even I can write third-rate stories.”
The Demon King might’ve made calculations through the Book of Life and Death, factoring in all kinds of lives. He may have been right in many ways, but even I can make such wild predictions.
I believe in a fate that can be overcome, not one that’s predetermined.
“Where is Charitines, senior? Where have you hidden her?”
“Do you think I’d just tell you? *Khehehe…!*”
I had let my emotions take over. I should’ve pressed for more information about the cult or Charitines’ whereabouts. All I knew was about the Omniscient and True Demon Kings.
Then I heard Nex’s voice from beside me.
“Uh…? Junior? Is that really you?”
“Nex, senior. You’re late to wake up.”
“Haha… Sorry about that. Guess I slept a bit longer than I should’ve.”
The violet-haired man seemed to have regained his senses. Thank goodness. At least I wouldn’t have to handle everything alone anymore. I grabbed his hand and helped him up.
“Don’t worry anymore. I saw what happened, and I can tell—you’re really angry, aren’t you?”
“Does it show that much?”
“Yeah, your hand’s still shaking, junior.”
He hit the nail on the head. I hadn’t even realized. Maybe that’s why Nex had been concerned about me when we first met. I felt a bit embarrassed, knowing he had seen through me.
“Chirp!”
Even the phoenix’s focus had returned. The now-revived spirit flapped its wings energetically.
“Chirp! Chirp!”
“Yeah, Chirpy. She tried to mess with Char? I feel the same way.”
“You got caught too, Senior?”