“…It’s sad, really. Both Princess Phine and Licht… the Hero Cult must have done something to them.”
Nex could only assume they had been through something terrible at the hands of the Hero Cult. Licht had hinted at having lived a rough life, but Nex decided not to push the matter further. It was ungrateful to speculate about your savior.
“Well, he’s still a freshman after all, even if he’s this strong.”
“He’s snoring in his sleep…”
As Nex looked at Licht, who had fallen into a deep sleep atop the phoenix, he felt grateful. Without this junior, both he and Char would likely have been in grave danger.
“Thank you, Licht.”
“…I had no idea our junior was working this hard.”
Nex closed his eyes for a moment and murmured. Even imagining such a future was horrifying. The image of Charitines dying, cursing him in a nightmare, still lingered in his mind.
The three academy students were covered in dirt, and the sun had long since set.
At that moment, a figure reflecting the moonlight appeared.
“…I’ve found you.”
“Princess?”
It was a knight clad in shining glass armor, running toward them.
“Phine! How did you find us here?”
“Char… sister? Huff…”
It was Phine Gransia, using the alias Mardol. As soon as she saw not only Nex and Charitines but also someone else, she almost turned to flee, but the vampire nun ran up and hugged her.
“I missed you! Phine!”
“Don’t use my name.”
As Phine was pulled into Char’s embrace, she anxiously pointed at the sleeping Licht, gesturing frantically and shaking her head.
“It’s okay. Licht junior is asleep.”
“He probably won’t wake up for half a day. His body’s exhausted.”
“Oh, thank goodness… Wait, is he really okay? Licht?”
It was unusual for her to speak so much, and both the phoenix and vampire couple stared at her in surprise. Phine was not known for showing emotions so openly.
“He’ll be fine, aside from passing out after saving us.”
“Really? Char?”
“Yes, Phine! Licht junior is really strong! He even used sword aura!”
“Yeah, he’s strong.”
Phine nodded in agreement, her expression calm.
“He’s the one who found Char after the apostle captured her.”
“…I see.”
Phine finally noticed the sound of Licht snoring, and a sigh of relief escaped her lips.
‘Hmm, if junior could save both me and Char, then maybe he could solve the issues with the princess too…’
Nex had a new thought. Licht had deep knowledge about the Demon Lords and was one of the strongest students in the academy, on par with Phine.
“You really are something…”
Phine stared intently at the junior wearing the black knight’s helmet. She realized there was something missing in this situation. Why was a princess of the empire even here in the first place?
“Princess… how did you get here?”
“I was looking for you.”
“We haven’t been missing for more than a few hours, right?”
“I called the Imperial Guard.”
As soon as she said that, a group of figures appeared behind her, as if they had been there all along, moving with impressive speed.
All of them had wolf ears and tails.
“The Iron Wolf greets the noble one!”
“The Copper Wolf serves the empire.”
“The Silver Wolf, glory to the Ten Masters.”
“Iron Wolf, Golden Wolf, we are honored to escort Lady Gransia.”
Four knights, each named after a different metal like the currency of the empire. Even Nex was seeing them in person for the first time.
“So you really did call them. Makes sense… the church would’ve been empty when you went there.”
“It’s a bit much, don’t you think…?”
At that moment, one of the Imperial Guards gave a suspicious glance.
A flash of silver was drawn from his waist.
─Clang.
One of the Iron Wolves pointed his sword directly at Licht.
Seeing the black knight, he couldn’t help but think this outsider was a potential threat. He was preparing for anything to happen.
“…Iron?”
“Yes, Princess?”
Phine’s voice suddenly turned cold, and a shiver ran down his spine. His duty as an imperial guard was to protect the one he served, but…
“I didn’t give that order.”
His hand began to tremble.
“It’s suspicious for someone who isn’t one of the Ten Masters or an imperial to be near you… it’s just protocol…”
He tried to explain, coming up with an excuse.
“Put the sword away.”
“…”
But the only response was a terse command. Through the glass helmet, her golden eyes narrowed dangerously.
“I’m so sorry, Princess!! This recruit is still new!”
“We apologize on his behalf, Lady Gransia.”
“Please, forgive us.”
Realizing how dire the situation had become, the other guards quickly bowed and forced the Iron Wolf to lower his head, repeatedly apologizing.
“…You didn’t hear me clearly, did you?”
It was a disaster for anyone to witness. The guard in golden armor, who seemed to be the leader, let out a long sigh.
“Princess Phine Gransia, we apologize. I’ll take full responsibility.”
“…He’ll be punished, Gold.”
Phine muttered in a low, irritated tone. She was clearly displeased by the sword being pointed at Licht, especially since he had saved both Nex and Char. His body was soaked in sweat, proof of his efforts.
Her golden eyes gleamed as she stared down at the man who had dared draw his sword.
Phine’s eyesight was sharper than most, and it didn’t take her long to see through everything.
A strong man.
She looked at the faint traces of muscle visible beneath his clothes and thought about how many warriors could reach this level of power without relying on mana or magic.
‘How much stronger could you become, Licht?’
There might be no one else like him. Her wolf ears twitched inside her helmet, a sign of her rising excitement.
The man who had even mastered the Empire’s Wolf Fang Sword Style in one go—he was different from everyone else.
At that moment, a small black ball of fur came running toward her.
“Woof!!”
“Kkamang…?”
Licht’s spirit circled Phine, showing off its affection.
Even though its black paws and face were covered in dirt, she found it cute and didn’t mind at all.
“…Stop licking me.”
“Pant, pant.”
With its tongue hanging out, the little black Pomeranian happily licked her, wagging its tail. By now, Phine seemed used to it, crouching down and gently stroking its head.
“Licht’s spirit really likes you, Phine. So maybe you saying you weren’t friends was a lie after all…”
“See, I told you, Char.”
As soon as Phine’s hand touched the spirit, it rolled onto its back, exposing its belly in complete trust.
“Good boy.”
“Woof!”
Watching this scene, the Imperial Guard was speechless, while the phoenix couple nodded in satisfaction.
After a while, when Phine stopped scratching its belly and tried to get up,
“Whimper…”
The little Pomeranian stood on its legs, pawing at Phine’s armor, seeking more attention.
“…Oh, this is nice.”
Looking at it, Phine spoke in a voice that suggested she had a good idea and wanted to spend more time with Licht’s spirit.
*Tsk, tsk.*
The sound of metal links being undone echoed.
“Huh? Phine…?”
“Wait, Princess?!”
Phine took off her helmet and set it aside. She placed a hand over her chest, causing the crystal armor to open, revealing her from head to toe. Beneath it was a pale-skinned girl with wolf ears and white hair, wearing the Grand Hearts Academia uniform.
“Masterpiece or not, removing your armor…!”
“Quiet.”
The Imperial Guard shouted in shock, but Phine paid them no mind. She had taken off her armor to avoid scaring Kkamang further after the sword incident. No mistakes this time.
“Those dwarves are such perverts. I can’t believe they adjusted my height and build to match the armor’s proportions.”
“Right…”
As Phine stepped out of her heavy armor, her once-tall figure shrank. She wiggled her toes, feeling the soft grass beneath her feet.
“Woof!”
“Fufu… adorable.”
The girl with white hair and wolf ears scooped up Licht’s spirit, her usually icy expression
softening ever so slightly.
The Imperial Guard was utterly stunned by this sight. Their cold and distant princess was… reacting this way? It was a strange, surreal scene.
“Uh… Captain, was the princess always like this?”
“No… what’s her relationship with that man?”
“If His Majesty finds out…”
“Let’s keep this quiet.”
The four guards whispered quietly among themselves, trying to figure out how to avoid the impending fallout.
“Uh-oh, I already reported that sword incident to Lord Dijur…”
They were still scrambling to salvage the situation, but it was too late. Their superior already knew about their misstep.
“…We were called in after years of silence, only to be in this mess!!!”
And so, with the Golden armour’s silent cry of despair, the Hero Cult’s first real threat to the academy was brought to an end.