CH.34 10-1. Even Running Away Embarrassed Won’t Help Some Things
***
What’s the most important thing in a group assignment?
“Alright, students, now that we’ve arrived at the forest.”
It’s not the leader who charges ahead. It’s the one who supports everyone from behind, ensuring every team member pulls their weight.
“Each group must select a leader and report their choice to me.”
Yes, the leader is crucial.
Dennis, having activated a spatial magic circle to teleport all the freshmen into the forest, let out a sigh of relief.
“Laplace, how is it looking?”
“Much better now, Dennis.”
From afar, I could see him conversing with Laplace. It seemed they had successfully moved outside the Demon Lord’s calculations. Even powers that could cover the world have their limits.
With the tension leaving my body, I exhaled deeply, finally beginning to relax.
“So, our leader has to be Helmet Guy, right?”
“Well, I suppose it makes sense. I’m the best at… using tools.”
Almost slipped up there.
Was it because I was worried about anything involving the Saintess? Even though I’d been an adult in my past life, we were all the same age now.
“Tools? Don’t you mean weapons? You’re good with swords!”
The red-haired mage, Ariel, narrowed her eyes at me, sensing something odd. When Ariel got sharp like this, it was terrifying. And yet, why does she remain such a tsundere?
“He’s right, though. Licht’s someone who can go toe-to-toe with artifacts using just an iron sword.”
“Licht is strong.”
Kainel and Mardol both nodded in agreement, thankfully helping to smooth things over.
“Thank you. I’ll inform Professor Dennis that I’ll take the role.”
The Endless Forest of Monsters.
Though the professors assured us they would protect us at night, it was still daylight now. This meant we could encounter monsters at any moment, so we needed to strategize.
“There are two ways to score high marks: either take down the highest-ranked monster or hunt as many as you can.”
I mulled over the options. Kainel and Mardol were both strong, and Ariel’s magic would likely prove impressive in this situation.
“Which one’s easier, Licht?”
“I’ll decide after hearing everyone’s input.”
The number-one rule in group assignments: never jump to conclusions on your own. Always listen to everyone’s opinions first.
I looked at Kainel and Ariel, seeking their thoughts. Then, from beside me, came a low hum of a voice.
“…The strong ones.”
“I’d go for a lot of them! I’ve got a new spell that works like fireworks, perfect for groups! Helmet Guy!”
“I’m with Mardol. I’ll use this to practice adapting Shine Strike for bigger enemies.”
The votes split 2-to-1. That made things tricky. My initial inclination had been to target larger groups.
“My suggestion would be to aim for swarms of creatures like Giant Ants or Armored Bees—insect-types that move in groups.”
Resting my chin on my hand, I reasoned that targeting monsters vulnerable to area-of-effect magic was a smart move, especially with a magician like Ariel in the party.
‘Though there’s a risk of encountering unknown monsters.’
In truth, how easy or difficult a monster was to handle often came down to how much you knew about it. Knowing its weak attributes could drastically reduce its difficulty—sometimes doubling or halving the damage you dealt in the game.
I glanced around at my party members. My gaze locked with Mardol’s, and for some reason, his piercing look sent a chill down my spine. Why was this Crown Prince so unnervingly intense?
“Well… we could go after the stronger monsters if you all think that’s better,” I offered after finishing my calculations.
As long as it wasn’t a Demon Lord or one of their Apostles, we had the skill to handle most threats.
“At least our group synergy is good,” I added.
Ariel was fire, Kainel was light, and Mardol’s steel-based abilities likely leaned toward earth.
In theory, we had no elemental weaknesses. Light countered darkness, Ariel and Mardol balanced each other’s vulnerabilities, and we could adapt as needed.
“Really? So, what’s your element, Helmet Guy?”
“…”
Ariel gave me a mischievous, cat-like smile. She was clearly trying to tease me. Few people like me, with low mana and misaligned circuits, even had a defined element.
“Darkness… probably?”
If I had to guess, I’d say darkness. If not, maybe water. I liked the edgy middle-schooler aesthetic and was good at shadow-based techniques.
“Obviously, Licht’s element is no element! Right, Licht?”
“…No element?”
Kainel’s joking tone was matched by Mardol’s curious gaze as he stared intently, as if seriously considering the possibility. There’s no such thing as “no element” in the game, Mardol.
“…I should probably just keep quiet.”
At this point, letting them do whatever they wanted seemed like the best course of action. Besides, this gave me a chance to push Kainel and Ariel’s budding romance along. Kainel had been acting smug lately, so it was satisfying to mess with him a bit.
Memories of my early days at the Academy resurfaced. Those moments felt like a lifetime ago.
“The problem is we don’t know what the highest-ranked monsters are here.”
“True, Licht.”
“Can’t we just hunt at random and rack up points?”
“No. At the very least, let’s assess our targets first.”
No matter how strong we were, underestimating monsters could lead to disaster. I’d learned that the hard way during the Shadow Wolf incident, where my Vacuum Slash had failed.
‘The moment the campfire went out, everything turned to pitch black. It could’ve ended badly.’
If Kainel mastered the Holy Sword of Light, maybe it would’ve been different. But considering the Shadow Wolf’s stealthy, shadow-piercing nature, even he might not have reacted in time.
“As I’ve said before, we need to be cautious as the monster rank increases, even if we are strong.”
“Fair point, Licht. I guess we’ll have to be careful…”
I sighed. Kainel was always so laid-back and indecisive—it was infuriating at times. He truly lived up to the golden retriever stereotype.
“I agree with Licht. Better safe than sorry, right, Mardol?”
“Right, Ariel.”
Ariel approached Mardol, her red hair flowing in the breeze.
This guy attracted heroines like a magnet. During team formation, and even with Charitines, coincidences that screamed “plot device” always seemed to happen.
‘I can’t let our Saintess become one of those neglected spouses who wait forever for their husbands to come home.’
That’s exactly what happened in Black Heart, the first game to fully implement a harem route. Just thinking about it made me nauseous, even though I’d only skimmed the infamous forum post about it.
Better to recall good memories instead. Dwelling on the bad ones would only reopen old wounds.
[“Welcome, Sir Knight! I’ve been waiting for you!”]
I smiled faintly at the memory of her words, spoken with such warmth and sincerity. It was one of the few moments that reminded me why I cared so much.
There was a time in my school days when I caught a terrible cold and spent several days bedridden.
After finally regaining enough strength to sit up, I booted up the game, only to be greeted by the sight of a white-haired woman with a wagging tail, joyfully welcoming me back.
[“You’ve been away from the party for about three days. You could’ve at least told me first, Sir Knight!”]
In Knight Heart, this kind of dialogue appeared whenever you didn’t log in for a few days. I must’ve been gone long enough to trigger it—three days lost to the fever was a long time.
I regretted making her worry, but what could I do? The illness had me collapsing and recovering on repeat. Even school had marked my absence as sick leave.
[“I was worried something had happened to you…!”]
This is why I loved Knight Heart. It had a way of healing my restless heart like nothing else.
Sipping on the porridge I’d ordered for delivery, I read her lines as they appeared on the screen. It was the first time since catching the cold that I actually felt like eating.
Then, a pop-up appeared, marking the start of a return bonus event.
[“Well then, I’ve prepared something just for you, Sir Knight!”]
The nameless Saintess puffed out her chest with pride, her hands tapping it lightly for emphasis, before presenting an item to my character.
[“Ta-da~! What do you think? This is my masterpiece!”]
The item was labeled “Beef Stew,” a consumable that restored a measly 10 HP.
To most players, it was nothing more than junk—an item infamous in the community for taking up inventory space. People often begged the devs to remove it altogether.
“Thank you, Saintess.”
But at that moment, I didn’t care. Eating beef and vegetable porridge in real life made the virtual dish she handed me feel incredibly precious.
Something that seemed meaningless to everyone else felt deeply significant to me.
[“How is it? Pretty good for my cooking, right?”]
“It’s great. It has beef for strength and vegetables for health.”
Her cooking skill was nonexistent, so the game even described its taste as crude.
Still, it didn’t matter. The sentiment behind it meant everything.
[“Try it now, Sir Knight! You’ll feel stronger in no time!”]
Her bright encouragement warmed me to the core.
Western food and Eastern food were different, sure, but the ingredients were often similar. Watching her lines pop up while chewing on spoonfuls of porridge brought tears to my eyes.
[“With this, I hope you’ll come visit me more often, Sir Knight!”]
I’d thought I was used to being sick and unnoticed. But her kind words hit me in a way that made my chest ache.
[“Saintesses are like wolves; they’ll wither and die if they’re lonely… Sniff.”]
She pretended to cry, teasingly expressing her emotions through a joke.
The transformation in her demeanor—from icy to warm and playful as you grew closer—made it impossible not to love her.
In that lonely room, for the first time in days, it felt like I wasn’t alone.
Even in Black Heart, the sequel, I’d gone to great lengths to transfer that same “Beef Stew” over, using an auction house loophole.
Couldn’t bring items below common rarity from the original game? Well, I found a way.
[“See? I’m capable when I need to be, Sir Knight!”]
Her voice, cheerful and sweet, rang out when I used half of the stew.
…Though the voice lines didn’t perfectly match the text dialogue—it was clear she wasn’t meant to be a main character.
Still, this was food the Saintess herself had given me. There was no way I’d play the game without it. And when I found that the mailbox system didn’t allow sending items, I’d brainstormed until I found a solution.
Her subsequent messages struck even harder.
[“So, are you feeling better now?”]
[“I don’t know what happened to you, but…”]
[“Honestly, I was really worried. I thought you might have disappeared for good.”]
When I logged in, the game even showed her pacing around anxiously, waiting for me, occasionally peeking into empty rooms or rubbing her arms as if uneasy.
[“I’m just a nameless Saintess, so it’s fine if you’re busy. But…”]
Or she’d be shown asleep at her desk late at night, her dinner long cold as she dozed off waiting for me.
[“…If you think of me, please come back to Knight Heart anytime, Sir Knight.”]
Incorporating the long loading times of an old game into the narrative like this was pure genius. Who could complain about waiting when the Saintess made it feel meaningful?
[“I’ll always be waiting for you, Sir Knight.”]
Despite her words, her ears and tail drooped, betraying her sadness.
After that, I didn’t miss a single day in the game—probably until I clocked over 10,000 hours. Exploiting the emotions of sick players like this felt like cheating.
Lost in nostalgic memories, I barely noticed Ariel calling out to me.
“Helmet Guy!”
“…Ariel. Have you finished your little chat?”
“Yep. But why were you staring at Mardol like that?”
So, her conversation with Mardol had ended. I’d been happy reminiscing for the first time in ages, but she’d snapped me back to reality.
‘Well, Ariel has Kainel, so I guess it’s fine.’
I’d been keeping an eye on them, and while they were talking closely, there wasn’t any trace of romantic tension yet. I lowered my hand from my chin.
“I just thought it was interesting how close you seem to be with Mardol.”
“Mardol’s nice! He loves cute things… and sweets too!”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true, Ariel.”
The current Lupus didn’t seem to have gone astray. The Empire’s infamous rumors about him were nonexistent, and he showed no signs of being a womanizer targeting Ariel.
In fact, he’d even shared some rare wolf fang relics with me and had once shielded me from the rain with his umbrella.
‘At this rate, I just need to steer him toward focusing only on the Saintess—and away from the harem route.’
He was almost too perfect. Skilled in swordsmanship, wealthy, and princely. If not for his cold, glass-like demeanor, he’d be the ideal groom.
‘Honestly… I’m kind of jealous.’
I sighed. If I’d had some prior connection to the Saintess, things might’ve been different. But five years had already passed since I’d been stuck in this game world.
If fate had intended something to happen, it would’ve happened by now….
“Licht, what are you doing?”
The Glass Knight tilted his head, his golden eyes peering at me. Being caught between Ariel, the perceptive red cat, and Mardol, who was likely tied to a romantic route with the Saintess, was suffocating.
“…Nothing. Just lost in thought.”
I could acknowledge that the Crown Prince wasn’t a bad person, but my heart couldn’t fully reconcile it.
Five years wasn’t nearly enough time to let go of the Saintess.