“Thank you, Knight!”
“No, Saintess, I’m the one who should thank you.”
In my world of endless rain, she became a shelter.
“If you’re worried about scaring people, why not try speaking more politely?”
One day, she made an unusual suggestion: that switching to formal speech might make my scars seem less frightening to others.
“After all, there are people like me who aren’t scared of you, right?”
“Well… it’s worth a try. Nothing to lose.”
I followed her advice. These days, there are so many youthful-looking people that speaking formally helped avoid awkward misunderstandings. It’s become second nature now.
When did I start liking her?
Maybe it was the story she told me in front of the Demon Lord’s castle, as the game neared its Knight Heart ending.
“Do you believe in love, Knight?”
The pure-white Saintess looked concerned as she wrapped a bandage around my injured character’s arm. Her wolf ears and tail drooped, though the wounds had already healed.
“…If I’m honest, I don’t.”
Faced with a high-freedom choice system, I let my emotions show.
“What? Really, Knight?”
She tilted her head in disbelief, her ears sagging as if the very idea saddened her. Don’t look so gloomy—it hurts my heart.
“Why not?”
Her tail had lost its liveliness too. Was she disappointed? Feeling awkward, I began offering excuses she probably wouldn’t understand.
“Life doesn’t work out just because you love someone.”
“That’s so sad… What happened to make you think that way?”
“…Even if you love someone, sometimes fate doesn’t let you get close to them, Saintess.”
Her golden eyes widened, a look of near-tears on her face that pricked my heart.
“‘There are problems love can’t solve.’ That’s true, but it’s okay! Pure love is invincible, after all.”
She cut off my character, Licht, as if dissatisfied with what he was saying. It almost felt like a real conversation.
“Some people are simply born with different starting lines, Saintess.”
The epitome of unfairness. Calmly, I reflected on my broken life as I spoke.
“I used to have plenty of people around me before I got these burn scars… but now, there’s no one, and I’ve never even dated.”
Perhaps it was the game’s safety that let me express such bleak truths.
“That’s a reason to dislike love, not to disbelieve it.”
The white-haired Saintess cupped my Black Knight’s face in both hands, refusing to leave me an escape route.
“I’ve been watching everything you’ve done until now, Knight.”
She brought her forehead to mine, leveling her gaze with mine. It was bold—perhaps it was her wolfish instincts.
“…You startled me.”
The close-up illustration felt startlingly real. Without voice acting, I wondered why the developers spent so much on packaging instead.
What would’ve happened if I’d chosen to say I believed in love?
“If you truly don’t believe in love, how have you done all the things you’ve done?”
Her sorrowful expression carried the weight of her words.
“…I just did what I wanted to do.”
Clearly, I was in over my head. The Nameless Saintess unraveled my defenses one pointed question at a time.
“I’ve thought a lot about you, Knight.”
“At first, I thought you were a dangerous person to be avoided. Honestly, wasn’t that true?”
“Wearing pitch-black armor and calling yourself the Black Knight—how intimidating.”
“That’s why I didn’t speak to you at first. When you collapsed, I only spoke to you out of pity.”
Wait, what? So her first words to me were because of pity?
“‘Even if you’re exhausted, you must rise again.’ That line back then…”
I reflected on her shocking confession. No wonder she hadn’t spoken to me for three days—I thought it was a bug.
“When the Demon Lord used a diversionary tactic, you single-handedly defended the village’s perimeter until you collapsed.”
“To doubt such a kind person… I’m no Saintess at all.”
Her soft laughter made her eyes curve into crescent moons.
“What I want to say is…”
“You’re a much better person than you think, Knight. I can say that with certainty, as a Saintess.”
“Really, Saintess…”
“So, if you’ve fallen at the starting line, unable to stand…”
“I’ll help you up and carry you to the finish line.”
A line in the text box described how her rose-like fragrance grew stronger, her face barely a hand’s breadth away.
“If fate stands in your way, I swear here and now to resist and fight for you to the end.”
Her golden wolfish eyes met my brown ones, and as she smiled softly, her expression became etched in my memory.
“Even if love is the pinnacle of unfairness, the memories we make together will remain unshakable shards embedded in my heart.”
“So if you fear being hurt and losing something by loving someone, you can push me away for now.”
The Saintess lightly kissed her wolf-shaped cross pendant before handing it to my character.
“You can count on me.”
Then, as if to ensure I wouldn’t escape, she placed her arms around my neck.
“Hehe, love is always a bit embarrassing, Knight!”
Looking at the glinting cross necklace around Licht’s neck, she wore a satisfied expression, as if she’d just claimed ownership. Her flushed face was undeniably cute.
Not quite a confession, but close.
Despite her stoic appearance, the Nameless Saintess was always honest with her emotions. She couldn’t stand the thought of someone she cared for rejecting love.
Or perhaps it was something else.
I remembered her words from before I entered .
“Why do I love you, Knight?”
When her affection level hit MAX, I once asked if it was because I’d protected her during battles with the Demon Lords.
“Hah, falling in love just because someone saved my life? What kind of fool does that?”
Then why? I clicked furiously. Blushing, she hesitated before responding.
“Haven’t I said enough? Do you really need to know?”
Looking up bashfully, she continued:
“…It’s everything.”
Even as she stumbled over her words, her gentle nature shone through. She wasn’t this soft with anyone else—only with me.
“In truth, love needs no reason, Lee Soo-hyun.”
“If I had to give one…”
Resting her chin on her hand, she furrowed her brow in thought. Her cuteness made my heart ache.
“You’re a hero who protects not just one person, but everyone.”
“You were the only one who believed in and cared for a half-baked Saintess like me.”
“And… you’re cuter than anyone else. Asking why someone loves you—that’s just foolish.”
“Now, do you understand, you silly puppy?”
As her silver hair swayed, she grinned softly.
“…She got me.”
Calling the Black Knight a silly puppy—she was full of surprises.
“Let’s go. The Demon Lord’s castle awaits us.”
As my character walked away, a line of text appeared on the screen:
“He won’t hear me from this distance, right?”
Without any grand visuals or voice acting, the line quietly appeared:
“I truly love you, Knight. Forever.”
Simple yet deeply touching.
Perhaps that was the moment it all began.
…No, it wasn’t because of a single grand event.
I had fallen in love with her from the start.
What an absurd thought.
Who measures the beginning of love?
Like raindrops soaking your sleeves before you realize it, love grows unnoticed. I learned that through her.
I lived drunk on dreams,
“…”
And loved, drunk on love.
That’s why I gave my life for her without hesitation.
Because I loved the Nameless Saintess so very much.
“…Hey, boy.”
Someone nudged me as I closed my eyes. Who was it?
“Boy, wake up.”
I’m dead. Leave me be.
“Must I hit you to make you wake?”
Wait, I thought I was dead. The tone was too vivid for a dream.
“…No way.”
When I opened my eyes, a woman with brown hair stood over me. She wore a black hanbok, her striking antlers adding to her mature appearance. Her sharp teeth gleamed as she spoke.
“You’re the first to be so carefree in my presence.”
“Tenma…? Baek Mok-ryun…?”
“Hm? How do you know of me?”
The main pairing of . Dennis’s forgotten lover.
What was she doing here?