CH.57 16-3. The Thrill of Finals Comes with Youth
***
Phine Gransia.
Her sharp eyes could discern lies from truth.
From a young age, she easily saw through flattery or insincere words.
But—
“…”
She also saw the faces of those who looked at her as if she were a monster. Her gift failed when someone truly believed their own lies.
Because of this, Phine often resented her “good” eyes.
To blend in with others, she had to stay silent despite what she knew. It was much the same with Nex Aureus.
A flawed talent, one that felt more like a curse.
But this time was different.
A memory surfaced—of someone who lied even as he became a Demon Lord.
The peculiar man wearing the black knight’s helmet. The one who had drawn close to her in his own way.
“Thanks for everything. I’ve enjoyed it all. Truly.”
When she saw him speak those words, they were a mix of half-truths and lies.
In hindsight, he probably hated the idea of leaving them behind to walk into death itself.
It had been an act of deliberate self-sacrifice. He clearly knew something about Head and chose not to rely on Drake’s swordsmanship as he usually did.
The angle of his Vacuum Slash had been calculated—not to slay Magic Hat but to knock her far away and create a gap. He’d used the opening to heal Phine and the others with a holy knight’s skill.
And as soon as that was done, he had borrowed the Holy Sword of Light and acted strangely.
She suspected he had correctly judged the strength of the Demon Lord of Truth—an entity as formidable as herself. The Holy Sword, effective against Demon Lords, had been a logical choice.
“It was such a contradiction, Licht. If only you hadn’t tried to look so cool… it would’ve been less sad.”
Yet, Licht had a fragile heart, despite the strength he displayed.
Instead of saying:
“Fight with me. I’m scared. I might die.”
He had bid them a sorrowful goodbye, laced with lies.
The hidden truth, however, was that he wanted to stay with them. Only Phine had recognized that unspoken truth.
So she believed Licht would return soon. His parting words had been too steeped in regret.
She imagined him bursting back into their lives, saying:
“Did you miss me, Mardol?” or “What are you two up to, Kainel, Ariel?” in his usual cheeky way.
A month had passed. Each day, she scoured the forest using teleportation crystals, searching for traces of him.
Even when the Empire’s elite guards like Gold tried to dissuade her, she refused to rest.
She was terrified. Terrified that another person might die because of her. The thought of repeating what had happened with her mother filled her with dread. She hated herself for being so weak.
“…Seriously. Making people worry like this.”
Then, he returned as if nothing had happened, offering only a simple apology. Just one word: “Sorry.” How infuriatingly naive could someone be?
Entrusting her with the mysterious “Nameless Saintess,” training tirelessly to become a sword master for someone he cared about—Licht was someone who valued tender, youthful love.
Even yesterday, he’d drawn her aside at the bakery, giving Kainel and Ariel some alone time. She wasn’t oblivious. She knew exactly what he was doing.
Sure, she had gotten emotional and ended up hugging Licht and crying, but that was an accident. Really.
‘It couldn’t be helped. I thought my mother had been gone for over a decade.’
Licht had simply comforted her gently. Even as he said she wasn’t at fault, his kind words seemed to ease the wounds in her heart.
He hadn’t berated her or blamed her. She’d expected him to chastise her, but instead—
‘You could’ve blamed me more, Licht.’
He hadn’t.
Even though he must have been injured while fighting Magic Hat. She didn’t know how he managed to recover, but to appear unscathed after facing the strongest Demon Lord she’d ever seen was almost suspicious.
Perhaps he had paid with his life force to heal himself.
‘A kind liar.’
Someone who constantly built walls with lies and tried to solve everything alone. She normally detested people like that.
But—
‘Licht is different.’
In her heart, Phine saw Licht in a different light. She realized now how much effort he had put into protecting her and the hero’s party.
As she turned over the Queen of Hearts card he had given her, her golden eyes reflected its surface.
A small flame crackled in the study.
‘If Magic Hat is defeated, my mother will return to normal.’
A white-haired girl stood in the room, reflecting on what she had learned from Laplace and the Sage. She sighed in relief.
‘Come to think of it… Licht’s lies didn’t start recently.’
Phine thought back to her first encounter with him.
At first, she hadn’t paid him any mind.
When she heard the Hero of Light hailed from some rural village, she’d asked her butler, Dijur, to assess whether they were a worthy rival.
Kainel, as it turned out, had fallen short of her expectations. Disappointed, she’d been ready to ignore him completely.
But then, Dijur mentioned one name:
“Licht.”
She had come to know the peculiar man wearing the black knight’s helmet.
The Shadow Wolf, a five-star magical beast, was infamous for its habit of hiding in shadows, often catching even skilled adventurers off guard.
Phine knew from books that one should be cautious of the dimming light and aim for its eyes, its weak spot.
‘The fact that Licht defeated the Shadow Wolf so easily… makes sense.’
To know the weaknesses of such a challenging beast implied matching expertise and skill.
That’s how Phine decided to head to the Academy—a place she’d always wanted to visit.
She judged it to be the best environment for her to grow stronger. Wearing Masterpiece-grade glass armor, she attended the school, wary of any threats from Magic Hat and determined to keep her identity as a princess hidden.
Shortly after applying to the magic club, she noticed Licht’s lie.
It had happened when he was explaining three-dimensional magic circle theory.
“Licht, where did you hear about this theory?”
“I came up with it myself. Since I can’t use magic, I’ve always been fascinated by it.”
What a contradictory man. She wished he wouldn’t bother with such obvious lies.
‘Even if it weren’t me, it’s way too obvious.’
The man in the black knight’s helmet was so clumsy that her discerning eyes weren’t even necessary. When he lied, his voice wavered, and he spoke too quickly—enough for even the clueless Kainel to catch on.
The same was true for his swordsmanship lessons. At first, it seemed like he was genuinely teaching her Drake-style techniques, but then—
“I’m still figuring it out.”
He changed his tune as if flipping a coin.
Yet his lies were so transparent, so lacking in guile, that Phine felt she didn’t even need her ability to see through them. His honesty, despite his clumsiness, felt strangely endearing.
“Everyone has their weak moments, Mardol.”
“Dwelling on negativity will only hurt you.”
His concern during the swordsmanship training sessions—
“…It’s okay, Mardol. This wasn’t your fault.”
“Thank you for fighting until the end.”
—And the candid conversations they’d had yesterday at the bakery, all felt genuine. It was both comforting and heartwarming.
‘There really is such a thing as a kind Demon Lord.’
She appreciated these qualities in him. She didn’t need to discern lies, and despite knowing her identity as a princess, he never treated her differently.
‘…Do I truly know him?’
Phine wondered. Licht seemed to understand her well. Clad in heavy glass armor, she resembled a knight more than anything else.
She had seen fear flicker in his eyes, but even when they had physical contact, he would only respond with an awkward smile.
She found herself curious about how he might react if she removed her armor. But then her wolf ears and tail drooped again.
‘Not yet… That’s still a no.’
Memories of the Endless Monster Forest resurfaced—how her loved ones had nearly fallen victim to Magic Hat a second time. The past came flooding back, leaving her gasping for air.
“Ugh…”
Clutching her chest, she winced in pain. The mad magician had once killed not only her mother but also the maids she’d cherished.
She had fought to the end because she couldn’t bear to witness such horror again.
Just as Licht had said—“Even if you’re weak, you can still protect others.”
His words had spurred her on. Without them, would she have dared to stand up to Magic Hat? Probably not.
Even if she couldn’t yet accept Licht’s assurance that it wasn’t her fault, she clung to the hope his words had instilled.
‘It was my fault, Licht… I’m still so weak.’
Her hands clenched, and her ears and tail perked up once more. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself.
“Will Licht want the Dragon Heart during the year-end exams?”
She wanted to repay him somehow. She hadn’t told her father about Licht yet, fearing it might shock him too much.
‘Since he can’t use magic… maybe he does want it.’
Her desire to give something back to the black knight who had saved her mother began to fill the emptiness in her glass-like heart.
‘…Wait.’
Why was she thinking this way? She questioned herself, finding her thoughts uncharacteristically out of place.
‘It’s not because he saved my life. It feels closer to curiosity… Ah.’
Phine rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought, as if mimicking someone else’s habit. She had no idea how much time passed.
“I… that man…”
Slowly opening her golden eyes, she murmured to herself.
“…I want to know more about him.”
The words escaped her lips before she could stop them, and she quickly covered her mouth, startled.