CH.58 16-4. The Thrill of Finals Comes with Youth
Kainel had gone to the training grounds, claiming he was secretly practicing a special sword technique to prepare for the year-end exams.
That left me alone in the dorm room, sorting through the day’s events.
‘The most likely scenario right now is that the power of a Demon Lord is involved.’
Even after asking the Sage, I’d learned that she couldn’t see our Nameless Saintess. This revelation had struck me like a bolt of lightning.
Should I mention the wolf ears and tail? Would that be okay? If the identity of the Nameless Saintess were revealed, it could put her in danger. It already happened once during the fight with Magic Hat.
“…”
The condition of “losing someone you love” wasn’t just for show.
If I went around carelessly spreading this information, Magic Hat might target her. He’d already displayed an obsessive attachment to me.
Just recalling how he killed the Nameless Saintess in made my hands tremble. If she were to die in this prequel, I wouldn’t even get to see her in the original story, .
“…I should probably wait a bit longer.”
At the very least, I should neutralize the Demon Lord’s powers first. It would be better to move forward with full knowledge of what’s going on.
If I could acquire information about both the past and the future, I’d be as close to Omniscience as possible.
It’s better to stay cautious. By now, it’s highly likely that agents from the Church of Heroes have infiltrated the Academy. It was dangerous.
“If it weren’t for the Demon Lord’s powers, it’d be manageable…”
Through a series of incidents, I had confirmed that Demon Lords could freely move through barriers. I let out a heavy sigh, frustration bubbling inside me.
While I was lost in thought, a set of semi-transparent letters appeared before me.
[Kainel♡Ariel 34% ‘NEW!’]
Oh, their relationship score went up.
Sometimes it updates so quickly that I think it might be broken, but here it is.
The status window remains as mysterious as ever. It doesn’t come with death penalties for failure, nor does it have a stat screen or skill window, so I can’t even use it to cheat.
At that moment, a rumbling sound echoed from my stomach.
“…I didn’t have lunch, huh.”
Come to think of it, I never ordered food at the bakery.
I’d spent that entire time comforting the Crown Prince, Mardol, so I missed my chance.
Since I was pinned down in a hug, I couldn’t leave the spot. Even when Kainel and Ariel came out later, they asked me what had happened.
‘When someone’s crying like that, you just have to stay.’
I stayed silent. Some things were better left unsaid.
It wasn’t something I could tell Kainel and Ariel so easily. “His mother was trapped by Magic Hat and turned into a card.” That truth would break their gentle hearts.
Besides, she hadn’t been restored to normal yet.
‘But it was the first time I saw him cry like that.’
To be honest, it caught me off guard. I’d always thought of him as emotionally distant.
‘Was it because of Empress Bellin Gransia? Is that why his personality turned out like this?’
I recalled something from —the reason for his obsession with strength.
I’d forgotten because he felt like a “Mary Sue” type of character. I’d also missed the hints since his trademark features—black hair and golden eyes—had been hidden under that transparent glass armor.
I should have taken him along when I fought Magic Hat. We didn’t have any meaningful interactions because I never did.
Back then, I’d written him off as some arrogant guy obsessed with strong people. But looking back now, I noticed a lot of differences.
“There’s also this.”
My gaze shifted to the chocolate cake sitting on the desk.
It was the one I’d received before returning to the dorm from the Empire’s bakery. I opened the box, scooped a large piece with my fork, and took a bite.
The rich taste of chocolate spread on my tongue. Sweet and satisfying.
“This tastes more expensive than what I would’ve picked.”
The place was known for being a “high-end bakery,” but even when I tried to refuse, Mardol insisted.
I couldn’t leave the bakery to order something new since we’d been locked in conversation for so long.
“…I didn’t do anything special, though. This is kind of embarrassing.”
He wanted to repay me, so I reluctantly accepted. If I’d refused, I would’ve looked like a bad guy.
When I opened the packaging, I was stunned. The presentation of the chocolate cake was so luxurious that it made me hesitate.
“This… it’s not some super expensive cake, is it?”
The soft sweetness was just right—not too much, not too little. The smooth layers of cream and chocolate were exquisite. It didn’t resemble the simple cake I’d expected at all.
He must have thought carefully before choosing it. It was triple-wrapped for protection, with even preservation and freezing magic cast on it.
“…”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was an entirely different person, like Nex.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that something about him was “off.” There was a growing disparity between the Mardol I knew and the Mardol I’d seen today.
“…Is he even the same person?”
As I savored the sweet cake, I began to question if the man was truly who he claimed to be.
‘First possibility: He has inhuman strength.’
That could be explained by his lineage as a descendant of Emperor Roque Gransia. It wasn’t unusual for descendants of the Ten Greats to inherit the traits of those heroes.
For example, their hair or eye colors often matched their famous ancestors. The white hair of our Saintess was a notable exception, as nobody else had it.
In Nex’s case, he had inherited his father’s violet hair, which was quite unique but not an outlier.
I rested my chin on my hand, thinking as I chewed on the cake, listing the traits that stood out.
‘Second possibility: His armor is Masterpiece-grade glass armor.’
In the game, he wore formal royal attire, which made it clear to anyone that he was an elite figure.
However, here, he was wearing translucent white armor so clean and reflective that it made me suspicious.
‘It’s strong enough to withstand Magic Hat’s attacks, so it’s real. Probably.’
This symbolized the complete opposite of me. As if he were meant to be my narrative foil.
If I considered the armor I wore after turning into the Light Demon Lord, the resemblance between us was uncanny, like a mirror image.
There was no way that kind of powerful armor wouldn’t appear in the sequel.
“…Could it be? Could he be an impostor?”
The more I thought about it, the more suspicious it felt.
He never takes off his helmet, even when he eats. He stays hidden in full-body armor like he’s cosplaying as a ninja.
His hands were strangely small, too. It’s hard to believe this was a design flaw. No way the Dwarven master craftsmen would let that slip.
‘Those guys would scream, “A Masterpiece is no such thing!” and remake it with a 0.06% success rate.’
The Dwarves were obsessed with perfection. Even the Unmoving Mountain, one of the Ten Greats, had that same dedication.
“…It’s really possible. He might be an impostor.”
If I considered the possibility that his small hands were an intentional choice to hide his true identity, it suddenly made sense. If the body beneath the armor changed, no one would notice.
After all, the unique helmet structure gave his voice a muffled, otherworldly quality. It would be hard to recognize him even if someone else wore it.
“…In the worst case, someone could just wear the armor and impersonate him.”