CH.65 18-3. The Hidden Trump Card
The red-haired magician sat on the bench with a sorrowful expression.
“Sniff… I wanted to face Kai in the finals too…”
“Sorry, Ariel.”
Mardol, sitting beside her, gently patted her back to comfort her. Kainel and I stood nearby, quietly observing the scene.
“But since the third-place prize is a World Tree Leaf, it’s still a pretty good deal.”
“Yeah, who cries just because they lost?”
I noticed Kainel reaching out to place a hand on Ariel’s shoulder but pulling back at the last moment. It was clear he didn’t want to reveal his true feelings, so he spoke harshly on purpose.
Come on, Yellow-head, there are things you should say and things you shouldn’t. Do you know how much I regretted the time I scolded Harem Pure Love like that?
People should be careful with their words. Well, I can afford to be a little careless since our Saintess isn’t around right now. But who knows? One day, that flag might turn toward her, and then what?
“..Kainel, you’re the worst! Dummy! Sea cucumber! Sea anemone!”
“I can accept being called a dummy, but I draw the line at sea cucumber, Ariel.”
The elf magician, Ariel, yelled at Kainel. She was clearly upset. And once again, she forgot to use proper titles. What should I do about this? I lowered my head and let out a deep sigh.
Ah, I’ve got an idea.
“If I beat Kainel and you end up in the third-place match…”
“..Licht, you’re so dense.”
I thought it was a good idea. Apparently, I was wrong. The sound of the armored knight clattering toward me was clear — I was being stopped. Come on, this is technically your fault, isn’t it?
‘Should I just lose to Kainel on purpose at this rate?’
It might be better to raise his affection points. After all, since all four of us advanced to the semifinals, I could still get the Mana Rose even if I lost.
If I begged him, crying and wailing like a pitiful fool, maybe he’d hand it over out of pity.
If I deliberately let my guard down and showed off a cool defeat, I could even play the role of a supportive ally and help deepen their love. Since I couldn’t manipulate emotions directly, it would be a more subtle, indirect approach.
“..I’m feeling a bit tired, so I’ll head back first. Kainel, please take care of Ariel.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Be careful on your way back. See you at the dorm!”
“Licht…”
Let’s do this naturally. Since Kainel was a proper hero, he would definitely help a friend with a request. Plus, with me gone, it would be easier to raise the affection points between the two of them.
I began to walk away. I could even pretend to be sick at the dorm later. Something like, ‘I wasn’t feeling well, so I lost to Kainel!’ should do the trick.
Knowing his clueless personality, he’d never figure out that I let him win.
As I walked slowly down the path, I suddenly felt a sense of doubt about Mardol, who had been quietly watching me leave.
‘But if the Glass Knight is a woman… is that even possible?’
I organized my thoughts. This was a world inside a romance-fantasy game. It wouldn’t be strange if there was a case where someone’s appearance changed due to a misfired potion or a curse. It was a classic story trope.
After all, fairy tales are full of sleeping princesses waking up from true love’s kiss or frog princes returning to human form.
‘But if that were the case… the armor is way too masculine.’
The armor, carved from a massive crystal, had the appearance of a large, moving white gemstone. It even gave off the impression of a living, walking jewel.
And his voice was low and rough. No matter how many times I heard it echo from behind that transparent helmet, I couldn’t figure out his identity.
‘If he really wanted to hide his identity, he could just use magic or an ability. Why go through the hassle of wearing that heavy, full-body armor?’
His ability seemed to be magic nullification. That was probably why he’d lasted longer than Kainel in his fight against Magic Hat.
Was it for safety? If so, that would make sense. Since even the professors were being tight-lipped about it, that explanation fit the situation.
‘..So, if I assume safety was the priority and they created a masterpiece-grade item to ensure it, then it makes sense.’
Still, his helmet looked oddly similar to mine, which gave me a strange sense of déjà vu.
Magic Hat had completely freaked out just from seeing my helmet. Maybe it was something the developers had put in as an Easter egg after I got a world-first clear.
It’s pretty common for games to commemorate top-ranking players by immortalizing parts of their avatars or achievements. Sometimes they put up statues of rankers or display their equipment in the game world.
If I looked at it from that perspective, it felt like I needed to filter out some of the facts.
I’d once guessed that the Glass Knight had access to masterpiece-grade equipment because he was a prince, and since the royal family had access to such things, it was plausible.
But after seeing him fight against the Demon King the other day, I realized that this was solid information.
I leaned on my hand and listed the things I knew for certain. For now, I decided to put aside the theory that the Glass Knight was a woman. No matter how I thought about it, that wouldn’t be possible.
‘If a harem forms, the Saintess might not talk to me for years. It would completely derail the ‘Saintess Route.’’
Even if I tried to explain myself later, there was a chance that I’d lose all access to her route. I’d seen other players end up like that back in Black Heart.
We’d already shared an indirect kiss. I regretted saying, ‘I didn’t touch the dish,’ because that was how misunderstandings with the dwarves started. Those dwarves flayed the situation to the bone and only made things worse.
“…”
What was his appearance like again? I hadn’t seen his face for so long that I had to search my memory.
‘Black hair and golden eyes. Also, a Lupus.’
Those were the traits I remembered about Lupus. Hair and eye colors are genetic traits.
If I had to imagine what Kainel and Ariel’s child would look like, it would probably be a small elf child with red hair and blue eyes.
But that would be way too unique. It’s more likely they’d inherit traits from only one parent, like Nex.
‘But Roque and Bellin both have black hair and golden wolf eyes.’
There shouldn’t be too many variables here. Hair like the Saintess’s silver-white was uncommon. Even after scouring the entire academy, I hadn’t seen anyone like her.
Magic Hat’s hair came close, but it was more of a silvery-white hue, so I instantly knew it wasn’t the same. Silver is not the same as white.
“..This much is still reasonable, right?”
As I walked down the road, I found myself murmuring to myself, reflecting on past thoughts. I had memorized it all just because I liked her—her height, her voice, her hair color, and even her primary attribute.
Our Saintess and Mardol had nothing in common, aside from both being Lupus and having golden eyes. Even their aura and personalities were polar opposites—our Saintess was warm and lovable.
‘The Imperial Guards are all Lupus and have golden eyes too.’
That was one of the reasons I could never go against the Crown Prince. There was always a looming fear that I’d end up locked in the imperial dungeons or, if things went really wrong, that a blade might press against my neck.
“..Does it all just come down to power?”