“..Does it all just come down to power?”
If I assumed that she was hiding the fact that she was a woman and approached me like this, it would make me furious. My heart already belonged to one overwhelming main heroine—someone I’d loved for a full 15 years.
With that thought, I suddenly noticed an inconsistency. If the developers were silent about it, then it probably wasn’t true. But how could I revert them to being a man like I did back in Black Heart?
At that moment, a familiar face appeared, calling out to me.
“It’s been a while, Sir Licht.”
“..Coach?”
I stopped walking toward the dormitory and had no choice but to engage in conversation.
***
On the terrace of Grand Hearts Academia, two men sat across from each other.
I couldn’t help but be puzzled as I watched the old man, dressed in a tidy butler’s uniform, sipping black tea as if it were a familiar ritual. The last time I saw him, he had been ragged and disheveled.
“It’s good to see you doing well, Sir Licht.”
“So, Coach, what exactly happened to you..?”
I had thought he was just another fan of pure love stories like me, and I had hoped things would go well for him. Judging by the pristine suit, he must have sold the Shadow Wolf hide I gave him and made some money.
“Did you sell the hide and get yourself a new job?”
“Haha, as if.”
He laughed heartily and sipped his tea before continuing.
“Ah, come to think of it, Sir Licht, you probably didn’t know. My original job is butler. My name is Dijur.”
“..What? You’re not a coach? But back then, you definitely…”
“That was an act, Sir Licht.”
Dijur smiled gently, his lips curling into a soft arc. If it was all an act, then was he something like a proctor evaluating incoming academy students?
‘If I hadn’t been there during the Shadow Wolf attack, would he have saved the students?’
If that was the case, it made sense. It was a romance-fantasy academy game, after all, so it wouldn’t be strange for there to be some built-in safety measures. I folded my arms and continued to think.
“During the Shadow Wolf incident, I guess I wasn’t mistaken, after all.”
“…”
But something still didn’t add up. It was the first time I’d seen him within the academy. And, just like with Mardol, there was another inconsistency.
If he were a simple staff member, introducing himself as a “butler” would be unusual.
“As one who serves the Empire, I offer my sincere admiration for your achievements.”
“Lupus, you mean?”
“Something similar, yes. As expected, you caught on, Sir Licht.”
So he was a butler for the Crown Prince? Damn it, Lupus really is the protagonist this time.
“And I am always grateful to you for being so friendly with our lady.”
The moment he referred to her as “our lady,” a realization struck me like a bolt of lightning. My breathing grew heavy as my heart raced in panic.
‘No way…’
A “lady”? This was no joke. As I reflected on all the incidents I’d shared with her, I felt dizzy.
***
At that moment, as I lowered my head in thought, I heard a strange noise next to me.
“Dijur!”
A boy’s voice rang out—a voice that could only be described as beautiful.
“You disappeared all of a sudden! You scared me!”
“..You, you are?”
“Huh? That’s a black knight’s helmet! Then, you’re Licht, right? Nice to meet you, big bro!”
The boy had wolf ears, striking black hair, and golden eyes. He looked young, and his tail wagged as he ran toward me.
‘What… What is this situation?’
I rubbed the faceplate of my helmet, doubting my own eyes. No matter how I looked at it, this was unmistakably a younger version of Lupus Gransia.
“Ah, Your Highness. This is Sir Licht.”
“Dijur, don’t tell me that’s…!”
Not the Crown Prince, but the Prince? But his publicly known title was Crown Prince. I was familiar with the prominent figures of the Empire, and this detail didn’t match up.
“Yes, this is Prince Lupus Gransia. Please mind your manners.”
“No way! Big bro Licht saved my mom, so he doesn’t have to!”
The boy smiled brightly as he ran up to me. He knew that I had rescued Empress Bellin. That alone told me everything I needed to know.
‘If that’s the case, then…’
The one person I had entrusted that information to—there was only one. That fact alone meant one thing. My brain flashed back to a particular message from my status window, given right after I joined a certain club.
[As a reward, I’ll give you some useful information.]
This wasn’t referring to Charitines.
[There might be someone here who doesn’t exist in Knight Heart! Isn’t that amazing? ☆ｰ(๑•᎑<๑)]
It was talking about Mardol.
“..Huh? Big bro Licht! Are you okay?”
“Sorry, I just felt a little dizzy for a second. It’s an honor to meet you, Prince Lupus Gransia.”
I was overwhelmed by the cascade of facts surging into my mind. My head spun, and my steps wavered.
If that’s the case, then who is Mardol?
“..Prince.”
“Yeah, what is it, big bro Licht?”
There was only one possibility left. I gazed at the young prince, dressed in luxurious clothes, and asked him a final question.
“Do you have any older siblings?”
The boy, still visibly young—too young to be attending the academy—hesitated for a moment. If that were the case, then the person inside that glass armor could only be…
“I have an older sister, Mardol… Ah! Oops! She told me not to mention that!”
“…”
“Eh, it’s fine! She’s always talking about you, big bro Licht!”
The boy beamed innocently, wagging his tail as if it would erase his mistake. But for me, his words were like a bomb. My heart froze. My breath caught in my chest.
‘..So it’s been like that from the start.’
She was an entirely different person from who I’d thought she was.
“Big bro Licht? Are you okay?”
“Sir Licht! What’s wrong with you!?”
A harem could form, and if that happened, I’d be locked out of the Saintess Route forever. If that happened, I’d never be able to grow closer to her.
With that overwhelming realization, I collapsed.