(Continued)
After exchanging a few words, he lifted her onto his back.
Their eyes were now at the same level. The close distance, as if she were hugging him from behind.
“Where would you like to go, my lady?”
His curved eyes and uniquely pleasant voice tickled her ears.
“To the girls’ dorm, Kai.”
It felt like her face would explode if she looked at him, so she tried not to make eye contact as much as possible. She had no problem doing it normally.
‘You’ve gotten taller.’
The feel of his firm back. Kainel, whom she had thought of as just a childhood friend, was beginning to feel more like a man.
Her heart began to pound.
Thump.
She hoped this small heartbeat wouldn’t be felt by Kainel. The warmth of his back radiated to her chest as the blood flowed, making it feel warm.
“You’re kind of heavy.”
“What!! That’s a lie! I’m on a diet!”
“Sorry, it was a joke. Licht told me to try saying it.”
“…I almost got mad.”
Did he have a change of heart? Like the old days when they played around without any reservations, the hero was joking around.
Yes, this was how it had always been between them.
Comfortable and exciting.
A relationship more than friends.
Would she ever be able to convey this feeling? Her thoughts deepened.
The moon waned, and her emotions ripened.
“Thank you, for protecting me.”
“Not at all.”
Ariel buried her face into Kainel’s back.
***
Kainel shouted from afar.
“Licht! See you at the dorm!”
“Take Miss Ariel inside!”
“We’ll go first! Knight!”
I waved my hand at Ariel and him to say goodbye.
Don’t mention it. You’re going to have a tough time ahead.
I just gave you a little help. Now that all the flags have been smashed, your true nature is coming out.
Our mutt, you did well. I’ll report these guys to the guard for you.
I felt a certain camaraderie with Kainel.
No matter how much I ran away near the end, we had worked together to push the sequel forward, so I could at least do this much. So take good care of Ariel.
My heart felt a bit lighter. Even if *Black Heart* had a mess of love lines.
Since they had to become a couple in *Knight Heart* First, this was the right way.
‘The status window is functioning well too.’
[Calculating Grand Route Ending achievement rate…]
After bidding farewell to the two childhood friends, a small pink window appeared, showing the results.
[Kainel♡Ariel 21% “NEW!”]
[PS. You’re really serious about the Saintess Route.. Σ(ㅇㅁㅇ;)]
As if I hadn’t been serious before?
‘This is ridiculous. You’re the one who put me in here…’
I let out a scoff at the message. Even if there were easier paths, I would go the way my heart led me.
‘In the first place, my guild was full of people like that.’
Where would you find players these days who weren’t serious about game characters? Even if they didn’t know reality, they were too clueless. The developer must not have played the game at all.
Now that I think about it, I miss them. Did they clear *Black Heart* too?
“…It’s gone up a lot.”
I felt satisfied as I stretched, hearing the cracks in my joints. It seemed the strain from sword training was catching up with me. Maybe I should head to the men’s dorm.
I took a few steps while thinking about the flags that were still to come.
Then, a cold sensation touched my shoulder. The sound of raindrops hitting the ground echoed.
Plop, plop.
Swoosh─.
“Ah, it’s raining.”
Kainel and Ariel should have gotten inside by now. Magic is cheating, so they probably had a way to avoid the rain. The problem was me. I didn’t have an umbrella.
“It’s like there’s a hole in the sky.”
Spring rain, huh. It does exist here. Even if I ran, without any mana, I’d get completely soaked. All the nearby shops had closed long ago, and my feet were splashing in the water.
The rain had already started seeping into my face. The smell of the downpour, pungent and fresh, tickled my nose.
Countless ripples formed in the puddles.
The whole area became a watery mess, as if there had been a flood.
“Ah, my shoes are soaked.”
I misstepped. I should have avoided it.
My helmet was getting drenched. This thing doesn’t dry easily either.
Oh, forget it. I’ll just run…
Huh?
“…What are you doing?”
“Mardoll?”
I should be the one asking that.
The Glass Knight was casting a spell, covering my head like an umbrella.