EP.96 28-2. Where Life is Certain, There is Love
***
When I snapped out of the nightmare, something lukewarm was smeared on my helmet.
"..Huh?"
A bad feeling washed over me as I wiped it away with my hand, and the acrid scent of blood filled the air. This feels like blood, but whose blood…
At that moment, thud. The glass knight right next to me collapsed slowly, the armor on her chest shattered.
"..Saintess?"
No, should I call her Phine now? The one who had been concealing her appearance with the Masterpiece,
"What on earth is going on?"
The person I had always been searching for was being harmed by someone's hand.
I saw the blue-haired man, Dennis, collapsing right in front of me. While I was trapped in my trauma, everything had already ended.
The Demon Lord of Omniscience. Head Eike was walking towards me, step by step, right in front of me.
"No…. This can’t be happening."
I tried to stop the blood flowing out, clutching her chest with my hand, and shards of glass pierced the back of my hand, but I didn't feel the pain.
Saving her was more important than any of that.
"Please.. Pleaaase.."
How did we meet, how could such a precious person I’ve come to know be hurt? This is too much.
‘It's okay. There's the Savior Sword.’
Just like before, I grabbed the glass knight's hand and tried to use the paladin's skill.
"..Why, why isn’t it working?!"
But it failed. Why is this happening?
The source of mana is the heart. Because that part was injured, it seemed impossible to borrow Phine's mana circuit to use the skill.
"Your hand is cold. Don't tell me."
Besides, divine power is a wish created by reason. I was only imagining an ominous future, blocked by reality.
I might have already decided that she was dead. Uncharacteristically, my mind went blank, and I was confused by numerous dark thoughts.
"Hey, Licht."
It was then. The blonde-haired hero activated the Holy Sword as he watched the approaching Demon Lord.
"Ariel and I will buy you some time. Do whatever you can."
"It's too late, it's all over."
I was there, holding her and sobbing. Soon after, there was a sound like fireworks exploding. Anyone could tell it was magic used by the Magician of Blazing Flame.
"Helmet Guy, Mardol isn't dead yet!"
"What are you…. Talking about.. Ariel..?"
"Think about it, it's the Masterpiece that even blocked Magic Hat's attack!"
Come to think of it, the amount of bleeding is small. Ariel's words brought me back to my senses.
"..It's true, you’re still breathing."
It was the glass armor that had even blocked Magic Hat's attack, who felt stronger than Head. It seemed that the bullet hadn't completely penetrated.
‘Did Professor Dennis protect you too?’
There were traces of Dennis's three-dimensional magic circle around. This ultimate move must have been able to block some of the bullet's power.
"Thanks, guys."
As I looked at the fallen Phine again, I began to consider every possible method I could use.
‘It’s too far to join up with Charitines.. And it's not enough to ask someone else to use healing magic.’
It's the same situation as with the Heavenly Demon. If left alone, she would be shot by the Demon Lord of Omniscience and forgotten from the world.
In fact, I had thought about it to some extent. I wondered if our Saintess had been affected by Head's power of ignorance.
But there was something very insufficient about thinking that way. The Heavenly Demon was also affected by ignorance, but his martial power itself was intact.
The powers of the Demon Lords are not perfect. There must be a loophole somewhere.
In the character setting, her name is there. White Magnolia.
There were many puzzle pieces missing for the seemingly strong glass knight to become a powerless "Nameless Saintess".
If things continued like this, she would either lose her memories of herself or be erased from all records in the world. Or everyone, including me, would forget Phine Gransia.
"I can't forget this person. Never."
But it was strange for her to lose her name right away, or to become a Saintess who couldn't use divine power freely.
Even the attributes were different. The Saintess is of the light attribute, but Phine was of the earth attribute.
Doesn't it feel out of place that Phine, who had a strong grip to subdue me, would become a body that couldn't even catch a single monster?
"..Could it be that all the Demon Lords of the Hero Cult are like that?"
Only now did I instinctively realize it. It's not just one Demon Lord, but several who have interfered with the evil deed.
If things continued like this, this person would be a victim of the Demon Lords' scheme and become a "Nameless Saintess."
It was obvious without even looking. Once all memories of her are erased from the world, they can secretly take her away while no one knows.
"You bastards."
What did this kind and innocent person do wrong?
Why did they make her name disappear, make her a body that couldn't even catch a single monster, make her unable to use divine power well, and make everyone forget her?
There was not enough time to think about such things now. It was a moment to make a choice.
"I don't want to let this person I finally found.. Be like that."
I don't mind if I never see the Saintess I remember. I wasn't saved because of this person's appearance.
"Even if the appearance is different, our Saintess is still our Saintess."
I was moved by the warmer and softer inside than anyone else.
I just saw it in Mardol's appearance when she came to save me from the nightmare, and it was fine even if she remained an empress forever instead of a saintess.
"Living like this, having Emperor Roque as your father, and living as Lupus's older sister is the right thing to do."
Because that would be the happiness of the person named Phine. I can't change the person I love with my personal greed.
Even if this choice leads to her not liking me.
I would be satisfied if I could just save Phine Gransia in front of me.
"Ariel, let's use a joint skill."
"Okay, Kainel!"
Besides, right now there are friends behind me buying time to save Phine. It was different from when I was fighting Magic Hat as .
"..Such a technique was not in my ‘Omniscience’. Kainel!!"
"Haha, it seems to have worked well!"
"Kai, be careful!"
Shine Fire Works flying towards the Demon Lord of Omniscience. Explosions were heard everywhere, and Head's balance, who was holding the revolver, was lost.
Bang, a bullet fired at me missed.
A loophole was created. But what should I do? I already failed whether I hold hands and use divine power, or try to use magic.
Wait, magic?
The two words that came to mind reminded me of what Dennis had said before. The advice he gave me when I first joined the club.
"If you use the circuit through a medium, it might be possible."
A powerful memory flashed through my mind. I had that 'medium' in my arms right now.
‘Manarose..!!’
It is a rose with a deep blue glow, infused with mana, and a legendary-grade flower that I have kept for our Saintess.
It seems like the time has come to use this. A kid told me to take good care of it before.
"Savior Sword."
I took out the Manarose and tried to use divine power, but there was no response.
"It's okay.. Everything will be okay. Phine."
Drip, blood fell on the glass knight's armor. Whether I was pricked by thorns or not, I gripped the stem strongly,
"There won't be any more difficult things now."
I made the blood flowing from my hand and the rose become one.
"..Because I'm going to make it happen."
The mana circuit became one, and the bottom of the Manarose was stained red, so it was no longer appropriate to call it a 'blue rose'.
「Savior Sword.」
Next to her, I held the rose in my hand until it crumbled, knelt down, and took a pose of praying to the sky.
What does it matter if the blue rose becomes a red rose?
I'm fine with just saving this person. I don't care if I die, take as much blood as you want.
─*Drip*.
Soon, along with the clear sound of water droplets falling like before, a white light ripple occurred around me,
"It worked. The bleeding has stopped."
This time, perhaps because it was enhanced using Manarose, an incredibly bright light source spread around.
It soon became a small sword shape divided into several pieces and penetrated the wound like snow melting, healing the injured people.
It looked like a scene where snowflakes were fluttering. Snowflakes falling in the middle of summer.
The White Christmas that she and I saw in our trauma was reproduced.
"..Licht?"
Soon, I saw sparkling golden eyes inside the glass helmet.
"Hello, Phine."
I gave her a relieved smile as she opened her eyes. The inside of the helmet was already covered in tears, so I didn't know if I was smiling or crying.
"Do you remember me..?"
"Of course, you're pervert Licht…"
Perhaps because she had just regained consciousness, the glass knight looked very tired. Fortunately, she didn't look like she had been affected by ignorance. I immediately hugged her.
"I'm so glad.. Really.. I'm so glad.."
"Licht.. I can't breathe.."
The body temperature I felt again. The heartbeat I heard from the close distance. All the evidence that she was alive was good.
"I'm sorry. I was so happy that you were alive…."
"It's okay as long as you don't squeeze too hard. I'm fine with Licht…"
Come to think of it, I hugged our Saintess without permission. I felt my face burning, so I created some distance and asked her about her well-being, my neck still red.
"Is there anywhere that hurts now? Phine."
"Not really…. Ah, there's one thing."
"Where?! Is there another injury somewhere..?!"
Is there a part that the Savior Sword couldn't fix? With a worried heart, I immediately examined her body here and there.
"..My chest hurts from when Licht touched it without permission earlier."
"..."
Then Phine stroked her helmet and looked at me with slightly soft eyes. She pressed it when blood was coming out of her heart, just to stop the bleeding.
"Hehe, you pervert.. Completely.."
Looking at her, who was teasing me like a fox as soon as she woke up, made me smile for no reason. She was definitely the Saintess I remembered.
"Later.. I'm going to punish you.. Licht."
"Do whatever you want. I'm confident I can accept all of your pampering."
She liked to tease me as if she had not a wolf, but a fox inside of her.
At that moment, the voice of an old man scolding me was heard from afar.
"Hero, do you know what you've done!!"
The Demon Lord of Omniscience, Head Eike, shouted at me while being hit by Kainel's Shine Advance.
Wow, that yellow mutt moves enough to avoid Head's bullets. Well, light is faster than bullets.
"Licht, you saved Mardol…. It was hard waiting."
"As expected of Helmet Guy!"
Kainel, whose Shine Advance duration had ended, returned to my and Phine's side and looked back. Ariel also smiled brightly when she saw the glass knight standing up,
"Oh, I was sure.. My legs and arms…."
And in front of us, Dennis with blue hair got up, supporting himself on the ground with his right arm, his whole body restored.
The Savior Sword is a wide-area skill that heals even the people around it.
"Even made Kainel learn Shine Advance, and even healed Dennis..?!"
"Why, do you have a problem with that? Head?"
It's a higher-level skill than general healing magic. This much was obvious.
"If this happens, all the prophecies will be twisted!!"
Prophecy, prophecy. Is he recklessly guessing people's futures with incomplete omniscience and trying to harm people like this with his own beliefs?
"If touching our Phine is a prophecy, I would like to say fuck off. Head."
"..Wait, how do you remember Phine Gransia..!! Hero!!"
Head paused, looking at our standing Saintess with a surprised expression. Was it right to use the power of ignorance?
"This can't be. You were definitely hit by a bullet!! You even got rid of my enhanced ignorance..?!!"
Come to think of it, that's right. Phine next to me right now hasn't been forgotten by anyone, and doesn't seem to have lost any memories.
"Boy, you're not just a normal hero..!!"
"..You keep saying hero, hero from earlier. It's annoying."
I summoned Kiyu. I drew the sword that was stuck in the ground and pointed it at Head.
"I am not a hero. Head."
"Then what on earth are you if you neutralize my ignorance and omniscience!!"
"A dark knight. A Pure Love Dark Knight at that."
To be precise, a Pure Love Dark Knight from Grand Hearts Academy. I made Kainel, Ariel, and Dennis step back and blocked the Demon Lord's path.
"..Does the Demon Lord of Omniscience not know that?"
"You bastard, you bastard..!!"
I knew instinctively. Head Eike's ability, for some reason, doesn't work on me. Besides, I can even undo the ignorance that has already been applied.
"Well, Head, you were just a bastard."
I didn't lose my memory when I met the Heavenly Demon, and I was even the one who was taught swordsmanship by her.