Chapter 11
I picked up the book from the bookshelf.
I searched through the thick pages one by one.
“Roque Gransia, no. Lupus… Lupus… here it is.”
I quickly flipped through the pages of the notebook. It was already late, so it should be fine since Kainel was asleep.
Lupus Gransia. Black hair and golden eyes. A beautiful young man whose age was unknown.
A harem or reverse harem route easy-mode character who first appeared in *Black Heart*.
A possessive man who would confess his love unconditionally whenever he saw a character stronger than himself.
That’s why he couldn’t handle the max-level party members before subduing the Demon King. He just preferred women more, but occasionally he got involved with male characters too.
“Damn it.”
My mouth went dry.
Well, considering how well-known he was by that name, using the alias ‘Mardoll’ made sense.
My head throbbed. Why did it have to be this guy? I hadn’t even gotten strong enough to catch the Demon King yet.
Were those words spoken in the rain meant to be interpreted that way? I regretted not running straight to the men’s dormitory back then.
“Maybe his affection points aren’t high yet.”
I held onto the last hope.
The same system appeared in both the first and second installments. The probability of forming a relationship or the level of affection with a character was represented by a measure. There might still be a way to turn things around.
***
Setting off for school earlier than usual was the root of the problem.
“Hello.”
The protagonist of my sleepless night appeared in front of me. The glass knight who waved a small hand at me like yesterday, seemingly happy to see me.
“Ah, Licht.”
“You’ve got the wrong person!!”
I ran into him right away. I had been using every shortcut I knew to get to the lecture room, so how did we end up bumping into each other?
I ran in the opposite direction.
He’s the kind of guy who could completely derail the Saintess route. Absolutely not. The conditions were the same as in the previous games, so it had to be the same here.
I ran, cutting through the wind. No matter how easy it was to link up with love lines, I had no interest in tangled romances. I was dead set on pure love. My mind was filled with thoughts of preserving the blue rose.
However, my struggle was in vain.
“What are you doing?”
“Why are you so fast?”
“Mana.”
Mardoll had already approached me without me noticing.
His helmet reflected my black helm, giving me a strange sensation. Catching my breath, I placed my hands on my knees.
Magic really was cheating. I had forgotten that in a one-eyed world, those with two eyes were considered abnormal. I thought I’d gotten a lot faster after training with my master, but I guess not.
“I have something to ask you, Mardoll.”
“Go ahead.”
Let’s check his affection level first. Maybe he still saw me as just an extra. I decided to crack a joke, recalling the time with Kainel and Ariel.
“Do you know what you call the leader of young fish in four syllables?”
“…Cheerleader?”
It was over. How did he know that? It was an old man joke that the Saintess liked, so I memorized it. Losing one of my trump cards made my head spin.
“…”
“What?”
“Wasn’t that funny?”
“I don’t get it.”
His large, crystalline eyes didn’t even flinch. There wasn’t even a hint of laughter.
I needed to sort out my thoughts. Was it still okay? Since it was in the past, maybe his personality hadn’t twisted yet. There was no sign of a love line on my status screen either.
Just then, I sensed a presence beside me. Two sets of footsteps.
Blonde and red hair came into view.
“Licht! Where are you going?”
“Hello, Mr. Helmet! Who’s the person next to you?”
It was Ariel and Kainel.
My mind went blank. These two shouldn’t be meeting here. The crown prince would trigger a rival event. I had seen this scenario many times in *Black Heart*, and my forehead furrowed.
“Ariel! Run away!”
“Huh? Why?”
“..?”
“Licht, is something wrong?”
Huh, nothing was happening. I swung my hand in the air to keep them at a distance, but the massive, heavily armored figure before me didn’t budge.
“…”
He didn’t take his eyes off me, showing no interest in the Hero’s party. Is he targeting me now? At least the affection points didn’t drop, so that’s a relief.
“I guess I was being a bit sensitive.”
“What’s up? You’ve been acting weird since yesterday. Didn’t you sleep?”
“Maybe so. I’m sorry.”
I wiped the cold sweat trickling down my neck. I had gotten through this crisis. I was deeply grateful that the worst-case scenario didn’t happen.
I should have stopped Kainel from barking.
“Hey, Mr. Helmet, standing there like that makes you two look like a couple that goes well together.”
“That’s not it! Absolutely not!”
“Ariel, don’t joke around. The difference in their equipment is too big.”
The perceptive cat took a quick glance between Mardoll and me before delivering a sharp remark. No, don’t set up flags.
In the *Knight Heart Trilogy*, it was mostly the opposite types of people who ended up together.
But this was a situation I really didn’t like.
“I haven’t even met the Saintess yet.”
It was my last remaining desire. I had come into this game for her. I never had any intention of taking another route unless it was for the nameless Saintess.
Even if I had to see the Grand Route ending.
My chest felt tight. Her name was unknown, her identity was unknown, her age was unknown. I didn’t know anything about her.
“This is driving me crazy.”
Even if I met her like this, would I be able to greet her? I could miss her without even knowing it. I thought everything would be resolved if I just got to the academy…
“Mr. Helmet!”
My train of thought was interrupted by the red-haired magician.
“So, what’s the reason for being alone like this?”
“It’s because of a knights’ agreement.”
“That’s right.”
“Then, I’ll be going now. Mr. Mardoll.”
As I made up an excuse, the glass knight agreed.
I had to keep the fact that I was learning Drake’s swordsmanship a secret from these two as well. He does have some flexibility. The crown prince. He would call me after the class.
“Let’s go quickly to the Spirit Studies lecture, Licht. It’s an outdoor class.”
“Is that so? That’s interesting.”
“According to the lecture reviews, the professor is cute.”
Leaving Mardoll behind, I walked with Kainel and the others. But then, I kept hearing footsteps behind me. What, was he in the same class?
“I’m heading that way too.”
The glass knight was walking with us, showing off his characteristic sparkle as he spoke.
It’s common for elective classes to overlap. I knew that from my time as a college student. It felt like I was carrying a bomb that was about to go off.
“What’s your name, glass knight?”