Chapter 15: 5-1. Spirits Represent Human Emotions.
A week had already passed like that.
It was the second week of classes. My body was slowly adapting to life at the Academy, but…
[You joined the Magic Club!]
…no matter how I looked at it, this was something I couldn’t adapt to.
[I thought you’d join the Literature Club and read romance novels! ♡(*´ ˘ `*)]
I’ll pass on that. I’d rather not meet a sage and get hit with spoilers. Considering how much time I’ve spent on the game, I won’t be swayed so easily.
[Then, as a reward, I’ll give you some valuable information.]
Oh, could it be something related to the saintess?
[There might be a character who doesn’t exist in Knight Heart here! Isn’t that fascinating? Did that help you? ☆ｰ(๑•᎑<๑)]
“This is something I already know.”
Once again, I sighed as I woke up to see the floating status window above me.
I confirmed once again that this was invisible to others. Even though a flashy heart shape was dancing across the screen, the hero beside me didn’t spare it a glance. It was blinding if you looked at it too often.
“What are you doing, Licht? Why are you talking to yourself all of a sudden?”
Ah, I almost forgot to use formal speech.
I shouldn’t be doing this. Maybe there were too many things lately that were shaking my heart.
“It’s nothing. I was just bored. Are you not meeting with Ariel, Kainel?”
“I’m heading out now. She said she wanted to grab something to eat. I’ll be going first.”
“Alright. See you in the classroom in a bit.”
It was better for me to stay out of the way. I didn’t want to interfere with their date. As much as it sucks, I’m not someone who barges into other people’s love lines.
After seeing him off, I closed the door and heard the click of metal.
As soon as the door shut, I pulled out my notebook.
“…No matter how much I dig, I can’t find anything else.”
I couldn’t shake off the uneasiness of ignoring the text that appeared in the status window. Just looking at Professor Beatrice made it clear that there were too many unpredictable variables.
A scholar attacking a fox slime? It’d be a miracle if it didn’t make it into the news.
‘Should I try looking among the clergy? It’s not the first saintess… and I don’t know what she looks like.’
I flipped through the pages several times before my hand stopped.
‘The Platinum Wolf.’
Once again, an unfilled blank space appeared. I bit my lower lip.
I wasn’t capable enough to track down her whereabouts yet.
“…Is she in another place?”
I felt dizzy. With a sigh, I closed the book.
There wasn’t even a rumor circulating about the northern duchess being among the freshmen.
She was probably fending off a monster attack by now. I recalled someone who had endlessly ranted about the lore until my ears bled.
“…”
I glanced at the transparent window floating in front of me.
The status window wasn’t going to tell me anything useful. No game would kindly show you the way to a hidden ending.
I couldn’t trust it too much, but I also couldn’t ignore it. There were NPCs in the game that didn’t show up even through data mining.
“I’ll have to take a walk and think about it.”
Getting some fresh air while sorting through my thoughts was the best thing to do. I grabbed my sword and prepared to head out.
“This is going to break soon. I should take it in for repairs when I have time.”
The cracked blade caught my attention.
Even if I had two bodies, it wouldn’t be enough. I wish someone could handle the love lines for me.
***
I started walking. There was still plenty of time before the morning lecture.
I wandered aimlessly around the Academy. Maybe this way, something would trigger an event.
Then, I saw a familiar face. I couldn’t believe I ran into them like this.
“Char, do you really like my spirit that much?”
“Of course! It’s the phoenix of the Aureus family, after all!”
“Well, that’s a relief… but it’s too small.”
“What does size matter for a spirit? What’s important is its heart.”
A man and a woman were sitting close together on a terrace.
A small, violet sparrow perched on the woman’s hand, rubbing its cheek against her affectionately.
‘That man is…?’
I felt a sense of familiarity when I saw the man with purple hair.
He was a rival character in *Knight Heart*.
Nex Aureus.
Among the players, he was more commonly known as the “Purple Fox” rather than by his phoenix moniker.
His spirit was powerful, and his demeanor was always unreadable. He was skilled at deceiving others and was a master of lying.
He was an exceptional character, even among the cast.
Normally, he would be a playboy. But the two people I was looking at now seemed like a loving couple to anyone watching.
Was I seeing things?
“Don’t you have any classes today, Nex?”
“I skipped just to see my Char. Since it’s the add/drop period, it’s fine to miss a few.”
“…If you say so. I’ll scold you later. Take that!”
“Ouch! Why does a priest’s hand hurt so much?”
The Nex I knew always had a group of women surrounding him. That’s why I usually set him aside when thinking about love lines.
But the sight of him, happily drinking his beverage while getting smacked by the woman, looked far too strange.
Wait, did she just say…?
‘A priest?’
No matter how I looked at it, she was a vampire. Red eyes, pointy ears, long black hair. All three traits were clearly indicative of her species.
Then again, there was a healer with wolf ears, so maybe it didn’t matter.
“Char, actually, today’s lecture was canceled. The professor went on a trip.”
“You’re really good at lying. That’s a bad habit, you know.”
“Sorry. So, please don’t hit me with your holy power fist.”
“I’ll think about it.”
On top of that, he was calling her by a pet name—”Char.” That sing-song tone every time he said it. He wasn’t the type to remember women’s names.
I could still remember his usual way of speaking: ‘Hmph, wench. What business do you have?’
Was this really the same person? He was acting completely different. Even his voice actor had used a cold tone in the game.
I crossed my arms and brought my hand to my mouth. I thought I’d seen something like this in my notes from earlier.
‘Ah, could this be it?’
The message I’d seen earlier this morning came to mind again. About a character not appearing in *Knight Heart*.
‘If my memory serves me right…’
That nun might be the reason why Nex Aureus became a wastrel.
However, my information wasn’t strong enough to be sure yet. Kainel and Ariel were probably doing fine in class by now, so I decided to keep observing this pair.
I trusted that things would go well without me. Still, it was a bit sad to realize I didn’t have anyone to help me in times like this. I sat down nearby, at a distance where I wouldn’t be noticed.
‘If only someone could see the status window in front of me, and realize that connecting couples is the key to unlocking the saintess’ happy ending!’
Who would ever believe such a thing? I’d be lucky if they didn’t call me crazy. A dry chuckle escaped my lips.
“Ah, Nex. I have something to tell you.”
“What is it, Char?”
“My younger sibling, whom I’ve been close with since childhood, just enrolled in the Academy!”
“So, they’re a freshman. I haven’t taken any general courses in a while, so I probably won’t run into them.”
Nex crossed his legs. His expression grew suspicious, as if he had an inkling of something.
“He is super cute! You’d recognize them right away; He is a famous person you’d know.”
“What’s his name?”
“They might be using the alias ‘Mardol.’ They have a distinctive outfit, so they’ll be easy to spot.”
“Hmm, wouldn’t that make it harder to find him?”
Char smiled brightly beside him.
‘If it’s an alias…’
Ugh, was it about the crown prince again? That guy really kept showing up. He’d been pampered by the developers far too much.
“Is it that kid over there? The one in the black helmet? He’s been staring at us for a while.”
“No, not them. My sibling wouldn’t wear something so unfashionable.”
What’s wrong with a Dark Knight’s armor? I furrowed my brow inside the helmet.
Nex really was something else. He noticed I was watching.
“He is a student in glass armor.”
“Ah, then it’s probably them. I think I saw them once through the family head.”
“He used to be such a bright child…”
“Yeah, it’s been about ten years, hasn’t it?”
The two of them looked melancholic, as if reminiscing about old memories.
Seeing that, I found myself in a dire situation.
‘I need to figure out a way to derail this route.’
If I got more involved, I’d end up triggering a flag. Eavesdropping on the protagonist’s backstory?