Chapter 30: 9-2. Is This the Crown Prince Route?
***
A man with purple hair, marked by the glowing Phoenix emblem, sat close to a woman dressed in black from head to toe—a nun.
“…The North? Asha Aureus is…”
“I asked the chamberlain. The head is there right now. I feel like I should have kept in touch more. Sorry, junior.”
“He really doesn’t care about his own son at all, does he? It’s too much.”
I visited the terrace after buying a new sword for the first time in a while. There, I met Nex and asked about the engagement.
“I’m used to it by now.”
“Did he go to defend against the monsters’ onslaught?”
“Most likely. The North is cold, too.”
“Since it’s under the sun’s influence… It’s probably some effective elemental sorcery.”
Then, when will I ever get to go home?
I felt a little dizzy. Just thinking about Kainel, Ariel, and Dennis made my head spin—there was so much to do. When would I ever fill up that 100%?
Am I supposed to take down at least two Demon Lords, or is it enough to max out the romance meter beforehand? I couldn’t tell.
Seeing how things were going with Nex, the Holy Order was definitely involved. Shouldn’t the status window have just told me to take out the Demon Lords?
“Let’s just get married already… No, never mind.”
“I wish that too, junior. But if we went ahead without permission, it’d be chaos, especially since I’m a count.”
“And because it’s with a Saintess, too.”
Charitines looked at Nex with a fox-like smile. Were they starting to mirror each other now that they were a couple? My side started to feel cold.
Her violet eyes curved in amusement, and Nex’s red eyes followed, mirroring the expression.
“I’m always cheering for you, seniors.”
“Thanks, junior!”
“…A bit embarrassing though, ugh.”
Today’s classes were canceled. The Academy suggested we resume attending classes starting tomorrow.
‘I feel like I’m missing something. What is it?’
Had the Ten Greats gathered for a meeting? They probably knew everything about what happened while I was gone.
“So, it turns out the Cardinal I met that day was a fake.”
“If it was a succubus, it’s understandable. Silly shar.”
“Nex, weren’t you almost caught too? You were crying yesterday in front of me.”
“…”
The mighty rival character, at a loss for words, staying silent. How curious. Normally, he’d be reading his opponent’s expression and scraping at their insides.
“A disciple impersonating Professor Beatrice…”
On top of that, Professor Beatrice wasn’t the villain. Was it a subversion of a cliché? I needed to stop thinking that squinty-eyed characters were automatically bad.
Charitines explained that she had noticed something was off when she smiled too much with her eyes.
“…Stop it. I’m embarrassed.”
“Wow, that’s unexpected.”
Nex had softened quite a bit. Now that the violet sparrow had become a full-fledged adult, it was probably uncomfortable to show it off so freely.
“People can feel embarrassed, too. Isn’t that right, junior? Char is just oblivious because she’s a Saintess.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
“You’re both teasing me, aren’t you! I know a lot more than you think!”
Even without his spirit by his side, Nex seemed more confident than before.
“Actually, I was just joking.”
When I let out a small laugh, the black-haired nun looked at me with concern.
“Oh, junior… are you feeling okay?”
“I think so. I slept for so long that I’m sore all over, though…”
“…Hang in there.”
“Char, stop discouraging him. If he exerts any more strength, the Academy might collapse.”
My condition was so strange that anyone I met would offer me sympathetic words.
Still, if I ate, I could replenish my mana. I could summon spirits with Nex’s power, and I wasn’t bad with a sword.
And if I held hands with Mardol, I could use magic, too… though I wondered if that would ever be useful later on.
Suddenly, a chilling thought crossed my mind—using magic during sword training. I once got caught by a knight in heavy armor doing just that.
The aftereffects were worse than I’d thought. I needed to get used to this.
Then, a realization hit me about what I had been missing.
“Oh, Nex senior.”
“Yeah? What is it, junior?”
“Would you like to try using a weapon?”
“Out of nowhere? I’m a spirit mage, you know. I don’t have any talent for swordsmanship.”
“You should prepare in case your spirits grow weak.”
In *Knight Heart*, he was an NPC who used a spear. I figured this would be the right move. He needed the strength to protect his love line even without me.
Kainel was a hero, so he’d probably grow stronger on his own. But spirit mages were too reliant on their emotions, which made them vulnerable.
“…Yeah, you’re right, junior.”
“Great. Follow me.”
He must have been shaken after nearly falling victim to the Apostle, because he nodded slowly in agreement with my suggestion.
This seemed like the best way to avoid contradictions with the original story.
***
So why wasn’t he in class again?
“Mardol…? What are you doing here?”
“Training.”
Several coins lay scattered across the ground, as if he had swung his sword at them repeatedly, leaving deep gashes in the floor.
And just now… Was that Shadow Slash?
His precision was still lacking, but it was clear he was trying to cut through the shadows. The gleaming armor he wore was almost blinding.
“Hello, Licht.”
The glass knight waved at me, looking quite pleased.
‘Well, at least his affection level seems good. That’s a relief.’
I responded in the friendliest tone possible. After all, every flag and route right now pointed toward the Crown Prince. If I stayed on course, I’d at least reach the midpoint.
“Hello, Mardol.”
“Are you here for swordsmanship training too?”
His voice echoed thickly through his helmet, sounding as if it came from deep within a cave.
I couldn’t show any fear. Lupus was still strong, probably because of the past. I needed to pique his interest and drive the flags deeper.
“…Today is a bit different.”
“Of course. You’re strong.”
No sooner had he spoken than the glass knight resumed slashing at the shadows in his training.
Was that a sign of approval? Either way, if I could just save the Saintess, I’d even be willing to pull off a Pure Love Drift.
That would be way cooler, wouldn’t it? As cheesy as it sounds.
The clinking sound of coins being struck by magic filled the air as they flew in from afar.
Maybe the recent incident with the Holy Order made his eager to become stronger. He was working hard.
I’d noticed today that additional layers of the Academy’s protective barrier were under construction. The Ten Greats had a tight bond, and they must have heard about the Demon Lord’s dungeon beneath the Academy.
‘This spear is the closest thing to the one Nex used in the original. Good.’
I should make my preparations, too. I picked up a spear with a sharp blade from the display.
“Here, take this spear.”
“Why…? Isn’t it supposed to be a sword? Wasn’t I going to use Vacuum Slash or something?”
“That’s impossible. Let’s make this your primary weapon.”
Nex stared at me with a puzzled look. I couldn’t believe it. Vacuum Slash was a technique that required absorbing immense force with the whole body—no beginner could pull it off.
“…Let’s focus on something other than swordsmanship.”
“All right. I trust you.”
We moved to a secluded corner, far from Mardol. Hurting him would mess up the route, so I had to be careful from now on.
“Now, I’ll teach you a few things about spear combat.”
“But Licht, you seem better with a sword. Are you sure this is right?”