“And that is… exactly what?”
“Even if I explained, you wouldn’t be able to overcome it unless you realize it on your own,” she said, dismissing my frustration.
So began my seemingly endless struggle against the sword. I had expected to learn martial techniques or inner energy manipulation, but instead, it felt like I was stuck with a glorified claw machine challenge.
***
Meanwhile, at the Grand Hearts Academia – Swordsmanship Training Grounds
In the dim light of the training grounds, three figures had gathered.
“Hey, Mardol,” greeted Ariel, the Magician of Blazing Flame.
“…”
“Mardol, sorry about Kainel being clueless. Please just say hi to us,” Ariel pleaded gently.
With them were Kainel, the blonde-haired Hero, and Phine, the Glass Knight. They sighed heavily as their conversation began.
“So, Mardol, have you found any sign of Licht?” Kainel asked.
“No, nothing,” Mardol replied flatly.
“Professor Dennis is also searching, but… no progress yet,” Ariel added, her tone somber.
The topic of discussion was the missing Black Knight, Licht, who had become a Demon Lord to save them.
“If that bastard Licht really comes back alive, I swear…” Kainel muttered, ruffling his hair in frustration, his tone betraying his worry. Despite their words, all three were deeply concerned for him.
“Is… is Helmet really dead?” Ariel whispered, her expression filled with worry.
“Ariel! Don’t say that,” Phine scolded her.
“Ah… sorry, Mardol.”
Ariel’s voice quivered with guilt. Licht’s return wasn’t just a hope—it was something they needed.
“What if he’s turned into a card like my mother…?”
Phine shuddered at the thought, her traumatic memories resurfacing. Sweat dripped down inside her glass helmet, and her wolf ears and tail drooped in despair.
“Ugh…”
“Mardol, are you okay?!” Ariel asked anxiously.
“I’m… fine,” Phine said, placing a hand on her chest plate and taking deep breaths to calm herself. Her friends, Kainel and Ariel, looked at her with concern.
“Mardol, shouldn’t you take a break?” Kainel asked.
“I’m fine. Anyway, Kainel…”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“Who’s the person Licht said he liked?”
“Ah.”
The sudden question caught Kainel off guard, and he tilted his head in thought. Of all things, that was what Licht had asked Phine to protect before leaving to confront the Demon Lord.
“…He said it was someone with beautiful white hair, Mardol,” Kainel replied.
“That’s it? That’s all?”
“He also called her the Nameless Saintess, someone destined to be chosen as a Saintess in the future,” Kainel explained.
“…That’s not much to go on, Kainel,” Phine said, sighing deeply.
“I don’t know much either. Licht said she had terrible luck and needed protection. He hinted that the Hero Church might’ve been targeting her…”
“Ugh, so you really don’t know anything,” Phine said, shaking her head. She recalled how Licht had openly declared her royal lineage to provoke Magic Hat into action, all to protect her.
“The Nameless Saintess? No one like that exists anywhere…”
Phine had already sought answers from two of the Ten Greats and exhausted every resource available to her, trying to honor Licht’s dying wish.
But every lead came up empty.
“The Nameless Saintess doesn’t exist in the Library of Truth. She’s not someone from the past.”
“She’s not even visible in any prophetic visions. I’m sorry, Phine.”
Even Gold, the Imperial Guard, and countless other connections had turned up nothing. Beatrice, the Saintess candidate, had also denied knowing of any such person.
“I couldn’t find anyone like that, Kainel,” Phine admitted.
“What? I thought if anyone could find her, it’d be you… What do we do about Licht?”
Inside her glass helmet, Phine’s expression darkened. White hair was a trait she shared, and her silver strands glinted faintly under her armor.
“…Licht. I’m worried.”
But the description didn’t match her. He hadn’t mentioned wolf ears or a tail, and beyond the hair color, they had no leads. More information was desperately needed.
“If it were me, Licht wouldn’t have asked me to protect myself…”
The logic didn’t add up. If she were the one, he wouldn’t have asked her to look out for herself. He would’ve known she’d never be chosen as a Saintess.
If such a future had been possible, one of the seers who foresaw destiny would’ve said something.
“…So this is about a third Saintess,” Phine muttered.
Her elder sister, Charitines, was already a Saintess. The position, chosen by the God of Light, wasn’t given to just anyone.
“…”
Phine wondered if Licht had understood the depth of his sacrifice. She knew from Kainel’s account that Licht had never written letters or maintained personal connections.
“Helmet… so he grew stronger all for her. I didn’t know…”
Phine clenched her fists tightly, her emotions boiling over.
“At the very least, after Licht disappeared, she should’ve come to find us.”
The idea of protecting someone who hadn’t even appeared to help them in their most desperate moments frustrated her. It was a kind of person she couldn’t comprehend.
“…I don’t get it. It’s infuriating,” she muttered, her wolf ears and tail twitching slightly in irritation under her glass armor, though no one noticed.