Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: 4-1. As Expected, a World Where Only I Have No Mana Is Wrong.
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I picked up the book wedged into the bookshelf.
I flipped through its thick pages one by one.
'Locke Granasia, no. Lupus... Lupus... Here it is.'
I quickly turned the notebook's pages. It was late already, and Kainel was asleep, so it should be fine.
Lupus Granasia. Black hair, golden eyes. A mysterious young man of indeterminate age.
A harem route or reverse harem easy-mode character who first appeared in [Black Heart].
A clingy guy who confesses to anyone stronger than him without fail.
That's why he could never get past the max-level party members before taking down the Demon King. He just preferred women more, though he occasionally got involved with male characters too.
'This is bad.'
My mouth went dry.
Of course, no one would fail to recognize that name, so he must be using the alias Mardol.
My head throbbed. Of all people, to get targeted by this guy when I wasn't even strong enough to take on the Demon King yet...
Were those words he said in the rain meant like that? I regretted not bolting straight to the men's dorm right away.
'Maybe his affection level is still zero.'
I clung to that last shred of hope.
The system that appeared identically in parts 1 and 2. A gauge showing the probability of romance or closeness with characters. Maybe I could still turn this around.
Heading to school earlier than usual turned out to be my downfall.
"Hello."
The source of my sleepless night appeared right in front of me. The glass knight waving his hand cheerfully, just like yesterday.
"Ah, Licht."
"You've got the wrong person!!"
I ran into him head-on. I'd taken every back alley to get to the classroom, so how did he spot me?
I bolted in the opposite direction.
Getting tangled with him would derail the Saintess route entirely. No way. The conditions were the same in the previous games, so it had to be here too.
I ran, slicing through the wind. Even if building love lines was easy, I wasn't about to juggle tentacles. It had to be pure love or nothing. My head was filled with thoughts of cherishing the Blue Rose.
But my desperate escape came to nothing.
"...What are you doing?"
"Why are you so fast?"
"Mana."
Mardol was already beside me before I knew it.
My black helm reflected in his visor gave me a strange sensation. I leaned on my knees, catching my breath.
Magic really was a cheat. In a one-eyed world, having two eyes was abnormal—I'd forgotten that. I'd thought I'd gotten much faster training with my master, but apparently not.
"Mind if I ask something quick, Mardol?"
"Sure."
First, check his affection level. He might still see me as just an extra. Recalling Kainel and Ariel's moments, I decided to crack a joke.
"Do you know what the leader of young fish is called in four letters?"
"...Cheerleader?"
Failed. How does he know that? It was a dad joke I'd memorized for the Saintess. Losing my secret weapon made my head spin.
"..."
"What?"
"Not funny?"
"Dunno."
The massive crystal figure didn't twitch. No laughter escaped either.
I needed to gather my thoughts. Was it still okay? This was the past timeline, so maybe his personality wasn't twisted yet. No love line for me showed in the status window either.
Then, footsteps approached from the side. Two sets.
Blond and red hair up close.
"Licht! Where you headed?"
"Hey, Helmet Guy! Who's the one next to you?"
It was Ariel and Kainel.
My mind went blank. These two weren't supposed to meet here. The crown prince would trigger a rival event. I'd seen it multiple times in [Black Heart], and my brow furrowed.
"Miss Ariel! Run!"
"Huh? Why?"
"...?"
"Licht, everything okay?"
Weird, nothing's happening. I waved my hands in the air to create distance, but the hulking heavy armor in front of me didn't budge.
"..."
He kept his eyes fixed on me, ignoring the hero's party entirely. Good thing his affection hadn't dropped—maybe his target had shifted to me.
"Guess I was just on edge."
"You've been weird since yesterday. Didn't sleep?"
"Looks like it. Sorry."
I wiped the cold sweat trickling down my neck. Crisis averted. I was deeply grateful inside that the worst hadn't happened.
I should've stopped Kainel from barking.
"Whoa, Helmet Guy, you two look like a perfect couple standing like that."
"It's not like that! Absolutely not!"
"Ariel, your teasing's too much. Their gear levels are way off."
The perceptive cat glanced at Mardol and landed a sharp jab. No, don't set flags for me.
In the [Knight Heart] trilogy, opposites usually ended up dating.
But this was a situation I truly hated.
'Haven't even seen the Saintess yet.'
My last selfish desire. I'd fallen into this game for her sake. I had no intention of pursuing any other route besides the Nameless Saintess.
Not even after seeing the Grand Route ending.
A corner of my chest felt stuffy. Name unknown, identity unknown, age unknown. I knew nothing about her.
'This is driving me crazy.'
Even if we met like this, could I greet her? I might pass her by without realizing. I'd thought reaching the academy would solve it from the game screenshots...
"Helmet Guy!"
The red-haired mage cut off my train of thought.
"So what's the deal with you two being alone together?"
"It's a knights' promise."
"Yeah."
"Well, see you later, Mardol."
I made up an excuse, and the glass knight backed me up.
Teaching Drake's swordsmanship had to stay secret from these two as well. He had some flexibility after all, this crown prince. He'd probably call me after classes ended.
"Let's hurry to spirit arts class, Licht. It's outdoors."
"Really? That's interesting."
"Reviews say the professor's super cute?"
I left Mardol there and walked off with Kainel and the others. But footsteps kept trailing behind. Wait, same class?
"Me too. That way."
The glass knight was walking with us, showing off his signature sparkle.
Liberal arts classes often overlapped. I knew that from my college days. It felt like carrying a bomb on the verge of exploding.
"What's your name, Glass Knight?"
Don't ask, Ariel. He might launch another confession attack on you. I'd done it first, but that was necessary.
"Mardol."
"Oh, the guy who was late to combat magic class? I'm Ariel! Nice to meet you!"
"Yeah. Nice."
"Licht, I'm seriously still not used to this."
"Same here..."
Two using casual speech: me with formal. And one who never said more than two words.
Yellow pup and cat. Black Knight and Glass Knight.
Two pairs of perfect opposites.
Like gears in fate, meshing and turning together.
A few minutes later, we climbed the mountain without being late and reached the announced spot.
"This should be it. Licht, feel anything?"
"Not sure. I wouldn't know..."
"Even Helmet Guy doesn't know everything."
[Intro to Spiritology.]
The class site was a wide clearing with a single tree standing alone.
Sensing something off, the other students murmured among themselves.
Then Mardol pointed at it.
"Tree's weird."
He approached and placed his palm on the trunk. A knight inspecting.
Rustle, rustle. Leaves shook. Falling foliage proved it wasn't ordinary.
"Oops, found out."
A woman's voice came from the tree. The trunk twisted, taking human form. Sweet lilac scent.
She was like a single flower.
'Dryad...?'
Purple flower in her hair, pink locks.
Probably an original from [Grand Hearts Academy]. First time meeting someone I didn't know. A new face made it feel like I was actually playing the game, and I was thrilled.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Maria, your spiritology instructor."
A tiny creature emerged from her hand. A cute green hamster. Was this a spirit? I'd only seen big ones before.
"Since you found me, here's a gift."
Several hamsters stopped in front of the students, one each.
They squeaked, offering envelopes atop our heads with tiny paws.
"Whoa, snacks! Sunflower-shaped!"
"For real. Ariel, you've tried them already?"
"Hehe... I love sweets."
Kainel shared half his with her, and Ariel nibbled like a squirrel. Hopefully, that boosted her love meter.
"Tasty."
"...Sweet."
Mardol with his face hidden by glass magic. Me lifting my visor slightly to eat without exposing myself.
Having both knights do this felt kinda rude to the professor.
"What do you think is the basis of spiritology? Looking at these hamsters?"
"Cute."
"So cute!"
"Wrong."
The glass knight and Ariel answered.
Maria wagged her index finger and shook her head. The hamsters mimicked her with their own head shakes.
"The answer is: creatures born from emotions."
"And unlike swordsmanship, magic, or holy power, they have one key advantage."
The hamsters swarmed into a cluster. A wriggling mass of rodents—their numbers had exploded.
"Which is—"
As she finished, the spirits became massive flowers encircling her protectively.
They could probably block missiles.
"Even small ones are powerful. Like these hamsters."
The trunk surged into a giant golem shape, a tiny flower adorning its head like an accessory.
"Plus, endless utility based on traits. A famous phoenix, for example, provides an invincible barrier."
Ah, this was about the Ten Heroes. Talking about the Living Sun?
"In my case, I can use nature like this."
Vibrations rumbled from below. The ground shook.
Rumble, rumble—
'Manipulating roots to cause an earthquake. This school really is elite.'
I regained my balance, feeling sad again that I was the only one here without mana. A small voice came from beside me.
"Eek."
"Hold my arm tight, Ariel."
"...No cute ones."
Her clinging to Kainel's arm. The glass knight utterly unmoved.
Ah, he was standing on glass on the ground.
"So, most students taking this class will struggle just to awaken their inner spirit."
In the original, only a handful used spiritology.
The famous ones were the phoenix and whale. Even I, who memorized the setting book, didn't know the rest.
"Being honest with your emotions is truly hard."
She sighed. The class would focus on theory, not practice, per the reviews.
Perfect for mana-less me. A sweet deal? My memorization was maxed from pattern mastery.
"Class dismissed. Hopefully by semester's end, you'll all summon your spirits."
First classes ending early were the best. Maria greeted the students and sank into the earth. Dryad perks, huh.
'Now for holy power studies.'
The Nameless Saintess's healing prayer she often used in the game.
I wanted to learn that. Now, if she got hurt, I'd heal her.
I turned toward the cafeteria for lunch. An hour until afternoon class—plenty of time.
Like yesterday, Kainel and Ariel walked the same way. Were they eating with lonely me again? These guys were too kind. Almost brought tears.
"Licht, magic club signup today, right?"
"Yes. Miss Ariel said she would too..."
I started answering Kainel but froze.
The crown prince hadn't left. Glass knight stood by the redhead.
"Yeah, Helmet Guy. But I think I prefer hanging with Kai."
Ariel twirled a lock of hair, and behind her,
"Magic club?"
The crown prince leaned toward me.
Oof. Screwed. The oblivious pup had no sense of timing.
This was a flag planted. Own it.