Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: 38-4. Gambler's Fallacy
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My head throbs. The bizarre message from the status window keeps swirling around in my brain.
"Something bothering you, Licht?"
"Ah, it's nothing, Kainel."
"Nothing? It's written all over your forehead: 'I've got troubles.'"
I leaned back against the chair, letting out a sigh, and Kainel piped up from beside me. Can't blame him—I nearly stumbled into a harem route there.
"If something's on your mind, spill it. This Kainel will listen."
The blond hero had noticed I'd been off ever since the sparring match. Sharp instincts, I guess.
A chilly autumn breeze slipped into the men's dormitory at the academy, pricking at my lungs.
"..."
Should I tell him about this?
In real life, I owed Kainel a ton already.
From Knight Heart to Black Heart—ten years in all. Even leaving aside Pine, the Nameless Saintess, these guys were sore spots for me.
Game characters who'd felt like real friends.
"Kainel, if you could see the future, how do you think it'd feel?"
"Huh? Licht, so you're that kind of hero after all? Like the Head?"
I let a sliver of truth slip out. Keeping it bottled up and carrying on academy life was no longer viable—not with this massive variable in play.
Even my romance with Assistant Instructor Blanc.
It probably meant other heroines could get flagged depending on the player's actions.
"Let's say it's something like that, for argument's sake."
The right mindset was assuming the other side could do whatever I could. Basic PVP principle. But even so, something still felt off.
"Kainel, just hypothetically, okay? What if I came from a future where Ariel became the hero?"
I glanced up at the status window that had been hovering since the practical sparring.
Blanc's Love Meter had vanished. The Grand Route with Pine should be safe—I'd smashed that flag to pieces with some choice insults.
But something about letting it slide felt too nagging, so I decided to seek help.
"Ariel as the hero?"
Kainel set aside the textbook he'd been reading and listened intently to my question. He furrowed his brow, deep in thought.
"Getting chosen by the Holy Sword to slay the Demon King isn't easy, Kainel."
"...True. The Hero Cult doesn't help her reputation any."
I knew Kainel's backstory. His parents nearly got killed by a Demon King, and his brother—a knight of the Empire—died because of it.
One of the Hero Cult's Demon Kings was responsible. Probably the same bastard who burned down Ariel's forest, too.
"What if I got a request to make someone else the hero instead of Ariel, who's suffered so much...?"
That time in the carriage when I'd played the playboy, he'd blown up in rage. It was also the trigger for hating smug nobodies who acted like hotshots, just like the Hero Cult's Demon Kings.
"...What if I twisted the future?"
"So that's why I became the Light Hero?"
Kainel and I had a lot in common, knowingly or not.
Before meeting me, he'd been pushing away his childhood friend out of fear their relationship would shatter if he confessed his feelings.
"Hero Ariel ends up unhappy, right? You're saying that after crushing even the Head."
"Pretty unhappy, yeah."
He was taking my fabricated tale seriously.
"If that were really true..."
His piercing blue eyes gauged my reaction. Am I that obvious?
"I'd thank you, Licht."
Kainel bowed his head to me. I'd expected him to call out my cringey lie, but he seemed to buy it outright.
"What? For real? Even if all your hardships so far were my fault?"
"Think about it—Ariel's nearly died twice already. Make that three times."
He was talking about the Shadow Wolf and Magic Hat attacks. The Head's academy raid could've targeted the hero couple too, so three it was.
"As long as I can protect Ariel, I'm fine."
It felt like looking in a mirror.
Just like how I'd shielded Pine as the Black Knight. The expression said he'd endure any pain for the one he loved.
Yup, this was the hero Kainel I knew. He placed a hand on my shoulder and continued.
"In the end, you risked your life to protect us, didn't you?"
Had I? I'd thrown myself in without hesitation—my life was already forfeit once anyway. Saving my Pine was all that mattered.
"Being a hero sounds rough. But after seeing what you do, I can't hate it."
Kainel let out a wry chuckle, his tone reassuring.
"You're serious, aren't you, Licht?"
Suddenly, his smile cut off. He activated his Holy Sword, erecting a barrier around us.
"Let there be light."
⟨ Light Holy Sword ⟩
White radiance poured from the Light Holy Sword, enveloping the room. A thin hemispherical barrier like a curtain formed around us.
I'd seen it during the Head's raid. Had his skills grown? It could block anti-detection spells, eavesdropping magic, even Demon King powers. Why now...?
"Most of what's happened so far doesn't make sense unless you saw the future and came back."
"..."
His words after full preparation sent chills down my spine. Fair enough—I'd dropped way too many hints on this guy.
"Well, Ariel as the hero? That's gotta be a lie. Her as a hero? Come on."
"...Ah, yeah, it was all made up. Totally."
"You show when you're lying. No escaping now."
Kainel sighed. Was I that transparent? Pine had seen through my lies plenty of times too.
"Like the Sage, seeing multiple possibilities?"
No, I'd only seen one hopeless future. A bitter taste filled my mouth. Can't tell him that. Beat around the bush.
"No, I can't see the changed future, Kainel."
"...That's why you're so worried."
Kainel nodded like it all clicked. Honestly, I was scared if Pine's Love Meter would hold up.
I'd arbitrarily altered her fate from Nameless Saintess.
Pine had no official ending from the devs outside the Grand Route, and I'd nearly boosted Blanc's meter just now.
Knowing the system, I'd kept my distance.
"One question. In that future, do you and the princess really get together?"
Kainel smirked, savoring his revenge from the carriage incident. I knew Pine Granasia felt more than friendship toward me now.
"Honestly, no idea. I didn't see that part."
Sophitia's words up north, making us share a bath—she'd paired her childhood friend with a guy.
'If she really hated me, I'd be branded a criminal by the Empire already.'
The inn room's bath was spacious. Two pillows like a double. Maybe meant for consummation, but Pine bolted.
"...Even if the future ends badly, you should try loving her again, Kainel."
I steadied my breath and told him the truth I'd realized up north. Even if the Love Meter dipped, I had to try.
"Yeah, if that saintess and the princess are the same person, I'd be okay with it."
Kainel grinned, mentioning the Nameless Saintess. He'd solved my brooding dilemma for me.
"How did you... know...?"
"Why? You weren't gonna tell Ariel I like her anyway, right? Your secret's safe."
Seeing my shock, the hero replied. He'd keep it under wraps.
He knew it was unrequited love I'd never witnessed, and I'd said I only liked one person from the start. He'd figured it out.
Pine Granasia lay in her chambers.
'Licht... protected me again...'
She stretched her hand toward the ceiling, recalling the man's figure from today's practical sparring. The Black Knight in his helmet, always by her side, shielding her.
He always won, no matter the odds—like a fairy-tale hero. Even when Blanc hurled a dagger, he'd thrown himself in the way.
'He's so kind.'
Pine knew. Licht valued her safety over his own. That's why, when forging the heart sword, she'd let their lips brush—just barely.
She didn't want to lose to the saintess, and curiosity about how his cheek felt—a tiny selfish whim.
'If he'd opened his eyes... I'd have burst into tears from embarrassment right there...'
Pine Granasia's heart went thump-thump. Love was budding within. She was glad it was oblivious Licht, not some other guy.
'I told her next time to do it with someone she truly loves... but I don't want to lose Licht to her...'
Pine pressed her hands to her chest, feeling stifled. Unfamiliar with love, the faint chill puzzled her.
With Licht, her heart floated like a cloud. Seeing Assistant Instructor Blanc? Pure rage.
'Licht is mine...'
Right after the match, cozying up, inviting him to eat—she'd had her guard dig. Nothing, even with her personal retinue.
'Suspicious. Need to put a tail on her.'
Her quirky personality split opinions publicly, but she'd been legit student council president for four years, attended properly.
Pine's sharp eyes detected no lies. Still, her brow furrowed at the thought.
"...Time for magic practice."
To chase bad thoughts away, Pine rose from bed.
"Licht's height... was about like this."
She lifted her gaze slightly, as if peering up at someone a head taller. On the facing wall, slash marks tracked someone's height.
"Mirror Mirage."
⟨ Mirror Mirage ⟩
Pine chanted at the spot. A duplicate of Licht appeared.
Precisely, his form right after the fight with Blanc. Magic reflected mental images.
"So shiny again...?"
Unknowingly, Pine voiced her affection for the man. It was slightly idealized beyond what she'd actually seen.
"No, not quite. He was more solid... like this."
Pine hugged the glass-sculpted Licht. Dissatisfied, she recast the spell repeatedly.
"The real one's warmer, after all..."
After dozens of tries, Pine shyly released the embrace. Her face burned; she hid her cheek behind her hair.
"Should I ask Licht if I can see his body...?"
She rationalized it. Prep for perfecting duplicate magic.
A man who'd slay Demon Kings for her—statues of him should spread across the Empire.
"No, too embarrassing... Is there a way to sneak a peek...?"
To match duplicate and original perfectly, she had to. Only one target came to mind.
The texture was still hard like glass. No soft duplicate like the Heavenly Demon described.
Then, a flash of inspiration hit her.
If the fake can't mimic the real, flip it around.
"Ah, that'll work."
Pine let out a sigh of realization.