Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: 44-2. Black Room
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'...Where am I?'
The space beyond the white door was pitch black.
If the status window said I'd passed, then they must have pulled some trick. I thought I'd cleared Tardun's trial.
Mountain after mountain.
Crackle. Electricity sparked, and light flowed out before my eyes.
A CRT TV flickered to life.
"...Ugh."
The intense light made me grimace instinctively.
A red sofa came into view up front, like some makeshift theater. Suspicious, as if someone had set it up just for me. Even cola and popcorn hung neatly on the armrests.
The status window floating before me spoke in a commanding tone. I'd never had a good experience following this thing's orders.
The moment I turned to leave through the door I'd come in, a strange voice rang out.
【Sis! Don't hug so tight... I can't breathe...】
【S-Sorry...】
Familiar voices. Inside the old TV, Pine from my childhood hugged me as she read a book.
What the hell is this...?
I'd definitely shaken off the fake Pine and the imperial couple. Pine, with her stronger mental fortitude than mine, was still trapped in an illusion?
The status window showed a dot-pixel boy and a white-haired wolf-eared character. Hearts burst between them.
I'm the only one left out. Damn it, now I have to watch.
The CRT showed my old room like CCTV footage.
Worn bookshelves and glow-in-the-dark stickers on the walls. A place stained with memories of my childhood.
And my face, still free of burn scars. This was before the fire.
【Pine sis, where are you from?】
【Granasia Empire.】
His lips were grinning uncontrollably.
He'd fallen for Pine at first sight, his beaming face too cringeworthy to watch with eyes open.
'Pine is pretty, sure...'
Even game communities raved about her looks. But seeing myself like that was mortifying.
I strained my eyes for a clearer view.
【I wanna be the prince in this story! Marry me, sis!】
"...Huh?"
Gah, what crazy nonsense is that? Stop right now.
My mouth wouldn't shut. A fizzy bitterness hit my throat.
【...Really?】
Childhood me spouted nonsense, and Pine blushed shyly.
So pure and innocent. The Platinum Wolf, endlessly happy over a promise she couldn't even hold him to.
But this wasn't reality—it was Tardun's shrine. A lie.
I stood to go rescue her.
An emergency exit sign at the back. And a black-painted door.
Through there, I could pull her from the illusion.
Beep. The status window grabbed my ankle again.
"...So it's all fake in the end."
You really think so? This was all Tardun's illusion. Fakes mean nothing...
The words "the illusion you wanted" froze my legs. The fake Pine earlier had been similar.
"...."
I couldn't argue. Pine on the screen looked happier than ever.
The gap was huge. No walls built up after the burn scars.
"Still... I'm Pine's Black Knight."
The Black Knight who wanted Pine Granasia's happiness more than anyone.
"...The person I love can't stay here."
At least, the one making Pine happy had to be the current me, not the kid from back then.
Soft. Comfortable.
The sensation of Pine tightly hugging child Lee Soo-hyun.
"Pine sis... It tickles..."
"Just a little longer... okay?"
Like handling a doll, she kept holding Licht.
Her innate strength was still there. The Black Knight she knew would've dodged with his abilities.
'I wish Licht could be like this too...'
Dropped into a world she didn't know, but with Licht, Pine Granasia felt at ease.
"Sis, want some candy?"
Rustle. To escape her embrace, child Lee Soo-hyun resorted to a trick.
Pearl-like white candies from his pocket.
"Don't bite—just let it melt in your mouth!"
Hard as rocks, meant to be savored slowly.
"...Sweet."
Pine crunched it anyway, the subtle sweetness spreading delightfully.
A gentle smile bloomed on her face.
"Ah, I said melt it..."
The boy panicked at her powerful jaws. He had no idea she could chew minotaur bones.
This was wrong, but seeing Licht surprised or reluctant made her want to tease him more.
Expressions he never showed her.
Not the always-composed guy who knew everything. How had such a cute, kind person ended up scarred from sword training?
The scars all over his body from the dorm and hot springs were severe.
Before sharing circuits, even healing magic hadn't worked. His broken body couldn't be fixed all at once.
It stung that he'd grown strong for the Nameless Saintess.
Do all men fall for pretty girls? What did she have that Pine lacked?
"Pine sis, let's read a different book now!"
Escaping her arms, Licht held up a picture book.
Prince and princess on the cover. A cliché tale of a prince marrying a beautiful princess.
"The princess here looks like you, sis...!"
Pine would've ignored it normally.
But that praise, aimed at the cover princess, felt special.
"...What's it about?"
"A pretty princess and a cool prince!"
Pine gave in. Licht rarely commented on her looks—this was precious.
"Once upon a time, in a kingdom, there lived a very beautiful princess."
The fairy tale from child Licht felt special.
Not his deep, cool voice, but a story read just for her.
"An evil witch, jealous of the princess, kidnapped her!"
His exaggerated grimace to scare her was adorable.
"...So, the prince defeated the witch, and they lived happily ever after!"
Turning the last page, Licht wore a smile she'd never seen.
"Huh...? Pine sis, why?"
"You could smile like that too..."
A bright, unburdened grin. Not his usual thoughtful expression.
"This is my favorite fairy tale..."
Fidgeting with his hands, Lee Soo-hyun spoke carefully, like it was important.
"I wanna be the prince in this...! Marry me, sis!"
Scratching his head shyly, the boy stood before Pine.
"Really...? It won't work, though?"
Impossible. Licht wasn't royalty. Maybe a noble title in some backwater.
"Why not?"
"Someone I know would get furious. Soo-hyun."
Pine chuckled.
The Black Knight who'd protected her from the Demon King's clutches, telling such tales.
"One of my friends has zero tact. Ugly, bad temper too."
"Eww, a monster?"
Child Lee Soo-hyun stuck out his tongue, grimacing.
About his future self, yet that reaction.
"Heh, no. Looks like a puppy. But... super cool."
Pine gently stroked the boy's head.
"He defeated the Demon King even the Ten Heroes couldn't touch."
Strongest among the academy freshmen. Always striving.
"Every time I'm in danger, he risks his life to protect me..."
"No way... your boyfriend...?"
Boyfriend—the word for lovers.
"Dunno. Never had one."
Painfully, her bond with Licht wasn't that simple.
Comforting to have nearby, warming her heart, someone she wanted forever. What was that?
'When did I catch this heart sickness?'
Without Licht, it felt like blades in her chest.
Not really pain—healing magic proved her body fine.
The confusing sensation baffled Pine.
"...Anyway, he's always striving alone, and it worries me when he's struggling."
"Then he's the prince from the story!"
The boy pointed at the book.
"This prince strives so hard for the princess! All alone!"
Page turned to the prince slaying a dragon to save the kidnapped princess.
"He cries and suffers just like that!"
The prince, clutching a broken sword, blaming himself for failing to protect the princess.
"That guy protecting you must be a prince!"
Seeing the prince beside the princess in her white dress, Pine pictured Licht in his Black Knight helm.
'...Huh?'
Like an illness, someone shimmered before her eyes.
"Sis, you okay?"
"...Soo-hyun. Can I go outside?"
Hallucinations and chest pains. Pine's lovesickness had grown severe without her noticing.