Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: 54-1. Force and Force.
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What even is happiness, anyway?
I pondered that as I watched Pine up on the stage, basking in the cheers.
Do you need money or fame to be happy?
Or is it achieving that lifelong dream you've always chased?
I found my answer to that question the moment I met Pine.
A normal life.
Why is it that an empty space can sometimes feel so vast?
A warm home-cooked meal. A harmonious family.
Things anyone can easily have... or things forever out of reach for others.
Even I, lost in these thoughts, might have lived a miserable life if I hadn't discovered Knight Heart.
The game was great, sure. But more precisely, it was the person who brought sunlight into my gray existence—she who did that for me.
That's why I wanted to give her everything I could.
Even if my wallet went empty, buying Knight Heart merch made me so full I could skip meals.
Now my room overflowed with pure white colors.
It was the future Pine who had pulled me from that empty shell of a space and led me out.
Without that miracle, could I even be standing here now?
Five years from now,
when Kainel and Ariel graduate from the academy, she appears as the Nameless Saintess.
If I capture all the Demon Kings like this, that tragic future for Pine will vanish too.
...Changing the past changes the future.
Paper confetti fluttered down amid the roaring cheers of the crowd.
Standing before them was a single knight in gleaming glass armor.
No longer nameless, she was now a princess with a name.
Grand Hearts Academy's autumn sports festival drew to a grand close with the relay race.
And it ended with Pine's solo domination.
She grabbed Pandora's Box and bolted, like she'd been waiting for her cue.
I had no idea she was that fast.
Should've realized it from the start, when she came straight to me after my training with the White Magnolia.
Up on the pristine white stage, Pine Granasia proudly clutched the golden trophy.
Shoulders back, chest out, radiating confidence without a hint of shrinking.
Pine was in full plate armor, hiding her identity under the alias Mardol.
But I could almost see a fluffy white wolf tail swishing inside that armor—a cute illusion.
My lips curved into a smile without me realizing.
"..."
Pine deserves to be happy, surrounded by so many people.
Family, friends—not becoming a saintess stripped of her name and memories.
Just as I turned to leave, Pine's voice boomed out.
She spoke into a rod-like mic held to her helmet.
Some kind of game item, maybe?
Amplification magic made her voice carry to everyone below the stage.
She glanced at me with a soft smile visible through her glass visor.
I'd planned to slip away, but Kainel and Ariel had blocked my exit.
Pine took a red cue card from Laplace.
Her voice buzzed from the Masterpiece gear, but...
Her tone brimmed with playful mischief.
"Licht, come on up."
Those final words nudged me forward.
No helping it. Unable to resist Pine's encouragement, I climbed the stage.
She extended her hand, guiding me step by step.
Then—pop! Golden confetti rained from the sky.
"...I did good, right?"
Pine had ad-libbed the whole thing. We'd done well in the rune battle and escape room, sure.
"Isn't this a bit too flashy, Mardol?"
"It's the least I could do."
The red envelope in her hand had no script—just my name scribbled on it.
"...You're my knight, after all."
She whispered so softly no one else could hear. Her soft hehe giggle tickled my ear.
My heartbeat drowned out everything else. My fingertips flushed as they touched her.
Whether she knew or not, Pine made me hold the trophy with her.
"This sports festival was our victory, Licht."
We raised the golden trophy high. Its shiny surface reflected the black-and-white knight.
Our helmeted figures gazed back.
In the distance, someone clapped.
Locke Granasia.
The emperor's presence at the festival was kept secret from others.
But I recognized him.
Thanks to passing Tardun's test, huh.
Like a pack leader cheering a young wolf's independence, Locke nodded at us.
Gulp. My throat tightened on its own. The moment I spotted him, mortal danger prickled my neck.
Felt like a razor-sharp blade hovered at my throat.
How does he radiate such killing intent?
Laplace, Dennis, Drake, and others surrounded him.
A woman with short black hair gave me a strange look.
A scheming grin that sent chills down my spine—unnaturally so.
Was she always like that?
Clang.
Two pitch-black knuckles dropped onto the empty table.
"Here's the holy sword the emperor took. For you, Pin."
A weapon gleaming like obsidian.
"So why'd you show up with a fake again, Magic Hat? Weren't you supposed to come with my little sister?"
The Demon King of Force addressed the short-haired black woman.
Far from the academy, in the Demon King's castle, Magic Hat and Pin were arguing.
Demon King Black Cloud had stepped out at her request.
"Hehe, the sports festival at the academy had my darling husband competing, so I was late."
Magic Hat shuffled her cards, eyes downcast.
"You were late just for that?!"
"Of course not. Breaking through the imperial palace's tight security took time."
Unlike Pin, who'd escaped the dungeon first, she'd gone upward to raid the holy sword's storage.
"And I couldn't kill anyone—super tough."
Her clothes had minimal blood. She'd subdued the guards without taking lives.
"Do you know how much work it is to leave them barely breathing?"
She pressed her hand to her forehead, tutting in exasperation.
"Plus, the Wolf King was scary as hell!"
She flicked the "Emperor" card—representing Locke Granasia.
"No idea how, but him stepping out saved my skin!"
Her grin split ear-to-ear, excitement overriding any fear.
"Lies again! Just tell me where my sister is!"
Bam! Pin slammed the table, reducing it to dust with his fist.
He glared, eyes bulging. He'd heard Infinium was rescued.
His face flushed purple with rage.
"Such a hot temper. But yelling at me won't help, Pin. You know that, right?"
Magic Hat chuckled as if it were all a joke.
"......Your real little sister's already dead."
She poked at him, giggling mockingly.
"You little—!!"
Enraged, he lunged for her throat—
"Pin... big bro...?"
A blue-haired girl appeared before him. His sister, teary-eyed, neck gripped.
He blinked in disbelief, then released her wrist.
"You know you gotta feed her well, right?"
Magic Hat spoke pityingly as Infinium slumped to the floor.
"...Another fake you revived."
Her eyes were ice-cold, devoid of emotion—like staring at an object.
"Sorry, sorry... Infinium... you okay...?"
"Yeah, I'm fine... big bro Pin..."
He hugged the coughing blue-haired girl, checking her over.
"But bro... where are Mom and Dad?"
Infinium gazed at her brother, veering into odd territory.
"What? Wait, Infinium. Don't tell me..."
Her body had no heartbeat. But that wasn't what tipped Pin off.
"Yep, sadly, they died again."
Magic Hat donned a mask of sorrow.
"Pin, that precious memory you shared? Useless now."
Yet her voice behind the mask was brighter than anyone's—gratingly so.
"...Who the hell messed with my sister?! Was it you?!"
Pin's fists clenched instinctively. The air vibrated with a low grrr.
"Me? No way~ I just told them to guard Tardun's temple. Can't have the prophesied hero awakening, right?"
Magic Hat kept smiling despite the crushing pressure.
"Not me, but..."
Shuffle. She drew the top card from her neat deck.
It was a new card, absent from any standard deck—a King and the Black Knight illustrated on it.
"My darling husband's the culprit."
She tossed the card with a grin.