Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: 56-2. David and Goliath.
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Wall glitch.
In the game, there were spots where you could clip right through walls.
Thanks to that, you could wriggle through cracks in massive boulders or use special items.
Or even deliberately overload the system to force a map loading failure—various tricks like that made it possible.
It was basic know-how for dungeon speedruns.
I'd even followed along with online strategy videos now and then.
Sometimes, you'd stumble on leftover dummy data or spots the devs had tucked away on purpose.
'An Easter egg right here, huh.'
I hadn't expected them to hide areas like this.
The claim that this was a prequel to Knight Heart wasn't just hype, after all.
Maybe spaces that didn't exist in the original timeline showed up in this past era.
A hidden room beyond the wall.
Clichéd and old-school, but the kind of thing that drives gamers wild.
"This is... the pervert puppy's fault..."
Pine murmured, staring at the wall that had crumbled behind her.
It wasn't entirely my fault. Did she think the cave collapsed because of me?
Her snow-white curls clung damply to her shoulders, radiating a strange allure, while her shrunken ears and tail from the soaking water stirred protective instincts.
And then there was the swimsuit in a color opposite her hair—jet black.
The soft, yielding sensation of her body lingered in my mind.
That scant black fabric barely covering her ignited my imagination.
Combined with the massive swells that made it impossible to look down.
"It's your fault, Pine."
She looked more seductive than anyone I'd ever seen.
A sweet rose scent wafted from her, unnoticed until now, muddling my reason.
A princess and Third Saintess with a body that could tempt any man to dark thoughts.
No wonder she called me a pervert.
"...Eek."
I leaned in close and said my piece, and Pine let out a sharp squeak.
Her mouth gaped like a goldfish's—she seemed beyond even talking now.
Those huge eyes looked ready to spill over if I scolded her more.
Blink, blink.
Peeking between her palms, her gaze scanned me from bottom to top.
Then again, bottom to top.
Pine resembled a tiny puppy.
Not so much a wolf as a fluffy white Pomeranian, whining in fear.
"Sorry. Did I scare you that bad?"
"N-No... I'm fine... I mean... Just... back off a bit, Licht..."
She couldn't even muster her usual casual tone, speaking to me all formally like at some official event.
Her ears and tail drooped low.
I gently stroked her trembling head.
Then headed toward the bright red potion in plain sight.
'...Looks like one from the elixir series.'
I picked up the bottle sloshing with a crimson liquid like blood.
Unlike the Elixir of Sun or Moon with their flat bases,
this one was rounded at the bottom,
adorned with a golden fairy etched into the glass.
Elixir series.
The term players used for potions with this design in the game.
Folks speculated they came from the same creator.
'Elixir of Regeneration. The blood-red color fits.'
An item that instantly healed any wounds for an hour.
I thought it only existed as dummy data.
The elixirs came in wildly varied types and effects.
From ones letting you fly through the skies to turning invisible—plenty of quirky ones.
But in an interview with one player, the Knight Heart devs revealed something.
'We believe human emotions are something the system shouldn't touch...'
That's why no Elixir of Love existed in the world.
A romantic notion.
It's why I loved the original story and never fully trusted our status windows.
Even when I tried linking Kainel and Ariel at first, I insisted it wasn't forced meddling from behind the scenes.
Human hearts don't shift easily just because someone tampers with them.
The Love Meter was just a gauge showing how far relationships had progressed.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Before I convinced Locke Granasia, it sat at 19 percent, after all.
Same numbers don't mean identical feelings anyway.
If I'd taken the status windows at face value and acted blindly, I might've tumbled into a harem route and floundered.
We wouldn't be alone together like this now.
"..."
I might've ended up like canon, with the Nameless Saintess falling to the Demon King.
Not wanting Pine to see my expression, I pocketed the potion and let out a secret sigh.
"Pine, we need to get out. Kainel and Ariel will worry."
The cave floor squelched underfoot with trapped moisture.
Staying too long in this cold, damp place might give her a cold.
"I-I can't walk... My legs... they're shaking..."
Pine shook her soaked head side to side fiercely. Droplets splashed onto me.
Was this a reward, maybe?
Even as I tried supporting her, she kept buckling, so I took drastic measures.
"Get on my back, Pine."
"..."
I turned and crouched, offering my back. Probably exhaustion from it all.
"Licht's... just a chest-obsessed perv..."
A shivering voice came from behind.
Her words slurred like she was gritting her teeth.
She was a princess. If she wanted, she could have me executed.
"If I hurt your feelings earlier, I'm sorry. Come on, hop on quick..."
"...Licht, you're really awful."
Guilt hit me late; I couldn't lift my head.
But hugging her along would've dulled my sword arm too much.
Then a heavy, sloshing weight settled on.
Even pressed fully against me, a handspan's gap remained between us.
Her quiet whisper scorched my ear inside the helmet.
"Not knowing it's bad to act like this... that's what's awful."
While Licht and Pine were trapped in the cave.
"...Brother Finn. So... what do I do?"
"Just stay put. Don't think about doing anything."
A pair of twins with mismatched hair colors approached Calicium Valley.
The man's steps quickened.
Finn's mind brimmed with rage toward the Black Knight who'd harmed his little sister.
'Damn it, I should've just killed the hero outright instead of heeding Headna or Magic Hat's warnings.'
What was so scary about the prophesied hero?
His hands trembled. Couldn't he just rampage like in the Great War with the gods?
Finn felt uneasy thanks to Magic Hat's eerie smile.
She hadn't stopped him from going to kill that man named Licht, despite knowing.
He'd thought her white-haired from first sight,
but she had short black hair—maybe disguised somehow.
If she was heading to the academy,
couldn't she have just killed Licht herself?
'Doesn't add up. It's like it was planned from the start...'
Intinium's death didn't sit right either.
If she truly meant to stop the prophesied hero's awakening,
his sister wouldn't have died.
On second thought, Magic Hat favored that hero named Licht,
and hadn't stopped the Omniknowing Demon King from setting out to kill him.
So he'd racked his brains and dispatched an apostle as backup.
The valley now crawled with the entire academy roster.
A brawl amid the Ten Heroes he'd fought before would be disadvantageous.
That 'Wolf King' might be shadowing him too,
and no matter how skilled a hero, apostles didn't rely on divine authority.
Demon King and hero.
Shadows and light, counterparts to each other.
Demon Kings corrupted chosen heroes when family, friends, or lovers died.
No demon realms or demons existed to begin with.
Even magic beasts made of mana didn't obey their commands.
"B-But... I wanna help Brother..."
Intinium kept whining beside him.
She stuffed sticky red cubes into her mouth, filling her hollowed body.
'...The old man's prophesied hero wasn't one of conviction—it was another.'
Finn ground his teeth. Other Demon Kings would know.
The Hero Cult's Demon Kings each had unique traits beyond authority or holy swords.
Rumble rumble rumble─.
Then Intinium dropped the hunk of meat she'd been eating.
The quaking earth, swaying trees— a massive shadow loomed as the monster rose.
The Forest Keeper, with its split human-like eyes and mouth, swung a huge arm.
"Caught Cuerr's attention. Fed it too many wild animals, huh."
Finn thrust both arms forward, curling fingers like clawing the air.
Fists fitted with knuckles.
Behind the Demon King, a white giant's upper body emerged.
The Cyclops answering his summons mimicked Finn's motion exactly.
Like puppets on strings, man and giant struck the same pose.
"Wanna warm up? We had to head down the valley anyway—perfect timing."
Crack crunch─. Noise erupted as the air Finn reached for cracked like shattered glass.
Before Cuerr could even attack properly.
Pulled apart like paper from both sides, the wood monster's body tore in half.
"...Let's go, Intinium. Careful heading down. I cleared a path below the waterfall."
A gaping void through the glass-shattered rift.
"...Got it, Brother Finn."
The twin siblings vanished into the darkness.