Chapter 195
Chapter 195
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: 56-3. David and Goliath.
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The valley reflected the moonlight softly, taking on a golden hue.
Sounds of crickets echoed around us, trees swaying in the wind.
"Licht... aren't you tired? You could leave me behind..."
"This much is fine."
I cleaved through the waterfall with spirit swords,
reshaping the terrain into structures as I climbed upward.
Pine Granasia was utterly exhausted right now, unable to wield her powers properly.
She clung to my body like an octopus latched onto a rock.
Her arms hooked around my neck like grappling hooks, holding on tight.
As if wanting to lend me her strength, she occasionally rubbed her face against mine in playful affection.
Was it comfortable?
Seeing her like this, I couldn't help but think she didn't seem like the daughter of that fearsome Wolf King.
There had been hints, but they weren't quite enough.
"Licht... why are you so nice to me...?"
Pine spoke in a voice so low it was almost a whisper, her tone rising slightly in disbelief.
It made sense for her. Even after saving her life, my kindness went far beyond reason.
"Does saving someone need a reason, Pine?"
Inside that seemingly unbreakable glass armor was a girl more fragile than anyone.
"You're not doing this just because I'm a princess... right...?"
Her position was one few could even imagine.
Pine might have been a far lonelier wolf than I'd realized.
"Do you really think that? Then why have you been so nice to me?"
I tossed the question right back at her.
Why had Pine been so good to me?
"I'm not even a knight—just some guy wearing a helmet that doesn't suit him."
That first rainy day, I could have withheld the umbrella.
After our swordplay exchange, she could have kept her distance without any goodwill.
...When Head's bullet struck, she didn't have to risk her life to save me.
She was the empire's sole princess, holder of legitimate succession rights.
By all rights, a commoner like me should rank lower than a roadside pebble.
"I just... Licht is... kind."
She finally spoke. Unlike her long deliberation, the words were simple.
Kind.
It was so absurd that my movements froze for a moment. Felt like a hard smack to the back of my head.
"...That's my reason too. Princess Pine Granasia."
The only person kind to me after the fire consumed everything. That was you.
Without Pine, my life would have plummeted into hell's abyss.
"Few people don't see burn scars as ugly."
They flinch in fear, furrow their brows, or gaze with pity.
People who judge the shell, not the 'me' inside. I'd always despised such hypocrites.
"Licht is okay even with burn scars."
"Thank you—even if it's just words."
Now I'd become one of them. A wolf piling lies atop lies to conceal the truth.
"...It's real."
Transformed into a fairy-tale villain, the name Black Knight no longer felt undeserved.
Shouldn't have used that nickname change ticket. At least I wouldn't feel this embarrassed.
I drew in the cold night air and kept pressing on.
"Honestly, I think it's a cool medal."
"Then you don't need to apply ointment anymore, right?"
Dissatisfied with my response, she pouted and continued.
My heart pounded harder with every sprint, my arms and legs growing heavier.
"No. Until you need me, I want to stay by your side and be your strength."
Just having Pine on my back gave me all the power I needed.
What was so wrong with such a kind soul that the Hero Cult wanted to torment her?
To check the empire's mighty emperor?
No—if that were it, they'd have struck during the sports festival long ago.
Magic Hat's assault during the forest group project.
And Head's direct invasion of the academy.
Those events made something clear.
'...A predetermined future.'
It might be an unchangeable outcome.
While I'd met Pine and weathered these trials, their attacks grew ever more precise.
The Hero Cult always operated this way.
The moment people clutched at hope, they shattered it mercilessly.
Reduced to someone with no memories, no friends, no name.
Even if life brimmed with the unwanted, there were limits.
I wouldn't let it happen.
Not while my eyes were wide open, at least.
Not even if I'd come here smitten with the Nameless Saintess.
"Pine, we're almost there—could you put on Masterpiece again?"
More force surged into my feet on the spirit sword platforms.
What drove me now was Pine in her glass armor.
A small, fragile wolf—purer than I'd imagined.
Someone who extended a hand to help others before anyone else.
"Should've said so earlier, perverted pup..."
Pine tugged her arms tighter around my neck, her tone laced with sarcasm.
"Sorry. It slipped my mind."
Truth be told, her awakening had left me too thrilled to think straight.
I'd assumed we'd saved everyone. Never dreamed we'd missed the most important one.
"It's fine, Licht. No need to apologize."
"...Pardon?"
Pine spoke to me as she donned the glass armor and helmet once more.
The hard sensation on my back was a touch disappointing, but her safety came first.
She'd always wanted to roam the academy without her princess title drawing attention.
"You didn't do it on purpose... right? I knew all along."
Her muffled voice continued.
How did she know? It felt like she'd read my mind—a twinge of envy hit me.
Maybe she picked up on my awkward reaction. Rescuing someone unconscious, after all.
"Wanted to hog my swimsuit view all to yourself... such a lech..."
Ugh—she'd misunderstood completely.
"Enough, Pine... it's not like that."
I denied it desperately. If rumors spread that I'd laid hands on an imperial princess lewdly...
Should Emperor Locke ever learn, my head would end up on a pike in the plaza.
"...Was a joke. Did I scare you?"
She let out a seductive little giggle.
Two more of those and I'd have keeled over.
Come to think of it, the Nameless Saintess used to tease me like this too. Fooled again.
"I took it for dead serious."
"Wasn't entirely empty words... Licht."
Pine revealed layer after layer, like glazing paint over glass.
At first, she'd seemed an emotionless doll.
The girl who'd shunned bonds with anyone was now...
"Thanks for saving me again today. My knight."
"..."
That nostalgic title carried a familiar scent—I could only gaze at distant peaks.
The waterfall's end finally came into view. The Calisium Valley campsite appeared.
The campfire spot where I'd been with Kainel or Ariel.
We reached where the academy students had gathered in clusters, but...
"What the... hell happened here...? Licht?"
"No idea."
Tents shredded like paper, smashed to bits.
As if a child had toyed with them in jest.
Only silence greeted us.
"While you came to rescue me, did something go wrong...?"
Impossible.
Even if floodwaters from the valley wrecked the structures, their damage was too uniform, too strange.
And aside from Pine and me, no one else was there.
No Dennis, no Drake—not even Kainel or Ariel.
Felt like we two were the last souls on earth.
A chill prickled my skin; every nerve stood on end.
Demon King raid was likeliest. No mere apostle prank.
The 'concept' that cloaks the world could overturn everything.
"...Pine, get ready to fight."
I drew my sword at once, scanning our surroundings.
Dawn air, utterly still—no whisper of wind.
That hush felt unnaturally eerie.
Sounds that should have been there were gone. Even the crickets had fallen silent.
"You Licht? Been a bitch to catch a glimpse of your face."
A rustle—footsteps crushing grass. A presence emerged.
A red-haired man strode into view before me.
Black sunglasses perched on his head, brass knuckles gleaming on his clenched fists.
Why that getup? Sunglasses at midnight?
"Demon King of Martial Power...? How the hell did you get here...?"
Pine identified him first—not me.
Demon King of Martial Power. So this was Finn, Infinium's brother?
"You know me! Kicking ass in that war was worth it."
Finn cracked his knuckles with a pop. The demon king bared his teeth in a grin.
Pine drew her sword and summoned Glass Knight, bracing for battle, but...
"Ah, but you stay out. I wanna take the heroes all at once!"
Finn reached into empty air, fingers clenching as if seizing something.
"Light Hero and Hero of Conviction! Been dying to see who'd win against me!"
In that instant, a stark white wall materialized behind the demon king.
"...Gotta make those sister-touching scum suffer proper."
No—closer inspection revealed a torso.
The Cyclops's upper body, unseen during the Infinium fight.
Its arm and massive palm lunged toward us. I shoved her far away.