Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: Fate is Cruel
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I boarded the train once more.
The jolting ride, the fierce wind whipping my face, the blare of the whistle.
The scenery outside shifted from vast plains to thin lines. I could feel the speed picking up.
'The Temple of Pantos.'
The place where the God of Emotions—who summoned Magic Hat—lay sleeping.
In the game, it had been a labyrinthine nightmare to escape.
Inspired by the saying that even if you know ten fathoms of water, you can't fathom one fathom of human hearts.
Thanks to jotting down every detail in my notes right after possessing this body—so I wouldn't forget—I still remembered it all.
'...This is the only way.'
Dennis and I had put our heads together and devised one clever stratagem.
Detour to the Temple of Pantos on the way back to the academy.
It would delay the Hero Cult's pursuit while ensuring the students' safety.
The train we were on ran entirely on mana—tracks and fuel alike.
Mana was what let this world defy reality.
So why not lay tracks through the sky and run trains on them?
The Temple of Pantos was a floating island.
A masterpiece from the Land of Fire, hovering in the air and inaccessible by ordinary means.
"Licht. You're really not hurt anywhere, right..?"
"..Yes, I'm fine. Mardol."
Seeing my unusually troubled expression, Pine began to fret. Unfortunately, she'd sat right next to me—no escaping it.
Even after that brutal clash with the Demon King, she meticulously checked me over. Her small hands roamed my body, probing for any pain I might be hiding.
"But.. you went through so much…."
A warm heart hidden beneath that sharp, unyielding glass armor.
"...."
My head throbbed. Was it right to drag Pine Granasia to the Temple of Pantos and awaken her as a hero?
Kainel and Ariel had grown by overcoming trials in the temple together. But could I just dump this burden on her like that?
To keep Magic Hat from killing her, she had to fight the Demon King as a hero. But what came after?
Would it end like some fairy tale—"And they all lived happily ever after"?
'I have to tell her the truth. Lee Soo-hyun.'
Our Love Meter sat at 39 percent.
Too close for mere friends, too distant for lovers.
Someday, I'd have to come clean about the Nameless Saintess too.
So that one day, I could show her the wolf—not the boy who cried wolf.
"Pine, if the gods chose you as their hero…. Would you accept it?"
I had to make the effort too.
In the rumbling train car, amid the exhausted breaths of sleeping students.
I asked her will directly—a soft whisper in her ear.
I'd secretly laced our fingers, casting a soundproof spell. Then Pine—hand on chin, mirroring me—began to ponder.
"The Hero of Affection, right..? Do you know what that means, Licht?"
"…親愛 means loving someone with intimate affection."
I gave her the straight truth.
In the old days, I might've lied or dodged.
Pine stared at my face for a long moment, then abruptly turned away. Needed time to think?
"...."
"No need to get hung up on the word. The gods pick and choose on a whim anyway."
She glanced up at the mana lamps on the ceiling, then back at me.
She tightened her grip on our laced hands, sealing them perfectly.
"If I take down all the Demon Kings…. You won't get hurt anymore, right, Licht..?"
Her eventual reply? Worry for me—and no one else.
Pine Granasia let out deep, heavy sighs as she spoke.
Who was consoling whom? Her unexpected words tugged my lips upward.
I'd figured the prophesied hero would leap for joy or say, 'I can get even stronger.'
Had she changed, like me?
Or maybe this was Pine's true nature all along.
"Truth is, I still can't wrap my head around being the prophesied hero. It wasn't a lie, but…."
"It came from a Hero Cult Demon King, after all."
She bowed her head low, her small feet fidgeting.
The shock must've hit hard.
Attacked by Magic Hat as a child. The woman she'd seen as a big sister kidnapped. All the misfortune swirling around her.
Everything tied to her being the prophesied hero.
"..You always end up hurt, Licht. Because I'm too weak."
She began deliberately, her free hand resting at her chest's center.
Like someone swearing an oath in court.
"So if I could stand by your side as your strength."
She lifted her head again, posture resolute. Determination gleamed in those golden eyes.
"...Hero or whatever, I don't care."
Shoulders squared, chest thrust forward.
I'd expected her to mock her fate. But Pine—who might even become the Nameless Saintess—spoke with startling boldness.
"I'll be your strength too, Pine."
"....You're already doing that, Licht."
I matched her resolve, then gently rested my head on her shoulder.
Pine flinched hard—and started hiccuping.
She still felt a long way from being any real strength.
Soft breaths came from beside her.
A scent she'd inhaled enough times now to know exactly who it belonged to.
A quick glance sideways revealed black hair like the night sky and long lashes.
'Licht.. asleep..?'
Pine Granasia closely studied the face of the Black Knight dozing on her shoulder.
The potion from the cave had healed any obvious wounds.
But her keen eyes knew he'd suffered in that subsace.
His face had looked more troubled than usual. Sweat on his neck meant something had gone down.
"..Puppy."
Pine couldn't help smiling at his closed eyes. So cute when he slept.
How did he turn into a beast against enemies?
Just like his spirit—toggling between puppy and wolf.
She gently swept his hair aside. Her fingers brushed bumpy burn scars, but she didn't care.
The Black Knight, toppling Hero Cult Demon Kings one after another.
A hero of conviction, fighting for others—not himself.
How wonderful it would be to become someone like that.
This time, he'd vanished into the dark to battle another Demon King. Thank goodness he'd beaten Infinity with Kainel—but what if he hadn't come back?
Her last memory of Licht: too weak to help.
"...."
Just the thought weighed her heart like lead. The man snoring softly on her shoulder apparently didn't worry about anyone else.
If he knew how much she'd fretted and cried with Ariel after he and Kainel vanished, he'd be too ashamed to speak.
"I hate you."
She pouted and poked his nose. His face scrunched up, as if sensing the disturbance.
Pine's way of making a point. Wrongs deserved a firm scolding.
If he'd been awake, she'd have pinched it.
'The Demon King of Force called me the Hero of Affection….'
She pondered, feeling the heavy weight on her shoulder. She'd assumed Licht was the prophesied hero.
And why not? He'd already taken down two Hero Cult Demon Kings.
The Omniscient Demon King, born from the fallen hero chosen by the God of Wisdom.
The Black Knight who'd defeated the Demon King of Force, from the fallen hero of the God of Will.
A lousy liar, occasionally sly, but softer and weaker than anyone deep down.
His obliviousness was a flaw—but she'd come to like even that.
'...Now you're more than just precious to me, Soo-hyun.'
This man's place in Pine Granasia's heart had grown vast.
Leaping into a speeding carriage to save a child. Risking his life to pull her from a valley stream.
What to do with this fool who always put others first?
Now, she wanted to give aid instead of taking it. Sunlight streamed through the window onto his face.
She drew the curtain to keep him asleep.
Even sleeping, he looked like a puppy. His mouth worked as if dreaming of food. She wished she could see this anytime.
"Don't disappear on me."
The anxiety swelled. Like the train racing through the sky toward the Temple of Pantos, so too did Pine's heart race.
She didn't want to lose him to anyone.
A rival's envy kept bubbling up toward this Nameless Saintess.
Fear that she knew sides of Licht Pine didn't—and shared memories to boot.
She raised an invisible glass wall around them and opened his visor.
Close enough to feel his breath. His lips looked even glossier than usual, tempting her.
Pine pressed her lips briefly to Lee Soo-hyun's forehead—then pulled away.
'..I screwed up.'
Like a wolf marking its territory—an impulsive claim.
Felt like sneaking the strawberry off a slice of cake.
Barely a kiss, really.
But soft. A ticklish warmth bloomed at her lips.
Hand to her chest's center, she took deep breaths to steady her pounding heart.
This was Licht's fault.
He should've kissed her back when she'd asked.
All his fault for daring to nap on a princess's shoulder.
Listing flimsy excuses in her mind, the train hurtled toward the Temple of Pantos.