Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: 16-3. The Thrill of the Final Exam Comes with Youth.
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Pine Granasia.
Her keen eyes could discern the lies people told.
From a young age, she could easily spot flattery or words lacking sincerity.
"..."
But she could see the expressions of those who viewed her as a monster. And if someone truly believed their own lie, her eyes couldn't pierce through it.
She hated her keen eyes multiple times a day.
To live among people, she had to stay silent despite knowing these truths. Nex Aureus was a similar case.
An imperfect talent. It was akin to a curse.
But this time was different.
She recalled someone who had lied even after becoming the Demon King.
A strange man in a Black Knight helmet. An unusual person who had drawn close to her before she knew it.
"Thanks to you, I've had a great time. Thank you."
To her eyes, those words were half lie, half truth.
Looking back now, he probably didn't want to leave them behind to go die.
It was an act of walking straight into the jaws of death. He seemed to know something about the Headmaster,
and he wasn't trying to subdue the foe with his usual Drake-style swordsmanship.
The angle of his Void Slash had been aimed at pushing Magic Hat away to create an opening, all to heal her and the others with the Holy Knight's skill.
The moment that was done, he immediately borrowed the Light Holy Sword and acted strangely.
She figured he had surmised the Truth Demon King Magic Hat's strength, just like she had. The holy sword was effective against Demon Kings, after all. It was a rational judgment.
"You were so contradictory, Licht. If you'd just kept up the act... it wouldn't have hurt this much."
Yet that man harbored a contradictorily weak heart.
Instead of saying, 'Fight with me, I'm actually scared. I might die,'
he offered a farewell laced with lies and sorrow.
The truth hidden beneath—'I actually wanted to stay with you all'—was something only Pine had sensed.
So Pine knew the man named Licht would return soon. His words had dripped with such lingering attachment.
She imagined him saying something like, 'Miss Mardol, did you miss me?' or calling out, 'Kainel, Miss Ariel, what're you up to?' with that cheeky grin.
A whole month had passed. Searching the forest daily with teleport crystals had become her routine.
Even when the imperial guards like Gold tried to dissuade her, she never skipped a day in hunting for his traces.
She couldn't bear the thought of someone dying because of her again, like with her mother. The fear of history repeating itself made her nauseous at her own weakness.
"...What the hell. Making me worry like this."
But he returned so casually, and all he said was, "Sorry." How naive could he be?
He'd entrusted the mysterious "Nameless Saintess" to her care, and he'd reached Sword Master realm through training for the one he loved. He seemed like someone smitten with pure, budding love.
Just yesterday, he'd called her out alone from the patisserie in the Granasia Empire, giving Kainel and Ariel time alone. Even someone oblivious would notice that much.
...Though she'd ended up hugging him and crying in an emotional outburst. Anyway.
'I had no choice. I thought you'd been gone for over ten years...'
The man named Licht had simply comforted her gently. Even in her weakness, he said she could protect others. His kind words—"It's not your fault"—
"..."
had warmed her wounds to some degree.
More than praises like saving her life or being strong, this side of him touched Pine deeply. She'd braced for scolding.
'You could've blamed me more, Licht.'
There was none of that. He'd nearly died facing Magic Hat. She didn't know what method he'd used to recover,
but appearing unscathed after battling the strongest Demon King she'd ever seen was suspicious. Maybe he'd traded his life force for healing.
'Kind liar.'
He was the type who piled up lies, built walls against others, and tried to solve everything alone. She used to despise people like that,
'...But Licht is different.'
In Pine's heart, the Black Knight's evaluation was different. Now she knew he'd given his all for her and the hero party.
She examined the Queen of Hearts he'd given her from every angle, her golden eyes scanning it carefully. In the study, a small campfire flickered.
'...If we catch Magic Hat, Mother will return to normal, he said.'
A white-haired girl sat in that space. Recalling what she'd asked Laplace and the sage, she let out a sigh of relief.
'Come to think of it... you weren't lying from the start, Licht.'
This time, Pine reflected on Licht from their first meeting.
Someone she hadn't even considered at first.
It started when she heard a "Light Hero" had emerged from some rural village, so she asked her butler Dijur to check if he could rival her.
But Kainel's skill fell short of her expectations, and just as she was about to lose interest, she heard his name from Dijur.
'...Licht.'
She learned of the unusual man in the Black Knight helmet. Shadow Wolves, 5-star beasts, were hard to handle even for experts due to their shadow-diving habit.
She knew from books to watch for light fading or target the eyes as weak points.
'Subduing a Shadow Wolf easily? That makes sense for Licht.'
Knowing the weaknesses of such a tricky monster meant he had the skill to match.
So she headed to the academy, a place she'd wanted to visit anyway.
She judged she could grow stronger there,
and attended school wearing masterpiece-grade glass armor to resemble a heavily armored knight. She feared threats from Magic Hat or her princess identity leaking.
Later, when applying to the magic club, she spotted Licht's lie.
It was when he was explaining 3D Magic Circle theory.
"Student Licht, where did you learn this theory?"
"I came up with it myself. Since I can't use magic, I guess I got envious."
What a contradictory guy. He shouldn't tell such obvious lies.
'Even without my eyes, it'd be too obvious...'
He was so naive that her keen eyes weren't even needed. His voice trembled and sped up when lying—even oblivious Kainel could've noticed.
The swordsmanship exchange was the same. At first, it seemed like he was genuinely teaching her Drake-style techniques,
but then he flipped like a pancake: "I'm still thinking about it."
Yet his lies were so transparent that even when her eyes pierced them, his raw honesty and immaturity made it endearing.
"Everyone has weak moments, Mardol."
"Thinking so negatively will only hurt you."
His worries about her during sword training back then,
"...It's okay, Mr. Mardol. It's not your fault."
"...Thank you for fighting to the end."
The honest conversations at the Granasia Empire patisserie yesterday—all pure truth—felt straightforward, comfortable, and warm.
'There really is such a thing as a kind Demon King...'
She liked those parts of him. No need to discern lies, and even knowing she was a princess, he treated her normally.
'...Do I really know him properly?'
Pine suddenly wondered. Licht understood her well. Her glass armor made her look like a heavy knight.
She could read fear in his eyes, but he just smiled awkwardly even with physical contact.
Pine grew a bit curious what he'd do without the armor, but her wolf ears and tail drooped again.
'Not yet... still can't.'
This time in the endless monster forest, her people had nearly fallen to Magic Hat a second time. The past trauma resurfaced, choking her breath.
"Ugh..."
Clutching her chest, she groaned in pain. That mad magician had slaughtered her mother and even her close maids.
She never wanted to see that scene again, so she'd fought to the end.
Just like Licht said—even weak, she could protect. She couldn't just stand by.
"..."
Without his words back then, could she have mustered the courage to face Magic Hat?
No. With the hope that even weak she could protect, she'd shielded the hero party.
Was it thanks to yesterday's encouragement? She couldn't fully accept it wasn't her fault yet,
'It is my fault, Licht... I'm still weak.'
Pine's grip tightened. Her ears and tail regained vigor. She finally regained composure and sighed.
"...Wonder if Licht wants a Dragon Heart for the grade exam."
She wanted to repay him somehow. She hadn't told her father yet, fearing he'd faint from shock.
'Magicless constitution... probably, right?'
She wanted to give something to the Black Knight who saved her mother. That feeling filled her empty, glass-like heart.
'...Huh?'
Why these thoughts? Puzzled by her unusual state,
'Not for saving my life. More like curiosity... Ah.'
Like someone's habit, Pine rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. How much time passed?
"I... want to..."
Pine slowly opened her closed golden eyes.
"...know more about him."
Startled by the words that slipped out, she covered her mouth with her hand.