Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: 21-4. Emotions Like Fireworks Shot into the Sky.
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In one of the Empire's weapon shops,
"Haha! How about this one!"
"...Something else, please."
"What? Not this one either? Then how about this helmet...!"
A dwarf with a black beard was raising his voice at the wood monster.
"Mardol...?"
"What's up, Licht?"
Mardol looked around the display shelves here and there, shaking his head in dissatisfaction.
"...For my disguise, wouldn't just anything do?"
"No."
He seemed to be mulling over my disguise, alternating between the gear that Mardol and the dwarf had brought out. He's so picky. Is it because he's a princess?
"Could you bring out all the helmets here? Just the black ones."
"No regrets, customer!"
The dwarf let out a hearty laugh and headed to the back of the stall, carrying a box bigger than himself.
"What kind of helmet are you even looking for to go this far?"
It's not even your disguise—it's mine. He acts like he has some romance for dullahans or something. Otherwise, there's no reason for him to pick it out himself.
"...Black Knight."
Ah, he wants a black helmet just like the one I'm wearing. We'll probably need to buy some light armor to match as a set.
"Isn't that too expensive? We need armor too."
"I'll buy it for you, Licht."
"Don't do that. You can't buy friends with money."
Stuff like this is just asking to get called out. No need to let others know about his overflowing wealth in the first place.
I recalled how Lupus was treated like a walking piggy bank in [Black Heart].
'Maybe because he's family. They do share some traits.'
Then this person must be a beauty too. A black-haired beauty with wolf ears? But that's the total opposite of our Saintess—in personality and looks.
I rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought. About whether keeping this ambiguous relationship was okay.
'The Grand Route ending could get messed up too, and I want to keep some distance so I don't drift away from our Saintess...'
He's not a bad person. If anything, he's pretty good. That's what makes this so awkward.
"...Licht. What are you thinking?"
"Nothing at all?"
"...Liar."
I sighed. He's the protagonist of the [Knight Heart] trilogy, after all. Most protagonists are good-hearted. Dennis and Kainel too.
Plus, being the protagonist, he'll have his own love line with some non-player character.
'If I'd known he was a girl from the start, I wouldn't have hesitated this much.'
That's why it's best not to show interest in the main heroine originally.
I was scared of failing to save her, like in the final battle of the sequel. You could say it's silly to worry like that over a mere game character.
'But he owes me his life.'
But I was saved by the Saintess. She's my one and only light, the one who illuminated my dark-filled world.
The Nameless Saintess's warm feelings saved one person—a side character, not even the lead.
Maybe all people really need to live is just a tiny resting place?
"..."
In this cold world, that's necessary. Especially with Demon Kings everywhere. Finishing my thoughts, I looked at Mardol.
"Licht, why are you suddenly looking at me...?"
"Just thinking about you."
"...Huh?"
Mardol Granasia.
I already knew a lot about her. She's hiding her identity because of her ties to Magic Hat, walking around in fragile glass armor as a result.
Right now, the disguise made her look like a hulking wood monster.
"Licht. Wait. Why are you serious...?"
If you call her unfortunate, she is; if you call her unlucky, she is—the ill-fated princess.
She has overflowing wealth and power, but aside from that, she's the same type as the kid I used to be.
That kept sticking in my mind. She probably struggled without anyone to lean on. Just like me.
"I'm just worried about you, Mardol."
"...Why?"
"You remind me of someone."
A bitter smile formed. It might be presumptuous speculation and comfort. Call me a hypocrite, see it as cheap pity—I don't care.
"That person again?"
"No. You're completely different."
"...Licht."
I now know that to be saved, a person doesn't need massive sacrifices or effort. What the pure white lady did for me.
"I hope you'll open your heart to others besides me, Mardol."
"..."
Just one word.
A single warm word can be a huge help to someone.
'Better to overcome some trauma now, and as a comrade, it's best to keep her close.'
Plus, pushing her away now could spell disaster. Kicking out a heroine with some narrative weight? Straight to a corruption route or bad end.
'She might really lock me up in the palace basement.'
Or we could end up enemies. Putting together everything that's happened, it's entirely possible. A chill ran down my spine.
"Not yet... I'm too weak... No, Licht."
Just as I started finding her shaking eyes, like something was broken, odd.
"Here! All the helmets from our shop, as requested!"
The dwarf came carrying a box bigger than himself, slamming it down on the ground with a thud.
"...Hm. Good."
"There are so many? I thought black helmets would be rare."
"What do you take a dwarf's craftsmanship for? This is easy!"
Dozens of black helmets. Mardol took them out one by one, turning them carefully to see if they suited me.
"...Uglier than the one you're wearing now. Out."
His standards are weird. Mardol. I rummaged through the box too, looking for a decent helmet. A rugged black one caught my eye right away.
"Oh, customer! Good eye! That's our shop's bestseller!"
"...This seems good."
"I should've known from that helmet you were wearing!"
The dwarf said something strange to me. 'That helmet'? He means the special one I'm wearing now? I pointed to my helmet.
"You mean this one...?"
"Yeah, that one! It even seems to have underwater breathing! Where on earth did you get gear like that?!"
"...Got lucky."
From the boss global first kill. Gear from taking down Magic Hat—I figured it had something special. Guess dwarves can tell.
"It looks just like something made by our 'Immovable Mountain'! I can see that signature wave pattern!"
"Then this one's from one of the Ten Heroes too...?"
"Nah, I just copied the look! It only seems fancy!"
So the gear I'm wearing is at least a masterpiece on par with Mardol's. What's the point? It's soulbound like a cursed item—I can't even take it off.
This game had plenty of high-rank items with crap performance.
'The extra ability is probably the status window.'
Might be because of this helmet that I can see the status window.
It was the only ability unique to me in this world. The closest hypothesis I could think of.
'Might as well have given me a holy sword.'
I sighed. To fight Demon Kings, a sword's more effective than some helmet. That's why I even forged a fake holy sword in my mind.
"Let's go with this."
"...I agree, Mardol."
Suddenly, as I was about to think of something nagging at me, she stared at the helmet I was holding and nodded.
"It's pretty pricey. You sure about your wallet?"
"Doesn't matter. Got any armor?"
"Of course! Good choice!"
She held out something golden and shiny. Imperial gold coins stamped with a wolf emblem. I couldn't believe my eyes.
"Mardol, wait...!"
"Together, quick, ring it up."
"Hahaha! You two get along great!"
Absolutely not. Rivals or comrades—business partners, at best.
I reached out to stop Mardol, but she blocked me with one hand.
The Wolf King's strength. I forgot in the shock. Why? Didn't I clear all the flags?
"It's definitely expensive—no one's ever bought armor with it before!"
"...It looks fancy, but it's ugly."
"Right! It's more for show than combat! That's why it's gotta look ugly!"
It was almost an insult, but the black-bearded dwarf grinned wide the moment he saw the gold. Dwarves really are perverts.
"Mardol, I don't need favors like this."
"It's fine, Licht. I wanted to."
At this rate, it's too much of a burden. Before I knew it, the princess had fetched the black armor too and stood beside me.
"Try it on quick."
"...Got it."
Mardol's stubbornness. So before heading to the clubroom, I ended up as a fully armored Black Knight.
"Yeah, just like I imagined."
"..."
From head to toe, the Black Knight reflected in the mirror.
It resembled the corruption route glitch look, but it matched my helmet better.
"Good eye."
"Right, Licht. How'd you know?"
Mardol's shining golden wolf eyes curved like crescent moons, looking pleased.
I'd only meant to buy materials, but somehow I ended up fully disguised.
"...Wonder what Kainel's reaction will be back at the clubroom."
"He'll be shocked enough to fall over. Probably."
Me as a dullahan holding a Black Knight helmet. The other one's Forest Keeper Kuer.
In a way, we were both guardians. A wood monster protecting the forest, and a Black Knight who sacrifices for someone.
"...Awooo. Auuugh."
"Kuer doesn't cry like that."
That's when Mardol clasped her branch-adorned hands toward me, making wolf howls. Wolfkin are scary. Someone keeps overlapping in my mind. I shouldn't let that happen.
"Then grrr...?"
"Not that either? Kururuk."
Blood is thicker than water. Lupus showed similar sides to our Saintess, so maybe it's natural. I mimicked Kuer's sound.
"Eh...? Mardol, that...?"
As I got lost in old memories, something caught my eye.
"Hiiiing!!"
A carriage barreling through the capital was about to hit a child. I charged in with Wolf Fang right away.
Clang. No time to hold the helmet I'd just bought—it dropped to the ground. I blocked in front of the mage-hatted kid.
The startled coachman yanked the reins to stop the horses, but it was futile. Dust kicked up, proving the runaway speed.
'Too late...!'
The kid sat crying. I'd left my sword behind—no way to fight back. Too close to scoop up and escape. Guess we're getting hit.
I'll take the brunt of the impact, but I hope this kid comes out unscratched.
"...Be careful, Licht."
That's when Mardol used magic to levitate me and the kid. The carriage passed below the transparent glass floor.
"Thanks, Mardol."
The ground we'd stood on flew up like a magic carpet, ending the crisis without a scratch.
"...Daddy?"
"What?"
Until the black-haired girl I'd just saved looked at me and said something weird.
"Black Knight armor...! It is you, Daddy!"
I'm a lifelong singleton.