Chapter 96
Chapter 96
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: 28-2. If She Lives, Eternal Love
-----------------------------------------------------------------
When I came to my senses from the nightmare, something warm and sticky was smeared on my helmet.
"...Huh?"
Wiping it off with my hand due to the ominous feeling, a fishy metallic scent hit me. This smells like blood... but whose blood...
At that moment, with a thud, the Glass Knight right beside me slowly collapsed, her chest armor shattered.
"...Saintess?"
No, should I call her Pine now? She who had hidden her appearance with Masterpiece,
"What in the world happened."
The person I'd always been searching for had been struck down by someone's hand.
I looked at the blue-haired man collapsed right in front of me, Dennis. While I was trapped in trauma, everything had already ended.
The Omniscient Demon King, Head Ake, was approaching step by step from the front.
"No... this can't be happening."
I tried to stop the blood flowing from the center of her chest by pressing down with my hand, glass shards embedding into the back of my hand, but I felt no pain.
Saving her was more important than something like this.
"Please... please..."
How we'd met, how precious she was once we knew each other. This was too much.
'It's okay. I have Savior Sword.'
Like before, I grabbed the Glass Knight's hand and tried to use the Holy Knight's skill.
"...Why, why isn't it working?!"
But it failed to activate. What was going on?
Mana's source is the heart. Since that part was injured, it seemed impossible to borrow Pine's mana circuits to use the skill.
"Her hands are cold. Don't tell me."
Moreover, holy power is a wish forged by reason. Because reality blocked the way, I was only imagining a grim future.
Maybe I'd already judged that she was dead. Uncharacteristically, my mind went blank, confused by countless dark thoughts.
"Hey, Licht."
It was then. The blond-haired hero activated his holy sword while glaring at the approaching Demon King.
"Ariel and I will buy you some time. Do whatever you can."
"It's already too late. It's all over."
There I was, clutching her and on the verge of tears. Then, with a pop like fireworks, a sound rang out that anyone would recognize as the Blazing Flame Mage's magic.
"Helmet Guy, Mardol hasn't died yet!"
"What do you... mean... Ariel...?"
"Think about it! It's the Masterpiece that blocked even Magic Hat's attack!"
Come to think of it, there wasn't much blood. Ariel's words restored my composure.
"...You're right. She's still breathing."
It was Glass Armor that had withstood even Magic Hat's attack, which felt stronger than Head's. The bullet must not have fully penetrated.
'Professor Dennis must have protected her too.'
Traces of Dennis's 3D Magic Circle lingered nearby. As an ultimate skill, it must have blocked some of the bullet's power.
"Thanks, everyone."
I began pondering every possible method while carefully reexamining the fallen Pine.
'Too far to link up with Sharutineth... and asking someone else to use healing magic feels insufficient.'
It was the same situation as with Heavenly Demon. If left like this, she'd take a bullet from the Omniscient Demon King and be erased from the world.
In truth, I'd thought about it to some extent. That our Saintess might have fallen to Head's authority.
But that didn't add up. Heavenly Demon had fallen to Ignorance too, yet her own power remained intact.
The Demon Kings' authorities weren't perfect. There had to be some gap somewhere.
In the setting materials, her name was listed as is. White Magnolia.
There were too many missing puzzle pieces for the seemingly strong Glass Knight to become the powerless 'Nameless Saintess.'
If things continued like this, she'd lose all memories of herself or be deleted from every record in the world. Or everyone, including me, would forget Pine Granasia.
"I can't forget this person. Never."
But it was odd for her name to vanish immediately or for her to become a Saintess unable to freely use her holy power.
Their attributes were different too. Saintess was light attribute, Pine was earth attribute.
For Pine, with strength enough to overpower me, to become unable to defeat even a single monster felt wrong.
"...Don't tell me, all the Hero Cult's Demon Kings are like that?"
I finally sensed it instinctively. This wasn't the work of one Demon King, but multiple interferences.
If left alone, this person would fall to the Demon Kings' scheme and become the 'Nameless Saintess.'
It was obvious without seeing. Erase all memories from the world first, then secretly whisk her away when no one knows.
"You bastards."
What wrong had this kind, innocent person done?
Why make her name disappear, turn her body unable to catch even one monster, make her unable to use holy power properly, and have everyone forget her?
There was no time to think about that now. It was time to choose.
"I don't want to let the person I finally found slip away like that."
I wouldn't mind never seeing the Saintess I remembered again. I hadn't been saved by her outward appearance.
"Even if her looks are different, she's still our Saintess."
I'd been moved by her warmer and gentler inner self than anyone.
I'd just seen that in Mardol coming to save me from the nightmare, and even if she lived eternally as a princess instead of Saintess, that was fine.
"Living like this with Emperor Locke as father and as Lupus's big sister suits her."
That would be Pine's happiness. I couldn't change the person I love for my selfish desires.
Even if this choice led to her not liking me.
As long as I could save the Pine Granasia before my eyes, I'd be satisfied.
"Ariel, let's use the combo."
"Got it, Kai!"
Plus, friends were buying time behind me to save Pine. Unlike when facing Magic Hat in [Black Heart].
"...Such a technique wasn't in my 'Omniscience.' Kainel!!"
"Haha, seems it worked!"
"Kai, be careful!"
Shine Fireworks flew toward the Omniscient Demon King. Explosions rang out everywhere, throwing off balance the Head holding his revolver.
Bang. The bullet fired at me missed.
A gap had opened. But what to do? Whether trying to use holy power with clasped hands or magic, it failed.
Wait, magic?
Two words that flashed in my mind recalled what Dennis had said before. His advice when I first joined the club, looking at me.
"If you use a medium to substitute the circuits, it should work."
A powerful memory surged. Right now, in my arms was that 'medium.'
'Mana Rose...!!'
The rose steeped in dense mana, glowing blue, a legendary-grade flower I'd kept for our Saintess.
Now was the time to use it. Some kid had told me to take good care of it before.
"Savior Sword."
I drew out the Mana Rose and tried using holy power, but silence.
"It's okay... it'll be okay, Pine."
Drip. Blood fell onto the Glass Knight's armor. Regardless of the thorns pricking me, I gripped the stem tightly,
"No more hardships from now on."
and let the blood flowing from my hand merge with the rose.
"...I'll make sure of it."
The unified mana circuit—the base of the Mana Rose dyed red, no longer fitting to call it a 'Blue Rose.'
Savior Sword.
Beside her, I crushed the rose in my hand, knelt, and prayed to the sky.
What did it matter if the blue rose turned red?
As long as I could save this person, that was enough. I didn't care if I died; take as much blood as needed.
—Drip.
Immediately, like before, a clear sound like a water drop fell, and white light rippled around us,
"It worked. The bleeding stopped."
This time, enhanced by the Mana Rose, an incredibly bright light source spread outward.
It soon split into numerous tiny sword shapes, burrowing into wounds like melting snow, healing the injured.
It looked like snowflakes drifting in midsummer.
The White Christmas we'd seen in the trauma was recreated.
"...Licht?"
Soon, golden eyes sparkled from within the Glass Helmet.
"Hey, Pine."
I smiled in relief at her opened eyes. My face inside the helmet was tear-streaked; I couldn't tell if I was smiling or crying.
"You... remember me...?"
"Of course, you pervert Licht..."
Having just regained consciousness, the Glass Knight looked utterly exhausted. Thankfully, not struck by Ignorance. I hugged her immediately.
"Good... really... so good..."
"Licht... can't... breathe..."
The body heat felt again. Heartbeat from close contact. Every proof she was alive felt wonderful.
"Sorry. I was just so happy you're alive..."
"As long as you don't squeeze too hard. It's fine if it's you, Licht..."
Come to think of it, I'd hugged our Saintess without asking. My face burned as I pulled back, cheeks flushed to my neck, and checked on her.
"No more pain anywhere, right, Pine?"
"Not really... ah, one spot."
"Where?! Did you get hurt somewhere else...?!"
Was there a part Savior Sword couldn't heal? Anxiously, I checked her body everywhere.
"...My chest hurts where Licht groped me earlier."
"..."
Pine stroked her helmet, gazing at me with soft eyes. It was to stop the bleeding from her heart.
"Hehe, total pervert..."
Seeing her tease me like a fox right after waking made me smile involuntarily. No matter how I looked, she was the Saintess I remembered.
"Later... I'll punish you... Licht."
"Do as you like. I can handle any of your whims."
She'd always enjoyed teasing me, like harboring not a wolf but a fox.
At that moment, an old man's bellow echoed from afar.
"Hero, do you know what you've done!!"
The Omniscient Demon King, Head Ake, shouted at me after taking Kainel's Shine Advance.
Wow, that mutt dodged Head's bullets. Well, light is faster than bullets.
"Licht, you saved Mardol... waited so long, got pissed."
"As expected of Helmet Guy!"
After Shine Advance's duration ended, Kainel returned to me and Pine, looking back. Ariel brightly smiled at the standing Glass Knight,
"Huh. I'm sure... legs and arms were..."
And before us, blue-haired Dennis rose, propping himself with his right arm, his whole body restored.
Savior Sword was an AoE that healed those around too.
"Teaching Shine Advance to Kainel, even healing Dennis...?!"
"Got a problem with that, Head?"
It was a superior skill to normal healing magic. This much was natural.
"This twists all the prophecies!!"
Prophecy, prophecy. Guessing futures with imperfect omniscience, harming people based on his own beliefs.
"If touching our Pine is prophecy, I wanna tell him to fuck off personally, Head."
"...Wait, how do you remember Pine Granasia...!! Hero!!"
Head froze, staring at our standing Saintess in shock. Did he use Ignorance's authority?
"This can't be. She clearly took the bullet!! Even erased my enhanced Ignorance...?!"
Come to think of it, yes. Pine beside me now wasn't forgotten by anyone, nor did she seem to have lost memories.
"Boy, you're no ordinary hero...!!"
"...Keep calling me hero this and that. Annoying."
I dispelled my worries. I pulled the sword stabbed into the ground and aimed at Head.
"I'm not a hero, Head."
"Then what is a guy nullifying my Ignorance and Omniscience!!"
"Black Knight. A Pure Love Black Knight, to be precise."
More accurately, Grand Hearts Academy's Pure Love Black Knight. I had Kainel, Ariel, and Dennis fall back and stood before the Demon King.
"...Even the Omniscient Demon King doesn't know that."
"You bastard, you...!!"
I knew instinctively. For some reason, Head Ake's abilities didn't work on me. And I could even dispel the Ignorance already cast.
"Well, you're just a bastard anyway, Head."
I was the one who met Heavenly Demon without losing memories and even learned swordsmanship from her.