Chapter 116

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Translator: Ebonarch

Chapter: 116

Chapter Title: 30. Kyaa!

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Armored knight.

The one who saved my life right after I got trapped on the first floor of the Labyrinth, pulling me out of a desperate battle in a goblin nest where I was on the verge of death.

Thanks to the healing potions, antidotes, and mapping charts she handed me, even a regular guy like me managed to crawl back out alive from that deadly Labyrinth.

It was such an unforgettable, vivid memory that I still remembered every detail even now.

'I even did a naked dogeza out of gratitude.'

Well, that was more of an accident.

Strictly speaking, the armored knight had seen me naked before Diana did.

Anyway.

My memories of the armored knight were still crystal clear, and I could still hear her voice perfectly.

"...Armored Knight?"

And the frail-looking girl in front of me had the exact same voice as the armored knight.

But the vibe was a little different.

The girl's body flinched at the sound of my voice, and her eyes turned back to me.

Green-tinged gray eyes that blended perfectly with her luxurious golden blonde hair.

Her pupils started trembling like there was an earthquake as she looked at me.

She quickly bowed her head low.

Her exposed forehead led down to ears that were flushed bright red.

"N-No, n-n-no, that's not, ugh, n-no, it's not...?"

It was completely different from the armored ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knight's confident, sly, brimming-with-self-assurance tone that somehow screamed "total nerd."

This wasn't just slow speech—it was so stuttery she was practically biting her tongue.

Even a school shut-in who couldn't talk to anyone would speak more fluently than this girl.

'It's not just the speech. The height difference is huge too.'

The armored knight wore heavy full plate armor that covered not just the joints but even her face.

Her height was about the same as mine—at least two meters.

If not for that bizarrely massive chest plate and her enchantingly beautiful voice, anyone would've mistaken her for a guy.

I looked down at the girl, who had her head bowed like a total nerd, unable to even meet my eyes.

'...This is her?'

Her sitting height made it hard to tell exactly, but even on tiptoes, she probably didn't top 150 cm.

Compared to that enormous chest plate, her barely-there chest was laughably tiny, barely hinting at femininity.

Meanwhile, her thighs and butt, slightly squished from sitting in the wheelchair, were plump and full.

Overall, it was a body perfectly optimized for desk work, so she had her own charm...

But she looked nothing like the armored knight I'd imagined.

'Different person?'

Besides, no way she could wear armor like that with a build like hers.

"I-I'm n-not, n-no, any kind of armored knight... I d-don't know anything about th-that..."

The girl awkwardly denied it as she forced the words out.

Was the similar voice just my imagination?

But I didn't give up easily.

"Then, are you the White Royal Knight?"

"...!"

White Royal Knight.

The title the armored knight had called herself when she hesitated to reveal her real name.

It reeked of elementary-school chuunibyou vibes, but the girl's eyes widened just a fraction at the words.

Then she quickly averted her gaze.

"...I-I d-don't know anything about th-that either..."

Was she really hearing it for the first time, or pretending not to know?

Her reaction was so introverted, it was impossible to tell.

Besides, she was denying it so vehemently that pressing further would just look bad.

As disappointing as it was, I had no choice but to back off.

"Sorry for prying. Your voice sounded exactly like someone I know."

"..."

"She saved my life, so I'm really grateful to her. Guess it was a mistake. Oh, the helmet fits me perfectly. Thanks."

As I reached for the helmet in her hands, the girl cautiously spoke up.

"...Th-that..."

"Yes?"

"Sh-she probably d-didn't do it expecting a-anything... i-in return..."

"..."

"S-so... y-you don't have to go looking to r-repay any k-kind of f-favor..."

I furrowed my brow at the girl's out-of-left-field words.

What was this about all of a sudden?

I was caught off guard for a moment, trying to parse the meaning, when...

"The Second Princess has shown up on the first floor!!"

"R-Really?! Princess Celsia?"

"The Second Princess coming to a place like this? That's a first, right?"

"She hasn't done much public activity in years, and she's always been so secretive..."

"I heard she's got this insanely tall stature."

"It's not just tall. That, y'know, feminine symbol... ahem. Let's hurry!"

The area erupted in chaos. Everyone was freaking out and rushing down to the lower floor.

They were all bloodshot-eyed to see this princess, with no attention to spare for their surroundings.

Thud!

In this age of barbarism, securing personal gain trumped any time for consideration toward a girl in a wheelchair.

"Kyaaak?!"

Even as the girl's wheelchair tipped over from the crowd bumping into it, barely anyone noticed.

Her face frozen stiff, she couldn't react at all, just clinging desperately to the chair and stiffening up.

At this rate, she'd smash her face into the ground and get seriously hurt.

Whoosh!

I bolted straight to her.

I grabbed the tilting wheelchair handle to steady it and caught the girl mid-fall with one arm as her butt lifted off the seat.

Poof.

Her slight chest and featherweight body pressed against my arm.

"You okay?"

I'd caught her safely. Luckily, no major injuries.

"...Ah..."

The girl in my arms slid slowly down to the floor.

She'd been tensed up so hard that once things calmed, all the strength drained from her body.

With a dazed look, she hugged her own legs and stared up at me.

I looked back at her too.

The moment I felt myself getting sucked into those green-tinged gray eyes, a status window popped up.

A censored status window with brief info appeared.

High level, and a blatantly overpowered blessing.

Meant she'd rolled around in the Labyrinth quite a bit.

'Similar vibe to Jermi's blessing.'

Jermi lost her dick-like 2cm thing—more clit than anything—and became a woman, gaining an experience bonus blessing.

This girl traded physical prowess for magical talent.

My eyes went straight to her name.

'Celsia?'

Didn't someone say the Second Princess was named Celsia? Just a coincidence?

"Can you stand?"

"...Ah. U-ugh..."

Celsia snapped back at my question and tried to get up on her own but kept collapsing.

Her strength had completely given out.

"Mind if I help?"

She hesitated at my words, then bashfully bowed her head and nodded.

Scoop!

"Eek...!"

To lift her, I slid my arm deep between her legs... between her thighs and calves, and she let out a cute squeak, swallowing hard.

I carefully hoisted Celsia up.

Light. Maybe 50 kg?

Easy enough to lift with one hand.

"...Th-thank... y-you..."

Celsia, settled back in the wheelchair, timidly bowed her head.

"Just the decent thing to do."

No matter how used to this cold, merciless world I was, I wasn't so far gone as to abandon a frail girl in a wheelchair.

"...The d-decent... thing..."

Celsia murmured my words back with a dazed nod. I asked her,

"By the way, what was that you said earlier—"

"Ah, th-that...? J-just f-forget it...! A-and, h-here!"

Celsia glossed over it awkwardly and thrust the helmet at me.

She'd clutched it tight even as she fell.

I gave a wry smile and took the helmet.

Clank.

I pulled it over my head and looked around.

Celsia had vanished without a trace.

Inside a carriage emblazoned with the royal crest.

"Hweee..."

A ultra-high-tier spell usable only once every six months: Teleport.

Celsia flopped straight onto the plush cushions.

A hazy, dreamy sensation washed over her.

Overcome by exhaustion, she wrapped herself in layers of blankets.

Preserving mind and body came before worrying about her dress wrinkling.

Poke.

Just her face peeking out from the blanket fortress, Celsia quietly muttered,

"That was close..."

Her voice didn't tremble anxiously or falter.

It even carried a subtle dignity.

A shut-in hikikomori's enemies are flashy banquets and crowds. No people around? No shaky voice.

"Never thought I'd run into him at the banquet hall..."

The young man she'd saved in the Labyrinth before.

Half a year ago already, but the memory was still sharp.

Didn't know his name or age, but...

His voice, face, the way he'd bowed naked in gratitude, and that monstrous thing swinging terrifyingly between his legs—they were burned into Celsia's mind.

'Still, glad to see he's grown well...'

She'd worried his handsome face would drag him into trouble and even gave advice, but making it to the academy banquet meant he was thriving.

She'd been forced to attend a banquet she hated, but meeting him made it worthwhile.

"...Would've been nicer to meet in the Labyrinth."

Celsia sank into melancholy.

She'd hoped to see him, but not outside the Labyrinth... not as her real self.

Her current self was too scrawny and pathetic.

That's why she'd desperately shaken her head when he seemed to recognize her.

She wasn't mentally prepared yet.

But regret came late.

What if she'd just admitted it...? Would things be different?

As those thoughts swirled, the outside grew noisy.

"It was an honor to speak with you, Second Princess!"

"N-Next time, we'll prepare an even more perfect graduation ceremony!"

Fawning from academy brass and the dean. Enough to make her ears numb.

Celsia cleared her throat and murmured softly,

""Haha. Sure. I won't expect much.""

Her voice echoed small inside the carriage, then loud and commanding outside.

Once the sycophants' admiring voices faded, the carriage door clicked open.

Clank.

A roughly 2-meter white suit of armor stepped in naturally, closing the door and sitting before Celsia.

""You can rest now.""

Celsia's voice overlapped with one from the armor's neck area.

Clank.

At Celsia's command, the armor slumped like a marionette with cut strings.

Celsia removed the helmet.

Where a face should be... nothing.

Not just the face. The inside of the armor, where a human body should be, was literally an empty shell.

It made ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sense, of course.

This armor was something Celsia remotely controlled.

More precisely, the armor she'd once worn herself.

Celsia sighed, opening her subspace and pulling out a sheet of paper.

A detailed list of blessings, written by Serip, the saint from the temple they'd once partied with.

No matter how many times she read it, it was a sigh-worthy blessing, but its effects were too good to discard easily.

She used a wheelchair because the disconnect from her old body made walking awkward, but that wasn't a big issue.

The real problem.

This blessing affected her personality too.

Around people, she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠became extremely timid and couldn't speak properly.

Literally turning pathetic.

But with the armor as a veil, she could communicate like before.

Five years cooped up in the royal palace's inner chambers, controlling the armor.

Thankfully, few knew her current tiny form, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠someday she'd face a crossroads.

Live forever as this small, childish, pathetic creature?

Or reclaim her original body?

"...Haa..."

Celsia worried about her future, turning her gaze out the window.

By now, the banquet had ended.