Arian Liberin's Heart
Arian Liberin rose from her seat and, doing her best to calm her turbulent emotions, looked at me and spoke. "Seo Moon-jin, thank you for saving me. As the princess of the Liberin Kingdom, I, Arian Liberin, will never forget the debt I owe you for rescuing me and for allowing me to personally settle this matter."
After severing Rotten Bendision's head, Arian Liberin expressed her gratitude for both being saved and being given the chance to deal with him herself. "I have many questions, but… if you knew I had been kidnapped, does that mean the other students… are safe?"
The moment her thanks ended, she asked about the other students' well-being, clearly worried. She had assumed that since I knew of her kidnapping, I must have rescued the others while chasing after her. Still, a sliver of doubt lingered. From her perspective, the thought was natural—she had exited through the same entrance she entered, so learning of her kidnapping would have required encountering the other students and grasping the situation. Especially since reaching the exit she used would have forced me to pass through the corridor where her teammates had gathered.
"They're all safe. I took care of the villains on the way here."
"That's a relief." Arian Liberin genuinely felt reassured that everyone caught up in the villain organization's attack targeting her had survived. After a brief moment of relief, she looked at me and asked, "Then, Seo Moon-jin, may I ask my questions now?"
"Go ahead. Ask anything."
Upon hearing my answer, Arian Liberin fixed me with a serious gaze from her pink eyes. "Seo Moon-jin, then… who exactly are you?"
"National Hero Academy's freshman representative, heir to the Yucheon Group, and the one who will eventually kill the Eternal Dragon Terenity to prevent the world's destruction. Is that enough?"
"Could you tell me more?"
At Arian Liberin's question, I countered, "Why do you want to know?"
She turned her gaze toward the altar where she had been lying moments ago. "Because I want to help stop the monster you mentioned—the Eternal Dragon Terenity."
Arian Liberin was one of the heroines directly harmed by Terenity. Of course, other heroines had suffered even greater losses, but that was simply because their tragedies ran deeper. Yet the fact that she had lost her mother and her maternal family to the final boss, the Eternal Dragon Terenity, was not the only reason she wished to stop him.
"You want to help stop that monster?"
"Yes. And as the princess of the Liberin Kingdom, I cannot overlook the world's destruction. Even setting aside the incidents involving the Le Stan ducal house and my mother, I will make sure Terenity pays the price for killing the people of the Bendision family and toying with one person's life."
Separately from being unable to forgive Rotten Bendision for his villainous deeds, she could never forgive Terenity for deceiving him and driving him to such extremes. She would ensure he paid the price. That was Arian Liberin's resolve.
"According to what you said, do you truly believe I can obtain the power you demonstrated earlier within six months?"
"Yeah. I think you can. With my help, it might even happen faster."
Now that both Seo Moon-min-hye and Arian Liberin could receive deeper assistance to grow stronger, their progress would accelerate far beyond before. Especially since they had already built a solid foundation, a single catalyst would allow them to advance at a pace incomparable to the past—even without my direct help.
"You'll help me?"
"Seo Moon-jin, I owe you a debt I can never repay in a lifetime. Even thanking you a thousand times wouldn't be enough."
With those words, Arian Liberin smiled faintly and approached me. "This is… my way of showing gratitude."
Her beautiful face appeared right in front of mine. The pure and delicate princess's lovely features were so close I could see every detail—her dazzling golden hair, pink eyes, porcelain-white skin, perfectly balanced features, and sweet fragrance. Among them, her soft pink lips stood out the most. I quietly accepted them as they drew nearer.
Chuu… chuup!
The moment our lips met, I pulled her into my arms and began a passionate kiss. Or rather, to be precise, I was the one taking the lead. "Mmph! Hnn…!"
This wasn't the scene she had imagined. Arian Liberin looked flustered and tried to pull away, but I had no intention of letting her go. I held her tightly and thoroughly savored her lips before finally releasing her. "Haa…!"
Her face flushed crimson as she swayed slightly, as if she had never imagined such a kiss. "W-what are you doing all of a sudden?"
Arian Liberin, who had forgotten her usual calm and composed demeanor, protested like a flustered girl, her cheeks burning red. I found the sight adorable and replied with a smile, "You suddenly kissed me, so what else could I do?"
As I spoke, I gently stroked her hair. "When a beautiful princess offers a kiss, there are only two choices: freeze up or respond passionately. I simply chose the latter."
At my words, Arian Liberin let out a soft sigh, shot me a glare, then quickly turned her head away. She could have scolded me for putting too much personal desire into the reward, but I knew she wouldn't. My existence had already been deeply etched into her heart. I had saved her, revealed the truth so she wouldn't drown in guilt, and declared I would kill Terenity, the root of all evil. From that, she had begun to think she wanted to help, even if only a little.
Compared to how the original protagonist Seo Moon-hyun had won her over, my approach was far more stable for her and far more effective at making her fall for me. Every favor I had shown would remain in her memory, and it was clear her feelings were already shifting toward me.
"I'll remember the princess's reward well."
However, pushing any further right now wasn't wise. First, I had to handle the aftermath of the villain attack. Even if the situation was better than in the original story, it was bound to be quite noisy. It would be best if I helped smooth everything over.
* * *
It felt suffocating. Arian Liberin couldn't think of any other way to describe it. The moment she saw Seo Moon-jin, her chest tightened and breathing became difficult. Her heart raced far too quickly, and her face grew hot. She found it hard to even look at his face.
"Arian, let's head out soon. People will be looking for you. We need to show them you're safe."
"Yes… I suppose so."
Upon hearing Seo Moon-jin's words, Arian Liberin calmed her confused heart for a different reason than before. Right now, the outside world must be in an uproar because she—the princess of the Liberin Kingdom—had been kidnapped. It would tarnish the National Hero Academy's reputation, and the Liberin Kingdom would surely lodge a strong protest.
'I can't leave the National Hero Academy.'
Even though she had experienced such an incident here, Arian Liberin could not leave the academy. Convincing the Liberin Kingdom was her responsibility, and there were other matters she had to resolve herself.
"The Liberin Kingdom probably won't accept this easily. They'll try to bring you back no matter what. What do you want to do?"
Seo Moon-jin asked what choice she would make. "I want to stay here. I don't want to run away just because I went through this once. And… even if something like this happens again, I want to become strong enough to overcome it myself."
At Arian Liberin's answer, Seo Moon-jin smiled with clear satisfaction. "That's a good answer. Then I'll help you. So you can grow stronger. And if the Yucheon Group increases security here and has Levia reside on Hero Island, the Liberin Kingdom will change its mind, right?"
Levia, the president of Yucheon Artifact, was also famous as a powerful mana awakener. If she lived on Hero Island, the Liberin Kingdom would surely be convinced. And if the Yucheon Group increased security on top of that, there would be no room for argument. Still, something weighed on her mind.
"It feels like I'm only receiving help."
"Then just grow strong and repay me properly. Don't you think?"
Seo Moon-jin extended his hand, and Arian Liberin took it. Right now, she needed to calmly sort through the situation. She had to inform the National Hero Academy that she was safe, appease the Liberin Kingdom, reveal the truth about the Bendision family to them, and resolve everything.
Yet even as she thought this, the moment her hand touched Seo Moon-jin's, her body trembled uncontrollably. 'Just how did this happen…?'
Arian Liberin felt confused by the emotions she was experiencing. It was the first time she had felt this way, but she knew exactly what it was. She had heard that people in love felt emotions like these. At some point, without even realizing it, she seemed to have fallen in love.