Chapter 49: Hand
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49: Hand
The eastern reaches of Eltania County were home to the stunning Allicar Coast, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful sights in the entire Empire.
From the rooftop of the Eltania family mansion, one could take in the full majesty of the coast, its waters sparkling like a sea of jewels under the midday sun. At night, the view transformed into something ethereal; thanks to an influx of bioluminescent blue plankton, the waves shimmered like a fallen aurora.
However, as a young girl, Luce had favored neither the brilliance of the day nor the allure of the night. She loved the twilight that dwelled in between.
When the rim of the setting sun brushes against the horizon.
Even the sun, which illuminates the world with such impartiality, seems to fade away so helplessly.
And if the sun is so fragile, what of my brother Hansel? What of the Witch of the Candy House? Human life is truly fleeting.
Back then, Luce’s gaze had been hollow. The weight of wondering if she could ever truly open her heart to another person again was a burden too heavy for a young girl to bear.
But she had made a promise to herself: if the day ever came when she let someone in again...
When that time comes,
I won't regret failing to cherish them.
I won't regret failing to protect them.
Luce used to whisper those words to herself while bathed in the majestic glow of the dying sun.
I forced myself to stay calm.
[Luce Eltania]
Psychology: [She suspects that you are Greung.]
[Psychological Insight] revealed a person’s current mental state. The status window laid bare the true reason Luce had asked to hold my hand.
Only then did the gravity of the situation hit me.
When the Thunderbird Subjugation ended, I had caught Luce and carried her in my arms. During that "princess carry," my hands had been in direct contact with her.
Luce was clearly trying to compare my hands to Greung’s.
‘Were you awake back then?’
I hadn't been fully conscious myself, and my vision had been a blur, so I hadn't noticed. It turned out Luce hadn't been out cold... My seven years of experience playing ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ had failed me at the worst possible moment.
The only saving grace was that she was still in the "suspicious" phase. It was obvious she had regained consciousness but hadn't been able to get a clear look at me. That was why she was so desperate to hold my hand—she needed physical proof to confirm if I was Greung.
Furthermore, it seemed Galia was doing an excellent job of keeping my secret, just as he’d promised in the Midheaven Realm. I’d been worried, but luckily, the guy actually had some tact.
“Why do you want to hold my hand all of a sudden?” I asked.
“Just because...”
“Luce, you shouldn’t just hold hands with any guy. You should save that for someone you actually like, not just a friend...”
I adopted a stiff, old-fashioned tone, trying to dispel the heavy atmosphere she had created.
Are you familiar with the Socratic method of refutation¹? Usually, if I pointed something like this out, Luce would fire back with a barrage of “Why?” “Why?” and “Why?”
Because of that, I usually avoided lecturing her, but I didn't have a choice this time. I had to play the conservative prude to survive this crisis.
“We’ve already held hands before...”
The moment she said that, I realized I didn't need to explain the social implications of physical contact to her. She knew exactly what it meant for a man and a woman to hold hands.
“Don’t you have someone you like?” I asked, cutting her off.
“...I think I do.”
[Luce Eltania]
Psychology: [She feels a flutter of excitement while thinking about Greung.]
It was over. It was official: Greung had entered Luce’s romance route. If she ever found out that I was Greung, I was dead meat.
In the game, Luce’s romance route was triggered if the player saved her during the class placement evaluation. By saving her during the Thunderbird Subjugation, I had accidentally locked myself into that path.
Luce was the type of character whose heart would suffer a fatal blow if someone saved her even once. Since I had now saved her twice... the moment her crush’s identity was revealed, her heart would race like a runaway train.
However, because Luce had been honest about her feelings, the ball was back in my court.
“Is it me?”
“It’s not you... maybe...”
I deliberately ignored her whispered “maybe” and pressed on.
“If it’s not me, then... well, that’s great news. But if that’s the case, why are you so insistent on holding my hand? What happened to ‘just because’?”
I calmly interrogated her. It was a desperate move. If my identity as Greung was exposed, Extra Bad Ending No. 13 would come crashing down on me like the Grim Reaper.
I couldn't just cut ties with her, either. It was far too late for that.
Think. If I hastily deny it or try too hard to prove I’m not Greung, it’ll only make her more suspicious.
Luce had a photographic memory. If she spotted even a single inconsistency in my behavior, she would investigate until she caught me.
So, what was the play? Avoidance.
The key was to keep her in a state of ambiguous doubt—making her wonder if Isaac and Greung were the same person without ever letting her reach a conclusion. As long as she lacked certainty, I could prevent her feelings from fully fixating on me.
Slowly, bit by bit, I had to use inductive reasoning to provide evidence that I wasn't Greung. I just needed to hold out until I defeated the Evil God Nephid.
In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, if you followed Luce’s romance route and defeated the Evil God Nephid, the ending showed the protagonist and Luce living a happy family life.
Setting aside the "happy family" part, the important thing was that once Nephid was defeated, the risk of triggering Extra Bad Ending No. 13 vanished.
“It’s not right to play with people’s feelings like that...”
I rubbed the back of my neck, sounding disappointed. Luce looked up, her expression crumbling into one of distress.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...”
There was a faint tremor in her voice.
[Luce Eltania]
Psychology: [She is terrified that you will hate her.]
Guilt pricked at my conscience.
I’m sorry for pushing you away, Luce, but my life is literally on the line here...
“No, I was too harsh. I’m sorry.”
“...”
“But since we’re already out here, let’s stay a bit longer. We can go chat by the lake over there...”
I thought I had successfully pivoted. I was already mentally rehearsing a dozen different stories to distract her.
But as I turned to lead the way, I felt a sudden weight in my right hand.
The smooth, soft touch of her skin slid between my fingers.
Startled, I froze and looked back. Luce was gripping my hand tightly.
“...I wasn't going to ask for permission. I just decided it was better to hold your hand... even if it meant you might hate me a little.”
Her voice sounded lonely as she interlaced her delicate fingers with mine.
“You have calluses².”
The air grew heavy. Luce raised her head.
The only sound was the loud chirping of insects. The glow from the magic lamps drowned out the moonlight, illuminating us in a harsh, bright glare. Under that light, Luce looked at me, her eyes shadowed by her bangs.
“You... you’re Greung, aren’t you?”
Extra Bad Ending No. 13: 「Bird Cage」.
That ending triggered when Luce’s affection gauge for the protagonist broke past a certain threshold. Driven by uncontrollable obsession, Luce would kidnap and imprison the protagonist, devoting herself entirely to his "care."
She would feed him, wash him, hold him, and shower him with kisses every single day. She would whisper her hidden feelings in a tender, terrifying voice.
—“I love you, ■■■.”
—“I like you. I love you. I really, really love you...”
And while the protagonist remained trapped in the amber of Luce’s love, time would march on until the Evil God Nephid was resurrected, bringing about the end of the world.
I was the man who had saved her twice, knowing full well she had these dark tendencies. I had to do whatever it took to keep my identity hidden.
My relationship with Luce had to remain a friendship. Even if the boundaries were a bit blurry because she didn't understand them, we had to stay in the zone where we could still firmly say, “We’re just friends.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“I asked if you were Greung...”
“How do you even do that?”
“...?”
I immediately shifted into acting mode, feigning total confusion. Back in my old life, I had aspired to be an actor and had performed in a wide range of plays. I took pride in my ability to lie with my whole body.
Luce looked puzzled, seemingly thrown off by my genuine-looking bewilderment.
“The black monster. You know what I’m talking about.”
“That thing...? Why are you calling it ‘Greung’?”
“Because that’s what he told me... Are you really not him?”
“Don’t be a dummy.”
Luce flinched. It seemed the word "dummy" was something she wasn't used to hearing, and it caught her off guard.
“How could I be that monster? If I had that kind of power, would I be struggling through training every single day?”
I was just Isaac, the guy who worked himself to the bone every day. She knew that better than anyone.
...Is it just my imagination, or do I actually feel a bit hurt saying that?
“...”
Luce stared at me, her gaze searching for any crack in the facade. But my acting was flawless. Every micro-expression and gesture was perfectly tuned to convey "innocent friend."
“I see...”
“Apology accepted,” I said.
Luce lowered her gaze, seemingly conceding the point. I wasn't sure how clearly she had felt my hand during the Thunderbird incident, but the fact that she wasn't certain even after feeling my calluses meant her memory of the touch was faint.
Besides, I didn't need to convince her with words alone; I just needed to remind her of the massive gap in mana and skill between Greung and me. Luce was rational; she wouldn't leap to the conclusion that I had somehow reached the realm of an Archwizard overnight.
However, this wasn't enough to kill the suspicion entirely. Luce had feelings for Greung, and those feelings would keep the embers of doubt alive. At the slightest hint, they would flare up again. I couldn't let my guard down for a second.
“But it’s pretty weird that you like a monster like that. I guess that’s just like you, Luce... I’m curious, though. What happened? Why don't you tell me the story over there—”
“Isaac,” Luce interrupted.
“Uh, yeah?”
What now?
For some reason, Luce looked like a shy schoolgirl, her face flushing as she hung her head. Watching her fidget with her fingers gave me a profound sense of dread.
Stay calm.
Nothing had changed. No matter what she threw at me, I would handle it.
Finally, Luce’s oceanic eyes locked onto mine.
“Could you... by any chance, teach me how to be in a relationship?”
This...
...is going to be a very long battle.