NOVEL WEB Chapter 31
A man with purple hair, marked with the insignia of the Phoenix, and a nun dressed in black were sitting closely together.
“…The North? Asha Aureus…”
“I asked the servant, and the lord is currently there. Guess I should’ve contacted them when I had the chance. Sorry, Junior.”
“He really doesn’t care about his son at all… How unfair.”
After getting a new sword after a long time, I headed to the terrace. I asked Nex about our engagement.
“I’m used to it by now.”
“Did he go to fend off the monsters?”
“Probably, given how cold the North is.”
“The sun… it must be effective Spirit Magic then.”
So when am I really going home?
I felt a slight dizziness. Thinking about Kainel, Ariel, and Dennis, there are so many things to do. When am I ever going to fill that 100%?
Do we really need to catch at least two Demon Kings, or do I just need to raise the affection level first? I can’t quite grasp it.
Looking at Nex, it’s clearly tied to the Hero Church… But wouldn’t the Status Window pop up if it was just about catching a Demon King?
“Let’s just get married quickly… No, forget I said that.”
“I wish that too, Junior. If I did it arbitrarily, it would cause a ruckus given my title as Count.”
“…That’s also because it’s with a Saintess.”
Schartines was looking at Nex with a fox-like smile. Are they really going to resemble each other this much as a couple? My side felt cold.
Purple eyes were twinkling, and red eyes mirrored them.
“I will always support my seniors.”
“Thanks, Junior!”
“…It’s a bit embarrassing, though. Ugh!”
Today’s class was canceled. The Academy recommended that we come back to classes starting tomorrow.
‘I feel like I’m missing something. What could it be?’
Have the Ten Heroes gathered for a meeting? They probably already knew all about my disappearance.
“So, that day, the one I met was a fake Cardinal.”
“If it was a Succubus, I can see how that could happen. Silly Shar.”
“Nex, weren’t you almost caught off guard too? Just yesterday, you were crying in front of me.”
“…”
It’s quite strange to see the ultimate rival character feeling dejected and unable to say a word. Normally, they would read each other’s expressions and tease back.
“Played by Professor Beatrice…”
Besides, Professor Beatrice wasn’t a villain. Did they twist the cliché? I should stop thinking all cross-eyed characters are bad.
Shar’s senior explanation about how I should have noticed when her eyes were smiling.
“…Stop. I’m embarrassed.”
“Huh? That’s unexpected.”
Nex has become much more docile. Since the purple sparrow has become a Holy Relic, it must be inconvenient to carry around freely.
“People can feel embarrassed too, right? Junior. Shar, being a Saintess, doesn’t get it.”
“That’s right.”
“Both of you are teasing me! I know everything!”
But even without a Spirit by his side, he looked more confident than before.
“Actually, I’m joking.”
When I let out a small chuckle, the black-haired nun finally opened her mouth, looking worried.
“Ah, so Junior… how’s your body doing?”
“I think I’m okay. Maybe because I slept too much, but it aches here and there…”
“…Hang in there.”
“Shar, don’t discourage her. If you stress out here, the Academy’s going to crumble.”
With how unique my body is, it seems like everyone I meet is concerned, talking to me sympathetically.
But at least I can refill my mana by eating, and with Nex’s power, the Spirits can appear, and my swordsmanship is decent enough.
If I link hands with Mardol, I can use magic too… Ah, I wonder if that will be useful later.
A momentary dizzying imagination. Using magic in the Swordsmanship Training Hall while being caught by a heavily armored glass knight.
The aftereffects are more severe than I expected. I need to get used to it by now.
Then, suddenly, I remembered something I had overlooked.
“Ah, Nex-senpai.”
“Yeah, what is it, Junior?”
“How about trying out a weapon…?”
“Suddenly? I’m a Spirit Mage, you know? I have no talent for Swordsmanship…”
“You need to prepare for situations where the Spirits might weaken.”
In [Night Heart], he was an NPC that used a spear. This should be right. He should have the strength to maintain his own love line even without me.
Kainel will probably grow stronger as the Hero, but being a Spirit Mage, he relies too much on emotions, so that’s a danger.
“…Yeah, you’re right. Junior.”
“Alright. Let’s go.”
He seemed to have felt uneasy when he almost got caught by the Apostle, as he slowly nodded along with my opinion.
This method should be the right one to avoid contradictions with the original work.
*
So why is this guy not going to class and is still here?
“Mardol…? What are you doing here?”
“Training.”
There were several scattered coins on the ground, and it looked like he had swung his sword multiple times, leaving deep marks on the ground.
And that last motion… was that Shadow Slash?
His precision still lacked detail, but he was clearly trying to cut through shadows. The shiny glint of armor stung my eyes.
“Hello, Licht.”
The glass knight looked at me with a friendly wave.
‘Seems like there’s at least some goodwill. Good.’
Using the friendliest tone possible, I greeted back. All the flags and routes are leaning toward the Crown Prince anyway. I just need to go along and I might land somewhere in the middle.
“Hello, Mardol.”
“Yeah. Are you practicing Swordsmanship too, Licht?”
The thick voice echoed from the helm. Anyone hearing it might think it was a conversation in a cave.
I can’t show fear. Lupus is strong in the past, so let’s spark some interest to set more flags.
“…Today is slightly different.”
“So strong as expected.”
As soon as that answer ended, the glass knight swung his sword again and practiced cutting shadows.
Is that a sign of affirmation? Well, if I can save the Saintess, I would even have the confidence to go for a pure love drift.
That sounds fancier, but it does feel a bit cringe.
Clink— Coins flew through the air with magic from afar.
Must be related to something happening with the Hero Church. He’s working hard.
I noticed that several layers of the Academy’s barrier were being worked on today as well. The Ten Heroes share a close bond. They must have heard about the incident of the Demon King of All Knowledge setting up a dungeon underground.
‘This is the most similar to the original Nex’s weapon. Good.’
I have to prepare too. I pulled out a spear with sharp edges from the display.
“Here, take this spear.”
“Why…? Isn’t it a sword? Wasn’t I supposed to use Void Slash and stuff?”
“That’s impossible. Let’s make this your main weapon.”
Nex looked at me with a bewildered expression. He seemed surprised. After all, Void Slash requires the full coordination of the body, and a beginner wouldn’t be able to use that.
“…Let’s do something other than Swordsmanship.”
“Got it, I trust you.”
We moved to a remote corner away from Mardol. If I accidentally hurt him, my route could be derailed. I need to be cautious from here on.
“Then, let me teach you a few things about spear techniques.”
“But Licht, it looks like you’re better at swordsmanship. Is that right?”
That’s true. I had never used anything other than a sword in the game. But I had a reason to believe I could teach Nex spear techniques.
“I have a friend who’s pretty good at it.”
“…Spear techniques? That’s unexpected. It’s hard to come across them, unless you’re in the North.”
Famous players with the nickname ‘Husband of the Northern Duchess’ are part of the same guild. I learned a lot from watching him over the shoulder.
He’s the one who discovered an Easter egg and traveled the country by train to be the first to find the Northern Duchess route.
ARG. Alternate Reality Game.
A game where the setting moves from a virtual space to the real world, focusing on real people playing the game.
In the past, a game company uploaded a video. Based on that, they found hidden evidence in reality and revealed that the Northern Duchess could be a heroine to be conquered.
‘…Why is it only our Saintess who gets picked on? Dang it, game company.’
That’s why I was foolishly believing that the Nameless Saintess had a happy ending. Now they even officially recognized the Northern Duchess route in the original.
“Spear techniques, just like Swordsmanship, rely heavily on willpower.”
Even if I hadn’t directly used the weapon, the basic movements I have honed through years of swordsmanship were the same.
Thrusting, blocking, slashing, and swinging.
And I was way too close to that guy.
I’ve had numerous PVP matches where we staked items against guild members, and I spent countless late-night discussions about the Northern Duchess’s settings and plots with the Saintess and the pillar brother.
[Pure Love Black Knight: Honestly, the Saintess is the main heroine. Anyway, yeah. She’s the Main Heroine in my heart.]
[Husband of the Northern Duchess: Next up, Saintess fetish~]
[Pure Love Black Knight: (Saintess emoticon calling for the Pillar Brother to leave)]
It felt more like a keyboard duel, yet until the day I got possessed, that guy was the one who worried about me in the guild chat.
He must be doing fine.
“Licht, do you really think I can learn spear techniques? If I’d known, I would have done it sooner.”
“You can learn it.”
We argued a lot about whether Swordsmanship is stronger or Spear Techniques, and I know clearly what the strengths and weaknesses are. With my current physique, I could teach him basic stances.
“I’ve been working hard to get stronger too, Junior. But the Northern Spear Techniques are already…”
“…Yes, since the Cold-Blooded Northern Duke passed away, it’s impossible to receive guidance from the Duchess.”
In the game, you couldn’t learn techniques until you unlocked the favorability.
“Eh? Junior…? How do you know so much about the Ten Heroes’ disciples? I spread rumors intentionally that I’m reckless… but I’m not from the North.”
The moment I answered, his gaze sharpened. Nex slowly approached me.
Did I mess up?
Knowing too much game knowledge could pose a problem. I should have been more cautious.
I’ve been exposed as a possessor… Oh wait.
“So you are indeed the Hero of All Knowledge, huh?”
He lightly patted my back, putting his arm around me.
“It’s impressive that you knew this, given that I only tried it once…”
“Not really…”
“Come on, stop lying. Even if you can’t read my face because of the helm, don’t do that, Junior.”
“…”
Lucky. He’s letting this misunderstanding slide.
In a tone low enough that the glass knight wouldn’t hear, Nex whispered to me. It seemed like he would be oblivious to our conversation, as he was focused on his training.
“That said, I noticed you’re friends with Mardol from the Imperial family.”
“…When did you catch on?”
“You didn’t seem surprised when I mentioned the royal family.”
Uh-oh, I just got hit. During the dungeon raid, I was too hasty and missed that detail. So I got caught here. The purple-haired man smiled like a fox.
“Please take good care of Mardol. He may seem quiet and clumsy, but he’s actually kinder than anyone else.”
“…I’m not sure.”
Honestly, if it means only our Saintess can be happy, then even if it means making connections to the royal family, I should gather masterpieces and artifacts to take down the Demon Kings.
“Spirits are honest, though. That’s good enough for the eldest son of the Aureus family to vouch for.”
“Then I guess I have some thinking to do.”
Listening to the purple-haired man’s advice, my mindset solidified.
If I could be the Crown Prince’s brake, I could stop him from getting too close to the Saintess.
Making friends seems to be the right thing to do. Looking at Nex’s case, there’s nothing to lose for me.
So is that why the Black Knight ran to Mardol?
I realized that I had felt acutely how much I needed help from the protagonist since the day I got bad endinged by the Magic Hat in [Black Heart].
I’ll never forget the forced event where Kainel and Ariel ran away.
I had been pushing my emotions away this whole time.
Joining forces with the protagonist could get me even a bit closer to her happy ending.
“Mardol, thinking back now… he doesn’t seem like such a bad person.”
I made sure to say it a bit louder. He should have heard it, right?
“…”
He stopped swinging his sword and glanced over here for a moment.
Even now, it seems the glass knight is getting stronger so he can take down the Hero Church. This will save us some effort.
“Right! Junior!”
He was better than Lupus, who did nothing in the sequel. Originally, he was just a guy who was going to ride the coattails of the heroines.
Has he finally fallen for the Demon King?
The Magic Hat was the strongest Demon King I’ve faced, so I’ll have to use every trick in the book.
“Anyway… while reach is an advantage for the spear, you’ll have to use it differently in this world that employs magic and Spirits.”
I picked up a long rod-like stick. Considering Nex’s skills, I figured I wouldn’t need to use sharp weapons.
“If possible, focus on thrusting, slashing, or blocking using Spirit Magic.”
“I got it. It does seem easier than using a sword.”
After swinging a few times to mimic my movements, purple flames erupted from the spear in his hands.
Oh, he’s quick to adapt. He was originally a spear user in [Night Heart], so I guess it makes sense.
“…I’ll teach you the basics of Northern Spear Techniques, so take it slow.”
“Can I go a bit faster?”
“Of course, Senpai.”
I smiled with satisfaction under the helm as I passed down spear techniques to Nex. I wouldn’t care what the pillar brother says later; right now, that doesn’t matter.
That friend was already someone who used loopholes to save the Northern Duchess in the sequel, so I’m sure he’ll understand.
“There are too many blind spots.”
“Try to think more in terms of using strength, Junior!”
“…I guess so? I only know the basic stances as well.”
The techniques founded by the Cold-Blooded Northern Duke. It’s likely up to him to be self-taught since these techniques likely belong to the Ten Heroes.
“If you wield a sword, there’s no way I could win yet.”
“Unless you summon the Phoenix, that’s probably true.”
“…Then I definitely need to work hard. Thank you.”
He seemed to have the realization that he could become stronger than during the last dungeon. Nex had a refreshing expression as if he found a new way.
“Nex-senpai, you’re tensing your shoulders too much. Again.”
Licht was mercilessly beating Nex with the polearm.
“While deception is good, you lack the basic stamina to use it right now.”
“You got me, Junior!”
“Throwing spears… they’re good for long-distance coverage. But.”
The swift movements deciphering all the clumsy attacks from the descendant of the Ten Heroes.
“Think of offense and defense as one. Movements should flow into each other.”
He rigorously practiced, showing him the mistakes patiently.
“Let’s utilize this advantage. It’s longer than a sword and can restrict your opponent’s movements.”
“…You’re really cheating, Licht.”
“Just focus, please.”
If the man in the Black Knight helm wielded an actual spear with sharp blades, someone would’ve gotten seriously hurt.
‘…He can use a spear that well too?’
Golden eyes watched that scene intently.
I already knew that Licht was exceptional at Swordsmanship.
But to handle the Northern Spear Techniques so skillfully was quite impressive.
‘If we fought, could I win…?’
My ears perked up under the glass helm due to competitive spirit.