NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11
Splash.
In the midst of the pouring spring rain, two knights were walking side by side.
Licht, wearing only a black helmet.
Mardol, on the other hand, was fully armored, including his head.
Anyone seeing them would think they were having a secret rendezvous.
‘What should I call this?’
It was a combination of pure white and transparent glass. The white knight and the glass knight, the total opposite of me.
A transparent, mirror-like object was arching over us, keeping the rain at bay. It perched on my head like an umbrella. It shimmered so much that it could be mistaken for a crystal.
Is this the magic of the glass knight?
Well, Dennis is a drunkard and Kainel is a mutt.
The terms from the game are quite intuitive.
But why is he coming up to me? I could just get wet. We were just seatmates in class. Feeling something strange, I asked him a question.
“So, what do you need?”
“Can’t you use magic?”
“No.”
Aha, so he was trying to tease me. I placed my hand on my forehead while looking at the fully geared knight. Thanks for not getting me wet, but…
He was about my height. It was hard to gauge his physique due to the thick armor.
As I gave him a scrutinizing look, the knight turned to me.
“..?”
“Some people are like that. Mr. Mardol.”
I was the weird one. In this world, there’s no one who can’t use magic. Feeling a sense of injustice, I sighed and quickened my pace.
“..Can you become stronger?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
At that, his shiny helmet tilted. I could hear a murmuring voice coming from inside.
It sounded like someone talking from inside a cave. Mine didn’t do that.
Mardol rested his chin on his hand. Is he thinking of something? He certainly gives off the vibe of a main character from a third installment. His presence stands out too much.
He seemed like the exact opposite of the black knight.
A mysterious glass knight wearing armor that looked like it was made from crystals and also wearing a helmet just like me.
‘I guess he’s from the Grancia Empire then.’
Knight commander? Nah, that guy’s too old. Even the imperial guard would struggle with that kind of armor.
I dug into my thoughts, pulling every bit of intelligence I had together.
Mardol looked at me. His golden eyes peeking through the gaps. I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere.
“I’ll teach you magic.”
“From now on, I’ll call you brother!”
At this shocking proposal, I immediately hung my head. What kind of stroke of luck is this? My head buzzed with electric excitement.
‘A bit uneasy, but it should be fine.’
I leapt around trying to learn magic for this game as if my feet were being chased by dogs. It must be heavily influenced by the previous games that focused on battles utilizing mana.
Conquering the world through brute force? That’s celestial demon stuff. Not something an academy student does.
If the protagonist teaches me magic, I’m sure I can learn it. Ariel is using it in relation to that mutt, so learning from her seems off, and Kainel is the same.
The combination move flag could get broken.
While I was caught up in such thoughts, Mardol began closely examining the sword strapped to my waist.
“But in exchange, swordsmanship.”
“What do you mean by swordsmanship?”
For now, I decided to play dumb. Something feels like I’ve messed up the flag. Master Drake said if he teaches anyone a technique, they’ll be killed, so I kept my mouth shut to survive.
“Drake.”
“…”
“Let’s exchange swordsmanship.”
Busted. So that’s why he made us do coin cutting in class. I pondered whether I could gather up the spilled water.
I don’t even know his options. It’s all Master’s fault to begin with.
“..Do you not want to?”
“Wait a moment, please give me some time to think.”
I squinted at the magic spread out above us. The fact that he maintains that size continually suggests he might be more talented in magic than swordsmanship, like Ariel.
“This is a magic ritual bit, right?”
“Yeah.”
Feeling a sense of déjà vu, my thoughts froze as I pondered. This is amazing. His manipulation ability is on par with Dennis’s. Did he just manipulate steel?
“You’re incredible.”
“Not really. Still weak.”
I genuinely admired him. At least he’s stronger than Ariel or Kainel.
‘Couldn’t he just secretly teach me?’
It took me nearly five years to learn it.
There’s no way this guy, no matter how much of a protagonist he is, has that kind of talent. I’m on par with Hero Kainel.
‘Unless he’s one of the Ten Heroes.’
Thinking like that, things became clear. First, there are three love lines on that side.
One is impossible before catching the Demon King. The other is unrequited love, and as for Laplace, I have no business meddling with that…
It should be fine.
“Alright. Let’s make a deal.”
“When do you want to start teaching me?”
“Don’t we have to start from tomorrow? Come to the male dormitory.”
“Ah.”
At that, our steps came to a halt. The two knights had already arrived at the dormitory.
I lost track of time talking to him.
“I’ll keep this up.”
“Will it disappear if we go inside? This glass..? Umbrella.”
“Yeah.”
Mardol waved his hand slightly at me. Seeing that, he doesn’t seem like a bad person. But where have I seen him before?
Something about this strikes me as warm in a corner of my heart. Considering how much it’s pouring, I’m grateful for not being drenched. I bowed my head.
“Wait, aren’t you going into the dorm, Mr. Mardol?”
“I’m going home.”
“Oh, you commute.”
That response made sense. Since he’s from the empire, I guess he must live nearby. But seriously, who is he? Should I ask Kainel later?
“Thanks to you, I really didn’t get wet today. I appreciate it.”
“Take care.”
‘His replies are seriously short and to the point.’
I’ve got one characteristic noted. Surely, if he’s such a distinctive character, I might find someone in the notes.
*
Having those thoughts, I entered the building. Inside the two-person room, Kainel was already there.
‘There’s the wolf motif engraved here too.’
Definitely a building from the Grancia Empire. As I closed the door, I momentarily got lost in thought.
Kainel, who greeted me happily, seemed in a better mood than ever.
“Licht, you’re late?”
“I had a few things to do.”
“What’s up ahead for you? Here.”
The blonde-haired warrior handed me a piece of mail.
“Thanks for what you did today. What’s going on that I feel like I owe you?”
“Did Lady Ariel make it back alright?”
“Thanks to you. We just exchanged messages until recently.”
“Good to hear. Well done.”
The warrior explained the situation with a bright smile. Phew, it doesn’t feel like I’m drenched by rain, so I guess I was successful in escorting her.
‘But what is this? I don’t have anyone to send it to.’
While I grinned at the youthful love story, I took a good look at what Kainel had handed me.
On the right edge,
-Your only master
was scribbled on the rough paper.
Ugh, it’s that old man again. Did he send this knowing his techniques will get stolen? I felt an eerie chill. Does he have mind-reading skills? I glanced around to check for any strange surveillance before reading the letter.
[To my beloved disciple Licht]
It’s disgusting.
[I saw the results of today’s training well.]
I have no idea why he didn’t say it verbally and chose to write a letter. This isn’t like his character.
[I’m writing this because I worry about Dennis complaining that I favor only one student.]
Well, that makes sense.
[You’ve grown a lot. This Drake is impressed.]
[The dragon shadow has become quite complete; now, the ultimate move of the master…]
I flipped to the next page immediately. No way I’m learning that. Do you want me to give up being human?
[Anyway, there’s one thing you must be careful about.]
I already feel that meeting you as a professor at the academy is dangerous.
[Licht, don’t get too involved with the glass knight. This is only known among our faculty.]
Master? What do you mean all of a sudden…?
[He is the child of someone I know.]
Cold sweat ran down my back.
If the ‘brother’ Drake is talking about is just one person,
‘Rock Grancia, the Emperor.’
If he’s the child of that man, he must be the only son.
No way.
“…”
Shit. He’s the Crown Prince?
I’m marked now.
“AAAAAAAH!!”
“What the hell did that letter say?!”
“This must be a dream! It can’t be real!!”
As I screamed inside the dorm, Kainel looked at me with a weird expression. Does he think some bug just popped out? He was almost about to use magic.
There’s a good reason for that.
If I get entangled with this guy, the whole route will change.
Saintess, I’m doomed.
*
Meanwhile,
Just at the moment the black knight screamed, someone was swinging a sword in the imperial training grounds. In the silent place where only the sound of the wind was present, there were two figures.
“Lady Pina. Did you enjoy the academy?”
“..Maybe.”
“That’s a good improvement, seeing you wield your sword right away.”
The glass knight in heavy armor reflecting the moonlight, and the elderly butler observing. It was Pina and Dijur.
After shielding Licht from the rain, she was trying to mimic the moves he showed during class. She drew a line on the ground and swung the sword forward.
“Dijur.”
“Understood. I’ll throw it.”
The butler quickly tossed a bronze coin. The glass knight attempted to recreate the shadow slash but failed as the coin embedded itself in the wall.
“It’s difficult.”
“Why are you suddenly doing this?”
“There’s a reason.”
Without mana manipulation, it seemed hard for her as she repeatedly clenched and opened her palm.
A moment of silence followed. The butler found her sudden change in demeanor quite intriguing. What could have happened at the academy, he wondered.
‘There’s been a change with you, Lady Pina.’
Perhaps that young man played a role in it, the butler thought to himself.
Clunk.
Just then, the training ground’s door swung open with a noise. Someone rushed into the room where the butler and she were. Footsteps echoed as someone approached.
“Sister! Did you have fun at the academy? You just got back!”
“Yeah. Rufus.”
“Do I have to wait three more years?”
“Maybe.”
A boy with black hair and golden eyes, sporting wolf ears, rushed to his sister. Seeing her after so long, his ears and tail wagged excitedly.
“I want to go see Grand Hertz Academy too..!”
“Wait.”
“But I don’t want to be separated from you…!”
Dodging her younger brother, Pina remained focused on swinging her sword, not even glancing his way.
“Oh, but are you wearing that armor again? Isn’t it uncomfortable?”
“I can manage. Rufus.”
Watching his sister struggle to cut a coin, Rufus couldn’t help but feel curious. She was wearing armor and a helmet, looking quite stifled.
“Just take it off, Lady Pina.”
“Still, that black knight…”
“Right! He looks really tough! Sister!”
With their plea, she finally took off her helmet.
Her long white hair fell to her waist, shimmering with golden eyes. The wolf ears that had been hidden came into view.
“This makes me weaker.”
“Did you meet that guy? Lady Pina?”
“Yeah.”
“What, what did you say? Did you get a boyfriend?”
“No.”
She shook her head.
But Rufus’s face turned pale with shock. His expression turned vacant as the butler looked down as if it was a regular occurrence.
“Interesting. Licht.”
“He’s my friend’s disciple, which explains it. Although this old man is less capable than Drake.”
“Why is it that sleazy name?!”
The boy, confused, didn’t understand.
As if he didn’t matter, Dijur asked without a second thought.
“What was your first impression?”
“…”
Pina fell into thought for a moment, then eventually spoke. A small fang peeked out.
“A drenched puppy.”
A spark of life briefly lit up in her eyes.