Chapter 34
I let out a cheer of joy.
“Waaah! That’s such a great idea, Sion!”
As I got excited and started smacking my own cheeks slap slap slap, Sion tilted his head slightly and said,
“Stop. Your hands are strong.”
Apparently I’d hit myself harder than I thought—there were faint handprints all over his cheeks.
I quickly lowered my hands and, unable to contain my excitement, started dancing around.
“A knight~! Sion’s becoming a knight~!”
Seeing me like that, Elda, who had been tidying up the room, chuckled and said,
“It seems Miss Rin is even happier than the person involved. How adorable.”
Of course I’m happy!
At this point, aside from the romance route with the heroine, Sion was steadily breaking away from the original story and heading down a “no-longer-the-sub-male-lead” path.
Just then, Garen entered, opening the door.
“Young master, the horse is ready.”
“Good. I’ll depart right away.”
“I’ll accompany you.”
“No. This one is enough.”
Sion grabbed me—still floating around and dancing—and placed me on his shoulder.
“Oh, this guy really has a smooth ride!”
I exclaimed in admiration as I dangled from Sion’s shoulder.
The horse Enoch, which had recently become Sion’s, had already been fully trained in just half a day.
“He’s clever. Took to handling very quickly,”
Sion said, stroking Enoch’s mane.
Enoch snorted proudly.
[Ah, my master is truly an amazing person.]
At this point, it seemed Sion’s charm could even captivate animals.
After walking along the outskirts of the city for quite a while, a quiet suburban area bordering a forest came into view.
“By the way, Sion—how does the knight order entrance exam work?”
“Usually, it’s conducted as a sparring match against a superior within the order.”
“Wait, you mean you actually fight each other with real swords?”
“Yes. The match ends when one side subdues or incapacitates the other. That’s why I need to prepare my sword in advance.”
“Ohhh, I see.”
I glanced at the worn sword strapped to Sion’s back and asked,
“Wouldn’t it be better to get a new one? Something cooler and sturdier?”
“A new sword?”
“You said that knight order is full of top-tier fighters, right? Then they’ll definitely bring expensive, high-quality weapons. That puts you at a disadvantage.”
In any world, capitalism and gear advantages always mattered—so I said it with concern.
At that moment, Sion reached behind with his right hand and drew his sword.
Looking at the old, plain blade, he said quietly,
“This sword… was left to me by my late mother.”
I fell silent.
“It’s been with me my entire life.”
“…I see.”
This was new information—something never mentioned in the original story—and my ears perked up.
“You probably know this, Rin, but my mother was a commoner. Before that… she was a knight of the North.”
“…!”
I was slightly shocked.
Wait—Sion’s mother was a northern knight? That’s another hidden setting I didn’t know about?
Between the heroine’s hidden personality issues and now this heavy backstory, my trust in the “original plot” was starting to crumble.
“They say she met my father—the former Grand Duke—by chance on the battlefield, and that’s how their relationship began.”
“…Whoa.”
That’s… incredibly romantic.
A bittersweet love story between a Grand Duke and a commoner female knight immediately formed in my mind.
Sion continued calmly,
“My mother was one of the finest knights in the North. She was strong enough to protect it from countless dangers alongside the Grand Duke… but after giving birth to me, her health declined, and she passed away.”
“……”
Sion looked at the sword in his hand with care before sheathing it again.
“This sword is the symbol of the promise I made to her. I swore I would carry on her will and become a knight who protects the North as well.”
“……”
I looked at the worn sword with new eyes.
…The very same sword that stayed by Sion’s side until his final moment in the original story.
I had no idea it carried such meaning.
“I didn’t know that,” I said softly.
For some reason, I felt… strange.
Since becoming a fangirl-fairy in this world—thinking I knew everything like the back of my hand—I had been rushing forward with one goal: to make my favorite character achieve love and happiness.
But now, it suddenly struck me—
There might be many other things in this world, and in Sion’s life, that were just as important and precious.
“…Hmm.”
I felt a strong desire to help Sion achieve everything—his love, his happiness, his dreams… and the promise he made to his mother.
…If that happens, he’ll smile much more often, right?
If I could see that faint smile I once saw on him every single day, I’d do anything.
“Hey, Sion.”
Clenching my fists, I looked up at him and said,
“I’ll help you keep that promise. I swear.”
Sion looked down at me quietly. Then, after a brief hesitation, he spoke.
“Rin, let me ask you something.”
“Yeah!”
“If I join the First Knight Order and leave the Grand Duke’s castle… what will you do?”
“…Huh?”
I blinked. Then I shouted in shock.
“What!? Leave the castle? What are you talking about all of a sudden?!”
“The First Knight Order’s mission is to be stationed at the northernmost frontier and subjugate demonic beasts. The North isn’t in a position to keep such a powerful force idle within the castle.”
“Then… if you pass the exam, you’re going to the frontier?”
“Most likely.”
“Forever?!”
“I don’t know about that.”
“……!!!”
I clamped my hands over my mouth.
What is this genre shift!? Isn’t this supposed to be a romance fantasy? Why is it suddenly turning into an adventure story!?
There was no way I could let my beloved favorite—whom I’d carefully nurtured—go to such a dangerous place.
“No! I oppose this decision!”
“……”
“Why should Sion suffer like that at such a young age? No! Absolutely not!”
I flailed like a tantrum-throwing child.
Sion looked slightly baffled.
“Didn’t you just say you’d help me fulfill my promise?”
“Well, that was before I knew you’d be going somewhere so dangerous! What’s the point if you get hurt or worse?!”
“…The frontier is filled with elite knights. They all risk their lives to fulfill their duties. Going there doesn’t mean certain death. In fact, it could be a valuable experience to grow stronger.”
“I don’t care! I’m against it no matter what!”
I turned my head sharply with a huff.
He doesn’t know—but I do. That frontier is going to become incredibly dangerous.
At least until the main male lead appears to save the North, I didn’t want Sion to recklessly throw himself into danger.
And besides, the heroine, Genebia Lilo, is still at the castle—where does he think he’s going?
“…Wait a second.”
A thought hit me.
“Don’t we have a healer?”
Genebia Lilo.
Right now, she’s just an ordinary priestess—but she’s actually the heroine of this world. Soon, she’ll awaken as the strongest healing priest and play a major role in saving the North.
“If we’ve got an overpowered healer like that in the party… maybe it’s actually fine…”
I imagined a scenario where Sion and Genebia leave together.
If Sion got injured, she could just heal him with divine power—easy.
Plus, it would prevent her from meeting the main male lead at the castle, buying time for Sion’s romance route.
And most importantly—
In that kind of intense environment, if a young man and woman rely on each other… feelings are bound to develop, right?
Didn’t Sion’s parents fall in love on the battlefield too?
Hmm… this might actually be perfect.
I quickly changed my stance.
“Alright, Sion. I get it.”
“…?”
“I’ll help you join the knight order and go to the frontier. And wherever you go, I’ll go with you.”
“…!”
Sion’s eyes widened slightly.
“You’ll follow me? To the frontier?”
“Yep!”
“Let me be clear—that place is nothing like the castle. Demonic beasts appear at any time. It’s dangerous, and no one can guarantee survival. If this is just curiosity—”
“That’s exactly why I’m going. I told you—I’ll protect you from now on.”
“……”
Sion looked at me with a strange expression, as if at a loss for words.
Confusion, disbelief, surprise… and something else filled his gray-blue eyes.
Oh, a new expression unlocked.
Just as I was observing him with interest—
“Hey! Well, if it isn’t you!”
A booming voice rang out from afar.
In front of what looked like a blacksmith shop stood a massive, muscular middle-aged man—like a grizzly bear in human form.
“Kundeman. It’s been a while,”
Sion greeted him flatly.
Despite the dry greeting, a bright smile spread across the man’s rugged face.
“Young master! You’ve grown so much! I almost didn’t recognize you!”
Kundeman strode over in a few steps and pulled Sion into a tight embrace with his thick arms.
Caught between his bulging triceps and Sion’s shoulder, I got completely squished.
“Ghk.”
