The Fallen Knight and the Bewildered Protagonist

Marta grasped the forged holy sword.

A golden luster bloomed at the sword’s tip, then flowed over Marta, making her consciousness feel hazy before it began to waver.

A faint mist materialized around her.

A mirror appeared before her eyes.

Several lines, penned in golden ink, adorned the mirror’s surface:

[Is your faith the sun, or justice? Or perhaps the nobility of a knight?]

[Young knight, gaze upon your faith.]

Marta looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Her mirrored self looked back at her.

Golden specks of light shimmered all around her reflection.

‘My faith…? The sun? Justice? Nobility?’

‘That was merely in the past.’

‘Only in the past.’

A tale was told in the kingdom, of an ancient knight known as the Fallen Knight, who once ushered in an era of chivalry. So overwhelming was the Fallen Knight’s power that she desired to monopolize the light.

Thus, she fell, plunging into darkness, solely for the sake of claiming the light for herself.

‘I harbor no ambition to monopolize the light on such a grand scale, but I yearn to monopolize *my* light.’

The image in the mirror shifted.

It grew eerie and unpredictable, twisting and distorting until it coalesced into an entirely different scene.

A black tower, a crimson moon, and soaring crows surrounded it. Upon the tower stood herself, the tip of her sword ablaze with dark, scarlet flames.

Within the tower stood Ophelia.

Chains bound her, her eyes vacant, clad only in a few flimsy garments, restrained in an ambiguous, M-shaped pose by the shackles.

‘Truly, a scene from a dream.’

‘In this way, the Queen will belong to me alone.’

The words on the mirror were now crimson.

[You desire to monopolize her.]

[Your faith is not the sun, not justice, not nobility; your faith is your Queen, and you wish to monopolize your faith.]

‘And what if it is?’

[Do you accept this version of yourself?]

‘Naturally, I accept this self and am prepared to press onward, solely to monopolize my faith. I have long since passed the point of no return, ever since that night.’

The crimson words on the mirror remained unresponsive.

Marta noticed countless golden specks of light appearing around her.

Subsequently, these golden specks plummeted to the ground, which then transformed into a fiery crimson. Then, countless crimson tendrils surged upward, enveloping Marta.

Marta felt the warm, sacred power of light within her gradually being replaced by a cold, black-and-crimson force. She knew that after today, she would truly possess the power to monopolize the Queen.

‘It merely requires the assistance of Emily and Vina’s wisdom.’

‘But it matters not; in the end, I will be the one to win. At least now I, too, possess the right to contend for the Queen’s body, just like Vina, don’t I?’

‘What might the Queen’s lips taste like?’

‘Would they be soft and sweet, carrying the flavor of fruit candy at sunset? Or would they bear a fresh fragrance, like the myriad flowers I tend?’

Darkness consumed the tip of her sword, then reforged its blade. Marta lifted her head, her second awakening complete. She had transformed into the most powerful and rarest branch among holy knights—the Fallen Knight.

****

“Luca! You deceived me! You deceived my grandfather!”

Moxi stormed out of the room, eyes blazing crimson, and seized Luca by the throat.

Ophelia found the situation rather amusing.

She recalled that the book’s Luca rarely displayed “bewilderment,” yet now she clearly perceived a hint of “confusion” in his eyes.

“I used your item, and then I didn’t succeed in my second awakening! You deceived me! You deceived my grandfather! I’ll kill you!”

Several priests quickly rushed forward to pull Moxi and Luca apart, urging Moxi to calm down. Moxi merely stared at Luca with bloodshot eyes, while Luca looked utterly bewildered.

A group of girls observing nearby pointed and whispered about Luca.

“No… how could this be… Wait, Young Master Moxi, you didn’t just use my item the moment you went in, did you?” Luca suddenly realized something.

“What else would I do?!” Moxi seemed like a highly pressurized balloon, ready to burst at a touch.

“Why didn’t you… first try to awaken and see if you would succeed? If you succeeded, there would be no need for the item. If you didn’t succeed, then you could use my item to reverse that outcome. That’s the only way to be one hundred percent certain…”

‘Oh right! There was that method! Holy hell, good thing Moxi is dense, otherwise Luca would have had to flee the country!’

Moxi was clearly stunned as well.

“I gave you an insurance policy, not something to use right away…” Luca looked troubled, turning to Ophelia with a pained, almost helpless expression.

“Your Majesty, I accept my loss.” Luca shook his head.

“From this day forward, I will offer Eli no more strategies. My word is my bond.” He shook his head, ignoring the baseless accusations of the girls, and simply departed the grand hall.

Ophelia frowned.

Having read the novel, Ophelia always felt Luca possessed endless backup plans. Even if he no longer devised schemes for Eli, he still harbored boundless ambition and inexhaustible perseverance; he was, after all, the male protagonist.

“Could you stay and help me?” Ophelia called out to him, unsure what prompted the thought.

Luca paused.

He turned abruptly, his back to the setting sun, and scrutinized Ophelia. In that instant, the ambition and cunning in his eyes were utterly unconcealed, startling Ophelia.

He gazed intently at Ophelia, as if seeing her for the very first time.

“Ophelia… though this is merely a conjecture, could it be that, in the past, you didn’t actually think too much, and all the intricate alliances were orchestrated by Vina and Emily?”

Ophelia’s heart skipped a beat.

‘Damn it, how did he figure it out! No, I can’t admit it now! I can’t let the female protagonist and male protagonist clash, and the female leads in the book are all a bit naive and sweet, so I can’t let the male protagonist target them!’

‘If there’s truly going to be a conflict with the male protagonist, it should be borne by me alone, an outsider to this story!’

“H-how could that be? Of course, these are my machinations! Don’t let my kind demeanor fool you; I possess many cunning strategies!” Ophelia declared, waving her fist.

“I only brought you under my wing because I saw a certain talent in you! It wasn’t due to kindness or reluctance, you know?”

Luca took two steps back.

He laughed.

He burst into uproarious laughter.

“Hahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahaha! So that’s it! So that’s how it is, Your Majesty! Hahahahahahahahaha!”

‘What the hell are you laughing at?’

“Why are you laughing at me?! If you won’t help, then don’t, but don’t act like anyone cares! And still laughing?” A mix of shame and anger flared within her.

“No, no, no, no, I’m laughing at myself, I’m laughing at myself, Your Majesty. The reason I won’t help is because I’m unworthy. I only just realized my unworthiness, hahahahaha!”

Luca left behind a string of inexplicable laughter, then waved his hand and turned to depart, leaving Ophelia utterly bewildered. Not long after watching him leave, she suddenly noticed the grand hall had fallen silent.

‘Why isn’t Moxi taunting the male protagonist?’

‘And where are Moxi’s fangirls?’

‘Were they all stunned into silence by Luca’s grating, duck-like laughter?’

Ophelia abruptly turned back, only to be startled herself. Behind her, Marta watched her silently. The iconic white armor from the novel was now stained with darkness, and her gem-like pupils had swallowed the light like an abyss. She gazed at Ophelia, her eyes frenzied and morbid.

“I have succeeded in my awakening, Your Majesty.”