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There was a game called Knight Heart that just celebrated its 10th anniversary.
A classic fantasy RPG, it was incredibly popular for its elegant writing, distinctive characters, and the intriguing premise that there was more than one Hero and Demon King.
Even I, someone who didn't really like games, stayed up for 3 straight days and nights playing it. I was so happy the first time I defeated the Demon King.
In reality, modern audiences might find the story too cliche — a cursed dragon who falls in love with a human man, a Hero and Mage who go from friends to lovers after vanquishing the Demon King. A common tale.
But I actually liked that. I enjoyed the subtle romantic tensions — the characters unknowingly gazing at each other, using pet names to emphasize their closeness, coordinating outfits based on each other's hair and eye colors as their feelings slowly blossomed.
Though I've never dated, I had memorized all the successful romance routes in the game. My favorite character was the nameless Saint NPC who endlessly cheered the player on with her signature "huhu" laugh and bright smile.
People often speculated that her namelessness was a setup for a sequel. Given the game company's love for Easter eggs, it was a plausible theory. There was even an ending found by a player that became an official route.
She was known in the game community as the "Platinum Wolf Saint" due to her wolf ears and tail, and another nickname, "Blue Rose," because of her fondness for the scent of roses and the blue rose's symbolic meaning.
Back in the days when floppy disks and CDs were familiar to people, that one game was my only refuge. In hindsight, it might be a case of nostalgia clouding my judgment.
「For those who have enjoyed 'Knight Heart,' we will be releasing a sequel!」
Yes, I was happy until that announcement came.
"...Damn."
The pamphlet read "Black Heart."
A bitter taste filled my mouth. What were they thinking, steering it in that direction?
It's said that most sequels aren't as good as the originals, and the game I loved was no exception to this rule.
It was dizzying. If I had known, I wouldn't have bought it — the clunky default font, the bland new characters, the romance plots reduced to crumbs.
I was thoroughly duped. This must be what a fish feels like, flopping around on the deck.
「Thanks to your support, we at Fantasia Games have succeeded! ( ˘ᗜ˘ )」
Don't use emoticons. Where is the original creator? There are rumors that they're locked in the company’s warehouse.
「In the sequel, your data from the original game will be carried over!」
They advertised that the ending would vary depending on the routes taken in the original game. The sequel, featuring the Hero and Mage couple as the main characters, showed that they had gotten married. My heart raced at the thought of seeing the characters I loved so much again.
I remembered the illustration of the Saintess imagining herself in a wedding dress from the first game. She dreamed of being a pure white bride, and her sleep-talking text was adorable.
「We know you wanted to see the aftermath of the original characters! (｡•̀ᴗ-✧)」
Tempted by those words, I bought the sequel. Naturally, I transferred my save file from the original game where I had followed the Saintess' route.
When I was one step away from the ending, a forced event occurred.
Suddenly, a crazed mage appeared and slaughtered all the characters from the previous game in a CG scene.
「The Hero and Mage fled from battle.」
「The reason was that their love was deemed too weak.」
「Therefore, the party who lost their strongest fighters was annihilated.」
「They couldn't even erect gravestones. None of their bodies were recovered.」
「Among them, the 'nameless' saint could not even be listed among the deceased.」
I squeezed my eyes shut. The malicious text reeked of ill intent; the toned-down wording to avoid censorship felt even more provocative.
It was clear the developers were being vicious — killing off all the previous characters just to prop up the new ones for the sequel.
Ah, not all of them, I realized. The Hero and Mage fled out of "love."
It was as if they thought, "If we kill off popular characters, players will be angry at the game's villain!" and they did it in such a clean, deliberate manner.
I loved the original cast more than anyone else. The day I played the sequel, I could barely swallow water, but I persisted in challenging it.
And then, I did it.
「Player Lee Soo-hyun has become the first in the world to defeat the ‘Demon Lord of Truth, Magic Hat’!」
"I finally did it!! Huh..? What's going on..?"
The event scene remained unchanged.
Nothing had changed.
All the characters were still forcibly declared dead, and the brutal text appeared again.
It was the 24th time I had seen this text. Just looking at it gave me a headache, and I leaned back in my chair.
So, I sent an email to customer support. I demanded to know why the story didn't change after defeating the boss monster.
I don't know how long it had been when a notification ding sounded from the speakers — a reply had come from the game company.
「From the developers of 'Black Heart.'」
「Yes, the 'Grand Route' achievement you mentioned is indeed not yet implemented!」
「How did you even manage to defeat a boss that wasn't meant to be beaten?!」
Seriously? I sighed. All this developer ever did was torment the players. I've invested so much into this game that I can't just give up now.
「Well, since it has come to this, we have no choice but to reveal what we've been preparing...」
Yeah, hurry up and give me the happy ending for the Saintess. You really are a master at hiding Easter eggs, aren't you?
「Thus, we will now unveil the final installment of the 'Knight Heart Trilogy' to the world!」
Not that. When did it even become a trilogy? Is this why the story became such a mess with all the rushed additions?
「Therefore, in recognition of your efforts, we would like to invite you to be a beta tester for the third game. What do you think?」
Just give me the ending. Is this another crappy sequel? No way, not after the suffering from the second game.
「Is it the saint you're thinking of? What if you could save her this time?」
I froze. No matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t save her before. Could I really save her now?
..No, it couldn’t be. These developers were the type to add instant-kill mechanics because bosses were being defeated too quickly.
Get a grip.
「Thanks to you, Lee Soohyun, Fantasia was able to release this game safely! It wouldn't have been possible without you, you know?」
Last time, they gave out items. Being the first to clear the boss does have some perks... but no, this is definitely a trap.
「We never expected someone to brute force it on keyboard alone!」
I'd sooner trust the mangy mutt next door than you creeps..
「This time, the story is not a sequel but a prequel set in the past. You know the Heroes from original and sequel attended the same school, right?」
A prequel set in the past, not a sequel?
「The third installment is titled 'Grand Hearts Academia!' Does that ring a bell?」
I rubbed my eyes in disbelief.
Was this developer more dedicated to the original than I thought?
「We need to see if the inherited data functions properly in that romance fantasy academy setting too, you know.」
If that's the case, then why wasn't it implemented here?
「We can't have any contradictions with the 'stories' of the original and sequel, after all.」
「So if you can faithfully recreate all the love you witnessed in the first game and the second game,」
「We'll create an ending just for you. An official 'Grand Route Ending' for the Saintess!」
「How about it? Aren't you tempted? You only ever care about the Saintess' route, after all~」
..Perverted bastards. How do they know? Next time, I should post anonymously.
「Additionally, we will give you a special reward for achieving the global first kill! Congratulations!」
I scrolled down.
There was a game key composed of letters and numbers, and several in-game screenshots.
One showed someone smiling as flower petals swirled around them, another depicted the protagonists from the original and sequel meeting.
And finally,
There was a photo of the Saintess, happily grinning in a pure white dress; her eyes were slightly reddened, as if she'd been crying tears of joy.
Next to her, a small caption read —
「This time, I'll make you believe in love.」
With a short catchphrase underneath — [Finally, the Grand Route Ending has been implemented!!]
I swallowed hard. What gamer could resist this bait?
I certainly couldn't.
─ For her happiness, please protect all the love that exists.
ranslator's Notes:-
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