Prologue

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“Hey, is it really okay to just run away like this!?”

In a forest near a certain national border.

There, five horses carrying riders dashed forward at a furious speed.

A girl with golden hair, flowing like the moon, raised her voice while riding on one of the horses.

“We must escape into the city! If it’s our kingdom’s city, they will surely protect us!”

“I can fight, you know!?”

“Indeed, Your Highness’s magic would be of great help. However, the enemy is—”

The moment one of the knights began to say that, the sky above flickered.

Instinctively looking up, they saw multiple massive fireballs hurtling toward them.

“This is beyond what a child should be dealing with…!”

The girl immediately leaped off her horse and rolled to the ground.

The freed horse kept running ahead but was quickly swallowed by the fireballs.

“Y-Your Highness!”

“I’m fine… but”

The horses were gone, and three knights remained beyond the sea of flames.

On her side, only one knight was left—

“Wha…?”

—or so she thought for a moment.

Suddenly, a sharp sword emerged from the neck of the knight beside her.

What had happened? Neither the stabbed knight nor the blood-splattered girl could comprehend the situation.

But reality struck when the knight collapsed onto the ground.

“You… bastards!?”

“Why are you… already here!?”

“Your Highness, please ru—”

From beyond the flames, the voices of familiar knights could be heard.

But as soon as they spoke, a sickening sound echoed, and their voices ceased.

A moment later, no sound of the knights remained.

Instead, several men dressed in black robes emerged from the forest.

“Luna Carbon… the second princess of the kingdom, I presume?”

The man who spoke held two sharp knives in his hands. The others wielded swords, staffs, and other weapons, whereas the girl, Luna, held nothing.

(I can use magic, but…!)

The situation was overwhelmingly disadvantageous.

They had the numbers, weapons, and physical strength—all of which were against her.

They had effortlessly slain the knights, so there was no way she could win alone.

And with her horse lost in the sea of flames, escape was also impossible.

“Who are you people!?”

“………”

“Why are you trying to kill me!?”

The men remained silent.

Were they afraid of revealing their identities, or did they simply have no intention of conversing?

Either way, their silence gnawed at her with fear.

(Am I… going to die?)

The man who had spoken earlier stepped forward, gripping his knife.

(Am I really going to die here?)

There were so many things she still wanted to do.

She had looked forward to school life, making friends, maybe even experiencing love, and enjoying delicious food while studying hard.

Yet, just because she was a princess, she was going to be killed before accomplishing anything.

All the men before her aimed to take her life, a young girl had every reason to be terrified.

“I… no…”

She stepped backward, but behind her was nothing but scorching heat.

Lowering her gaze slightly, she saw the corpses of the knights who had been with her moments ago.

“No… I don’t want this.”

I don’t want to die.

I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die.

Someone—

“Help me!”

And then…

“I understand.”

A hero had arrived.

“Wha?”

For the first time, the man, who had spoken only when necessary, uttered an unnecessary word.

And in the next instant, the man who had been holding the knife found his vision spinning.

His head rolled onto the ground. The last sight he witnessed, a boy wearing a black vine-like mask swinging a massive sword sideways.

“That one phrase was enough.”

With a sharp slash, the boy slowly stepped forward toward Luna.

Now that he was closer, she could see that the black sword wasn’t made of metal. It was simply a mass of entwined vines covering the entire thing.

“I will fulfill my duty.”

The boy thrust his sword into the ground.

Then, he softly spoke.

“Forest King.”

In the next moment, something sprouted from all directions in the forest.

Vines, grass, and trees, all of them lashed out at the men surrounding them.

The whipping vines severed limbs, the stretching trees impaled torsos, and the grass smothered faces, cutting off air.

“—!?”

Even in this situation, the assassins made no sound—a testament to their skill.

But one by one, they collapsed to the ground, drenched in their own blood.

“W-What…!?”

Luna couldn’t help but be astonished.

That many enemies, defeated in an instant.

It was a time of despair, and although I prayed, I didn’t think anyone would help me.

But the situation changed completely, from a desperate situation to salvation.

(Now that I think about it…)

She had heard rumors.

That there was a hero who appeared before those in need and reached out a hand to save them.

A boy, estimated to be young based on his height and voice, wearing a mask made of vines.

Despite his youth, his swordsmanship surpassed that of others, and he wielded an unknown magic that controlled plants.

In short, his abilities are abnormal.

And because his massive sword and role of protecting others resembled that of a knight, people spoke of him with respect. They called him the “Black Knight.”

“I didn’t make it in time… huh. Sorry, I couldn’t save them.”

The boy extended a hand to Luna.

“I can’t take you all the way home, but I can get you close. There may still be more enemies, so you should save your mourning for later.”

Can you walk? he asked, but Luna instinctively shook her head.

Not because she didn’t want to move—but because she couldn’t.

Moments ago, she had accepted death, clung to denial, pleaded, and despaired. And now, the threat looming over her had suddenly vanished.

What overwhelmed her now was relief, alongside the lingering sorrow of losing those who had protected her.

Tears streamed from her eyes.

Seeing this, the boy scratched his cheek beneath his mask and—

“Uh… don’t call this harassment, okay?”

He pulled Luna into his chest, cradling her small head.

“n-!?”

“Sometimes, people ask me to do this… ‘just for now.’ I don’t really get it, but apparently, feeling someone’s warmth helps them feel safe.”

It was truly warm. Amidst the emptiness left behind, he was the only source of warmth for her.

She couldn’t help but feel grateful for it. The gentle embrace spread through her, making the tears flow even more.

“…Just for now.”

The boy, still wearing his unreadable mask, looked into Luna’s eyes and said.

“For now, cry as much as you want. After all, the only one here is a stranger whose face you can’t even see.”

Thump, Luna’s heart pounded loudly.

Even as her tears fell endlessly, the heat rising to her face refused to subside.

She couldn’t look away.

At that moment, Luna realized there was no denying it.

The “Black Knight”—

The boy who wielded his sword for the sake of others, had stolen her heart.