White. The world is entirely white.
As if the world had been dipped in bleach and pulled out, everything is pure white.
A ruthless white canvas faithful to the background setting of the Northern Snowfields.
Pu-wook, kwadeudeuk.
Red is scattered over it.
The three wolves that were growling just moments ago have now become objets d'art decorating the northern snowfield.
It's grotesque. It's bizarre. It's bad for emotional education.
But it is an unavoidable directing choice. After all, the more dramatic the situation, the amplified the catharsis of salvation becomes.
The man in black armor standing at the center of that catharsis.
That is me.
At my feet, a beautiful girl with golden hair is slumped on the ground.
The Empire's 1st Imperial Princess, Lucia Von Astellia.
Her appearance, trembling like a puppy soaked in a blizzard, was far more destructive than the description in the original work.
Her platinum-blonde hair is wet with snow, clinging to her cheeks, and her emerald eyes, wide with fright, are swimming with moisture as if she might burst into tears at any moment. Her pale skin is beyond stimulating protective instincts; it's on the verge of making them explode.
Pretty. Beautiful. Noble. Cute. Pitiful. Lovely.
No matter what rhetoric I attached, it wasn't enough.
She was truly the concept of a 'Heroine' that had borrowed a human form to spring into existence.
Her existence itself is the proof of the Romance genre.
I saved such a Lucia from the terrifying wolf demonic beasts.
The female protagonist in crisis. And the knight who appears like a comet to save her.
It is the standard opening of a Romance Fantasy.
Don't laugh and call it a cliché. Why is a cliché a cliché? Because it's tasty, that's why it's a cliché. It means it's a 'flavor that works' which humanity has verified for hundreds of years.
How long have I waited for this moment?
I endured months in this cold North, chewing on bear meat, just for this.
Now, the first line is important.
After all, first impressions determine 90% of human relationships.
According to psychological laws, visual and auditory elements are more important than the content itself, but since I am wearing full plate armor right now, I cannot show my facial expression. Therefore, I must bet everything on my voice tone and dialogue selection.
I tuned my vocal cords. As soft as possible. Not too cheesy. With a gentlemanly baritone.
'Are you alright, Your Highness? You must have been very startled. Please do not worry now. I have arrived.'
Perfect. It couldn't be more perfect than this.
The essence of impeccable chivalry. The model answer.
[Speech: F]
[Persuasion Roll... Failed]
"Still breathing, I see."
...Huh?
The nuance is strange?
This isn't worry; it feels more like 'Why aren't you dead yet and still stubbornly alive?'
"H-Hiek!"
Lucia swallowed a scream and pushed herself backward through the snow with her bottom. Her pupils shook violently as if an earthquake had occurred within them.
No, wait. Why did it turn out like this?
Let's rewind the story a little bit.
Roughly a few months ago.
When I came to my senses, it was an unfamiliar world.
I hadn't been hit by a truck, nor had I died from overwork. I simply fell asleep while posting a hate comment because the novel I was reading was so frustrating.
When I opened my eyes, it was a snow-covered field.
There was no mirror, but it didn't take long to realize my identity.
Black armor. Black greatsword. Black cloak.
All Black from head to toe.
Camouflage effect in the snowfield: Zero. Rather, it was like advertising, 'I am here, so please come and kill me.'
Is this a funeral mourner look? or a cosplay of a pubescent boy whose chuunibyou (middle-school syndrome) arrived late?
Anyway, I knew the owner of this body.
The fantasy novel I read last, 'The Owner of the Thorn Crown.'
To explain this novel briefly, it was something that made you feel the urge to appraise the author's mental state.
At first, it was good. No, it wasn't just good; it was excellent.
A Romance Fantasy where a fallen princess reclaims the empire together with a hero.
Readers pressed the recommendation button, saying, 'Oh, this smells like a masterpiece.' Of course, I was one of them.
The problem was that the author fell deep into a certain game during serialization.
A hardcore action game where a golden tree burns, fingers are bent bizarrely, and you hunt demigods.
The author must have had way, way, way too much fun playing that game.
So, from a certain point on, the genre of the novel changed.
Romance went missing, turning into a Dark Fantasy with no dreams or hope.
And the ending?
Companions annihilated. Protagonist self-destructs. The destruction of the world merely postponed for a moment.
There was no bad ending worse than this bad ending.
The resentment of the readers pierced the sky, and I was one of them.
'Author-nim, please give me your address. I'll send you a gift (brick).'
It was like that.
It was like that, but.
When I opened my eyes.
I had become the Black Knight inside that trash novel.
The vanguard of the Evil God. Commander of the Demonic Beast Legion. A mid-boss in the original work who drives the Saintess to her death and gets his head cut off by the Hero.
Don't be ridiculous.
"I decline that kind of ending."
My voice echoed like a cave inside the helmet.
I made up my mind.
I will protect the heroine, reclaim the lost romance, and reach a happy ending.
I will turn the genre of this novel back to RoFan (Romance Fantasy).
[Status Window]
Name: ???
Title: Black Knight of the Abyss
Affiliation: None
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[STATUS]
Strength SS
Agility S
Vitality S
Technique A
Intimidation S
Speech F
Self-Objectification F
…
…
Perhaps because the stats were so high, or maybe because of the Black Knight's original body, adaptation was quick.
Like that, I adapted while slicing through the demonic beasts of the North for several months.
Wolves the size of houses, bears breathing frost, deer with six horns.
A solitary but smooth survival.
And finally, the awaited 'Event' occurred.
Back to the present.
I take pride that I made an entrance sufficiently befitting a Romance Fantasy.
A princess chased by wolves.
A black knight blocking her path.
Once. Twice. Three wolves are neatly sliced into three parts.
Blood dyes the snowfield, and I slowly turn around.
And now.
"P-Please spare me...."
Princess Lucia is sitting slumped in the snow, stricken with terror.
It is only natural.
Because a massive man over 2 meters tall dragged a blood-stained greatsword over and said, 'Still breathing, I see.'
Even I would have wet myself. I would have had to change my panties twice.
But it's okay, there is still a chance.
Originally in RoFan, first meetings usually start off on the wrong foot.
'You, that rude jerk from back then!?' 'You, that unlucky bastard from back then??'
Something like that.
Starting from a bad relationship and developing into a fated one.
Isn't that the beauty of romance?
Now, let's change the atmosphere.
I just need to clearly convey the will that I have absolutely no intention of harming you, and rather, I will become the absolute sword and shield to protect you from the threats of the world.
'Now that I am here, please do not worry. I will protect you. You are safe.'
Internally, I thought this.
A knight's vow, reliable beyond measure.
However──
[Charm Roll Failed!]
"Become mine."
...?
"Y-Yes...?"
Lucia's face was dyed with shock. Perplexity was painted over her face that was stricken with fear.
No, wait a minute. How does 'I will protect you' get translated to 'Become mine'?
This isn't romance; this is the opening of a devastating confinement genre novel!
Calm down. Stay calm.
It's not over yet.
Misunderstandings can be resolved. Misunderstandings exist to be resolved.
I am not a kidnapper. I am not a pervert. I simply want to become your knight.
I just need to convey this simple fact.
This time, let's go with a humbler attitude.
Right, the expression 'faithful dog' would be good.
If I say I will protect you, that I will serve you like a dog, my sincerity will reach her.
'I will protect you for a lifetime like a faithful dog.'
Go, my sincerity!
[Persuasion Roll... Critical Failure!]
"I'll make you a dog."
"...Hiiiek!"
The object and subject have completely swapped!
Not that 'I' will become a dog, but that I will make 'you' a dog?
No. I don't have that kind of hobby.
Honestly, it's nice, but putting preferences aside, that is a crime.
"...."
"...."
The blizzard rages.
A heavy silence settled over the snowfield.
I was so flustered that I froze blankly. I couldn't say a word and just looked at Lucia.
Now, let's organize the current situation objectively.
A situation where a massive Black Knight over 2 meters tall, holding a blood-stained greatsword, is looking down silently at a slender girl...
Lucia trembled violently.
[Intimidation Roll Success]
[Coercion Roll Critical Success!]
She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.
Her pride as a noble princess. Her dignity as a human being. And the survival instinct to survive in the face of overwhelming violence.
I could hear the sound of these three things waging a fierce three-way battle inside her.
The outcome was futilely clear. An overwhelming victory for the survival instinct.
Lucia, shedding the tears gathered in her eyes, bowed her head deeply, her face red with shame and humiliation.
"Ba...!"
"...."
"...Bark, bark!"
She barked.
The Empire's noble princess is crawling in the snow and barking.
What I wanted was clearly a sweet Romance Fantasy.
A beautiful narrative of saving each other, building trust, and finally holding hands.
'Don't bark. Please don't bark. Don't give up human dignity so easily!'
But regardless of my will, words shot out on their own again.
"You bark well. Commendable."
My Romance Fantasy is ruined from the start.