WeTried Translations

Translator: Botanica

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight

Chapter 030

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Episode 30. Is it the Crown? Prince Route?

“..So, Headmaster Laplace. You really didn't know about the dungeon beneath the academy?”

“I didn't know. All the books in the Library of Truth were completely blanked out.”

A neatly dressed man let out a short hum. It was Headmaster Laplace, who had given the speech at Grand Hearts Academy's entrance ceremony.

Due to the 2nd Saintess kidnapping incident that occurred the day before yesterday, he was discussing with the executives at a board meeting.

“As expected, abilities that borrow the power of gods seem unnecessary. God of Wisdom? They can't even stand up to The Heroic Cult.”

“If it were another Demon King, maybe, but it's ‘Omniscience’! What do you expect me to do?! Our entire library is down right now, for the third time since me!”

“..Are you saying I should have foreseen that all the students would die? Professor Beatrice?”

The sage with devil horns and the Headmaster, who held the status of a librarian, shouted at the short-haired nun.

“Enough, Beatrice. I heard the Apostle mimicked you.”

“..Oh my, Mr. Dennis. Have you already heard what Char said?”

“Answer me. This incident, is it true that you didn't know about it either?”

The narrow-eyed woman smiled only with her lips. Her eye corners didn't curve, which sent a slight shiver down one's spine.

“You know where I was at that time, don’t you?”

“...”

“Perhaps you used a body double, or something similar?”

“That possibility isn't entirely gone. If you were a spy….”

Dennis, with his blue hair and impressive white eye glow, glared at the nun. But Beatrice appeared relaxed, as if she had nothing to hide.

“Stop it, Dennis! You know Beatrice isn't a succubus! Fighting amongst ourselves will only please the Demon Kings!”

“..One must be suspicious, Drake.”

“You get too sensitive whenever the Demon King of Omniscience is mentioned!”

Drake, the Dragon Slayer, intervened to prevent a fight from breaking out.

“..Am I not allowed to be sensitive?”

“Is it because of that person again? Didn't you say you couldn't even remember their name!”

“Yes, but they're alive. They exist. My body proves it.”

He swayed, exhaling a stinging drunkenness. As his eye glow seemed to fade for a moment, losing its light, he uncorked a bottle of alcohol and poured it all into his mouth.

Then, a soft white light emanated from his eyes once more.

“..I investigated with my spirit…. It's been there since a very long time ago. The order is reversed.”

Just then, a pink-haired dryad with purple flowers spoke up.

“What? Professor Maria? That means….”

It was Professor Maria, Professor of Spirit Arts. She summoned her hamster spirit and began to recount the information she had discovered. The spirit moved its tiny cheeks.

“The spirits told me, looking at the period stalactites formed and the extent of moss growth, that it seems to have been prepared ‘from the very beginning’.”

“It was underground even before the academy was founded..? Damn it, we've been had.”

Drake frowned, placing a hand on his forehead. The shape of his scar briefly changed. The blonde Dragon Slayer looked back at Beatrice.

“Beatrice, are you truly not involved with The Heroic Cult?”

“..I have never left the academy, Sir Dragon Slayer.”

“Indeed, if you were involved, the Demon King wouldn't have stayed put!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the blue-haired man stood up. He opened his mouth as if giving a speech to everyone present.

“The Demon King’s power…. Truly a disgusting ability. Don’t you all think so?”

“I agree. Still, you should take care of your body, Dennis.”

“That’s true.”

“If it weren't for Head Ache..”

He spoke to the two who had just been scolded by the nun, in a hollow tone. He gazed at the ceiling and let out a long sigh.

“I will definitely catch Head Ache. No objections, right?”

He summoned a spherical magic circle from his palm and floated it in the air. The magic circle now had quite a few rings. It was rotating multiple times.

“..With this, it might be possible.”

Dennis, forming a fist and canceling the spell, spoke briefly. He looked motivated, unlike moments ago. Seeing that, Drake asked.

“..Dennis, what is that strange thing?”

“Oh, this? Mr. Licht taught me. It’s called a three-dimensional magic circle.”

As he chuckled and said to Drake,

“That disciple of mine.. dares..? Magic, while I’m here..?”

“He must have disliked outdated swordsmanship, old man.”

The Dragon Slayer’s brow furrowed. Even so, they had trained together for over five years, so his attachment to Dennis seemed like a source of dissatisfaction.

“So, should we tell His Majesty the Emperor about this?”

“If it’s His Majesty.. well. It would be like confessing, ‘The Heroic Cult was in the dungeon beneath the academy where your daughter attends!’”

“Won't we all die? I object. He’s gotten a bit worse since becoming Emperor.”

When the sage expressed his objection, the other Ten Greats also nodded. Seeing that, Maria showed her surprise.

“..Even so, it’s His Majesty.”

“Oh my, Maria. Do you really want to end up as a dewdrop on the execution ground? In the end, no students were hurt.”

“But.. it was almost dangerous.”

“If they directly touch the academy, war will break out. The Heroic Cultists aren’t fools, would they do that?”

“That’s not it.. Cardinal Beatrice..”

When the blonde nun criticized her, the dryad had no choice but to back down. Indeed, there were no casualties, and if they had intended to cause chaos by targeting the vacancy of the 2nd Saintess, they would have killed her.

‘I'm uneasy.. They stayed still for nearly 20 years, then moved. Will it be okay?’

But something was bothering her in her heart. As if to quell their unease, the Ten Greats began to devise solutions again.

“I'll try to maximize the academy's barrier strength, or prevent outsiders from approaching.”

“We need to put more effort into training successors..”

“There’s no way the Demon King would raid the academy. He already got smashed once by Brother Rook!”

“..We should assign practical combat training disguised as assignments.”

Then, as if something came to mind, Dennis spoke to Drake again. The expression "smashed once" brought some information to mind.

“Oh, right. It was Licht who solved this.. not Nex, the Vice Principal’s son, was it?”

“That’s right! Dennis, he’s my disciple who can take down an Apostle-level opponent. With this level of skill, there won't be a problem even if The Heroic Cult swarms in! Hahahaha!!”

“Yes, that’s impressive. And Phine is also quite strong. If the Demon King attacks, I’m here, and you’re here…. It should be fine.”

A momentary silence fell.

“...”

Everyone tried to act indifferent, but worry occupied a corner of their hearts. An unspoken fear that war might break out again.

“Then.. we’ll reopen it once The Heroic Cult’s tail is caught. Since the dungeon collapsed and no survivors were found.”

With the sage’s final words, the board meeting concluded.

***

“Ugh, my body feels really bad.”

As soon as I got out of bed, my body groaned with cracking sounds.

“Kainel.. went to class, I suppose.”

Void Slash is a technique that puts a lot of strain on the body. It was only natural for this mess to happen after using it consecutively. I looked around my dormitory room, where I was alone.

“Let's summarize what I've learned this time.”

The academy had already filed for my excused absence. I picked up a notebook from the bookshelf.

First, regarding the status window,

‘It goes up, and it goes down.’

Since it indicates when the love line is in danger, I could prevent the Grand Route from derailing with this.

‘If it exceeds 50 percent, it seems like dating begins…. If it's 100 percent, surely it’s marriage. Well, it is a ‘love affinity’.’

Even with the lovers having made a marriage vow, it's 62%.. That means what comes after is important.

In Nex's case, he'll need to resolve his discord with Asha Aureus.

I thought the end of romance would be a happy marriage. Then will our Saintess also get married if her love affinity rises later?

“...”

The illustration I saw right before transmigrating was like that, so it's probably true. Tears started blurring my vision. I guess I’ll just have to clap for her from behind.

“..No matter what, she would dislike a man like me.”

I thought back to when I was affected by Servi's nightmare. As soon as I touched my face, I realized it was a dream. No matter how many times I thought about it, I didn't think anyone would like this appearance.

Suddenly, an old memory flashed through my mind. The line the white-haired woman said when encouraging me.

[Those people are just bad, okay? Don't be discouraged, Sir Knight..!]

But that was in the game, and this is the past. The Saintess and I probably have no contact points right now.

“Real life isn’t so easy, Saintess.”

There were many characters other than her who spoke favorably to the player,

I shouldn't cling to that. Even if I take the Saintess route, I must abandon the idea of having a romance.

I'll be satisfied just protecting the Saintess from the side.

It's an artificial word people created in the first place. In reality, such a thing might not even exist anywhere.

I let out a deep sigh. I really need to see a happy ending this time.

I never want to see her sad again.

“..Head Ache.”

I opened the page where 'Demon King of Omniscience' was written.

The Demon King who was described as a grim reaper from another world summoned as a hero. A madman obsessed with the number of lives written in the Book of Life and Death.

The reason I viewed him more positively than the Demon King of Truth when I cleared the dungeon yesterday was….

‘He’s the Demon King who saved our Saintess.’

Towards the end of <Knight Heart>, he actually tells the player directly that there’s no need to touch the Nameless Saintess, so he’ll let her live.

After that, she is forcibly removed from the final battle before seeing the ending, and thus survives until the end of the original work, appearing in the sequel.

He’s a person who minimizes unnecessary killing if it fits his plans. But if his calculations go wrong….

‘He’s a Demon King who kills mercilessly or unleashes his authority.’

Dennis’s case is like that. The Demon King avoided killing as per his creed, but he cast a curse on Dennis's lover.

‘..I’m still too weak.’

I gripped my hands tightly. Yesterday's incident was fortunate; it was a cultist who who knew the ability, and my constitution aligned perfectly, as if by divine luck.

But if it had been a long-range ability that could perfectly counter me, I wouldn't have been able to save Senior Chartiness, let alone protect Nex.

The Demon King, is it possible to catch him now?

Fatigue swept over me. I had no way to block authority either. It was fortunate that I knew the dungeon's location; in reality, it might not have been there.

Should I get stronger while protecting the love line at the academy? The Grand Route couldn't fail either.

It feels like I'm missing something…

The path ahead felt daunting. I still had no connections or anything to acquire a weapon. If I at least had a Holy Sword, it might be different.

“There isn’t a suitable method.”

As of now, I can't reach the Demon King. As was often the case in the original work and sequels, they're tricksters who cheat with their authority.

..Is there no other choice?

“The Crown Prince route.”

No matter how much I think about it, I have to take it.

If she, who is not a combat class, meets the Demon King, is there any way for me, as I am now, to protect her?

She could use Divine Power, but she was a character designed to be unable to catch even a passing bug.

‘Chartiness and Beatrice are normal, though.’

In the community, there were many harsh evaluations like 'incompetent,' or 'a healer who is only used briefly in the early stages.'

In fact, most healers in games also served as combatants. There were clerics like berserkers wielding maces, and monks who could cleave the sky and crush the earth with just their fists.

Furthermore, wolf beastmen, were not such rare cases. If they were imperial figures, it was common for them to have dog or cat ears.

‘Just looking at the Imperial Guards, they are wolf beastkin with wolf ears and tails.’

I simply liked her, so I brought her along until the end of the game. I just had to push through with control, overpower with specs, and defeat the Demon King.

And after battles, when taking a break, I liked the things she occasionally told me.

Her slightly high-pitched voice, transparent and clear personality. The text describing a rose scent.

[I only received help today, Sir Knight.. Still, Sir Knight, could you please not get healed anywhere else if it's not by me?]

It still flickers before my eyes when I close them,

[Huh? Why am I suddenly asking?]

The line where she chuckles, then smiles sweetly and jokes with me.

[..I, I might get jealous.]

It remained in my memory, making my heart thump habitually.

“...”

I started worrying about her well-being again. Where on earth could she be and what could she be doing?

My mouth went dry. Because of that, I quickly started looking for the most dangerous obstacle in my notebook,

“..Magic Hat Masquerade.”

I ruminated on the fact that that crazy magician was the most dangerous.

The person who wore a mask, deceived others, and at the end of <Black Heart>, even cut down our Saintess.

I transmigrated because of this guy in the first place.

Now that The Heroic Cult’s activities have begun, he will surely start moving as well.

My guess is that the protagonist of <Grand Hearts Academy> is Lupus Gransia. No matter how much I struggle like this, I’ll have to join hands and fight in the end.

For the Nameless Saintess, I am in no position to be picky about means and methods.

If I make the Demon King of Truth combat-incapable in the past with the Crown Prince, I might be able to avoid a bad ending.

There's no point in being stubborn; the Saintess doesn't know me anyway. If I just stay put like this, she might fall victim to the Demon King.

As long as I make Lupus only a companion so the Saintess route conditions aren't twisted, it should be fine.

As my thoughts became clear, I remembered what needed to be done.

“..First, perhaps I should go meet Senior Nex.”

His spirit, having grown into its adult form. It will truly be very helpful now. Even if the Demon King attacks the academy, they won't be able to penetrate the Pheonix Cradle.

“I also need to buy a Pure Love Injector.”

Furthermore, I had to buy a new sword. They'd sell them at the academy, right? I started walking.

***

In a space where a chandelier illuminated a round table, five figures were seated.

Several appetizing dishes were served, making it seem like a meal.

“..Is it really all done, Head?”

“Yes, with this, Nex should have mastered ‘Pheonix Cradle’ by now. There will be no error in my calculations.”

“You go this far just to reduce the number of people who die? Truly vicious.. If you just did it all at once…!!”

“No. We must go with the path of highest probability.”

A woman dressed as a magician holding a fork, and a gentlemanly man in a suit, wearing a monocle and alternately checking a book. Beside them,

“..I think this plan is really good. Don't you, Brother Fin?”

“Right, Intinium.”

A man and a woman, who looked like twins, were eating food with smiles. Blood dripped from the steak cut with a knife.

“The Hero of Omniscience’s actions amounted to mere kidnapping? How laughable. It's not even a child's game.”

A long, black-haired man with deer antlers chided the monocled man in a grating tone. Annoyed, the latter spoke.

“Heogun, your language is coarse. This is the best option. And stop using that title.”

“Our Hero of Omniscience thought of it, so how could it be wrong? Fufu!”

Tilting her magician's hat, the white-haired woman spoke with a laugh. As if to cheer him up, she vigorously patted the back of the man called Head.

“..As expected, it’s better if you don’t speak.”

“Why? We used to be close as heroes~ I’m starting to feel hurt…”

“I abandoned the name 'Hero' long ago, Magic Hat.”

“Yes, understood, Mr. Demon King!”

The magician puffed out her cheeks as if sulking. Watching her, the man and woman who looked like twins chuckled, and the old man named Heogun grimaced in displeasure.

“But even if it's Omniscience, was there really a reason to use Servi? There's Gluttony and many other Apostles.”

“With this, we can counter-attack by exploiting a weak point.. Hmm?”

Head's hand, turning a page, stopped.

As if something significant had gone wrong, the monocled man reopened the book and flipped through it repeatedly. He seemed to be checking for any errors, even sweating.

“Oh, what’s wrong, Head..?”

“This can't be happening. Surely, this time, it was Nex's turn to become a traitor….”

Head’s hand trembled. At this, the attention of the other Demon Kings focused on the gentleman.

“Hah, as expected. I knew it..”

“Ache, are you okay..?”

Watching him, the magician’s eyes curved into crescents, her long white hair fluttered, and her golden eyes shone.

“..This looks like fun!”

Seeing someone’s name written in the Book of Life and Death, the Demon King of Truth smiled.

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