WeTried Translations

Translator: Botanica

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◈ Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight

Chapter 037

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Episode 37. There are things that don't help if you run away shamefully.

How long had it been since I last swung my sword like that? Twilight began to fall, and night approached.

"From my perspective, the drawback of Drake-style swordsmanship is the strain it puts on the body."

"Is that so? Not speed?"

"It's just my gut feeling, but isn't 'wind-flinging' the most demanding? Licht?"

A time when there was no need to catch monsters. Kainel and I were currently checking each other's swordsmanship drawbacks.

"That's right. Since it's enduring purely with physical strength, not by using mana..."

"Is it really okay to use that continuously?"

"Because it's me, not you, Kainel."

"..It's almost annoying, Licht."

Actually, it wasn't okay. I was bluffing, but it would be insufficient against the Demon King. They were fundamentally enemies with at least a second phase.

"The biggest drawback I see is its slow speed. It requires prior preparation."

Even if I try to break through the speed limit with Wolf Fang. It's disadvantageous in short battles.

The only way I can protect our Saintess from The Heroic Cult right now is to risk my life or do something crazy.

Or do both.

'The Imperial Family would be reassuring. I can't jeopardize her safety for my personal desires.'

I habitually rested my hand on the chin guard of my helmet.

Should I tell them about the Demon Kings? No... They'd most likely suspect the source of the information and drag me to the torture chamber.

Just then, the red-haired magician passed by.

"Kai. I got the tents from the professors. Here, Helmet Guy's share too!"

"Ah, thank you, Ariel."

"Looks like you've cheered up a bit? That's a relief...!"

Seeing this reminded me of when I first met the hero couple. Back then, I pretended to be like the Crown Prince.

"Licht, why...?"

I looked at the Glass Knight, shimmering in the moonlight even at night. I never knew a flag would be collected this way. It seemed I had fallen victim to my own scheme.

'Huh? Wait a minute.'

In <Black Heart>, Ariel is depicted as never having met the Crown Prince. Could it be that my intervention twisted this too?

"Mardol. Is this your first time meeting Ariel at the academy?"

"Yes, it is."

If so, does "beta tester" mean the player fixes the flaws seeded in the sequel? It's like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted.

What a truly malicious person, the developer. I knew it ever since he made our Saintess miserable. I felt dizzy again.

"Licht, are you okay? Why are you doing that again?"

"..It's just one of those things."

I sighed. As I stared listlessly at the ground, Kainel asked me with a worried tone.

"..Anyway, Kainel, it would be better for you to utilize the Holy Sword more. Like flying around, or causing explosions, you know?"

"There was something like that...?"

When I gave him advice, the blonde hero's eyes widened in surprise. Well, it is said that he trained alone without a proper master.

"Would you like to spar with me? Should I show you directly?"

He lacked a lot of practical experience, and he was still a rookie to be called a hero.

"No, not today. You need to rest too, Licht."

But contrary to my expectation, Kainel shook his head.

"..What?"

"You look really tired today; your hands have been trembling since earlier."

Nex had told me the same thing. It seems that whenever the Saintess is involved, my body reacts immediately like this.

"I'm fine. Probably."

Although I felt pangs of guilt dozens of times for lying, I couldn't show weakness. The Demon King could attack at any moment.

I shouldn't let my emotions get ahead of me...

"Haa... Seriously. Enough, just follow me, Licht."

As soon as he heard my answer, The Hero of Light furrowed his brow and began to walk me down a forest path.

Rustling sounds of footsteps on grass and the chirping of insects filled the deep night.

What's this, is he angry because of me? I didn't do anything that would particularly upset him.

"..What's happening all of a sudden?"

"Hmm. This spot looks good. We can see our campfire over there, so we won't get lost."

The hero walked to a tree stump, sat down on it as if it were a chair, then,

"Let's talk, Licht."

He said something I'd heard somewhere before, requesting a conversation with me. Could it be that his romance affinity with Ariel was about to go up?

"..Do you need dating advice?"

"No, the opposite, Licht."

Kainel rested one foot on his knee and continued speaking.

"Your bad condition this morning. It was because of that white-haired woman, wasn't it?"

A statement that hit home. I should pretend I don't know. The tactless Yellow Dog next door couldn't possibly know.

"What on earth are you talking about? I just felt unwell."

I was profusely sweating inside my helmet. My stifled heart conjured up an excuse.

"..I might be tactless, but I have good intuition, you know?"

However, it didn't work this time. The hero's blue eyes narrowed as he spoke, seemingly in doubt.

"Licht, your sudden disappearance a few days ago. Did you think I wouldn't find that strange?"

"..I expected you would."

"You reappeared after two days, not just a few hours. If it had been just one day, I would've just thought you had something to do..."

He wasn't usually like this. Had he become more perceptive by spending time with me? His way of picking apart every wrong detail was similar.

"I just had some things to take care of."

"And you, someone like that, skipped class and overslept? How on earth did you get back into the dorm during curfew?"

I was transferred to the Pheonix Cradle, right. Indeed. To an outsider, it would have been a truly questionable situation. The Yellow Dog next door chided me, as if dumbfounded.

"Did something happen again with that beautiful white-haired person?"

Two days, suddenly gone.

"Answer me. What on earth happened?"

"..."

My colleague, who had returned as if nothing happened, now kept his mouth shut.

"..Everything you've surmised is correct."

"I knew it. You're terrible at lying, Licht."

For someone he considered a friend to be acting like this, he would naturally be angry.

"In this situation, that person is in danger."

"..What? Is that why you skipped class without telling us before?"

"Yes, Kainel. That's exactly right."

I had no choice but to tell the truth. I began to speak as if everything had been revealed.

"Who on earth is it?"

"..There's someone called the 'Nameless Saintess', who will soon be chosen as the 3rd Saintess."

"Oh? Well, everything you say has always been right."

No one else would be listening, right? Ariel was at a distance, and the Crown Prince wouldn't interfere if we were this far apart.

The hero was nodding frequently, as if recalling when he learned the secret of the Holy Sword, listening intently to my words.

"..I owe my life to that person."

"That sounds like it happened quite a while ago, Licht."

"It was 15 years ago."

Combining the 10 years I lived thanks to her in reality, and the 5 years I've swung my sword without losing the meaning of life since transmigrating...

"What...? So you've known her since childhood? That's a long time?"

"No way. The Saintess doesn't know me."

It was a story about an exactly 15-year-old unrequited love. The hero's mouth was agape, seemingly quite surprised.

"Then... why on earth...?"

"I'm just trying to repay a debt of gratitude on my own. Because I made myself indebted to her without her even knowing it."

I cleanly admitted it. Isn't it about time I let go? If we were meant to meet sooner, we would have by now.

"She's someone with quite strong bad luck. I should have protected her..."

"Is that why what happened this morning happened too...? What exactly is she in danger from?"

Kainel's expression turned serious. He really is a good person, after all.

"You must have some idea, too, Kainel?"

"..No way."

"Yes, that's it. The Heroic Cult."

I managed a bitter smile inside my helmet. Kainel must have suffered a lot because of the Demon King too. I wondered if it was okay to tell him so easily.

"..With your skill, isn't it perfectly possible? Protecting that white-haired Saintess."

"It's not enough. Far from it."

Kainel says that because he's never confronted a Demon King. Authority that can blanket the world with concepts. That's on a different level than simple magic or swordsmanship.

'I thought I'd at least learn Dragon Slaying before meeting them. Those Demon Kings.'

If I could learn ultimate skills, I might be able to cope to some extent... But my current skill isn't enough. I felt nauseated by my own weak and soft self, and a bitter taste rose in my mouth.

"You're Sword Master-level in swordsmanship theory, Licht."

"..Who on earth said I'm a Sword Master? That's ridiculous."

I scowled at the sudden word. Although my expression wasn't visible due to the helmet, my voice held anger.

"If I can't even protect the person I want to protect with a sword, what kind of 'Sword Master' am I? The dog next door would laugh, Kainel."

"Haha. Is that comment meant for me?"

I revealed a bit of my true feelings. Now that I think about it, I'd reached this level solely for our Saintess. But she's nowhere to be seen.

"..Well, I suppose I felt a bit wronged too."

"But for your level of effort, that's truly devoted. Try meeting her and asking her to dinner sometime."

"Is this revenge for last time? Is this dating advice in reverse?"

Even if I say this to the blonde hero, the Grand Route won't derail. I've already tried to break the Crown Prince's flag, but it was useless.

"That's just a figure of speech. When you graduate, everyone around you will be scrambling to snatch you up, you know?"

"Isn't that the same for you, Kainel? Assuming it's because you're good with a sword."

"I... have Ariel."

The hero smiled slightly and said casually to me. He might be tactless, but I liked that he was honest in this regard.

"That's good to hear."

For the first time in a long while, a genuine smile spread across my lips. How long had it been since I last smiled like this to myself? But why haven't they confessed? Why aren't they dating?

"But you, you seem like a lifesaver to her... So, you should hurry and create some kind of contact point before that."

"..Me?"

"Well, even if that person doesn't know you, if she's a Saintess, wouldn't she have heard prayers from afar or been saved that way?"

"..It's roughly similar."

As expected of The Hero of Light. This is why I disliked Lupus's negative aspects. This is how a protagonist should be. He accurately pokes at the sore spots.

"My face is scarred, so I probably wouldn't be that popular."

"..Is there something there?"

"I have severe burn scars. And they're quite old."

Only then did Kainel let out a short sigh and pat my shoulder as if to encourage me.

"..Don't worry about it. What does that matter?"

"Would you like to see it?"

"Yeah. I want to see how scary it is that you always use formal speech, Licht."

Click-

"See, this is why I always ate with my face covered."

"..."

I opened my visor and revealed my face to the hero.

Besides the Saintess in the game, Kainel was probably the first. It felt strange somehow. He's fundamentally a good person, so it should be fine.

Sweat kept seeping from my palms, just in case he disliked me.

"Hey, Licht. I'm really sorry to say this, but..."

Kainel carefully examined my face, then spoke in a completely unexpected tone.

"..You know, you're actually quite handsome?"

I'd never heard such a thing in my life. That couldn't be true. He must be saying something positive to cheer me up. The overly flattering remark made me feel unnecessarily awkward.

"You're joking. People around me have always been criticized because of me..."

"What a deceiver. Hah... How do you live with such injustice?"

Even with my explanation, he looked at the night sky as if he couldn't understand, and sighed. I closed the front of my helmet again, hiding my face.

"So... I think this is perfectly fine. What's wrong with burn scars? It's the people who look at you strangely that are in the wrong."

"..A person's heart isn't that simple, is it?"

"You really seem to like that Saintess. Judging by how flustered you were earlier."

"Is it that obvious?"

Then the blonde hero continuously nodded his head, smiling at me. If even Nex could tell, it must indeed be obvious.

"Just try it. The Heroic Cult or whatever. You can just defeat them all."

Perhaps tired from talking for so long, he stretched widely and offered me an optimistic idea.

"..To be honest, I wish she could be happy even without someone like me."

She's already the Nameless Saintess who was unhappy in <Knight Heart> and <Black Heart>. If she could be happy without me, that would be for the best.

'I've even transmigrated into the game, so that's unlikely. It'll probably be a series of unfortunate events again.'

"Her happiness or you, which is more important?"

"..Isn't it obvious?"

Kainel continued to speak, whether aware or unaware of my mood, which turned gloomy just at the thought.

"The Saintess."

I spoke immediately, without an ounce of hesitation.

"..You really are a pure-hearted man. To train to a Sword Master level just to protect the person you like."

"This world is a difficult place for kind and innocent people to live."

It's because the sequel is such a bad game.

You, too, will have to do at least as much as I have for Ariel later. At the time of <Knight Heart>, he was at least a hero capable of standing on his own. I envied the blonde, who had no idea of his future.

"So, are you really not going to do anything? Why don't you ask Mardol? To find the 'Nameless Saintess.' He's a high-ranking person, after all."

"I've already done it another way. I asked him to protect her well when I'm not around."

I'd already taken care of that earlier. The flags are concentrated on the Crown Prince route, and there's no room for me to squeeze in.

"..Will that really be enough?"

"I truly believe that if you genuinely love someone, true love means being able to discard even your feelings of affection for that person. Kainel..."

Rustle.

Just then, I sensed a presence and stopped speaking.

"Mardol?"

"..What are you doing, Licht?"

The Glass Knight in shining heavy armor approached, having discovered Kainel and me. Could it be that he came to put a stop to even this?

"Just a game of truth among men... No, we were just talking about various things."

"Yeah, that's right, Mardol."

"..I see."

Only then did the Glass Knight nod his head. Surely he didn't hear what I said, did he?

"Mardol. By any chance, did you hear what I was saying...?"

"Yeah, a little."

It was already ruined. I'd asked because I was afraid he'd tease me about confessing my true feelings in front of the Saintess if I didn't check later.

***

Phine went out to look for the two men who had suddenly disappeared. Somehow, her heart kept stirring, as if by fate.

"..Mardol. Where did Helmet Guy and Kai go?"

"I don't know, Ariel."

The red-haired magician beside her was also worried.

So, when she arrived at the tree stump,

"..You really are a pure-hearted man. To train to a Sword Master level just to protect the person you like."

She began to eavesdrop from the point where the blonde hero said this.

And the incident led to the present.

"..Licht. You are strong after all."

That was her judgment after listening to the entire conversation. Or the peculiar remark about being able to protect even if weak,

"Are you saying that again...?"

"Your heart is strong."

All the reasons why, despite being incredibly strong, his awkwardness was continuously glimpsed.

"..Me? No way."

"A strong person."

It was because she had realized that Licht had taken up the sword for the person he loved.

'I'm different from him.'

Phine thought quietly to herself. Her wolf ears twitched and moved inside her helmet.

"..Saintess, is she strong?"

Someone who has reached this level of skill would definitely be considered strong. Because Licht came in first in the practical exam with swordsmanship alone, without mana.

"..Yes, she's someone I completely surrender to."

"I see."

What kind of person could she be? Could she be an old teacher he admired? His flustered demeanor had increased. It seemed like a lie, yet also like the truth.

"..I want to spar with her, Licht."

"Absolutely not. Never."

Watching the man in the Black Knight helmet sighing deeply, she began to take an interest in the figure known as the Nameless Saintess.

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