WeTried Translations

Translator: Botanica

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◈ Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight

Chapter 052

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Episode 52. A Black Heart for a Knight.

The status window is strange.

[I asked you to just protect the love lines! There's no need to touch the Demon King!]

The status window, which had sent me warnings multiple times during the fight with Magic Hat, began to reappear during my training with Baek-Mokryeon.

[Lee Suhyun! I warned you so many times, but a contradiction occurred in <Black Heart>! What are you going to do?!]

Right, it must be Kainel and Ariel's trauma story. It didn't matter anyway. It's enough for me to keep the painful memories to myself.

[Of all things, you tried to kill the Demon King who appears as the final boss in my work... If you do that, it'll be weird when you come out of <Black Heart>!]

Was that so? I almost died, but the developer was sitting around thinking such things.

"..."

I thought <Black Heart> was a terrible game, so I assumed I was fixing its flaws, but I wasn't? I stopped swinging my sword and stared at the translucent text.

The notifications I hadn't been able to check during battle.

[Why on earth did you do that? I thought you'd know that much, even if you're tactless!]

[You should have made a more difficult 'choice'.]

[You have two more chances. After that, I won't let it slide!]

'Two more chances?'

Seeing the strange phrase, I wondered and looked at the status window, which was glowing deep red.

[Goal: Achieve Grand Route 0/1]

[Kainel♡Ariel 31% 'NEW!']

These guys just went up. They probably felt a lot during the decisive battle with Magic Hat. After all, they almost died without even conveying their love.

[Chartiness♡Nex 62%]

A couple that can't reach 100% without resolving their discord with Asha Aureus. I'll have to visit the North later.

[Reward: Return to the real world, the 'Grand Route' ending for the Nameless Saintess.]

I slowly looked down at the status window and found seriously strange text.

[Upon Failure: Episode ??]

"..Episode? What does that mean?"

No answer came back, even if I asked into thin air. This darn status window is always one-way. I rested my hand on my chin and organized my thoughts.

'Not life, penalty, or save file... but "Episode-something".'

It must be a three-character word in the end. What could it be? If I mess with the Demon King two more times and create contradictions,

'My Saintess's Grand Route ending will also be twisted, and I'll pay this price, huh?'

I frowned. I even risked my life against Magic Hat, thinking I would simply die. My aim was wrong.

"..Hmm."

I don't know what to do. There were too many pitiful couples to just prioritize my own desires. The Heavenly Demon in front of me, Nex and Chartiness, too.

"..Well, maybe there's no need to worry."

The Nameless Saintess wouldn't like me standing by while the Demon King messes with me to protect the love lines. After all, she was a cute person who said pure love is invincible.

'If I was going to listen to this status window in the first place, my nickname wouldn't be Pure Love Black Knight.'

If the Demon King targets people with pure love, it's the Pure Love Black Knight's job to protect them.

A hollow laugh escaped me. My original nickname was actually my ordinary full name, but thanks to her lines, I even bought a name change ticket with money to change it.

'Pure love... It's pure love. Lee Suhyun. Nothing more is needed.'

Now I've faced the fact that I like our Saintess, and I no longer want to run away. It's useless for the status window to try and stop me by force.

"Hmm? What are you staring at so intently?"

"..It's nothing."

The Heavenly Demon, finding me strangely staring at the trees, spoke to me.

***

A little time passed, and Baek-Mokryeon gave her assessment of me having pulled out the sword earlier. She said she didn't expect me to overcome something so strongly bound so quickly with sheer will.

"Now you have the basics down. Your will has become firm, boy."

"Is that so? Are you going to teach me swordsmanship now?"

"Indeed."

It must be because it's a very old emotion. A feeling close to salvation. I nodded slightly inside my helmet.

"The fundamental movements of the 'Magnolia Sword Art' that this one founded are four."

Perhaps excited by a long-awaited guest, her tail was wagging like a puppy. Our Saintess used to do that too. Now that I think about it, I miss her.

"Called Baeksan (白山), for the unyielding white snow."

The Heavenly Demon drew her sword at an invisible speed, enveloping its blade in a white aura. Is this Qi? How mysterious. I heard it was explained as blocking an opponent's technique like an unyielding mountain.

"Called Jeokmok (赤木), for making red blood flow."

As I stared intently at the sword, she smiled proudly and continued to the next movement. This stance was for thrusting on opponent's vital points.

It was a stance that used a fierce red killing intent, but unlike Drake-style, it had an overall gentle feel.

It's similar to Reverse Scale Pierce, but this one moves entirely to kill the opponent. Not only that, but it's closer to Dragon Slaying.

"Called Nakwa (落花), for being like falling blossoms."

A sound of cutting through the wind, a downward slashing movement. Hundred flowers seemed to be a technique of this lineage. Flower petals seemed to flutter and fall.

"Called Cheongryu (淸流), for flowing like blue water."

Finally, she unleashed a series of attacks on the tree in front of her. The movements were like a dance, to the point where it was confusing whether I was watching swordsmanship or a dance, but,

"This is why this person was called the Heavenly Demon. These were created to resist kings those who abandoned their people and heavens that disregarded human ethics."

They were certainly swordsmanship techniques worthy of being called the Heavenly Demon's.

"How is it? Can you learn it? Kuhahaha!"

Except for one thing. Baek-Mokryeon was lying to me right now.

"..I'll only learn Cheongryu."

"What is your reason? Regardless of time or place, many have coveted this one's sword art."

"Cheongryu wasn't part of the Magnolia Sword Art to begin with, was it?"

Everything except the last technique of the Magnolia Sword Art was related to mountains, trees, or flowers. It is indeed awkward for water to suddenly appear.

"As expected, you heard about it from Dennis, boy."

"..You still don't believe me?"

This is clearly a swordsmanship created with Dennis in mind. Blue hair and blue eyes are words that signify him, and he was a human male, the pinnacle of water magic.

"Hmm, if you're trapped here for several years, you become like that. It's only right to be cautious, perhaps you're a Demon King who came to completely finish me off."

"I am not such a Demon King, Heavenly Demon."

I lowered my head and sighed. I need to complete the Grand Route as soon as possible to create a happy ending.

"..."

This time, when I go back to the Academy, I need to ask the Sage or Laplace about our Saintess too.

"..Unlike them, I was constantly running away from my own heart."

I'll try to approach the wolf-eared Saintess. I guess I have to try. As I finished speaking, her distinctive "Kuhahaha!" laughter rang out.

"Then, boy, I'll teach you all four!"

"..Eh? Really?"

"Of course, that way, Dennis's chances of remembering this one will increase, boy."

Her dragon teeth glittered as she drew a curve with her lips. It seemed like it would be tough, but there was no question about getting stronger than I was now.

"..Thank you, Heavenly Demon."

I made a gesture of greeting with clasped fists, just as Dennis did in the ending of <Knight Heart>.

***

While the Black Knight was so engrossed in his training, in a certain Demon King's castle, a woman was looking at her wounds and laughing madly.

"Hehe, my husband was alive..."

Setting her magic hat down beside her, the Demon King of Truth checked her injured parts in the mirror. It was Magic Hat.

"Tsk, this part is different from the clone? Let's overwrite this."

Checking each clone that Licht had defeated, she clicked her tongue as if jealous, and made her clones identical.

"I went there thinking it would be fun, but it was an unexpected harvest!"

The white-haired woman, blushing, cupped her cheeks with both hands. Her golden eyes shone, but they weren't wolf-shaped.

"That helmet... it was definitely my husband's... I couldn't find it no matter how much I searched!"

Magic Hat, making her wounds identical while even humming in delight, was chilling to the bone. Anyone who saw her would surely say she was insane, but.

"This scar, I'll keep it forever~."

The Demon King who has entered the state of ecstasy will not be able to hear it. There was a woman in front of the mirror, trembling slightly and drooling with lust.

"Hehe, I won't be able to move for a while. My darling husband was rough with me..."

Even as she looked at the wounds inflicted by the sword, she didn't hesitate to utter lewd remarks; she was twisted. Then, she made a sullen expression, as if displeased.

"Ah, scar marks are ugly. I should cover the surface to make it look pretty!"

Making her eyes crescent-shaped, Magic Hat thought her beloved would dislike the scars on her body, so she created a facade.

"..I attacked avoiding my darling husband's face, so surely no blemishes were made?"

She then brushed off her body as if covered in dirty dust, muttering to herself. It seemed she had indeed been too hurt when fighting him.

"I hate it..! My appearance getting ruined...!"

However, Magic Hat, far from worrying about the safety of the person she called her "darling husband," fretted anxiously about his face, pacing back and forth.

“Well, if that were the case, he might be greatly disappointed! My darling husband!”

Puffing out her cheeks, she angrily picked up a card and threw it. Thwack. With a sound, the Jack of Spades stuck into the mirror, and,

“Because I really hate boring things...!”

Red blood was flowing from that spot.

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