WeTried Translations

Translator: Botanica

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◈ Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight

Chapter 060

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Episode 60. Rivals are Rivals because they resemble each other.

The day of the Year Exam dawned.

[The Grand Hearts Academy Year Exam, will finally begin!]

“Waaahhh!!”

Among the cheering crowd that filled the stadium, we, excluding Mardol, were waiting for the upcoming matches.

“Mardol is up first.”

“Tomorrow is me, and the day after that was you, Licht?”

“Kai..! I'm also tomorrow!”

Mardol was first up, followed by Kainel and Ariel. I was to cap it off. It was a good opportunity to confirm the potential of my party members.

‘After all, I’ll have to take these guys and catch the Demon King later.’

After graduating from the Academy, if I form a party to subjugate the Demon King, I might be able to meet our Saintess in some monastery.

“...”

But the creator said that catching the Demon King was old-fashioned. Wasn't it about forming a love line then?

I rested my chin on my hand, feeling a sense of contradiction. If that were the case, there would be no need to attend the Academy. To complete the love line, capturing Head Ache would be the top priority.

No matter how I look at it, it seems like there’s something I’m missing.

The very word 'contradiction' is strange from the start. My transmigration must have already created many butterfly effects.

To call this a contradiction, the premise itself was wrong from the beginning. I was a person who didn't exist in this world. Like a foreign substance.

‘..A world where Hero Summoning happens from other worlds in the first place.’

So, if it's moved past without too many strange parts, it makes sense. But I have no intention of revealing this to anyone else.

There were many reasons. Someone who knows about Black Knight Licht might appear, and it would be like revealing to them that this world is inside a game.

“Junior Licht, hello!”

It was then. A woman with a familiar voice approached us, interrupting my thoughts.

“..Senior Chartiness?”

A vampire nun, maintaining black from head to toe. It was Chartiness Saint-Mary. Had she come to watch her close junior's match?

“Ah.. Hello!! Second Saintess!”

“Ariel, is that the person you mentioned before?”

“Yep! Kai!”

The red-haired, pigtail-wearing elf smiled brightly. Maxed out affinity, indeed. I don't know how she can be such a tsundere to the person she likes.

“Oh, you’re Junior Licht’s friends. Nice to meet you!”

Small fangs and red eyes sparkled, unreservedly showing her vampire characteristics. It’s always fascinating to see.

“I’ve heard a lot about the Saintess! I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time!”

“Oh, really? I'm happy to hear that!”

But is it okay for this person to be here now, even with dating? Worried about the rapidly dropping numbers in the status window from before, I asked the senior.

“Senior Nex, I believe you have a match today….”

“Nex will definitely win, so it’ll be fine. His opponent is a young lady who uses an orca spirit, so he told me not to come.”

Ah, is that the bad person I heard about last time? He might completely overwhelm her with strength, using this match as an excuse.

‘It's a chance to make himself known to the Head of the Family, so he'll do his best.’

Even if it's water elemental, he can just vaporize it. A fully grown phoenix is strong. The phoenix's flames can even melt magic, swordsmanship, and divine power.

“If Senior said so, then I feel relieved.”

With the Northern spear-fighting technique I taught him, he had a slight advantage. The weakness of spirit artists was their reliance on emotions, and

in <Knight Heart>, he was a character who mostly used a spear without summoning spirits, so perhaps the second-year champion will be Nex?

News might even reach the North where Asha Aureus is. If that happens, he might even permit his marriage with Chartiness.

I nodded, signaling my understanding. At that moment, looking forward, two figures were walking out to the center of the stadium.

“Ah, it's starting!”

“..I’m looking forward to it.”

This exam, where many people's evaluations would be overturned and the strong and weak would be decided. Could I really obtain the Manarose here?

[The first match of the Year Exam! Student Mardol and Student Windy!]

Looking at the shimmering glass armor visible in the distance, I was trying hard to ignore a strange sense of unease.

***

In the center of the stadium stood two women.

A sky-blue haired female mage and the Glass Knight looked at each other and exchanged greetings.

“I am Windy, the Wind Mage. In this Year Exam….”

“..Mardol.”

A cold attitude that implied no need for introductions.

Phine, after stating her name briefly, immediately drew the sword from her back and assumed a combat stance, causing her opponent to tense up as well.

[Match Start!!]

Soon after, a horn sounded through the stadium, and the match began.

“Wind Cutter..!”

Holding her staff, Windy fired wind magic towards the Glass Knight. Blades of wind pressure flew towards her with a whooshing sound and struck her.

‘Compared to Licht’s Void Slash…. this is nothing but wind.’

But Phine endured it, taking the hits without concern. She had to chip away at her opponent’s morale and create an opening.

“Huh, huh? This is a skill that can even cut through rock? How hard is that armor….”

Stomp, stomp. The heavily armored knight endured through the squall, stepping forward one by one. She was moving slowly, but the distance between them was closing.

[The wind magic is not working at all! Oh dear! It would have been better if she had aimed for the gaps in the armor..!]

Masterpiece-grade equipment has durability and characteristics capable of blocking most attacks.

Among them, the glass armor Phine possesses had its magic resistance enhanced to counter Magic Hat's sorcery as much as possible.

‘She should be using something other than magic.’

To be precise, it was the Demon King of Truth who wielded sorcery using magic. That’s why she was able to fight longer than the Hero in the previous battle.

“I’m sorry, the opponent is bad.”

Now, with little distance left, the Wind Mage sweated as she pondered a countermeasure.

“Cyclone Impact..! What, this doesn’t work either?!”

A clang and a boom echoed, but it couldn't harm Phine. Windy could only stomp her feet towards the steadily approaching Glass Knight.

“Are you done?”

Then, a shadow fell over her face. The height of an adult man. The colossal knight had raised her sword, aiming at her opponent.

“Kya, Kyaaak! Wind Shield!”

In response, the mage tried to create a protective barrier of swirling wind around herself. A shield resembling a tangled skein enveloped her.

“You can’t pierce this either! With my specialty, wind, a sword won’t get through…!”

Windy, not understanding the situation, cheered heartily from inside the shield. She was aiming for a time-out by just defending like this.

A structure where the outside couldn't be seen from the inside. Therefore, she expected the sword Phine held to bounce off the wind she had created.

“Drake Style, First Form.”

But Phine’s stance showed not even a flicker of movement. The golden eyes within her helmet gleamed coldly,

“..Shadow Slash.”

She merely slashed from top to bottom, cutting through the ground, severing a shadow as if someone else.

At that moment, a "Pakang!" sound was heard, and the transparent, mana-composed protective barrier shattered, its sound echoing through the stadium.

[Match End!! The winner is! Mardol!]

“Uh..?”

Windy, her shield split in half like an apple, slumped to the ground. Unable to fully grasp the situation, she looked up at Phine with a dazed expression.

“..I lost? To a swordsman..?”

Shadow Slash is a swordsmanship that strikes the physical body through its shadow.

Even if she hid behind a shield, it was meaningless if her shadow was visible. Thanks to the transparent wind, Windy's form was even more clearly visible.

“I, won. Windy.”

“Are you boasting?! Wearing such a cheat-like armor!”

Phine reached out a hand to help her up. At that, the Wind Mage bit her lower lip, expressing her vexation.

“...”

Eventually, seeing her opponent get up by herself and trudge out of the arena, the Glass Knight merely stood still in her spot.

‘So, am I stronger than others when I wear this armor? But.. weaker than the Demon King..’

Inside the helmet, her pure white wolf ears and tail drooped, and with a feeling of emptiness, she turned her gaze towards the spectators.

Then, from the distant stands, she saw her close senior, Chartiness.

‘Ah, it’s Senior Char. Licht is next to her too..’

She waved her hand to the two figures as if to say she was okay. After all, they were trustworthy people who knew she was weak.

***

The Glass Knight’s battle ended too quickly and simply. I was continuously sweating inside my black helmet.

“Isn’t that, Licht, your skill?”

“..That’s right, Kainel.”

He learned Shadow Slash? I’m going to be killed by Master Drake now. I was dumbfounded looking at the Crown Prince, who was even proudly waving his hand at me.

“I took a hit from this.”

The protagonist's buff is severe. Does this even make sense? Swordsmanship is the discipline of will. Did Mardol have such firm will to slash through a shadow?

‘He probably grew during the duel with Magic Hat.’

Come to think of it, his parents were taken hostage and then recovered, so it makes sense.

“...”

It was good, actually. To get the Manarose, I would have had to intentionally lose to him. I had also sufficiently seen the power of the Masterpiece-grade equipment.

‘Probably a characteristic that nullifies magic. It probably can’t block spirit arts, swordsmanship, or divine power.’

Even after being hit by wind magic multiple times, Mardol’s movements didn’t change. The mana-composed protective barrier also didn’t break.

Indeed, human effort on par with an artifact. It's a Masterpiece. It was a shame that perverted dwarves made it, but I smiled at the performance of this overpowered item, which I hadn't seen in a long time.

“Mardol!! That was awesome!!”

The senior, knowing nothing, was cheering loudly next to me.

Seeing such a bright expression, the thought suddenly crossed my mind that even if I got scolded by Master Drake later, things would somehow work out.

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