WeTried Translations

Translator: Botanica

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight

Chapter 32

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Episode 32. Crown? Prince Route?

“The Demon God War, if I were to pick out the characteristics of the Ten Greats who distinguished themselves there….”

The short-haired nun, with a bright smile, spoke to the students from the platform.

“As of now, there are only about seven of them remaining, and also….”

Her eyes didn’t smile, a chilling grin, but the classroom was quiet, perhaps accustomed to it after several weeks.

“..Our First Saintess's hair color would sometimes turn white when she manifested divine power!”

Professor Beatrice’s Divine Power Studies lecture.

“It’s boringgg.. Kaine…”

“Tell me about it, Ariel.”

After lunch, drowsiness crept in, causing the two childhood friends to nod off.

“Oh, right. Kaine… Is Helmet Guy okay? Mardol wasn’t around today either.”

“Probably? He’s been sleeping sprawling in his dorm since yesterday.”

“Really? That’s a relief…”

I don’t know when he returned, but I woke up to a noise at night to find a purple feather on the floor, and Licht in his Black Knight helmet snoring on the bed.

‘Something must have happened… But there are no rumors, so Licht must have handled it.’

The blonde Hero frowned, deep in thought. Even when he visited the magic club to ask about his whereabouts, Professor Dennis just dismissed it as nothing serious.

“Something happened to the academy barrier, they’re checking it everywhere… I’m worried… Kaine.”

“..It’ll be fine, Ariel.”

He spoke in a tone to reassure the red-haired elf. In fact, if he used his Holy Sword, he wouldn’t fall behind any of his classmates,

‘Above all, Licht is an amazing guy who can compete with a Holy Sword using just an iron sword.’

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine the Black Knight suffering humiliation or losing. He blasts sword energy with just wind pressure without using aura? Anyone would call him crazy.

He himself thought that only Drake, the Dragon Slayer, could do such a thing.

Since he couldn’t manage mana, he wouldn’t even be rated as a sword user. He couldn’t even coat his sword, so all his teeth were chipped.

But his skill was like a Sword Master, a deceiver.

As he left the classroom, he fell into thought. Was he perhaps taking things too easily?

The mission of protecting the world felt too light.

With the desire to protect Ariel, he could become as strong as Licht.

Because the Black Knight was strong even without a Holy Sword.

He realized why his friend had advised him in the past to ‘do his best.’

“..Should I practice swordsmanship harder too?”

“Huh? Kaine? Going to the training ground again today?”

“Yeah, Ariel.”

Kainel sighed deeply. Even a Hero, it seems, shouldn’t get complacent. Although some of the Ten Greats were Heroes, he heard that the strongest, His Majesty the Emperor, was an ordinary person.

A common woodcutter.

“I have to get stronger too, Ariel. I can’t let Licht and Mardol sweep all the grades, can I?”

“..Really?”

It wasn’t a lie. It was also for his red-haired elf magician childhood friend, but if things continued like this, he’d always be third place.

“Then I’ll go with you too! Kaine!”

“..What? For swordsmanship?”

“It’s fine!”

As if sensing his thoughts, Ariel’s twin red pigtails fluttered, and she flashed a cunning, cat-like smile.

***

And so, a total of five people gathered at Grand Hearts Academy’s sword training ground.

“Hi! Helmet Guy! Are you feeling okay?”

“Ariel, it’s been a while.”

“Yeah! Oh…? Mardol was here too? I was worried!”

“Hello.”

Including me, the Hero couple, and the Glass Knight, who usually trained together.

“Yo! Juniors. We’ve met before, right?”

“Ah, yes, we met during that Spirit Arts lecture..! Nice to see you, Senior!”

Even purple-haired Nex Aureus was there in one place.

“And you, junior… your name was Hero, wasn’t it?”

“It’s Kainel. Senior… right?”

“As expected, you’re The Hero of Light I’ve heard about.”

“..Ah.”

This guy is testing me again. As expected, he’s a purple phoenix with a baseline of distrust in humans. In the original work, Yellow Dog and Fox had completely opposite personalities, so they didn’t get along.

“Senior, our Yellow D… no, Kainel is scared. Let’s stop testing him.”

I should intervene to prevent a fight from breaking out.

“Haha, my bad… Don’t be scared, Junior Kainel. Even I, being a descendant of the Ten Greats, used to have a bad impression of Heroes a few days ago. But it’s fine now. Just call me Brother.”

“Then, is it okay? Brother Nex…?”

“Yeah, my junior Licht helped me change my mind~”

The senior, one year above me, once again put his arm around my shoulder. This is my first time on a companion route, so it’s very awkward. And I only have the Saintess.

“It’s heavy. Take it off.”

“That makes me feel a bit disappointed, junior…”

I was saving up my shoulder-holding count for later.

“Then can I call you brother too? I’ve always wanted to get close to someone from the Ten Greats!”

Mardol is already Lupus Gransia, the only son of the Wolf King.

“Sure, no problem, Junior Ariel!”

“Yay! Brother Nex! Thank you!”

As expected, the red cat with MAX affinity. This is why it was convenient to have her as a companion in the game.

Ariel rejoiced, her red hair fluttering. She was a girl with an impressive magician’s hat.

Kainel watched her, crossing his arms and looking jealous. Good, good. Sparks are flying from his eyes.

Take his hand off the sword hilt.

Still, he’s a Count.

“…”

The blonde Hero looked uneasy. But is Ariel really that beautiful? A question lingered in my mind.

In the game community, others said she was pretty, but honestly, my eyes for women were firmly fixed on only the Saintess.

‘At least Nex isn’t someone who would look away… and he’s a Harem Destroyer elder.’

Even looking at the elf race, I’m not particularly drawn to them. During the carriage ride, I did agree with Kainel to help him acknowledge his feelings.

Wolf ears and tails are far superior to elf ears.

You can see their mood changes immediately. In the game, when you hand them candy, they pretend to be indifferent, but their ears go back or their tails wag.

And when you try to pat their head, they automatically lean in. They’re cute.

If I were to list the Saintess’s lovely qualities, it would be endless. My thoughts spun as fast as if I’d eaten something sweet.

Besides, the Saintess, our Nameless Saintess, has more ‘legitimate wife’ charm than an elf….

“..What are you doing, Licht?”

As I was having thoughts I shouldn't, Mardol spoke to me from beside me.

“Ah, I wasn’t doing anything.”

No matter how I think about it, habitually getting lost in thought is a problem. I’m sorry, Saintess. I’ll bite my tongue and die after I catch Magic Hat.

“..Liar.”

I really can’t do anything about this Glass Knight. As the protagonist of the third part, flags are steadily planted, and every time I think of the Saintess, he throws a piercing counter.

‘Surely Lupus and our Saintess aren’t going to end up together?’

It makes sense. If this work’s main coupling is indeed that, then he must be sensing my intentions and stopping me.

At least the current Crown Prince might be fine. He shows no lecherous tendencies at all, his strength is enough to protect her, his wealth is overwhelming….

And from what I remember, his face is handsome and refined, unlike mine.

A corner of my heart began to feel heavy. The main theme of <Knight Heart Trilogy> is love.

I suppose I’ll be given time to sort out my feelings. A scene of a male supporting character who fails in a romance story lamenting would probably be allowed,

“You caught me. I apologize.”

“You’re honest.”

Since they were both wolf beastmen, their love line was perfectly understandable. In reality, there were even players who took the Crown Prince route just to connect with the Imperial Guards, who were all wolf-kin.

They said it was the only way to trigger the event. After connecting, they supposedly had to flee in a love escape, avoiding his eyes.

“..So, Licht. What were you doing?”

“Ah, Kainel. I was teaching Senior Nex some spearmanship.”

“Spearmanship? You can do that too?”

“I have a friend who’s quite well-known for being good at it.”

“I thought you were only good with a sword.”

Kainel’s mouth hung open as he looked at me. Was he dumbfounded? Normally, Heroes are people who become strong without effort. I’m just a Black Knight, so I put in the effort.

“I only know the basics myself. It’s all about physically doing it.”

I fully understood his feelings. He hadn’t encountered a Demon King yet, so even seeing this level of skill would make his eyes widen.

But they are beings who use an authority that can ‘cover’ the world. No amount of preparation would be enough.

No matter how much skill I cultivated, there were times when the Saintess died, like with Magic Hat.

‘The Heroic Cult’s Demon Kings are originally four.’

One is said to have died by the time of <Knight Heart>, and another was confirmed dead in <Black Heart>, so players had no way of knowing the remaining two.

‘Truth and Omniscience aside, information is lacking.’

The setting book reveals a little, but the authorities called ‘cheat-like’ by users were not described.

Is there no choice? Such worries are a waste of time. I unconsciously took my hand from my chin and opened my mouth.

“Ah, Senior Nex. So, where will you be holding the wedding?”

I should just raise our Yellow Dog and Cat couple’s romance affinity. Let’s make them realize their feelings through a demonstration by an experienced assistant.

My calculation was that if I completely reversed the relationship between Kainel and Ariel, it might be the relationship between Nex and Char.

They need to grasp it themselves to some extent. If I expose their true feelings without that, who knows what butterfly effect might occur.

“Me? I’ll probably do it in Snow Marine. It was beautiful back then as the Water Country.”

“That’s a good choice. I’ll support you.”

I nodded repeatedly. A wedding in the middle of a beautiful blue ocean, quite romantic. As expected, he’s a Harem Destroyer. A smile formed on my lips.

“Oh…? Brother Nex. Are you getting married?”

“Yes, Junior Kainel. Since we met like this, would you like an invitation later?”

Nice assist, old man.

Ariel’s face was a little flushed, perhaps imagining things as she watched them,

“I’d appreciate that! It’s the wedding of a descendant of the Ten Greats, Brother Nex!”

Our Yellow Dog was exhaling a sigh of relief. He seemed to have realized he wasn’t a rival, and his heart was at ease. The worry disappeared from his expression.

“Brother Nex, then who is the other person…?”

The red-haired magician kept glancing at Kainel as she spoke to the purple fox. Nex also noticed this and made a meaningful expression, as if saying, ‘Look at these two?’

He must be saying that for the blonde Hero to hear. Tsundere characters are just bad at expressing emotions, not that they don’t express them.

“She’s famous. Chartiness Saint-Mary.”

“Ah. If it’s her…! I saw her from afar once when she came to my hometown to volunteer, tending to the sick!”

Did she see her in the World Tree Forest? Indeed, elves are originally a reclusive race. Her ruby-red eyes sparkled as she expressed her joy.

“I’m so envious that you’re marrying the Saintess!”

“Haha, thank you, Junior Ariel!”

..But why does a corner of my heart ache as if stabbed by a knife?

It’s been five years, I should be used to it by now. I lowered my head, my helmet pressing down deeply.

“…”

Perhaps it’s because I saw the Saintess’s face in my dream when Servi affected me. Lately, my heart keeps wavering.

“Licht.”

“..Yes, Mardol.”

“Are you envious of that?”

“Yes, I am. After all, it’s a story about living out your life with a companion who understands you.”

I sighed. This Lupus suddenly butts in. His golden eyes are as beautiful as hers. But he’s from the imperial family, so he has black hair.

Rook, the Wolf King of the Ten Greats, and his wife both had black hair.

White hair? Well, I haven’t seen a similar character even in the game. To call it albinism, he showed no signs of illness.

“..I don’t know.”

The Glass Knight tilted his helmet, expressing confusion. My helmet reflected in his white armor.

“You’ll understand in due time, Mardol.”

If I take the companion route, I will surely be able to connect with the Nameless Saintess.

I envy you, Lupus Gransia, Crown Prince. As the designated male protagonist of the third part.

There must be a love line connecting him with the supporting character, the Saintess, in this work as well.

It was unlike me to be so late in making a decision. In some ways, it was an obvious thing, but when it comes to her, I become careless.

“..You’re peculiar, Licht.”

Mardol turned his gaze towards me. Golden eyes were slightly visible inside his glass helmet. A common characteristic of wolf beastmen.

“It’s something I hear often.”

Listening to him, a vague thought came to mind.

Nowadays, creating a harem is the mainstream in male-oriented games. It’s true that I, as a hipster, am unusual.

It was something I often heard even in the game community.

[Guild leader’s favorite character is the Nameless Saintess? How can a ranker like him like the Saintess?]

[If you use other healers, you can easily defeat the Demon King, and you don’t need to build so meticulously..]

[Honestly, isn’t it just her looks?]

[That’s why she has performance flaws. No wonder she’s not popular.]

“…”

It’s not just her looks.

Being a Saintess, she was pure and kind, and I liked how she tried to appear strong in front of others even when she was weak.

She also often said warm words as if genuinely worried about people.

Other female characters would only say words of love to the player or make deliberate appeals.

I bit my lower lip slightly. Are there no games these days like <Knight Heart> where you stubbornly focus on only one female character?

“There’s no romance. No romance at all…”

“Romance?”

Mardol heard my muttering and tilted his head, as if not understanding my intention.

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