WeTried Translations

Translator: Botanica

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight

Chapter 50

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Episode 50. A Black Heart for a Knight.

"Then, Heavenly Demon. What should I do?"

Back in the forest. I asked Baek-Mokryeon what exactly the training entailed.

But she just stood there, arms crossed, deep in thought.

"Heavenly Demon?"

"..Boy, first, try swinging your sword. That will be the most accurate."

"Yes? Not learning the movements or having you demonstrate first? Or perhaps going to obtain some internal dantian core..."

Something felt off. If it was about reaching a higher realm in Murim, shouldn't it be about gaining enlightenment through mental imagery, or becoming strong instantly by acquiring elixirs or secret techniques?

"Silence. A swordsman speaks with their sword. Since when did you become someone who speaks with their mouth?"

"..Understood."

I questioned her again out of curiosity, but she only put a hand to her brow, signaling that she was more annoyed.

-Swoosh.

Making that sound, silver steel was drawn from its sheath. The Holy Sword had returned to Kainel. The only weapon I had left was a common-grade item, ordinary as could be.

'Would Shadow Slash be enough?'

A technique that cuts light and shadow. I took the stance of Drake-style First Form, which strikes connected entities. I kicked off the ground strongly. I re-regulated my breath, sending blood flow throughout my body-

"Stop. Boy."

"..Yes? What's wrong?"

Why cut me off suddenly? Had I put too much power into it? The Heavenly Demon began to approach me, a displeased look on her face.

"..Boy, you have too many distracting thoughts."

"Me..?"

"Indeed, the swordsmanship of that snot-nosed brat was never meant to be so full of thought."

I felt like she was badmouthing Master Drake, but I listened carefully. Distracting thoughts? This was the first I'd heard of it. Like needing a preliminary motion or something...

"There you go again. Boy."

"..."

I had gained so much from thinking here, but it was a habit born from not being able to trust anyone but the Saintess in reality. It was indeed a negative habit.

"The realm required to escape this forest is the Heart Sword (心劍). You must be able to cleave the Demon King's authority with only the will in your heart. Boy."

"Can't I just swing my sword and cut, like Demon King Slaying?"

"Incorrect. Hah, I don't know where to begin."

As if judging me, the Heavenly Demon turned her back and sat on a distant rock. Then she drew a sword and threw it between me and her.

"It's not about physical matters, but about a state of mind. Boy."

Thud, with a sound, the steel plunged vertically into the ground.

"..."

"Boy, you think too much about the sword. While it's an advantage different from others, it won't help you escape this place."

"Is that.. so.."

When I thought about it, it was true. I thought too much, so I didn't consider the Crown Prince route for our Saintess. I should have done anything for her.

As soon as I learned Chartiness was the 2nd Saintess, I couldn't maintain my composure. I lowered my head. My helmet rattled.

"Have you ever actually suffered losses from thinking too much? Boy."

"..When I think about it, quite often."

"Indeed, it's a laughable story. Khahaha! A brooding swordsman in this day and age. The Murim Alliance Leader would love it."

As if finally understanding, the Heavenly Demon smiled faintly and began to approach the sword. Her black doppo fluttered.

"Boy, there is something you are currently running from in your heart."

"..What do you mean by that?"

"It's commonly called a Inner Demon (心魔). For a boy who probably doesn't even know the 'Demon' in 'Qi (Inner energy) deviation', to have such a thing reside within him from the start, we shall begin your training with this."

Gripping the sword's hilt, the Heavenly Demon once again pressed the iron sword strongly into the ground. Boom. A rumbling sound was heard.

"..I, too, have seen and learned much since coming to this world."

"Do you, Heavenly Demon, also have new things to learn?"

"Because this place is a chaotic tangle of human multitudes from all sorts of worlds, sewn together like needle and thread."

That's true. It hasn't been long since Emperor Rook united four nations into the Gransia Empire.

"Right."

After all, the place Nex wanted to hold his wedding was once called the Nation of Water. The Emperor, being from the Nation of Earth, also had earth attributes.

"Among them, I heard a strange story from that Drake fellow."

"..Surely not."

At her words, I had a hunch and looked at the iron sword again. The Heavenly Demon was merely observing me intently.

‘Where have I seen this before?’

A sword buried more than halfway in the ground. It's a scene I've seen often in other games. It's a physically crude form, but.

"'He pulled the sword from the stone and became king.' What a ridiculous fable. From the start, a person's qualities aren't determined by such a simple thing, are they?"

"..."

That was actually the case with Kainel. He wasn't chosen as the Hero of Light because he was kind or righteous; he was a good-natured person from the beginning.

"..That is true, Heavenly Demon."

Though chosen as a Hero, his standing was not good due to The Heroic Cult. According to the lore book, he was even despised in the village he lived in.

"Do you understand now, boy? What this old woman wishes to say?"

"You mean that ultimately, the wielder of the sword is what matters, don't you?"

Meaning, a Holy Sword doesn't determine a Hero from the start. I understood perfectly.

"Indeed, it is a foolish tale (愚話), an allegory (寓話), and a metamorphosis (羽化). Boy, you need the mindset to overcome this story."

"..Pulling this sword will be my task, Heavenly Demon."

"Khahaha! As expected of Dennis's disciple, the man chosen by that damned God of Wisdom. How nostalgic."

It's not about pulling the sword to become a hero, but the concept that one pulls the sword because they are already a hero. I walked towards the sword. The silver steel welcomed me.

'..It's no use. It doesn't budge.'

I bravely stepped forward, gripped the sword's hilt, and pulled, but the sword deeply embedded in the ground didn't move. It meant it wasn't just buried normally.

"Khahaha..! Why are you like that? Is something not going your way, boy?"

"..Yes, please give me some advice."

The sword was plunged in with the will of 'it will not be pulled out'. Normal means wouldn't suffice. I grunted, putting all my strength into it, and asked the Heavenly Demon for help.

"It's simple. Find the Inner Demon in your heart. Boy."

"So exactly.. what is that..!"

"Even if I tell you, boy, you won't be able to overcome it. Not unless you realize it yourself."

And so, I began an endless struggle of strength with the sword. I thought it would be about learning martial arts or Qi since it was Murim, but I felt like I'd become a claw machine.

***

At that time. In the Academy's swordsmanship training ground, three figures were gathered.

"Hello, Mardol."

"..."

"Mardol, I'm sorry Kai is tactless... but please say hello..."

It was the blond-haired Hero Kainel, The Mage of Flames Ariel, and the Glass Knight. As soon as they met, they sighed and began to talk.

"..So Mardol, did you find Licht?"

"No, not at all."

"Professor Dennis has been searching too... but there's been no progress..."

A status report on the Black Knight, who wasn't there. They were talking about Licht, who had become a Demon King to save them.

"Licht, you bastard. Just you wait until you come back alive."

Kainel, uncharacteristically, swore and ruffled his hair. Despite his words, the trio gathered there were worried about him.

"Helmet guy... he's not... truly dead..."

"Ariel. Your words are too harsh."

"Ah... sorry, Mardol."

Ariel expressed her worries with a tear-streaked face, but Phine stopped her. He was someone who absolutely had to come back alive.

'Surely not, becoming a card like my mother again...'

The mere thought was horrifying. Her past trauma resurfaced, making it difficult to breathe. Cold sweat streamed inside her glass helmet, and her wolf ears and tail drooped.

"Ugh..."

"Mardol, are you okay?!"

"I'm.. okay."

She put her hand on her chest armor and took a few deep breaths to calm herself, finally suppressing the negative thoughts. The Hero couple looked at Phine with pity.

"Mardol, shouldn't you rest a bit?"

"I'm fine. So... Kainel..."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Who is the person Licht likes...?"

"Ah."

The blond-haired Hero tilted his head at the sudden question. The request Licht had made, even while becoming a Demon King, was simply that.

"..He said she was a person with beautiful white hair, Mardol."

"Is that all?"

"Also, that she was the Nameless Saintess, someone who would be chosen as a Saintess in the future..."

"..That's too little information, Kainel."

"I don't know the details either. Licht said she was a person with strong misfortune, and needed to be protected... and that The Heroic Cult seemed to be targeting her..."

"Haa... So you don't really know."

Phine sighed. He had confessed that he knew she was of imperial blood from the start, and had even provoked Magic Hat to move, to prevent harm to her mother.

'Nameless Saintess? No matter how much I search, such a person doesn't exist. Licht...'

She had already asked two of the Ten Greats and used all her power to fulfill his dying wish.

But the replies she received were unexpected.

"Nameless Saintess, such a person did not exist in our <Library of Truth>... At least, it seems no such person existed in the past, Your Highness."

"She's someone even future divination doesn't know. I'm sorry, Phine."

She had thoroughly searched through Gold, the Imperial Guard, and all her connections. She even mentioned the future Saintess to Beatrice, but only received repetitions of "I don't know."

"Such a person didn't exist, at least when I searched, Kainel."

"What? I thought you, Mardol, would be able to find her... What's Licht going to do?"

Inside her glass helmet, Phine wore a despondent expression. White hair was a characteristic she herself possessed. White hair could be seen within her armor.

"..Licht. I'm worried."

But he hadn't said she was a Saintess with wolf ears or a wolf tail, had he? Besides white hair, she didn't know what she looked like. More information was needed.

'If I were that person from the start, there's no way he would have said that to me...'

It didn't make sense. He wouldn't have told her to protect herself. Nor would she be chosen as a Saintess later.

If that were the case, the sage who saw the future would have whispered it to her.

"..Meaning she's the 3rd Saintess. Ultimately."

After all, her close sister was Chartiness, the vampire Saintess. The position chosen by the God of Light doesn't come to just anyone.

"..."

Would that person even know of Licht's sacrifice? That person. She heard Kainel's explanation that he had never contacted anyone or sent letters.

"Then... he got stronger because of that person from the start. I didn't know..."

Phine once again confirmed that it was a terrible unrequited love. Unconsciously, her hands clenched into fists.

'At least after Licht disappeared, she should have come to us.'

She disliked the request to find and protect someone who hadn't helped when he was in danger. To her, he was an incomprehensible kind of human.

"..I don't understand. It's bad."

Inside her glass armor, her wolf ears and tail slightly perked up in irritation, but no one noticed.

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