Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight - Chapter 55

WeTried Translations

Translator: Botanica

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight

Chapter 55

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Episode 55. The Thrill of the Final Exam Comes with Youth.

“..You barely survived, but then got caught in a Demon King’s trap and couldn’t get out?”

“Ha, haha.. Right?”

“Mardol, move him a bit more to the side.”

“Okay, Kainel.”

“...”

Flailing. I was currently suspended in the air in the sword training hall, unable to move. My body was bound by glass magic, and I was facing the Hero couple and the Crown Prince.

“Ughhh!! Ariel! Please save me!”

“..Helmet guy. Be grateful that causing us such worry is getting off with just this.”

“I might have said the wrong thing! But it was the opponent, wasn’t it?!”

“Ariel, you said it well.”

Not you too. I thought you’d turn hostile or distant after falling to the Demon King. But Kainel was chuckling, as if relieved even amidst this.

“..Stay still.”

Mardol kept turning me this way and that, carefully checking for injuries. Stop it. How worried were you? Was our favorability this high?

“I was hurt then…. but I’m fine now.”

I felt like a rotisserie chicken. My visor might come off, so I asked him to stop, and

“..Ah, it’s true.”

Only then was I able to feel the ground. I was relieved by the hard sensation under my feet.

“So, Licht.”

“..Yes, Kainel.”

“If you had died, I would’ve chased you to the ends of hell and hit you with a Shine Strike, what a pity!”

A somewhat sad smile. It wasn't the usual bright expression from him.

“..It’s really a relief you came back alive.”

Kainel patted my shoulder. He was such a good person. I had thought it would be a relief if only they hadn’t died to the Demon King.

“Right. Licht. I was worried.”

“I’m sorry for making you worry.”

It seems the problem was that I went to fight looking too much like someone going to their death. The Glass Knight kept hovering beside me, checking if I was okay.

“Helmet guy. So you won’t go fight alone again, right? Promise me!”

“Understood, Ariel..”

To hear such words even from a tsundere elf, I've truly lived long enough. Though the time we spent together was short, our friendship must have been deeper than I thought.

“How did you go fight a Demon King, win, and come back, Licht!”

“Haha.. Perhaps you, Kainel, are just weak?”

“It’s not that I’m weak, it’s that you’re strong, Licht.”

“I’m a lost puppy, you see. Of course, I’m strong.”

Unable to suppress the ticklish feeling in my heart, I cracked a joke. At that, his expression turned grim again. Why, what's the problem?

“Mardol. Tie Licht up again.”

“..Hmm.”

Just then, the Crown Prince was seen covering the front of his glass helmet with his palm, as if something had just occurred to him. It was supposed to be a comeback gag using the Saintess’s line, but was it so bad it made him sick?

***

It was around lunchtime. Professor Dennis called me aside.

“This incident is truly regrettable, Licht.”

In the Magic Club room. There, he bowed deeply from the waist, expressing his sincere apologies.

“..No. In the end, it was thanks to the Professor’s judgment that the damage was minimized.”

I learned that Magic Hat had entered the Academy and used his authority on several students.

“Students were affected by the Demon King of Truth. Though their lives aren’t in danger and they aren’t physically hurt…. it’s a terrible thing.”

He said they found them by comparing the attendance records with those who had attended classes in the lecture halls. I trembled, hearing the shocking news.

“Ultimately.. if the freshmen had been inside the Academy, something much worse would have happened.”

“..It’s my oversight. I should have prepared for the Demon King’s attack.”

He sighed deeply. Currently, Laplace and the Sage of the Magic Tower are said to be trying to find a way to neutralize the authority. I bowed my head, organizing my thoughts.

‘In the end, it will be difficult unless Magic Hat dies.’

A Demon King’s authority is simple yet powerful. Even if incomplete, it’s an ability that persists as long as they aren’t killed.

Because it’s a fraudulent ability that covers the world with concepts.

“..Because it was the Demon King of Truth. He deceived Laplace and the Sage with ‘lies’. The outcome wouldn’t have changed.”

I bit my lower lip. I was angry at the fact that, for now, it was a miracle no one died.

No matter how much Grand Hearts Academy’s security is heightened, there’s nothing they can do against authority.

“..Licht. I still can’t trust the source of this information. But….”

Instantly, Dennis’s white eyes glowed. Talking this much about the Demon King could make him view me strangely, given his personality. The situation was urgent, so I revealed too much information.

“I believe in the other students you said you protected. Continue speaking.”

“..Thank you, Professor Dennis.”

But he, with an expression of intense contemplation, hand on his chin, did not try to bind or interrogate me. His face was as seriously hardened as mine.

“Licht. What do you think you should do now?”

Just as Baek-Mokryeon had said, this world is originally hostile towards Demon Kings. Perhaps the Crown Prince had spoken to him in advance. In moments like these, he truly was a good person.

“Ultimately, our goal is the annihilation of The Heroic Cult. You know that if a Demon King dies, their authority is automatically dispelled.”

“..We have already shed too much blood, Licht. Even if you were summoned as a Hero, if the Ten Greats move, war will break out again.”

This person also misunderstands me as a Hero. Indeed, I’m an Academy student who fought a Demon King and came back alive. If I were considered an ordinary human, it would be absolutely impossible.

“...”

“In the upcoming Year Exam, too, as many outsiders will be observing. Such an incident could be repeated, Licht.”

“That’s right. The Heroic Cult’s goal is probably Kainel, the Hero of Light.”

“Our faculty also suspects that. Or a descendant of the imperial family. You also heard a story from old man Drake, didn’t you?”

It’s about Lupus. After all, he’s Emperor Rook’s only son, cherished terribly. If they took him hostage, it would inflict some damage on the Ten Greats.

The Wolf King, who uses the technique that became the foundation of Void Slash as a basic skill without any difficulty. He is a hero, like a one-man army.

“..Yes. If it’s about the Glass Knight. That’s correct.”

“It’s a good thing Licht saved her.”

Upon hearing that his child was in danger, Emperor Rook tried to storm the Academy with an axe, and the other Ten Greats barely managed to stop him.

“Since he cherishes his child like a treasured jewel, you can expect a personal message from the royal family soon.”

If that man appears, The Heroic Cult will certainly be rooted out, but along with it, this Academy will also be blown away. It’s better to lure the Demon Kings somewhere else.

“..I won’t die, right?”

“You’ll be fine, Licht. Instead, our faculty members are getting thoroughly chewed out.”

The Imperial Palace of the Gransia Empire. I never even visited it in the game because I had no connections. Originally, pursuing the Nameless Saintess route meant low renown, so the conditions weren’t met.

“No matter what, he wouldn’t harm someone who protected his child.”

“..If so, that’s a relief.”

Why am I so uneasy? A chilling sensation wrapped around my body. Was it because I’d imagined being imprisoned in the Imperial Palace basement too many times?

“If such a dangerous incident happens again,”

The hunter, whose white eyes were impressive, gazed intently at me, trembling slightly. He approached me, patted my shoulder, and

“..This time, I will definitely protect the students. You too, Licht.”

He apologized for making me fight the Demon King alone in the forest.

Hearing such words from the protagonist of <Knight Heart> feels new. I resolved to definitely help Baek-Mokryeon meet him again.

“Thank you, Professor Dennis.”

After all, these people were also victims of the Demon King. What did contradictions or anything else matter? My hand clenched.

***

The next morning, a major announcement was made during Dennis’s <Fundamentals of Combat Magic> lecture.

“Gentlemen. Our class has now reached its final stages. You know what that means, don’t you?”

Tapping the podium, he tried to smile brightly, as if to shake off the gloomy tale from yesterday. Seeing him like this, it’s quite sad. Can’t they just get rid of all the Demon Kings?

“That’s right. Our Grand Hearts Academy’s annual event.”

Other students began to stir at the professor’s words. It was probably related to the final exam. I looked around, but Kainel and Ariel also seemed unaware.

“‘The Year Exam’ is coming soon..! Students!”

The story from before going to the Endless Forest of Monsters was true. I leaned forward in my seat. I had a hunch that I could find some new rewards or items.

‘There was nothing even if we got first place in the group project.’

Dennis took out a three-dimensional magic circle and began explaining to the students. Parchment papers with drawings floated around according to the rotating magic circle.

“The rules are simple. It’s a tournament format, and the strongest in each academic year will be determined.”

A piece of paper also arrived in front of me. On it, the rules, schedule, and rank rewards for the Year Exam were detailed.

“All participants will fight within a magical barrier.”

Raising a finger, he greatly expanded a spherical magic circle, enclosing the outer walls of the lecture hall. He explained that the tournament venue was prepared in this manner.

“So feel free to rampage however you wish. The Academy will provide transparent protective gear made of magic, which will prevent injuries.”

Along with that line, a transparent film-like shield was cast over the bodies of all students in the lecture hall.

“The moment this is completely shattered, the match will automatically end.”

I touched it here and there out of curiosity, but there was no particular uncomfortable feeling. A slight shimmer was also visible around the Glass Knight’s armor.

“..Or if the time limit is fully consumed, it also ends. In that case, the one with more shield remaining wins.”

I nodded at the fact that there was also a function to determine the winner when it was ambiguous, like this. It’s thorough. Meaning there would be no ambiguous draws.

“There are no restrictions on techniques, abilities, or equipment used. However, if deemed overly malicious, the faculty will disqualify the participant.”

So Kainel’s Holy Sword of Light could be used? At Professor Dennis’s remark, the blonde-haired Hero looked at me with a boastful expression, telling me to watch.

‘He’ll make sure his identity as the Hero isn’t revealed, right?’

There would probably be countermeasures to prevent The Heroic Cult from noticing, just like in the sword training hall. I had also given him a heads-up yesterday.

“Now, students of Grand Hearts Academy. May Akasa’s blessing be upon you. Strive to achieve victory with intellect!”

With those words, Professor Dennis ended the lecture early. Thank you. Knight Heart is the best, as expected. I carefully examined the handout I had received.

I read each part that described the rank rewards.

‘First place is Dragon Heart…. Hmm, if you consumed this in the game, your magic stats and level would rise tremendously, right?’

It didn’t particularly appeal to me. Even if I obtained it, I couldn’t use magic-related things due to my constitution, so it was unnecessary.

My interest cooled considerably. After all, in this world, I was the only one who couldn’t use magic without someone else’s help.

‘Oh, this…?’

As I looked through the list, I doubted my eyes. The name of the item written for the 2nd place reward. The moment I saw it, I froze in shock.

‘..Mana Rose.’

Of course, it was because I saw the item that the Nameless Saintess had always wanted. The 2nd place reward seemed a more enticing offer than the 1st place reward.

“Ariel, is there anything you want to get from here?”

“Yes, Kai. I’d like something like a World Tree leaf, a material for making a staff!”

“Licht, is there anything you’re aiming for?”

“..Yes.”

The blue rose she loved. One of the famous flowers existing in this game. It was a Mana Rose, said to glow blue because it contained mana.

“I will definitely obtain it.”

If the Saintess received it, she would be overjoyed. When I played <Knight Heart>, I only knew it as an item within the lore.

No matter how much I searched, the real thing didn’t appear. So this is where you could get it.

“Licht. Dragon Heart?”

“...”

No matter what, I wouldn't let the Crown Prince take it this time. I chose silence rather than telling a futile lie.

‘I’ll keep it for her.’