WeTried Translations
Translator: Botanica
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight
Chapter 58
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Episode 58. The Thrill of the Final Exam Comes with Youth.
Kainel left for the training ground, saying he was practicing a special swordsmanship behind my back in preparation for the year-end exam.
Because of that, I was left alone in my dorm room, organizing the day's events.
‘The possibility of the Demon King’s authority being involved is currently the highest.’
The fact that even asking the Sage yielded no information about our Saintess came as a great shock to me.
Is it okay to mention wolf ears or tail? Our Saintess might be in danger if she's specifically identified. That was indeed the case during the battle with Magic Hat.
“...”
The condition of 'loss of a loved one' is not a bluff.
If I carelessly spread rumors, Magic Hat could target her. He showed a maniacal obsession with me,
My hands tremble just recalling the Nameless Saintess's death in <Black Heart>. If she dies in the prequel, I might not see her in the original <Knight Heart>.
“..Should I wait a bit longer?”
At the very least, it would be better to completely neutralize the Demon King’s authority and then proceed with the information. This side (my side) is similar to omniscience if I gain knowledge of the past and future.
It's better to be careful. Now, there might even be members of The Heroic Cult within the Academy, so it's dangerous.
“If it weren’t for the authority, it would be manageable….”
I confirmed through a series of incidents that the Demon King could freely pass through barriers. I sighed deeply, feeling frustrated.
As I was organizing my thoughts, translucent letters appeared before my eyes.
[Kainel♡Ariel 34% ‘NEW!’]
Oh, their affection went up.
I thought it wouldn't update this time because it had updated quickly before.
The status window is truly unfathomable. The penalty for failure isn't death, and there's no stat or skill window, so I can't use cheat abilities.
It was then. A hungry rumble echoed from my stomach.
“..I missed lunch.”
Today, because I ended up comforting the Crown Prince, I couldn't order food from the menu.
I was completely embraced, so I couldn't leave my seat. It was to the point where the Hero couple, who arrived late, asked me to explain what had happened.
‘When someone is so sad, I couldn't help it.’
I remained silent. No matter what, there are things to say and things not to say.
Kainel and Ariel's hearts are too delicate for me to tell them the truth, like, "My mother was captured by Magic Hat and turned into a card." Besides, she can't be returned to her original state yet.
‘But that was the first time I saw him cry like that.’
Honestly, it was unexpected. I thought he was an emotionally dry person. Was his personality like that because of Empress Bellin Gransia?
‘That was also the reason he was obsessed with strength in <Black Heart>.’
It was a detail I had forgotten because he was a Gary Sue character. Also, I kept missing his black hair and golden eyes because of the glass armor.
I should have taken him into the party when I fought Magic Hat. There was no such interaction, so there was no point of contact. I just knew him as a strange person who was full of bluff and only cared about strong people.
When I thought about it, there were many differences.
“This too.”
I remembered the chocolate cake placed on the desk. The one I received before returning to the dorm from the Imperial Bakery.
I took it out of the box, scooped a forkful, and bit into it. The sweet taste of chocolate lingered on my tongue.
Hmm, deliciously sweet. It seems more expensive than what I intended to choose.
‘Did they say it was a good place….’
Even when I tried to refuse, saying it was fine, Mardol pushed it on me. It was too late to order food again after talking with him.
“..I just did what was obvious. I feel a bit embarrassed.”
He insisted on giving it to me as a token of gratitude. I took it because refusing would make me a bad person.
When I unwrapped it, a surprisingly luxurious chocolate cake appeared, to the point of being flustered. Was the Lupus I saw in the sequel really him?
“..This isn't, like, really expensive, is it?”
Rich cream and chocolate, a gentle sweetness that wasn't overly cloying. Its appearance was very different from the cake I had wanted.
It was a meticulous choice, enough to show how grateful he was to me. It was wrapped in two or three layers with protection magic and even freezing magic.
“...”
At this point, it wouldn't be unreasonable to say he's an entirely different person, like Nex. Rather, that aspect felt too strange. There was a discrepancy with what I knew.
“..Is it really the same person?”
Savoring the sweet cake, I considered the possibility that he might be a double.
‘First, his physical strength is incredibly strong.’
This must be because he inherited the bloodline of Emperor Rook Gransia. It was common for descendants of the Ten Greats to resemble the hero's characteristics.
To give more examples, physical characteristics like black hair or golden eyes. There was no one with white hair like our Saintess.
Nex Aureus's case was unusual with purple hair, but that was inherited from his father, so it wasn't an exception.
As was my habit, I rested my chin on my hand, munched on the cake, and recalled Mardol's various characteristics.
‘Second, his glass armor that looks Masterpiece-grade.’
In the game, he just wore imperial attire, so anyone could tell, ‘Ah, he’s an important figure.’
It was similar, but the fact that he wore white armor so clean and transparent that one's face could be reflected in it felt strange to me.
‘Since it's equipment that can withstand Magic Hat's attacks. It's probably correct.’
A symbol completely opposite to mine. Is it because of the relationship between the protagonist and the player?
Considering the armor I wore when I transformed into the Demon King of Light, they were as identical as a decalcomania.
Such good-looking equipment wouldn't fail to appear in the sequel.
“..Isn't there a real possibility that this is a different person?”
No matter how I think about it, it's suspicious. He eats without taking off his helmet. He's completely hiding his identity as if a ninja might pop out from inside the heavy armor.
His hands were also oddly small, and given those bearded perverts, it couldn't be a design flaw.
‘“This isn’t Masterpiece!!” they’d yell, then succeed in crafting it with a 0.06% chance, says it all.’
Dwarves are a race with strong craftsmanship. The blacksmith among the Ten Greats, called the "Immovable Mountain," was like that too.
“The Crown Prince I knew might really be a double.”
If I combine these possibilities, the small hands might have been deliberately made that way to conceal information. So that even if the owner changed, no one would suspect.
Perhaps because of the sweetness, my mind spun faster. I organized thoughts I hadn't come up with before due to so much worry.
“..If you really want to do something, you can just have someone else wear it and imitate it.”
His booming voice even gave off a mysterious feeling. If it's because of the helmet's structure, anyone could wear it and not be recognized.
To keep open the possibility that the <Black Heart> version was real, Mardol's actions upon receiving the Queen of Hearts card were too emotional.
‘His trauma would have been Magic Hat.. it wouldn't be strange if he thought she was dead.’
The Demon King of Truth, famous as a mad magician. The story showed unspeakable evil deeds.
Just as she called me “my darling” and made my skin crawl with his words, it was the same here at Grand Hearts Academy.
Actually, this was the first time I thought about taking the card. There was no such function in the game.
Perhaps the one I met now is the real Lupus. The Lupus who appeared in the sequel could surprise players by actually being a fake!
A company that really loves Easter eggs.
That was Fantasia Game Company. Even if they completely changed direction in the sequel, that part didn't change.
“..When you think about it, he's really quite villainous.”
If Lupus isn't a double, then it means his personality was completely ruined after that crushing defeat.
He must have gathered max-level characters and used every means possible to confront the Demon King of Truth. But they're explaining the reason for this in the prequel?
“..Is this right?”
If I had played the Crown Prince route, would something have been different? Then I wouldn't be piecing together such ambiguous information like this.
I stopped thinking there. Any more, and it would be in the realm of deduction rather than speculation.
“Lastly.. he's unexpectedly a big eater.”
Looking at how quickly he cleared plates at the bakery and ate the stew I cooked, it was true.
Having extracted these characteristics, I became convinced that the person I knew was a double, and this one was the real Lupus.
His personality, actions, speech, and aura were all too different.
Perhaps I had too much information, leading to confirmation bias. My thoughts solidified just by looking at Master Drake's letter.
The Glass Knight who protected Kainel and Ariel when I wasn't there. He never harmed anyone else either.
He had some eccentricities, but he wasn't a bad person.
“There was a Grand Route. The love line…”
As I was organizing my thoughts, a fact suddenly crossed my mind.
“..No matter what, I can't give up the Saintess now.”
He was ultimately a rival who would fight me over the Nameless Saintess someday. The illustration in the beta tester invitation email showed that.
As expected, I should aim for the Manarose in the year-end exam. I need to prepare items that our Saintess would like in advance.
Since he's obsessed with strength, he'll want the Dragon Heart that enhances magical abilities.
Moreover, the Crown Prince's class is Sword Mage. It's a combat profession skilled in magic-based fighting.
“Even if our Saintess received the Dragon Heart, she wouldn't have any use for it.”
Conversely, she, who isn't good at combat, wouldn't like such a gift. It would be grotesque to eat, and even if a weapon were made for her, she couldn't use it.
Since I also learned techniques from my training with the Heavenly Demon Baek-Mokryeon, it would be good to set a flag now to prevent him from approaching the Saintess.
“..Can I make a small compromise?”
Because I enjoyed the chocolate cake so much, I thought I should give a fitting reward.
***
At that moment. In a certain Demon King's castle, a man and a woman were conversing.
“..Magic Hat. Where did you get so hurt coming in?”
“I won't tell you. Head. Because I'll monopolize it!”
“How absurd. Did you even overlay it with lies so I wouldn't perceive it with omniscience?”
The gentleman with the monocle stared at the wounded, white-haired magician with a grimace. This kind of independent action was something he disliked.
“Hehe.. You found out!”
“Doesn't it twist foresight? Magic Hat.. even if I told you that abducting the Princess had a high probability, don't act on your own from now on.”
“Princess? Was there such a person..? I think I only met the Prince?”
“Indeed, no matter how much Rook Gransia tries to hide her, how could I not know?”
Even as Head told her precautions, the woman in the magician’s hat merely grinned and laughed into a mirror. A madness in her flushed cheeks as she looked at her wounds.
“I don't know about that. Right now, proving my love is more important!”
“Rest as you please, Magic Hat. Foresight is imminent anyway.”
Seeing such a situation, Head sighed slightly as if it were business as usual and turned away.
“Oh, Head. Take this! You might be affected too!”
At that moment, the somewhat twisted girl handed Head a black mask.
“To hide your identity? Why?”
“Hehe, there's a reason!”
“...”
The Demon King, taking the object, felt an ominous sensation and moved his steps.
-Click.
After leaving the visit, he took out a book from his arms and looked at it here and there.
“..No matter how I think about it, it's strange. My calculations are wrong?”
Sitting at the table, with his other hand, he began to write something down with paper and a pen.
“Magic Hat came back wounded from somewhere.. If I consider my omniscience to have been mistaken..”
When he thought about it, there were no variables.
He had already confirmed before that Nex Aureus would obtain the Pheonix Cradle, and that foresight should have been realized with certainty this time.
“Having lost the Apostle of Lust, there are 6 subordinates left… Is the goal possible with this?”
He clicked his pen several times, expressing his dissatisfaction. He had to minimize future damage by recruiting traitors.
Equivalent exchange. He should have aimed to save as many lives as possible. To fail again, now a feeling of exasperation surged in his heart.
“..Do I have to go to the Academy myself?”
He muttered, caressing the red revolver placed on his desk.
He had presumed that Magic Hat went to the Academy. She showed interest in the failed kidnapping of Chartines, but the place to go was decided.
“Considering the possibilities, there are two.”
The Demon King who went to Grand Hearts Academy being so wounded meant there was a high possibility it was either caused by one of the Ten Greats or a third party.
However, in the case of the Ten Greats, there was no way they could overcome their authority.
Because he had sealed Heavenly Demon Baek-Mokryeon in Erasure of knowledge to prevent Drunkard Dennis from acting alone. It was a problem that would be solved simply by getting out of the Academy.
He himself had designed the brilliant strategy to check both the 2nd and 3rd strongest. Therefore, he concluded it wasn't these two.
Moreover, it was strange for the Demon King of Truth, who could make injuries ‘false,’ to be like this. It's a problem that could be solved by simply erasing it, so what on earth happened there for her to be like that?
“There's definitely something.”
Head reached the conclusion that having information he didn't know was a risk factor, so he had to eliminate it as safely as possible.
“..I need to restart the calculations.”
Writing down all possibilities with chalk on a large blackboard, the Demon King of Omniscience attempted to find the person who had nullified his authority.
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