Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight - Chapter 62

WeTried Translations

Translator: Botanica

◈ Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight

Chapter 62

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Episode 62. Rivals are Rivals because they resemble each other.

[The Year Exam preliminaries have finally reached their last day!]

Kainel and Ariel, as expected, advanced to the main matches without any problems. The preliminaries finally concluded, and according to the bracket, Licht was set to participate.

“Hello, juniors!”

“Senior Nex…?”

“Brother Nex! Hello!”

The man with purple hair also approached the Hero’s party, and from one side of the spectator stands, he watched the match of his junior, who was wearing a Black Knight helmet.

“How did you get here?”

“Because it’s Junior Licht’s match, I won and came to watch! Mardol!”

“The other, person…?”

Nex, with a fox-like smile, greeted Mardol.

“Actually, Char is also taking an exam right now, so she told me not to see her tough side, so I came here! But she’s pretty no matter what she looks like… sniff…”

“Oh…? Are you acquainted with Mardol?”

“Yeah, we were quite close since childhood.”

Seeing that, the red-haired elf noticed something strange and sent a questioning gaze towards the Glass Knight beside her.

“Oh, it’s starting! Juniors!”

However, she soon had no choice but to drop that suspicion. The commentary announcing the start of the exam came on, heating up the excitement of the audience.

***

[This match is between the freshman Licht, wearing the Black Knight helmet, and the son of Sir Reinhardt, the Imperial Knight Commander!]

[It’s a showdown with Student Leon, the Holy Knight!!]

I had met the Imperial Knight Commander several times in the game, so he had a son, huh. The golden-haired man walked towards me.

Like Mardol, he was wearing armor, but it felt lighter, engraved with a lion emblem.

“Hmm, you’re Licht, the one who ranked first in practicals?”

“Nice to meet you, Leon.”

The son of Reinhardt, who had golden hair and golden eyes, and the moniker ‘Lion’s Heart.’ I was curious how strong he’d be, so I offered a handshake.

However, that expectation soon crumbled. The golden-haired Holy Knight merely stared at my hand blankly.

“Sorry, but can we finish this quickly instead of these greetings?”

“Excuse me? Why?”

Looking at me with a disdainful expression, Leon waved his hand towards the audience.

“..It’s because my Madonnas[1] are waiting for me. Hahahaha!”

My Madonnas? Why plural? I raised my head and looked in the direction he was waving. Then, strange things caught my eye at the end of my gaze.

“Reinhardt!!”

A group of women with various hair colors were sitting side by side in one part of the audience, cheering for one man.

“Kyaaak!! He’s so cool!!”

A sky-blue haired female mage shouting, a girl in thief-like attire vigorously waving her hand, and even a drill-haired woman holding a fan, looking like a noble lady.

“This popularity… sigh…”

Seeing such people, the Holy Knight, intoxicated with arrogance, shook his head and stood before my eyes. Surely it’s not what I’m thinking, right?

“..Surely not. Are there people you’re dating over there?”

“Yeah, and several of them. I need to finish this quickly and go on a date.”

I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, just in case. Because it’s fine as long as he manages his relationships well. At first, I desperately thought it wouldn’t be that.

“Everyone’s love for me is just too great!”

“...”

“My harem members absolutely hate spending time with other men!”

He was a lunatic, after all. Indeed, this is a game that had a Harem route in <Black Heart>. I should have kept in mind that characters like this would exist.

“So, I’m going to go all out without holding back. Don’t resent me too much.”

“Hahaha…”

Scree. I immediately drew the Pure Love Injector (Physical) Unit 2 from my waist. You don’t even need Conviction (信念). Even with the gleaming cold steel, my opponent didn’t bat an eye.

“Why, are you jealous?”

“Hahahaha!!”

Only empty laughter escaped. Perhaps because he was the Knight Commander’s son, he seemed accustomed to combat, but even as a provocation to unsettle an opponent, this crossed the line.

“Love is light, isn’t it? Leon.”

“..What are you talking about? If you’re jealous, just say so honestly.”

[Match Start!!]

At that moment, the sound of a horn echoed through the stadium, and the match began.

「Drake Style, Fourth Form, Void Slash.」

I had been taking the preparatory stance for Void Slash towards my opponent, but I immediately released the wind pressure I had gathered in my right hand. With emotion, a tremendous gust of wind poured out towards my opponent.

[That’s Drake, the Dragon Slayer’s swordsmanship, Void Slash!! A technique focused on cutting power, designed to ‘slash the opponent,’ with some opinions saying its stance reinterprets the appearance of His Majesty the Emperor!]

Tukakakak!! The sound engulfed Leon, and the stadium floor was scratched, raising dust.

“..Isn’t that too rough?”

“Bullshit.”

Leon walked out from amidst the swirling dust cloud. Indeed, if he can use magic or divine power, can’t I win with just swordsmanship?

“..I didn’t know it wouldn’t be blocked by a mana shield, so I even used a Holy Knight skill. You really are strong.”

In his hand was a large shield engraved with a cross, which hadn’t been visible before. He must have blocked my Void Slash with that.

[That’s the shield the Knight Commander used in the past! Its might is still intact!]

His gaze changed from that of a dull playboy to a sharp, beast-like intensity. This is why he earned the moniker ‘Lion’s Heart’.

“I have a date to go to, and my hair’s all messed up.”

He tidied his hair again, revealing an unpleasant expression. Then he drew his sword and took a stance. Is it an attack using divine power? I immediately prepared Wing Deflection.

「Sacred Lion.」

In an instant, white particles of divine power gathered on his sword, taking the form of a ferocious beast and charging at me. A lion rushing forward, devouring its enemy.

But he had chosen the wrong opponent. I had also used Holy Knight skills before, and now I knew their weakness.

“Didn’t I tell you? Love is light.”

Immediately, using Wing Deflection, I countered the lion made of divine power. The third form that reverses power. He wouldn’t have expected this.

“..Oh?”

He immediately raised his shield and blocked the reflected attack. Thanks to that, an opening appeared, and I charged in with Wolf Fang. At a distance less than a handspan, he began to waver.

「Reverse Scale Pierce.」

Chaa-aang! Chaang! Sounds echoed as metal struck metal. With an attack aimed at the gaps in his armor, his balance began to collapse.

“Kuh-euk..”

He was cornered defensively. The mana-composed protective gear began to chip away. If it continued like this, victory would be mine.

「L-Lion Pride!!」

In an instant, magic power erupted from his body, repelling me. Is it another technique embodying a lion? He truly is the Knight Commander’s son.

The distance widened again.

“I guess I’ll have to go all out too, Licht.”

Perhaps the dust in his mouth was uncomfortable. He spat out saliva and reignited his fighting spirit.

Right, if you’re a harem protagonist, you should at least show this much.

“Where’s that confident attitude from before, Leon?”

“..A fight is something you shouldn’t let your guard down in.”

「Howling Wind.」

He gripped his sword and circulated mana through his body. Taking a stance I’d seen somewhere before, he prepared to attack me.

Is it Imperial swordsmanship this time? Originally, if I hadn’t learned Wolf Fang from Mardol, the best option would have been to learn through the Knight Commander or join a swordsmanship club.

“I’ll finish this with these next attacks.”

[This time, Student Leon is showcasing Gransia Style Swordsmanship! How will Student Licht overcome this situation?!]

Similar to Mardol, a powerful roar of a lion instead of a wolf echoed, attempting to inflict a stun effect on me.

Did they say magic reflects one’s inner image? It’s not even surprising anymore. Someone uses glass magic, and another uses alcohol for magic.

“Sorry, but I’ve already seen that technique.”

I closed my eyes for a moment. I thought of why I held a sword, and gritted my teeth tightly. I put full strength into both my legs, trying not to fall.

Kukuk, a sound echoed, and cracks appeared on the stadium floor. I suppressed the magic with my will.

“O-Oh? The stun isn’t working?”

“..Unlike some people, my love is heavy.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway! Licht!”

「King of Heart.」

As he finished his incantation, several golden lions, larger than before, appeared and charged. One of Knight Commander Reinhardt’s techniques. To think I’d get to experience this.

Seeing techniques that I’d only seen in the game appear in reality always fills me with emotion.

“..But it’s slower than the original. Too much showmanship.”

Unlike the original technique, the procession of lions had many illusions, making them look like a disorganized mob. I exploited the opening with Wolf Fang and rushed in. I narrowed the distance with him once more.

If it were Reinhardt himself, there wouldn’t even be such a flaw.

“W-What?! You dodged all of them?!”

“It looks like you learned those techniques just to show off to women?”

Running, I prepared to combine Shadow Slash and Void Slash. I kicked off the ground, making all the blood in my body circulate rapidly.

“If I block with my shield…!”

I took a stance for an overhead slash, from top to bottom. He raised his shield, trying to block my sword path.

“It’s already too late.”

But what I aimed for wasn’t his main body, but his shadow. The ground was scraped, and the shadow was cut. A technique that strikes the real body through an illusion.

Pakang! With a loud sound, the mana-composed protective gear shattered.

[Match End!!]

[The winner is!! Student Licht!!]

The horn sounded again, and Laplace announced the winner.

“..I lost?”

From the start, trying to beat me with the profession of a Holy Knight was a mistake. A Harem King as a Holy Knight, what a ridiculous notion.

The weakness of divine power is that it’s the manifestation of reason. Therefore, if a battle lasts long, or,

“Why, why didn’t it work?! That shield should have blocked even that kind of attack!”

“You wavered. Because you thought you’d lose to me.”

“..Ugh.”

If one wavers against an opponent like this, their power decreases.

This was something Professor Beatrice mentioned in the <Understanding Divine Power> class, and it was also the reason why the Saintess couldn’t even use a healing prayer after seeing my character die.

“Listen carefully, Leon.”

I approached him, who was expressing doubt, and opened my mouth.

If he had loved only one person and wielded his sword like me, King of Heart wouldn’t have been seen through like this, and the divine power-infused shield wouldn’t have failed to activate.

‘..I probably would have had to use Magnolia Sword Art or Heart Sword to win.’

I’ll have to regretfully lose without anyone knowing in the finals, but if I had done that, someone might have started raising questions. It was best to hide as many moves as possible.

“‘Harem Pure Love' doesn’t exist. Choose only one lover and live a wholesome life.”

“What did you say…?”

I said a word to Leon, who couldn’t accept his defeat.

If you love someone, it’s natural to want to monopolize them. To share that emotion with someone else, or to see your lover with another and let it pass is…

“..if such a thing exists, it means ‘your love was light from the start’.”

It means it’s not a relationship of equals, but one of superior and subordinate. One should not easily attach the word ‘pure love’ to such a contradictory concept.

‘What the person I like told me. They also said that pure love is invincible.’

The Nameless Saintess was a character who preached her own interpretation of pure love in this way, and although I’ve never experienced love in reality, thanks to her, I was saved.

That’s why I wanted to say something to him, who had left such a flaw while trying to maintain a harem.

What even is ‘harem pure love’? Harem pure love is…

If you’re going to do it, just do one.

Footnotes:
[1] - Madonna (/məˈdɒnə/) is a medieval name, originally used as a respectful form of address to an Italian woman. It comes from the Old Italian phrase ma donna which means "my lady".