WeTried Translations
Translator: Botanica
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight
Chapter 65
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Episode 65. What was hidden was a trump card.
The red-haired mage sat on a bench, a sad expression on her face.
“Huu... I wanted to meet Kai in the finals too...”
“Sorry, Ariel.”
Mardol patted her back to comfort her, and Kainel and I were nearby.
“Still, the World Tree Leaf is the 3rd place reward, so it should be fine.”
“Yeah, who cries after losing?”
I already saw Kainel almost put his hand on Ariel's shoulder but stop, and I knew he was deliberately speaking harshly because he didn't want his true feelings exposed.
Kkamangi, no matter what, there are things you should say and things you shouldn't. Do you know how much I regretted it after lambasting the harem pure love thing?
One must be careful with one's words. Well, it's not like our Saintess is here, so I do have some leeway. But someday, a flag might head in her direction and reach her.
“...I hate Kainel! Idiot! Sea cucumber! Sea anemone!”
“I don't think I'm a sea cucumber, Ariel.”
The elf mage snapped at Kainel. She dropped the honorific again. What should I do about this? I lowered my head and sighed.
Ah, so there was a way.
“If I defeat Kainel-ssi and advance to the 3rd place decider...”
“...Licht, you're clueless.”
I thought it was a good idea. Guess not. The Glass Knight made a clattering sound, stopping me. If you think about it, it's your fault.
‘If it comes to this, maybe I should just lose to Kainel.’
It would be better to raise their affection points quickly. Anyway, all four of us had advanced to the semi-finals, so even if I lost, I could still get a Mana Rose.
If I cried and begged for it, they'd probably give it to me out of pity.
Because of that, I could intentionally let my guard down to show off or become a helper to deepen their love. Since emotions couldn't be controlled, rather than forcing it,
“...I'm a bit tired, so I'll head back first. Kainel-ssi. Please take good care of Ariel-yang.”
“Huh...? Yeah. Go carefully. See you in the dorm!”
“Licht...”
Let's make it natural. Kainel, a true Hero, would grant a friend's request, and my absence would make it easier to raise their affection points.
I started walking. It would be fine to go back to the dorm beforehand and pretend to be sick. 'I lost to Kainel-ssi because I wasn't feeling well!' would probably suffice.
Given his clueless personality, he wouldn't know I had gone easy on him. As I slowly walked along the path, a question suddenly occurred to me about Mardol, who kept staring as I left.
‘But the Glass Knight is a girl... Could that really be?’
I organized the thoughts that had come to me so far. This was a romance fantasy game, and the hypothesis was that her appearance changed due to a potion or miscast magic. It's a common story in fairy tales.
There are always princesses awakened by a kiss, or princes who turn from frogs into humans.
‘Even if that were the case... the armor is too masculine.’
The glass armor, seemingly carved from a giant crystal, gave the impression of a moving white gem.
To mistake her gender, her voice was too low and thick. The voice, swirling and repeating several times within the glass helmet, made it difficult to pinpoint her identity.
‘To completely hide her identity, she could use her characteristics or abilities. Why is she wearing such heavy armor?’
Her ability seems to be nullifying magic. That's probably why she lasted longer than the Hero in the battle with Magic Hat.
Is it for safety? Indeed, it must be, since the faculty members are also tight-lipped about it.
‘...So, if it was made with safety as the top priority, a Masterpiece-grade item would make sense.’
Even so, the helmet was similar to mine, giving me a sense of déjà vu.
Magic Hat went wild just seeing my helmet. Perhaps the creator put extra care into it because I achieved the global first kill.
It's common for games to represent a player's outstanding achievements in some way. Like displaying a ranker's character as a statue or showing off items.
Looking at it this way, I needed to sift out confirmed information. The fact that the Crown Prince had a Masterpiece-grade item was inferred by combining it with the information that the imperial family possessed many such things, but,
I knew it was accurate information after seeing him fight the Demon King recently.
I rested my hand on my chin and sifted through the confirmed facts I knew. The possibility of her being a woman was put aside for now. No matter what, that absolutely can't be. That would be cheating.
‘A harem could form. The Saintess might truly not speak to me for years. The 'Saintess Route' itself would be derailed.’
No matter how much I made excuses, the path to getting closer to her might be blocked. I saw such players in <Black Heart>.
We've already had an indirect kiss. It was a mistake to say it was a plate I hadn't touched. It was also due to the dwarf having deboned the meat, which led to his misunderstanding.
“...”
What was her appearance like again? I hadn't seen her face in so long that I had to recall it.
‘Black hair and golden eyes. And a werewolf.’
These were the characteristics of Lupus that I knew. Hair color and eye color are genetic, after all.
If I were to think of Kainel and Ariel's child right now, a red-haired, blue-eyed elf child might appear.
But that's too unique. Like Nex, they could resemble only one parent.
‘But Rook and Bellin both have black hair and golden wolf eyes.’
There would be no other variables. White hair like the Saintess's isn't a common hair color. To the point where even after thoroughly searching the academy, no such individual was seen.
Magic Hat was like that, but her hair was a whitish silver, so I immediately knew it wasn't the same. Silver is not white.
“...This much is still normal, I guess.”
Walking down the road, I unconsciously mumbled to myself, leaving a recollection. Because I liked her, I memorized it all. Her height, voice, hair color, and even her primary attribute.
Our Saintess has no overlapping parts with Mardol, except for being a werewolf and having golden eyes. Her aura and personality are completely opposite, warm and lovely.
‘All of the Imperial Guards are also werewolves, and Gold has golden eyes.’
The reason I couldn't defy the Crown Prince. I always had to consider being imprisoned in the imperial dungeon, or having a knife at my throat if I made a mistake.
“...Is power all it takes?”
If I assumed she was hiding that she was a woman and approached me, I would be angry. I have an overwhelming 'main' in my heart, someone I've loved for a full 15 years.
As I finished that thought, a contradiction arose. The creator isn't saying anything, so it doesn't seem to be the case, but how can I turn her back into a man, like in <Black Heart>...
Just then. A familiar face appeared and greeted me,
“Long time no see, Licht.”
“...Coachman?”
I had no choice but to stop my steps towards the dormitory and talk.
***
On the terrace of Grand Hearts Academy, two men sat.
Watching the elegant butler-clad old man savoring his black tea with a familiar air, I couldn't help but wonder. Surely, when I last saw him, he was rather shabby.
“I'm glad to see Mr. Licht is also doing well.”
“So, mister, what on earth happened to you...?”
I thought it would be good if things worked out for him, as he was someone who also liked pure love, but it seemed he had sold the Shadow Wolf pelt I gave him and earned some money.
“Did you sell the pelt and get a job?”
“Haha. Not at all.”
Then, he burst into laughter and opened his mouth. The cup containing tea moved slightly.
“Ah, come to think of it, You wouldn't know. My original profession is a butler. My name is Dizur.”
“...What? Not a coach? But surely back then...”
“That was an act."
Dizur, who gave me a gentle smile, was incomprehensible. If it was an act, was he like an interviewer testing the students coming to the academy?
‘If I hadn't been there when the Shadow Wolf attacked, perhaps this person would have saved them.’
Even if a player made a mistake, it's a 'romance fantasy academy story,' so there must have been some safety net. I crossed my arms and continued my thoughts.
“During the Shadow Wolf incident, I really didn't see things wrong.”
“...”
But even so, it was the first time I'd seen his face within the academy. There was a contradictory part, just like with Mardol.
For someone to be an academy staff member, introducing himself as a butler is too strange.
“As one who serves the Empire, I praise your achievements.”
“Lupus?”
“It’s similar. You noticed it as expected you Licht.”
So he was the Crown Prince's butler. Damn it, Lupus really must be the protagonist of this installment.
“And, I am always grateful that you get along well with our young lady.”
Hearing the title 'young lady' gave me the conviction that she had truly been swapped into a woman. I sighed deeply. Thinking about all the incidents with her so far made me dizzy.
***
Just then. As I lowered my head like that, a strange sound came from beside me.
“Dizur!”
The voice of a boy who could be described as handsome.
“You suddenly disappeared and surprised me!”
“...You, you are?”
“Oh? It's a black knight helmet! Then are you Big Bro Licht? Nice to meet you...!”
A young-looking boy with wolf ears, impressive black hair, and golden eyes, wagged his tail and greeted me.
‘What on earth is happening?’
I touched the visor of my helmet, wondering if I was hallucinating. Anyone could tell this was Lupus Gransia's childhood appearance.
“Ah, Your Highness. This is Licht.”
“Surely that person is...”
Moreover, not a Crown Prince, but a Prince? I knew his publicly exposed status was Crown Prince. I knew that much because he was a famous figure in the Empire.
“Yes, he is Prince Lupus Gransia. Please show proper etiquette.”
“No! Big Bro Licht! You saved our mom, so you don't have to!”
The boy ran towards me, a bright smile on his face. Did he know that I had recovered Empress Bellin? Otherwise, he wouldn't say such a thing.
‘If so, then perhaps.’
The card I had only given to Mardol. Knowing this meant only one thing, and the advice from the status window I had seen after joining the club flashed like lightning in my mind.
[Then, as a reward, I'll give you a good piece of information.]
This wasn't referring to Chartiness, but,
[A character not in Knight Heart might exist here! Isn't that amazing? How about it? Was it helpful? ☆ｰ(๑•᎑<๑]
It was talking about Mardol?
“Huh...? Big Bro Licht! What's wrong...?”
“I just got a bit dizzy. Greetings, Your Highness Prince Lupus Gransia.”
I was agitated by all the facts that suddenly surfaced, and my words were speeding up. My balance broke, and I swayed slightly.
Then who is Mardol really?
“...Your, Your Highness.”
“Yeah, what's wrong, Big Bro Licht?”
To confirm the last remaining possibility, I asked the boy in luxurious clothes before me.
“Do you happen to have any older siblings?”
Lupus looked young. Anyone could tell he wasn't at the level to enroll in the academy now. If so, the identity of the person wearing the glass armor was...
“I have an older sister, Mardol... Ah, she told me not to go around talking about this!”
“...”
“Well, it'll be fine! She's always talking about Big Bro Licht anyway!”
Lupus tried to cover up his mistake with a boyish bright smile, but upon hearing that answer, my heart stopped. I suddenly couldn't breathe.
‘...Was it like this from the beginning?’
It meant that she was a separate person from the one I had expected.
“Huh...? Big Bro Licht?”
“Licht! What's wrong...!”
A harem could form, and I might not be able to follow the Saintess Route. If that happened, I wouldn't be able to get close to her.
I lost consciousness and collapsed.
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