WeTried Translations

Translator: Botanica

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight

Chapter 80

──────

Episode 80. Who Is the Uninvited Guest?

The magic club room we visited after the commotion was bustling.

"Hiiiiik!! It's a monster!!"

"Hahaha, Ariel. It's Licht and Mardol."

"Huh.. Really..?"

Kainel, dressed as a yellow Cerberus, and Ariel, dressed like a red Cheshire Cat.

"Au. Au. Ah, that's not it. Grrrrr."

The oblivious yellow dog next door and the tsundere red cat.

What fitting nicknames. I tried to hold the spare helmet in one hand and watch the scene fondly, but...

'..I'm a bit uneasy.'

Inside the inner pocket of my coat right now, there was a single rose, and it felt strangely out of place.

Just in case, I stopped by the men's dormitory on the way here and brought the Mana Rose.

It's a high-grade item to begin with. It won't wilt just because there's no water. It contains mana, so it'll manage somehow.

'If it couldn't be carried, she wouldn't have told me to bring it. It'll be fine, right?'

I recalled the black-haired girl, Lin, I had just helped. No matter how I look at it, her resemblance to me is strange.

Besides, she left after saying something meaningful. It's a game company that loves Easter eggs. If I have it, there's probably a use for it.

In the game, there were events that could only be progressed by carrying a specific item. I added worry to worry and thought deeply, but...

'..Could she really be my child from the future? But why black hair? The other side is brown.'

That would be proof that the Nameless Saintess and I didn't end up together. I shook my head, denying the one fact that came to mind.

There's absolutely no way. It was just a random event. Isn't the cliche of saving a child from a carriage pretty common?

A lost child calling the main characters mom and dad is the same. It even appears in the romance novels our Saintess likes.

'It must be my imagination.'

There's not even a slight possibility. It was a misunderstanding to begin with, and didn't she just call me Dad because of the armor? That boy named Iferit even apologized to me.

"..Licht, what are you doing?"

"Nothing."

It seems I haven't been incorporated into the princess route yet. If I had, she would have called Mardol Mom too. That didn't happen either, so let's just take it easy.

"Your Dullahan costume looks really realistic. With the glass making the head part completely invisible…."

"Thanks to Mardol."

Currently, the part above my neck is a form made invisible by the Glass Knight's magic. Transparent glass was floating around.

Magic expresses imagery, and the glass felt sharp and cold. It suits her.

"Licht, give me the helmet."

"Ah, yes."

As I stared at Mardol dressed as a tree monster, she spoke to me.

"You just need to put fire magic in here, right, Mardol?"

"Yeah. Ariel. Please."

Whoosh. At that moment, a blue flame rose. After confirming the magic was done, Mardol tried to hand the helmet back to me.

"Licht, here. It's not hot."

"..Ah."

Flames flickered inside the black helmet. It's stifling. Seeing the fire moving as if dancing, memories from the past flood in.

I thought it would be fine since it was magic. But seeing it and touching it are different. Cold sweat ran down.

"..Licht?"

"Gasp."

I'm still afraid of fire. My legs gave way, and I staggered, but Mardol noticed. My vision spun.

"Licht, are you okay?"

"I'm o..kay.."

I just need to hold it. If I'm this scared, I can't even save our Saintess. I gritted my teeth hard, trying to shake off the fear.

"Hey, are you okay? The sweat under your helmet is like..!"

"Helmet! What's wrong!"

Oh no, the hero couple noticed too. Water was dripping from the connection between the helmet and armor, as if someone had taken a shower.

"Licht."

"Just a, just a moment.."

"Licht, if you're scared, you don't have to do it."

After that, the Glass Knight in a Quercus costume took the helmet back into her arms. She held it carefully, as if it were precious.

"I'll hold it."

Thanks to her, I'm saved. I can finally breathe. The feeling of drowning in a place with no water disappeared. I lowered my head, looked at the floor, and calmed my startled heart.

"..Thank you, Mardol."

"But what about the Dullahan costume? Don't you have to hold it, Licht?"

"It's okay. I have a way."

As if she had a good idea, Mardol dispelled the magic floating around my face and tapped the forehead of the helmet with her finger.

"Say it, Licht. It's fine now, right?"

"Ah, yes. Thanks to you... Huh?"

My voice, as if played through a speaker with a slight delay, started coming from the spare helmet Mardol was holding.

"..It's a voice modulation spell."

"Right. Clever."

So that's the spell on the glass helmet. It sounded like talking in a cave, modulated into a rumbling voice.

"Good job..."

As if praising me for getting the answer right, Mardol absentmindedly tried to pat my head. A hand decorated with rising wood.

"Mardol?"

"Ah, sorry. Licht. I just wanted to encourage you somehow..."

As if she noticed something strange, she stopped her movement awkwardly.

Was she trying to cheer me up because of my reaction earlier? I'm not a puppy or anything.

'Unlike Lupus in the sequel, she's a good person.'

A short, wry laugh escaped. The princess, as if surprised by her own action, showed a flustered expression, clenching and unclenching her small palm.

"Then doesn't Mardol have to go around together with Helmet..?"

At that moment, the perceptive red cat planted a flag first.

Well, should I break this? She noticed I'm afraid of fire and was considerate of me.

In this case, I didn't want to be someone who repays kindness with enmity.

Honestly, it's quite surprising. In reality, there were plenty of people who criticized me for this kind of thing.

"It's okay..."

"I'm fine, Ariel."

Before I could speak, she gave a definite answer, but just this once, let her do as she wants.

If it weren't for Mardol just now, something really bad could have happened. My heart is still pounding like a drum.

"..I trust Licht."

"..."

"Because it would definitely look weird otherwise. If it's a Dullahan but only the head is visible."

It seems a flag got set up a bit too strongly, but thinking back, she's someone who would even transfer a Dragon Heart for me.

She must just be a good person. There's no way she likes me. If Mardol thought of me that way, the status window would have reacted immediately.

"Then Kainel and Ariel, please go ahead and surprise people together.."

"Got it, Licht. Don't overdo it today either, and get some good rest."

"..Thank you."

Since I need to raise the love level of the hero couple too, this way will be a bit easier. As the tension eased, fatigue set in. Maybe I should just go to the dorm and sleep.

"..Licht."

"What is it, Mardol."

"Do you want to eat this?"

It's a candy. She still has the one she had during the last group project? I don't know where she pulls it out from while in costume.

"..Thank you."

Mardol stared at me. I took the candy, slightly lifted my visor, and rolled it into my mouth.

"..Ah. What a shame."

"As if. Haha."

She probably wanted to see my face. You wouldn't like the burn scars either, right? My scars are a bit special. I got seriously injured when I was young because I didn't know.

As I brought out the old nightmare and thought about it for a bit, my brow furrowed and my eyes narrowed. I felt dizzy. I guess I still have a long way to go before I overcome it.

'I don't regret it, but...'

At that moment, a sweet taste lingered on my tongue. The sweetness of honey and sugar melted and permeated. It's an item that recovers stamina, so this is the first time I've actually eaten it.

"..It's sweet. Thank you."

"Yeah, I'm glad, Licht. You look okay."

Since it's not cheap, I hadn't eaten it, planning to give it to our Saintess. It is delicious. The candy let me put down my worries for a moment.

'..Oh.'

Mardol's golden eyes, looking at me with relief that I had settled down, looked especially pretty that day. I shouldn't feel this way. I was probably just too startled.

'Suspension bridge effect [1].'

My heart still won't stop pounding. Maybe it hasn't calmed down yet. Like Kainel during the carriage incident, it must be because of the sudden situation.

It's definitely not that I've developed feelings for someone other than our Saintess.

"..What? Licht?"

"N..nothing.."

I swallowed the saliva, and the sweetness went down, and I felt like I was melting into the atmosphere. It was a day when I felt endlessly sorry to the Nameless Saintess.

'I only have our Saintess. Lee Suhyun. Pull yourself together.'

I put strength into my hand for no reason, denying the stray thoughts floating in my head.

***

At that time, when Licht was having a hard time, at a fountain in the empire.

"..There's no way the current Kainel can break through my authority."

A gentleman wearing a monocle was checking something while turning the pages of a book.

"A new hero, a new hero.... The gods are in a frenzy again this time, too."

The man picked up a pen and wrote something in a notebook with a displeased expression.

"Hey there, sir. Spare a coin..!"

"Hmm, what's this now?"

A stooped man appeared beside him and begged. He was dressed in tattered rags, looking like a pitiful beggar.

"..It's Tom."

"Oh, oh? How do you know my name..?"

The man, showing no interest in such a beggar, waved his hand as if shooing a fly.

"Well, I have my ways."

"Oh, sir, I don't know how you know me, but please, just spare a coin..!"

Even seeing that, the beggar did not back down. The gentleman, with an annoyed expression, stood up.

"Instead of begging, try digging this fountain."

"..Huh? Why?"

"There'll be 'treasure' underneath. Use this to get some food and buy a shovel."

The man pointed to the ground with his finger, handed over a silver coin, and took a step.

"Ohhh! Sir! Thank you!"

"Take care of yourself, Tom."

The man who received the glinting silver simply bowed to the departing gentleman.

"..If I left him alone, he would have joined a gang and become a murderer."

Head Ache was walking along the road, writing something in his notebook.

"I hope you'll forgive this small courtesy, Tom."

Inside the densely written notebook,

'In the 18th year of the Imperial Calendar, around 1 a.m., Tom dug deep into the fountain, discovered treasure, and then fell and died while trying to bring it up.'

was written in small letters.

"We're old acquaintances."

The Demon King of Omniscience adjusted his crooked clothes as if nothing had happened. He thought of it as trivial as brushing off dust.

"This time there are two heroes..."

Putting the notebook back into his bosom, Head headed toward Grand Hearts Academy. The hypothesis of who exactly had broken through his authority,

"Licht of the Black Knight class."

kept entangling his steps.

"..No, that's not it."

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps clicked and Head stopped.

"Should I call him Lee Suhyun. That would be more accurate."

The corner of the Demon King's mouth rose slightly, having finished his calculations. The gentleman in the black suit was approaching the summer festival.

[1] Suspension bridge effect - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misattribution_of_arousal

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried