WeTried Translations

Translator: Botanica

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Academy's Pure Love Dark Knight ◈

Chapter 94

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Episode 94. Merry Christmas.

* * *

I once read a line like that in a book I'd read long ago.

'If you don't open your hand, you can't hold anything.'

If you want to gain everything, you have to be prepared to give up everything, a short saying so obvious it bordered on cliché.

The very end of the end.

"Licht."

In the moment I was finally about to throw away even my life, the light that had once saved mine had arrived at my feet again.

"Saintess, how in the world did you get here..."

Honestly, I had no complaints. I'd come to Grand Hearts Academy and met plenty of good people,

"Your scent, your way of speaking, your warmth. All exactly the same."

made memories I'd never forget, and protected other students from the Demon Kings' schemes.

I'd tried to help couples like Dennis and the Heavenly Demon, or Kainel and Ariel.

There had been plenty of farce from mistaking Mardol for the crown prince, but all in all, it had been a pretty decent few months.

"...So this little boy really is you."

Of the five years I'd spent possessing someone in this game, I could say with confidence that these had been the happiest. Though honestly, it was a shame to leave without ever meeting our Saintess.

"Licht... I was worried."

I'd never even dreamed of a reunion like this. Well, I was already inside a nightmare, so maybe it made sense.

"Hehe, I can tell even with a different face and body."

Her voice pitched slightly higher, that soft laugh, a tail wagging happily, cute wolf ears laid back.

The figure who looked just like the Nameless Saintess wrapped her arms around me and spoke gently. With the distance between us closed, our heartbeats felt as if they'd merged into one.

"I can tell too. That it's you."

Seeing her pure white figure appear before me, my heart began pounding wildly. Just a moment ago, the beat in my chest had been still and quiet,

'...Even if this is just my life flashing before my eyes before I die, that's fine.'

like an engine turning over, like a spark catching kindling.

'Even if it's a hallucination, that's fine too.'

It grew heavier with emotion, thrashing. You idiot. Calm down already. My fingertips trembled, and tears gathered at the corners of my eyes.

"...Are you hurt?"

The burns scattered across her body worried me. Was it because it was the Apostle's attack? Why did this trauma feel so real? Don't let her get hurt.

"No, I'm not hurt."

It just broke my heart that even now, she'd gotten hurt fighting the flames to save me.

"Don't lie to me."

I looked straight at her slightly burned face and held her gaze for a moment.

"Caught, huh. I thought you were dense enough not to notice."

"I'm not that much of a fool."

Her golden wolf eyes shone as if cutting through the darkness. Eyes that looked cold, but with a lovely tilt at the corners.

"You are one, though?"

"Why would I be a fool?"

Her soft, glossy pure white hair, the faint scent of roses drifting from her.

"You only like chests. Pervert Licht."

"That's not true. I'm not that kind of person..."

Actually, from the Saintess's side, this would be the first time she'd seen me, so it was only natural she wouldn't know me. Thinking back to what happened with Servi, it was more than a little contradictory.

"Don't lie."

"..."

'It's because it's you that I like it. I have no interest in anyone else's.' The words rose to the tip of my tongue, but they sounded far too perverted, so I held back. I exercised my right to remain silent.

"...Besides, Licht."

Seeing how this was unfolding, this was clearly my last wish, playing out within the setting of a dream.

"You tried to die alone again, didn't you. Am I wrong?"

"...You're right."

"Don't do that. It's bad of you."

Every person has their own distinct air about them. Something about this felt achingly familiar. Someone who'd always scolded me like this whenever I was about to make the wrong choice.

[Knight, did you slip away from the party without permission again to go protect people on your own? Let's move together for once...!]

It really was her, the one I'd always longed for in my memories.

<Grand Hearts Academy>'s enrollment period was a prequel, five years before the original and ten years before the sequel's timeline.

'Did I want to attend the Academy together with the Saintess so badly? An Academy uniform instead of the white nun's habit.'

It wasn't hard to understand why she'd appear looking a little younger like this either. After all, I was reliving my own trauma from childhood right now too.

"Let's go out together now."

"...Understood."

I took her hand. The size difference was obvious. A soft, pure white woman's hand. The instant our fingertips touched, my whole body flinched as if current had run through it,

"Hehe, Licht, your face is red."

My face burned. I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. Wasn't she supposed to be a wolf-type character?

The Saintess pulling me to my feet right now was smiling as bewitchingly as a fox.

"It's just because it's hot out."

"It's winter right now, though? There's no fire magic here either, so it's freezing..."

Unlike the Saintess's usual speech, this was informal, casual. It was definitely a way of speaking I'd heard somewhere before, but I was too embarrassed to think straight.

I was already enjoying a midsummer night's Christmas, and even if this turned out to be a trap, I didn't care.

"I'm hot too, Saintess."

More than anything, I hated the thought of the her standing before me right now vanishing.

* * *

Phine Gransia could tell at a glance that this younger Licht was him.

This was actually the first time she'd seen his bare face, and without the burn scars that would normally let her tell him apart from anyone else, a third party might have easily overlooked him.

But she recognized him instinctively, by his formal way of speaking, his distinct scent, the slight coolness of his hands.

On top of that, his brown eyes struck Phine as different, more striking than any of the people in this world. The eyes she'd glimpsed inside his helmet during the decisive battle against Magic Hat.

They were the eyes of a Black Knight who hadn't hesitated to burn away everything, even his own life, to save people like her.

There shouldn't have been much difference, so why did it feel so special?

Even so, she had one small complaint. In the middle of leading Licht out of the burning hospital now that she'd found him,

"Saintess, this way."

"Mm, got it. Licht."

Just like last time, she was the one who'd come to save the Licht standing right in front of her now, so why did this man keep looking only for some woman called the Saintess? A small flare of annoyance rose in her.

'...Is it that, to Licht, I look like some Nameless Saintess or whatever?'

This place was his trauma, in other words, a faithful reproduction of his heart and memory.

So it made sense that he might perceive her as the most precious person to him. The boy she'd seen a moment ago had mentioned only her white hair, not her wolf ears, after all.

'Annoying...'

Phine bit down on her lower lip out of jealousy, baring the pure white fangs distinctive to her werewolf kind.

"Let's go through those stairs over there. The main building should still be open."

Her brow furrowed. She was clearly running through black smoke toward the exit, but a corner of her mind and all her attention were elsewhere.

"...Saintess?"

Seeing her like that, the young Licht asked with wide eyes. Surely the face hidden behind his helmet had looked something like this too.

"I'll let it slide, just this once. Licht."

"What? What do you mean by that?"

"There won't be a next time."

Watching the boy blink in confusion, not understanding what she meant, she found the corners of her mouth curving up without meaning to. That Saintess probably didn't even know Licht looked like this.

'I won.'

A sense of victory bloomed into satisfaction in her chest.

So Phine carried Licht in her arms as she ran, dodging searing heat and flame alongside him, and just as the two of them were about to step outside the hospital,

"...Huh?"

"It's blocked. Licht."

Contrary to the boy's words, the large glass door that had seemed like their final bastion of hope was now blocked shut by collapsed building debris.

* * *

I felt something was off about the concrete and steel beams blocking the hospital's front entrance.

'This shouldn't be happening.'

I was certain I'd gotten out through here in the past too, and I remembered the firefighters coming in through the main building's entrance when they put out the fire.

"...Cough. Licht, it's fine. I'll just..!"

"No, don't. You've breathed in.. far too much smoke."

The Platinum Wolf was straining to clear away the massive debris, but judging by her breathing and condition, it was already too much for her.

Why, of all things? If someone had to die, wasn't it supposed to be just me? At least let the person precious to me live.

"...Damn it."

Self-loathing crept in. Then and now, was I really incapable of doing anything?

'No, this time is different from before.'

The Nameless Saintess was right beside me. Even in an Academy uniform, even looking a little different from how I remembered her, this was really her.

"Just a little more.. please bear with it."

"Licht?!"

I opened my eyes wide and faced the fire head-on. Cold sweat ran down my skin.

Breathing had already been hard enough, but now my throat was closing up more and more. I forced my trembling feet to move, stepping forward.

"I believe in love."

The moment I activated my fake holy sword, a single drop of water fell plink from the ceiling, and a cobalt-colored sword formed at my feet.

'Is it that I can't make it rain indoors? Then...!'

Unfortunately, no rain fell. I couldn't activate the teleportation ability either.

I reached my hand out toward the blazing fire. This place was the same as the world inside my own mind. Because of that, there was one thing I could do better than anyone else.

'Heart Sword. All I have to do is draw a new Heart Sword from within my own mind.'

Right now, beside me stood the very Nameless Saintess I'd searched for so long. I couldn't lose her to this fire, not like this.

'The past can't be changed. But the present can.'

This situation wasn't the trauma I remembered. I didn't know if it was fate or coincidence, but there was someone I could trust and rely on right beside me.

"Saintess, a bad memory isn't something you face alone... it's something you overcome together."

I glanced back and put on a brave face. With our Saintess here, a fire this size was nothing, I could face it again and again. For her sake, I'd throw myself into hellfire itself.

"People are weak, but we can rely on each other."

I raised the sword and grinned at her. In that moment,

"Licht.. your body.. it's back to normal?"

"Ah, it really is."

My line of sight, which had been low this whole time, rose higher. Startled, I touched my face and found the rough, uneven burn scars had returned too.

'I didn't want to show the Saintess something this ugly. Guess it can't be helped.'

My breathing settled back a little toward normal. I was still afraid of fire, but I wasn't such a coward that I couldn't carve out an escape route for her.

My love for the Saintess was bigger than this fire.

"...I believe in love."

A dry laugh escaped me. Pure love really was invincible after all. I chanted the incantation to call the holy sword once more.

Ka-thoom!

A black, lever-like structure dropped from the ceiling. A sword that looked more like an intricate, gleaming piece of machinery.

Well, was this even a sword? It looked like something meant to be plugged in somewhere. Only the end meant to be pulled took the shape of a sharp blade.

"The first sword was Conviction, Giyu... so the name of the second sword is."

The past was the past. Like a scar that couldn't be erased. In the end, what could be changed was the future, and it was the me of the present who had to do that changing.

It was time to bid farewell to that stale old memory. Living on with the guilt was the right thing to do, but that guilt couldn't be allowed to hurt another innocent person.

"Old Thought, Reminiscence."

I wrapped my arms around the Saintess, who stood beside me watching the Heart Sword with fascination, ears perked up.

"Hold on tight. It's going to shake a little."

"Ah.. o-okay."

Her pure white tail shifted into the shape of an exclamation point. Interesting. Was that a trait of canine creatures?

Click.

I pulled the lever of Old Thought. It let out a deep rumble, the Heart Sword giving off a mechanical sound like some intricate device shifting into motion.

'There was "Stage Select" written on the underside...'

I'd noticed those words from the very start. That pulling this would let us escape the hospital.

"...Licht? What did you do?"

Probably some ability that randomly swapped out the terrain. In an instant, the scenery around us began to change, spinning like a roulette wheel.

"Just an ordinary skill."

Of course a game lets you pick a map before you start, right? There was no reason to explain any further to our Saintess.

* * *

And just like that, the two of us were transported outside the hospital. So this actually works.

"...Are you all right, Saintess?"

"..."

"Saintess? Are you okay?!"

"...Huh? U-um, I'm fine. Licht."

That's a relief. She hadn't responded at all when I called her, so I'd thought she'd lost consciousness. Once I confirmed she was safe, I let go of our embrace.

"...It's snowing."

"A white Christmas. A day late, though."

"What does that mean?"

Small, cute snowflakes fell from the sky.

"It's just a thing. It looks like you."

It looked just like the pure white her standing before me. Like two peas in a pod, snow falling on Christmas, just like the Nameless Saintess.

On this blessed weather, this blessed day,

"...It's nice to meet you, Saintess."

A blessed person who deserved nothing but happiness stood before me.

Now that I had a moment to breathe, I recited the line I'd so wanted to say. Even if this was just a midsummer night's dream, even if it was a fleeting illusion that would vanish the moment I opened my eyes, I didn't mind.

"We're not meeting for the first time, Licht."

"Ha, I guess that's true, huh?"

I gave it my all so I wouldn't have any regrets. But her way of speaking really did resemble someone I knew. Who was it again...?

"...Suhyun? Is that you?"

"Kim Youngmin...?"

That was when it happened. A child in a wheelchair approached us. Wheel tracks formed in the thin layer of snow on the ground.

"Thank goodness! So the Santa lady saved you..!"

The child in the red beanie was smiling brightly at me. What an innocent, sweet kid.

"You recognize me? Youngmin...?"

"Of course I do~! But you suddenly turned into a grown-up...?

He'd recognized me even though my face had been scarred by burns and grown ugly, even though my height and body had changed beyond recognition.

"Oh, I get it! Suhyun must be one of those superheroes from TV!"

"...There's no way that's true."

I shook my head. My lower lip stretched taut, and the emotion I'd been hiding burst out.

"I'm not something like that, Youngmin. What kind of hero can't even protect one kid."

"Suhyun, are you crying...?"

"I'm sorry, Youngmin. I really am.. sorry.."

My knees hit the ground on their own. I gave the child before me the apology I'd never gotten to finish. It probably wouldn't reach him anymore, but I apologized again and again.

"Suhyun! Don't cry! Stop it!"

"If I'd just paid more attention.. if I'd at least noticed you weren't with us when we got out, I could've saved you..."

"Suhyun, did you eat something weird? Heroes don't cry!"

The child patted the adult's shoulder, scolding him for crying. I had no idea what the Saintess beside me was thinking as she watched me, but I really was an ugly, filthy human being.

"...I'm sorry for not being enough, as your brother."

I was glad, relieved that I'd finally managed to protect him, and disgusted with myself that I'd been able to change the past like this.

"It's okay, Suhyun.. I don't know what happened, but..."

"..."

"...It's not your fault. In the end, I got out of the hospital thanks to you!"

The boy in the wheelchair grabbed my hand as he spoke. Thankfully, he looked completely fine, without a scratch on him anywhere.

"Actually, I was curious what was inside the present sack behind the Christmas tree, so I thought about sneaking into the main hall at night... but I was even more curious about Rudolph!"

The boy scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he told me the truth behind it all. So that's what had happened. It must have changed this time because I'd tried to sacrifice myself in his place instead.

"So you don't need to feel so guilty, Suhyun."

Even if the past couldn't be changed, maybe I'd been wanting to hear just a word or two like this.

Words telling me it wasn't my fault.

It wouldn't be a full pardon, and I'd probably carry this guilt for the rest of my life.

"The firefighters said.. that the place is completely collapsed now."

"...That's a relief. Actually, there was no Rudolph."

I finally let out a sigh of relief. That's when the boy named Youngmin looked at me, gasped, and cried out with his hand over his mouth.

"The Santa lady's right here, so why wouldn't there be one? She's standing right next to you!"

Wait, what..? There was no one beside me but our Saintess right now? A sudden sense of wrongness hit me, and I looked up.

"Hello, little one."

"Hello, Santa lady! You saw us just now, right..!"

The Nameless Saintess gave the boy in the wheelchair a small wave in greeting.

"...Mm, is this person's name Suhyun?"

Wait, I felt like I could almost remember. That way of speaking, that way of acting that looked cold but was warm underneath.

"No! It's actually Lee Suhyun!"

"Got it. I'll remember that."

Someone unlike our Saintess, who didn't call me by the title 'Knight,' and didn't call me by the name Lee Suhyun either.

No way, no way... It couldn't be. It just couldn't.

"...Licht. So your name is Lee Suhyun."

"Saintess. You're really our Saintess, right..? It's not what I think it is, is it?"

I stumbled backward. As far as I knew, there was only one person who matched this.

The noble Glass Knight. Mardol Gransia.

The one who loved cute things and sweet things.

Now that I thought about it, I'd kept feeling like I'd seen her somewhere before. What if she wasn't actually a black-haired werewolf? The thought spun around and around in my head.

"No, I'm not that person called the Saintess."

"Then maybe, Mardol..."

"...That's not my real name either, actually. Licht."

The pure white her shook her head, denying it.

Her pure white ears and tail drooped slightly, and her lovely, golden-glinting wolf eyes were watching me as if seeing straight through me.

"This.. is still the Apostle of Gluttony's dream, right..? Please tell me that's true. Please..!!"

"Licht.. I'm not your dream. I'm the real me, from outside..."

It felt far too real. A dream, to begin with, was supposed to be built on my own subconscious.

There was no way I could have picked up on a fact like this on my own. That was really Mardol. I could tell instinctively.

"Th, then how did you get into my trauma?!"

"...By lacing our fingers together?"

"..."

I was speechless. So our Saintess had been the Glass Knight, and I'd already gone and done all sorts of things with the Saintess...

"Ah, if you can't believe it, I can link my Masterpiece now too. Want me to show you?"

"This is inside my own memory, how is that even possible..!"

"Because this isn't just your memory anymore, Licht."

No wonder those eyes I'd seen through the helmet had looked so beautiful. She pressed a hand to her chest and spoke to me with quiet gravity.

"I don't know who you saw in your trauma. But Licht."

Her small white wolf ears perked up faintly. No, no matter how I looked at it, this really was our Saintess....

"Since you told me your real name too, it's only polite that I tell you mine."

The Masterpiece overlaid itself onto Phine in an instant, and she took on the form of a great white crystal.

"...Phine."

The white-haired girl spoke with a small, cute smile, her voice soft, as if asking me to remember these words for certain.

"My real name is Phine Gransia."

And so, putting the glass armor and glass helmet back on, the Nameless Saintess told me her name.

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