I Became The Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight - Chapter 10

Chapter 10 – Coincidence and Fate Aren’t So Different After All.

—–CROW—–

Kainel had always seemed like a hero to her.

“I heard from my mom that elves have bad tempers!”

“Is that why you’re always seducing boys? You vixen!”

“N-No! They’re just doing that on their own…!”

When she first arrived in Lavrans Village as a child,

Ariel, admired for her beauty, was bullied by others out of envy and jealousy.

“There are no elves among the Ten Swords~! That’s why!”

“Well, aren’t they a cowardly race?”

“…That’s not true! It’s not!”

The World Tree forest burned by the Demon King.  The village she evacuated to wasn’t welcoming.

Her circumstances were considered somewhat normal in this world.

Her red hair was pulled, and dirt smudged her face.  The girls surrounding her sneered.

“Do you think you can get by just on your looks?”

“Look, her ears are so creepy!  Kyahaha!”

“…Sniff… sniff…”

Tears welled up from the stinging sensation.  She resented being treated like this.  Her hands, gripping the ground, were scraped.

It seemed like no one would help her.

“What are you doing to a single girl?!”

Then, a blond-haired hero appeared.

“Yellow Dog’s here!”

“Are you avoiding us because you’re scared of Kainel? We’re avoiding you because you’re disgusting!”

“Let’s go, Ariel! Consider yourself lucky!”

The boy from Lavrans Village.  Kainel.

He was already known for his kindness in the village.  He wouldn’t just stand by and watch this happen.

The boy, running towards them with a wooden stick, looked like a hero saving a princess.

‘Who… is that boy?’

Seeing the girls run away as soon as they saw him, Ariel felt a strange emotion.

They had been bullying her so relentlessly.

“They ran away.  Can you get up?”

He offered her a hand to help her up.

Thinking of her appearance, she made a crying face.

“Stay away from me…”

“Huh…? Why?”

“I’m an elf.  A monster with a bad temper…”

She bit her lower lip. Her voice trembled as she tried to hold back her tears.  Seeing that, Kainel just looked at her with concern.

“…”

After a few minutes of silence, Ariel spoke.

“Don’t… you hate me…? My ears are long and different from others…”

“No, I think they’re pretty.”

“W-What…?”

“You’re just a pretty girl.  Don’t worry about them being jealous.”

He grinned, his eyes crinkling into crescents.

There was no ulterior motive in his smile.  The boys who approached her had lecherous looks in their eyes when they saw her as an elf, but his blue eyes felt different.

“Those kinds of guys are cowards, so they always move in groups.”

“…”

“So, if they try to hurt you, tell me.”

“Why… are you helping me…?”

“I hate people who act all high and mighty when they’re nothing special.”

He scratched his head, looking embarrassed.  Then, he used magic to heal the small cuts on her.  The warm sensation on her skin made her tears flow even more.

“There, all done!  I’m glad there are no scars!”

Seeing Kainel’s relieved expression, she didn’t care why she was crying anymore.

Was it because it had been so long since she had heard someone genuinely worried about her?  She couldn’t even remember what kind of expression she was making.

Her cheeks were probably red.

It must have been because she was crying.

It couldn’t have been love at first sight.

“Thank you, Kai…”

That day, Ariel met her hero.

The boy named Kainel.

—–CROW—–

“Aaaagh—! My arm, my arm’s broken!”

“My leg! My leg!”

“Stop exaggerating. I just subdued you.”

“K-Kai? When did you get here?”

He had subdued the thugs who were harassing her in an instant.

Kainel’s face was filled with rage, looking almost frightening.  She understood why he was so angry, though.

“Ariel, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Huh? Yeah! Except for my wrist…”

“Let me see, I’ll heal it.”

Ignoring the two men writhing in pain on the ground, the blond Hero was only concerned about her well-being.

His eyes were restless.  His hair swayed in front of her.

‘Just like back then.’

Her cheeks flushed slightly.  She couldn’t stop the corners of her lips from turning up.  The warm sensation of healing.  It had been a while.

“…It would have been a disaster if it weren’t for Licht.”

Kainel muttered, finally relieved.

His words piqued her curiosity.

“Why Helmet Man?”

“I was just training with him in swordsmanship and learned something good.”

“What is it? Tell me too!”

“It’s a secret. Licht! Thanks for today!”

Then, the black helmet waved from afar.  The Black Knight gave a thumbs-up, as if saying he did well.  Kainel smiled as he looked at him.

‘Did that person do something again?’

Come to think of it, he had also said he would get her and Kainel together during their first meeting in the carriage.  It had been a while since Kainel had been this close to her.  She had been constantly worried about drawing a line between them.

She might not like the sudden closeness, but

“Hee hee… You really are a hero, Kai.”

“Was I a fake before?”

Ariel didn’t dislike it.

She liked her childhood friend so much that she even wanted to thank Licht.  Her body flinched at the warmth from his hand.

“I told you to tell me whenever something like this happens.”

“You were late!  Even when I called you with magic, they just said you were at the training grounds…”

“Sorry.  So, can you walk?”

Her legs had given out at some point.  Her powerless body told her how terrifying the situation just now had been.

“Hop on.”

“W-What?! No, it’m fine! I’m okay…”

“Just do it.”

Her body swayed greatly.  Ariel, having lost her balance, stumbled.

“Eek.”

“That was close.”

Kainel caught her as she almost fell.  He looked like a true gentleman in moments like these.  Ariel’s heart fluttered.

“…What about Helmet Man? Are we just leaving him?”

“It’s fine, he told me to go.  And Licht and I are roommates anyway.”

“Really? It’s like fate!”

“Yeah, and what happened today too.  Up you go.”

After exchanging a few more words, he gave her a piggyback ride.

Their eyes were now at a similar level.  The close distance, as if she was hugging him from behind.

“Where shall I take you, my princess?”

The upturned corners of his eyes.  His characteristically gentle voice.  Her ears tingled.

“Take me to the girls’ dormitory, Kai.”

She tried her best not to meet his eyes, feeling like she would explode if she did.  She usually looked at him just fine.

‘He’s gotten taller.’

The feel of his firm back.  Kainel, whom she had always thought of as her childhood friend, was starting to feel more like a man.

Her heart pounded.

*Thump—*

She hoped this small beat wouldn’t reach Kainel.  The warmth spreading from his back to her chest was warm with the flow of blood.

“You’re a bit heavy.”

“What?! Liar! I’m on a diet!”

“Sorry, I was joking. Licht told me to try it.”

“…I almost got mad.”

Had his mood changed?  The Hero was joking like they used to when they played together without any reservations.

Yes, they had always been like this.

Comfortable, and heart-fluttering.

A relationship beyond friendship.

Could she ever confess these feelings?  Her worries deepened.

The moon waned, and emotions ripened.

“Thank you. For protecting me.”

“You’re welcome.”

Ariel buried her face in Kainel’s back.

—–CROW—–

Kainel called out from afar.

“Licht! See you at the dorm!”

“Go in with Ariel!”

“We’ll go first, Helmet Man!”

I waved goodbye to Ariel and Kainel.

Don’t mention it. You’ll have a hard time later.

I just helped a little.  Now that I’ve broken all the flags, his true personality is showing.

Good job, our Yellow Dog. I’ll report those guys to the guards.

I felt a sense of camaraderie with Kainel.

Even if he ran away before the ending.  We worked hard together until then because of that damn sequel, so this much was nothing.  So just protect Ariel.

My heart felt lighter.  Even if <Black Heart> had a messy love line,

they had to become lovers in <Knight Heart> first, so this was the right way.

‘The status window is working fine too.’

[Calculating Grand Route Ending Achievement Rate…]

After seeing the two childhood friends off, a small pink window popped up, showing my progress.

[Kainel♡Ariel 21% “NEW!”]

[PS. You’re really serious about the Saint’s route… Σ(ㅇㅁㅇ;)]

Did you think I wasn’t serious?

‘This is ridiculous.  They even possessed me…’

I chuckled at the message. Even if there were other easier ways, I would go this way.  I’ll do as my heart tells me.

‘My guild was full of people like that anyway.’

Where would you find gamers who weren’t serious about their game characters these days? They were so out of touch with reality.  The developers must have played the game at least a little.

I missed them now that I thought about it.  I wonder if they beat <Black Heart>?

“…It went up a lot.”

I stretched, feeling proud of the Romance Meter increase, and my joints cracked.  I must have overdone it during swordsmanship training.  Should I go to the boys’ dormitory alone?

After walking for a few minutes, thinking about the upcoming flags,

a cold sensation touched my shoulder. The sound of water droplets echoed on the ground.

*Plip, plop—*

*Whoosh—*

“Ah, it’s raining.”

Kainel and Ariel must have gotten inside safely.  Magic is overpowered. They probably had ways to avoid the rain.  The problem was me.  I didn’t have an umbrella.

“It’s really pouring.”

Spring rain, huh? It exists in this world too.  Even if I ran, I’d get soaked without mana. The surrounding shops were long closed, and rainwater filled my shoes.

Water started seeping into my helmet.  It hadn’t even dried properly yet.

Oh well.  I’ll just run…

Huh?

“…What are you doing?”

“Mardol?”

That’s my line.

The Glass Knight was casting magic, creating an umbrella-like shield over my head.

—–CROW—–