I Became The Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight - Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – Knight Meets Knight.

 

The splashing of water.

 

Two knights walked side-by-side amidst the pouring spring rain.

 

Licht, wearing only a black helmet.

 

And Mardol, clad in armor covering their entire body, including their head.

 

Anyone watching would think they were knights on a secret rendezvous.

 

‘What should I call this?’

 

Pure white and transparent glass combined.  A white knight and glass… the complete opposite of me.

 

A transparent, mirror-like arch shielded us from the rain.  It covered my head like an umbrella.  It was so shiny it could pass for crystal.

 

Was this the Glass Knight’s magic?

 

Well, Dennis’s nickname was Drunkard, and Kainel’s was Yellow Dog.

 

The nicknames in the game were quite literal.

 

But why did they approach me? They could have just left me in the rain. We were just seatmates in class.  Feeling something was amiss, I asked them.

 

“So, what business do you have with me?”

 

“Can’t use magic?”

 

“No.”

 

Aha, so they were trying to tease me. I put my hand to my forehead, looking at the fully-armored knight.  I was grateful for the rain cover, though.

 

They were about the same height as me.  I couldn’t gauge their build because of the thick armor.

 

As I looked them up and down, they looked at me.

 

“…?”

 

“There are people like that, Mardol.”

 

It was me who was strange.  No one in this world couldn’t use magic.  I sighed, feeling a sense of injustice, and quickened my pace.

 

“…Can you get stronger?”

 

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

 

The polished helmet tilted.  A muffled voice echoed from within.

 

Like someone speaking from inside a cave.  My helmet wasn’t like that.

 

Mardol put their hand on their chin.  Were they thinking about something?  Seeing this, they really seemed like the protagonist of part 3.  Their presence was too unique.

 

A character that seemed to be the exact opposite of the Black Knight.

 

A mysterious Glass Knight, wearing crystal-like armor and a helmet, like me, but white.

 

‘Someone like this must be from the Grancia Empire.’

 

The Knight Commander? No, that guy was too old.  The Imperial Guard wouldn’t wear armor like this either.

 

I racked my brain, trying to figure it out.

 

Mardol looked at me. Golden eyes visible through the gap. I felt like I had seen those eyes somewhere before.

 

“I’ll teach you magic.”

 

“I’ll call you Master from now on!”

 

At the shocking offer, I immediately bowed my head. What a stroke of luck. My mind was filled with excitement.

 

‘I’m a little uneasy, but it’ll be fine.’

 

I had run myself ragged trying to use magic in this game. The heavy emphasis on mana-based combat in the previous games had a big influence.

 

Conquering the world with brute force? That’s a Demon Lord, not an academy student.

 

I should be able to learn magic if a protagonist is teaching me. I couldn’t learn from Ariel because she was conscious of Yellow Dog, and the same went for Kainel.

 

It could ruin the combination skill flag.

 

As I was lost in thought, Mardol stared intently at the sword at my waist and spoke.

 

“In exchange, swordsmanship.”

 

“What swordsmanship?”

 

I played dumb.  I felt like I had triggered the wrong flag.  Master Drake had said he would kill me if I taught his techniques to anyone else, so I kept my mouth shut to survive.

 

“Drake.”

 

“…”

 

“Swordsmanship, and exchange.”

 

So they knew.  It was because of that coin-cutting demonstration in class. I wondered if I could fix this.

 

I didn’t know their choices.  It was Master’s fault in the first place.

 

“…Don’t want to?”

 

“Please give me some time to think.”

 

I glared, looking at the magic above my head.  Maintaining a spell of this size meant they were probably more talented in magic than swordsmanship, like Ariel.

 

“You twisted the magic formula, didn’t you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

My thoughts stopped for a moment at their answer, feeling a sense of déjà vu.  This was amazing.  Their manipulation skills were on par with Dennis.  They probably changed the steel itself.

 

“That’s amazing.”

 

“Not really.  Still weak.”

 

I was genuinely impressed.  They were stronger than Ariel or Kainel.

 

‘Can’t I just teach them secretly?’

 

It took me almost five years to learn it.

 

Even if this person in front of me was a protagonist, they wouldn’t have that much talent. I was on par with the Hero Kainel.

 

‘Unless they’re one of the Ten Swords.’

 

That thought made things clear.  There were three love lines related to them.

 

One was impossible before defeating the Demon King. Another was unrequited love, and Laplace had nothing to do with it.

 

There wouldn’t be a problem.

 

“Alright.  Deal.”

 

“When will you teach me?”

 

“Shouldn’t we start tomorrow?  We’re almost at the boys’ dormitory.”

 

“Ah.”

 

Then, they stopped walking.  The two knights had arrived at the dormitory.

 

We had been talking for so long that we lost track of time.

 

“I’ll maintain this.”

 

“Does this glass… umbrella disappear when we go inside?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Mardol gave me a small wave. They didn’t seem like a bad person.  Where had I seen them before?

 

It was a heartwarming gesture that felt more than just a coincidence.  I was grateful to be this dry in such heavy rain.  I bowed my head.

 

“Wait, aren’t you going into the dormitory, Mardol?”

 

“I’m going home.”

 

“Ah. You commute.”

 

It was an understandable answer.  As expected of someone from the Imperial City, they probably lived nearby.  But who were they really?  Should I ask Kainel later?

 

“Thanks to you, I didn’t get wet today. Thank you very much.”

 

“See you.”

 

‘They’re really terse.’

 

I found one characteristic.  A character with such a unique personality must appear in my notes somewhere.

 

—–CROW—–

 

With that thought, I entered the building. Inside the two-person room,

 

Kainel was already there.

 

‘There’s a wolf emblem engraved here too.’

 

Definitely a Grancia Empire building.  I closed the door and got lost in thought for a moment.

 

The Yellow Dog greeted me warmly. He looked happier than ever.

 

“Licht, you’re late.”

 

“I had some things to do.”

 

“There’s something here for you. Here.”

 

The blond Hero handed me a letter.

 

“Thanks for today. I feel like I keep owing you.”

 

“Did Ariel get back safely?”

 

“Thanks to you.  We were just talking.”

 

“Good.  Well done.”

 

The Hero explained the situation with a bright smile. That’s good.  He didn’t seem drenched, so it must have been a successful escort.

 

‘But what’s this? I don’t know anyone who would send me a letter.’

 

Listening to his fresh love story with a smile, I carefully examined the letter Kainel gave me.

 

In the right corner,

 

-Your one and only master

 

was written on the rough paper.

 

Ugh, it’s Master again.  Did he send this because he knew his techniques would be stolen?  I felt a chill.  Was he using telepathy?  I looked around a few times.

 

I checked for any strange surveillance and read the letter.

 

[To my beloved disciple, Licht]

 

Disgusting.

 

[I saw the results of your training today.]

 

I didn’t know why he was writing a letter instead of just telling me in person.  It wasn’t like him.

 

[I’m leaving this letter in case Dennis complains about me favoring one student.]

 

That made sense.

 

[You’ve grown a lot. This Drake is impressed.]

 

[Your Dragon Shadow is almost complete, now my ultimate technique…]

 

I immediately flipped to the next page.  I can’t learn that.  Do you want me to give up on being human?

 

[Anyway, there’s something you need to be careful about.]

 

Meeting you as a professor at the academy is already dangerous enough.

 

[Licht, avoid the Glass Knight as much as possible.  This is something only the faculty knows.]

 

Master? What are you suddenly…?

 

[They’re the child of an acquaintance of mine.]

 

A shiver ran down my spine.

 

The only “acquaintance” Drake would talk about like this was…

 

‘Emperor Locke Grancia.’

 

If they were his child, it had to be his only son.

 

No way.

 

“…”

 

Fuck.  The Crown Prince?

 

And I’m on their radar.

 

“Aaaaagh!!”

 

“What’s with the letter?!”

 

“This is a dream! It can’t be real!!”

 

I screamed in the dormitory, and Kainel looked at me with a strange expression.  He thought some kind of bug popped out or something and was about to use magic.

 

There’s a good reason for this.

 

Getting involved with this guy would ruin the entire route.

 

Saint, I’m screwed.

 

—–CROW—–

 

Meanwhile,

 

at the moment the Black Knight screamed,

 

someone was swinging a sword in the Imperial training grounds.  The only sound was the whooshing of the blade, and there were two figures in the silent space.

 

“Did you enjoy the academy, Lady Phine?”

 

“…Perhaps.”

 

“That’s good progress.  Seeing you swing your sword like this.”

 

The Glass Knight in shining armor, reflecting the moonlight.  And the elderly butler watching them.  Phine and Dejour.

 

After shielding Licht from the rain, she was imitating what he had shown in class.  She swept the ground and swung her sword forward.

 

“Dejour.”

 

“Understood. I’ll throw them.”

 

The butler quickly threw the bronze coins. The Glass Knight tried to replicate the shadow slash, but the coins hit the wall, and she failed.

 

“It’s difficult.”

 

“Why are you suddenly doing this?”

 

“There’s a reason.”

 

She clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly, seemingly struggling without using mana.

 

A moment of silence followed.

 

The butler was intrigued by his master’s sudden change in behavior.  He wondered what had happened at the academy.

 

‘You’ve changed, Lady Phine.’

 

That young man must have done something, the butler thought to himself.

 

*Clatter.*

 

Then, the training ground door burst open with a loud noise. Someone entered the space where only the butler and she were present.  The sound of running footsteps approached.

 

“Sis! Did you have fun at the academy? I heard you’re back!”

 

“Yes, Rufus.”

 

“I have to wait three more years to go?”

 

“Perhaps.”

 

A boy with black hair, golden eyes, and wolf ears ran up to his sister and spoke.  His ears and tail wagged vigorously, as if he hadn’t seen her in a long time.

 

“I want to go too… Grand Hearts Academia…”

 

“Wait.”

 

“But I don’t want to be away from you…!”

 

Phine pushed her younger brother away.  She was engrossed in swinging her sword, as if annoyed, not even sparing him a glance.

 

“Hey, are you wearing that armor again? Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

 

“It’s bearable, Rufus.”

 

Rufus, her younger brother, was curious, watching the scene. His sister, trying to cut coins, looked very uncomfortable in her armor and helmet.

 

“Take it off, Lady Phine.”

 

“But that Black Knight…”

 

“Right! He looked really uncomfortable! Sis!”

 

At their insistence, she finally took off her helmet.

 

Long white hair cascaded down to her waist, and her golden eyes shone.  Her wolf ears, previously hidden, were now visible.

 

“This makes me weaker.”

 

“Did you meet that man, Lady Phine?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“W-What? Sis, do you have a boyfriend?”

 

“No.”

 

She shook her head.

 

But Rufus’s face was filled with shock.  The butler, seeing his dumbfounded expression, looked down as if this was a common occurrence.

 

“He’s peculiar.  Licht.”

 

“He’s the disciple of my friend, so it makes sense.  Although this old man is no match for Drake.”

 

“What kind of flirtatious name is that?!”

 

The boy was bewildered.

 

As if ignoring him, Dejour spoke.

 

“What was your first impression?”

 

“…”

 

Phine fell silent, lost in thought.  After a moment, she opened her mouth.  Small fangs were visible.

 

“A rain-soaked puppy.”

 

A spark of life briefly flickered in her eyes.

 

—–CROW—–