Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight - Chapter 38

Chapter 38 –  You Are Always One Step Behind 

—–CROW—–

Class. 

The classification of professions, introduced in <Knight Heart>.

[The reason I became a Saintess…?]

Among them, he chose the Black Knight.

Thanks to her words, he even used a nickname change ticket and renamed himself “Pure Love Black Knight.”

[Well, I guess I suddenly heard a voice when I opened my eyes….]

His skill tree was Magic Swordsman. He swept away enemies using both swordsmanship and magic.

It was convenient in a game where magic was overpowered.  The white-haired woman looked at him, her wolf ears perked up.

[…Ah, you just had a strange thought, didn’t you?]

He combined Paladin skills, optimizing his build for protecting her, a non-combatant.

The scent of roses wafted over him as golden eyes drew closer.

They were wolf eyes. Definitely brighter than human eyes.

[The God of Light is quite thoughtful, so people often don’t understand him. But I thought you would be different….]

She pouted and puffed out her white cheeks.

The inn lobby that appeared upon first logging into the game. He and the Saintess were standing there alone.

[I’ve been told many times that I can’t be a Saintess if I can’t even answer my name….]

She would remain silent or say she didn’t know, no matter how much the player asked about her name.

It was often joked that even the Demon Lord of Omniscience didn’t know.

[I’m also a half-baked priest who can’t even use divine power properly.]

It was true. In the game community, the ‘First Saintess’ was often used as the standard for comparison.  Dejected, her wolf ears and tail drooped.

[Title: Character Performance Analysis After Today’s Update (Long Post Warning)]

If there were a post like this…

[Totally on par with the 666 Saintess? Wow, just with basic skills, full HP and excess healing converts to a shield?]

[An Ancient Elf who’s a Priest?  Using a bow and healing? This isn’t an elf!!]

└[‘That Saintess’ defeated again… No, she’s a wolf, so it’s not a dog-like defeat.]

└[Pure Love Black Knight: You’re the worst.]

…there were many malicious comments like that. He later added them to his blocked words list.

Even if her healing wasn’t great, she was a good person.  Besides, no one else had the Saintess class except for his Blue Rose.

It was her unique pride that no one could take away.

He was so surprised when he learned about Chartinese, the Second Saintess, after being transported into the game.

[Hehe, I’m still a Saintess. I believe a title and a name should be earned through appropriate position and effort.]

Her white ears and tail perked up again, and a sly, fox-like smile spread across the nameless Saintess’s face.

[It’s the same for you, Knight.  Show me what a cool ‘Black Knight’ you are!  Hmph.]

She would playfully steal his helmet, a game item, and run away, or…

[You lack ‘pure love.’ This isn’t love….]

…sigh and furrow her brow while reading her favorite romance novels.

[Burn scars…? I don’t really care about those things. You’re always number one in my heart, Knight…!]

Thinking about her good points… he loved everything about her, she was just so adorable.

[Lee Soohyun-nim.]

“…”

[I’m sorry for being weak all this time.]

[…May you be at peace.]

He wanted to protect her.

He wanted to give her a happy ending, just once.

It didn’t matter if he was weak this time.

—–CROW—–

“…That dream was disturbingly realistic.”

He woke up.  Having dreams like this occasionally proved this was reality. Even if it was a game world.

Sunlight streamed in through the tent, touching his eyelids.  He had slept soundly for the first time in a while.  Perhaps because he had used Void Slash so much.

“And it was about the Saintess again… Did I make a mistake talking to the blond lion yesterday?”

He thought he wouldn’t dream about her anymore. Years had passed, but he hadn’t changed.

“Ha… Seriously.”

He sighed deeply.  Time was supposed to heal all wounds, but the memories lingered, and he only remembered the good times.

He lifted the visor of his helmet.

“There’s no way I can protect the Saintess now.”

Because he wasn’t the same Black Knight Licht from the game. He couldn’t use magic or divine power.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes. They were slightly moist. He had even cried?  Crazy bastard. He shook his head, trying to regain his composure.

“I should be swinging my sword instead of worrying about this.”

He lowered his helmet again, covering his face.  He had definitely been in a bad state since yesterday. He picked up Pure Love Injector Mk.2 and stepped out of the tent.

“Licht. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Mardol.”

He ran into the glass knight as soon as he stepped out.  Was she practicing swordsmanship too? Judging by her repetitive movements, it was the Grancia Empire’s sword style.

Wait, but something seemed off.  It was as if multiple transparent figures were overlapping around her…

“What are you doing…?”

As he stared intently, she stopped and asked him a question.  Then, one solid figure became clearly visible.

“Are you creating illusions with glass?  That’s amazing.”

“Actually, no.”

He made his deduction based on the cut marks on the tree in front of them, despite no attack being made, and the shadowy figures lacking substance.

It was possible, since magic defied the laws of the world.

“This glass magic.  Are they realistic illusions?”

“Yes.  That’s right.”

“You twisted the concept, like Professor Dennis, right?”

“…Steel.  Shines.”

It was like a clone jutsu.  Magic truly was overpowered.

Was she manipulating the ‘shining, light-reflecting’ aspects of steel, an earth attribute, to use glass?

“Then, you can apply it in various ways.  It seems incredibly durable.”

“As expected, strong and smart.”

It was an effective method. The glass inherited the strength of steel and was easily malleable, allowing for versatile use.

‘The Crown Princess is overpowered!’

He gave his brief assessment.  This level of ability was enough to protect the Saintess. He felt envious as he looked at the golden eyes within the glass helmet.

As expected of a descendant of the Ten Swords. Like Nex Aureus, her bloodline was overpowered. But why did she appear weak in the sequel?

“But were you always this strong, Mardol?”

“No, I’m weak.”

“…Lying is bad. Tell me.”

“I have to… become stronger.”

Even when he tried to extract information, she was a character obsessed with “becoming stronger.” He looked up and down at Mardol in her pristine white full plate armor.

“…Why, Licht?”

He paused and pondered.  Something felt off. Was she really the same person?

‘This might be the Crown Princess’s true personality.  Perhaps the Lupus I saw was an imposter…’

Seeing her magic gave him a clue.  Each person’s attribute was unique.

It was strange for such a unique character, manipulating the earth attribute, to be reduced to a mere Mary Sue.

The nameless Saintess had the light attribute, same as Kainel.

“Why? What couldn’t you protect because you were weak?”

“…”

Lupus lacked presence in <Knight Heart>. It would have been easier to portray her as a taciturn character like this for monetization purposes.

“…Well, you don’t have to answer.  I was being too forceful. I’m sorry, Mardol.”

“No, my fault…”

Seeing the glass knight lower her head, he felt his resolve weaken.

She wasn’t a bad person now. He took a step closer to ease her wariness.

“Mardol.”

They would become comrades and hunt Demon Lords together.

“…Don’t worry too much.  We’ll be able to protect her this time.”

“Yes… Sorry.”

He had to ask her to take care of the nameless Saintess, so he changed his approach and spoke gently. He patted her shoulder armor encouragingly.

“Ah, we haven’t found any 6-star monsters among the ones we defeated, right?”

“No, Licht.”

He looked at the spoils they had gathered to change the subject.  This was a decent haul, but…

It wasn’t enough to guarantee an A+.  Their teamwork score wouldn’t be high since Ariel and Mardol weren’t participating.

“Let’s talk to Kainel and Ariel when they wake up.  Let’s hunt stronger and easier monsters.”

His current state was at its peak thanks to the dream he had about the Platinum Wolf. He had to make up for yesterday’s shortcomings.

—–CROW—–

“Hmm…”

Meanwhile, back at the academy where Licht and his group were absent…

“This isn’t good…”

A white-haired woman wearing a magician’s hat was tampering with the barrier.  It crackled, rejecting her attempts to enter, unlike before.

“…How boring.”

Wearing a bored expression, she rested her chin on her hand.  She was dressed entirely in black, except for her hair.

“It’s become thicker because of that Grim Reaper.”

Her speech, which had been polite, turned casual. How much time had passed?

“It can’t be helped…”

She pulled a black mask from her pocket and put it on.  It was an accessory with a chillingly smiling expression.

“Now I can pass through.  My Authority is the most convenient…!”

As soon as she wore it, her attire changed to that of an ordinary academy student, and even her face transformed into someone else’s.

“Ah, will my beloved not recognize me if I wear a mask…?”

She touched her face, expressing discomfort.  The black mask she had just worn vanished as if it had never existed.

“No, he’ll recognize me!  I’ll trust him.”

The Demon Lord of Truth hummed a tune, her mood elevated. A sweet, feminine voice emerged.

“…This is going to be fun after all this time. Hehe.”

Thus, the woman with striking white hair and golden eyes infiltrated Grand Hearts Academia, her true identity concealed.

—–CROW—–