Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight - Chapter 39

Chapter 39 – You are always one Step Behind 2

—–CROW—–

“…Beef stew? Licht, you can cook too?”

“Oh, this is delicious, Helmet guy!”

A little while later, he made a meal with the monsters they had hunted for the hero couple, who had just woken up. They needed to eat to work.

“One more bowl.”

“You have quite the appetite… Here you go.”

It was a meat stew made by throwing everything he had into a pot and boiling it.

He tried it because he was reminded of someone, and it turned out quite delicious. Perhaps it was due to his years of experience cooking for himself.

‘The group project ends tonight.’

He planned his strategy while ladling another serving of stew for the glass knight. Was she always this much of a big eater? The Saintess also had a hearty appetite.

“So, we’re going to hunt a 6-star monster? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“We’ll just target a non-dangerous one.”

He chuckled as he watched Mardol cover her face with glass and eat the stew. No one was going to steal it from her. He was glad his helmet hid his smile.

Then, the blond hero questioned him.

“But the Shadow Wolf is a 5-star…”

“The number of stars doesn’t determine everything, Kainel.”

It was true that the Shadow Wolf wasn’t a weak monster if you didn’t know its weaknesses.

“…That’s what strategies are for. It’ll be easy.”

“He’s right.”

Just as there were monsters with hard shells that were difficult for swordsmen to handle in the game, some 4-star monsters had erratic patterns or were so disgusting that players avoided their quests.

“So… which monster is it?”

“You know the Armored Bees? We’re going to hunt their queen.”

A high-ranking monster with a large population. He looked at Mardol and Ariel.

“The queen…? The Armored Queen Bee?”

“That’s right, Ariel.”

With the Crimson Mage and judging by Mardol’s swordsmanship this morning, it seemed possible. He nodded and explained to the others.

They didn’t have any glaring elemental weaknesses either.

“Our first objective is to destroy the hive.”

“…Just that?”

“Just that? Armored Bees are supposed to be dealt with using magic, and the queen is…”

“Protected. Tricky.”

She carried a steel hive on her back. The queen’s location was essentially the Armored Bees’ habitat. Moreover, knowing their weaknesses was key to defeating them easily.

“As Mardol said, Armored Bees have high physical resistance, and the queen has high magic resistance.”

“So, if Ariel deals with the workers, you and I will…?”

“It’s good that we’re on the same page, Kainel. But it’s slightly different.”

“What’s different?”

He remembered how difficult it was to fight the queen with only swordsmanship in the game, as he disliked spoilers. The queen wouldn’t leave her worker bees’ protection, and Armored Bees were difficult to penetrate with swords.

“Mardol and I will be one team, and Kainel and Ariel will be the other. It could be dangerous if there’s an opening, and we need to earn teamwork points.”

“So you’re considering both magic and physical resistance… But was Mardol a mage?”

He had to pair magic and swordsmanship to prepare for any situation.

“She’s a Magic Swordsman.”

“Licht’s right.”

“Well, it would be strange if she wasn’t a Magic Swordsman with that armor, Mardol!”

While this wasn’t the first time he had seen Mardol’s glass magic, it was for the hero couple. Kainel’s understanding expression made sense.

“Anyway, we’re going to lure them with something sweet. Since they make honey, they should be attracted to things other than flowers… Huh?”

He rummaged through his pockets, but felt nothing.

‘Where are the candies I bought…?’

Ah, he didn’t have any candy. He had forgotten he gave them to Kainel in the carriage. He despaired at his simple mistake and slapped his forehead.

“Here. Candy.”

“Mardol…?”

Then, a golden candy was offered to him. Thank you, Crown Princess! She was truly a good person. This was entirely his mistake. He should always carry candy for the Saintess.

“…Thank you, Mardol.”

He felt a pang of envy, seeing her one step ahead of him even in this aspect. The knight in heavy armor munched on the remaining candy, seemingly oblivious to his feelings.

“…You’re welcome.”

Her pronunciation was muffled. Perhaps because she was eating inside her glass helmet, her voice was distorted.

“If we melt this…”

He placed the crushed candy on a ladle, and it caramelized over the fire, turning into a thick, brown liquid. It was like making dalgona candy.

“Ariel, you can use the ‘Fire Blossom’ skill, right?”

“Ah, yes! Of course I can! It’s a basic spell, Helmet guy!”

He couldn’t even use that. She immediately created a flower with flames. It resembled a lavender, perhaps reflecting her hometown as her mental image.

“It reminds me of Lavrance Village.”

“You’re right, Ariel. Did you think of our village for this too?”

“Hehe… Of course, Kai!”

He felt slightly relieved seeing the blond lion notice. He had become much more perceptive. He nodded slightly. The red-haired elf with twintails smiled at him.

‘At this rate, even without me, they’ll be happily dating by the time <Knight Heart> starts five years from now.’

Tsunderes needed time. He thought it would ruin her character if she fell in love too easily.

“We’ll use this as a mold, Mardol. Please.”

A glass mold in the shape of a lavender was created. He poured the melted candy into it, shaping it like a flower.

“Thank you. I think the preparations are complete.”

“So, what’s the plan?”

It seemed he had successfully combined the items. It was a candy flower made by combining earth and fire attributes, so there was no risk of other monsters interfering with it.

“…We’re going to steal royal jelly.”

Even though they were 6-star monsters, they were easy to hunt repeatedly if you knew their weaknesses. It felt like playing the game again after a long time.

“Oh, the bees are here, Helmet guy!”

Unlike yesterday, they were waiting from afar for the monsters to fall into their trap. How much time had passed?

—*Buzz.*

“They came right away.”

“Sugar is naturally sweeter than flower pollen, Kainel.”

Bees in heavy armor, like Mardol, swarmed around the candy flower. Each one was small, but they were all Armored Bees clad in steel armor.

“…Where’s the queen?”

“She’ll probably appear if we follow those bees, Mardol.”

He suddenly wondered when he would get armor. His previous game item was truly convenient. He felt a pang of sadness, only wearing a helmet and claiming to be a Black Knight, unlike the glass knight.

“…Ah, I’ll fragment and go.”

“Let’s follow them discreetly. They’re quite aggressive.”

They slowly followed the worker bees flying in formation.

Then, they saw a large bee carrying a steel hive on its back. Unlike the worker bees, the boss monster was large and menacing.

“Armored Queen Bee.”

“…She’s bigger than I thought. Is that… a hive on her back?”

Kainel pointed. It was called the ‘Iron Hive.’ A key strategy point detailed in the guidebooks and setting books.

Destroying that part maximized the chances of obtaining rare items like royal jelly.

“We need to target the hive to get royal jelly. Let’s aim for that harder part before killing the boss.”

It was a coveted item among players. They would get a high score for this.

“The Queen Bee can sting or charge. We don’t have antidotes, so let’s be careful.”

It was also mentioned that the Queen Bee, unlike the Armored Bees, occasionally consumed meat to maintain her size. They had to avoid being poisoned.

“So… how are we going to attack first, Helmet guy?”

“…You two should use your combination skill.”

“Ah. Right…”

Kainel nodded and looked at the mage, as if agreeing immediately. Ariel’s face was quite red.

“Eek. Hic.”

She started hiccuping. Was the backhug that embarrassing? Ah, he would probably react the same way if he imagined doing it with the Saintess.

He understood immediately.

“Just bear with it for a little while. Once you create an opening, Mardol and I will charge in with Wolf Fang.”

“Combination skill, together.”

That wasn’t a combination skill, Lupus. He shook his head, watching the glass knight lost in her own world. A combination skill required combining their attributes.

“…What should we name the combination skill, Ariel?”

“Hic, well… how about ‘Shine Fireworks,’ Kai…?”

“What? You combined it with me because I’m the Hero of Light?”

“…Yes.”

While the hero couple prepared their combination skill, Licht and Mardol discussed their swordsmanship and how to effectively attack the Queen Bee.

“I’ll inflict as much damage as possible to the hive with Void Slash. Since it requires preparation, please maintain the disrupted formation with Grancia-style swordsmanship.”

“What should I use?”

“The second form, ‘Howling Wind,’ would be good. It should be enough to stun the worker bees.”

“…How do you know that, Licht?”

She seemed suspicious of his knowledge and became more talkative. He saw golden wolf eyes within the glass helmet. Making excuses would only backfire.

“Knowing the Empire’s sword styles is essential for a swordsman.”

Since he had been led into a trap, he decided to stick to the truth. She seemed to accept his answer and nodded.

“I see.”

It seemed like a slight flag had been raised. He hoped he wouldn’t be confined in some Imperial dungeon and become a future knowledge dispenser. He would probably be fine with Nex around.

“Then, let’s begin.”

Suppressing his guilt, he began the Armored Queen Bee strategy.

—–CROW—–

‘Why does that man always wear a helmet…?’

Phine Grancia pondered inside her glass armor. She initially thought he wore it to hide his identity or because he was wary of her, but…

‘Licht, strong but clumsy…’

Her keen eyes gradually discerned his true nature, noticing numerous inconsistencies.

He had fallen for her simple trap a moment ago, and now that she thought about it, he hadn’t revealed his face while eating the stew, just like her.

‘He looked unwell yesterday, but he was strong.’

Her snow-white wolf ears twitched with curiosity. He was one of the few who had defeated her, and she hated losing.

Therefore, this change was quite refreshing.

‘But why does he seem so energetic today…?’