I Became The Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight - Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – Coincidence and Fate Aren’t So Different After All.

—–CROW—–

Kainel had always considered himself different from others.

Perhaps he had been filled with vanity after being chosen by the Holy Sword of Light.

This was the result.

‘It’s possible even without using mana.’

He looked at the numerous coin fragments scattered on the floor and thought.  Come to think of it, it was the same with the Shadow Wolf before.

He almost held back on using the Holy Sword because of his past. That would have been a disaster. Honestly, he had been arrogant, thinking he had become stronger.

He had a beautiful childhood friend by his side, and he had overestimated his strength after going through some tough times.

A body that didn’t use mana was too weak.

The Black Knight didn’t seem to use magic either, so how was he so skilled with a sword?

“Licht, why are you so strong?”

“Me?”

After all the classes ended, he stopped as he was walking home with Licht.  Brown eyes shining within the helmet.

“I worked hard because I have something I want to achieve.”

“What is it?”

“I wanted to make someone unhappy, happy.”

“That person you talked about before?”

“Excuse me?”

The woman with beautiful white hair? He recalled his previous memory and spoke.

Then, Licht’s steps faltered. His left foot and left arm moved together.  Similar to a creaking clockwork doll.

“So it is.”

“N-No… it… isn’t…”

A reaction that screamed “correct answer.”

Who could have captured the heart of such a Black Knight, who was so easy to read?  Was she like Ariel to him? Then it made sense that he became so strong.

A smile formed on his lips, feeling a sense of camaraderie.

“I saw you looking around for someone in the classroom earlier. Buddy.”

“…Me?  No way.”

“Then I don’t have to tell you about the person who looks just like her?”

“Where did you see her?!”

He felt a sudden urge to tease him.

The person who knew the habits of the Shadow Wolf so well. The Black Knight who tried to help him and Ariel get closer. And Licht, who was in the same class. They all seemed like different people.

“Sorry, just kidding.”

“Save those jokes for Ariel.”

“No way. She’ll throw a fireball at me.”

“She would.”

They were joking around like this, so they must be close, right?  He paused for a moment, lost in thought.

“Licht.”

“Yes?”

Like what Licht had done.  He wanted to become stronger to protect Ariel.  He was too weak to be her hero right now.

“Can I train in swordsmanship with you?”

Kainel decided to take another step forward.

—–CROW—–

The Grand Hearts Academia Swordsmanship Training Ground.

A training facility with various weapons adorning the walls and dozens of protective magic circles etched into the polished floor.

The Hero and the Black Knight were there.

‘What’s this now?’

I barely avoided a heated reunion training session with Master, and now swordsmanship training with the blond Hero?

My route is in danger… but it’s not an affinity check.

Is this a sudden event?  I pondered, crossing my arms.

“In return, join the Magic Club with Ariel.”

“What…?  I’ll talk to her about it.”

I answered, thinking about the companion route.  This way, I had no choice but to help from the side.

No loss for me.  A strange feeling emanated from Kainel’s face.

He had a ‘That’s all?’ expression, but I needed you two to build your love line quickly.  Nothing more was needed.

I took a sword from the rack.

Oh, this one’s in good condition.  I wonder if I can take one.

“I’ll just say one thing.”

“What?”

“Do your best.”

“I’m already doing that.”

The blond Hero braced himself.  That’s not what I meant, your mindset is wrong. I shook my head.

“You don’t need strength. To protect someone.”

“Then what do I need?”

“Make sure you have no regrets.”

“…I see.”

He finally seemed to understand.  Someone who’s truly dedicated to something is more frightening than someone incredibly strong.

I was the latter, and that’s why I worked hard.

‘That’s how I defeated the Demon King before.’

No matter how strong the swordsmanship I taught Kainel, his weakness wasn’t his combat power.

The problem was his indecisive personality and excessive reliance on the Holy Sword of Light.

‘It detects beings with malice, isn’t that too overpowered?’

He wouldn’t know that it had weaknesses.  That was one of the reasons his nickname in the community was Yellow Dog.

I had seen countless posts titled [Poor Kainel Betrayed Again Today].  The smile disappeared from my face.

Someone who judged based on whether the Holy Sword trembled, like Pavlov’s dog.

He trusted anyone and got betrayed.

The detection ability seemed flawless, but it didn’t work on Demon Kings.

That was why even the great Dennis was drowning himself in alcohol.  You’d need to gather the Ten Swords again to catch them.

And there was another weakness.

“I’ll swing my sword, so try activating the Holy Sword.”

“Are you sure? You seem to know something.”

“It can’t come here.  There are so many magic circles.”

If he was talking about cultists, infiltrating this academy was suicide.  There were so many heroes here who would send them straight to their coffins.

“Let there be light.”

Light emanated from Kainel’s Holy Sword.

“Now, I’ll give you a question.”

“What now?”

“Is this a ‘malicious’ act?”

I quickly threw a few coins like Drake had done.

*Ting. Clang.*

Unlike the previous class, he deflected the coins, circulating mana through his body.

“Well…”

He pondered as he watched the coin fragments fall to the floor with a metallic clang.

“The Holy Sword of Light has weaknesses.”

“Who are you really? A traitor?  Or a double agent?”

“Let’s just say… a sworn enemy. For now.”

I sighed. I almost said something that would trigger Kainel.  I couldn’t touch on his past anymore.

“The fact that it only judges malice directed towards ‘itself’,

and that it doesn’t work on crazy people.  Those are the two weaknesses.”

“What?”

If I mentioned the Demon King in front of the Hero, I would probably be dragged to the Inquisition tomorrow morning.  I would disappear as morning dew on the execution grounds for the sake of the Empire’s peace.

Let’s tone it down for now.

“How… do you know that?”

“It’s strange when you think about it.  The fact that such a weapon exists.”

“It’s the Holy Sword of Light? Isn’t an artifact like the Masterpiece?”

“No, that’s not the issue. Human emotions aren’t that simple.”

I sighed.  I thought I had shown him enough evidence,

“Kainel, do you really believe in a sword you’ve never seen before suddenly trembling?”

“But it’s the Holy Sword that chose me.  Even with the Shadow Wolf…”

“A weapon shouldn’t be your basis for judgment. If it had no weaknesses, it would be one thing, but it does. What if Ariel is in danger, and it doesn’t tremble like now?”

I picked up a halved coin and handed it to him.  He said it didn’t react because the attack wasn’t malicious, but it was still a situation where others could have been in danger.

“…You’re right, Licht.”

Kainel broke out in a cold sweat.  What’s the point of having good items if they’re holding you back?

The wielder should control the Holy Sword, not the other way around.

But the Kainel I observed had things reversed.

‘Is this why he ran away when fighting Magic Hat?’

I heard that Kainel in the Corruption Route had a decisive side, but I lacked information due to the Saint’s conditions.

“I hope you’ll at least trust people. There are so many good people in the world.”

Like the nameless wolf healer somewhere out there.

I finished the conversation and adjusted my stance.

After signaling him with my eyes,

the two swordsmen clashed.

“Okay, I think I can do this now!”

“Do you really think so?”

I clashed swords with Kainel.  The power gap was no longer there. Even with little practical experience, a hero is a hero. It was a little frustrating.

I felt a slight regret for showing off and giving him advice.

‘But I enjoyed it in the game.’

A smile formed on my lips.

Talking to him. Exchanging blows like this. Training him.

All situations I had only seen as text in the game.

As a player of <Knight Heart>, could there be anything more joyful than this?

—–CROW—–

After about two more hours, we left the training grounds, exhausted.

“Ahhh, really!! I almost won!”

“You shouldn’t be obsessed with winning or losing. It’s training.”

“But I even used Shine Strike, Licht. How did you block it?!”

“It’s a secret.”

He seemed frustrated that he lost at the end and kept asking what I had done. You’ll find out after climbing a few mountains with old man Drake. I sighed softly.

“So, how was it?”

“It’s good not to be afraid in a fight.”

“Is there no easy way?”

“Well. Being chased by a bear, or having the Grand Sword Master try to kill you during sparring would help.”

That was my experience, by the way.  All actual experiences from training with Master.  Kainel, if you go through all that, it would be strange if you didn’t get stronger.

“What? Then do you really know Master Drake?”

“We’re from the same village.”

“Where? I’m from Lavrans Village.”

“I’m from Sprout Village.”

We walked along, chatting about various things.  Is this what being friends is like? It felt awkward, a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

I wonder how that guy in the real world is doing.

“Eek!”

Then, I heard a strange sound.

There were figures in the direction of the scream.

One woman and two large men.

More precisely, thugs were dragging the red-haired mage by the wrist.

‘Did they come to pick up Kainel?’

It was Ariel.

“No! I have someone I like!”

“Let’s just play for a bit. Okay?”

“She looks like an academy student. Not bad~”

She screamed and asked for help, but the academy hours were long over.

There was no one around except for someone who had been training in swordsmanship for hours.

“Hey, Licht. That…”

“What are you waiting for?”

“Right.”

Kainel, his blond hair fluttering, started running towards her.

Look at him run, even using mana. He’s really fast.

If this were the route in <Black Heart>, he would have hesitated after seeing that his Holy Sword wasn’t trembling.

He was a truly kind person.

He probably would have just reprimanded the villains or watched from afar. The villains would have made excuses, saying Kainel misunderstood.  The story after that would have been terrible.

But I had removed those flags long ago.  There was a reason I suffered in the carriage incident.

“Are you crazy? What are you doing to Ariel?”

“K-Kai?”

Kainel growled, grabbing the thugs’ wrists.

Like a hero protecting her, he stood between the men and Ariel.

Now that Ariel was behind him, they wouldn’t be able to harm her anymore.  I might look like this, but thanks to the Nameless Saint, I’m someone who has only played Kainel’s companion route.

“Who’s this blond kid?”

“Judging by his clothes, he’s also an academy student?”

Despite Kainel’s sudden appearance, the thugs didn’t back down.  If they had run away now, they would have been fine.

“You guys are a little scary, kid~”

“Are you two filming a movie?  What are you doing~!”

“Hahaha!  He’s going to cry.  Stop it!”

Unaware of their situation, they were mocking the Hero, who had just fought similarly to me.

Oh dear, they crossed the line.  The kind of arrogance Kainel hated the most.  And they even touched Ariel.

Offering a silent prayer to the extras whose “unknown ceiling” ending was now confirmed,

‘Puppy, go get ‘em!’

I recited the line often used as an emoticon in the community.

—–CROW—–