Ch. 93 The Witch and the Black Knight (4)
by Afuhfuihgs
Witch – Chapter 93 – The Witch and the Black Knight (4)
“An excellent strike. Hitting my weak point so precisely. Had I not protected myself with demonic energy, the Four Heavenly Kings might have turned into Three Heavenly Kings.”
Looking at the Black Knight, who was still standing awkwardly, likely from lingering pain, I felt more exasperated than guilty.
He wasn’t some middle-aged pervert trying to show me something weird by dropping his pants. But the thought of a pot-bellied uncle hiding inside that armor made my skin crawl.
“You weren’t actually feeling some kind of… lust toward me, were you? Or do you just have a thing for stripping in front of people?”
Forget pure love. I had no interest in teaching someone who looked at me like that.
“Lust…? Ah. Is that what the Succubus Queen always talks about? I don’t know what that is. I have no interest in weakness.”
“Then why were you trying to take off your armor?”
“You didn’t seem to believe me, so I thought I’d show you. But now I’m the one who wants to ask—why did you stop me?”
The fact that he turned the question back on me made my blood boil. I jabbed a finger at him, exhaling sharply.
“Because it’s sexual harassment! No, worse—it’s assault!”
“What’s sexual harassment?”
“It’s— Ugh, never mind. You don’t need to know.”
Was he seriously asking because he didn’t know?
Explaining it would just make me angrier, so I let it go.
For a guy who was taller and more built than Leo—someone who looked like he’d pounce on any woman in sight—he didn’t even understand lust?
It wasn’t like he’d spent his whole life locked in a training room, unable to leave until he got stronger.
In the best light, he was pure. In the worst, he was ignorant. It was hard to believe that beneath that black armor lay a completely untouched blank slate.
“Anyway! Don’t just strip in front of people, got it?”
“Without my armor, I can’t protect myself. Why would I take it off?”
“Then why were you about to just now?!”
“If it would make me stronger, I’d take it off.”
“Ugh! You’re impossible!”
This conversation was giving me a headache. The longer I talked to him, the more my temples throbbed.
“Strong one. I have a question.”
“What now…?”
“Is pure love something I can learn? Much of what you say is difficult for me to understand.”
His tone was unexpectedly serious.
Anxiety, impatience, even fear—emotions that didn’t suit the Black Knight—flickered in his eyes. He almost seemed scared. His fingers trembled slightly, and his voice lacked its usual confidence.
“When I fought the Demon King and lost, he said it was because I lacked fate and purpose.”
I could already guess what he’d said next.
“So? Did you ask him to teach you?”
“Yes. But he said I was too much of a fool to understand, even if he explained. Is pure love the same? Am I… incapable of growing stronger?”
No wonder he’s the Demon King. I was almost impressed by his insight.
The Black Knight was a fool. A muscle-brained idiot who only thought about power.
But love didn’t discriminate between fools and geniuses. It didn’t care about status or wealth.
Love was a small miracle hidden in everyone’s heart.
Even animals and monsters knew love. I refused to believe the Black Knight was an exception.
“Hehe. Don’t worry. Even fools can experience pure love. In fact, being a fool might make it easier.”
Wasn’t it always the simple-minded, single-hearted people who fell the hardest in love?
Most protagonists were like that. A little dumb… but that’s what made them charming.
“Really?! Then how much stronger can I become?”
All his earlier negativity vanished in an instant, replaced by sheer excitement.
“Hmm… Just knowing about it isn’t enough. But if you truly experience pure love, you’ll grow stronger than you ever imagined.”
After all, the hero’s awakening was always fueled by love. It wasn’t a lie.
When Kyle finally defeated the Black Knight in their seventh battle, the Black Knight had asked the same question he’d asked me:
‘Why did I lose?’
‘How could you keep getting back up after six defeats?’
Kyle hadn’t hesitated.
‘Because I want to see tomorrow with her. Even if I’d lost to you, in the end, it was love that let me claim victory.’
‘I see… Love, huh? Then I—’
Not just Kyle—every protagonist was like that. They overcame impossible trials in the name of love.
Defeating the Demon King.
Filling the name of god.
Defying the world itself.
“Then, strong one… If I experience pure love, could I defeat the Demon King?”
Just as I was lost in nostalgic memories of Aria Chronicle’s romances, his eager voice snapped me back to reality.
His question reminded me of a forum post I’d seen in my past life—some pointless debate about which boss would win in a fight.
The Demon King, being the final boss of Part 1, was ranked near the top. The Black Knight barely scraped the middle.
The Black Knight beating the Demon King? Maybe once in ten thousand battles.
“Why do you want to get stronger so badly? Do you have a grudge against the Demon King?”
I was genuinely curious.
Besides, the fact that he was asking if he could win made me question if this was really the same Black Knight from the story.
Even if he didn’t understand love, surely he had some reason for chasing strength.
If he had a good enough answer, I might’ve lied and said yes just to humor him.
“A grudge? Do I need a reason to get stronger?”
Ugh. Of course.
I was the fool for expecting anything profound.
The cool, charismatic Black Knight from Part 1 had long since vanished from my mind.
“Sigh… Let’s call it a night and continue tomorrow.”
Between fighting him and dealing with all this nonsense, I was exhausted. My shoulders slumped as I let out a yawn—or maybe a sigh—and wiped the sleep from my eyes.
“Strong one. I want to learn pure love and grow stronger as soon as possible.”
“You can’t learn pure love overnight.”
“Then how long will it take? A day? A week? A month?”
“Depends on you. If you’re good, maybe a week. If not, a lifetime.”
For the first time, he looked displeased, but I shut him down firmly.
He didn’t even know what love was. His impatience was ridiculous.
This wasn’t something I could teach in one night. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if it could be taught.
Had I known he lacked even the most basic understanding of love, I would’ve thought twice.
At least Beryl had a crush. The Black Knight didn’t even know what love meant.
Even putting aside my own complete lack of romantic experience, I had no idea where to even start with him. Would it be any easier for an expert?
I didn’t want to just dump a dictionary definition on him and call it a day. And now that I’d committed, my pride as the Witch of Love wouldn’t let me back out.
A romance even Aria Chronicle had never shown—one crafted by my own hands. How delicious would that be?
“I’ll get you a blanket. You can sleep on the couch.”
I dug out a spare blanket from what used to be the guest room (now Leo’s room) and tossed it at him.
The way he blankly stared between me and the blanket made my heart sink.
“You… do know what a blanket is, right?”
“I’m not that much of a fool. It’s just… unfamiliar.”
“Thank goodness. I was worried I’d have to explain how to use it.”
At least he knew some basics. Small mercies—if he hadn’t, I might’ve resorted to cracking open his skull with Ulti, despite my vow to only use it for love-related matters.
“And don’t even think about coming near my room. Got it? No pure love, no nothing—you’ll be back underground before you can blink.”
I didn’t think he was the type to attack me in my sleep, but after his near-striptease earlier, I wasn’t taking chances. I activated every security spell I had.
“Even if I won by ambushing you in your sleep, I wouldn’t grow stronger. Don’t worry. And I have no intention of fighting you again until I’ve learned pure love.”
“Finally, something nice to hear. Get some rest. You must be tired too after our fight. We’ll start properly tomorrow.”
After a warm bath, I collapsed into bed, mentally drafting a curriculum for his education.
Even with zero romantic experience of my own, I had successfully set up Beryl and Nicks. I’d figure something out.
Maybe I’d engrave a few obedience spells on him too, just in case.
At least Leo had been somewhat reasonable to talk to. Dealing with the Black Knight felt like babysitting.
Lucent
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