Witch – Chapter 92 – The Witch and the Black Knight (3)

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The carefully tended yard was completely overturned. The distant mountain peaks looked oddly misaligned, and the damaged barrier from our battle was slowly repairing itself.

Considering I had just fought one of the Four Heavenly Kings, this level of destruction was… acceptable, I supposed. The traces of battle outside the window faded into the distance, leaving only an eerie silence inside the house.

Perhaps it was because the Black Knight—still clad in his pitch-black armor—now stood motionless in what was supposed to be a cozy home for just me and Josie.

I sat cross-legged in a chair, arms folded, glaring at the stone-like figure before me. My discomfort was palpable.

“Sigh…”

Just minutes ago, I had been frantic with worry for Josie. So how had I ended up letting the Black Knight inside? My sighs came in rhythmic bursts, like a timer set to repeat.

This is all his fault.

His desperate plea, shouted while barely resisting my curses with his pitiful magic resistance, still echoed in my mind.

‘Teach me… pure love!’

Teach him pure love?

I wracked my brain, trying to recall if there had ever been an episode in the original story where the Black Knight was involved in pure love. But nothing came to mind.

The Black Knight’s storyline had always revolved around battle—never romance.

I prided myself on remembering every love-related subplot in the series. Was there some hidden lore I didn’t know about, like with Carté?

I shook my head violently, as if trying to physically dislodge the thought.

Right now, the priority was finding the other Heavenly Kings to ensure Josie’s safety. I couldn’t afford to waste time just because he’d thrown the word pure love at me.

If the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings had gone down this easily, the others would be even simpler.

If the Black Knight really knew their locations, I could wrap this up faster than expected.

“Where are the other Heavenly Kings? If you’re lying or stalling, sealing you away will be the least of your worries.”

I scattered crimson mana like a threat. If he didn’t answer properly, I wouldn’t just bury him—I’d toss him into the deepest ocean.

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

Mimicking my posture, the Black Knight crossed his arms and answered shamelessly.

You don’t know?

Had I misheard?

It took me a full three seconds to process those three simple words.

“Are you messing with me?”

I gripped Triceratops, my broom, and channeled mana into it. The Black Knight flinched and quickly continued.

“Strong one, calm yourself. Though we descended to the human realm with the Demon King’s power, the Four Heavenly Kings are weakened. By now, they’ve likely holed up somewhere to recover. Even I cannot sense them if they’ve hidden themselves.”

“Weakened? Weren’t you planning to invade immediately?”

“This is the realm of your gods, not ours. Forcing our way in comes at a cost. Or so the Demon King said.”

No matter how exceptional Triceratops was, defeating him before he even reached Phase 3 had been suspiciously easy.

Having fought him seven times in Aria Chronicle Part 1, I already knew his patterns—but the fact that he was weakened now made sense.

More importantly, if Josie wouldn’t run into the Heavenly Kings anytime soon, I could breathe easier. I exhaled in relief, rubbing my chest.

“When will you be able to sense them?”

“Once they start moving, it’ll be immediate. It should take about a month. So don’t worry, strong one. I keep my word.”

“Riiight…?”

His resolute tone made me drag out the word. Something about his answer felt off.

“But… are you really okay with telling me? Aren’t you comrades? Heavenly Kings and all? Not that I’m complaining.”

In Part 1, he had never betrayed anyone. The dissonance between the Black Knight in my memories and the one in front of me was jarring.

A being who had remained loyal to the Demon King until the end, who had fought the hero Kyle seven times—was now trying to sell out his own allies?

“Strong one, you could have killed me, yet you didn’t. I don’t know why, but you won’t kill the others either. Am I wrong?”

“Well… I guess not.”

I had said I wouldn’t kill him before sealing him. The same went for the others, so I couldn’t argue.

“Then it’s settled. Even if the Demon King’s arrival is delayed, it won’t matter. His descent is inevitable. Or so the Demon King said.”

That settles it?

And what was with this “or so the Demon King said” nonsense?

He spoke as if it had nothing to do with him, like some detached observer. If the Demon King heard this, he’d be heartbroken.

“Strong one. What’s with that look?”

“Aren’t you curious why I attacked you? Or why I didn’t kill you?”

If I were the Black Knight, that would’ve been my first question. But whether it was the Heavenly Kings, the Demon King, or even me—his interest lay nowhere.

“I don’t care. I only think about getting stronger.”

I want to get stronger.

That single-minded pursuit defined him. I knew from the original story that he had been drawn to the Demon King’s power and became a Heavenly King because of it.

“Then why do you want me to teach you about pure love?”

“You said that was why I lost, didn’t you?”

So… because I told him he lost due to lacking pure love, he now wanted me to teach him?

I had the sudden urge to crack open his helmet and dissect his brain to see what kind of logic was running through it.

“If I learn pure love, I’ll grow stronger. And if you know where the Heavenly Kings are, that’s not a bad deal, is it? While you teach me, I’ll alert you the moment they move.”

His breastplate shook slightly—was he laughing? And not just any laugh, but the kind of “fufufu” or “kukuku” you’d hear from a classic RPG villain.

I felt like I was being played, but… if I taught him now, it might give me more entertainment later.

Besides, having his help was far more efficient than blindly searching for the Heavenly Kings myself.

It wasn’t a bad deal for me either. No matter what, knowing their locations would keep Josie safer. Even if they recovered their strength, they wouldn’t stand a chance against me now that I knew their weaknesses.

I could protect Josie and…

Well… enjoy some pure love on the side.

Wasn’t this killing two birds with one stone?

Unlike the original narration, which had given them no time to recover, the month-long delay made the idea of pure love linger in my mind.

“Fine. Let’s do it. So… who do you want to experience pure love with?”

“What is pure love? You were supposed to teach me.”

“Huh???”

What do you mean, ‘what is pure love’? I tilted my head, staring at him.

“Then… do you at least know what love is? Or liking someone?”

“What’s that?”

“……”

Okay, maybe pure love was too specific. But not knowing love at all?

Yet the Black Knight seemed completely serious. He didn’t look like he was lying.

Even if he didn’t know pure love, surely he had felt something—familial love, camaraderie, anything.

“You know… when your heart races just from looking at someone? Or when you don’t want to be apart from them for even a second? That kind of person. Really, none at all?”

“Hmm… If it’s like that, then yes.”

I knew it!

There was no way he had nothing. Teaching pure love to someone who didn’t even have a crush would’ve been impossible.

I mentally applauded his sheer audacity.

“It’s you, strong one.”

“Excuse me?”

But I couldn’t applaud that answer.

Was he confessing to me now? Some twisted attraction to strong women?

Should I just kill him? Maybe I could wear his armor and pretend to be the Black Knight myself.

As I wrestled with my murderous impulses, he continued.

“And next, the Demon King. When I’m near you, my fighting spirit boils over. My heart races. I want to keep battling.”

“Oh. That kind of thing? Could’ve said so sooner.”

I set Triceratops aside—its three horns still shimmering with power—and sighed so hard I thought my lungs would collapse.

“Sigh… Then think about your parents. Or siblings, if you have any.”

If he didn’t have a romantic interest, fine.

I’d start with familial love.

From what I remembered of Part 3, the demon realm wasn’t so different from here. Demons had families and lived in groups. The Black Knight had to have been born to someone.

Right?

“I’m an orphan. I don’t remember my parents. I forgot my name long ago.”

“O-Oh. Haha. Uh… okay.”

Of course.

I shouldn’t have asked. Too late for regrets now.

Damn it. How was I supposed to know his family history?

No love interests. No family… (Okay, that sounded harsh, but still!)

Now I was just stubbornly determined. There had to be something. His emotions were probably buried as deep as his armor. My patience was wearing thin.

Fine. What about this?

If he had been born with a gender, then basic urges had to exist. Even if it wasn’t exactly pure love, it was a starting point.

“You know! When you see someone and just—! When you’re with them! Just talking to them! Uh—! Down there! Blood just—! You know! You’re a man, right?!”

Surely he’s held a woman before?

I even mimed some… illustrative gestures, my face burning with embarrassment.

I never thought I’d sink to this…!

My cheeks were on fire.

“Hmm…”

The Black Knight fell into deep thought again.

This time, there’s no way. It’s impossible for him not to have felt this.

As someone who had been a man in my past life, I could guarantee it.

After stroking his chin in contemplation, he finally met my gaze.

“That would be…”

“That would be?”

I gulped.

Unleash those dark desires!

If necessary, I could always use a potion to turn it into pure love later.

“You. When I face you, that happens. It’s happening now. Would you like to check?”

“CHECK WHAT, YOU PSYCHO—!!!!”

Before he could even touch the mechanism on his breastplate to disengage his armor—

My mana-infused kick, faster than the speed of sound, landed squarely between his legs.

“Y-You crazy bastard…!”

Thud.

Without even a scream, the Black Knight crumpled to the ground. Trembling, I covered my flushed face with my hands.

Does he have no brain? Just muscles?

What the hell is wrong with him…?

No concept of love. Probably never even been with anyone. A mind filled with nothing but the desire to grow stronger.

How was I supposed to teach pure love to someone like this?

The future looked bleak.