Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight – Chapter 47.1

EP.48 13-4. Drunken Life, Dreamlike Love

***

Heavenly Demon Baek Mok-ryun.

The Cursed Dragon of Spring.

Summoned from another world, she fought alongside Dennis against the Hero’s Order.

Initially comrades, they became lovers—a testament to the saying that love can bloom even on the battlefield.

“Heavenly Demon…? Baek Mok-ryun…?”

Yet, due to the power of the Demon Lord of Omniscience, she was only freed at the very end of Knight Heart’s story. As one of the Ten Greats, she gained her long-deserved freedom in the finale.

But why was she here?

“Ha! I save a wretched boy hanging by a thread, and it turns out he’s quite peculiar,” she muttered, flicking her black robes with an air of annoyance.

I glanced down at myself. No blood, no wounds, no pain. I was alive.

“…How am I still alive?”

“Your energy core is intact, is it not? Weaklings wield their spells carelessly. Holy power can heal the ignorant,” she replied matter-of-factly.

Every torn muscle and fractured bone had been restored. I recalled that she ranked second among the Ten Greats. No wonder I’d survived when my constitution rejected most healing.

I flexed my fingers, regaining my sense of life. My ribs, which had once punctured my lungs, were as if they’d never been injured.

Her prowess was undeniable. No wonder she was called the Heavenly Demon.

“Thank you, Heavenly Demon.”

I bowed my head to express my gratitude. Whatever method she used, she’d restored me entirely.

“Hohoho! It’s been ages since I had a guest. I went all out this time,” she said, laughing boldly, revealing her sharp teeth.

Her brown hair, adorned with a white magnolia flower, and her black hanbok gave her a striking appearance. She was even more captivating than in the game, where she couldn’t be recruited as an ally.

Perhaps her time in a martial arts-inspired world set her apart. Thinking about it, she and Dennis had been well-matched.

“Boy, who exactly are you? You seem to know my name, so you can’t be ordinary.”

“My name is Licht, the Black Knight Licht.”

“Oh? So you’re…”

Something felt off. A sharp, icy sensation froze me in place.

“Were you a Demon Lord, perhaps?”

Before I could respond, a blade pressed against my throat, its chilling steel cutting slightly into my skin.

‘…This reaction makes sense if she thinks I’m connected to a Demon Lord.’

The faint sound of metal sliding from its sheath was all I heard before her blade moved. It was unbelievably fast.

“Well, I spared you because your fight with the Demon Lord intrigued me, but…”

Think. How could I survive this? The life she’d just saved was moments from being snuffed out again.

“But knowing my name makes you a little too suspicious,” she added.

This was her way of testing if I was truly a Demon Lord. Her piercing dragon-like gaze bored into me, as if reading my very soul.

‘Of course, she’d be wary after what the Demon Lord of Omniscience did to her.’

She’d been cursed, forced to live apart from her beloved Dennis for ages. But I had something she couldn’t ignore.

“…Your lover. Wouldn’t you like to see Dennis again?”

Every Knight Heart player knew this. Dennis’s forgotten lover was a core part of her backstory—it was even hinted at on the promotional poster.

“…What did you say? How do you know about him, boy?”

Naturally, I knew. I was someone who had played the game. But in this world, no one should remember her, not even Dennis.

After all, the Demon Lord of Omniscience had erased her existence from everyone’s memories, leaving only fragments Dennis struggled to recall.

Clang.

The sound of her sword dropping to the ground echoed sharply. I exhaled a deep breath of relief, grateful for the gap in her composure.

“I know how. Heavenly Demon.”

I had to choose my words carefully now.

“No Demon Lord could defy ignorance, so how have you done it?” she demanded.

“…I’m also Dennis’s disciple,” I replied confidently, framing my situation in terms she’d understand.

Her wide, astonished eyes stared at me.

“A disciple? Even so, that doesn’t make sense. The memories of him… only I should have retained them. Even that wretched Demon Lord Head meddled in my life…”

“Dennis-sensei remembers you, albeit faintly. He’s spoken of you many times.”

“To hear his name again after so long…”

Even on the Ten Greats’ statues, a faintly feminine carving sat in the place meant for Baek Mok-ryun.

“Dennis is now a teacher, mentoring others,” I explained.

“…That sounds just like him. Always up to strange things,” she said with a wry smile. “So, you truly are his disciple.”

It fit. A dragon unable to overcome the curse of ignorance would resort to human methods. Her reaction confirmed this was indeed the Heavenly Demon I remembered.

‘Dennis’s drunken mastery of magic, fueled by alcohol, was iconic.’

He manipulated water-based spells, turning them into alcohol-infused attacks, which explained his nickname and glowing white eyes. His longing for spring became his tragic downfall in one of the game’s bad endings.

“If nothing else, boy, you seem to have evaded ignorance.”

“I suppose so.”

It was all because of this cursed Dragon of Spring and her love for Dennis. Seeing her, I felt compelled to speak.

“Heh… living this long, I’ve seen stranger things. Fine, I’ll trust you for now.”

“Thank you, Heavenly Demon.”

She was the only one who retained those memories, so she couldn’t deny my claim of being Dennis’s disciple.

“Boy, why did you fight the Demon Lord, ending up bloodied like that?”

Her curiosity gleamed in her golden eyes. It was best to be truthful—lying to the Heavenly Demon would surely cost me my life.

Reflecting on the dream I’d just had of the Saintess, I chose to be honest.

“…To protect someone I love.”

“Hah! A bold claim. At least you’re not one of those self-absorbed Demon Lords!”

Her cheerful smile returned at my mention of love. It was always easier with characters whose choices I understood. The death flag was finally overturned.

“The Demon Lords of the Hero Church only care about themselves.”

The words I spoke were entirely selfless, a stark contrast to a real Demon Lord. They sought possession of their beloved; they didn’t fight to protect.

“Boy, you must have a knack for imitating Demon Lords.”

Even her tragic story of being separated from Dennis was steeped in love. By now, I hoped she understood my intent, as the tension finally lifted.

“So… Heavenly Demon, why are you here? I fought to stop the Demon Lord’s escape, but…”