Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight – Chapter 54.1

CH.55 16-1. The Thrill of Finals Comes with Youth

“…So, you barely survived, only to be trapped by the Demon Lord’s scheme and unable to escape?”

“Ha, haha… I guess that’s right?”

“Mardol, move him a bit more to the side.”

“Okay, Kainel.”

“…”

I struggled futilely, suspended in mid-air at the academy’s swordsmanship training ground. My body was bound by glass magic, leaving me unable to move as I faced the Hero couple and the Crown Prince.

“Ahhh! Ariel! Please, have mercy!”

“…Helmet. After worrying everyone, you should consider yourself lucky to get off this easy.”

“I know I said some things wrong, but look who I was up against!”

“Ariel, well said.”

Even you, Kainel? I thought you might have turned against me or distanced yourself, given my encounter with the Demon Lord, but here you were chuckling with relief.

“…Hold still.”

Mardol carefully examined me, rotating me this way and that to check if I was injured. Enough already. Just how worried were you all? Were my relationships really this good?

“I did get hurt back then, but… I’m fine now.”

I felt like a roast chicken spinning on a spit. Fearing my faceplate might fall off, I pleaded for them to stop.

“…Oh, he’s telling the truth.”

Finally, they lowered me to the ground. Feeling the solid floor beneath my feet brought a sense of relief.

“So, Licht.”

“…Yes, Kainel.”

“If you’d died, I was ready to chase you to the depths of hell and hit you with Shine Strike. It’s a shame, really.”

His expression carried a hint of sadness—not his usual bright demeanor.

“…I’m truly glad you made it back alive.”

Kainel patted my shoulder. How kindhearted could he be? While I had thought it fortunate enough that they survived the Demon Lord’s clutches, they were apparently just as worried about me.

“Yeah. Licht. I was worried too.”

“I’m sorry for making you worry.”

It seemed my problem had been going off to fight looking like I was on a suicide mission. Mardol, still beside me, continued glancing at my condition, ensuring I was okay.

“Helmet, you’re not going to run off to fight alone again, are you? Promise me!”

“Understood… Ariel.”

Hearing such words from a tsundere elf? It seemed I was truly living a long life. Although our time together had been short, our friendship ran deeper than I thought.

“How is it that you went off to fight the Demon Lord and came back victorious, Licht?!”

“Haha… Kainel, maybe you’re just not as strong as me?”

“It’s not that I’m weak, it’s that you’re too strong, Licht.”

“Well, I’m just a lost puppy. Of course, I’m strong.”

I couldn’t resist cracking a joke, despite the ticklish feeling in my chest. But Kainel’s expression turned dark again. What was his problem now?

“Mardol. Restrain Licht again.”

“…Alright.”

Mardol raised her hands as if preparing her magic, but before she could act, the Crown Prince placed a hand on his glass visor, halting her.

Had my joke, inspired by the Saintess’s words, been so cringe-worthy it made him nauseous?

***

By noon, Professor Dennis had called me into his office.

“This whole situation is truly regrettable, Licht.”

We sat in the Magic Club’s storage room, where the professor bowed deeply, sincerely apologizing.

“…It’s alright. In the end, it was your decision that minimized the damage.”

It turned out that Magic Hat had infiltrated the academy and used her authority on several students.

“Some students fell victim to the Demon Lord of Truth. Their lives aren’t in danger, and there are no injuries, but… it’s still horrifying.”

He had painstakingly cross-referenced the attendance roll and lecture rosters to identify those affected. Hearing the news left me speechless with shock.

“In the end, if freshmen had been present within the academy, it could have been much worse.”

“…It was my failing. I should have prepared for the possibility of a Demon Lord attack.”

He let out a deep sigh. Currently, Laplace and the Sage were researching ways to neutralize the effects of Magic Hat’s authority. I bowed my head, organizing my thoughts.

If Magic Hat isn’t killed, this won’t end.

The powers of a Demon Lord were simple yet overwhelming. As long as they lived, their authority persisted, incomplete but potent.

Their ability to overwrite reality with concepts was absurdly overpowered.

“…It was the Demon Lord of Truth, after all. She deceived Laplace and the Sage with ‘lies.’ The outcome wouldn’t have changed.”

I bit my lower lip. As much as I hated to admit it, we were lucky no one had died.

No matter how tight the security at Grand Hearts Academia, there was no defense against authority.

“…Licht, I still don’t fully trust your source of information. But…”

For a moment, Dennis’s white eyes gleamed. By delving so deeply into matters concerning the Demon Lords, I risked arousing suspicion. I had revealed too much information out of urgency.

“I believe in the other students you’ve protected. Continue explaining.”

“…Thank you, Professor Dennis.”

Despite this, he didn’t bind or interrogate me. Instead, he wore a deeply contemplative expression, his face as grave as my own.

“Licht. What do you think needs to be done now?”

Like White Magnolia, this world was inherently hostile to the Demon Lords. Perhaps the Crown Prince had intervened on my behalf. At moments like this, he truly proved himself a good person.

“Our ultimate goal is the eradication of the Heroic Church. Once the Demon Lord is killed, their authority will dissipate automatically. You know that.”

“…We’ve already shed too much blood, Licht. Even if you were summoned as a Hero, if the Ten Greats move, another war will break out.”

So he mistook me for a Hero. It made sense; after all, an academy student surviving a battle against a Demon Lord was impossible for an ordinary human.

“…”

“With upcoming exams, there will be many external observers present. This kind of incident could easily happen again, Licht.”

“That’s likely. The Hero Church’s target is probably the Hero of Light, Kainel.”