Academy’s Pure Love Dark Knight – Chapter 66

CH.67 19-1. The Difference Between a Guard Dog and a Wolf

***

A few days after all the commotion, I found myself sitting in the waiting room, hunched over in a chair, waiting for my match against Kainel.

Even if I had to lose, I still had to confirm Mardol’s gender. My instincts were screaming at me. If she really was a new heroine, then there was a risk I’d be blocked from seeing our Nameless Saintess.

‘Come to think of it, there were a lot of oddities.’

For one, she had an oddly feminine side, like her fondness for cute things and sweets, similar to Ariel. Her armor was heavy full-plate, but her hands were noticeably small.

Then there was the way Nex referred to her as the Crown Prince, which made me automatically assume she was Lupus. Looking back, though, Mardol never referred to Charitines or Nex as “sister” or “brother.”

It was probably Nex’s attempt to help her keep her identity hidden. Or maybe he was testing me, trying to see if I’d notice. Either way, it’s clear now.

Besides, Mardol was someone deeply obsessed with strength. She might have felt that her strength was her only weak point, which is why she pursued it so relentlessly.

‘I can’t believe I missed something so simple…’

I had been too preoccupied with all the distractions — and with thoughts of our Saintess — to even consider the possibility that Mardol might be a woman.

If I wanted to follow the Saintess route, I absolutely could not form a harem. Too much information had thrown me off track.

‘I need to make it to the finals.’

Once I reach the finals, I’ll break her glass armor. If she really is Lupus’s sister, I’ll know for sure. If she turns out to be a heroine, I’ll have to distance myself from her starting now.

I let out a long sigh. Here I was, thinking so deeply about another woman. If our Saintess found out, she’d definitely have something to say about it.

At least with Ariel, she was already paired with Kainel, so it wasn’t an issue.

‘What route am I on right now, anyway?’

With that thought, I realized I needed to check my progress. I was supposed to be working toward the Grand Route, which meant everything I did had to be for the happiness of our Saintess.

I had to see that wedding dress illustration. If I didn’t, it would be the developers’ fault for being absolute scumbags.

When it comes down to it, I might still need Mardol’s help to defeat the Demon Lord. Her physical strength was overwhelming, and her magic and swordsmanship were both superior to even Kainel and Nex.

‘At worst, I could just stick to her companion route like with Kainel and Nex.’

In Knight Heart, even Dennis, the main protagonist, never ended up with the player. His one and only love interest was always Heavenly Demon Baek Mokryeon.

There’s no way someone like the Glass Knight would end up with a player like me. My name didn’t even show up on her affection window.

As long as my name doesn’t appear, that means I haven’t raised her affection. In other words, I still have a chance with our Nameless Saintess.

Ignoring the ominous feeling crawling up my spine, I stood up and headed to the arena.

I only have eyes for the Saintess. I won’t waver.

***

[“The Grand Hearts Academia’s end-of-year exams are reaching their climax!”]

Laplace’s voice echoed across the arena, riling up the crowd.

[“We have Licht, wearing his iconic Black Knight helmet, and Kainel, with his radiant blonde hair! Two swordsmen will clash in this semifinals match, but only one can move on to the finals!”]

As expected, they’re still keeping the fact that Kainel is a hero under wraps.

Standing in the arena, I looked around the audience. Amidst the sea of faces, I saw it — the sunlight reflecting off glass armor.

Mardol.

‘She came to watch my match, huh? Must be the companion route thing, right?’

“Licht, you good?”

“..Yes, I’m fine.”

The blonde-haired hero stepped forward, looking genuinely worried about me. I guess my dismay over accidentally flirting with someone other than our Saintess was written all over my face.

“Alright, if you say so. Sometimes, there are things you just can’t talk about.”

“..Thank you.”

“This time, I’m definitely going to beat you, Licht! I can’t keep relying on you forever!”

Kainel smiled brightly, his words filled with conviction and positive energy.

From inside my helmet, I allowed a faint smirk to form on my lips.

These days, it feels like all the so-called “heroes” I meet are either a little off-kilter or burdened with despair about the world.

“Do it if you can.”

Even the Demon Lords of the Hero Church have the same problem. Sure, you can fall into darkness if life gets rough, but why do they always turn their rage on innocent people?

That’s why I’m chasing the Grand Route alongside the Saintess route. Because, thanks to the twisted developers, she’s the only one who doesn’t get a happy ending.

“Licht.”

“Yes, Kainel?”

That’s when it happened. Kainel drew the Holy Sword of Light and, unlike before, gazed at me with a more serious, focused expression.

He had something he wanted to say.

“..We’re friends, right?”

“…What’s this all of a sudden?”

I tilted my head in confusion. He’s not the type of guy to ask something like this. Did something change after our fight with Magic Hat?

“It’s just… I feel like we don’t really know that much about each other to call ourselves friends.”

“…”

Our clueless golden retriever had grown, huh? If he could figure this out, then maybe, just maybe, he’d finally notice Ariel’s feelings. I really hope they start getting all lovey-dovey soon.

“Yes, we’re friends.”

“Whoa, seriously?”

I gave Kainel the reassurance he was looking for. From Knight Heart to Black Heart, Kainel had been by my side for 10 whole years.

“Why are you asking something so obvious?”

“..Yeah, you’re right, Licht.”

He’s even overcome his trauma from the fight with Magic Hat. There’s no chance he’ll run away in the final battle against the Demon Lord, leading to the Saintess’s death this time.

“I was worried over nothing.”

“Well, it’s actually kind of like you, Kainel, to worry about things like that. I think it’s a good trait.”

“Oh, that’s definitely a compliment, right? You’re one to talk, though. You lose all sense of reason when it comes to the white-haired Saintess.”

“..Let’s just get started, Kainel.”

Damn it, got me before the match even started. He grinned at me with that playful smile, the same kind Ariel gives sometimes. They say people resemble the ones they love, but I didn’t think I’d see that here instead of with Nex.

[“Now, for the final match of the semifinals. The battle begins!”]

At that moment, the horn sounded, signaling the start of the match.

Two swordsmen faced each other, blades at the ready.

I was already prepared. I got into position for Vacuum Slash just like I had against Leon. My right hand began releasing pressurized wind in front of me. A blast of air shot straight toward Kainel.

“Shine Strike!”

He reacted instantly, slashing with a radiant arc of light that resembled a crescent moon. The two attacks clashed, canceling each other out. A powerful gust of wind swept through the arena.

“..Feels like your attacks got a bit weaker, Licht.”

“There’s no way.”

Kainel’s provocation was as sharp as his sword. He probably noticed that my swordsmanship was influenced by my emotions. That’s why he brought up the Saintess earlier — to shake me.

He’d always been sharp like that, even back when he pointed out the flaws in my Drake-style swordsmanship. He knew that my combat style put a lot of strain on my body.

He was clearly targeting that.

I launched Wolf Fang, dashing forward to close the distance between us.

“Your stance is too sloppy.”

“Urgh..!”

I gritted my teeth as I heard his criticism. The essence of Kainel’s techniques was speed, but this time, his movements had been slower than my Vacuum Slash.

I closed in, twisting my body and using Reverse Scale Thrust, aiming directly for his mana barrier. My blade spun as it scraped against his protection.

“Shine Strike!”

Once again, he fired a slash of radiant light at me. This time, I had no choice but to back away. It was a disadvantageous position for me since it took time to prepare a proper stance. I raised my sword to block.

“Exactly. That’s it, Kainel.”

Screech! My feet skidded across the arena floor as the impact pushed me back. It was stronger than before. This guy had definitely gotten stronger.

It filled me with a strange sense of pride.

“You’re right. I’m not gonna beat you with my old tricks, Licht.”

“..What?”

I felt a sense of unease as I saw Kainel smiling confidently. I knew that look. It was the face of someone with something left up their sleeve.

No way. Did Kainel have another move at this point in the game?

「Shine Advance.」

Suddenly, his entire body began to glow. The light from the Holy Sword of Light focused into his body, allowing him to move at near light-speed for a brief period.

‘No way… Did he realize he had to get stronger for Ariel’s sake?’

During the battle against Magic Hat, he must have made up his mind. And now, the conditions to activate it had been met.

This development was completely unexpected. I lowered my guard for just a moment.

Then it came.

A flash of light.

Kainel charged at me like a straight beam of light.

“Where’s all that confidence from earlier, Licht?!”

“Not bad..! Kainel!”

Clang! Clang! The sound of metal colliding echoed around us as I barely managed to block his rapid strikes using Feather Step, twisting and turning to avoid his attacks.

Even so, I was being driven into a corner. If this pace kept up, I’d be defeated.

He was definitely stronger. Unlike before, where he’d try to end things in a single strike, this time, he was using continuous, relentless attacks.

‘..Looks like I have no choice but to use it.’

I had been saving it for Mardol, but if I didn’t use it now, I’d lose.

The only thing that can counter a Holy Sword… is another Holy Sword.

They say a fake can never surpass the real thing, but it’s not about the sword. It’s about the wielder.

“I believe in love.”

Shwaaah—!

A downpour began. Rain started falling from the sky.

And then, with a soft glow, a cobalt-blue sword fell like lightning onto the shining battlefield.

“..You dodged it. Impressive, Kainel. But this is just the beginning.”

“Wha… Summoning swords now? That’s new.”

“Say hello to my boy.”

Kainel managed to avoid the sword with a quick leap, but that wasn’t the point. The true ability of this sword had nothing to do with where it landed.

This sword was something I forged with my own heart while thinking of the Nameless Saintess. In a way, it was like my son.

Crackle! Crackle!

Kainel’s eyes darted around as the sound of static echoed. He glanced at the rain falling on his body, his eyes narrowing as he sensed something was off.

“Faith. Kiyu.”

“That’s a fine sword you got there. What is it, a sword that rains down like the rain itself?”

His intuition was sharp. If he had continued his attack, I would’ve already ended this fight. But now, he was cautiously watching me, his instincts on high alert.

He lowered his posture and activated Shine Advance again, charging straight at me.

“No, the sword’s true ability is…”

“..What?”

I disappeared.

Kainel’s eyes widened as he whipped his head around, searching for me. He frantically scanned his surroundings, eyes darting left and right.

Then, I reappeared behind him and swung my sword.

CLANG!

The clash of metal on metal rang out as Kainel barely managed to block my strike.

‘You noticed? You’ve grown a lot, Kainel.’

“..You can become one with the raindrops, huh?”

I nodded silently. My body merged with the rain, allowing me to move freely within the downpour. I could shift positions in an instant and avoid enemy attacks as long as I flowed with the water.

“Then all I have to do is cut you down before you turn into water, right?!”

“Go ahead and try.”

Kainel gritted his teeth, locking eyes with me. He began firing Shine Strike after Shine Strike, sending continuous beams of light in every direction.

If he were still in Shine Advance, it would’ve been dangerous. But his time had run out. His movements were slower.

“..To win, you’d have to cut down every single raindrop, Kainel.”

He was still just a rookie hero.

Not like the Kainel from Knight Heart.

This sword I forged was meant to reflect the tears of our Nameless Saintess. There’s no way I’d lose while wielding it.

Not to mention, Shine Advance had a time limit. The light surrounding him had already faded.

“Looks like you’re not quite there yet.”

If he couldn’t slash every raindrop, then he couldn’t reach me.