Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: EP.55 16-1. The Thrill of Finals Comes with Youth.
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"...You barely survived, only to get caught in the Demon King's trap and couldn't get out?"
"Ha, haha... Yeah, that's right."
"Mardol, move him a bit more to the side."
"Okay, Kainel."
"..."
I was wriggling helplessly in midair at the sword training grounds, unable to move. Bound by glass magic, I faced the hero couple and the crown prince directly.
"Uwaaah!! Miss Ariel! Please spare me!"
"...Helmet. Consider yourself lucky that I'm letting it slide after making everyone worry like this."
"I may have said the wrong thing, but come on! It was the Demon King we were talking about!!"
"Ariel, well said."
Why are you piling on too? I thought she'd turn against me or distance herself after falling to the Demon King. Yet here was Kainel chuckling reassuringly,
"...Hold still."
and Mardol carefully rotating me this way and that to check for injuries. Stop it. How worried were you all? Was our affinity really this high?
"I did get hurt back then... but I'm fine now."
I felt like a rotisserie chicken. Worried my visor might come off, I asked him to stop,
"...Oh, you're right."
and finally, my feet touched the ground. The firm sensation under my soles brought relief.
"So, Licht."
"...Yes, Mr. Kainel."
"If you'd died, I would've chased you to the ends of hell and made you eat a Shine Strike. What a shame!"
A somehow sorrowful smile. It wasn't his usual bright expression.
"...I'm really glad you came back alive."
Kainel patted my shoulder. What a good guy. I'd thought just keeping you all alive against the Demon King would be enough.
"Yeah. Licht. We were worried."
"Sorry for making you worry."
I guess charging off to fight like I was going to die was the problem. The glass knight hovered by my side, peeking to check if I was okay.
"Helmet. You're not going off to fight alone ever again, right? Promise!"
"Got it... Miss Ariel..."
Hearing this from the tsundere elf—long live and prosper. Our hour together was short, but our bond must've run deeper than I thought.
"How do you go fight the Demon King and come back winning! Licht!"
"Haha... Isn't it because you're the weak one, Mr. Kainel?"
"It's not that I'm weak—it's that you're strong, Licht."
"I'm a lost puppy, after all. Of course I'm strong."
I couldn't hold back the ticklish feeling inside and cracked a joke. His face darkened again. What's the problem?
"Mardol. Tie Licht up again."
"...Mm."
Then, the crown prince covered the front of his glass helm with his palm, as if something had occurred to him. It was my killer gag using the Saintess's line, but did it land that badly it made him nauseous?
Was it around lunchtime? Professor Dennis called me aside.
"This incident is truly regrettable, Licht."
In the magic club's clubroom, he bowed deeply from the waist, sincerely apologizing.
"...No, it's fine. In the end, your judgment minimized the damage."
I learned that Magic Hat had entered the academy and used his authority on some students.
"Students fell victim to the Truth Demon King. No lives lost, no injuries... but it's horrific all the same."
He'd compared attendance sheets and lecture rosters to identify them one by one. Shocked, my voice trembled.
"In the end... if the freshmen had been inside the academy, it would've been much worse."
"...My oversight. I should've prepared for a Demon King raid."
He sighed heavily. Currently, Laplace and the sages were seeking ways to nullify the authority as much as possible. I bowed my head, organizing my thoughts.
In the end, it's tough unless Magic Hat dies.
The Demon King's authority was simple yet powerful. Even incomplete, it persisted unless they were killed.
A cheat ability that overlaid the world with concepts.
"...It was the Truth Demon King, after all. He deceived Laplace and the sages with 'lies.' The outcome wouldn't have changed."
I bit my lower lip. Right now, no deaths was a miracle, but it only fueled my anger.
No matter how fortified Grand Hearts Academy's security was, we couldn't counter authority.
"...Licht. I still can't trust the source of your info. But..."
For a moment, Dennis's white eyes gleamed. Talking this much about the Demon King might make him suspicious given his personality. The urgency had me spilling too much.
"I trust the other students who said you protected them. Keep talking."
"...Thank you, Professor Dennis."
But he just rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought, without binding or interrogating me. His face was as grave as mine.
"Licht. What do you think you should do now?"
Like with the white magnolia, this world was inherently hostile to the Demon King. Probably the crown prince had put in a word beforehand. He really was a good person in times like these.
"Our ultimate goal is to exterminate the Hero Cult. You know the authority lifts automatically when the Demon King dies."
"...We've already shed too much blood, Licht. Even if you were summoned as a hero, if the Ten Heroes move, war breaks out again."
He mistakes me for a hero too. Well, an academy student who fought the Demon King and returned alive—impossible for an ordinary human.
"..."
"In future grade exams, with many outsiders observing, this could happen again, Licht."
"Probably. The Hero Cult's target is likely Light Hero Kainel."
"Our faculty thinks so too. Or perhaps the imperial heirs. You heard from old man Drake, right?"
Talk of Lupus. Makes sense—the Wolf King's only son, doted on like a forbidden fruit by Emperor Locke. Capturing him would strike a blow to the Ten Heroes.
The Wolf King wielded the foundational technique of Void Slash effortlessly as a basic move. He was a one-man army, a true hero.
"...Yes. About the glass knight. That's how it is."
"Good thing you saved him, Licht."
Upon hearing his son was in danger, Emperor Locke nearly stormed the academy with his axe, only stopped by the other Ten Heroes.
"Since your brother treasures him like the apple of his eye, the imperial family might reach out personally soon."
If that man showed up, the Hero Cult would be uprooted—but so would this academy. Better to lure the Demon Kings somewhere else.
"...I won't die, right?"
"You'll be fine, Licht. Instead, us faculty are getting an earful from him."
The Granasia Empire's palace—unreachable in the game without connections, and my infamy from the Nameless Saintess route blocked it anyway.
"Even so, he won't harm the one who protected his son."
"...If so, that's a relief."
Why this unease? A chill ran through me. Too many imaginings of imprisonment in the imperial underground.
"If something this dangerous happens again,"
His striking white eyes, tinged with a slight hand tremor, gazed at me warmly. Approaching, he patted my shoulder,
"...This time, I'll protect the students for sure. You too, Licht."
He apologized for leaving me to fight the Demon King alone in the forest.
Hearing this from Knight Heart's protagonist felt profound. I vowed to reunite him with the white magnolia.
"Thank you, Professor Dennis."
In the end, they were victims of the Demon King too. Contradictions be damned. My fists clenched.
The next morning, Professor Dennis's [Basic Combat Magic] lecture brought major news.
"Gentlemen. Our class is nearing its end. You know what that means, right?"
He tapped the podium, forcing a bright smile to shake off yesterday's gloom. Seeing him like this was heartbreaking. Can't we just wipe out all the Demon Kings?
"That's right. Grand Hearts Academy's annual event."
The other students buzzed at his words. Probably about finals. I glanced around—Kainel and Ariel looked clueless too.
"The 'Grade Exam' is coming soon...! Students!"
The talk before Endless Beast Forest was real. I leaned forward. Instinct said new rewards or items awaited.
Group projects gave nothing even for first place.
Dennis pulled out a 3D magic circle and began explaining. Parchments with illustrations flew around with its rotation.
"The rules are simple. Tournament format, determining the strongest per grade."
A sheet floated to me. It detailed rules, schedule, ranking rewards.
"Participants fight inside a barrier made of magic."
He raised a finger, expanding a spherical magic circle to envelop the classroom exterior. This was how the arena was prepared, he explained.
"Go wild as you like. The academy provides transparent protective gear made of mana—it'll prevent injuries."
With those words, a transparent shield-like film coated every student in the room.
"When all shields shatter, the match ends automatically."
I poked at the intriguing sensation—no discomfort. A faint shimmer clung to the glass knight's armor too.
"...Or if the time limit expires. Then, the side with more shield remaining wins."
I nodded at the tiebreaker function. Thorough—no draws.
"No limits on techniques, abilities, or gear. But if deemed too malicious, faculty disqualify."
So Kainel could use his holy sword. At Professor Dennis's mention, the blond hero shot me a cocky "watch me" grin.
He'll hide his hero status well, right?
There'd be countermeasures like in the sword grounds to fool the Hero Cult. I'd tipped him off yesterday.
"Then, students of Grand Hearts Academy. May Akasha's blessing be with you. Strive to win with wisdom!"
With that, Professor Dennis ended class early. Thanks. Knight Heart is the best. I pored over the handout.
I read the ranking rewards one by one.
First place: Dragon Heart... Eating it boosted magic stats and levels hugely in-game?
Not appealing. Even if I got it, my magic-incapable constitution made it useless.
Interest waned. In this world, I was the only one immune to others' magic.
Huh, this...?
Scanning the list, I doubted my eyes. Second place reward item name froze me in shock.
...Mana Rose.
No wonder—the item the Nameless Saintess had always wanted. Second place outshone first.
"Ariel, what do you want from here?"
"Yeah, Kai. World Tree leaves for my staff material would be nice!"
"Licht, aiming for anything?"
"...Yes."
The blue rose she cherished. A famous flower in the game, glowing blue from infused mana—the Mana Rose.
"I'll get it no matter what."
She'd be over the moon. When I played Knight Heart, I thought it was just lore.
Searched everywhere, no real thing. Who knew it was here.
"Licht. Dragon Heart?"
"..."
No more snatching by the crown prince. I chose silence over a pointless lie.
I'll keep it for her.
Her gentle smile, loving the blue rose's meaning, surfaced.
She'd surely love receiving it. Might even insist on watering it herself.
I must secure second place in this grade exam.