CH.49 14-1. The Black Heart of a Knight
The Heavenly Demon Baek Mok-ryun had been telling the truth.
I only needed to take a step toward the forest’s edge before the trees and foliage began shifting wildly. Even when I marked my path by slashing trees, the markings vanished as if they’d never existed.
All means of retaining knowledge or memory were blocked. It felt like my perception itself was being twisted.
“It’s true. I can’t figure out the direction at all,” I admitted.
“This is the Authority of Ignorance,” Mok-ryun replied. “Boy, how is it that you remember so much, yet have no talent for escaping this place?”
“…I have no excuse, Heavenly Demon.”
I sighed. I wasn’t some heroic figure, after all. I didn’t wield a holy sword, nor did I possess a masterpiece. My powers weren’t enough to deal with Demon Lords without resorting to the Fallen Route.
“But boy, why are you still wearing that Black Knight helmet? The rest of the Demon Lord’s armor has vanished.”
“Ah, this helmet… I can’t take it off.”
“Oh? I assumed you wore it to conceal your identity as a Demon Lord.”
“That’s not it, Heavenly Demon.”
“Then perhaps it’s the handiwork of those ill-tempered dwarves with their beards full of tricks,” she mused.
I wish it were some masterpiece. But it wasn’t anything special, other than being comfortable to wear and allowing me to breathe underwater a little easier.
But ever since I started wearing this, Magic Hat had been drawn to me like a curse. What was this helmet, anyway? Was it a dropped item? If so, it explained why people always misunderstood my intentions.
“Well, it was given to me by someone unpleasant…”
“Khehehe! Then perhaps it’s an artifact tainted with malice, no?”
If it was a special item, shouldn’t it come with some sort of incredible ability? Instead, it just seemed to attract trouble.
Typical Black Heart design philosophy. The developers never let players get anything without making them suffer.
“That makes sense, your point is valid,” I said, resting a hand on the helmet’s forehead.
One thing was clear: the design resembled equipment used by the Glass Knight. Perhaps if I got closer to Mardol, I might uncover more. There had been paired items in the game, after all.
“…”
The thought struck me: had I disappeared like someone going off to die? Would the Glass Knight worry about me?
After all, Magic Hat had been a walking trauma for him, especially since him parents, Bellin Gransia, had been held captive.
It had been five years since I’d been isekai’d here, and I only remembered the Crown Prince after seeing him face-to-face.
“So, what’s this direction you mentioned? You said there’s a way out of here.”
I pressed the Heavenly Demon for answers. The academy students were probably worried by now. And I certainly didn’t want to risk being kidnapped and imprisoned by the royal family later.
“It’s simple. Dissolve the concept of the Demon Lord,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Pardon? Is there some artifact here? A holy sword, perhaps?”
“Hah! You’re a riot, boy,” she chuckled, her draconic irises glinting as she bared her fangs.
So there wasn’t some hidden item? Then what was she implying?
“Only fools obsess over things like holy swords or cursed blades.”
“Then what do you mean…”
“A sword is only as strong as the one who wields it,” she explained. “If a sword chooses its master, it’s inherently flawed. Remember that, boy.”
The Heavenly Demon drew her own weapon—a simple black blade. It bore no unusual features, no ostentatious decorations.
“Boy, do you think this sword couldn’t slay a Demon Lord?”
“Probably… not?” I replied uncertainly.
“Then how do you explain the time you nearly killed a Demon Lord with Drake’s ultimate technique?”
So she’d suspected my connection to the Ten Greats from the start. She had been testing me all along. Thorough and calculating—classic Baek Mok-ryun.
“Dragonslayers kill concepts… oh, no way.”
“Yes, that’s exactly it.”
“…A mere sword technique surpassing a Demon Lord’s authority.”
“Precisely. Swordsmanship is the art of will. If you have the will to cut, you can cut anything. That’s why…”
She stopped before a massive tree that towered like a world tree, its girth so enormous it seemed to touch the sky.
“True swordsmen do not obsess over their weapons, boy.”
The tree was so colossal that anyone might mistake it for the World Tree. But this was no mere oversized tree.
“Even with an ordinary iron blade like this,” she said, holding up her unremarkable sword.
The blade looked like it could’ve come from any swordsmanship training ground in the academy—nothing special at all.
“…One could cleave the sea itself if they so willed.”
The Heavenly Demon casually swung her sword in a horizontal arc, drawing a straight line as if it were the simplest motion.
“Blooming Magnolias.”
A soft slicing sound echoed through the forest, followed by an extraordinary scene.
The colossal tree before her was cleaved cleanly in half. Every tree in its path was sheared along a perfect horizon line, their upper halves flying away.
The path ahead was now a straight corridor, as if the trees had been delicately trimmed into a symmetrical shape. It resembled petals scattering in the wind—graceful yet precise.
“…”
The sound of splintering wood arrived seconds after the slash. Thick trunks toppled outward in unison, crashing to the ground with an earth-shaking rumble.
This was the Heavenly Demon, Baek Mok-ryun. Her technique felt fundamentally different from the Drake School’s Swordsmanship.
“Khehe, even so, I’ve already taken a bullet from Head’s Authority. I can’t leave this place,” she said, flashing a wry smile.
Despite her overwhelming power, even she couldn’t escape the forest. Already, the trees began to return to their original state, as if time itself was reversing.
What kind of absurd power was this? Was this even swordsmanship anymore?
“…Could you teach me this?” I asked, desperate.
“What? You, boy? Impossible. This technique requires inner energy—an entirely different dimension from mana.”
“I can do it. My constitution is… unique.”
“This isn’t merely about technique. It’s about reaching the pinnacle of understanding. No mere human can achieve it, boy.”
“Then I’ll learn it immediately. It might suit me, considering I can’t even manipulate mana properly.”
I could feel it—this technique could defeat Demon Lords. It was the exact sharpness I needed.
“I’m the apprentice of Drake the Dragonslayer. If anyone can do this, it’s me.”
“Ho, so that sniveling brat has disciples now? And they call him ‘Dragonslayer’ because I was erased by Ignorance? Absurd.”
“That’s correct, Heavenly Demon.”
If I wanted to return to the academy, I had no choice but to grow stronger. If there was truly a state where a willful sword could overcome a Demon Lord’s authority, I had to reach it.
“Please… I beg you.”
This was what I needed most. With Magic Hat on the move again, and the Nameless Saintess in potential danger, there was no telling when the next threat would arise.
“…Why should I teach you, boy?” she asked, her piercing gaze unwavering.
The Heavenly Demon snorted in derision, crossing her arms as she maintained a defiant stance. Her refusal was clear. It seemed she’d already forgotten what I’d said earlier when pleading for my life.
“If I master your swordsmanship…”