The Holy Knight’s Dark Road

Young Sain Forth has it made; as the famed Holy Knight, he has the people’s love, the respect of kings, and the blessings of a literal goddess. His aspirations lie elsewhere, though. With his assistant Melia at his side, he leaves for an academy in a foreign kingdom, where he is treated as a deviant by his peers. It’s his own fault, mind you—his stubborn insistance on wearing a custom, all-black uniform makes him stick out. He isn’t the only outcast in his class: Alicia, born into the Clan of Light but unable to use anything but fire magic, faces similar struggles, and the two quickly become allies. Alicia proposes that they enter the labyrinth below the school in search of a holy sword, but Sain has other plans in mind: a doom sword. And so, with his friends in tow, Sain ventures into the perilous unknown, driven by a wish to become the coolest, edgiest, most awesome thing in existence: a Dark Knight. There’s just one problem. He can’t use dark magic. Like, at all.

After trekking through a labyrinth and coming back in one piece — with a new friend, to boot — Sain finally has time to actually study at Jenifa. In its hallowed chambers of learning, he applies himself to the acquisition of dark magic. A month later, he emerges... ...Still utterly worthless at dark magic. On top of that, his teachers have given up on him, and his classmates are calling him the Darkness Dork. Just when despair begins to set in, a chance encounter with an enigmatic girl brings him new hope. Her features are unmistakably those of a dark elf — known for their natural affinity for dark magic. He immediately asks to be her apprentice, only to be coldly rejected. This is Sain, though, and “giving up” just isn't in his vocabulary. Through his tireless — and arguably obnoxious — efforts, he chips away at her armor of indifference. Little does he know, though, that an upcoming school event will put their budding friendship to the ultimate test.

Summer is upon Jenifa, which means it’s time for the academy’s most well-known event — the magic battle expo. Though the numerous stalls and attractions filling the school grounds offer plenty of excitement, the greatest draw of the event is undoubtedly the one-on-one tournament between students. People come from far and wide every year to watch Jenifa’s best go at it against each other. What better chance, then, for Sain to put his burgeoning dark magic skills to the test? So, the strongest holy knight in history takes another step toward becoming the antithesis of everything he’s supposed to stand for and joins the tournament. With his faithful friends at his side and his dark magic actually starting to shape up, he was set to have a blast at the battle expo... until he runs into the student council president, Cain Theresia, whose attitude toward him has been growing increasingly suspicious and hostile. With both of them participating in the tournament and vying for the top, the stage is set for a fierce clash of words and swords. “You know what you need to do, Cain? Lose. Just once. Then, you’d realize that you’re not fighting on your own.”