Phew, that was a close call.
Why does she have to measure everything this way and that when I said I would make it?
This is why overly clever people can’t succeed.
As I acted all cunning in front of Elenoa, I again felt a cold sweat trickling down the inside of my hand.
So, I deliberately rubbed my hands together and snapped off some leaves and branches.
‘It should be about time for contact; what could have gone wrong now?’
Around this time, Tenellon is supposed to step down from the Archbishop position and ascend to the position of Grand Archbishop in a scheduled event.
I counted on this and threw in my remarks to Elenoa, and luckily, she believed me.
If she had rejected my question about whether she wanted to be the Archbishop…
And what if the other bishops had seen and reported this?
It could become a very dangerous situation.
Especially since I previously stirred up the atmosphere of the Dawn Society by calling out ‘traitor.’
‘There is a need to take risks to attract the bishop.’
And damn that Gerard.
This guy’s ambition is huge enough to later take over the ‘Dawn Society.’
I know well enough that he won’t spare any means to get recognized by Tenellon during the process.
When I played the game in the early days, I died because of him.
‘I have to stop him before he becomes the Archbishop. That’s why I chose Elenoa.’
I mentioned her family for this reason.
In the original story, ‘Gerard, having made a smooth relationship with Julian, processes his political rivals to rise to the Archbishop’s position.
During this, many commoners and nobles die, and the capital falls into chaos.
The Black Knight appeared from time to time to block the Dawn Society and Julian, but it was too much for him alone, and it was incredibly frustrating.
Damn! How many times did I reset? 10 times? 20 times?
And Gerard’s ambition continues until he eventually calls upon the Demon Lord…
No way out.
Game over. Time to reset.
But that’s just in the game, and now that I’ve become ‘Julian,’ a reset isn’t possible.
So, drastic measures are necessary.
***
It won’t be long before ‘Tenellon’ himself announces the ‘Grand Archbishop’ matter.
“Sir Julian, the Archbishop has named himself the ‘Grand Archbishop’ and will soon hold the succession ceremony.”
While I was tending orchids in the mansion office, a member of the Dawn Society came in secretly to report.
Normally, I would have received reports from Razlot, but today the society member came in person.
“I see.”
I nodded in agreement, and the society member looked slightly perplexed.
“Why do you not ask for the reason?”
I stopped pruning the orchids and turned my gaze back to the society member, who flinched.
I know well enough why Tenellon is holding the ‘succession ceremony.’
I’ve played ‘Let’s Kill the Demon Lord’ several times.
“Is there any reason I need to ask?”
“I’m sorry, Sir Julian!”
The society member hastily bowed his head, starting to apologize as a shade of ‘fear’ flickered above him.
I didn’t mean it that seriously.
“Please… just spare my life…!”
Why mention life?
What have I done?
After calming down the panicked fellow, I turned my attention to the box handed to me by Elenoa.
Inside, there was a magical device that transmits sound in both directions, along with a small ‘soul stone.’
‘The Demicel family’s soul stone.’
If you consider that the Demicel family originally founded the ‘Dawn Society,’ it’s not strange that they have a soul stone.
Of course, I know this fact because of my memories of playing the game.
‘Normally, I would have looked for a place to hide this soul stone…’
But this time, there’s no need.
This ‘soul stone’ will serve as the fare to send Gerard to the underworld.
His unpredictable actions are dangerous.
‘Not just what happened at the banquet, but also his attempt to cut off Pintel’s air.’
His overflowing ambition is the root cause.
An ambitious ‘bishop’ is trouble.
The ‘Dawn Society’ must remain below the surface for the Sword Saint to operate effectively.
And for my sake, it must not become too exposed.
I must play the role of the ‘Black Knight’ until my negligent master fully regains his position.
Damn!
‘It’s wise to nip the sprout of anxiety before it grows.’
In that sense, I headed to the outskirts of the slums, where one could call the ‘Nameless Gang’ a ‘sprout of anxiety.’
Before dealing with the ‘head’ that is Gerard, his ‘limbs’ must be broken first.
Before starting with the ‘soul stone’ in hand.
Wouldn’t it be wise to have a leash on the ‘Nameless Gang’ to prevent them from causing trouble?
The Black Knight is with us!
The Black Knight is our hope!
Spreading such nonsense could interfere with my plans.
***
Recently, the familiarity of the slums, combined with my experience playing the game, felt like my own room.
I headed toward the outskirts of the area managed by the ‘Nameless Gang.’
Then, a shack fitting the description of the slums, unclean and unsightly, came into view.
Julian’s body, which has a compulsion for ‘cleanliness,’ instinctively resisted going towards the shack.
‘Unfortunately, that’s my destination today.’
The shack where ‘Baran,’ the leader of the Nameless Gang, resides, the message I have to deliver is simple.
Avoid mentioning the ‘Black Knight,’ and tell him not to do anything until the Dawn Society’s succession ceremony is over.
That would allow the ‘Black Knight’ a bit more freedom to move.
Of course, he’s not likely to listen to me.
If he were that easy, I wouldn’t have come here myself.
‘A small warning should suffice.’
If they impersonate the ‘Black Knight,’ the ‘Royal Family’ might track them down.
A single word should be enough for those whose goal is survival.
‘If that doesn’t work…’
I glanced at the moon blade on my hip and lightly flicked the scabbard with my hand.
Clang!
I might have to be a bit more forceful.
‘I just wish they’d stay quiet until I deal with Gerard…’
Then, amid the fetid stench of the slums, an unpleasant odor stung my nostrils.
If it were simply a ‘bad smell,’ I wouldn’t be so bothered, but Julian’s body found this scent particularly familiar.
‘It smells like blood.’
The thought that something dangerous might have occurred crossed my mind. As I opened the dirty door, the sound of dragging along the floor allowed me to enter the shack.
And when I moved the curtain aside with my hand, there was a man who appeared to be Baran, the leader of the Nameless Gang, lying dead.
The pungent smell of blood tingled my brain, sparking a clarity in my thoughts.
Seeing the corpse, I expected to stiffen, but instead, my body began to fill with energy, sensing potential danger. I drew my sword and looked around.
Mana detection.
I scattered mana to check if anyone was around, but sensed no presence.
‘Who could have done this?’
Another gang dividing the slums?
No, that’s unlikely; they’re valueless and the remaining two would prefer to avoid conflict.
‘Is this actually good?’
The leader of the ‘Nameless Gang’ who had been impersonating the ‘Black Knight’ is dead. But then, I realized that wasn’t it.
‘It’s actually more troublesome now that a man who could have talked is dead.’
It might be abnormal to think this way in front of a corpse, but it was the first thought that came to mind.
Who could have done this?
Sensing that things were about to get more complicated, my head began to ache.
‘The desk is a mess.’
Next to where the body had fallen, there was a desk with papers strewn about.
Considering the dirty atmosphere of the shack, it wasn’t surprising, yet my gaze clung stickily to the body of the dead Baran.
‘Someone came here looking for something.’
The contents of the documents that caught my eye seemed unimportant, but that absence drew my attention.
‘There’s nothing here bearing the seal of the Oclean family.’
Baran, the head of the ‘Nameless Gang,’ was originally a member of the private soldiers raised by ‘Gerard Oclean.’
The reason for his presence here was as a preliminary step to absorb the infrastructure of the ‘Six Fingers’ and the ‘Blood Fiend Clan’ in the future.
It’s strange that there is nothing with the ‘Oclean family’ seal on this guy’s desk.
‘He couldn’t have hidden it just before dying.’
Is it stored somewhere else?
With that thought, I began to look around for any possible hiding places.
‘Hold on.’
In the middle of this, the thought struck me that if someone caught me in this situation, it would lead to a headache.
‘The cold body of the Nameless Gang’ leader.’
And there I was, ‘Laughing Executioner’ Julian Crypart Frason, rummaging through the place.
If someone who didn’t know the circumstances saw this, it would be easy to misunderstand.
‘Surely now, at this incredible timing, someone would come in…’
Bang!
“Brother Baran! It’s an emergency, an emergency! There’s been a report of seeing Julian in our area, did you do something?”
A sharp woman’s voice came from the entrance, and I quickly hid myself in a corner.
“Crazy…!”
From my hidden angle, the woman who entered hadn’t spotted me yet.
“Huh? Brother Baran?”
The problem was, the only way out of the room I was hiding in was the entrance, and there were no windows. To escape, I would have to face the woman.
“Brother Baran!!!”
Her voice, almost a shriek, filled the shack. Apparently, she had just seen Baran’s dead body.
“What should I do? What the heck is going on… I need to tell the others…”
Her anxious tone seemed like she was about to leave, which inwardly relieved me.
– Meyer, I felt a recent use of mana from inside the shack…!
But my relief was short-lived as another voice whispered, reaching my ears. The faint scent of mana, and Julian’s ‘intuition,’ sensitive to all things magical, whispered that this voice was that of a ‘spirit.’
“A spirit user?!”
In this world, filled with magic, mana, and vampires, of course, there exist ‘spirits’—supernatural entities.
One of the many traits of spirits is their ghost-like ability to detect ‘mana,’ their very essence.
But how did it know?
It didn’t seem like a high-ranking spirit capable of detecting the mana inside me.
…Was it because of my mana detection?
The ‘Mana Detection’ I used to check for enemies around after finding Baran’s body. Its residue must have been detected by the spirit.
“Who’s there!? Come out now!”
Sensing something was off, the woman spoke out aggressively.
“Damn, what should I do?”
Should I go out and explain that I had nothing to do with Baran’s death?
Would that even be believable?
Thinking about it, the character ‘Julian’ being at this scene is inherently plausible.
To an outsider, it might look like ‘Baran’ messed up with the royal family, and ‘Julian’ purged him.
But from her perspective, even if my alibi and reasons are perfect, she would have no choice but to see me as the ‘villain with narrow eyes.’
‘It seems like the situation is only going to get worse.’
What should I do?
“Hurry up and show yourself!”
While I was lost in thought, the woman’s voice, now more agitated, rang out again. Listening to her, I realized there was no option but to overpower her.
‘Ah, I had that option…’
A drastic measure flashed through my mind. To implement it, I used ‘Sombra’ to create and don a mask like I had done before.
“Come out before I turn this shack and everything in it to ashes!”
As I revealed myself, the woman’s voice faltered.
“Uh… oh!?”
Soon, her previously uncontrolled voice began to regain composure. The hostility in her eyes and the flickering ‘anger’ above her head gradually faded.
“… Black Knight?”
Cliche Novel 
Aileen😭
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