Act 71

Prev I TOC I Next

“The Black Knight… sir?”

Why add “sir” just because I did something significant?

In a tense atmosphere that suddenly turned calm, the demeanor of the woman put me off.

I haven’t shown my face to them, or rather, to the public.

Only once during a raid on a convoy from a carriage.

And once when attacking Pintel at the forge.

And… was there another time?

Anyway! The ‘Black Knight’, hidden behind a mask, unintentionally aims for mystique.

It’s exceedingly disconcerting to be recognized instantly as the ‘Black Knight’.

“Ah, that… right?”

The legend passed down orally, that story. That I can understand.

It’s the ‘real’ story of this world, not revealed in the game.

Even so, the reaction is unfamiliar since the ‘Black Knight’ I am playing is not the original protagonist.

‘Even more so, the identity of this Black Knight…?’

Do they know that he is the infamous ‘Laughing Executioner’ of the empire?

Well, perhaps it’s better they don’t know.

“Re, really… you, the Black Knight? Why are you here…?”

The woman, speaking with an embarrassed tone, I carefully examined her face.

She looked about the same age as Linne, with emerald green eyes and silver hair, which seemed out of place in a shabby shack.

‘I think her name was Meyer.’

The name ‘Meyer’ recently mentioned by a spirit came to mind.

“Is Solbern’s illegitimate child… here?”

Her full name is ‘Meyerd Solbern Eania.’

A member of the Adratan Empire’s great families, the Solbern family, unlike the Donassien family, holds the highest authority in a different kind of ‘magic’—spirit magic.

Seeing her handle the spirits, it’s clear the blood doesn’t lie.

Their family specialty is ‘spirit magic.’

While the Donassien use mana spread through nature to manipulate laws with their ‘magic,’ the Solberns use the ‘spirits’ that exist in nature to wield magic in its most natural form.

Known as ‘The Only One of Five Colors’ for her ability to control spirits of five elements, it’s ironic that she would end up in a slum, yet one day she will be a pillar of the Empire’s Magic Tower.

This matter is of no concern to me now.

“Ah….”

As Meyer looked at my face, she sighed briefly and then glanced at where Baran had fallen.

Afterward, a hint of hostility flickered in her emerald green eyes.

“Could it be, the Black Knight… no! Did you kill our brother?”

Though born into the noble class, Meyer’s speech was crude and sharp, as if she hadn’t received proper education.

“Hey, you! I’m asking you! Did you do it…?”

“No.” The informal tone slipped out of my mouth unexpectedly, and I sighed with relief, feeling somewhat awkward. It was something I was not accustomed to.

“When I arrived, he had already been attacked by someone else.”

“What a joke! There’s so much of your mana scattered around here, how can you deny it! Hunin told me everything!”

Hunin? Ah, she’s talking about a spirit. Given the scent of the wind, is she currently contracted only with the wind spirit?

As her name was mentioned, a shy glimmer of light hurriedly scurried into Meyer’s bosom.

“Hey, you bastard! Speak clearly! Or I’ll cut off your limbs and feed them to the demons…”

As Meyer raised her voice, I lifted the sheath of my Moon Blade to show her.

“Ask your precious wind spirit if my sword smells of blood.”

Meyer flinched at my confident demeanor. After a moment, she whispered softly to Hunin in her arms, and soon the spirit revealed itself as a burst of light.

– There’s no smell of blood on this man’s sword. I don’t think it’s him.

I heard it clearly, even though it was soft.

“What, what? Not him? You should have told me sooner!”

Meyer, taking out her frustration on her own spirit, hesitantly continued to speak to me.

“So, why are you here, Black Knight… sir?”

“I came here to tell you not to use my name. You’re part of the ‘Nameless Gang,’ right? You should have some idea.”

While ‘Meyer’ is a named character, it’s not clear if she’s actually a member of the ‘Nameless Gang’ in this situation. I’m well aware of the narrative and settings concerning the main characters around the Sword Saint, but I barely remember those of the lesser-known figures…

There are just too many! Thus, I probed Meyer with my words.

“Ugh!” She’s still young and can’t hide her feelings well. How did she become ‘The Only One of Five Colors’?

“But looking at the situation now, it seems too late even for a warning.”

Meyer turned her gaze to the dead Baran, and as tears began to form in her eyes, she panicked and started rubbing her eyes with her hands to hide her perceived weakness.

Soon, with reddened eyes, Meyer boldly said to me, “Help me.”

What are you talking about all of a sudden? Cutting right to the point and asking for help?

“Argh! Just help me! Help me catch the person who killed our brother Baran!”

“Why should I do that?”

Meyer’s assertive words crumbled at my counter-question.

“Uh…?”

“I asked you why.”

“Because… you’re the hero of the people! The noble martyr, the shadow of the weak…”

What? The hero of the people? A noble martyr? The shadow of the weak? I wish someone would uncurl my cringing hand.

“Cough, those are just nicknames you’ve pinned on me. I don’t wear this mask to help anyone. It’s purely for my own self-interest.”

To be more precise, about 10% of it was in lieu of the negligent Sword Saint, and 90% for my own safety. That’s pretty much it.

“Just like you. You’ve been using my name for your safety, as if you own it.”

“No, that’s a lie…”

Seeing Meyer unable to hide her disappointment, I wanted to get out of this complicated situation quickly, but I felt the need to say what had to be said. Since Baran, the leader, was dead, it seemed right to at least tell Meyer, who called him ‘brother’.

“However, there won’t be a second time. If you use my name again, then…”

As I was about to give my final warning, I suddenly sensed movements around the shack.

‘One, two, three…?’

Three presences. The way they moved silently and stealthily suggested they were trained assassins.

‘Part of the Nameless Gang?’

It’s more than likely. This place was the residence of their leader Baran after all. Perhaps they came hearing Meyer’s loud voice.

‘Hmm?’

But that thought proved wrong shortly. The intent to kill, silently creeping under the skin.

With my <Amazing Intuition>, it was too easy to sense the murderous intent emanating from these figures, who weren’t even Bishops.

And then……

‘These are the ones who killed Baran.’

“Fine! I’ll find the culprit myself…”

Crack!

As Meyer spoke, a fierce beam of light tore through the tent at the entrance and flew towards us. Having sensed the danger beforehand, I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards me.

It’s a good thing I was prepared.

“Oof….”

Thud!

With a bizarre scream and a stunned expression, Meyer looked at me. Then, seeing the dagger embedded next to her, her face turned pale.

“A dagger!? Where did it come from!?”

“You’re lucky. It seems that the people you were looking for have returned.”

“The ones I was looking for…?” 

“It’s the same smell! The scent of Baran’s blood is coming from outside!”

It was the spirit inside Meyer’s bosom that injected certainty into my thoughts. As I watched the approaching figures and glanced at where the spirit was, the light bundle in her arms twitched slightly.

“Are you sure?” 

Seeing the light bundle shake vigorously up and down, it seemed to affirmatively respond.

But can they see me? I have a deep understanding of ‘magic,’ allowing me to somewhat see their presence, but due to a lack of empathy, their forms are not clearly visible. Despite this, it seemed strange to Hunin that someone other than its master could see it, and it hid again inside Meyer’s bosom.

“I’ll say it once more. Help me.”

Meyer, having just witnessed a dagger fly past her, requested sharply, not just idly pleading while throwing around the nickname ‘Black Knight.’

“Baran wasn’t my blood relative, but he was someone I could call family. I really want to avenge him.”

Meyer’s tone was remarkably calm.

“Please, I’ll do anything… Huh?”

As Meyer spoke, I pulled out the dagger that had stuck into the wooden wall and examined its blade.

‘The Moon Blade is too conspicuous, I’ll have to use this for now.’

Requests aside, if I want to escape this place, I cannot avoid a confrontation with them. 

Seeing my actions as a sign of assistance, she expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you, Black Knight. You really are just as the rumors say.”

Rumors are like clouds, intangible and ever-expanding.

What does she mean, I’m just as the rumors say? Don’t I also need to survive?

***

Using a dagger instead of my usual long sword felt awkward, like wearing unfamiliar clothes, but the sensation soon faded.

<Born Swordsman>

This ability, thought to be one of the most excellent among Julian’s many talents, was now proving its worth as recent training with various weapons shone through.

After pushing aside the tattered curtain, I stepped out of the shack and saw the figures who had thrown the daggers come into view.

‘It doesn’t seem like the Dawn Society…’

The energy and atmosphere they emitted were far from those of the Dawn Society. If it had been them, they wouldn’t have thrown daggers from a distance; they would have charged head-on, true to their style as a group that worships the demonic.

But why did they kill Baran? So far, he was just known as a back-alley boss of the slums.

“What, what is this!?”

As I tried to comprehend their motives for killing Baran and returning here, I noticed one of the men, clearly flustered.

“Is that guy the rumored Black Knight…?”

“I thought the Nameless Gang was just spouting nonsense, but was it true?”

‘I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere.’

His face seemed familiar, but not as a named character who plays a crucial role in “Let’s Kill the Demon King.”

‘Where have I seen that guy?’

After a bit of thought, it started to come back to me.

‘He’s one of Gerard’s men.’

Gerard, whom I encountered when Pintel was detained and then released by the gendarmes.

‘One of the private soldiers he had with him then. Oh! Could this also be a part of ‘Julian’s’ ability?’

My admiration for my memory was brief. Was Baran’s death orchestrated by Gerard? It’s unclear.

But I’ll find out soon enough.

** 

The Black Knight.

Linne knew nothing about the man surrounded by such rumors, but her curiosity was piqued.

Stagnant sword skills.

Now that her mentor, the Sword Saint, had ascended to sainthood, she thought it best to seek guidance from someone superior to advance her skills.

-They say the Black Knight’s sword harbors moonlight!? I’d love to see that sword dance just one more time!

In this context, the figure known as ‘the Black Knight’ spoken of by Lupina caught Linne’s interest.

‘…Sigh.’

Ideally, she had a perfect opponent from whom to learn.

‘Julian… ugh.’

Despite swallowing her pride and attempting to seek guidance from Julian, whom she encountered at the ‘Dusk Flame,’ he had vanished like the wind.

‘Even if he tells me not to acknowledge him usually, he appears like a ghost.’

This only fueled a sense of defiance within her.

‘I wouldn’t seek him out to ask for lessons,’ she thought as she moved towards the dirty slums.

‘Rumor has it that the Black Knight often appears here.’

Thanks to the rumors of him humiliating a senseless noble and past legends, the Black Knight was quite popular.

In the slums, where the lower classes gathered, his recognition was high, and using this popularity as a shield, it was said that the Black Knight was hiding in the slums.

‘But, is this really okay?’

Although she had impulsively made her way to the slums, she knew what position the Black Knight held at the royal palace. Not a gendarme, nor part of the royal household, but an outlaw. Getting involved with him might prove to be a headache.

‘Will I be found out? I came here just to see what kind of person he is, and what kind of swordsmanship he uses.’

She didn’t worry unnecessarily about it. If there was something more annoying than that, it was…

‘…how filthy it is.’

It wasn’t her first time in the slums, but the dirty environment was enough to make her frown.

‘I absolutely despise this place, yet here I am again.’

When she had visited here with Julian, she had pretended it didn’t bother her, but inherently, she was not someone with a strong stomach.

The only reason she had acted tough back then was because she thought Julian would tease her about it.

‘Well, can’t help it.’

Thirsty people must look for a well. Knowing this well, she composed her expression and headed further inside.

And after a while…

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of three men confronting a shack.

They seemed like well-trained knights, but oddly enough, there was a palpable tension between them.

‘What are they doing?’

She didn’t want to be interested in trivial matters, but the appearance of the man emerging from the shack made Linne instinctively hide herself.

‘As black as pitch, a mask, and a knightly aura.’

Just as Lupina had described.

‘That must be the Black Knight.’

However, contrary to Lupina’s description, the appearance of the ‘Black Knight’ was incredibly disappointing.

‘He looks hideous, doesn’t he?’

Prev I TOC I Next