I Became a Dark Knight in the Game

15 – What’s This, Take It (1)

Morgina’s mind was busier than ever. Mostly because of Criel.

It wasn’t because she was strategizing about her romantic front with Criel. It was clear that Criel had a significant share in helping her suppress her originally hot-tempered nature, which the Eve Kaha Order internally evaluated as ‘reckless.’

But not now. What Morgina was thinking about now was Criel’s ‘constitution’ issue. The constitution that had caused trouble at the Holy Gate.

Originally, throwing Criel in front of the saints would have been half-suicidal. Although Criel held the position of Grand Knight of Eve Kaha, they wouldn’t have executed him immediately, but they would have incapacitated him to the point of near death.

But now, the situation was different.

‘Why doesn’t the holy power work, why is the echo of the abyss detected? There are excuses for everything.’

The reason for the low effectiveness of holy healing is due to the curse of the Seven Demon Diseases. The echo of the abyss is also due to the curse of the Seven Demon Diseases.

And even if you directly hit with the holy power of a saint level, instead of being in pain, if it is confirmed that the treatment works properly, you could say goodbye to the suspicion of being an ‘Abyss Mole’ for the time being.

There was a reason why Morgina forcibly dragged Kriel, who was reluctant, to be treated by the saints.

‘If we can somehow get through this time, at least in the Holy City of Temris, there will be no clergy to blame Kriel!’

Morgina was about to deliver her carefully prepared speech, which was uncharacteristic of her.

“…?”

She could sense something strange in the eyes of the saints looking at her. Near fear, bewilderment, interest, and pity?

“What. Why are you looking at me like that─”

“Shh.”

Kriel immediately stopped Morgina, who was about to utter something vulgar. Morgina frowned and corrected herself.

“Hurry up and treat this guy. I can’t do it alone.”

The saints did not bother to say things like ‘Aren’t you a saint too?’. They realized there was a better way to provoke Morgina’s temper, and they also sensed that they could hear many interesting stories by treating the great warrior Kriel.

“Old man. Take this.”

Ignoring the ominous anticipation in the expressions of the saints flocking to Kriel, Morgina threw the trial sword Gratoun to the old martial artist.

It looked like a bundle of red chains. The old man easily caught the bundle of chains and clicked his tongue as he sensed the ominous pulse within.

“What is this? Even wrapped in your holy purity, it has such a fierce aura.”

“Gratoun.”

“The Seven Demon Diseases? Haha, I didn’t think the Seven Demon Diseases would suddenly pop up in such a remote place.”

“Since you seem to be the leader of this group, report it to the Holy City. I’m taking this guy straight to the main base of Eve Kaha.”

The old martial artist scratched his white hair. The saints were usually wanderers who found their own tasks rather than staying in the Holy City, but this case seemed different.

“Didn’t you two reclaim the Seven Demon Diseases? If you report it to the Holy City, there might be a triumphal ceremony, or at least a reward, even if there isn’t a special event due to security measures for the Seven Demon Diseases?”

“…That’s all.”

Morgina muttered softly. It was such a small voice that even the old martial artist with senses beyond human limits couldn’t be sure he heard it correctly.

“Hmm?”

“He doesn’t want to go to the Holy City. Damn it.”

The end of the sentence, which did not suit a saint, was filled with deep regret.

*

I could hear Morgina grumbling behind my back.

“No, if we just go to the Holy City, the Priest-King kid will pull out a badass armor that’s been stored in the warehouse for about 300 years. So stop grumbling and let’s go together.”

“I have no business in Temris.”

To be honest, it was a place I was reluctant to go.

I didn’t know the Holy Gate’s abyss detection performance was that good. At first, I was bewildered, thinking we might get raided like this.

Originally, in TirnanogRPG, the Holy Kingdom was a place where people who stood at the forefront of abyss eradication gathered. If you played as an abyss faction, it was the vanguard and last bastion of the great abyss battle you would face as the final enemy.

I didn’t particularly engage in abyss worship, but visiting the Holy City and having a private interview with the Priest-King was burdensome. What if I heard something like, ‘Sir Knight, you have an abyssal taint in your head?’

Following Morigina’s suggestion, I succeeded in gaining trust by receiving holy power physiotherapy from the saints, making them think, ‘Oh, this guy can’t be from the abyss.’

But that’s only believable to those who saw it firsthand. It’s hard for anyone to believe a cumbersome excuse like, ‘I was originally clean, but I got stabbed in the chest by mistake.’

In fact, even entering and exiting was a problem. It was quite troublesome if the Holy Gate sparkled every time I passed through. It was fine when I had the Great Warrior’s token, but I originally planned to return it as soon as the job was done.

“Hey, horse head! Try to persuade this stubborn mule!”

[Me? How? I’m just a sword, so I have no choice but to go where the swordsman takes me.]

At Orishin’s insincere answer, Morigina started bickering with the horse head ghost again. It was a sight that made me shake my head. Their pointless quarrels now felt like a daily routine.

‘It’s hard to believe they met just a few days ago.’

Orishin and Morigina didn’t genuinely hate each other, and at this level, they could be seen as friends who just bickered with each other. I waited for their argument to die down and asked.

“Can’t you handle the return procedure by just taking the Great Warrior’s token? I remember they just threw it at me without much ceremony.”

“That was still in the Great Temple. They had already finished the ritual before giving it to you, so it went through the proper procedure.”

Morigina clung to me, who was about to return the Great Warrior’s token and part ways. It was easy to give it, but returning it required a special procedure.

It had to be done in the Great Temple installed in the Holy City, or a similar place, following the guidance of a high-ranking priest.

Originally, I thought such ceremonies were more complicated for appointments than retirements.

But the main base of Eve Kaha was near the path I was going to take. Anyway, I was practically on indefinite leave from the army, so I could afford to be away for a day or two.

“By the way, why are you going to the Empire? It’s completely opposite to the Western United Kingdom.”

“Magic is the most developed there. My excuse for leaving the unit was this horse head’s purification mission.”

“…It will be difficult to solve the abyss that couldn’t be purified with holy power using magic.”

“I know. But when I return later, I need to have as much content as possible for the report saying, ‘I tried this and that.'”

[Huh? Do you know someone in the Empire’s Magic Tower? Or are you just going to barge in like visiting the Holy City?]

“I do know someone, but…”

I trailed off. Regardless of whether I remembered them, it was questionable if they would remember me.

“They’re just someone I passed by while working as a mercenary. Even if we meet, they might not recognize me. If I’m lucky and they introduce me to another magician, that’s good. If not, I’ll just have to do things the hard way as usual.”

“Come to think of it, you said you participated in various places as a mercenary before joining the Western Army?”

“I’ve been to many places. I was mobilized for the elf and dwarf mine dispute in the Great Mountains. In the Empire, I even pretended to be a knight a few times during territorial disputes.”

[If you’re pretending to be a knight, did you ride a horse too?]

“You’re hitting a sore spot. I wasn’t a proper knight because I didn’t have a horse to ride.”

[Well, if you can’t ride a horse, you’re not a knight!]

Matching the conversation appropriately, I quickened my steps. In my mind, I was drafting the outline of the face-saving report I would submit upon returning to the unit.

‘I confirmed the possibility of purification by the divine power expert. Next, a magic expert would be good. If possible, a shaman or spiritist too.’

I made a big decision.

‘Although I tried my best to purify it, I ended up only taking temporary measures due to three strikes.’ As soon as the report content was ready, I decided to go around and have fun.

*

After the old martial artist handed over the ceremonial sword Gratuon to Morgina, the saints were largely divided into two groups.

The first group was similar to Morgina and Kriel. They were in a hurry to return to their original places of work, so they decided to part ways here without returning to the holy city.

Such people made up about two-thirds of the total. Only three saints remained heading to the holy city.

“They don’t care about the triumph ceremony. They are truly incorruptible. What did Morgina say to the old man?”

“She said to tell the Priest King to put more support funds into Eve Kaha since we caught it. Then she immediately followed him.”

“Seeing that cheeky girl liking someone, it feels like the end of the world. Huh.”

On the surface, it seemed like a peaceful chat. However, the saints were not letting their guard down. This was because they were transporting one of the seven great demonic weapons.

Gratuon no longer seemed to be bound by chains. This was because other saints, besides Morgina, had exerted their sealing techniques with all their might.

Even the saints who did not head to the holy city helped reinforce the seal before leaving. As a result, Gratuon was multilayered with seals of more than ten different divine powers.

Now, on the surface, Gratuon’s seal looked like a pure white coffin. The coffin, which seemed to have a sacred atmosphere as if a saint were lying inside, was actually a manifestation of the saints’ will to bury this monstrosity forever.

A level of confinement that no demon could escape without external assistance, even a demon would be troubled.

Now, if they took Gratuon and buried it well in a corner of the holy city, this dreadful weapon would disappear from history for a while.

The saints quickly headed to the holy city.

Of course, no one thought of breaking the seal and looking inside.