I Became a Dark Knight in the Game

22 – It’s Easy to Die Fighting, but Hard to Lend a Path (1)

Kriel had a headache.

It wasn’t because he had overworked his body to the point of aftereffects or because he had become ill due to weakened immunity.

Just…

[Come to think of it, does the empire’s law require a permit for spirits to enter the country? Or do I need to classify myself as a sword from the beginning, so there’s no need to report to the immigration office?]

[Arise, master. A knight must have a squire. There’s a monster passing by ahead, so subdue it at once─]

Kriel had a headache.

Kriel accepted Tuon’s opinion 120%. He didn’t just subdue the monster, he cut it in half.

When the shocked Tuon exclaimed, ‘That monster was supposed to be your squire!’, Orishin confidently retorted, ‘Isn’t a splendid unicorn that can properly speak better than a goblin?’

When they reached the point where Orishin, who had been told ‘Are you acting up without legs?’, screamed, Kriel gave a weary smile.

“If I had known this, I would have asked for earplugs instead of a helmet.”

Kriel muttered quietly, clutching his head, as the two spirits began to accuse each other. It was a childish fight of shifting blame, saying it was because the other was too noisy.

Sometimes he thought about just throwing them all away and running away, but it was meaningless.

If he threw the horned sword in a corner of the forest, Orishin would chase after him with the sword in his mouth. The spirit sword Tuon was bound to Kriel’s soul from the beginning, so even if he abandoned it, it would return to Kriel at some point.

Kriel resigned himself. Acknowledging that it was impossible to eliminate the noise between floors, he tried to at least reduce the volume.

“Can’t you be a bit quieter, guys?”

[But you know. We’ve been walking on a deserted road for days. We have to talk to pass the time.]

“Then don’t drag me into it, just chat between yourselves.”

[What? As a noble magic sword, conversing with such a lowly monster without a third party present would tarnish my honor.]

[Seriously, everyone I meet looks down on me. For your information, I’m one of the top spirits in my neighborhood in terms of experience.]

[Didn’t all the spirits in that area move away?]

Kriel fell into thought. He had been walking without much thought, but there was definitely something strange.

‘No people on the road to the empire?’

It was normal to see groups of pilgrims coming from the Empire to this place several times a day.

‘The Holy Kingdom does not block the passage of people according to the custom of the Pantheon, which welcomes all who wander. So, is the Empire controlling the exit?’

It was strange. The Holy Kingdom was somewhat annoying to secular powers. Even if it withdrew from secular interests and devoted itself solely to the eradication of the Abyss, it was true that the Holy Kingdom possessed considerable military power.

It was difficult for rulers to look favorably on a powerful foreign figure crossing the border.

‘But if they block the entry and exit of clergy, the people’s resentment would be no small matter. The eradication of the Abyss ultimately benefits everyone. Even if it’s inconvenient, isn’t it the policy of the nations of Tirnanog to open the way for the Holy Kingdom?’

It was not a question that could be answered by thinking without any information. Kriel decided to increase his speed towards the Empire.

[Master.]

“Why.”

[It’s a monster. It’s a pity it’s not humanoid, but the wolves─]

Tuon projected the scenery in the east-west direction directly into Kriel’s mind. Kriel naturally turned his head in a circle without revealing any vigilance. In the darkness of the bushes that passed by, the fierce eyes of a pack of hungry wolves could be seen.

They were hidden in the shadows, but they could not escape the sight of the Dark Knight. Kriel confirmed the appearance of the wolves.

What was in their eyes was not just simple hunger. The bottomless darkness that seeped into the depths of their pupils was evidence of the Abyss’s demonic nature.

Kriel, once again actively accepting Tuon’s opinion, drew his greatsword and charged.

[Stop it, Master! The Wolf Knight is cool!]

It was an absurd dissuasion. At the same time, Kriel felt a sense of shame at himself for hesitating at the three words ‘is cool’. But he couldn’t leave the minions of the Abyss unattended.

Now they were just a ferocious pack of wolves, but if they evolved into beasts, they would become monsters beyond the limits of wolves. Furthermore, if they became demons, their species would change entirely, and they would lurk among humans like werewolves.

It was right to cut off the buds of the Abyss in advance.

In the first charge, Kriel’s right hand was almost holding the end of the hilt, near the pommel. The greatsword, swung as if slipping from his hand, gleamed in a half-moon arc.

Three wolves’ heads were severed at once by the sword’s sweep that swept through Kriel’s front. The wolves, sensing something was wrong, had a problem with the mark of the Great Warrior that Kriel possessed.

Order was the nemesis of the Abyss. The way of existence of the Abyss was to dye the world with its own laws. The inherent order of the world was their most primal enemy.

And God was the embodiment of such providence. A force that the Abyss had no choice but to oppose.

Kriel felt satisfaction as he watched the wolves charging at him. It was because he was confident that he could replenish the blood energy to use in unexpected situations, as well as nobility.

In less than five breaths, about twenty wolves were slaughtered. It was the skill of a butcher who harvested three or four lives with one sword.

Orisin whistled. It was questionable how that was possible with the structure of a horse’s mouth, but considering that speaking without a body below the neck was already a mystery, Kriel stopped thinking about this topic.

[Wow, you can do that without wearing armor. No wonder that thug saintess wants to pick you as a Great Warrior.]

“Originally, all knights can do this much.”

[Wolf Knight… cool.]

“I agree, but I won’t command monsters. I’d rather contract with a wolf spirit somewhere.”

[A Dark Knight?]

It was Tuon’s habitual disdain for Dark Knights. Originally, Kriel also cursed his job once a day, but somehow, hearing it in someone else’s voice made him feel strangely upset.

[Master. Embrace the darkness within. Power, infinite power awaits.]

“I said no.”

The cursed sword was indeed a cursed sword. Its temptation didn’t feel persuasive, but its technique of draining mental strength was quite advanced.

[If a wolf won’t do, then find a wyvern somewhere and become a dragon knight…]

Kriel brushed off the cursed sword’s futile temptation. Honestly, it was cool, but a wyvern wasn’t something you could easily come across.

*

At dusk, Kriel saw a dozen wyverns circling above the border city.

“No way.”

[Look! Even the six providences acknowledge my loyalty to you! Master, it’s your chance to become a dragon knight!]

[No, you fool. Why would the six providences acknowledge an abyssal seed?]

Kriel sighed at the absurd coincidence. Fortunately, thanks to his excellent vision, he could detect the danger in the sky faster than the wyverns could sense him.

‘No. Maybe they’ve noticed me but are ignoring me.’

The flock of wyverns circling above the city was clearly unusual. They seemed to harbor deep hostility towards something within the city.

[There’s still quite a distance, what will you do?]

The gateway city, located between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom, was also an artificial barrier blocking the gap between mountains. It would take a long time to bypass it.

And above all…

“What do you mean, what will I do? I have to go.”

Ignoring those in danger was not the way of a knight.

However, Kriel did not immediately advance to the castle gate and swing his greatsword. A moment of hesitation crossed his mind.

‘Should I go in armor?’

Kriel scratched his head. Even for him, fighting a dozen wyverns barehanded was unappealing. If it were a dense forest with complex natural terrain and plenty of cover, he might give it a try.

But the well-paved road right in front of the border city was close to flat ground. Fighting without armor would be foolish.

After some deliberation, Kriel decided to summon his armor. Practicing chivalry and pursuing nobility were things one could only do while alive.

*

The border city’s defense force held their spears straight. The wyverns that had been circling above their heads for days, clawing at citizens with their brutal talons, were clearly defying the laws of nature.

They were either being controlled by an evil sorcerer, had been captured by the abyss and turned into its minions, or were minions of an evil sorcerer who followed the abyss.

Despite their fear, they fulfilled their duty. Every time a wyvern attempted to hunt, they drove the beast away with gunfire and javelins, and busily searched for signs of dark magic.

And now, they felt an unprecedented tension.

The time when the sun’s light was extinguished by the night. The ominous sunset casting long shadows.

From the west, a black knight was approaching.