I Became a Dark Knight in the Game

30 – The Society of Dead Sorcerers (2)

The Abyss Prevention Society.

Kriel stroked his chin. Wizards were known to research all sorts of things, but to think there was a society that fit his situation so perfectly.

While Lewain rummaged through the piles of letters scattered around his lab, Kriel and Orishin waited outside.

Responding to Lewain’s request to wait a moment, Kriel leaned against the wall, looking like a painting.

Not in the sense of having a picturesque appearance. He looked so lifeless that he resembled a still life painting.

The faint sounds of Lewain’s footsteps and the rustling of paper were the only things breaking the silence. Unable to bear the boredom, Orishin asked in a low voice.

[Come to think of it, beyond that door is the place that wizard Colin was after, right?]

Kriel was about to remind Orishin of their agreement to stay quiet in front of others – the scene Lewain had mistaken for a summoning spell – but then realized that the “others” were behind the door and spoke up.

“Yes, it would be. The torture wizard’s lab. It would contain everything from confidential documents like the lord’s one-year plan and the city’s barrier maintenance status to personal research materials.”

[You’re quite calm. Aren’t you curious about the endpoint of a secret plan to overthrow the city?]

“Ah. If it’s a wizard’s laboratory, I’ve seen a few.”

Kriel also had fantasies about wizards.

To be more precise, he had fantasies about all professions other than the Dark Knight. Among them, wizards held a somewhat special position along with knights (who were not Dark Knights).

‘Magic’. The epitome of fantasy.

When delving into the fantasy genre, one couldn’t help but encounter wizards. From the wizard who led an expedition and turned from gray to white, to the headmaster of a British magic school. Such mysterious sage images were deeply imprinted in Kriel’s mind.

But.

“The wizards I’ve met, well, they weren’t very tidy.”

[Oh… The wizard you were supposed to visit when you came to the Empire?]

Kriel nodded.

The wizard of Count Ket’s territory, whom he met while stumbling around as a mercenary. The admiration and mystique he had for wizards had significantly evaporated while he was mingling in the territory for a while.

“The room was a complete mess. When I tried to clean it up a bit, he was very…”

Kriel recalled that Lewayne was behind the door. Reaching the same conclusion, Tuon also hummed and emitted thought waves.

[Master. A knight must always maintain dignity.]

“Yes, I understand. Anyway, wizards don’t like others touching their laboratories. They seem to dislike even seeing the inside of their labs, let alone entering the room.”

Kriel recalled the words of the wizard from Ket’s territory. Even if it looked messy to others, it was actually the result of delicate organization according to each wizard’s aesthetics and emotions.

When he glanced beyond the door, Lewayne’s laboratory seemed very tidy, unlike the wizard who left those words, but he decided to consider it a personal difference.

“There’s no need to be rude to someone who’s helping us. Curiosity should be moderate.”

Orishin tilted his head. The wizards he knew were reluctant to expose their laboratories to others, but the most important research materials were never kept in such ‘visible’ laboratories in the first place.

The reaction of the wizard Kriel mentioned was somewhat peculiar.

While Orishin was headbanging out of curiosity, Lewayne appeared, opening the door.

“Phew, I found it!”

In his hand was a rather antique-looking envelope. The front of the letter was sealed with a wax seal, giving the impression that this ‘Abyssal Prevention Association’ was quite wealthy.

[Oh?]

Orishin sensed something more. The wax seal was not simply stamped, but formed a kind of magic circle and was sealed.

A sophisticated magic that protected the letter and left traces if it wasn’t opened properly. Such intricate magic was compressed into that small seal.

Considering that most of the recipients of this letter were wizards, it was likely a promotional strategy to arouse interest by showcasing their skills. Orishin raised his evaluation of the Abyssal Prevention Association.

Lewayne tore open the envelope without using a letter opener. The contents inside contained the usual phrases inviting renowned wizards to a conference on a certain date.

“This was originally an invitation addressed to me, but if I write a letter of delegation, you will also be able to attend the conference, Sir.”

“Thank you.”

Kriel showed the demeanor of a dignified knight, as if his light attitude from a moment ago was a lie. Lewayne quickly wrote the letter of delegation and handed it over along with the invitation to the Abyssal Prevention Association.

“The venue for this conference is the Duchy of Argetlam. It’s quite a long way, but the roads are well-paved, so it shouldn’t be difficult to arrive on time.”

Kriel, who bowed his head in gratitude, soon left the gateway city. It was a sudden departure, just like when he had appeared.

His steps seemed to show no interest in the honor or praise of having defeated the minions of the abyss.

*

In fact, Kriel hadn’t planned to leave so abruptly.

He had defeated the minions of the abyss and reached a verbal agreement with the bereaved families, so he thought he would rest for a day or two before leaving. After all, isn’t it human nature to want to sit down when you stop walking, and to lie down when you sit?

It was Tuon who interrupted Kriel’s rest. Returning to his room and pondering how much he should eat at the evening banquet commemorating the defeat of the abyss to avoid being seen as shameless, Kriel was met with a sudden question.

“But master, is it okay to be so lazy?”

Tuon was polishing his greatsword and horn knife with a disapproving expression. It was a strange kind of help that stemmed from the reason that while he didn’t like his master using other swords, he couldn’t tolerate his master tarnishing his own honor with a shabby appearance.

Kriel, pleased that his daily chores were reduced, allowed Tuon to become human. He attached the condition that it be in a place where no one else would see.

Kriel, secretly satisfied that he seemed to have gained a servant, expressed his doubt at the unexpected question.

“Huh? Why?”

“The journey to the duchy.”

“It’s not that urgent. I don’t think resting for a day or two will make us late.”

“The wizard said it would take a few days to get to the duchy from here.”

“You’re well-informed. So, when we rest, we should rest well—”

“But isn’t that based on the ‘knight’ standard?”

It was a sudden verbal assault. How could a sword say such a rude thing to its master, asking if he was a knight? Before Kriel could recover from the shock, Tuon continued.

“Think about it. Of course, a high-ranking wizard would have something to ride, whether it be a horse or something else. One would assume that a grand warrior of the order would be given at least one fine horse by the order.”

Kriel almost retorted, asking if that meant a dark knight wasn’t a knight, but he kept his mouth shut. A proper dark knight was indeed a knight. As long as they could control and ride a beast like a hellhound or a hellfire dragon, that was enough.

But Kriel himself was not a knight. He had no intention of commanding a beast, and no one had offered to carry him.

“But master has no horse.”

Ori-shin protested, “What about me?!” but Tuon did not relent. Ori-shin could only flee into the sword, shouting “Stop the violence!” at Tuon’s cruel verbal assault, saying that a headless horse could run, but a legless horse could not.

“To make it to the conference on time, we need to hurry.”

Annoyingly, he was right. Kriel bid farewell to the pork roasting over the fire and hurriedly set off.

The commander of the guard and Lwein hastily handed him a pouch of silver coins, but he only took one coin and left the pouch in the assigned room. Ori-shin asked curiously.

“Just one coin? Isn’t that neither fully accepting nor fully rejecting?”

“Ah, you don’t understand. This is ‘marketing’.”

There have been countless knights who performed good deeds (mainly causing bloody incidents targeting the abyss) and left without accepting any reward, but I am the only knight who always takes just one coin, whether it be silver or gold. Kriel explained the differentiation from other knights and the resulting image positioning effect.

“One coin. The Knight of One Leaf. Isn’t it cool?”

[Hmm. It does seem romantic. So, your reputation?]

The rumor about the wandering knight who fights against injustice for just one coin had spread to some extent.

However, before discussing such rumors, there were far more people who looked at his appearance and said, ‘What’s this? It’s suspicious.’

Kriel avoided answering.