I Became a Dark Knight in the Game

57 – In Search of the Lost Heirloom (1)

Cold and hungry.

Kriel thought.

[Wasn’t it similar when you entered the Holy Kingdom?]

Kriel was in the dungeon of the Lire estate.

[Master. Now that it’s come to this, to the abyss─]

[Be quiet!]

The whisper of Tuon, tempting him to feel the darkness within. Orisin hurriedly scattered the dreadful sophistry. The clear and pure noise pollution of the unicorn was enough to cover the whispers of the cursed sword. Kriel thought as he listened to their usual exchange.

What did I do this time to end up like this?

I didn’t even bring my armor.

*

Contrary to Kriel’s own thoughts, the Lire family did not imprison him because of his appearance.

Of course, Kriel’s exterior was extremely fierce. In Tirnanog, there were no stories of adventurers setting out to become pirate kings, so seeing a human with three swords would make one think ‘Did he watch too many cartoons?’ rather than ‘Is he crazy?’

Moreover, his eyes glowed red, and his skin was so pale it looked like a corpse. It would have been better to find a helmet that covered his entire face.

However, a noble fairy family that had lived for centuries would have at least once encountered ancient vampires or ancient dragons that had lived through times even mountains could not surpass.

The Lire family, having often received such strange and special guests, was not an ignorant group that would throw Kriel into prison just because he looked somewhat, no, very much like an abyssal being.

The reason Kriel was imprisoned was because of Rewain Lire.

Realizing that his brother had fallen into the abyss and was plotting to kill him and take his place, Rewain was troubled. It had been a long time since he had beaten back the abyssal beings that came to kill him, but who knew if there were other remnants plotting some scheme?

Therefore, Rewain wrote letters to the direct relatives of the Lire family for the first time in a while.

From Rewain Lire, a collateral relative of the Lire family and currently the advisor wizard of the Holy Kingdom-Empire border gateway city, to the wise and virtuous direct relatives of the Lire family.

My foolish and pitiful brother Colin Lire has fallen into the abyss and plotted to steal my identity. Colin’s plan was thwarted and he entered eternal rest, but there may still be remnants of the abyss. Be especially cautious of those using the name of Rewain Lire.

These letters were sent a few days after Kriel left the gateway city. At that time, Kriel was busy with various matters in the Duke of Argetlam’s territory with Armed.

And when the letters arrived, a theft of the family heirloom occurred within the Lire family.

The Lire family took this matter extremely seriously, but the conclusion was surprisingly simple. The heirloom was found in the room of a direct relative who was so dissolute that he was treated as an outcast. There was enough circumstantial evidence that he had tried to use the heirloom as collateral for a loan to cover his gambling debts.

However, the fact that the heirloom was stolen so easily was never a good sign. If the one who stole the heirloom was not the family’s scoundrel but a minion of the abyss, what terrible consequences might have ensued?

Therefore, when Kriel arrived at the Lire family, the abyssal guard posture had unknowingly reached its peak.

In fact, things could have passed without incident up to this point.

After receiving a warning from Lwein Lire to beware of a swindler who had borrowed his name, Kriel appeared, trying to prove his identity by showing Lwein Lire’s letter of authorization, and moreover, he looked very suspicious.

Still, the Lire family was sensible.

Just because the atmosphere within the family was a bit uneasy, they were not a group that would irrationally detain a traveler simply because he seemed suspicious. After all, he could really be someone who had received Lwein Lire’s letter of authorization.

If it were the old fairies, they might have not only detained the suspicious human for approaching their territory but also attempted summary execution.

However, the fact that the noble family, which inherited the bloodline of the ancient fairies, was still treated as ‘nobility’ in the current empire meant that they had abandoned the unique elitism and discrimination of the old fairies.

While being wary of this suspicious visitor, the Lire family sent one of their direct blood relatives to hear his story first.

And at that moment, Kriel took out a ring imbued with the energy of the abyss.

The culprit that contaminated the water source of a mountain village near the Lire territory. It was a ring that emitted poison. And so he said,

“First, please accept this.”

From Kriel’s perspective, it was a natural measure. Considering the jurisdiction of the village where the poison ring was unearthed, it was the Lire family. Shouldn’t they report the shadow of the abyss looming around the territory?

The ability to handle abyssal items was also a problem. Kriel did not have the magical ability to purify abyssal relics. Of course, if it was simply ‘handling’ rather than purification, the story was different.

As a dark knight, he could use the power to absorb the remnants of the abyss. But Kriel did not want to strengthen the darkness within him in such a way.

The wizard dispatched from the Lire family maintained a blank expression as he accepted the abyssal relic and then left, saying he had some business to attend to.

Then he hurriedly ran to the elders of the family, shouting, “Ah! It’s an abyssal spawn!” and collapsed.

Bored out of his mind, Kriel, who had been playing word games with his two swords, found himself heading to the detention center without knowing why.

*

Kriel, sitting in a corner of the detention center, sighed.

The elf, who had reappeared, still tense, said, “The person you need to talk to is this way,” and guided him around and around.

The moment he heard that the person to talk to was in this room and entered, he was teleported to the middle of the prison. It seemed that a teleportation magic circle had been pre-installed.

Kriel did not intend to escape the prison by force. He knew that doing so would only cause more misunderstandings.

‘They were so focused on sending me to prison that they didn’t even retrieve my weapons. The guard will show up soon and do something.’

All he had to do was politely request the approaching guard.

‘It seems there is some misunderstanding. Please contact Lwein, the advisor of the gateway city, and ask if he knows the name Kriel.’

He would have to wait in the detention center for a day or two, but once the truth was revealed, wouldn’t the Lire family, having committed a great discourtesy, be more attentive in finding the spirit master?

*

The elves of the Lire family were having a heated debate. They couldn’t understand the intentions of the abyssal spawn who boldly revealed the abyssal relic as soon as he arrived at the Lire family.

“To reveal an abyssal relic so defenselessly. There must be an abyssal follower within our family. That ring must have been a sign to meet the promised collaborator.”

“Calm down. That’s too much of a conjecture! Although young Llewyn went through hardships and cruelty, thinking that it infiltrated the direct line of Lire is a short-sighted view.”

“Maybe he just wasn’t thinking at all? He might have picked up the ring by chance on the roadside and showed it to us, who are practically the lords of the area, as a form of report.”

“Hmph, ridiculous!”

“We must make him confess the background and purpose immediately!”

One of those who had been watching the heated debate among the elder elves quietly stood up. In fact, few had even noticed that she was present at the meeting. She had entered with her presence suppressed from the beginning.

Even those who noticed her presence did not particularly care. It was natural for the secret guard of the Lire family to accompany the direct descendants at their gatherings.

She left the conference room and disappeared into the darkness.

*

It had already been an hour waiting for the jailer. Kriel, unable to bear the boredom, started playing word chain again.

[Darkness.]

[Black Knight.]

“Swindler. Orisin. You lose again this time.”

[You knights are idiots! You two are ganging up on me, aren’t you?!]

The loser in the word chain game played by Tuon, Orisin, and Kriel was almost always Orisin. Somehow, Tuon and Kriel’s combination was too good.

Kriel boldly accepted the defeat and prepared for the next round.

“Chivalry.”

“Doppelganger.”

[…Huh?]

A strange voice came from the other side of the prison. It was a cracked voice that seemed to carry a hangover even through the wall.

“Who is there?”

“That’s what I want to ask. This was my private room. Are you a collateral who got on the bad side of the family elders? You wouldn’t be sent to this place surrounded by an anti-magic field unless you were quite disliked.”

“I’m not from the Lire family. Who are you?”

“Huh. No wonder it’s a voice I’ve never heard before. Alberic Lire. You can call me ‘Al’ or ‘Ric’, whichever you prefer.”

“How did you end up here?”

“Stole a family heirloom, they say? I don’t remember, but that’s what everyone says.”

Is he crazy? Kriel scratched his head.