I Became a Dark Knight in the Game

8 – Too Many Abysses (2)

Everyone’s attention was focused on the priest-king’s praise. Morigina shrugged her shoulders confidently, as if to say, ‘Look up to my great warrior.’

But her inner feelings were different. If the emotions she harbored inside had been expressed outwardly, she would have already been sweating a few streams.

‘That kid who usually doesn’t care about what others do, said something unnecessary!’

Now, all the adults active in the Holy Kingdom are paying attention to Kriel. They might recognize the power of the Abyss within Kriel.

Of course, various measures had been taken to prevent such a mishap.

Starting with dressing him in the uniform of the Eve Kaha Order. The holy power contained in the clothes woven from blessed fabric was enough to suppress the presence of the Abyss.

Although Morigina’s taste was partly involved, there was a reasonable reason for forcing Kriel to wear the uniform.

The pendant, a symbol of the great warrior, also served the same purpose. Since Kriel himself wanted to keep the Abyss as far away as possible, unless some ancient, incomprehensible mystery like the holy gate was applied, the power of the Abyss would not be discovered.

‘…It won’t be, right?’

Well, even if it is discovered, there is an excuse prepared in advance, so it should be fine. Morigina was ready to list the achievements of ‘Kriel, the Ascetic who Cleanses Souls.’

Fortunately, the adults were more interested in Kriel’s abilities than in Kriel himself. The position of great warrior carried that much trust.

“One holy relic. Can you explain it in more detail?”

The old martial artist was the first to stand up and ask the priest-king a question. Kriel, thinking that he was temporarily in the position of the order’s great warrior, gauged the appropriate tone.

“Of course. It is true that each fragment feels the power of the Abyss, but its foundation is connected. It seems like something with very powerful strength has been divided into many.”

“Dividing a powerful relic of the Abyss? The seeds of the Abyss have been crazy for a day or two, but this time it’s even harder to understand.”

“It’s not difficult. The Abyss can devour souls to grow its flesh.”

Kriel recalled a cartoon he had seen on TV during a time when he used a different name. It was a story about searching for shattered beads.

The beads, broken into countless fragments, granted power to those who incorporated them into their bodies.

What the Abyss did was similar. However, the difference was that the Abyss’s wedge had an additional function that gnawed at the owner’s soul.

“To those who cannot discern the Abyss, this wedge will appear as a relic that grants great power simply by being implanted somewhere in the body. But the Abyss’s wedge will inversely possess the soul of the one who tries to own it.”

“Does the fragment grow by devouring souls?”

“Of course, to possess performance comparable to the original form of the wedge, it would need to consume an unimaginable number of souls. But to grow into an independent entity capable of wielding the power of the Abyss without connection to the main body, about ten would suffice.”

“A relic of the Abyss of that level would be more than enough to create a demon…”

Those tainted by the Abyss were divided into three stages. The first were the Mamon (魔物), who had simply been infused with demonic nature. The second were the Masu (魔獸), who had been granted not only demonic nature but also the cruelty and strength of beasts. Lastly, there were the Main (魔人), who had acquired the cunning and wisdom of humans.

Exceptionally, those whose entire spiritual nature had been consumed by demonic nature were called demons. Possessing souls rejected by the world, they resided outside the material realm, in the chaos of the Abyss.

Demons devised various schemes to expand the influence of the Abyss, and those who directed these schemes on behalf of the demons, who found it difficult to appear in the present world, were the Main.

The old martial artist’s expression hardened.

“It’s a seed of the Abyss.”

The Priest-King clapped his hands, sending a grateful look towards Kriel, who had explained on his behalf. The saints’ attention was drawn by the crisp sound.

“Fortunately, the demon’s scheme has been detected in advance. The term ‘seed’ is intuitive and fitting. These seeds of the Abyss are still subordinate to their main body.”

“Is the reason you gathered us to find and destroy that main body?”

“Yes. Here are maps and statistical data of the areas where the seeds were found, provided by the holy knights.”

The map had been completed over the past few days, almost as if it had consumed most of the high priests of Temris. The Priest-King himself would have the highest content if the composition were to be indicated.

“If you need clues for tracking, take the seeds. I hope you can wither them all before they sprout.”

*

Morgina had returned to the Great Temple of Eve Kaha. The weight of the task given by the Priest-King was heavier than she had expected.

“A seed of the Abyss…”

Her eyes, hidden under the witch’s pointed hat, turned towards Kriel. It was not the stern gaze of an executioner dealing with the Abyss, but one filled with worry and concern.

Kriel, seemingly unaware of Morgina’s gaze, was observing a few seeds spread out on the table.

“The tracking itself shouldn’t be difficult. If we set out with the other saints, it can be resolved easily.”

“Hey, wait a minute.”

Morgina reflexively retorted.

“The hardest part of this kind of task is the tracking, isn’t it? While most of the saints are scratching their heads over maps and statistics, wouldn’t it be better for just the two of us to go and monopolize the credit? No matter how powerful the relic was, it wouldn’t be difficult for you and me to handle it after it’s been so thoroughly ravaged.”

By accumulating such definite achievements, the justification for appointing Kriel as the Great Warrior would increase. Even if it were revealed that he had been tainted by the Abyss, there would be a chance to at least hear him out.

Kriel shook his head calmly.

“Dealing with the Abyss isn’t a competition. It’s a task for the sake of the entire world, so it’s right to do our best as much as we can.”

‘Not “good,” but “right.” Even after all that, he claims he’s not a proper knight. Morigina sighed inwardly, having chewed over the stubborn ox a few times.

“Fine. Do as you please. If you finish quickly, it’s better for me.”

As soon as the words, half resignation and half admiration, left her mouth, the horned knife tied to Kriel’s waist began to hum and vibrate. As Kriel slightly lifted the blade from its sheath, Orisin began to speak like the wind.

[I think Kriel is right! The Abyss, no matter how finely you tear it apart, it swells up again quickly!]

“Like your corruption.”

[Yes, like my corruption. And the original relic of the seed. The more I think about it, the stranger it seems.]

Orisin, now accustomed to the sarcasm, let it slide smoothly. Morigina’s eyebrow twitched.

“Strange, indeed. Kriel explained it all. The benefit outweighs the investment, so they broke even a powerful relic.”

Morigina replied curtly, thinking Orisin was repeating himself. In truth, there was another reason for her brusqueness.

How did she manage to bring that stubborn knight to the temple, only to have no time alone because of the unicorn ghost?

[Not the risk-return story. What did they break that left so many shards and still retained power? As you said, it’s like it was hacked to pieces. If it’s such a powerful relic, wouldn’t it be recorded in the holy city’s archives?]

Orisin’s point was reasonable. If an Abyss relic could maintain its function even after being shattered into hundreds of pieces, it would have left traces in the world. If they could find information in advance, the upcoming battle would be much more advantageous.

Boasting of his keen intuition, Orisin shouted that they should go to the Temris Grand Library tomorrow. As a bonus, he suggested they look for another purification method besides the dubious one of the violent saint.

However, what the unicorn did not anticipate was Morigina’s memory.

Every letter printed in the books was etched in her mind.

Morigina placed her index finger on her lips and fell into thought. She recalled the forbidden books deep within the Temris Grand Library.

“Indeed. If it’s something that powerful, isn’t it one of the Seven Great Demon Weapons of the Demon King?”

[The Demon King’s masterpiece? The great demons broke that?]

Orisin questioned, but soon nodded. In fact, only his head remained, so there wasn’t much else he could move.

[The demons of the Abyss wouldn’t attach any special meaning to the Demon King’s work. There’s no camaraderie among demons. The culprit, or rather the demon culprit, must be one of the six great demons.]

While Orisin muttered something, Kriel repeated the word that had suddenly appeared in their conversation.

The Demon King.

Kriel chewed over the familiar yet strange name.

The foundation of the Tirnanog RPG was the Demon King. Whether you opposed the Abyss and met the Demon King at the end, or sided with the Abyss to destroy the world, you would still fight the Demon King.

Defeating the Demon King to become the new representative of the Abyss was essential.

Thus, the name Demon King was familiar to Kriel, but in this world, there was no occasion to hear it.

It wasn’t because the name was too fearsome to utter.

The Demon King was already dead.

The world Kriel had fallen into was the one after the game’s ending.