I Became the Dark Knight in the Game World - Chapter 27

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

◈ I Became the Dark Knight in the Game World ◈

Chapter 27: It Is Easy to Die Fighting, but Hard to Lend a Road (5)

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The commander was taken aback by Kriel's bold declaration that he would beat the Wyverns to death. If they had been ordinary Wyverns, he might have understood Kriel's confidence.

For a long time, humanity in Tirnanog had studied the ecology of the species known as Monsters. Wyverns were no exception. There were differences based on habitat, such as northern and southern varieties, but people had already learned all sorts of things about them, including how far they could fly on a single meal and the limits of their speed.

By working backward from the locations and frequency of the attacks, they could narrow down the likely sites of a nest. But these Wyverns were different.

They were clearly corrupted by the Abyss. Analysis based on ordinary ecological knowledge was of little use against Abyssal species. Enhancements granted by the Abyss could not be quantified.

Once something reached the level of Demonkin, even an obvious fact like, "Humans die when their heads are separated from their bodies," could become meaningless.

There were mountains around the Gate City, so the Wyverns' nest was likely somewhere nearby. Still, that was only one hypothesis. They could not rule out the possibility that some particularly nasty Demonkin had advanced from afar with the Wyverns in tow.

The Border Guard commander condensed all that into a single sentence.

"Sir Kriel. But is there any way to find their trail?"

Kriel nodded. Normally, there was not.

But things changed if he used the power of a Dark Knight.

'...That doesn't mean I can tell them the truth.'

As they had discussed beforehand, Kriel drew the Horn Dagger. The commander flinched at the sudden movement, but relaxed when Kriel placed the Horn Dagger on the table.

Then Orisin rose from the Horn Dagger.

[Good day! A strong and vigorous morning! If you ask me, my name is Orisin, the Unicorn Spirit!]

The unicorn, wrapped in an auspicious silver glow, was an impressive sight. The fact that it had nothing below its neck was not much of a flaw for a Spirit. The Border Guard soldiers admired its appearance.

Kriel gave an appropriate explanation to the Border Guard soldiers staring at Orisin with shining eyes.

"This is a weapon personally forged by the Saintess of the Church of Eve Kaha. A Spirit dwells within it, granting it special powers."

That was all he said about Orisin.

"Ordinarily, it would be difficult to find Servants of the Abyss hiding in the shadows. But with the power held by my equipment, I can draw them into the sunlight. Trust me and give me one day."

The important point was that he had not specifically said Orisin was the equipment he possessed. His wording might have been a little confusing, but he had not lied.

'My Nobility won't decrease, then.'

If the Abyss did it, it was a scam. If he did it, it was clever improvisation. Kriel admired his own wit as he waited for the commander's reply.

"A sword created by a Saintess blessed by a Spirit! It must be an incredible holy relic."

Kriel's expression twisted beneath his helmet. Morgina being a Saintess and Orisin being a Spirit were both true.

Still, he could not say, even with a sword at his throat, that they were an ordinary Saintess and an ordinary Spirit.

Fortunately, his helmet hid Kriel's troubled expression. At most, a slight furrow between his brows could be glimpsed. The commander took it as the solemnity of a holy knight focusing on the task at hand.

"Thank you for your dedication, Sir Kriel. We, the Border Guard, will follow your instructions completely. Just give the order."

A question arose in Kriel's mind. Come to think of it, this was another country's army. Was it really fine to take command so casually?

'I haven't officially been given command, and my authority is limited to tracking the Abyss, so it should be fine.'

What mattered now was not political arrangements, but the innocent people suffering because of the Abyss. Kriel used chivalry as an excuse to stop thinking.

For the sake of his mental health, he preferred to stay away from complicated thoughts.

* * *

Though he had been given command, Kriel had no intention of moving the soldiers in earnest.

He might have been called a Dark Knight, but Kriel actually lacked experience commanding others. Most of the orders he had received in the Western Army had been along the lines of, "Go smash this and that," so he knew little about large-scale combat.

His orders were simple. Thoroughly reinforce the Gate City's defenses, and shoot down any Wyverns that fled there.

After leaving the soldiers with those orders, Kriel entered the mountain range surrounding the Gate City alone.

[Master. As I told you yesterday, I must cut down the Wyverns if we are to track whoever is behind them.]

"I know."

[But there are no traces of Wyverns here, are there? Do you intend to search the entire mountain range alone?]

Of course not. Holding the Horn Dagger in his right hand, Kriel stored every piece of his armor in the shadow of his cloak. His pale hair was revealed beneath the sun, but only for a moment.

Kriel activated the power of a Dark Knight.

Dense shadows gathered, forming black mist. Darkness clung to Tuon, Kriel's equipment, and his entire body.

Then, without hesitation, he cut his forearm and drew blood. Splash. Vivid scarlet blood seeped into the ground.

[What are you doing!?]

Unlike the startled Tuon, Orisin nodded in understanding.

[You did something similar when you drew me out, didn't you?]

"Good memory. That's right."

[Since I only have my head left, at least my head has to be good!]

It was similar to the method Kriel had used to lure out Orisin, who had become a Bicorn, under the pretext of a contract. The difference was that this was far cruder.

The biggest problem was that he had no living human sacrifice to offer. But there was nothing he could do about that.

When he had lured out Orisin after Orisin had fallen into corruption, the father and daughter chosen as fake offerings knew nothing about magical rituals or the Abyss. Even if they watched Kriel prepare the Abyssal contract ritual, there was no danger of them becoming suspicious of him.

The Border Guard soldiers, however, had all received at least basic training about the Abyss. If Kriel prepared a contract ritual with the Abyss, even going so far as to procure a living sacrifice...

They might draw their swords at once, shouting something like, "You shameless bastard pretending to be a holy knight! Face the blade of justice!"

He could not even pretend to offer another person as a sacrifice in front of the Border Guard. Especially not now, when he was calling himself a Champion of Eve Kaha.

So Kriel prepared a very simple, abbreviated contract. He promised to provide high-quality sacrifices such as human souls or pain later, while using his own blood as the deposit for now.

It was a pay-later contract. He would put down an advance payment first, then make additional payments later.

As a fallen Spirit, Orisin had been intelligent by nature. Put another way, Orisin had been meticulous about weighing profit and loss. Orisin would not have shown the slightest interest in such a flimsy, forced contract.

But the one Kriel was trying to lure out now was a Wyvern mutant, a mere Monster that had not reached the level of Demonkin and thereby been granted intelligence.

Blood given directly by a Dark Knight like Kriel held great value for them. It would be tempting even if they were under the influence of another Servant of the Abyss.

"Even if the opponent has the rank of Demonkin, if you're right and Tuon belongs to the rank of Demon, a few enchanted Wyverns should approach."

[And then you'll cut them down without making a contract. Be honest. How many Abyssal creatures have you tricked with this?]

"I invoke my right to remain silent."

Deceiving the Abyss was a noble act founded on chivalry. Kriel was a knight with an exceptionally flexible way of thinking when it came to the Abyss.

[Hey. Even you have to admit that isn't very knightly. I'm not saying you have to fight the Abyss fairly, but...]

As someone whose neck had been broken and skull smashed after falling for one of Kriel's fraudulent contracts that had not actually been a contract, Orisin seemed conflicted.

Tuon, surprisingly, approved of Kriel's fighting style.

[That is correct.]

[Huh. Didn't you revere a knight's honor and all that? Accept the power of the Abyss, uphold your dignity as a knight. It feels like you say whatever suits you at the time.]

[Does not the Abyss, by its nature, submit to the stronger? My master is the rightful ruler who will reign above myriad demons in the deepest depths of the Abyssal Domain. Therefore, lesser Servants of the Abyss must heed my master's command, whatever it may be.]

[No. This guy is crazier than I thought. Are you trying to make a Demon King?]

Kriel let the noisy swords' chatter pass through one ear and out the other as he waited for a Monster to approach.

Drip. Drip.

The drops of blood gradually grew more numerous.

By the time the blood no longer seeped into the ground and began to pool, the sound of beating wings came from above.

Whoosh. Nearby branches shook violently. The clearing was a little narrow for a Wyvern to land in, but its powerful body, worthy of the name Monster, forced its way through by snapping and crushing trees before landing in front of Kriel.

The Wyvern tried to look up at Kriel. That person's scent seemed somehow familiar.

But its doubt lasted only a moment.

A pale-haired man stood before it, wrapped in darkness vivid enough to devour the sun itself.

His blood carried an authority so overwhelming that a mere Monster could not dare question it.

Slowly, the Wyvern lowered its head.

Then it signaled with its eyes, asking, 'May I have the honor of partaking of that blood?'

Backlit by the sun, Kriel nodded arrogantly. He looked like an invader intending to defeat another Demonkin and conquer its territory.

The Demonic Nature of the Abyss obeyed the logic of strength. Realizing that a Demonkin far stronger than the one it currently served, perhaps even a Demon, had arrived, the Monster wished to become that being's first servant and earn the honor of being the first to tear into its old master's flesh.

The Wyvern was creeping forward with its head lowered. With Tuon's blade and Kriel's arm added together, one step forward would place him at exactly the distance needed to pierce the Wyvern's heart.

Kriel drew Tuon in a movement like lightning and traced a straight line from the Wyvern's back to its heart. The blade slipped perfectly between its scales, avoiding every part of its complex skeletal structure as it split through flesh and reached the heart.

The Wyvern died without even understanding what had happened.

[Ah, I can see them. The weak Demonkin who will kneel beneath my master's feet!]

Tuon cried out as it greedily drank in the blood with its entire body. As the Wyvern's blood was absorbed into the blade wrapped in darkness, its corpse quickly turned pale.

Orisin cocked their head as they watched.

[Wait, is this really how it's supposed to look...?]

Footnotes:

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