WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: WeTried Translations

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◈ I Became the Dark Knight in the Game World ◈

Chapter 7: Encounter with a Witch (2)

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“Damn.”

A storm of emotions swirled within that brief lament. Orisin, whose allegiance was unclear, jeered.

[Come to think of it, you went on and on about all kinds of Abyss trivia when you took me down, didn't you? You're an Abyss expert. Enough to teach a Saintess a thing or two?]

“Horsehead, shut up.”

Morgina took off her glove and threw it at Orisin. With a cry of “Ow!” Orisin hid behind Kriel's back again.

“If they gathered even a moderately sized church like Eve Kaha's, they must have summoned every Saint currently able to act. Is there really a reason to call in that many people?”

“That's because so many Abyssal artifacts have surfaced. If only one or two had appeared, that little Priest-King wouldn't have keeled over clutching the back of his neck.”

Morgina spoke of the Priest-King with casual familiarity. Seeing that, Kriel was reminded once again that this violent woman held the authority of a Saintess.

“He's still the king you people chose. You could at least show some respect when you talk about him.”

“He's a kid who hasn't learned much about the world, that's true. He happily took the Priest-King's position when the older priests from other churches wouldn't even look at it. He only took it because he was young. It is a little sad that he became king at that age.”

The Sacred Kingdom had always stood on the front line against the Abyss. The Priest-King was the supreme commander of the war, chosen by the churches. Since his title carried the word “king,” he would not normally cross blades with the Abyss himself.

“Because he has to live trapped on the throne from such a young age.”

It was, in practice, a position where one was buried alive under paperwork. He received reports on the state of Abyssal fronts from every corner of the world and issued the proper orders when wandering holy knights uncovered the Demons' movements. The Priest-King bore final responsibility for it all.

The position of Priest-King was certainly glorious, but seasoned priests preferred for that glory to go to someone other than themselves.

Kriel sighed. This witch had at least roughly guessed his true identity. She had seen him use Blood Energy during several missions assigned by the Western Army.

An ordinary cleric would have immediately pulled out a mace of repentance. Yet Morgina, who had a flexible, perhaps even cunning, way of thinking for a cleric, had let it slide, figuring it was fine as it was.

Under Morgina's gaze, Kriel could easily read her desire to travel with him. He could refuse, but then everything, starting with Orisin's purification, would become considerably more troublesome.

‘Since things have come to this, it would be better to grant Morgina's request and have her purify Orisin in return.’

At first glance, it seemed that once Orisin's purification was complete, Kriel would no longer have an excuse to desert. But Kriel had his own calculations.

To completely resolve what had happened in Laurang, he needed to return Orisin to their original place, the mountain behind Laurang, and restore the Spirit as well.

Just as a soldier's leave procedure included reporting back after returning to the unit, Orisin's return to Laurang was part of the order.

At least, that was Kriel's flexible interpretation.

He would finish everything that needed doing in advance, travel the world until he was sick of it, then return to his unit and report for discharge just as the commander was beginning to forget about him.

Orisin's return to Laurang would be delayed somewhat, but Orisin had clung to him, crying, ‘I'll give you my hide, jewels, anything! Just purify me!’ It was safe to say Kriel had received their consent.

“I've told you my story, so now it's time to hear yours...”

Morgina's gaze shifted to the unicorn-headed ghost bobbing behind Kriel. She clicked her tongue.

“I keep telling you to take better care of yourself. I have no idea what it is this time, but you went and said, ‘Fine, I'll handle it,’ like some easy mark again, didn't you?”

[An easy mark? What kind of easy mark threatens people with a sword?]

“Give me a break. How many days have you traveled with him? At first, I thought he'd stepped straight out of some chivalric novel.”

In a way, that was close enough, since he had come from another world. He had not stepped out of a novel and into the real world, though. He had entered the world of a game. Lost in thought for a moment, Kriel answered belatedly.

“I only did what a knight ought to do.”

“Exactly. How many knights still follow that kind of thing these days? They're all barbarians in plate armor. Don't count the old man from the Western Army. He's not from this generation.”

Morgina, who had insulted knights and old men in one breath, crooked her index finger at Orisin. It was a gesture telling Orisin to get over here, now. Orisin grumbled, but slowly moved in front of Morgina.

“What is this residing in now?”

The broken horn of a Bicorn lay on the table.

“A goat horn? No. It's too large to be an ordinary goat. Was this a goat that became a Monster?”

[Uh. The horn that used to be mine? I got promoted to a horn, then demoted?]

Kriel stopped Orisin before they could continue their nonsense and briefly explained what had happened. Orisin had been cursed by someone and corrupted into a Bicorn. Kriel had defeated Orisin's body. Then he had come to the Sacred Kingdom to have their soul purified.

[You sum things up well. You could've been a scholar instead of a knight.]

“What?”

Morgina let out a disbelieving laugh.

“So you killed another weird thing, and now some stray ghost has latched onto you again?”

[I'm not a stray ghost! Is that what your goddess taught you to call your elders?]

“If you were a proper elder, you wouldn't have been corrupted. Are you actually younger than me?”

[You think I am? I've lived longer than this kingdom!]

Orisin raged, but they had no choice but to sink under the fact-based verbal assault of, “You were corrupted despite being that old?”

“At my age, I got hit by an Abyss beam...” Orisin whimpered from a corner.

Morgina gave Orisin a victorious smile. The horsehead was too busy needlessly rubbing their horn against the wall to see it.

“So I just need to purify that, right?”

“Yes.”

Kriel answered with slight reluctance. He was not sure whether he could trust Morgina with Orisin. Still, she was undoubtedly the most skilled priest he could find right now.

“Is your request for me to guard you while you search for the Abyssal artifacts?”

“I'd rather you call it a joint search. If you say it's guarding, you'll refuse to lift a finger for anything that isn't guard duty, right? You're so lazy.”

“I was never that diligent to begin with.”

“You charge in gripping a sword for people you've never met, but you can't spare any kindness for your lady?”

Kriel laughed in disbelief.

“If you're a lady, then I'm a paladin blessed by a god. What an absurd joke.”

“Oh. So you'll treat me like a lady while you're a paladin?”

Morgina tossed something at him. Kriel caught it on reflex.

A raven pendant. It resembled the one Morgina wore herself. The difference was that Morgina's pendant was black, while Kriel's had a reddish tint.

“That is the mark of our church’s Champion. It’s roughly the same position as a paladin.”

A Champion. It was a title for a warrior who fought on another's behalf. It was a position symbolizing the church's honor and martial strength.

Usually, the commander of a holy knight order held the position as well, so it was exceedingly rare for an outsider to be appointed. It would only be considered if a renowned knight was a devout believer in a god, while that god's holy knight order lacked a suitable candidate.

Kriel did not even believe in Eve Kaha.

“Can you really just throw something like this at me?”

“Who would judge me? I'm the Saintess! A god's will is with me. Even the old lady Head of the Order told me to do whatever I wanted.”

[Wow. With that temper, you still show the Head of the Order respect?]

Morgina snapped her fingers. Ravens made of Divine Power surrounded Orisin and pecked at them from every direction. Their cawing mixed with Orisin's shrieks, filling Morgina's room with an untimely discord.

Ignoring the noise, Kriel examined the pendant. His fingertips felt a pressure, as though something were squeezing them tight. Divine Power must have been clashing with the Dark Knight. If he wore it around his neck, it might feel like an overly tightened tie.

Still, simply wearing it did not seem to drain his vitality. As Kriel continued staring at the pendant, Morgina must have interpreted his gaze a certain way and quickly added,

“You have to return it after this is over. ...Unless you don't want to return it. You can just join the church.”

“Do I have to wear this?”

Morgina pouted.

“Hey. I had it prepared for you, you know? If you don't wear something like this, how do you think priests from other churches will see you? It means my church and I guarantee your status.”

“True enough. I'll accept the request.”

“Good. I'll give you a room, so get yourself cleaned up and polished. In a few days, you're coming with me to meet the Priest-King.”

“What about purifying the Spirit?”

“Ha. I'll finish it before dinner.”

* * *

[Pathetic! Pathetic! You can't even purify someone properly, and you call yourself a Saintess? You should be impeached!]

“You horsehead!”

Perhaps Orisin had grown accustomed to the flock of ravens Morgina controlled, or perhaps they had grown used to being a ghost. They freely glided through the air, avoiding the ravens by a paper-thin margin.

As a result, the shared dining hall of Eve Kaha's Grand Temple became the epicenter of the noise, but the priests in charge of serving meals continued their work calmly, perhaps accustomed to the sound of cawing ravens.

“...I'm sorry. That Spirit isn't usually like this.”

Unable to bear the embarrassment, Kriel apologized first. The priests waved their hands. An elderly priest with a peaceful smile whispered kindly to Kriel.

“We know the Spirit would not normally behave like that. But we know very well that the Saintess does, so there is no need for you to apologize.”

[Hahahahaha! Are you mad? Too bad! You can't purify me with your skills! This is the limit of your Divine Power!]

“I'll carve you up!”

Kriel wanted to send both of them away somewhere and eat alone.

Footnotes:

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