Morgina burst into the room while panting heavily.
“Haa, haah… So, the secret conversation is over, right? Now, just guide him through the resignation process for the position of Champion!”
“We were just talking about that, actually. I gave Sir Kriel the choice.”
Sir.
The title felt oddly unfamiliar.
In the Western Army, a knight was generally regarded not as a battlefield commander but as an individual with overwhelming fighting power. It was the same when I had been dispatched to defeat Orishin.
Carrying a sword and working alone suited my personality much better than taking orders from or giving orders to someone else. After all, although I was technically a knight, as a dark knight I had never been formally knighted anywhere.
“A choice? For Kriel? Grandma, don’t tell me—!”
“You barged in before I could finish explaining. It’s simply a choice about whether or not to carry the mark of Champion. Besides, you don’t intend to give it to anyone other than Sir Kriel, do you?”
“……….”
On top of that, people close enough to call me by name rarely used such formal titles like “Sir”. Even when Morgina had still been pretending to be a fragile girl, I had never once heard her address me with such respect.
“Are you saying I can carry it without any obligations and only use it when necessary?”
The High Priestess nodded he head slowly with a calm expression on her face.
“I’ll accept it with gratitude. I’ll do my best not to tarnish the honor and dignity of the Church of Eve Kaha.”
Yes!
For the first time since becoming a dark knight, I had finally obtained an official identification of sorts.
***
Morgina grumbled at Kriel.
“Seriously, if you were going to accept it so easily, why did you stubbornly refuse when it came to me?”
“The position of Champion is a heavy responsibility. It should be given to someone more deserving and qualified.”
Morgina clicked her tongue in exasperation. There wasn’t a single knight more suited to the position of Champion than that stubborn mule of a man.
“But the High Priestess said that even if I resign, you wouldn’t appoint anyone else to the position. Since I’m nothing more than a drifter without even an identification badge, I’ll just borrow it until you find someone better.”
Kriel’s casual tone, as if he were saying he would return it immediately if it became necessary, stirred something inside Morgina.
“…Wait a second.”
Morgina tilted her head.
She recalled the commotion caused by the trial by battle Kriel had initiated. To resolve the incident, the Western Army commander had appeared and negotiated something with Kriel.
“Didn’t you hold some kind of position like Chief Knight of the Independent Unit under the Western Army commander?”
“It’s a title that disappears once I retire.”
“But you haven’t retired, have you?”
Kriel turned his head away from Morgina. No matter what he said on this topic, it always came back to wound him.
To treat the position of Chief Knight as if it were nothing….Morgina thought his personality really was unusual and she opened her mouth to speak.
“You’re planning to leave like this, aren’t you?”
“I’ve finished everything I needed to do at the main temple of Eve Kaha.”
From the start, it was a place he had planned to visit only to relinquish the position of Champion. Although the situation with Tuon had added an extra task, that too had been resolved with a judgment of “no immediate problems for now.”
“Ugh… Just wait a day. There are plenty of guest rooms for pilgrims. Stay the night before you leave.”
Kriel smirked faintly. She was worrying about something strange.
“Is it because it’s dark outside? You, of all people, should know how well I can see at night.”
[Let me show you something interesting…]
Suddenly, Orishin interjected. The spirit flew directly into the space between Kriel and Morgina before letting out a sharp cry of “Hup!”
[It’s a glowing unicorn.]
With that, Orishin began to shine brightly, radiating light. Even for Kriel, it was a sight he had never seen before.
[If it’s just the horn, I can even change its color, you know?]
Without a word, Morgina grabbed Orishin’s horn and flung the creature far into the distance.
[Attacking a ghost physically is cheatinggggggg—!]
Since the essence of the spirit was bound to the horn sworn anyway, no matter how far it was thrown, it could return immediately if it so desired. Morgina, after calmly assessing the situation, looked at Kriel and spoke.
“I’m not worried about that. You lost your armor this time, didn’t you? I’ll make you a new one, so just wait.”
“Oh.”
“Even if it’s temporary, you’re my Champion. I can’t have you wandering around looking shabby.”
Kriel accepted Morgina’s offer. Ordering a new suit of armor would cost a significant amount. While he could likely receive one free of charge if he returned to the Western Army, he wasn’t eager to return to the barracks just yet.
The next morning arrived.
“Gaah!”
Kriel was splashed with water on his face. The chill of the water, cold as the early morning wind in the dead of winter, yanked him out of his sleep.
What’s going on? Is this the daily routine of the Eve Kaha Church? Do they just dump water on you if you fail to wake up on time?
If that were the case, Morgina’s crooked personality made perfect sense. Kriel lamented the merciless discipline of the church as he turned his head.
There stood Tuon, holding a bowl of water with a strangely triumphant expression.
“What… are you doing?”
The ash-haired girl shouted with sparkling blue eyes.
“Up until now, I refrained from saying much, considering the situation of camping out. But the dignity of a knight comes from his demeanor. You have to wake up at dawn, wash away the dirt from last night, and greet the new morning with a neat mind!”
[Damn it, Kriel. A maid-sword that manages your daily routine…..can a demon sword like this even be acceptable?]
“Shut up.”
Letting out a deep sigh, Kriel took the towel Tuon handed him. He figured he might as well wipe his damp face first before trying to think properly.
“You can’t wake someone up like this.”
“Why not?”
“What do you mean, ‘why not’? It’s common sense. Splashing water on a person who’s sleeping peacefully is rude.”
“No, it’s not.”
What did she mean, “no”? For a moment, Kriel despaired at the possibility that this sword might lack even a basic concept of common sense.
“Since when was a Dark Knight considered a person?”
Kriel squeezed his eyes shut.
“Can’t a Dark Knight be considered a person?”
“Of course not. Just like demons aren’t treated as humans, a Dark Knight isn’t a person either.”
Kriel knew that, in terms of the game system of Tirnanog RPG, Tuon’s words were correct. The moment an NPC discovered that he was a Dark Knight, the usual response was to hear shouts of “Die, spawn of the Abyss!” while being ostracized.
Dark Knights qualified as beings of the Abyss, so they were naturally disqualified from being treated as humans.
[Wow… Originally, I was the madman of this place. I guess being just tainted by the Abyss can’t possibly compete with the pure madness of a naturally born Abyssal being.]
Ignoring Orishin’s nonsense, Kriel spoke firmly.
“I am not of the Abyss. I have never accumulated demonic power, and I never will.”
“Is that so… If the master says so, then it must be true.”
Something about Tuon’s tone was infuriating, so Kriel promptly reverted her into sword form. Ever since the skill “Phantom Sword” which manifested in his inner world, had materialized, Kriel instinctively understood how to handle Tuon.
Until now, he had kept his distance from Tuon, since he was wary of the corruption of the Abyss. However, after being assured by the High Priestess that there was no direct connection between the use of Tuon and the Abyss, Kriel no longer hesitated to use the Phantom Blade ability.
Even as the sword hummed loudly in protest, Kriel’s resolve remained unshaken.
Knock, knock, knock.
A brisk rhythm of knocking echoed through the room.
Kriel opened the door, and standing there was Morgina with her face unmistakably weary as if she had been up all night.
“Hey, come with me.”
“Are you all right? You don’t look well.”
Normally, Morgina had the stamina to endure one or two sleepless nights without issue. Her trained physical strength, combined with the healing effects of her divine power, usually made such things trivial.
But for Morgina to appear this visibly fatigued… it was the first time since she had crafted the horn sword imbued with Orishin’s soul. In other words, it was a state she only showed when both her divine power and physical strength were simultaneously drained.
Considering that it had taken her three days to forge the horn sword, the fact that she had expended a comparable amount of divine power in just one night meant the physical toll this time was even more severe.
When she heard Kriel’s concern, Morgina offered a faint but confident smile.
“The armor of a Champion is traditionally forged by the appointed saintess. It’s my duty. Don’t worry about it.”
Even amidst her exhaustion, Morgina’s smile was refreshing and calm. Her usual fiery temperament seemed subdued by her fatigue, leaving only a gentle softness in its place. It was an unfamiliar yet pleasantly different side of her.
Kriel allowed himself to be guided by Morgina’s hand as they headed deep into the castle. It appeared to be the central area where the red blood collected from outside converged.
The streams of blood pooled in a circular well-like structure, and the blood that fell into the well was recycled back into the outer moat, forming a continuous circulation.
From inside the well, Morgina began pulling out pieces of plate armor before placing them one by one with a solid “thud, thud” sound.
“Try it on. I think the measurements should all be correct… but just in case.”
Kriel ran his hand over the plate armor, which was tinged with an elegant black color. It wasn’t entirely jet black, as parts of the edges were adorned with small touches of gold, perhaps for aesthetic appeal or to imbue it with a structural blessing.
After some time, Kriel finally finished trying on the armor which ended with the horned helmet.
He moved each joint, from his fingertips to his toes, testing the armor. The armor clung perfectly to his body without any sense of discomfort or obstruction.
“What a nice armor.”
It was a rare and genuine compliment coming from Kriel, especially directed at Morgina. Yet, Morgina’s expression in response to the praise was strange.
“Uh…”
“What’s the matter?”
Kriel couldn’t understand her uneasy expression and raised a question. This was, without a doubt, the finest armor he had ever worn. That was when Orishin popped out and whispered.
[Excuse me, sir, do you happen to have any intention of joining the Demon King’s army?]
Kriel moved toward the mirror.
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