Kriel had a headache.
It wasn’t because he had overexerted his body to the point of suffering aftereffects or because his weakened immune system had led to an illness.
It was just…
[Come to think of it, do spirits need entry permits under imperial law? Or should I be classified as a sword instead of a spirit, meaning I wouldn’t need to file a separate report with the immigration office?]
[Rise, master. A knight must have a servant to command. There’s a monster passing ahead. Strike it down at once—]
His head hurt.
Kriel decided to take Tuon’s suggestion 120% seriously. Not only did he subdue the monster, but he also cleaved it cleanly in two.
When a shocked Tuon cried out, “That monster was supposed to become your servant!” Orishin confidently retorted, “Wouldn’t a majestic unicorn that can actually speak proper language be better than some goblin?”
When they reached the point where Orishin got offended by a remark about “getting cocky for someone without legs,” and he began screeching, Kriel gave a tired smile.
“If I’d known it’d come to this, I would’ve asked for earplugs instead of a helmet.”
Muttering under his breath, Kriel held his head in his hands as the two sword spirits started blaming each other. It was a childish argument about who was louder. Each was trying to shift the blame.
Sometimes, he thought about just throwing them both away and running off. But he knew it was pointless.
If he left the horn sword in some forest corner, Orishin would just clamp it between his teeth and chase after him. And Tuon, being bound to Kriel’s very soul, would inevitably return to him no matter where she was abandoned.
Kriel resigned himself to his fate. Accepting that eliminating the constant noise was impossible, he at least tried to reduce its volume.
“Can’t you two just quiet down for a bit?”
[But look. We’ve been walking down this desolate road for days without seeing a single person. It’s so boring; we need to talk to pass the time.]
“Fine, but leave me out of it. Chat amongst yourselves.”
[What nonsense. As a noble demon sword, talking with such a lowly monster without a third party present would tarnish my honor.]
[Why does everyone I meet feel the need to put me down? For your information, I’m one of the top-ranked spirits in my region based purely on experience.]
[Isn’t it because the spirits in that region all moved away?]
Kriel sank into thought. Though he had been walking absentmindedly, something definitely felt off.
No one on the road to the Empire?
It wasn’t normal. Pilgrims traveling from the Empire should have appeared several times a day.
The Holy Kingdom welcomes all wanderers, in accordance with the Pantheon’s tradition. So, does that mean the Empire is restricting departures on their end?
It was strange. The Holy Kingdom had always been a somewhat irksome presence to secular powers. Even though it distanced itself from worldly power struggles and focused solely on eradicating the Abyss, it was undeniable that the Holy Kingdom wielded considerable military power.
Secular rulers found it hard to tolerate individuals with great power crossing their borders freely.
But even so, if they were to block the entry and exit of clergy, the people’s backlash would be immense. After all, eradicating the Abyss ultimately benefits everyone. Despite the inconvenience, wasn’t it the common policy of the Tirnanog nations to leave the path open for the Holy Kingdom?
It wasn’t a question that could be answered by pondering without sufficient information. Kriel decided to pick up his pace toward the Empire.
[Master.]
“What?”
[A monster. It’s a shame it’s not humanoid, but the wolves—]
Tuon projected the scenery in the eastern and western directions directly into Kriel’s mind. Kriel naturally turned his head in a slow circle, without showing any signs of alarm. In the shadowy darkness of the bushes he had glimpsed for just a moment, he caught sight of the fierce, hungry glint in the eyes of a pack of wolves.
Though they were hidden in the shadows, they couldn’t escape the sight of the dark knight. Kriel confirmed the wolves’ presence.
The look in their eyes wasn’t driven by simple hunger. Deep within their pupils lurked an endless darkness, which was proof of the Abyss’s corruption.
Once again, Kriel accepted Tuon’s advice without hesitation. He drew his greatsword and charged forward.
[Stop, Master! Wolf knights are cool!]
It was a ridiculous objection. At the same time, Kriel felt a pang of self-reproach for hesitating over the phrase “are cool”. But there was no way he could leave the Abyss’s minions unchecked.
For now, they were just ferocious wolves. But if they evolved into beasts of the Abyss, they would become monsters beyond the limits of ordinary wolves. Worse, if they became full-fledged demonic beasts, they could transform into werewolf-like creatures, infiltrate human society, and spread destruction.
The seeds of the Abyss had to be cut down before they could grow.
In his first charge, Kriel held his greatsword near the very end of the hilt, almost at the pommel. As the sword swung from his grip with a smooth motion, it slashed through the air in a shining crescent arc.
The wolves in Kriel’s path fell instantly; three heads were severed in a single strike from the sweeping blade. The remaining wolves sensed something was wrong, but it was too late. The mark of a Champion that Kriel carried was their downfall.
The law of nature was the sworn enemy of the Abyss. The Abyss operated by imposing its own laws to overwrite the world’s inherent laws. But the world’s law of nature was their most primal enemy.
And the gods were the embodiment of that law. A force that the Abyss was destined to oppose.
Kriel felt a sense of satisfaction as he watched the wolves charging at him. It wasn’t just because of their ferocity but also because he was certain he could replenish his blood energy for unforeseen situations.
Within five breaths, nearly twenty wolves had been slaughtered. It was the skill of a butcher to harvest three or four lives with a single swing of his blade.
Orishin whistled. How a spirit horse’s oral structure allowed for whistling was a mystery, but considering that speaking without a body below the neck was already inexplicable, Kriel decided to stop pondering the matter altogether.
[Wow, you can manage that without even wearing armor? No wonder that violent saintess tried to recruit you as a Champion.]
“All knights are capable of at least this much.”
[Wolf knight… that’s kind of cool, though.]
“I’d agree with that, but I won’t be leading monsters. If anything, I’d consider forming a contract with a wolf spirit instead.”
[A dark knight? Contracting with a spirit?]
It was another of Tuon’s habitual jabs at dark knights. Kriel, who usually made it a point to curse his own class at least once a day, found himself strangely irritated when he heard it coming from someone else.
[Master, embrace the darkness within. There’s power, unlimited power, waiting for you.]
“I already told you, no.”
A demon sword was still a demon sword. Its temptations weren’t particularly convincing, but it had an impressive knack for draining one’s mental energy.
[If wolves won’t do, why not find a wyvern somewhere and become a dragon knight…]
Kriel dismissed the absurd suggestion without a second thought. Honestly, it did sound cool, but wyverns weren’t exactly creatures one could come across easily.
***
At sunset, Kriel spotted a dozen wyverns circling the skies above the border city.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
[See that? Even the six providences acknowledge my loyalty to you, Master! This is your chance to become a dragon knight!]
[What nonsense. Why would the six providences ever acknowledge a spawn of the Abyss?]
Kriel let out a sigh at the absurd coincidence. Fortunately, thanks to his exceptional eyesight, he managed to identify the danger in the skies before the wyverns could sense him.
Then again, maybe they’ve already noticed me and are just ignoring me.
The flock of wyverns circling above the city was clearly unusual. They seemed to harbor a deep hostility toward something within the city.
[There’s still quite a bit of distance. What will you do?]
The border city, positioned between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom, also served as an artificial barrier wedged between the mountains. Taking a detour would mean a significant delay.
And more importantly—
“What else? I have to go.”
Turning his back on those in danger was not the way of a knight.
However, Kriel didn’t immediately march to the city gates with a sword in hand. A moment of hesitation crossed his mind.
Should I go in armor or not?
Kriel scratched his head in frustration. Even for him, the thought of fighting a dozen wyverns barehanded was unappealing. If the battlefield were a dense forest with a complex terrain and plenty of cover to use, he might have considered it.
But the well-paved roads leading to the border city were as flat as an open plain. Fighting without armor in such conditions would be outright foolish.
After a brief deliberation, Kriel decided to summon his armor. After all, carrying out the duties of a knight and striving for Nobility could only be done by someone who was still alive.
***
The border city’s garrison stood with their spears raised high. For days, the wyverns circling overhead had been terrorizing the citizens and slashing at them with their vicious claws. It was clear these creatures had deviated from the law of nature.
It was clear that the wyverns were either under the control of some evil mage, bound to the Abyss as its minions, or the servants of a mage who followed the Abyss.
Despite their fear, the garrison fulfilled their duties. Each time a wyvern attempted to hunt, they drove the beasts away with volleys of arrows and thrown spears, all while scrambling to uncover evidence of dark magic.
And now, they felt an unprecedented tension.
It was that time when the brilliance of the sun faded, extinguished by the encroaching night, and shadows stretched long beneath the ominous sunset.
From the west, a dark knight was approaching.
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