abcnovels
Chapter 1: Dark Knight Dale (1)
Chapter 1: Dark Knight Dale (1)
Chapter 1: Dark Knight Dale (1)
My grandfather always used to say,
Our world is filled with evil, but you must always follow the path of human decency.
Sorry, Grandpa.
It seems that the advice you gave me will be difficult to keep.
Its already been a year since I got transported into the world of a game.
At first, I was very bewildered.
The situation occurred without any warning or time to prepare.
It felt like being hit by a speeding truck.
But as time passed, I had to learn to resign myself to my current situation.
I had to accept my current circumstances.
The fact that the game was set in a hard-core fantasy world where people died easily?
I accepted it.
The fact that the body I possessed was not a well-trained mercenary, wizard, knight, or priest, but something else?
I accepted it.
The fact that I landed on the outskirts of the continent?
It took me a whole year, but I accepted that too.
But there was still one thing I could not come to terms with.
Why on earth did it have to be a dark knight?
My class was that of a dark knight.
I was human, yet not human.
***
The jostling carriage was filled with people. Packed like beans in a bean sprout container, each person bore the look of weariness from life.
Even in such a crowded carriage, there were places that were particularly crowded and some that were conspicuously empty.
The former was where a pretty priestess was.
She was preaching to the people with a clear smile on her face.
Follow the light no matter how difficult and hard the situation may be. Do not lose your faith. If you believe and keep believing, one day God will burn away the darkness and bestow upon you the promised light.
In such a harsh world, people needed something to lean on.
The people nodded with eager expressions as they listened to the priestesss sermon.
As if they believed that doing so would grant them salvation of the soul.
When the sermon ended, questions came flying in from all directions.
The priestess answered each question thoughtfully and earnestly.
Right then, a haggard-looking woman asked,
Oh Priestess, my husband died last year fighting demons. Hes in heaven now, isnt he?
The priestess offered a sorrowful smile. She hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.
God is merciful. Your husband bravely fought against evil, so he surely must have entered heaven.
At that moment, a sharp voice cut through.
I cant stand to listen to this any longer. If God were so merciful, He would have protected that womans husband from the demons.
The voice belonged to a mercenary sitting in a corner of the carriage.
How dare you!
Apologize right now!
The other passengers glared at the mercenary, but the latter didnt budge.
He acted confidently as if he didnt care if all the ragamuffins there attacked him.
Instead, the mercenarys eyes gleamed menacingly as he spoke.
Look here. Ive fought on the front lines against those terrible demon armies several times. Do you know what I realized? Who*es like you, who only talk big, are useless outside of the bed. Can you even recite a minor miracle, huh? Can you? Oh apprentice priestess?
You!
Strictly speaking, an apprentice priestess was not actually a priestess. They didnt even have the authority to preach like this.
The mercenary who knew of this fact started the quarrel.
The apprentice priestesss face flushed with a mix of anger sparked by the mercenarys insult and the embarrassment of being exposed as a mere apprentice.
The mercenary, finding her reaction amusing, laughed loudly with his fellow comrades and then continued speaking.
In battle, someone like you is less reliable than that dark knight over there. So what if he turned his back on the light? As long as he can fight, thats all that matters, right?
The mercenary looked to one side as if waiting for an answer, and everyones gaze was drawn to the same place.
In the crowded carriage, there was one notably empty spot. A man sat quietly there as he polished his longsword with a rag.
He was clad in plate armor as black as the night sky which contrasted starkly with his deathly pale face.
His eyes were lifeless, like those of a corpse, and his gray hair cascaded over his shoulders.
Handsome like a finely chiseled statue, but overall, it was hard to tell if he was more of a living person or a corpse.
The man briefly lifted his gray eyes to glance at the mercenary, then lowered his head again and continued to polish his longsword.
Ah. Looks like Ive been ignored.
The mercenary smiled bitterly. However, he still succeeded in his initial goal of mocking the apprentice priestess in front of the people.
The apprentice priestess suddenly stood up from her seat and shouted.
Apologize! To say I am worse than that evil heretic is something I cannot tolerate!
I gannot toberate itch.
Gahahaha!
When the mercenary mocked the apprentice priestess in a ridiculous manner, his fellow mercenaries burst into laughter.
The apprentice priestesss face turned an even more unbearable shade of red.
A fellow mercenary, having stopped laughing, tried to calm her down.
Now, now. Calm down. Quell is just a bit mischievous, thats all. Please, sit down. Wont you get hit by an arrow if you stood so stiffly amidst a battlefield?
Do I look like I can calm down right now
Thats when it happened.
Whoosh!
A chilling sound of tearing air interrupted the priestesss words. The next moment, with a thud, the roof of the carriage was blown away.
Huh?
People looked up in confusion. Through the gaping hole in the roof, a one-eyed monster with an unusually long tongue was peering down at them.
The mercenary cursed.
Fu*k
To make matters worse, the carriage came to a halt. Looking ahead, the people saw the one-eyed monster chewing on the coachmans head.
The mercenary shouted as if in a fit.
Ill buy us some time; so get out noww!
It was difficult to fight in such a cramped space.
The dazed people scrambled out of the carriage at the mercenarys shout.
The monster whipped its long tongue like a lash. The mercenary gritted his teeth and raised his shield to block the attack.
Ha! This is nothing!
Ill help too!
What?
The mercenary grimaced at the voice of the apprentice priestess coming from beside him.
Why are you still here and not outside?
I can perform simple miracles! Oh almighty light, sky, and sun, grant your servant power
You retarded fool!
As the apprentice priestess clasped her hands and began to pray, her hands started glowing white. The monsters gaze swiftly turned towards her.
The mercenary instinctively knew that the apprentice priestess was about to do something troublesome.
The monster forcefully kicked against the wall with all of its four legs. It sprang up like a spring and lunged at the apprentice priestess.
The mercenary tried to stop the creature.
But the monsters speed was too fast, and the distance was too far away.
In an instant, the monster reached the apprentice priestess and opened its massive jaws wide.
The face of the apprentice priestess, who had been praying, turned pale with fear.
It was too late for her to escape.
In a moment, those strong jaws would crush her head completely.
The priestess shut her eyes tightly.
But the feared attack did not come.
Crack!
The sound of something like bones breaking echoed around the place. The apprentice priestess opened her eyes and they continued to open wide with shock.
A metal fist was lodged in the monsters mouth.
The monster tried to clamp its jaws shut, aiming to bite off the whole arm. However, the armor surrounding the arm was too strong for its teeth.
Instead, it was the monsters teeth that shattered.
The apprentice priestess looked up with a dazed expression at the owner of the fist.
The dark knight she had seen earlier was mechanically beating the monster down.
Kyaaaak!
The monster, whose jawbone was completely shattered, resisted wildly. But the dark knight gripped the monsters mouth and forcefully yanked it sideways.
Rip!
The monsters head was torn in half. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere, some even landing on the apprentice priestesss face.
She was so stunned by the brutal scene that she couldnt even think.
However, the watching mercenary laughed like a madman.
Gahahaha! Those dark knights are always so fierce; I love it!
Regardless of his reaction, the dark knight remained calm. He glanced around and noticed the apprentice priestesss blood-stained face.
The dark knight rummaged through his belongings and pulled out a white handkerchief before offering it to the apprentice priestess.
Wipe yourself.
Yes?
When the apprentice priestess failed to understand, the dark knight personally took it upon himself and started wiping her face with the handkerchief.
Wh-What in the world are you doing!
The apprentice priestess was alarmed but the dark knight did not stop.
His touch was quite meticulous. He thoroughly scrubbed her face with the handkerchief.
However, the more he tried, the more the blood smeared and the priestesss face was left covered in blood.
Gahaha! What are you doing, Sir dark knight!
The mercenary burst into loud laughter.
Feeling embarrassed as if thinking Is this not right?, the dark knight awkwardly scratched his helmet and turned his head away.
And then he spoke calmly.
There are more outside.
Yes, sir!
The mercenaries all gripped their weapons and followed the dark knight. One of the mercenaries who kept pace with the dark knight asked him.
My name is Quell, son of Rendell. Whats your name, Sir dark knight?
The dark knight glanced briefly at the mercenary and replied.
Im currently going by the name Dale.
Currently? Ah. Do dark knights also get baptized and receive new names?
Something like that.
Anyway, I look forward to working with you! Please help me return alive to the city! It would be most unjust to die without spending one penny of the money after rolling through the front lines!
The cheerful mercenary and the calm dark knight soon disembarked from the carriage.
The apprentice priestess who was left behind watched them in a daze.
***
The battle ended.
More than half of the carriage passengers had perished. The apprentice priestess sank to the ground at the sight of such gruesome scene.
A voice from one mercenary reached her ears.
Fu*k. Six of those damned one-eyed bastards showed up. Is it even safe near the city anymore?
The mercenary raised his head as if he were thoroughly fed up.
But thanks to Sir dark knight, were still alive. Boy, he fought like a demon, didnt he?
Dale remained silent. He lowered his head and gazed at one of the corpses.
The corpse belonged to the mercenary named Quell. It seemed he had met a rather painful end, with his body all torn apart.
A fellow mercenary who had been with Quell wore a bitter look on his face.
Damn it. He wasnt supposed to die in a place like this. He held on for five years, and now this
Life was cheap, and death was common in this world. Dale scanned the surroundings in silence.
The sprawling carcass of the monster came into view.
Dale thrust his gauntlet into the creatures chest.
Thud!
Blood splattered, and his gauntlet gleamed ominously.
In no time, the life force of the monster and the lingering soul from the corpse were both drawn into Dales body.
A nearby mercenary who had been watching marveled,
Ooh, hes absorbing its soul.
The monsters carcass rapidly shriveled up and soon it resembled a mummy.
Dale nodded his head in satisfaction.
Ive gathered more life force and soul force than I expected. If I visit the temple now, my grade might even rise.
Dale shifted his gaze to another corpse. It belonged to one of the people who had fallen victim to the monsters attack. The apprentice priestess noticed his gaze and hastily stood up.
Yo-you cant!
?
Ill perform the funerals for these people! So please, uh, dont touch them.
It seemed like she was worried that Dale might absorb the deceaseds life force.
From the perspective of the faith of light his actions were extremely blasphemous.
One of the remaining mercenaries who had been watching couldnt help but laugh at her antics. You never knew when another monster would attack. Right now, Dale was practically their lifeline.
This is better than relying on the sloppy light temple
The mercenary was afraid that Dale might get angry and leave them behind, so he decided to act first.
He tightened his grip on his shield and took a step forward.
A who*e like you who didnt even lend a hand during Oh.
Dales arm stopped the mercenary in his tracks before shaking his head.
The mercenary asked cautiously,
Are you sure?
It doesnt matter.
Despite the predicament that had twisted his very humanity, there was one thing Dale had resolved when he inhabited his current body: to never forget that he was still a human.
Instinct told him otherwise. After all, these were just corpses. His instinct urged him to absorb their life force quickly.
But what remained of Dales humanity reminded him not to defile them. Even if he couldnt protect innocent people, he should refrain from disrespecting them until the end.
Dale followed his sense of humanity.
That had been the way Dale survived in this world until now.
Dale observed as the apprentice priestess conducted a simple funeral ceremony for the dead.
The mercenary who was stopped cast a peculiar glance in Dales direction and then he remarked.
Brother Dale, you seem a bit different from the dark knights Ive heard of. Well, Ive only seen dark knights from a distance a couple of times, but
Maybe so.
After answering briefly, Dale turned his back on him.
Take a rest while you can.
He added.
The journey to the city would likely be more treacherous than they anticipated.