I Became a Dark Knight in the Game

46 – Gabi Merchant Group (1)

Criel scratched his head. What is she talking about now?

“There wasn’t even an investiture ceremony?”

“They gave you armor.”

Is that the investiture ceremony?

If you think about it, the original act of knighting involved a ritual of striking a body part. It has been simplified to the act of lightly tapping both shoulders with a sword, according to the current analysis of the knighting ceremony.

Morgina infused the armor with divine power several times. Naturally, as an extension of the laying on of hands prayer, she had to touch various parts of the body.

“Uh…”

“Recommended as the Great Warrior? Me. Awarded the Great Warrior’s armor? Me.”

It was a subtle boast. Morgina herself couldn’t understand why she was showing off like this, but it was clear that the more she spoke, the more at ease she felt.

“Even if there wasn’t a grand inauguration speech, doesn’t it suit the modest investiture ceremony of the clergy?”

Criel recalled the High Priestess of Eve Kaha. Didn’t the High Priestess say she had no intention of tying Criel to the position of Great Warrior? More precisely, it was as if she was saying that if Criel refused, there would be no one else to take the position, so he should sit there temporarily.

“The High Priestess─”

Ah, a mistake. Morgina kept calling her grandmother, so the words slipped out.

“…Hey! She’s only a grandmother to me!”

Morgina’s reaction was a beat late. Criel, feeling puzzled inside, honestly apologized.

“Sorry. It slipped out. The High Priestess of Eve Kaha doesn’t consider me the official Great Warrior.”

Tsk, Morgina clicked her tongue. Criel looked around. Although there was no need to compensate, staying in the room he had personally wrecked made him feel uneasy.

“The trial is over, so why don’t we go outside and talk?”

*

Criel led the two to the courthouse waiting room. Priest Dawcrius, who hadn’t seen the Saintess in a while, was also with them.

“Haha, your temper has mellowed a lot. I was impressed that you didn’t swing your mace when the duel was declared over.”

“Damn it. Did you think I was such a reckless person?!”

“No, of course not. It’s a kind of literary expression.”

While Dawcrius was dealing with Morgina, Criel slipped out of the waiting room. Armed followed him.

“Let’s leave Morgina to Priest Dawcrius and head back to the lodging.”

“Friend?”

Armed was perplexed. Didn’t he explain to that spirit that their relationship was that of employer and employee? But she called him a friend?

“Hmm? Comrades are also friends, aren’t they? We are friends.”

“Wait a minute, then why am I just an employer!”

Kriel stroked his chin. He only said that because he was the one who gave the money.

“Think about it. Between a comrade and an employer, who would you generally treat more harshly?”

“An employer… right?”

“That’s why I introduced you to Orisin as an employer. It’s a matter of etiquette since it’s the first time meeting each other.”

Armed’s expression turned sullen. But since he was small in stature from the beginning, it wasn’t very intimidating.

“Hey. I left the position of heir to the count because I hated authority. Just treat me comfortably.”

“As you wish. Can you hear that, Orisin?”

[My back hurts so much I feel like I’m going to die, so don’t talk to me…]

[You’re exaggerating. You lack willpower. If you were a skilled knight, you would have overcome the pain with your will.]

[I’m not a knight, I’m a spirit!]

[Abandon the prejudice that a spirit cannot become a knight! The position of a knight is open to anyone who embraces chivalry!]

My head hurts. Kriel tapped his two swords. It was a signal to be quiet.

“Alright. The wedding commotion is roughly settled, so what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean what am I going to do? I need to dig more into that horn sword.”

Hmm? A question mark escaped Kriel’s mouth.

“Didn’t we already conclude that nothing could be done in a short time?”

“I was about to stock up on more reagents and conduct proper experiments when that idiot Mazar’s courtship came in. Until now, everything was makeshift because we were preparing for the trial.”

I see. Kriel nodded. It was fortunate that there was still time left to stay. The accommodation Armed had prepared was one of the most comfortable he had experienced in Tirnanog.

Originally, a knight is not a profession that pursues personal comfort, but there’s no need to be sad about extending the comfort you can enjoy a little longer, is there?

“Then, please.”

Kriel handed the horn sword to Armed.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“To Mazar Gabi.”

“What? Is there anything more to extort?”

Kriel shook his head. According to Orisin’s radar, Mazar wasn’t a completely hopeless guy, so it was too cumbersome to explain that he was going to listen to his circumstances.

“I’m curious. Why was he so desperate to get married?”

Armed opened his mouth to stop Kriel but then gave up.

That man had faced the Wild Hunt alone without telling anyone. He might say he’s curious, but surely, after confirming Mazar Gabi’s story, he would silently step in if help was needed.

Anyone who follows chivalry would do the same.

Some might think of him as a chivalrous fool, but isn’t it because of people like him that the Count of Ket was saved? No matter how annoying Mazhar was, from the standpoint of having received help from Criel, he couldn’t stop his pursuit of chivalry.

“Alright. Have a safe trip.”

[Oh. Wait. Are you leaving me behind? Really?]

“You, come here. Shall we take apart everything from the hilt to the blade?”

[Not to a patient!!]

*

Criel went to find Mazhar’s lodging. He already knew the exact location.

It was thanks to the recruitment flyers that Mazhar Gavi had scattered all over the Duke of Argetlam’s territory for a while.

‘If I had known that Morigina would be caught by that guy’s flyer, I would have used that strategy.’

The plan was to roughly cover his face, hide his voice, take the place of Mazhar’s great warrior, and not show up on the day of the trial. Criel had secretly thought of it but gave up, thinking, ‘No matter how much, it’s too petty.’

If it worked properly, it would be a strategy boasting a 100% win rate, but Criel thought there was no need to go this far since Mazhar was not a deep-seated enemy, so he discarded the plan.

However, now that he had suddenly been hit by the bomb called Morigina, he regretted not closing his eyes and going through with it at least once.

‘It’s meaningless to hold on to things that have already passed.’

The building that Mazhar Gavi was using as his lodging was the third floor of a branch of the Gavi Trading Company. The first floor was an office handling the company’s business. As it was a fairly well-known company, there was a considerable crowd of merchants coming and going.

‘How should I approach him?’

Should I pretend to be a large investor and call Mazhar, who is now the top manager of the Gavi branch? Or should I just wait for him to come out?

[But master.]

Tuon secretly spoke to him. Criel responded in an alley near the Gavi Trading Company building.

“Why?”

[Mazhar Gavi is a person capable of protecting himself. Isn’t he different from the weak and good people that a knight should rightfully help? Goodwill should be encouraged, but isn’t there a more efficient way to use it?]

Criel scratched his head. Thinking about it, it made sense.

“But something is bothering me.”

[Is it bothering you? Because of that failed spirit of the vehicle?]

Was it after hearing Orisin’s words? Criel asked himself. There might be some influence from Orisin, but it seemed like there was something else bothering him.

It was the moment when Criel was questioning himself.

Bang─!

With a loud noise, flames soared from the third floor of the Gavi Trading Company building.

And only then did Criel realize what the strange uneasiness that had been lingering in his mind was.

“Ah.”

He had seen the name Majar Gabi before.

In the Tirnanog RPG.

It was natural that it was hard to recall. A minor character with no connection to the main story. The only related quest was a single side quest. Even then, the character was found dead almost as soon as the quest began.

Kriel immediately leaped and began climbing the wall of the building.

Black smoke billowed up. The fiercely burning fire spread explosively. Screams echoed in the chaos.

It was time to use the power of the Dark Knight. The power of the Dark Knight, which accumulates blood energy, indicated that there was still life to be taken inside the building. The ability to sense life was originally meant to kill and gain power, but it could also be used as a life detector for rescue.

Kriel’s vision, which he evaluated as ‘the only useful trait of the Dark Knight,’ pierced through the thick black smoke to see the horrors beneath.

Kriel, who was about to run to the place where people were lying, stopped.

He thought of a way to bring down the fire demon that was devouring the building and growing its body.

Tuon, who was hanging from his waist, had the ability to handle the chill derived from the resentment of the dead.

‘The problem is…’

Can I use the demon sword here?

In the middle of the duchy?