NOVEL NEXT Chapter 70
“Uncomfortable.”
“Hang in there. You know you can’t just wear shorts like on a deserted island, right?”
Renny whispered softly, tapping my shoulder.
I know.
If I take off this armor because I’m uncomfortable, then the knights guarding me are all doomed.
So, I’m desperately enduring this feeling as if bugs are crawling all over my body.
Still, I expected something magnificent from this flashy armor, but is the blood of the ancient Irishmen who fought naked in wars flowing through me? Why do I feel like I’m breaking out in hives all over when I wear this armor? Am I allergic to steel?
Ah, I don’t know. I just want it to end quickly.
“…Is it that bad?”
“It’s not that bad. Just uncomfortable.”
“It’s formal armor, so it’s supposed to be a bit uncomfortable. Just bear with it for now. During duty, you can wear lighter gear. I usually dress light too, you know?”
“…True.”
“Right. So let’s just hold on a little longer. I want to get out of this tin can armor quickly. In this warm weather, wearing this makes me a sweaty mess.”
Renny, soaked in sweat. I want to see that. I’ve never really seen her sweat on the deserted island. Thinking about it, I haven’t seen her get sweaty from fighting either. Is it harder to wear thick armor than to fight?
As we chatted, we waited for the door to open.
It’s a simple knighting ceremony, so it’s not that grand, but even for a simple one, there are minimum procedures that must be followed.
Having to stand for over 15 minutes in this ridiculously heavy armor is a bit much, but—
“Come in.”
“Let’s go. Don’t forget what you memorized.”
“Got… it.”
The door opens.
Peering through the eye holes, I saw an old man in a white priest’s robe at the end of the room.
His face was unexpectedly welcoming. He was none other than Crispy, the bishop who I kept meeting in the game when I acquired the priest class. Bishop Crispy coughed softly and looked at me with kind eyes.
Seeing a hint of curiosity in his eyes, does he find me interesting? I mean, I’d also be curious if someone came in boasting about having double-digit certifications, asking for a ‘knightly appointment.’ Especially someone who has both the Warrior Guild and Mage Guild certifications for the first time since Kalon Academy was established.
…It’s a title that originally should have been earned by the protagonist.
So, I learned that the protagonist is a person who can’t really do something as overpowered as a dual class, which is a bit of a harvest in itself. Whether that protagonist actually exists is another matter.
“Now, come here.”
We maintained a dignified walk as practiced and approached Bishop Crispy. Stopping at arm’s reach, we carefully knelt. A strange smell wafts through the holes in my helmet. Is it the smell of the incense laid around or the smell coming from Bishop Crispy? The aromatic scent making me drowsy, and I bit my tongue slightly.
“From now on, I will begin the knighting ceremony. Mary, bring forth the sword.”
As soon as the words ended, the sound of regular footsteps echoed. Once the footsteps faded, a sharp sound teased my ears. Did he draw the sword? Just as I thought that, a voice came from above me.
“Johann, do you pledge to respect and protect the weak as a knight?”
“I pledge.”
“Johann, do you swear to serve your lord with bravery and faith?”
“I pledge.”
“Johann, do you swear not to turn your back on enemies?”
“I pledge.”
“Johann, you…”
The repeating questions and answers. How many oaths did I chant? Suddenly, the questioning stopped. Is it over? Just to be sure, I hesitated for a moment when Bishop Crispy’s voice rang out.
“Rise.”
Standing up, I locked eyes with the bishop. Clear, bright eyes. It was hard to believe those were human eyes. Is it because he’s one of the finest characters in the game to have such eyes?
“With this, you have become a knight. I hope you will act with dignity. And… please take care of Lady Karina.”
Bishop Crispy’s voice carried an undeniable warmth. He was genuinely worried about Karina. Staring blankly at the bishop’s hand that clasped mine, I recited the phrase I had prepared beforehand.
“I will protect her, even if it costs me my life.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than the status window appeared without me even calling for it.
[Mission Clear]
Reward: 1 Trait Point
——————————–
“What a fancy identification…”
I fiddled with the small golden pendant that proved my knighthood. Naturally, there was nothing inside. Normally, people would put a family portrait inside, but I had no family. So, I had nothing to put there.
…Should I get a portrait of Karina to put there, like a proper knight?
“Don’t forget that. Getting it reissued is a real hassle.”
“Got it.”
“I’m about to meet Lady Karina, so you should come along too. You’re a knight now, so it’s time to work.”
“It’s been almost half a month.”
“Until now, only Professor Lennon and I could see her, but now you can go together too.”
“I’m worried about Millia.”
Millia doesn’t like being alone much. I still remember her gloomy face as she wandered alone, not wanting to disturb me while I was studying about the knighting ceremonies at the fortress. She seems to dislike being alone fervently.
Is it because of her past?
At a glance, she looked like a pouting puppy because her owner wasn’t playing with her. Seeing her change expressions whenever I got the chance to hang out with her made me think so.
“But we have to work. Millia isn’t a child anymore, is she?”
“…That’s true.”
She just follows along like a baby bird, but by age, she’s the oldest among us. My age multiplied by ten would barely catch up to Millia’s age.
I stood up following Renny. It’s been a while since I saw Karina. I wonder how she’s doing?
Her condition wouldn’t have improved since the moment she was cursed.
We headed straight from Yeomyeong-gwan to the research facility where Karina was receiving treatment. The path to the facility was quiet. Naturally, it was the weekend. Still, I could see a few students enjoying their day off.
…They looked exhausted—maybe they were grad students, not slaves, right?
I can’t really say much. I’ve become Lady Karina’s loyal servant… Or a knight, as Renny put it. There might be some welfare, but getting to use it properly would be difficult, as they say about being employed. At least it might get a little better when Karina wakes up.
“Lady Karina should wake up soon…”
“Aren’t they almost done with the curse?”
“That’s the thing… it’s a horrible curse, and they’re struggling to remove its core.”
The core of the curse? Is that something like a medium? I don’t know much about curses, so it’s hard to understand. Even in the game, curses were mostly status effects that could be solved with one cast of a priest’s purification magic. Knowing how curses are activated and how to remove them is an area where even my memories of the original work don’t help much.
In the end, I’d have to rely on the professor who looks like he could sing quite well.
The problem is, if my memory serves right, the incident that follows the Hell Hound appearance is…
“Johann?”
“Oh, sorry. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
“Got something on your mind? If it’s not too heavy, feel free to share. This big sister is here to listen.”
Renny playfully poked my side. Being close after spending time together due to the knighting ceremony, her teasing frequency increased. It’s not bad, but I was also a bit scared that she might accidentally break one of my bones with her playful pokes.
“I was just thinking about those who cursed Karina.”
“Oh, those scumbags… I heard that they dispatched the Holy Knights to the Halphas Cult’s base, but they’ve already fled. If I could have just been there, I would’ve personally gone and taken their heads.”
So, they just ran away, huh? I didn’t think they would be easily caught when they were clearly trying to kill Karina, but did they manage to escape completely? Isn’t that a bit incompetent?
Then again, if they were capable, the world wouldn’t collapse every time as seen in the original work.
Who knew it could be such a godforsaken game with such a monstrous difficulty?
The missions are also really troublesome.
“…Status window.”
I whispered to call up the status window. Since clearing yesterday’s mission, a new task had appeared.
[New Mission]
– Become friends with the Witch.
Reward: 2 Trait Points
The reward has slightly increased, and the quest is quite ambiguous.
And a witch.
Even if my memory is faded and has its gaps, I know the witch well.
The story that follows the Hell Hound incident.
Summoning a Demon.
The final boss of the demon summoning episode.
That would be the witch.
But become friends with the witch? What the heck is the true ending that requires me to be friendly with the villain?
“Hey, hey! Are you listening to me?”
My endless musings were interrupted by Renny’s shout.
“…Sorry.”
“I won’t scold you for having a lot on your mind, but it’s disconcerting when you zone out while talking to someone. Now, let’s go in.”
We entered the research building where Professor Lennon’s lab was located. Due to its nature, the purification department often dealt with cursed objects, which meant they had an entire separate building for it that didn’t fit the size of the department at all. I didn’t notice it at the time due to being dead on my feet, but the air really felt different once we got inside.
“Every time I come here, it feels so unsettling.”
“It’s not a place I want to visit often.”
“When Lady Karina wakes up, we’ll move her straight to Yeomyeong-gwan…”
With a holy relic present, this is still the state of affairs. Just how many cursed objects are collected here?
Even with such powerful artifacts, it’s at this level. Just entering here without any would make the place feel like an old horror movie, where curses cling to you and you’d have a thrilling night with ghosts.
Although I’m not sure if ghosts really exist. Then again, with demons, monsters, and dullahans around, there can’t possibly be no ghosts, right—
“Ah.”
Jolted back to reality by a shock to my chest, I looked down to see someone I bumped into.
…Feels familiar somehow?
“…Are you okay?”
“Are you alright?”
Renny and I approached the female student who had fallen to the floor. She trembled in response to our questions. Then I noticed that the ground beneath her was puddled with water.
Why is there a puddle here? But the smell and color…
“…Mon-monster…”
Ah, she fainted.
“What’s going on? Why is she fainting?”
“I don’t know either.”
We shrugged at each other, confused.