Chapter 58: Origin (2)

It finally came back to me.

That day when Darkness suddenly devoured Polin Castle.

From that moment, hell began.

How did the anguished cries of the high-ranked Knights sound?

Clang—

The sword slipping from the Count’s grasp wailed pitifully.

He silently gazed around the battlefield.

From the surrounding Knights, he could feel a sharp aura, honed like blades.

Why hadn’t I realized it until now?

They were the First Knight Order, the very ones who supported the great Bartenberg.

Surely, they couldn’t be monsters.

This time, he turned his head to look at Riot Castle.

Beyond the mountains of corpses, the Banner of the Allied Army came into view.

Ord, Lynn, Jackal, Scion, Helga…

Reliable warriors guarding Riot Castle.

“Thank goodness… thank goodness, it’s all…”

He had thought a terrible nightmare had swallowed the Baren Royal Capital and Riot Castle.

But it wasn’t so.

“Ah, so… the ones trapped in the nightmare… were us…!”

The Count let out a trembling sigh of relief.

It was such a blessing that the Royal Capital and Riot Castle still stood unharmed.

But even that feeling lasted only a moment.

A guilt too heavy to ignore gnawed at him.

For it was the Count and the Knights of House Poir who had turned their swords upon them.

“Darkness deceived and mocked you.”

Richard von Bartenberg spoke.

A look of regret flickered across his face.

“Your… name…”

“Richard Bartenberg.”

The Count’s body shuddered.

All sorts of tangled emotions surged within him.

“Please. Kill… me…”

That was all he could force out.

The Count had little time left.

The living he saw were rotting in grotesque ways.

His mind, which had resisted the Lord, was fading once again.

He had to act before it was too late.

At the very least, he wanted to die as a Knight.

With determined steps, he approached Richard and offered his neck.

“We’re protecting the kingdom now. Rest in peace.”

Richard, drawing a star in the air, comforted the Count.

As if to reassure him, he straightened his exhausted body and faced the Count.

Gooo—

The stars became one and resonated together.

The little faith that remained in him shone as bright as the sun.

Chak—

Count Poiro silently saluted the Bartenberg Bloodline with his sword.

That was the end.

***

The hard-fought battle was over.

Once again, the Alliance Army roared after defending the castle.

It was less a cheer of triumph, more like a rite announcing victory.

Whoosh—

Crimson flames soared high into the sky.

They cremated the fallen Knights of today’s battle, gathering them together with the Knights of House Poir.

[In the darkest of nights]

[Through the lantern, He brings glad tidings]

[Soon, dawn will break]

The devotees sang before the pyre.

Their voices strained, but they did their best to honor the dead.

The thick smoke from the blazing fire drifted in the wind.

There wasn’t a breeze, yet the flames flickered oddly. A strange sight.

A Knight gripping the sword of a departed comrade muttered over and over.

They used to brag about this being a great blade… what a fool you were—

A clumsy attempt to forget sorrow.

“Bring more oil!”

“Gather all the scattered weapons!”

When the song ended and the moment of silence passed, the Alliance Army busied themselves again.

Amidst all the bustle, Huger and Richard were resting off to the side.

“That wasn’t a hymn, it sounded more like a dirge. Their voices are completely shot.”

“Chwick, I agree. But, Mary is still as beautiful as ever…”

Huger’s gaze couldn’t leave Mary.

He quickly schooled his slackening features and asked in a suddenly serious tone,

“How’s Aaron? He looked pretty badly hurt.”

“How else?”

Richard pointed with his finger to a spot.

A Knight lay wrapped in the banner, unmoving.

He looked just like a corpse covered with a white cloth.

“Ch-chwick! Aaron’s dead?!”

“That’s right.”

“Oh, heavens…”

The shock of Aaron’s death left Huger’s face blank.

So the loyal Knight of a great human warrior had met his end like this…

Then, suddenly—

“I’m not dead, young master!”

The ‘corpse’ wrapped in the banner sprang up with a shout.

“Huh? Great human warrior… what’s going on…”

“Damn, did he turn into an undead after all?”

“Un-undead, what are you talking about…”

Richard’s voice was filled with disbelief, and Huger’s eyes widened.

He hurried to check on Aaron,

From the outside, Aaron looked no different than when he was alive.

Is he really undead?

Huger drew the axe slung across his back just in case.

“If the great human warrior says so, then it must be true, chwick.”

“Khh… Huger, please. It’s too cruel for me to see Aaron like that.”

“Leave it to me. The heavens really are merciless…”

Aaron’s face went pale as he listened to their exchange.

Seeing the dumb orc brandishing his axe was terrifying.

“Huger! Young master is just joking! I’m not dead!”

“No need for words!”

Richard snickered as he watched the farce unfold.

It wasn’t like Aaron had been bitten by a zombie, and you don’t turn undead just because you’re cut by a Death Knight’s sword.

The reason Aaron had wrapped himself in the banner was to receive the effects of its faith.

He had overexerted himself, after all.

“You’re outrageous.”

Leon approached Richard and spoke.

Though his words were stern, Leon, too, was smiling as he watched Huger and Aaron.

“If I don’t do this, I think I’ll just collapse.”

Richard forced a wry smile.

The sensation of having beheaded Count Poiro was still vivid in his fingertips.

Though he’d grown used to killing, this feeling would not be forgotten easily.

“I understand how you feel.”

So said Leon, who then placed the crown Richard had cast off back on his head.

“It suits you.”

“Thanks. It feels lighter.”

A slight silence fell.

Leon was the first to break it.

“Many Knights fell in this battle.”

“There were that many enemies.”

“We could’ve held them off without heavy losses. Just like before, and even today.”

He clenched his teeth, frustration evident.

“The Alliance Army still isn’t showing its true ability.”

They were Knights, all forged through rigorous training, always called elite.

And yet, at times, they would falter with fear, at times blunder in confusion.

It was all because of the Demonic Energy.

Guts and determination were nothing but empty boasts before this wretched Darkness.

“Unless you’re exceptionally resolute, suffering from Demonic Energy is only natural.”

“That’s not all there is to it, though.”

Leon’s gaze turned to the devotees.

It was almost laughable, how these mere layfolk seemed livelier than the Knights of the Alliance Army.

“What are you getting at?”

“I think… maybe there really is a god.”

Leon looked at the youngest son of his lord with fervent eyes.

Ever since Richard’s prayer had been successfully offered, Leon had felt a strange emotion toward him.

It was still something he couldn’t quite put into words.

“See, I told you so many times.”

Richard gave a small smile and gently poked Leon in the chest.

With that, his body slumped backward.

He’d heard a satisfactory answer—now, it was time to enjoy a good, deep sleep.

***

I woke from sweet slumber to a racket.

In truth, it wasn’t sleep but a fainting spell.

“Augh…”

Without opening my eyes, I curled up.

From the softness of the blanket, someone must have moved me to a room inside the fortress.

That was kind of them, but really, I just wanted to sleep.

After the fight with the Count, I had pushed myself far too hard—my body was in shambles.

I needed rest.

“Ah, come on…”

Wasn’t there a single soul who could understand my need for sleep?

The noise showed no sign of ending.

“What on earth is going on?”

I threw off the blanket that had covered my head and strained my ears.

The noise was singing.

[Darkness embraces fear]

[The lambs embrace faith]

[Why can’t we endure this short night?]

The devotees’ voices rang from outside the fortress.

That was fine.

Their harmonious singing exuded a sacred aura.

The problem lay with the two discordant men.

“Darkness!”

“Embraces fear!”

It was as if they were in competition, each shouting off-beat and shoving their voices into the melody.

It was little more than tuneless yelling, clearly Aaron and Leon’s voices.

I staggered up and clutched my head.

No way I could sleep through this.

Dragging my aching body, I headed for the source of the noise.

[Listening to the prayer of Aaron Meyer.]

• Please, I beg of you, let the young master awaken safely, and let me be his first devotee as a Knight. At least before Captain Leon! Hor!

[Listening to the prayer of Leon.]

• I’m sure you know the youngest master has collapsed. Nothing must happen to his precious body. Haha… I’ll prepare two thousand devotees for you, so you must show sincerity in return. Oh, and you must accept me as your first devotee before that scoundrel Aaron Meyer. Hor.

On my way out, I checked the content of the prayers and was at a loss for words.

It looked like I’d been out for two days.

There had been two rounds of prayers.

The real issue was how ridiculous the latest ones were.

“No, I get Aaron, but what’s up with Leon? Does he not know the difference between praying and threatening?”

My already aching head throbbed even more.

What on earth had happened to spark such a rivalry?

I quickened my pace.

“Have no fear!”

Soon, I reached the open yard outside the fortress, and chaos greeted my eyes.

Devotees singing with flags raised high.

Leon and Aaron in front, veins bulging in their necks as they yelled at each other.

And the Alliance Army, looking on in bewilderment.

“Daddy!”

From a nearby tree, Adele spotted me first and ran over.

She tried to hug me, but I stopped her and asked what was going on.

“So, listen! It’s hilarious!”

Brightly excited, Adele began to explain the situation.

Apparently, the day after I collapsed, Leon sang hymns with the devotees.

For someone who’d once struggled just to pray, that was quite the leap forward.

“So then?”

“But then Aaron joined in, and started singing too. Then he said something totally outrageous!”

“Outrageous?”

“Yep! Ahem, ahem!”

She cleared her throat and continued, mimicking Aaron’s way of speaking.