The Former Holy Knight. Having Lost My Job and Childhood Friend, I Decided to Start a Dark Guild - Chapter 3

Alarm bells were ringing throughout the royal capital. Escaping from the Holy Knights in this city was no easy task. No matter how much I ran, two Holy Knights clung tightly to my back.

Once the rush of adrenaline faded, I gradually began to understand the situation I was in. Why was I running from the Holy Knights? Escaping from the guardians of justice was as good as admitting guilt. Above all, I was putting innocent civilians at risk because of me.

“Hey! You! Let go! I’ll handle this myself! You should hide somewhere!”

“Don’t worry, we’re about to lose them!”

“This will only cause trouble for you too!”

“This is nothing compared to trouble!”

The young female Elf knew even the small alleys unknown to me, a native of the royal capital. From the labyrinthine artisans’ streets to the bustling merchant districts and barely passable paths, she swiftly dashed through them.

But our pursuers were the renowned Holy Knights. Hawks released by the knights soared overhead, tracking us while their cries gave away our location. The number of knights chasing us visibly increased in moments as an emergency security protocol seemed to be in place.

The Elf shouted, “We’re going to speed up even more!”

With those words, the Elf’s speed surged, and she leaped over a high wall in a single bound, then entered another narrow alley, accelerating further. With each run and turn, the presence of the knights faded, but we continued running in silence.

How long had we run? Before I knew it, we had ventured far from the center of the royal capital to a deserted area. This slum, known as the district of losers, was lined with shabby buildings. It was a forbidden land said to sicken one’s lungs just by breathing, a place ordinary citizens of the capital would never visit.

The Elf and I stopped, taking deep breaths. Looking around, the knights were nowhere to be seen.

“It seems we’ve managed to shake them off,” the female Elf said with a satisfied smile. “But, quitting the knight order, unable to register with any guild as an adventurer, and getting involved in such trouble… Isn’t this the worst situation in your life?”

“I’d ask the same. And why do you know so much about me?”

The female Elf scratched her head exaggeratedly. “Because I saw and heard you being refused registration at the guild. Didn’t you notice me around you all this time?”

I hadn’t noticed this Elf being near me at all.

“Well, that’s understandable. My skills are all about scouting AND tailing,” she explained.

That made sense. Her skills were perfect for tailing unnoticed and moving quickly through the city.

“Anyway, if you’ve been by my side all this time, it makes things easier. I hate to ask without knowing your name, but you know, right? That I didn’t do anything to that woman. It would help if you could testify to the knights and clear this false charge.”

The female Elf shook her head.

“Probably not. I don’t know the details, but the knights were fully intent on framing you from the start.”

“Framing me from the start?”

“Yeah, the movement of the knight patrols was different from morning. At the Triumph Square, an unbelievable number of knights were watching you. Probably, they knew your character that wouldn’t ignore any trouble and were waiting for a chance.”

“They were waiting for a chance to know my character? Why would the knights need to do something like that?”

“But, for every god that forsakes, there’s one that picks up. Leon-san, you’re lucky to have met me. There’s a perfect guild for someone like you with nowhere to go.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. All the official guilds have turned me away. The only other guild would be a dark guild.”

Dark guilds deal with jobs too dirty for official guilds, from managing brothels drug trafficking, to even assassination. The royal capital has three dark guilds, each family antagonizing the other. Guild conflicts have escalated recently, causing the knights to be on high alert.

“Exactly. My name is Kano, and I belong to a certain dark guild. To be frank, Leon Stein, I want to scout you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Come on, it’s hard to believe a kid like you is involved with a dark guild. And if you were, you wouldn’t scout someone unknown like me.”

Entering a dark guild’s family required trust, especially for someone like me, previously affiliated with the royal capital’s Holy Knights.

“Of course, if it were one of the three major dark guilds. But my family belongs to the fourth oldest dark guild, with very lenient entry conditions due to various circumstances.”

“The fourth oldest dark guild? I’ve never heard such a thing.”

“Let me show you. To our headquarters.”

Ignoring my confusion, Kano entered a shabby building.