The Former Holy Knight. Having Lost My Job and Childhood Friend, I Decided to Start a Dark Guild - Chapter 37

“Why are Saintess Cecil and Sword Saint Lilith here on a security detail?” I couldn’t believe my eyes as I watched the two popular figures of the capital, feeling incredulous.

Everything had gone smoothly until now: knocking out two knights, stealing their armor, and retrieving the holy relics from the treasury. But it seems like it’s game over here.

Kano’s panicked voice echoed in my mind. “Don! What do we do? If we remove our helmets, our true identities will be exposed!”

I communicated with Kano using Silent Voice. “I know! I’m thinking of a plan!”

“What about dashing away? I can run 50 meters in under three seconds! You’re fast too, aren’t you, Don?”

“No good! We’ll be instantly caught if Cecil uses her holy magic on us! And we can’t run very fast in this heavy armor!”

“Then, then, should we fight?” Kano said, reaching for the hilt of her sword. I desperately stopped her from using Silent Voice.

“Don’t even think about touching the sword! Cecil is not only a master of holy magic but also of swordsmanship! And next to her is Lilith, a special-class knight with the Sword Saint skill! You’d be fatally wounded in an instant!”

“Then, then, let’s run after all!”

As we communicated silently, Cecil slowly approached us with her sword drawn. “Show yourselves. Otherwise, I’ll cut you down!”

This is the worst situation, to be threatened by Cecil with a sword.

“Kano! Buy me some time. Stay behind me!”

With a sense of resignation, I drew my sword, and an intense blow was immediately delivered by Lilith. With a stoic expression, she launched a sharp strike at an incredible speed, which I barely managed to deflect with my sword. She followed up with a second and third strike, each as sharp as the last. I defended mindlessly, and then Cecil’s sword strikes appeared in my vision, which I also managed to fend off. For a while, I continued to block the attacks from both of them.

If my heretic skill hadn’t manifested, the fight would have been over in seconds, but thanks to my greatly enhanced abilities, I could keep up. However, I was purely on the defensive, and one wrong move could drastically turn the tide against me.

After a while of deflecting their swords, Cecil suddenly stopped her attacks. “A legitimate style of swordsmanship. Not bad for someone from the dark guilds.”

Cecil then lowered her sword stance. “What about this, then?”

She began to chant a holy incantation in a soft voice. “Gethsemane’s Prayer. May the sinner’s freedom be taken by the holy light.”

As the thought of holy magic activation crossed my mind, a dazzling flash of light from Cecil enveloped Kano and me. We became immobilized as if bound by chains.

“What is this power… So this is Cecil’s holy magic…”

I had seen Cecil use her holy magic many times. Even the most vicious heretics would distort their faces in fear, some even screaming. There was always despair when Cecil used her holy magic.

I had always wondered about the extent of her power, but now I could understand the feelings of those witches and heretics. It felt like being overwhelmingly subdued, unable even to resist.

Cecil approached with a steady pace. “I prefer not to use holy magic recklessly, but you left me no choice by struggling so much. Now, show me your true identity, heretic.”

Through the helmet, our eyes met. There was no trace of the soft emotions I remembered in Cecil’s gaze, only a chilling coldness.

There was almost nothing I could do in this situation. But I had to save Kano at all costs.

“Kano, can you hear me?”

“Yes, I… I can’t move a finger, but I can still speak.”

“Do you remember what my former colleague, Banpy, told you about my relationship with Cecil?”

“Umm, I drank too much that night, so my memory is a bit fuzzy.”

So Kano was completely drunk that day. No wonder she doesn’t remember. Her face was red.

“Cecil and I were childhood friends and former lovers.”

“Wow!”

“What’s with that reaction?”

“But, but, that’s Cecil-sama we’re talking about!”

“Yes, I know. But listen closely. Even Cecil needs strong concentration to maintain her holy magic. And now, I’m going to act like the worst kind of ex-lover who could disrupt Cecil’s holy magic with just his presence. If this plan works, the restraints on our bodies will be released, and the area will be plunged into darkness again. Kano, take that opportunity to vanish and escape from this place.”

Whether this plan would work or not was uncertain, but it was worth a try.

Cecil would be disturbed just knowing one of the intruders was me. On top of that, I planned to mention that I saw her and Prince Raymond together and then list things that would disrupt her concentration.

“Must have felt good spending the night with Prince Raymond, huh?”

“He pampered you until you fainted, didn’t he?”

“Tell me, what exactly did you do with that mouth that utters holy words to the prince?”

Playing the role of the despicable ex-boyfriend who makes such vulgar statements might just disrupt her holy magic enough. Even Lilith, who values purity, might blush at least.

I don’t want to believe that Cecil and Prince Raymond have such a relationship, nor do I want to be the man who utters such pathetic words. But, to protect Kano, I can’t be picky about my methods.

“So, what do you plan to do, Don?”

“I’ll do my best to stop the two of them. Kano, focus only on escaping by yourself.”

“I hate that idea! If we’re caught, we’re caught together! I’ve sworn to entrust my life to you, Don!”

“No. You need to return to Sani. That’s an order from Don.”

Kano fell silent after my firm statement.

When Cecil’s hand reached for my helmet, I was ready for whatever came next.

But something unexpected happened. Just as Cecil’s fingers were about to touch the helmet, she suddenly looked at my left arm.

Following Cecil’s gaze, I saw a green light leaking from the joints of my armor. This was undoubtedly a skill being released. Then, an ancient language echoed in my mind.

“Skill Release Condition: Holy Magic Achieved by the Saintess”

“King’s Enhancement LV2 Released: Skills of the Heretic Swearing Loyalty Now Usable”

Was being hit by Cecil’s holy magic the trigger for the skill’s release? And then, ancient characters appeared in my vision.

Kano Rainwood – Hawk’s Eye Thief

Nina Nightsky – Vessel of the Demon Lord

Seneca Forest – Speedster Assassin

Sofia Gracier – Beast of Virtue…

These were the heretic skills of the family sworn to loyalty to me, neatly listing each sub-skill. Could these skills and sub-skills be activated?

As I read the skill names, Cecil spoke up.

“It’s rare for a skill to be released at a time like this. But unfortunately, that skill won’t be useful to you now. You’re probably a heretic, right? Trying to deceive with some skill, but the outcome of your heretic trial is clear.”

Even as Cecil spoke, I desperately scanned the ancient text for any family skills that could help us escape.

Seneca’s Speedster Assassin? It temporarily increases speed tenfold, unleashing countless sword strikes. Its usefulness in our current bound state was uncertain.

Nina’s Vessel of the Demon Lord sounded like it could lead to something catastrophic, and I didn’t know enough about Sofia or Kano’s heretic skills.

Should I just play the troublesome ex-boyfriend? As I pondered, Cecil’s hand touched the helmet.

“Now, let’s see what kind of heretic skill you possess. I’ll inspect it thoroughly.”

In desperation, when the helmet was about to be removed, I activated the last skill my eyes landed on in a sort of defiance. The Vessel of the Demon Lord, Nina Nightsky’s hidden skill, “Summoning the Dead.” And the next moment, the ground began to tremble as if the dead were stirring.