The Former Holy Knight. Having Lost My Job and Childhood Friend, I Decided to Start a Dark Guild - Chapter 49

For a while, I exchanged silent glances with Lilith.

Sword Saint Lilith, like Cecil and Bumpy, is a peer of mine, but she’s among the knights I find most difficult to deal with in the Order. While she swears immense loyalty to Cecil, she always seems to harbor hostility towards me, making her a troublesome existence.

Unexpectedly, Lilith said something surprising.

“If I found you, I was instructed to bring you to Cecil-sama.”

“That makes things easier. I have something I want to convey to Cecil as well.”

“But, I cannot allow you to meet with Cecil-sama.”

“Why not?”

Suddenly, Lilith drew her sword swiftly, prompting me to pull mine reflexively and leap backward. A slash from Lilith followed, which I blocked with my sword and asked, “What do you mean by this?”

“I wanted to check something.”

“What?”

“One of those who infiltrated the Giant Stone Castle the other day was you, Leon, wasn’t it?”

As I remained silent, unable to say anything, Lilith continued.

“Your sword stance, the way you dodge, every movement was unmistakably yours. To think a former Holy Knight, though inept, would stoop to thievery, Leon.”

Having sparred countless times in the training grounds as peers, Lilith and I could recognize each other by the quirks of our swordplay, even with faces hidden.

“Does Cecil know about this?”

“Cecil-sama’s intelligence seems to regress to the level of a toddler when it comes to you, so she hasn’t noticed.”

Cecil’s intelligence regresses to the level of a toddler when it comes to me. I don’t understand what that means.

“Regardless, Lilith, do you intend to capture me here? However, I cannot afford to be captured.”

I pointed my sword at Lilith. I had hoped to avoid conflict with the Holy Knight Order, but that was no longer an option.

Lilith’s dominant arm was painfully wrapped in bandages, likely a wound sustained beneath the Giant Stone Castle. I sensed a slight chance of victory against the injured Lilith.

Unexpectedly, Lilith sheathed her sword.

“This was just to confirm. I have no intention of seriously fighting you. I want to say that it’s not good for the capital if Cecil-sama meets you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cecil-sama intends to resign as the commander of the Holy Knights.”

“Is the marriage between Cecil and Prince Raymond truly happening then?”

Lilith shook her head with a look of exasperation.

“No. Though she won’t say it, Cecil-sama has no intention of marrying Prince Raymond. Cecil-sama plans to abandon everything and act with you, Leon, as soon as she finds you. Her frequent visits to this base were in preparation for that. And you understand how much of a loss that would be for the capital.”

This was completely unexpected, and I couldn’t grasp it immediately. Why does Cecil need to resign and act together with me? Lilith continued.

“I don’t care whether you belong to the Michino Family or any Dark Guild. But if even a shred of justice is left in you, I want you not to meet with Cecil-sama. She is indispensable to the Holy Knight Order.”

Lilith added that this wasn’t a bad deal for me either.

“If you promise not to meet with Cecil-sama, I’ll overlook your recent intrusion into the Giant Stone Castle and cover up the fact that you’re associated with the Dark Guild.”

Lilith said this and deeply bowed her head.

I never expected Lilith to bow to me. However, what she said made sense. Cecil and me can’t act together as we did when we were children. I’m a heretic, and she’s a saintess who confronts heretics. We live in different worlds.

I knew all too well the necessity of Cecil to the Knight Order. Without her, the balance of power with the Dark Guild would be upset, and the capital would undergo significant changes.

I sheathed my sword.

“If that’s the case, I don’t need to meet with Cecil. But there’s something I wanted to tell her. Can you relay it to Cecil through Lilith?”

Lilith raised her head. “Of course.”

“The Deputy Captain Nadale he has an unusual relationship with the Dark Guild. And one thing I can say for sure is that Nadale himself is a heretic. Does the upper echelon of the Holy Knight Order know about this?”

Just as Lilith’s eyes widened in shock, screams from knights echoed from outside the cave.