The Former Holy Knight. Having Lost My Job and Childhood Friend, I Decided to Start a Dark Guild - Chapter 80

◆　Cecil PoV　◆

Should I, as the head of the Holy Knights, have complied with Prince Raymond’s demands? Caught between dreams and reality, as heretics battle and knights fall injured, these thoughts preoccupy me.

Almost everyone within the Giant Stone Castle is put to sleep, and I rush to the prince’s bedroom upon discovering the heretic responsible is there.

Bursting into Prince Raymond’s bedroom, I meet his gaze at the infamous bed. He calmly says to me:

“Cecil, if you continue to refuse to lie with me, I will kill Duke LeBlanc. Won’t you offer your beautiful body to me for the sake of the kingdom, as the head of the Holy Knights?”

At first, I thought he was joking. To equate a national crisis with lying with me seemed utterly ridiculous.

“Prince, let’s be serious. The situation with nearly everyone in the Giant Stone Castle asleep is extremely dangerous. If the Dark Guild forces were to invade now, the damage would be immense.”

“Cecil, I am completely serious. Remove your armor now and lie down in your undergarments on the bed.”

Seeing the earnestness in Prince Raymond’s eyes, I realize this is no poor joke. “Prince, I am a holy woman. You should understand well that I cannot comply with your request.”

Prince Raymond shakes his head.

“I’m tired of all this. Let someone else handle the Holy Knights. Your role is simple: become my lover, eventually my wife, bear and raise my children. That will truly benefit the nation.”

“I’m sorry… I cannot fulfill your wishes,” I respond.

The prince sniffs displeasure and takes a small magical device in his hand. Pressing a button, the room displays the current state within the castle—knights, still drowsy, are shown.

“This is what happens when Cecil throws a tantrum like a child,” Prince Raymond remarks.

What does he mean? As I wonder, a knight in the video, still drowsy, suddenly grips a dagger at his waist. Before I realize, it’s too late—the knight slashes the dagger down, stabbing into his own hand, with blood leaking through the gaps in the armor.

I find myself drawing my twin swords, pointing them at Prince Raymond’s neck. “What do you think you’re doing to a knight sworn to loyalty to the royal family!”

Without changing his expression, Prince Raymond says, “Cecil, just so you know, if you harm me, I’ve ordered the heretic to massacre Duke LeBlanc and all the nobles, so watch what you do.”

Frozen by his words, he continues.

“Come on, Cecil, remove your armor. I don’t care what happens to your cute subordinates.”

Before I know it, the knight in the video now points the dagger at his own neck. I had no choice.

“If I offer myself, do you promise no harm will come to anyone?”

“Of course! This is also for your sake, Cecil. I no longer want to drug you.”

I close my eyes and slowly remove my armor. The armor used by holy knights is designed for easy removal, and soon I am in my pure white holy garb.

Prince Raymond, looking intently at me, says, “Cecil, you always look beautiful in your holy garb. But tonight, I don’t need even that. I want to see Cecil as she was born.”

“Prince Raymond, as per your request, I will be yours. But please, give a potion to the bleeding knight; I can’t focus on our important time together as things stand.”

With a smile, Prince Raymond agrees. “Indeed, we can’t have any interruptions during our time together.”

As Prince Raymond commands, “Lily, operate to pour the potion on the knight’s wound,” the image shows the knight dropping the small dagger and instead sprinkling a potion over his injury. Prince Raymond, seemingly unconcerned about the knight, continues to gaze at my body.

“As I said earlier, please take off your holy garments.”

I grip the hem of my holy garment, slightly pulling it up, then stop my hand. I take a deep breath and say, “I can’t, Prince. I cannot comply with your request. I must not. I haven’t given up yet.”

Before Prince Raymond can speak, I cast a barrier around myself using holy magic and surrender to the drowsiness I’ve been feeling, praying for a solution beyond.

Thus, I arrive at a place known as the phantom world, where there seems to be no hope. Hovering over the training grounds filled with memories, I conclude there’s no other option.

In a confined area centered around the Holy Knight Training School, knights, nobles, and servants are captured, and a vicious heretic previously confined in the dungeon beneath the castle has started to rampage.

Below, Michelle, a special-class holy knight, and heretics from Capone are engaged in combat. The command structure is devastated, and it’s impossible to grasp the full extent of the situation.

There’s no solution found yet to awaken the sleeping, and anyone could be killed at the prince’s whim.

There’s only one solution: to give myself to Prince Raymond. It’s the only way to surely save as many people as possible. Yet, I cannot make that decision.

I look toward the training school’s buildings. The nostalgic scenery makes me whimsically think that Leon might appear, an impossibility.

Leon, what would you do? Perhaps you would offer yourself without hesitation to save everyone. You’ve always cared more about others than yourself.

◆　Leon PoV　◆

I leave the handling of the senior knights to Lily and head towards the training grounds. As I approach, the growling that sounds almost beast-like intensifies the tension. Seeing the source of these growls, despair overwhelms me.

A one-eyed giant beast towering over the training grounds is a heretic named Spinor, a major figure in Capone’s ranks, captured by Cecil during the final confrontation. Indeed, this man was also imprisoned beneath Giant Stone Castle.

Michelle, a special-class holy knight, and five senior knights are currently battling multiple heretics led by Spinor. Despite bleeding, Spinor swings his massive arms forcefully, overpowering the highest-ranked knights.

On the ground are injured knights and unconscious men who appear to be heretics. Several need urgent medical attention before it’s too late.

However, Cecil is not here. As I scan the training grounds, Lily’s voice reaches me.

(Leon-san, hurry, the barrier protecting Lady Cecil is weakening!)

Accompanied by her voice, an image of Prince Raymond’s bedroom projects in my mind. Cecil’s face, floating in the air, is pale and filled with fatigue. Most notably, the green barrier enveloping her has clearly weakened.

Standing before Cecil is Prince Raymond, clad in a bathrobe, holding a small bottle and looking at her as if worshiping the sleeping Cecil.

Gradually, Cecil’s barrier is fading before Prince Raymond, who smiles and says,

“Lily, leave Cecil and me alone. You relax in the next room.”

“Yes, Lord Raymond.”

With that voice, my consciousness is pulled back to reality, or rather, to the phantom world.

There’s no more time to hesitate. I wanted to bring Cecil back, but I have to take a chance with the special-class holy knight Michelle.

While struggling with the decision, I look up at the sky. Then, I see her—Cecil, closing her eyes and chanting a holy word.

“Cecil!”

As I call out, Cecil slowly opens her eyes. We look at each other in silence. Her expression quickly changes.

Pain, suffering, sadness—a face that mixes various kinds of anguish, an expression of loneliness that Cecil would never show on the battlefield, yet also somehow relieved, an expression I have never seen before.

There’s no time to hesitate. I leap into the air to bring Cecil back to reality, and at the moment our hands touch, a green light envelops us.

Seeing it, a light ignites on my left arm, and ancient words echo in my mind.

“Skill Release Condition: The Saint’s Joy Achieved”

“Heretic King Skill: The King’s Tyranny Released”