The Former Holy Knight. Having Lost My Job and Childhood Friend, I Decided to Start a Dark Guild - Chapter 93

The borderland, bathed in the pale moonlight, stretched endlessly in all directions, a desolate wasteland. Nina, Holy Knight Captain Seashia of the Bernard Order, and I advanced cautiously across the wilderness, avoiding the detection of the Sunfolk.

Our destination was the underground mausoleum “Naimelia Crypt,” where the holy knights were being held captive. Naturally, there were no paved roads, so even though the journey was about fifty leagues, it would take us several days. Throughout the journey, Seashia maintained a puzzled expression.

“Are you sure the three of us are enough?”

Since accepting Marquis Bernard’s request and announcing that the three of us would retrieve the holy knights, Seashia had asked me this same question countless times. “Besides, one of us is just a child, isn’t she?”

“I’ve told you many times; this is the best solution given the current situation. And let me tell you, Nina is one of the best fighters in the Michino Family.”

“No, no, you must be joking.”

“Captain, unfortunately, I’m not one to joke, nor do I have the personality for it. Now, tell me about Glenn Dease. I heard he was an earnest holy knight—is that true?”

As we walked, I asked, and unexpectedly, Seashia’s expression darkened. Then she replied, “Yeah, he was a serious and righteous holy knight. At least, that’s how Glenn used to be.”

Seashia walked silently for a while afterward. There seemed to be some special circumstances between them, so I remained silent as well, advancing through the cold windswept wilderness. Eventually, Seashia began to talk about Glenn Dease, bit by bit.

“Glenn was a unique type of holy knight. Since long ago, he had questioned the harsh treatment of heretics and borderlanders in this region. Especially during the time of Torquemada, the Inquisitor—he used to say that it was nothing but a massacre.”

Apparently, the organization I knew well held a special significance for Glenn Dease.

“For Glenn, the Royal Capital’s Holy Knight Order was like an aspiration. Simply put, if Bernard’s Holy Knight Order was corrupt and full of vice, then the Royal Capital’s Holy Knight Order represented justice and was filled with light. Thanks to Marquis Bernard’s arrangements, Glenn got the chance to study at the Royal Capital.”

It wasn’t hard to predict what would happen next.

The reality Glenn Dease saw in the Royal Capital was the same world I had seen enough of to be disgusted by. The Royal Capital’s Holy Knight Order was not the organization that Glenn had dreamed of. They had no qualms about torturing heretics, and there were even holy knights who engaged in corruption to fatten their own purses. Above all, the one holding the most power in the Royal Capital’s Holy Knight Order was none other than that prince.

Seashia spoke. “He didn’t give me the details, but with a face full of hatred, Glenn mentioned that he had been assigned to take care of Prince Raymond’s ‘aftermath.’”

Prince Raymond’s obsession with stealing others’ women to a pathological extent was something I knew all too well.

Now that I think about it, he must have used aphrodisiacs. It wasn’t uncommon for brides, right before their weddings, to lower their undergarments in front of Prince Raymond and, while their despairing fiancés looked on, offer themselves up, completely lost in the throes of lust. And the ones assigned to deal with the aftermath were always the holy knights close to the prince. Most likely, Glenn Dease was placed under such a holy knight.

“When Glenn returned from his studies, it was like he’d been dumped by the person he’d admired for years. No, it’s not even a metaphor—he saw the ugly side of the Royal Capital’s Holy Knight Order and, on top of that, was rejected by Lady Cecil, whom he had admired for so long. The fool even confessed his love to Lady Cecil of all people, can you believe it?”

Upon his return to Bernard’s Holy Knight Order, Glenn Dease completely abandoned his admiration for the Royal Capital’s Holy Knight Order. Instead, he started gravitating toward Shia Sairen, the chieftain of the Sunfolk.

“Of course, no matter how much he was drawn to her, a mere holy knight couldn’t approach a woman like her, a borderlander courted by nobles. But now that I think about it, Glenn must have started associating with the Sunfolk in secret around that time.”

I spoke up. “But still, I don’t get it. Even if he wanted to ingratiate himself with the Sunfolk, it’s strange for a rigid holy knight to kill former comrades he once shared meals with, isn’t it?”

“One thing I can say is that Glenn learned a secret about the royal family that we’re unaware of. Marquis Bernard told Glenn the truth about his birth for the first time when the struggle for succession began to intensify. During that time, Glenn read an ancient scripture that could only be opened by someone with the royal family’s blood, as per the legends of this region. Ever since that day, Glenn changed. Normally, he wouldn’t do something so outrageous.”

“Even though twenty-three of your subordinates were killed, you’re still defending Glenn Dease pretty fiercely, huh?”

Seashia glared at me. “I’m not defending him, nor do I intend to,” she said. “It’s just that Glenn and I have known each other since childhood. If anyone knows him, it’s me… or at least, I thought I did.”

Finally, I understood the relationship between Glenn Dease and Seashia.

“You’ve got it rough, dealing with a troublesome childhood friend,” I said.

Seashia didn’t respond and looked straight ahead, her demeanor suggesting, “What could someone like you, the Don of the Dark Guild, possibly understand?”

The journey continued after our conversation ceased. Traveling by night was somewhat more comfortable than under the scorching sun, but after ten leagues, Nina began to show signs of fatigue. As I was considering setting up camp, Nina suddenly called out, “Don, something’s out there!”

The three of us halted. The moon had been covered at some point, and darkness spread across our field of view. All I could hear was the dry wind blowing through the wasteland. And then, after a moment, a small flame appeared in the darkness.

Seashia spoke. “Amazing, Nina. How did you notice that? That is undoubtedly the Sunfolk.”

The small flames floating in the darkness were torches carried by the Sunfolk. Their numbers quickly grew from ten, to twenty, fifty, a hundred, and continued to increase. Gradually, amidst the winds of the wilderness, I could hear the footsteps of the Sunfolk approaching.

Squinting, I saw Sunfolk marching in formation, armed with spears and crescent-bladed swords. In their ranks were also beasts like massive saber-toothed tigers and direwolves, their presence adding an ominous atmosphere.

Sensing something strange, I instinctively said, “Nina, shoot the bird in the sky.”

Nina nodded and aimed her finger at the sky. Though nothing was visible, a sharp vibration was born, ascending into the sky. Moments later, a bird fell from above, landing on the ground.

Seeing the fallen bird’s body, Seashia’s eyes widened. “A Thousand Eagle used by the Sunfolk for surveillance.”

Around the bird’s neck was a paper charm. I’d heard before that the Sunfolk skillfully used sorcery skills to communicate with animals like distant birds.

Seashia turned toward Nina. “Do the dark guilds in the Royal Capital have people your age using such advanced magic…?”

If this was enough to surprise her, she’d be paralyzed if she found out about Nina’s heretic skills. I said, “Relax, there aren’t many like her. Now, Seashia, let’s use the skill to disappear as we move forward.”

Ignoring Seashia’s stunned “Can we really do that?” reaction, I activated Kano’s sub-skill, “Shadow Walk,” making the three of us vanish.

We made sure not to get too close to the Sunfolk’s ranks, but now the brave cries of the Sunfolk echoed in our ears.

“Offer the body of Cecil Wave to Lord Glenn! Offer the body of Cecil Wave to Lord Glenn! Capture the witch who torments us, and offer her body to Lord Glenn!”