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

After the procession of the Sun People disappeared completely from view, we set up camp, with Cicia and me taking turns on watch while getting some much-needed rest. Before the morning sun lit up the wilderness, I urged the still half-asleep Nina to get ready for departure.

Occasionally, I caught sight of the Thousand Eagles that the Sun People used for reconnaissance. To avoid being detected, we used our skills to make ourselves vanish as we moved along the path.

(Still, having Kano with us was a real blessing.)

“Shadow Walk,” while not as sophisticated as the high-level heretical skill “Phantom Art,” was still a skill that allowed us to become invisible. However, keeping it activated for an extended period consumed a lot of stamina. We had to adjust, vanishing and reappearing as we progressed on our journey. If Kano were with us, we wouldn’t be struggling like this.

The Sun People weren’t the only danger in the wilderness. Several hours after we started walking, we came across a pack of wolves—five of them. They looked different from the ones I’d seen in the plains near the royal capital. Their bodies were unnaturally large, their fur sharp and stiff like wires, and with every breath, they exhaled red flames.

Cicia drew her sword.

“Be careful. The beasts in these borderlands have mixed with monsters’ blood. If you think they’re just ordinary wolves, they’ll eat you alive.”

“Yeah, I got it.”

I said that as I approached the wolves, prompting a shout from Cicia. “You won’t get out of this unscathed, Don Michino!”

I remained silent, stopping just in front of the snarling wolves.

(The question is how well I can fight right now—that’s all that matters.)

Other than toying with Said Family thugs like one might play with a cat, I hadn’t had any real combat since that night at Giantstone Castle. I remembered one of the King of Heretics’ abilities and readied my fist.

(King’s Augmentation—automatically adds the abilities of loyal heretics to myself.)

Currently, there were fifty heretics in the Michino Family. Naturally, all of them had sworn loyalty to me. Truthfully, I had no idea just how much I’d been enhanced.

When the wolf in front of me leapt, baring its fangs, I swung my fist.

In the next moment, my fist cut through the air—there was no sensation of hitting anything, but the scenery before me had changed dramatically.

Cicia’s voice was filled with astonishment.

“No way… What on earth…”

The once-dry earth was gouged out into a crater, with the wolves twitching at its center. I hadn’t activated any skills—it was purely the collective strength of fifty heretics added to my abilities.

I took a potion out of my leather pouch and sprinkled it on the fallen wolves. After a while, the wolves shakily stood up and staggered off. Cold sweat ran down my back.

(If I’d used a bit more force, the ground would’ve been a pool of blood… I need to be more careful.)

When I turned back, Cicia was wide-eyed and speechless.

I said, “Nina, Cicia, let’s keep moving.”

By now, we were deep within the territory where the Sun People lived. We passed through small settlements with stone houses, traders on camelback, and hunters chasing wolves—all kinds of Sun People.

When we weren’t hiding ourselves, we also encountered wild wolves and saber-toothed tigers, but between my fists and Nina’s magic, they were easily driven away. At first, Cicia was surprised by our abilities, but eventually, she seemed to accept it as just the way things were.

The further we went, the more severe Cicia’s expression became.

It was no wonder. The procession of Sun People we had seen last night foreshadowed an impending conflict, and signs of that were everywhere. Time and again, we saw groups of armed Sun People marching in formation. They were all heading east—toward the Saintess’ Wall.

I said, “Knowing this would happen, did Count Bernard still choose to conceal the truth?”

Cicia grimaced.

“The Count had his own reasons. I was merely following his orders. Besides, no one expected the Sun People to unite this rapidly.”

Like Shia Seiren, the Sun People chiefs throughout history had respected the autonomy of small clans, avoiding attempts to consolidate them into a large organization. Yet, what we were witnessing now was an organized army with a single purpose.

If all these Sun People were to attack the Saintess’ Wall at once, it was clear that the Bernard Holy Knights wouldn’t be enough to hold them off. That meant the civilians in Bernard’s territory would be caught in the crossfire.

Normally, it wouldn’t have been unusual for a battalion of the Royal Capital’s Holy Knights to be deployed, but Count Bernard’s scheming to install Glen Dees on the throne had blocked that possibility.

Even under the scorching sun or a sky full of stars, we continued walking. Occasionally, we set up camp, eating dried meat and bread to fill our stomachs, getting some sleep, and then starting our journey again.

Three days later, in the evening, we arrived at a hill overlooking the Nymeria Mausoleum. Standing on that hill bathed in the light of the setting sun, Cicia’s face twisted with emotion.

In the wilderness stood the towering entrance to a massive underground mausoleum. Though the gate was firmly shut, undead wearing the armor of the Bernard Holy Knights wandered aimlessly around it.

They were likely the elite knights of Bernard’s Holy Order, who had reportedly been wiped out recently. Their flesh had decayed, and green liquid dripped from their mouths. Only their armor bore any resemblance to their living selves.

Cicia bit her lip, staring at them without a word.

I spoke. “Draw your sword, Cicia. Let us put these knights who dedicated their lives to their mission to rest.”

For a while, Cicia stood motionless, her body tense. Eventually, she nodded quietly, drawing her sword from her back.

“Don Michino, a man of your caliber might indeed be able to bring about change,” she said. “After we lay them to rest, there’s a truth about this incident that I haven’t yet told you.”