Chapter 4: Dark Knight Dale (4)

Chapter 4: Dark Knight Dale (4)

As Dale remained still, the guards gripped tightly their spears.

They looked poised to strike at any moment. A strong feeling of hostility emanated from them.

The body of a dark knight is sensitive to such hostility. Unconsciously, Dales hand moved towards the hilt of his sword.

Ah, right. Its broken.

Perhaps it was for the best that his longsword was broken. Had he lashed out with his sword in a fit of rage, there would have been no turning back.

As the atmosphere became tense, Harkin stepped forward with a friendly smile on his face.

Now, now, lets not get too heated. Whats the point of expending energy so early in the morning? Shouldnt the guards finish work quickly and go home? To eat, rest, and perhaps give their wives a little backrub.

His easygoing demeanor caused the guard to furrow his brow.

And who are you?

Im Harkin. I am an iron plate mercenary. Heres my mercenary badge.

Harkin took out his mercenary badge and showed it. It was a thin copper plate engraved with the mercenary guilds emblem and the name Harkin.

The guard scrutinized it suspiciously.

Its not a fake, is it?

You must be joking! Id rather hang myself than forge a badge and be hunted by the guild.

Hmm. Alright then. So, what now?

Harkin glanced at Dale and then spoke calmly.

I stepped in because it seems like the guards have a misunderstanding. This man, Sir Dale, may look ferocious, evil, and, well, like someone who could easily kill people, but in reality, he has the face of a gentle entertainer, albeit an unlucky one.

Dale stared blankly at Harkin. The latter broke out in cold sweat but he continued.

But still, you see? Hes different from other dark knights. Hes reasonable and doesnt just go around stabbing people.

That was actually rare for dark knights.

Look over there. Those people were all saved by our Sir Dale! Where else would you find such a dark knight?

Our dog doesnt bite.

Harkin desperately explained while gesturing with his hands and feet.

The guard, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke.

I get what youre trying to say now.

Ah, you finally understand!

Youre in cahoots with this guy, arent you?

?

You both should be thrown in jail!

Mercenaries werent exactly the most trustworthy bunch either.

Unless it was a high-ranking mercenary, the words of an iron plate mercenary carried little weight.

The guards scowled and slowly approached Harkin.

With his eyes darting around nervously, Harkin suddenly shouted.

Wh-what are you talking about! Friends? My nickname is actually Lone Wolf! I always go alone!

?

Anyway, I have nothing to do with this.

As both the guard and Dale looked at him incredulously, Harkin cleared his throat and stepped back.

The guards then turned their attention back to Dale.

They stepped closer, intending to tie Dale up with a rope.

Dale was in a dilemma.

What should I do? Should I retreat for now?

He had never imagined that he wouldnt even be able to enter the city.

Retreating seemed like the only option at the moment.

But if he backed down now, it would be like admitting that he was hiding something.

It was at that moment while Dale was deep in thought.

A clear voice sounded from behind.

Let me explain.

Everyones attention turned in unison as Esther stepped forward.

The guards shrunk back when they saw the priestesss unique attire and Esthers beauty.

Esther spoke calmly.

You have been working hard since early morning, brothers in faith.

Oh, Priestess. Weve made you wait. You may enter without delay.

The guard spoke respectfully.

Esther hadnt shown them any identification but it wasnt necessary.

Priests of the Light Faith have a unique aura that cant be faked.

Esther shook her head.

I stepped forward to address a misunderstanding regarding our broth

She hesitated over the word brother in faith feeling it wasnt quite right to address Dale, and then corrected herself.

I want to clear up the misunderstanding about Sir Dale.

Huh?

The guards eyes widened in surprise. A priestess of the Light Faith defending a dark knight? Both Harkin and Dale looked a bit surprised as well.

They hadnt expected Esther, who had been looking at them disapprovingly, to step forward on their behalf.

Esther herself seemed reluctant. And she said this with a stiff expression on her face.

Although I have not spent much time with Sir Dale, I believe the mercenary is correct. Sir Dale is different from other dark knights.

Esther calmly recounted their journey to this point.

She described the attack on their carriage, how Dale had saved people during that attack, and how he had led them all the way here.

Of course, she also revealed that Dale and she had made a deal. Its also true that Dales intentions werent so pure.

But that was not a problem at all.

If Dale had abandoned the people there and fled alone, no one would have blamed him.

If he had been a less honorable person, he might have even killed the weaker ones and robbed them.

In the guards view, Dales actions were sufficiently honorable.

The guards looked at Dale with disbelief.

The idea of a dark knight doing such a deed was hard for them to accept.

They who sailed the vast sea of stars and called themselves demons declared as such:

We shall destroy everything on this planet.

And they kept their word.

In less than 20 years, half of the continent was conquered. The demon army was overwhelmingly strong.

Numerous kingdoms fell, and several races were exterminated.

They treated everyone on the planet equally. Whether followers of light or night, they mercilessly slaughtered them all.

In the end, the Goddess of Light had no choice but to make a difficult decision. A revelation was sent to all the temples across the continent.

The enemy of our enemy is our ally.

This acknowledged the Goddess of Night and her followers as allies.

The Goddess of Night, who was also in a difficult situation, also accepted this hand of reconciliation.

Thus, after a long war, light and darkness joined hands for the first time.

This was how the Temple of Night came to be proudly established in the largest city of the empire.

***

The Temple of Night was situated in an area where the shadows near its outer walls were particularly dense.

Well then, Ill be going now.

Good work.

See you next time!

Hakin, who guided Dale to this place, glanced around nervously and then quickly walked away and disappeared from sight.

Dale gazed at the entrance of the temple.

There stood two roofless pillars, tall yet riddled with large and small cracks as if they might crumble at any moment.

Beyond the pillars, there was a staircase leading underground.

The underground exuded an eerie atmosphere as if it were an entrance to the abyss.

No wonder its not popular.

Dale had thought this even when playing the game; the Goddess of Night seemed to have a peculiar taste.

After a while, Dale descended the stairs.

After going down all the stairs, a large square-shaped area unfolded.

It was morning, yet the place felt as dark as the early dawn.

However, no one inside seemed to be bothered by the darkness. The same was true for Dale.

Navigating through the darkness posed no problem for him.

The first thing that caught his eye was a skeleton swinging a sword in a corner of the temple.

One million twenty-one. One million twenty-two.

The skeleton was holding a long sword and slashing at the air without stopping.

Dale paused.

A skeleton openly swinging a sword actually seemed fitting for the Temple of Night.

But why? Why practice swordsmanship in a temple?

Right then, someone approached Dale who looked puzzled.

This is my first time seeing you.

Dale turned his head.

A woman dressed in a sleek black priestess outfit that accentuated her figure with her ash-colored hair hanging long was looking at him.

What was unusual was the black cloth tied around her head that completely covered her eyes. And her ears were pointed on both sides.

An elf.

Dale grew weary. He didnt particularly like elves.

Whether she knew of his dislike of her or not, the woman greeted him with a soft smile.

Welcome, brother in faith. Its a pleasure to have you at the Temple of Night. I am Erielle, the head priestess here.

A head priestess, no less. She was more important than he thought.

Im Dale. I plan to be active in Irene for a while.

Thats good to hear. Its always a joy to have more of the goddesss believers. Feel free to seek me out if you encounter any troubles.

Erielle spoke very kindly.

But Dale knew he must not be mistaken. Those who follow darkness are meticulous in their calculations.

Should he seek her help, he would surely have to pay a price for it.

Dale nodded and asked.

Id like to use a prayer room.

The room at the end of the corridor on the left is free. Its a straight path, so you wont get lost.

Thank you.

Dale moved as Erielle had directed him. Along the corridor, there were several prayer rooms closely packed together and all were filled with murmuring sounds.

Lets see. The room at the end on the left.

Dale opened the door of the prayer room.

?

?

Inside the prayer room, a witch was standing with her hands clasped together. She froze in her place at Dales sudden intrusion as she failed to grasp the current situation.

Dale quickly closed the door.

Ah, right. Left from the corridors perspective.

The witchs high-pitched screams could be heard from inside the prayer room but Dale paid it no mind.

He opened the door to the prayer room across and stepped inside.

Hmm.

Inside the narrow prayer room, there was only a simple altar made from carved wood.

Atop the altar was a silver candlestick. On the candlestick, three extinguished candles were placed.

Dale knelt on one knee in front of the altar, clasped his hands together, and began to pray.

I have arrived.

Then a response came immediately.

Smoke billowed up thickly, filling the prayer room, even though the candles were not lit.

Then, a voice was heard.

[Welcome, my son!]

The voice was incredibly welcoming as if it had been eagerly awaiting his arrival.