I Became the Black Knight

Dale first absorbed all the life force from the corpses of the attackers.

Then he gathered the equipment they had been wearing.

'Just selling the gear alone should make a tidy profit.'

This was why many mercenaries ended up turning into bandits.

Rather than hunting monsters at great risk, killing people and stealing their gear was more profitable—and safer.

After loading all the equipment onto the supply wagon, Leon asked,

"Um... what should we do with the bodies of the other mercenaries?"

"…"

Dale hesitated.

Suddenly, he remembered Garand's request to retrieve the mercenary tags.

At the time, he assumed it simply meant collecting the tags of the mercenaries who had died during their last mission.

But now that he thought about it…

'Maybe... he was talking about Miles's tag. Could he have known this would happen?'

Telling someone to retrieve mercenary tags could, depending on interpretation, also be taken as a command to kill.

Did Garand want to use Dale to eliminate corrupt mercenaries?

There was no way to know right now.

"We probably can't load everything. We'll take the tags and equipment and cremate the bodies."

"Ah, yes."

In this world, if a proper funeral couldn't be held, cremation was the norm.

If a body was buried just anywhere, it might come back as an undead.

Dale gathered not only the tags of his fallen comrades but also those of Miles and his men.

Before long, the supply wagon was filled to the brim.

Dale placed Maria's body on top and covered her with a blanket.

Once everything that needed to be loaded was packed onto the wagon, the two gathered the firewood and bodies on the ground and lit them.

As the flames roared, Leon wore a guilt-ridden expression.

"These people must've had loved ones too, right? I wish we could've brought their bodies back to the city like Priestess Maria…"

Dale responded calmly.

"Don't feel guilty. Even this much means we've done our duty. We're only transporting the priestess's body because we made a promise."

Dale opened his palm and looked down at the ring emitting a soft glow.

He didn't know exactly what kind of effect it had, but it was certainly no ordinary item.

Having received something like this, he was now bound to the responsibility of transporting Maria's body.

Those who followed the Goddess of the Night were strict about giving and receiving.

The flames that had burned brightly for a while finally began to die down.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

Leon sat in the driver's seat and grabbed the reins. Dale sat beside him.

The horses grew restless from the aura Dale gave off, but when Leon smacked their rumps hard, they started walking forward with vigor.

Still in a daze, Leon pinched his own cheek.

"It still doesn't feel real that I'm alive. I really thought I was going to die for sure."

"Yeah."

"So… does this mean our request is considered complete?"

"Probably."

Leon kept chattering nonstop. He talked for hours without taking a break.

'Come to think of it, aren't gnomes supposed to be curious and talkative by nature?'

It was hard to believe he'd managed to stay quiet when he first came as a porter.

As Dale listened, the topic shifted to how they would handle the stolen goods.

In response to Leon's question about what to do with them, Dale answered:

"The mercenaries' equipment will go to the guild. Then the guild will track down their families and pass it along. We'll get a partial compensation too. As for the stuff from Miles' group…"

Stolen goods—they were worth money, but definitely troublesome to deal with.

If Dale, a dark knight, tried to sell them, no one would buy, claiming the items were cursed or ominous.

That meant he'd have to let them go for dirt cheap…

At that moment, Leon, watching Dale's reaction, cautiously spoke up.

"Sir Dale, if it's all right with you, would you mind if I handled the stolen goods instead?"

"You have a way?"

"Yes! I've got some connections with fences. I can sell them at a fair price. But, um…"

"You want a cut, right?"

"Hehe."

Leon asked for a small commission from the proceeds of selling the stolen goods.

Since it was a reasonable request, Dale agreed.

It was a deal that didn't hurt Dale either.

Once the deal was made, Leon beamed with joy. He seemed genuinely happy about the chance to make money.

Dale asked,

"Is it really that great?"

"Huh? Ah, haha. Yeah. Actually, I have a dream."

"A dream?"

"Yes. Did you know? In the old empire, there used to be schools where anyone could study—regardless of whether they were a commoner or even a slave. Amazing, right?"

"A school, huh…"

Dale gave a wry smile.

Unlike the place he had lived in his previous life, "school" was certainly not a common concept in this world.

Leon smiled brightly and said,

"If I can save up enough money, I'd love to start a school like that. I'll be the teacher and gather kids from the slums to teach them how to read and other things."

"That's admirable."

At Dale's sincere and pure words, Leon smiled proudly.

Until now, no one had ever understood when he spoke of such dreams, but Dale had acknowledged them.

Leon no longer felt afraid of this half-undead. In fact, he was starting to like him.

To the surprised Leon, Dale said,

"Come to think of it, I've been meaning to learn how to read, but I wasn't sure who to ask. Leon, would you be willing to teach me?"

"Huh? Me? Are you sure?"

"I'll pay you, of course."

"I-I'll do my best!"

Leon snapped a mock salute. The corners of Dale's lips lifted slightly.

Even in a world like this, and in a body like his, there were still moments of joy.

***

Dale and Leon headed for Irene with only minimal rest.

They had to hurry while Maria's body remained relatively intact.

Thanks to their swift travel, the journey was significantly shortened.

On the morning of the second day since their departure, they could see Irene rising tall across the plains.

A shabby slum stretched out along the road. As usual, the children were about to go out begging, but they hesitated when they saw Dale's menacing appearance.

However, among them were some children who recognized him — they remembered the coins Dale had given them last time.

The children nervously approached in a group.

Leon, flustered, glanced at Dale's expression, clearly intending to shoo the children away.

"Y-you brats! Step back now!"

"It's fine."

"Pardon?"

Dale pulled out food supplies like jerky and cheese from his backpack.

Miles, who had planned to leave the city after completing this job, had prepared more than enough food.

All of that food was still intact.

'If I give them food instead, they won't get robbed.'

He recalled the advice Haken had given him before.

If it was food and not money, at least the children wouldn't go hungry.

As Dale handed out the food, the other hesitant children also rushed over.

Dale carefully counted the number of children to ensure that no one was left out and distributed the food appropriately.

Leon asked with a slightly surprised look,

"Uh… Sir Dale. You're really good at this. Have you done something like this before?"

"I had a lot of younger siblings."

"Pardon?"

Ignoring Leon's puzzled expression, Dale checked his backpack.

It was completely empty.

The children, too, scattered with satisfied looks on their faces.

Among them, a few glanced back, hesitated, then gave a small bow before quickly disappearing.

Leon furrowed his brows.

"Those kids… If they received something, they should at least come and say thank you properly…"

"They're at an age where they're still shy."

"Ah, yeah. That's true."

The wagon passed through the city gates.

The guards tried to stop them at first, but after checking what was loaded on the wagon, they quickly let them through.

The two headed from the outskirts of the city toward District 6 in the south.

District 6 housed the temple of the Order that worshiped the Goddess of Light.

The temple was the complete opposite of the Temple of Night.

Dozens of towering marble pillars stretched toward the sky, topped with a sharp triangular roof.

It was a place bathed in sunlight.

The building shimmered under the afternoon sun, offering a view that was both grand and warm.

'It feels kind of like a cathedral. The Temple of Night should've been built more like this.'

While gazing up at the temple, Dale spoke to Leon.

"I'll be back."

"Ah, yes! Take care!"

Dale gently lifted Maria's body.

Maybe it was thanks to the remaining holy water he had used—Maria still looked exactly as she had before death.

Anyone seeing her might have thought she was merely peacefully asleep.

Dale climbed the stairs leading to the temple.

The soldiers of the Order spotted him.

"Whoa, what the hell? Why is that guy coming this way?"

"How dare he set his filthy feet on sacred ground!"

Their reactions were intense.

The mere fact that Dale had come here was enough to make them feel insulted.

Gripping their spears tightly, the soldiers rushed to surround Dale.

"Stop right there! You are not permitted to come any closer!"

Dale looked around at the soldiers who had encircled him.

The sharp hostility in the air grated on his nerves. But Dale remained calm as he asked,

"Not permitted? As far as I know, the Temple of Light is open to everyone—from emperor to slave."

"…That only applies to humans! It doesn't concern an undead like you!"

"Light and darkness have forged a pact. We are no longer enemies. You have no justification to block my path. And…"

A menacing gleam flared from within Dale's helmet.

"I am not an undead. Call me that one more time, and I'll kill you."

"W-What…?"

One of the soldiers flinched momentarily but then shouted in even greater anger.

"You all heard him, brothers! This unde—this bastard threatened to kill me!"

He couldn't bring himself to say "undead" again. If he had, Dale would likely have acted on his words.

Either way, now that Dale had responded so aggressively, the soldiers' hostility intensified.

As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, the commotion drew others from inside the temple.

Among them was a familiar face.

"Seriously?! How long has it been since I told you not to cause trouble?!"

A beautiful apprentice priestess with platinum-blond hair—Estelle—shouted with a pale face.

An elderly priest standing beside her scowled.

"Estelle! Is this the heretic you vouched for?!"

"Y-Yes, that's right."

"…You'd better come up with a good excuse."

Estelle's face went completely pale.

It was already risky enough for her to vouch for a black knight, but now that the black knight had caused a scene, she would also be held accountable.

Dale glanced around, then clicked his tongue disapprovingly and muttered,

"Everyone's so fixated on me that no one's even paying attention to who I'm carrying."

The shock of a black knight appearing at the temple had narrowed everyone's focus.

But after Dale pointed it out, only then did people notice Maria in his arms.

"Sister Maria?"

"I-Is she hurt?"

"Hurry, we need to heal her— Ah."

And then they all realized it.

Maria was dead.

Silence fell over the area like a heavy curtain.

It was Dale who broke that silence.

"I will now relay Maria's final words."

He looked around once more. All eyes were on Dale. Then he spoke.

"Thank you, everyone. That's what Maria said."

"..."

"That's all."

Silence fell once more.

Some held up the Order's silver ring and offered prayers.

Some let out sighs toward the heavens, while others bowed their heads and wept silently, tears falling one by one.

Amid the stillness, an elderly priest standing beside Estelle spoke.

"He is a benefactor who brought back a member of our Order. Make way for him. And Estelle, you will guide him."

No one objected.

After a brief moment of hesitation, the crowd stepped aside in unison, clearing a path.

Dale strode toward the sanctuary with confidence.

Estelle approached and asked in a quiet voice,

"What in the world happened?"

"I'll explain later."

"…For now, I'll guide you to the main sanctuary."

"And summon a man named Feil."

"Priest Feil? May I ask why?"

"There's something I need to tell him."

"…Understood."

The main sanctuary was the place where all of the Order's religious ceremonies were held.

Prayers, healing rituals, baptisms, and even funerals.

As befitting such an important place, the interior was incredibly spacious.

The rounded ceiling held stained glass windows, and light passing through the colorful glass painted the space in a beautiful mosaic of hues.

Anyone with even a sliver of faith would be moved by this place.

Estelle wore a somewhat proud expression as she waited for Dale's reaction.

Her face seemed to say, "Well? Isn't it amazing?"

But Dale merely glanced around the interior once and replied indifferently,

"What are you doing? Go and bring Feil already."

"...Understood. I'm going."

Dale's heart was far too twisted to be moved by something like this. Besides, he wasn't a believer in the Goddess of Light to begin with.

Estelle disappeared with an annoyed huff.

Dale carefully laid Maria down in the center of the sanctuary.

Right in front of him floated a large silver ring—the sacred symbol of the Order—hovering in midair.

'How is it being held up? Is it suspended by threads?'

The silver ring was radiating a brilliant light.

From that light, Dale sensed divinity—an energy that felt thoroughly uncomfortable to someone like him, who was half-undead.

Feeling it was too much to keep looking at, Dale turned away, intending to step back.

But just then—Something soft and warm brushed gently against Dale's helmet.

[Thank you.]

A voice, as gentle as the afternoon sunlight, tickled his ears.