I Became the Black Knight

Dale made his way to the Temple of the Night.

The temple's atmosphere was exactly the same as before.

Darkness cloaked everything.

A skeleton swung its sword in a corner.

And there stood High Priestess Ariel.

As Dale approached, Ariel swiftly turned her head.

Though her eyes were covered by a blindfold, it seemed her other senses were keenly developed.

"Welcome, brother!"

Her voice was strangely excited.

Clapping her hands together, Ariel beamed.

"I heard you left the Church in absolute ruins! Truly—As one who serves the Goddess of the Night, I was deeply moved!"

"...?"

What's this about leaving it in ruins?

Dale immediately denied it.

"I don't know how the rumor started, but I just went to the Church for some business and came back out," Dale said.

Ariel smiled and nodded knowingly.

"Hehe, how humble of you. It's well-known throughout the city that your commanding presence had the followers of the Light trembling in fear and wetting themselves. Surely, this has further elevated the majesty of our Goddess. The other brothers and sisters are quite elated as well."

"..."

Dale was about to deny it again, but gave up. It didn't seem like she would listen anyway.

'Looks like the rumor's spread everywhere.'

Rumors always get distorted, and people tend to believe what they want to believe.

Some would find Dale's actions to be deeply meaningful from a religious perspective—

Whether that was a good or bad thing.

'In reality, I just delivered a corpse.'

Shaking off the thought, Dale asked,

"I'd like to use the prayer room."

"It's the room on the left at the end," Ariel replied.

"Thanks."

Dale walked to the end of the hallway and opened the door.

"?"

"?"

Inside the prayer room, a witch was praying. When Dale suddenly entered, she froze.

Dale awkwardly scratched his helmet.

"Ah. Wrong room."

He quickly shut the door. Angry shouting erupted from inside, but he simply ignored it.

Dale entered an empty prayer room instead. He removed his helmet and set it down on the floor. Then, kneeling on one knee, he clasped his hands together and began to pray.

"I'm here."

A response immediately followed.

Smoke rose from the candle set on a silver candlestick, gradually forming into a shape.

Dale's head naturally bowed low.

He saw beautiful white feet and long black hair cascading down to the floor.

[…There's a foul stench.]

The Goddess of the Night spoke in a cool, cutting voice.

[You smell of Light. Dale, my son. Why does that wretched woman's disgusting scent cling to you?]

The scent of Light?

A guess began to form in Dale's mind.

'Come to think of it, back at the church...'

Dale explained what had happened at the church—how he had transported Maria, and the voice he heard inside the sanctuary.

The Goddess of the Night seemed to understand.

[I see. That Light—how dare she try to mark my son with her filth… But the Goddess believes in her son. My son would never betray me. Mmm. Right?]

"…Of course."

Dale quickly agreed, sensing that something terrible might happen if he didn't.

Only then did the goddess appear satisfied.

Dale quickly changed the subject.

"I wish to offer a tribute."

He extended his right hand forward. A hand—soft yet cold—gently took his.

The souls Dale had gathered began to flow out like the ebbing tide.

The goddess let out a sound of admiration.

[You've collected quite a bit in a short time. But… it's still far from enough to raise your rank.]

"I'll work harder."

[It's good to see your diligence, but don't push yourself too hard.]

The goddess said gently.

[I shall grant you a blessing equivalent to your offering.]

A set of choices appeared before Dale's eyes:

"Increase Strength"

"Reinforce Armor"

"Enhance Soul"

It was always a difficult decision. Dale fell into deep thought.

'Going by what's safest, increasing strength would be the obvious choice…'

Raw power was always a solid option. More strength meant more damage, more dominance in battle.

But he had to consider balance too.

'My body does feel a little fragile.'

Given his combat style—always charging to the front lines—Dale often ended up the target of focused enemy attacks.

What if, like last time, his enemies used holy water? Or worse, what if a skilled priest unleashed divine magic on him?

'That could be dangerous.'

No matter how high his strength was, if his body couldn't withstand the pressure, he'd always be forced to fight cautiously.

And fighting cautiously meant he wouldn't be able to unleash his full potential.

Dale had no intention of becoming a glass cannon.

He made his decision.

"I will reinforce my armor further."

[Are you certain?]

"Yes."

A transformation took place immediately.

Darkness shrouded the pitch-black armor Dale wore. Its hue deepened, growing darker still.

Dale immediately checked his status.

[Dale]

Rank: 2

Class: Black Knight

Strength: 40

Endurance: 25

Mana: 10

Stamina: –

Willpower: 10

[List of Acquired Skills]

Vitality Drain

[Traits]

Half-Human, Half-Undead

Unholy Senses

Blessing of the Goddess of the Night

[Title]

The First Black Knight to Step into the Cathedral of the Church

His Endurance stat had increased. That meant Dale's body had become sturdier.

And that wasn't the only development.

The goddess spoke.

[The offering you gave this time also enhanced the effect of "Vitality Drain."]

"If it got stronger...?"

[You'll be able to extract lingering souls and life force far more cleanly now.]

Dale uses Vitality Drain to harvest the remnants of souls and life force left in corpses.

However, since his level as a Black Knight was still low, he had only been able to absorb a portion of them.

To put it in metaphorical terms—it was like eating meat, but leaving large chunks still clinging to the bone.

However, the Vitality Drain skill had been enhanced. Dale could now extract more life force and lingering souls than before.

In game terms, it meant his experience gain had increased.

'Not bad at all.'

Just as Dale was feeling satisfied, the goddess offered an additional explanation.

[With more lingering souls being absorbed, the memories you glimpse from your enemies will become much clearer. If you focus, you'll be able to read them as much as you want. But know this—not all memories are pleasant. Use the ability with caution.]

"I will keep that in mind."

Dale engraved the goddess's warning into his heart.

The goddess, seemingly pleased, gently stroked Dale's head.

Dale bowed respectfully, then rose to his feet and put his helmet back on.

He walked out of the prayer room. The goddess's figure had already vanished.

As he stepped outside, High Priestess Ariel greeted him warmly.

"Have you finished your prayer?"

"Yes."

"Then, Sir Dale, by any chance, do you have some time to spare now? I would be honored to have a deep conversation with you about the beauty of our Lady of the Night."

A smile curled on Ariel's lips—one full of anticipation.

She took a step toward Dale.

Dale instinctively took a step back.

'First rule: Never trust pointy-ears.'

This was the very first lesson Dale learned after falling into this world.

It was this very rule that had allowed him to survive until now—Dale truly believed that.

For the record, the second rule was: "Never break the first rule."

Dale shook his head firmly.

"No. I don't have time."

"Oh. Then when would be a good time for you? I can adjust to your schedule."

"I'm always busy."

"?"

With that blunt remark, Dale walked straight out of the temple without looking back.

He had no desire to engage in a long conversation with a fanatical elf.

Ariel stood there, dumbfounded, staring blankly at his retreating figure.

***

The mercenary guild quickly disposed of the belongings of the fallen mercenaries and paid their bereaved families.

Ten percent of that money was given to Dale.

It was a rule of the mercenary guild.

Leon, who had asked Dale to entrust him with fencing the loot, also finished the job swiftly.

"I got a decent price for it!"

"You've already taken care of it?"

"Yes! There's high demand for equipment these days. A lot of people from the slums are trying to climb the social ladder by becoming mercenaries."

Leon handed a pouch filled with money to Dale. Dale accepted it.

'Feels pretty heavy.'

When he opened it, he found a few gold coins mixed in.

It was more money than he expected.

Dale took a few silver coins from the pouch and handed them to Leon.

Leon flinched and waved his hands in surprise.

"Whoa! I-it's fine! I already took a commission!"

"This isn't for that. You said you'd teach me to read, remember?"

"Ah! Still, you're giving me too much…"

"If that's how you feel."

"But I can't ignore Sir Dale's goodwill!"

Just as Dale tried to take his hand back, Leon quickly snatched the silver coins.

Quick-handed, just like a gnome.

When Dale stared at him, Leon gave an awkward laugh and said,

"Then I'll come find you whenever Sir Dale has time."

"I'm always available. Time is the one thing I have in abundance."

"Really? Then let's start tomorrow. Where are you staying right now, Sir Dale?"

Dale paused for a moment before answering.

"The stable."

"…Excuse me?"

"Last night, I slept in the stable of an inn near the city gate."

Whenever Dale showed up, the innkeepers would beg him—politely but desperately—to leave.

They pleaded for him to go to another inn instead.

Some even added that he could stay in the stable for a night, just please don't cause any trouble.

After hearing the explanation, Leon made a conflicted expression.

"Ah. Well. I guess I can't say I don't understand… but still, that's pretty rough. Are you alright with that, Sir Dale?"

"It doesn't matter much."

For Dale at this point, comfort or discomfort wasn't a real concern.

As long as there was a roof and shelter from the rain, that was enough.

Sometimes, a drunkard passing by the stable would get startled and scream — which wasn't exactly pleasant.

"Hmm. Still, if you're going to study, you'll need a proper place. You also need somewhere to keep your belongings. Would you like me to recommend an inn?"

"You know a place?"

"I've heard there's a place that accepts anyone as long as they pay. Because of that, it tends to attract rough types… but I think you'll be fine, Sir Dale."

Is there a place like that inside the city?

Dale tilted his head in curiosity and asked Leon to draw him a map — just in case he got lost.

"Make it as detailed as possible."

"Yes! Leave it to me! I'll draw it so clearly that even a five-year-old wouldn't get lost!"

"I'm counting on you."

Leon eagerly scribbled with his quill pen.

Dale looked at him with a trusting gaze.

***

Decades ago—

The sudden invasion of demons led to the fall of the Imperial capital.

In the aftermath, the Emperor searched for a replacement city but eventually decided to build an entirely new one.

That city was Irene.

The city was surrounded by three layers of walls:

The Inner Wall, the Middle Wall, and the Outer Wall.

Within the Inner Wall was the Imperial Palace — known as District 1.

The Emperor and his close associates rarely ever left this first district.

The second wall enclosed Districts 2 and 3. District 2 housed the nobles. District 3 contained the Mage Tower and other special facilities.

Finally, the area surrounded by the Outer Wall was known as the Outskirts — divided into Districts 4, 5, 6, and 7 corresponding to the east, west, south, and north.

The inn Leon had mentioned was located in a remote corner of District 5.

Dale stood with the map in hand, gazing blankly at the sky. The moon was already hanging high above. When he had departed, the sun had yet to set.

'Seems I'm a bit late.'

He only took a wrong turn — just a little. Just got a little lost.

Dale examined the inn's signboard.

It was painted with an image of a donkey burying its face in a beer mug.

"Was it called the Drunken Mule?"

The building itself was run-down, but he didn't mind that.

What stood out, though, was how noisy the inn was.

The sound of things breaking, shattering, and men shouting could be heard even from outside.

Dale hesitated for a moment before pushing open the door.

Inside, chaos was in full swing.

"Booze! Bring me more booze!"

"Argh! That bastard hit me!"

"Wahaha! Smash it all!"

Breaking bottles was just the start — tables and dishes were being thrown around, and some were already exchanging fists.

The scene was so rowdy that none of the drunkards even noticed Dale entering.

Dale stepped further inside.

Near the doorway, a woman sat crouched down.

She appeared to be a barmaid, her face buried in her knees.

"Ugh. I can't live like this. I swear, I should just end it already."

Dale silently looked down at her. Sensing the cold aura characteristic of a Black Knight, the woman lifted her head and stared up at him.

She didn't even seem surprised to see him. She just muttered with a resigned expression—

"Shit, why is my life like this..."