I Became the Black Knight

"So… are we really going with just the three of us?"

Estelle asked with a sullen face. Haken scratched his curly head as well.

"Well, a shieldman, a priest, and a knight—we've at least got the bare essentials covered. Though we don't have any long-range attackers… If we could just get an archer, it'd be perfect. Priest lady, know any archers?"

"No. And my name is Estelle."

Haken ignored her correction and turned to Dale.

"What about you, Sir Dale?"

"No."

"I don't know any either. Then I guess we'll need to recruit one. But do you think we can?"

Dale shook his head.

Though the mercenaries were showing some interest in him, they still kept their distance, wary of him.

To find a decent archer, they'd need to spend both time and money, and unfortunately, they didn't have the luxury of time right now.

"There's still a chance the survivors might be alive. We need to move quickly."

"I agree with Sir Dale. If there's someone we can recruit, of course we should—but still…"

Estelle nodded in agreement with Dale's words.

But Haken remained unimpressed. "Missing mercenaries" wasn't much different from saying "dead men."

"Alright, fine. But what about recruiting someone from the Temple of the Night? As far as I know, followers of the Night Goddess don't necessarily belong to the Mercenary Guild—they tend to operate independently."

To be more precise, it wasn't that they didn't join the guild—They couldn't.

They faced the same difficulties Dale did.

At the mention of bringing along another heretic, Estelle's expression soured.

Dale alone was already testing the limits of her faith.

Dale considered the idea for a moment, but then shook his head.

"Doesn't seem like a good idea. I don't want to bring along someone I know nothing about."

"Well, yeah. Most of them are… not exactly right in the head, anyway…"

Realizing his mistake mid-sentence, Haken quickly added,

"Not talking about you, Sir Dale."

"Watch your mouth."

"Yessir!"

In the end, they decided to go with just the three of them.

Having fewer members was undoubtedly a disadvantage in terms of combat strength.

But it wasn't all downside.

With fewer people, they could react more quickly in critical moments.

At the very least, they wouldn't be tripping over each other's feet.

Besides, fewer members also meant bigger shares of the reward for each person.

The three of them headed straight to the guild to report in.

Garand looked at them and nodded approvingly.

"Haken, Sir Dale, and Priestess Estelle. The wagon and all necessary supplies for your journey are already prepared. I wish you the best of luck."

Dale gave a brief nod and began walking.

Haken and Estelle followed behind him.

Climbing onto the prepared supply wagon, Dale turned to Haken.

"You drive."

"Huh? Do I have to?"

"Should I do it then? She doesn't know how to handle a horse."

Dale gestured toward Estelle. She furrowed her brow.

"Wait a minute. Why are you assuming I don't know how to ride a horse?"

"Do you?"

"…I don't. But still, don't just assume things like that."

Haken let out a long sigh.

"Fine, I'll do it."

As Haken took the reins, the two horses snorted and stomped eagerly, then began to move with steady strength.

The wagon slowly rolled out through the city gates and onto the main road.

The people from the slums stared blankly in their direction.

No one approached.

There was an unspoken rule: you didn't beg from those who were leaving the city.

The day was warm.

Noon sunlight poured down over the wagon.

Feeling a bit irritated by the heat, Dale wiped down his longsword with a cloth.

The sword he had used in the fight against Miles had chipped, so this was a newly purchased one.

'I paid a hefty price for this one—so it shouldn't break so easily this time.'

Estelle took a worn Bible from her robe and began to read. She had read it so many times that the pages were frayed and tattered.

But she paid it no mind and focused solely on the scripture's words.

Sunlight streamed down on her as well.

Her already bright platinum blonde hair gleamed even more brilliantly beneath the light.

A beautiful priestess reading her holy book.

It was quite a picturesque scene.

Had any devout layperson seen her, they might have raised a fuss, asking if a saint had descended.

Fortunately, no such person was present. Dale continued to tend to his weapon in silence, and Haken merely yawned, eyes half-lidded with boredom.

Unable to stand the silence any longer, Haken spoke up.

"Hey, this is boring. Let's talk a bit."

"I'm not bored," Dale replied curtly.

"Oh come on. We've got plenty we can talk about. Like how Sir Dale took care of Miles and his thugs and made a pretty penny out of it."

Dale stopped polishing his sword.

"That's what I was wondering earlier—how the hell do you even know about that?" Dale asked with narrowed eyes.

Haken grinned slyly.

"Haha. There are no secrets in this line of work. The moment someone makes a profit, the whole city hears about it the next day. If you're unlucky, you might even get a visit from some bandits, y'know?"

It was true—selling the equipment he'd taken from Miles and his gang had earned Dale a tidy sum.

Still, he hadn't expected the rumors to spread that far.

"Well, you've got nothing to worry about, Sir Dale. No bandit with half a brain would ever dare target you—unless he's got a death wish."

Dale nodded indifferently.

Estelle, who had been reading her Bible, suddenly shut it and raised her head sharply.

"Hold on. Are you saying Sir Dale profited from killing people?"

The way she phrased it made it sound worse than it was.

Not that it was false—but anyone listening would definitely get the wrong idea.

Haken frowned at the accusation.

"C'mon, it's part of the job. You kill a few people now and then doing mercenary work—what's the big deal?"

"Hey."

Saying it like that would only lead to more misunderstanding.

Estel looked at Dale with a shocked expression. Her hands trembled slightly.

"Sir Dale… Didn't you promise not to cause any more trouble?"

Thinking Estel was about to make a scene, Dale let out a deep sigh and began to explain—from the moment he took on Garand's request to the massacre Miles had committed in the village.

After hearing the whole story, Estel covered her mouth with both hands.

"Heavens… How could something so horrific happen?"

"Well, it happens from time to time," Haken said nonchalantly.

Estel turned her gaze toward him.

"From time to time? Are you saying this kind of thing is common?"

"Eh? I mean, in an age where even kingdoms that have lasted hundreds of years are collapsing, it's not exactly rare for a village to vanish. Even if it's not mercenaries, there are always bandits, monsters, demons—you name it. The world's full of dangerous bastards."

Estel murmured with a troubled look on her face,

"I had no idea something so tragic happened in a village so close to the city… while I was living so peacefully…"

There was a faint sense of guilt in her voice—a quiet reproach toward herself for not paying more attention to the world around her.

Haken snorted.

Feeling responsible for something like this? What a tiring way to live, he thought.

On the other hand, Dale felt a twinge of envy toward Estel.

That excessive empathy—even feeling guilt over things that had nothing to do with her.

It was a kind of emotion that someone like Dale could no longer possess.

The group fell silent again.

Their surroundings grew quiet.

Only the rhythmic clopping of hooves against the ground echoed steadily.

Haken let out a long yawn and muttered,

"This is goddamn boring."

***

The party's destination was a rocky mountain located about three days' journey northwest of Irene.

It was called "Jagged Rock Mountain," and true to its name, its sharp peaks jutted into the sky like broken spears.

It was known as the territory of owlbears and ether packs, and it was also where the previous expedition had gone silent.

Haken swallowed hard as he gazed at the distant peaks.

"Damn, it's huge. From what I know, Jagged Rock Mountain stretches all the way north to the Dragonbone Range. Just searching the area is going to take ages."

"We'll see."

Dale had a different opinion.

"If something was strong enough to scare off owlbears and ether packs and send them fleeing, then we should be able to find traces of it easily."

"Now that you mention it… I guess that makes sense…"

Hearing it said aloud only made the fear settle deeper.

They were heading straight toward a creature dangerous enough to terrify those monsters.

'Maybe I should just turn back now…'

Haken glanced around anxiously until his eyes landed on Dale.

That alone eased his nerves a little.

'Well, Sir Dale will handle it somehow.'

There was no solid reason behind the thought, but for some reason, he felt like Dale would take care of things just fine.

Haken brought the carriage to a stop at a suitable spot.

There was still some time before sunset, but going any farther would mean entering enemy territory.

"Alright. Let's eat first. Can't fight on an empty stomach, right?"

Though the three hadn't divided roles explicitly, each naturally took charge of what needed to be done.

Dale chopped down some small trees with a hand axe, Haken fetched water from a nearby stream, and Estel began preparing a meal in a pot.

Once everything was ready, Estel spoke to Dale and Haken.

"Now then, let's all say grace before the meal. Sir Dale, Haken, fold your hands in prayer."

"?"

"Huh?"

Both Dale and Haken looked confused.

But Estel ignored their reactions and clasped her hands together in prayer.

"O merciful and warm Light, we give thanks for the sustenance granted to us today…"

"Wasn't it that Garland guy who prepared the food, though?"

"And we pray that Your Light may shine upon all the world."

Even though Haken interrupted, Estel continued her prayer unfazed.

Haken scratched his head, unsure what to make of it.

Of course, within the church's doctrine, there was a belief that prayer enlightened the soul, and that blessing extended to all who heard the prayer.

In other words, Estel was also praying for Haken and Dale.

'But doesn't Sir Dale follow a different faith?'

The Black Knights were said to be baptized in the night, seekers of darkness.

They stood on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Church's holy knights.

If the roles had been reversed—if someone had recited a prayer of darkness in front of a church knight—it probably would've been taken as a challenge, and they'd try to crack your skull open.

Haken scratched at his curly hair, his expression caught between bemused and awkward.

He'd thought this before, but this young priestess seemed to have that stubbornness unique to the deeply devout.

That attitude of believing you can do anything as long as you think you're right.

Haken cautiously glanced at Dale, expecting him to be displeased.

Just then, Dale removed his helmet.

Haken gulped dryly.

But what he saw was the corners of Dale's lips curling ever so slightly upward—a smile, by any measure.

Surprised, Haken blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Huh. So you can smile?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I just thought Black Knights didn't smile… But more importantly, why are you smiling?"

Why was he smiling?

After a brief pause of thought, Dale answered.

"...It just reminded me of my grandfather."

"Your grandfather… I see. Now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever heard anything about your past, Sir Dale."

Truthfully, he'd been curious more than once, but had never asked.

He figured Dale wouldn't answer anyway.

It's typical for knights who've embraced the darkness to carry a grim past—one they rarely wish to talk about.

But since Dale didn't seem particularly reluctant, Haken took the chance and asked eagerly,

"First of all, which kingdom are you from? Lepanto? Vaiman? Or one of the fallen ones?"

"Kingdom, huh… I can't say exactly."

"Then at least give us a simple description. Like, was it known for its seas? Or maybe it had a long history?"

Dale thought about how to answer.

Describing modern-day Korea wasn't easy. Talking about democracy or scientific advancements would probably sound absurd here.

After some thought, Dale remembered how deeply religious people in this world were.

So he tailored his explanation accordingly.

"It was a country where the majority of people didn't believe in any gods. But even in such a place, my grandfather lived faithfully, never losing his belief."

Beyond that, nothing else came to mind that he could use to describe Korea.

Haken muttered bluntly,

"That sounds like a cursed place. Pretty much hell, isn't it?"

Even the least devout mercenaries in this world typically hold some form of religion.

Since gods tangibly exist here, people can't help but acknowledge their presence, whether in large or small ways.

As she listened with interest, Estelle chimed in.

"I've heard of something like that. Among the ancient Dwarven kingdoms, there were some said to be cursed for not worshipping any gods. Was it something like that?"

"Well, I guess when the continent's this wide, all sorts of kingdoms exist."

Could a godless country really exist in this world?

Dale briefly wondered about it, but chose to move on.

"My grandfather used to recite something like a prayer before meals. It's called a gye-song... That moment reminded me of Estelle, and it made me smile."

Estelle's face lit up.

"Your grandfather must have been a man of deep faith!"

"Yes."

It wasn't faith in the god of light, but Dale saw no reason to explain that.

When Estelle looked like she was about to ask more questions, Dale spoke.

"My grandfather was devout, but he never forced his beliefs on others. Because of that, his grandson didn't inherit his religion. I respect him for that."

Having said that, Dale fixed his gaze on Estelle and added:

"Do you understand now, Estelle?"

"..."

It was easy to guess why Estelle had deliberately asked Dale to join the prayer.

She was likely hoping that this knight—who had embraced the darkness—might one day return to the light.

Her actions were undoubtedly well-intentioned, and Dale didn't particularly take offense.

After all, he viewed his relationship with the Goddess of the Night as more of a contract—an exchange of needs—rather than genuine devotion.

However, to others, he still appeared to be a devout follower of the Night Goddess, and Estelle was fully aware of that fact.

That made her behavior rude and presumptuous.

If it had been any other Black Knight, Estelle might've already found a sword lodged in her heart.

When Estelle met Dale's emotionless gaze, she quietly lowered her head.

"…I'm sorry. I made a mistake."

"I don't mind. But next time, say your prayers with Haken alone."

"Wait, why am I being dragged into this?"

As Haken tried to step back, Dale grabbed his shoulder. Haken grimaced in pain.

"Ow—okay, okay! I'll pray! Just let me go—ahhh!"

Dale yanked him forward with force. Haken screamed as he stumbled, knocking over his bowl of soup.

In the very next moment, a sharp thorn shot through the air—right where Haken's head had been.

Dale immediately stood up and drew his sword.

"Looks like we have guests."