I Became the Black Knight

The Black Knight is an unstable being that stands on the boundary between the undead and the living.

Within the heart of this half-undead knight coexist the emotions of a human and the instincts of an undead.

At times, these two aspects clash against each other.

Perhaps that's why, in the game, the character would sometimes disobey the player's commands and act on its own.

That was one of the reasons why, despite its powerful stats, Dale never chose the Black Knight.

So when he first possessed this body, how devastated Dale had been.

"..."

Dale habitually placed a hand on his chest.

He couldn't feel any heartbeat.

Upon becoming a Black Knight, Dale's heart had stopped beating.

But this kind of body doesn't come with only drawbacks.

For one, it never gets tired. It doesn't need to sleep, nor does it need to eat.

All it needs is to be replenished with vitality at the right time—just like putting gasoline into a car.

Dale walked at the front, carrying a backpack larger than most.

The mercenary walking beside him—Haken, whose brown hair was unusually curly—let out a whistle of admiration.

"Oh wow. Carrying other people's gear without breaking a sweat—being half-undead must really come with some physical perks."

"Yeah."

"Hmm. Maybe I should seriously consider becoming a Black Knight too. I've heard the Goddess of the Night doesn't discriminate."

Haken said it like a joke. Dale glanced sideways at him and replied in a stiff voice.

"I wouldn't recommend it. It's not exactly a great body to have."

"Hahaha! I was only kidding. I heard Black Knights have dulled senses, right? So that means—huh?—you wouldn't feel anything even when doing that, right?"

Haken formed a circle with his left hand and mimed inserting and pulling out his index finger.

"Huh? I mean, people live to enjoy things, right? If you can't feel anything when holding a woman, then what's the point of being alive? Don't you—hmhm."

He hurriedly ended his sentence with a forced cough.

Come to think of it, it wasn't the kind of thing he should be saying to Dale.

But Dale didn't seem particularly angry.

To be more precise, he looked indifferent—no matter what Haken said.

Feeling awkward, Haken scratched his head and said,

"Well, anyway. Since we're working together now, let's introduce ourselves properly. I'm Haken, son of Gollen. I'm childhood buddies with Quill—you saw him earlier—and, uh… oh right, I'm a Steel Shield mercenary, second-rank shieldman."

Rank. In game terms, it was like a level.

You fought powerful enemies, went to the temple, and increased your rank.

This world operated by the exact same rules as the game he used to play.

'Second-rank shieldman. Equipment: chainmail and a round shield.'

Dale nodded.

"A safe, standard build."

"Yes, exactly. I've worked hard to buil—wait, huh?"

"Dale. Rank one. Black Knight."

"Huh? You're that strong and you're only rank one? Well, I guess it makes sense. You were already a knight before."

Haken was briefly flustered, but quickly put a smile back on his face. Rank or not, Dale was strong.

If he could build a connection now, it would surely be a great help in the future.

Haken started chatting about all sorts of things—the situation at the front lines, which had entered a lull; the messy state of the mercenary business; even a scandal involving the royal family.

As expected of a mercenary, Haken knew a lot.

Dale gave a half-hearted nod.

To be honest, he found the chatter annoying, but every now and then Haken mentioned something useful—so it didn't seem worth shutting him up.

At that moment, a sharp voice called out from behind them.

"Excuse me. Would it be all right if we walked together?"

Haken turned around with an annoyed expression.

An apprentice priestess stood with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face.

Behind her were the surviving carriage passengers—about a dozen people—looking pale and weary. Every one of them looked exhausted.

The apprentice priestess glanced around at the group and said,

"These people don't have as much stamina as you mercenaries. Please slow down a bit."

Haken scowled.

"What do you mean, slow down? If anything, we should be rushing. You want to camp out here while monsters are prowling around?"

"Well, yes, but… there are children and elderly among us. They need to rest."

Her voice gradually grew smaller toward the end. She knew full well that her request was unreasonable.

Clicking his tongue in irritation, Haken turned to Dale and said,

"Sir Dale, why don't we just leave them behind while we're at it? Do we really need to drag along all this dead weight?"

The apprentice priestess was horrified.

"What are you… saying? Abandon the weak? How can you even call yourself human!"

"Hah. In a world where people abandon even their own families if there's no profit, what did you expect?"

Snorting, Haken spoke to Dale in a sly tone.

"So, what do you think of my suggestion? You don't particularly care either way, do you?"

"That's true."

Dale nodded without hesitation.

To be honest, he sympathized more with Haken's point of view.

People he didn't even know—what did their fate have to do with him?

There was no reason to put himself at risk just to lead them along.

Thinking logically, leaving them behind was the right thing to do.

That was his undead instinct.

But another voice inside him spoke up.

Still… could he really just let them die?

He needed to find a middle ground between the two opinions.

Dale stepped toward the apprentice priestess.

Her legs trembled as she instinctively took a half-step back.

It was because Dale had once bloodied her face with a handkerchief.

Dale asked,

"Your name was Estel, wasn't it?"

"That's correct, but… I don't believe we're close enough for you to call me that so casually."

"Estel. I'll make you an offer."

At Dale's cold, emotionless voice, Estel swallowed dryly.

She forced herself to summon some courage and asked,

"What is it? Say it."

"Give me a reason to keep taking you people along."

"A reason? Well…"

She had been about to mention moral duty—as a human—but stopped herself.

Who was this man standing before her?

Not just someone who had cast aside morality, but a Black Knight who had even abandoned his humanity.

What's more, Dale hadn't said, "Give me a reason."

He'd said, "Create one."

"He wants a deal. He's telling me to offer something that will satisfy him."

Estel twirled a strand of her platinum blonde hair around her finger—a habit she had whenever she was deep in thought.

Dale stared blankly at the sky. The sun was hanging over the ridge. Night would fall soon.

There wasn't much time.

Estel's mind raced. There weren't many things she could offer that would interest someone like him.

"Money… probably."

Money held equal value to everyone. Even to a half-undead Black Knight.

The problem was whether she had the means to offer it.

Estel glanced around. The people, worn-out and ragged, were all looking at her.

It was clear they didn't have a single coin to spare.

And Estel, being just an apprentice priestess, was no different. She only had enough money for the bare minimum to live on.

After much deliberation, Estel finally opened her mouth to speak.

"I don't have the means to pay you right now."

"I see."

As Dale began to turn away without hesitation, Estel quickly called out,

"B-But I'll take responsibility and repay the debt!"

Haken scoffed.

"And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"I know it sounds conceited coming from me, but I'm considered a promising talent in the church. I'll be able to raise my rank soon. If you two ever need the power of a priest, I'll help you. I swear it on my faith."

"So basically, you're saying you'll pay with your body."

"W-What do you mean, with my body?"

Haken turned his gaze to Dale.

"What do you think, Sir Dale? She might be lying about being a rising star in the church. You saw her—she couldn't even pull off a proper miracle during the fight."

"..."

Dale considered it.

Haken had a point. Estel's potential was uncertain.

There was no guarantee she'd become a competent priest even with time.

But—

"Even a half-baked priest is better than nothing for me."

The greatest penalty that came with choosing the Black Knight class was drawing hostility from followers of the Light.

Getting help from priests or paladins meant paying an absurdly inflated price.

The problem was, priests were essential members of any party.

Even with the same overall strength, the difference in safety between having a priest and not having one was immeasurable.

Because of this, Black Knight was known in the game as a notoriously difficult class to play.

Progressing without a priest was incredibly hard.

"But what if I make Estel indebted to me this time?"

Estel herself might not end up being that helpful.

But through her, maybe he could establish some kind of connection to the Church of Light.

Dale made his decision.

"You said you'd swear on your faith?"

"…Yes!"

Estel nodded, determination in her eyes.

Dale stared into those eyes.

Her blue pupils sparkled beautifully—a light Dale could no longer emit.

Dale nodded.

"I'll accept your offer."

"Phew…"

Estel let out a sigh of relief.

Surprisingly, Haken didn't question Dale's decision.

"Well, even if that apprentice priestess turns out to be useless, she can always repay us with her body… I mean, she's got a pretty face and a nice figure. I've got no complaints."

Haken grinned lecherously.

Estel covered herself, her expression full of disgust.

Dale ignored them both and said,

"You've rested enough. We're moving out."

At Dale's command, the people who had been sitting down slowly got back on their feet.

Haken asked,

"So, Sir Dale. At this rate, the sun's going to set. Are we camping for the night?"

"No. We'll keep moving."

"Well, yeah. We barely have enough people to stand proper watch anyway. Guess we'll have to push on, even if it's tough."

Dale resumed walking, leading the group forward.

Naturally, the pace slowed, given the number of people they had to bring along.

Estel did her best to encourage the others and make sure no one fell behind.

Regardless, Dale kept turning his head, scanning the forest spreading out on either side.

Haken, looking uneasy, asked,

"Why do you keep looking around like that? You're making me nervous. The sun's not even fully down yet."

Still on alert, Dale replied in a low voice,

"There were seven."

"…What?"

"The one-eyed monsters that attacked us at the start. There were seven of them."

"What are you talking about? I'm sure there were six."

"There was one that ran off after watching its comrades die."

"…Shit."

Haken's eyes widened in shock. Dale asked calmly,

"Do you know much about the ecology of the Eaters?"

"What? No, not really…"

It was basic knowledge in the game, but this mercenary, having just returned from the front lines, probably wasn't familiar with that kind of detail.

Dale explained,

"They're territorial and live in packs. Living in packs means there's a leader. And they're incredibly loyal to their own kind. They'll definitely come back for revenge."

"Wait—then…"

That meant the Eaters were still pursuing them.

And not just any Eaters—possibly their leader.

Regular Eaters were horrifying enough. What would the leader be like?

Haken felt a chill run down his spine.

"S-Still, they must be some distance away, right?"

"No. They're already close. I can feel it."

Black Knight's trait: Unholy Sense.

In exchange for dulled senses like touch, pain, and taste, the other senses were heightened.

Especially the newly awakened sixth sense—it was extremely sensitive to killing intent, hostility, and the scent of blood.

Dale's heightened senses told him—

The enemy was nearby.

"W-What?"

Panicked, Haken hurriedly looked around.

The forest seemed peaceful.

The people trailing behind them stared at Haken in confusion.

Only then did Haken realize why Dale had spoken in such a low voice.

"…This isn't something we should tell the others, huh."

"It would only cause unnecessary panic."

"What are you going to do?"

"Fight."

"Can we win?"

"We have to."

Haken swallowed hard at Dale's flat reply.

Not we can win—but we have to.

It was true. They had no other choice now.

If the enemy was already this close, running away was no longer an option.

All that was left… was to wait for the enemy to strike.

The two subtly slowed their pace, narrowing the distance between themselves and the rest of the group.

If something were to happen, it was better to stay together than scatter.

Perhaps sensing the strange tension between them, Estel wore a nervous expression as she clutched the holy symbol hanging from her neck.

Time passed slowly in the silence. And finally, dusk fell.

Darkness settled over the surroundings.

Those who had prepared in advance began lighting their torches one by one.

The moment the torchlight pushed back the darkness—

Shwick!

Something flew out from the shadows, wrapping around the arm of the man holding a torch.

"Huh?"

The man struggled desperately, but it didn't budge.

The tongue that had coiled around his arm began to pull him in.

But Dale was faster.

His longsword swung like lightning and sliced through the tongue.

Schlak!

"Kiyaaahhh!!"

Blood splattered. A scream of pain echoed through the forest.

The panicked people hurriedly looked around.

Dozens of pairs of red eyes gleamed ominously in the darkness.

Estel's face turned pale.

"T-There's too many…"

But Dale remained calm.

He turned his head toward the one radiating the strongest presence from within the shadows.

And spoke curtly.

"Hurry up and come at me."

A one-eyed monster, easily twice the size of the others, lumbered forward.

Drool dripped from its mouth as it stared at Dale.

The flesh of the one who had killed its kin would surely taste sweet.

But Dale didn't even flinch.

With a mechanical motion, he lowered the visor of his helmet.

And from within the eye slit of the helmet, a faint blue flame began to glow.

Above, a waning crescent moon hung in the sky.

It was the Black Knight's hour.