I Became the Dark Knight in the Game - Chapter 76: Returning (1)

Dale quelled the excitement of the battle.

The body of the dead Ganiagos writhed beneath his feet. Its flesh was slowly melting away.

The body of Ganiagos who was resurrected from death could no longer hold on and collapsed.

Dale gazed intently at Ganiagos and removed his helmet.

His white hair cascaded down.

Esther approached hastily and asked him.

“Are you alright… What are you doing now?”

Dale said as he brought his head closer to Ganiagos’ body.

“The blood of Ganiagos is a deadly poison. Merely touching it can cause terrible pain.”

“…Why then?”

“At the same time, the blood of Ganiagos is like an elixir full of magical power.”

Indeed, the blood of Ganiagos was nothing short of a treasure that would drive mages wild.

Such a thing could not simply be allowed to go to waste.

Esther furrowed her brows.

“Wait. You said it’s a deadly poison.”

“I’m fine.”

“Fine? What do you mean by that…”

“I don’t feel pain.”

“Ah.”

To Dale, who was immune to pain, the blood of Ganiagos was merely an elixir without any drawbacks.

Even though it might slightly corrode his insides, Dale’s body would recover swiftly.

Drinking it directly would be best.

He could have absorbed the blood through his gauntlet. However, just to be cautious, Dale drank the blood of Ganiagos directly from the wound.

Gulp.

The blood of Ganiagos slid down his throat and a terrible smell wafted out.

At that moment, Dale was thankful for his loss of taste since the blood of the demon was bound to taste as horrific as it smelled.

Esther was nauseated as she watched Dale drink raw blood.

Talos who had approached him spoke with a menacing look in his eyes.

“A knight drinking the blood of a demon. Are you aware that you would have no defense if every heretic inquisitor on the continent were to pursue you?”

With his lips stained crimson, Dale lifted his head to ask.

“Are you going to stop me?”

Talos looked at Dale and then down at the lifeless body of Ganiagos.

Sweat soaked his clenched fists.

Talos knew.

Without this man, we would have stood no chance.

Talos had seen how Dale fought. He disregarded his own safety and ultimately tore apart the jaws of Ganiagos.

When witnessing such a sight…. anyone would be overwhelmed.

Even an inquisitor like him who has experienced countless life-threatening encounters had never faced such an ordeal.

Talos had to admit it. Even if he didn’t like it.

Without Dale, a greater disaster would have unfolded.

Talos closed his eyes.

“There are records that the blood and flesh of demons taint the earth. If left as is, another monster might emerge in these underground sewers. I will consider it a measure to prevent that.”

Dale nodded his head. Talos had shown some flexibility in his approach.

Truthfully, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

Dale would have taken Ganiagos’s blood even at the risk of knocking Talos down.

After all, it was Dale who had vanquished Ganiagos and the victor has the right to claim all from the vanquished.

Having absorbed the blood, Dale felt a powerful magical power coursing through him.

Fortunately, Ganiagos’s blood delivered the expected results.

The magical power swirling within him was at least twice as potent as before.

Of course, the only magic Dale could wield at the moment was the black mist.

But Dale felt a profound sense of satisfaction.

My grade will surely increase this time.

Even if it was only a fraction of its original strength, a demon is a demon. Absorbing its essence meant an inevitable increase in grade.

I can learn some decent skills at grade 4.

Grade 4 was the stage right before entering specialization at grade 5, where Dale could learn the common skills of a dark knight.

The common skills of a dark knight all had decent performances. Yet, nothing in this world comes for free.

As strong as they were, these skills also required a substantial amount of magical power to wield.

One could easily find themselves in a situation where, despite having learned the skills, they were unable to use them effectively.

However, having drunk the blood of Ganiagos and thus increased his magical power, Dale could set aside those worries for now.

After finishing with the blood, Dale made a request to Esther.

“I want you to bring me my arm.”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

“And my leg, if possible.”

“…Yes.”

Esther busily searched the surroundings and brought back Dale’s crushed arm and severed leg.

Dale expressed his gratitude calmly.

“Thank you.”

“It’s hardly something to thank me for. If anything, I owe you more thanks.”

“That’s alright. You may go now.”

Esther shook her head.

“No.”

“?”

“I’ll wait until I see you’re healed.”

“I’m fine.”

“I’ll wait until I see it.”

Dale was perplexed. He couldn’t understand why Esther was being so stubborn.

After shrugging his shoulders, Dale thrust his one remaining arm into Ganiagos’ corpse.

A surge of life force and soul force flooded into him like a flood. The force of it was nearly uncontrollable.

As he absorbed the life force, his dented armor smoothed out, and his severed arm reattached itself.

However, when he had absorbed about half of the life force, Dale found that he had to stop.

He instinctively removed the gauntlet from Ganiagos and gazed thoughtfully at his own palm.

Esther asked,

“What’s the matter?”

“No. It is nothing.”

His instincts were screaming at him not to absorb anymore. Whether it was the instinct of his undead nature or his human side, Dale couldn’t tell.

Regardless, Dale stopped. He was a man who knew when to curb his greed.

My imagination…. doesn’t seem like that.

Once Dale was fully healed, Esther examined Dale’s armor closely while checking for any possible scratches with her eyes.

She was so seriously focused on doing that.

After ensuring everything was in order, she seemed relieved. Only then did she nod her head and stand up.

“Hmm! You are all healed now. I will go and help the residents then.”

“I told you, I’m fine.”

Esther hurried towards the residents who were just beginning to wake up.

Dale wondered why she bothered to check on him if she was going to leave anyway. After all, his body was not as frail as a human’s.

After shaking his head, Dale turned his attention to the remains of the Ganiagos.

Among them, something caught his eye. It was the deep blue venom clinging to the fangs of the Ganiagos.

This venom was capable of inflicting terrible pain upon contact just like the blood of Ganiagos. It was a rare and valuable substance not easily found anywhere.

He couldn’t just leave such a precious thing behind.

I need a bottle.

Fortunately, Pale had a glass bottle that contained holy water.

Dale emptied the holy water from the bottle and carefully filled it with drops of the Ganiagos’ venom.

By the time Dale finished his task, Esther and Pale had managed to calm the chaos among the people.

All eyes in the vicinity were focused on Dale.

Curiosity, caution, fear, and respect were all directed towards him.

They too had a vague idea of who might have defeated the monster.

Dale didn’t bother with their stares and turned to Pale.

“Are we ready to go?”

“Yes!”

“Then let’s head back.”

“Yes. I’ve had enough of the sewers.”

With Dale leading the way, the group started their journey back to the surface. It was time to return above ground.

***

The unprecedented event had set the city of Kaelm into turmoil.

A demon worshipper had attempted to use the city’s residents as sacrifices to resurrect a demon.

Such an incident had never occurred before.

The residents mourned the loss of their families and neighbors. No matter how hard Dale tried, not everyone could be saved.

Yet there was a sense of relief among them for being alive and breathing.

Above all, the realization that a terrifying entity, only heard of in stories, had descended into the underground sewers sent shivers down their spines.

The city’s residents whispered among themselves incessantly.

“Ganiagas? Garios? Whatever the name of that demon, it’s completely gone now, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. It was a close call, really.”

Among the residents, some were excited for more worldly reasons.

“Wait a minute. So if the demon is killed here, doesn’t this place become a sacred site?”

“That would be a great honor for the city.”

“If pilgrims start coming and we get major support from the religious church…!”

However, those more insightful shook their heads.

“That’s unlikely.”

“Really?”

“Do you know who was responsible for vanquishing the demon?”

“Ah…”

Dale was a dark knight, a follower of the goddess of night.

It seemed unlikely that a site cleansed by a follower of the night would become a pilgrimage destination for the followers of the light.

Nonetheless, many rumors circulated and Dale’s name was always at the center of them.

He was already famous for having dueled for the princess, and now Dale’s reputation soared even higher as the knight who defeated the demon.

Yet, people hesitated to prefix his name with “hero”.

It wasn’t just because Dale belonged to a different faith…

“The deeds of the heroes of the past generation were truly outstanding! Their accomplishments in slaying countless demons were so dazzling!”

Count Kaelum gave a grandiose speech while holding a glass full of wine. His face bore a look of immense relief as if he had just had a painful tooth extracted.

“And so, we found ourselves unable to readily bestow the title of ‘hero’ upon others. But times have changed now!! With heroes no longer in sight, we are in dire need of new ones! And I am certain that there is no one more suited to be that new hero than Sir Dale! Don’t you agree?”

The count’s vassals and family members responded with affirmations and they started voicing their agreement with phrases like “That’s right! Well said!”.

Dale remained silent throughout.

The count, overjoyed at the defeat of Ganiagos, had thrown a lavish feast. To think of drinking so extravagantly in broad daylight.

Shouldn’t he be dealing with the aftermath now?

Many had died, the underground sewers were likely in disarray, and there seemed to be no end to the issues needing attention.

Yet, the count who had done nothing but tremble in his room now strutted about as if he himself had hunted the demon.

His puffed-up chest suggested he took great pride in the fact that a demon had been slain within the walls of Kaelum Castle.

The count approached Dale and spoke in a suggestive tone.

“Sir, our castle is in need of a hero like you. What do you say? If you wish, I am willing to grant you a piece of my lands.”

The offer of land was something many knights coveted, but Dale had little interest in such things.

“Thank you for the offer, but I must decline.”

“Don’t be hasty. Think it over. Surely it’s better here than dealing with those boastful Irene people? It gets foggy a bit often, but Kaelum is a fine place to live in.”

The count was persistent in his plea.

Those observing from the sidelines likened the count’s behavior to that of a teenager desperately clinging to her first love.

Having once tasted the terror of death, the count felt an urgent need for a strong military ally.

But Dale was determined, refused to budge, and built an impenetrable wall to resist the count’s demands.

In the end, the count conceded with a dejected look on his face.

“Very well. If that is truly your wish, I must accept it. But may I ask one last favor?”

“What.”

“Could you… perhaps mention that I helped in the demon’s defeat? There’s no need for elaborate tales. Just a mention of my name would suffice.”

“Alright.”

Dale’s prompt response lit up the count’s face with joy, but Dale’s following words quickly soured his mood.

“I trust this won’t be for free, though.”

“By the code of chivalry, one does not covet material wealth…”

“I don’t know such things.”

“…….”

Nothing in this world comes for free.

After a lengthy negotiation with the count, Dale agreed to acknowledge the count’s assistance in the demon’s defeat, in exchange for a promise of financial compensation.

After all the annoying events, praise, and fuss.

Dale found himself returning to his luxurious assigned room in a state of severe mental exhaustion.

It might be better to fight a demon than this.

To make matters more irksome, an inquisitor from the church later arrived to investigate the incident.

Even for Dale, who doesn’t get tired, rest was necessary. He sat on the bed and closed his eyes.

He started sifting through his past memories, especially the happy ones.

The happiest moments of his life were mostly tied to his grandfather or the children at the orphanage.

Dale deeply reflected on those times.

Suddenly, those memories became so vivid that they blurred the line between reality and imagination.

Dale called this a dream.

***

It was a sweltering summer day.

Despite the scorching midsummer sun, the children at the orphanage buzzed with energy.

His grandfather looked at the children happily and said,

“People should help each other. It’s all about living together and lending a hand without needing a reason. If you’re human, it’s only natural to help others.”

Dale nodded his head in agreement.

Though it sounded idealistic, Dale never once thought poorly of his grandfather’s philosophy.

And for good reason. His grandfather was someone who practiced what he preached.

He never imposed on others what he couldn’t do himself.

His grandfather added.

“You might not always receive gratitude for your help. Sometimes, you won’t even get a thank you. But you mustn’t let that disappoint you. Understand? Life has a way of balancing things out. In the end, everything you’ve given will come back to you. And you reap what you sow!”

That day, his grandfather spoke with unusual fervor.

Was it the sweltering heat that made his blood grow hot?

Regardless, even such an unremarkable memory held great value for Dale.

As Dale was basking in that moment of tranquility, he suddenly sensed movement behind him.

It wasn’t just the presence of one or two people.

“.…..”

Dale reflexively turned his head and frowned.

What’s this?

Entities that shouldn’t have been there were present in the “dream”.