I Became the Dark Knight in the Game - Chapter 78: Returning (3)

Dale examined the cape closely. The traces of magical power woven into it were so faint they were nearly imperceptible unless one paid close attention.

A relic? Or perhaps a magical tool?

Whichever it was, it was clear that this was no ordinary high-quality cape. A secret lay hidden within it.

Dale asked Riddel.

“This cape, did your ancestor make it himself?”

“Eh? Oh, no, not at all.”

Riddel shook his head.

“I heard that it was discovered in the ruins by an ancestor of mine who left home while working as a mercenary… and others say it was won in a dice game at a tavern. Well, since it is such an old item, I don’t know for sure.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Why do you ask?”

Dale spoke honestly,

“There’s a certain power residing in this item. It might be more valuable than you thought.”

His words were meant to make Riddel realize the cape’s potential value. Yet, the latter seemed pleased instead.

“That would be fortunate!”

He then spoke with a smile devoid of greed.

“I would be delighted if Sir could make good use of it.”

Dale nodded his head in understanding.

Riddel seemed to have no intention of asking for the cape back.

Once again, Dale found himself caressing the cape.

A hidden power.

The secrets that lay dormant within the cape were beyond his current understanding.

It seemed likely that he would need to invest a significant sum to have it appraised by an expert.

That’s a concern for another time.

Besides, he didn’t necessarily need to know the cape’s power. The cape that Riddel gave as a gift had value in itself.

That’s why Dale bowed his head and expressed his sincere gratitude.

“I shall make good use of it.”

“Ah… please, raise your head.”

Embarrassed yet touched, Riddel listened as Dale expressed his thanks.

“It’s time I took my leave.”

“Yes. I’ll pray for nothing but good fortune in your future, sir.”

“Take care, both of you.”

With that exchange of gentle well-wishes, Dale left the house.

Riddel and the woman waved goodbye to Dale with smiles on their faces.

But a short while later,

Dale found himself back at Riddel’s doorstep.

He spoke to Riddel, who looked confused, while slightly avoiding his eyes.

“I know we’ve already said our farewells, but… could you possibly guide me to the lord’s castle?”

“?”

Dale and Riddel had no choice but to walk together to the lord’s castle while surrounded by an awkward atmosphere.

***

The time for departure had arrived.

Having replenished their manpower and supplies in Kaelum, the caravan was ready to set off for the Fourth Legion.

And so, the contract between Rebecca and Dale came to an end.

Rebecca tried to keep Dale with her several times but he steadfastly refused.

Eventually, Rebecca had no choice but to give up.

On the day the caravan was set to leave,

Rebecca surveyed the members of the caravan with a somewhat pensive expression.

The escort force was reduced compared to before.

But since the area they were now entering was under the influence of the Fourth Legion, bandits and monsters would be less common.

Dale asked Rebecca a question.

“Aren’t you worried about the dangers?”

“What dangers?”

“Considering the deserters we’ve encountered, the situation at the front might be more dangerous than we think. I don’t understand why you’d want to go there yourself.”

Rebecca said with a mysterious smile.

“It is part of the duties of the merchants’ guild leader to visit the front lines and assess the situation and monitor the movements of the generals. It’s a task directly ordered by His Majesty.”

“Can’t someone else be tasked with this?”

“Then my competitors would seize the opportunity to take my place, wouldn’t they?”

After a moment of contemplation, Dale asked another question.

“Do you find it so necessary to hold onto your position? Haven’t you already made enough money?”

“A woman who rose from being an orphan without a family to name, to becoming a council member. That’s who I am.”

With those words, Rebecca said no more.

It was as if she believed that statement alone was a sufficient answer.

Dale too remained silent.

He watched the caravan accompanied by Rebecca as it moved further away.

Suddenly, he remembered something Rebecca had mentioned before.

The position of a merchants guild leader in the outer district changes unusually often is what she said. It’s a role fraught with danger.

A phrase crossed his mind.

Pieces on a board.

Could it be that even the council members of the outer district are merely pawns in a larger game?

And those chess pieces were likely moved by the emperor and the high-ranking nobles residing in the upper districts.

Demons. Generals on the front lines. Heroes. And the Emperor.

Dale tried to piece together the puzzle in his mind but there were still too many missing pieces.

Dale shook off his thoughts and turned his head.

Just then, Harkin was approaching while driving a carriage. It was a carriage generously provided by Count Kaelum himself.

He gazed at the carriage for a moment before speaking out.

“What’s this? Are we supposed to ride in this?”

“…Please don’t say anything, I’m also embarrassed.”

The carriage given by the count was indeed extravagant. And excessively so.

It looked like the kind of carriage that a noble lady or someone of similar stature might ride, but it looked even more flashy as the brightly colored carriage was being pulled by two pure white horses.

Harkin managed a wry smile and said,

“Still, it’s definitely an expensive item. The carriage itself is extremely sturdy too. It could easily withstand an arrow. Right?”

“It does look quite sturdy.”

“And luckily, we have our priestess with us here. Anyone passing by would probably think it’s a carriage bearing a noble lady, right?”

Esther who had been hiding her flushed face in embarrassment suddenly lifted her head and said,

“Harkin, don’t say such strange things.”

In any case, it would be foolish to reject a flawless carriage simply because of its appearance.

The three of them boarded the carriage and slowly made their way out of the castle.

It was early morning.

Just as when they had first arrived, Kaelum was shrouded in a light mist at sunrise.

But the eerie atmosphere of that time was gone.

Citizens started their day and walked out to the streets one by one.

They smiled at the sight of Esther in the carriage, then stiffened upon seeing Dale.

But soon enough, they all nodded to Dale in respect. It didn’t matter who did it first, everyone who saw Dale was like that.

“The reaction is different from before.”

“Now that everyone has found some peace of mind, they realize who it was that helped them.”

“You didn’t force them to do this, did you?”

“…Just what exactly do you think of me?”

Dale casually waved to the people of Kaelum and continued to gaze back until the castle became a mere dot in the distance.

***

The carriage, pulled by two white horses, raced swiftly.

It seemed the carriage’s high quality allowed it to speed over rough terrain without any issues, which apparently stimulated Harin’s love for speed.

Harkin eagerly increased the speed of the carriage.

“Hahaha! The wind feels fantastic, doesn’t it, Sir Dale?”

Summer was drawing to a close and autumn was quietly making its approach.

Harkin relished the lingering humidity of summer in the air with his curly hair whipping around in the vigorous breeze.

On the other hand, Esther found this wild ride utterly unbearable.

“Please, Harkin, ease up a bit…ugh.”

The mountain path they had taken to save time was exceedingly rough.

Given the terrain’s condition, even a carriage of the highest quality couldn’t avoid being jostled up and down.

Esther, whose complexion became pale, retched repeatedly.

But Harkin just laughed it off.

“Hahaha! Just let it all out, my dear priestess! When else will you get to enjoy such speed?”

“Ugh, Sir Dale.”

Esther looked pitifully at Dale, who responded by smacking Harkin on the back of his head.

“Ouch!”

“Slow down.”

“Yes, sir.”

Harkin slowed down the carriage without a second thought. Esther muttered in a voice that sounded almost at its end.

“Oh, goddess. This is the first time I found myself wishing I could take someone’s life.”

“Haha. I take that as a compliment. You’d need more than an ordinary weapon to get through my shield.”

Esther shot Harkin a murderous glance at his attempt at humor and the latter quickly shut his mouth.

She mumbled to herself.

“I need to use this opportunity to learn offensive miracles.”

Dale didn’t ask what she intended to use them for.

Instead, he pointed to the seat next to Harkin.

“Try to look far into the distance while getting some air. It should help with the nausea.”

“…Thank you.”

Esther stepped out of the carriage and took the seat beside Harkin. Dale, who had moved out of the way, entered the carriage and closed the door.

As the carriage started moving again, Harkin cautiously drove the horses at a slow pace, while Esther closed her eyes and suffered silently.

Left alone in the carriage, Dale laid out his newly acquired weapons in a row.

There were several daggers, a hand axe, an axe as big as his forearm, a one-handed sword for emergencies, and even a mace of the same size.

In the battle against Ganiagos, Dale had faced danger due to a lack of weapons, so he had deliberately prepared a diverse array this time.

He took out the whetstone, oil, and a new cloth he had received as a bonus with the purchase of his weapons.

Dale picked up the cloth and meticulously wiped each weapon. They were already clean, but he couldn’t feel at ease without doing this.

The ones who had first taught Dale how to fight were the sort who could go days without washing themselves but had to polish their weapons daily to be satisfied.

Their habit had been passed down to Dale as well.

He polished the weapons slowly while finding the metallic scent oddly comforting. As he equipped himself with new weapons, a thought crossed his mind.

I wish I could try them out.

Just like when you buy new clothes, you want to try them on, when you get a weapon, you want to use it.

However, the difficulty was that they couldn’t be tested on just anyone.

Regardless of Dale’s feeling of regret, the carriage continued its relentless journey through the mountain path.

They needed to cross the mountain before sunset to avoid the risk of camping midway.

Fortunately, thanks to Harkin’s swift pace earlier, they had some leeway.

If things continued as they were, they would comfortably make it across the mountain.

Just when Harkin was yawning and relaxing a little while making such calculations.

“Oh.”

He instinctively thrust his shield forward.

In the next moment,

Thud! An arrow struck the shield before embedding itself firmly.

Harkin who just reflexively defended against the arrow quickly grasped the reins.

The two startled white horses neighed loudly and started rearing up on their hind legs.

Harty who was running next to the carriage also growled.

A group of armed men were waiting ahead.

“What’s that?”

Harkin narrowed his eyes, while Esther, who had been quietly suffering beside him, turned even paler at the sudden stop.

***

No one is born a thief.

People turn to thievery for various reasons depending on their circumstances and situations.

Some farmers, driven to desperation by hunger during the off-season, might take up thieving with their farming tools, only to return to their main profession when the season changes.

There were also some low-level mercenaries who might change professions just to make ends meet.

A more common case is when criminals who had committed serious offenses in the cities and fled became highway robbers.

This was the case with the band of thieves that Dale and his party encountered right now.

These were individuals who had killed at least one or two people and escaped from the cities to live as criminals.

As they aimed their arrows at Harkin, one of the bandits declared,

“Alright. This here is our territory. So, you’re going to have to pay a toll.”

Harkin scowled in response,

“What nonsense are you spouting? Since when did this mountain have an owner?”

“We planted our flag on this empty land, so now it belongs to us. And curly hair, shut your mouth before we cut off your tongue.”

“…….”

Harkin was so dumbfounded by the absurdity of their words that he was rendered speechless.

However, the bandits interpreted his silence as intimidation taking effect.

They snickered among themselves,

“Big brother, what do you think? Looks like we’ll make a good profit this time.”

“It’s not just good; it seems we’ve hit the jackpot.”

“Really?”

The man referred to as “big brother” pointed towards the carriage before speaking,

“Look at that. Just by the looks of it, isn’t that the kind of carriage high-ranking folks would use?”

“Right. It’s quite lavish, the kind high-born ladies might ride in. And the pure white horses seem rather luxurious.”

“And look at the two sitting on the coachman’s seat. That curly-haired one might look like just any other idiot, but the woman beside him…”

At this point, one of the thieves spotted Esther who was still suffering from nausea and swallowed hard.

“She’s a priestess! And an incredibly beautiful one at that!”

“Exactly. You can tell at a glance she’s no ordinary person. But think about it. Who usually sits on the coachman’s seat?”

“Uh… those who suffer from motion sickness?”

Though his guess was actually close to the mark, the one referred to as “big brother” smacked his subordinate on the head,

“Use your head, you dumb bastard. It’s the lower-ranked individuals who sit up front, while their superiors ride inside the carriage.”

“Ah! So, that means…”

“Yes. Only nobility would have a priestess like her in service, and not just any nobility, but someone of high rank.”

Lowering his voice, this “big brother” continued,

“I suspect there’s a princess riding in there. Or at least the daughter of a high-ranking noble.”

“A-A princess!”

Upon hearing the word “princess”, the bandits murmured among themselves. A deeper smile crept across the big brother’s lips.

“If we manage to capture the princess, our lives will blossom from that moment on. Whether we extort money from her family by threatening them or sell her off in the black market, we’ll make a fortune.”

“Big brother!”

“Yes, that’s why we must capture her carefully. Any harm or injury could pose a problem… No, I’ll handle it myself.”

After instructing his subordinates to keep their bows drawn, the one called “big brother” cautiously approached the carriage.

Harkin asked,

“What’s your deal? What are you trying to do?”

“We’ll be taking the princess you’ve been hiding. Oh, and don’t worry, we’ll treat her like a lady, hehe.”

“What?”

What kind of bullsh*t is this? These were Harkin’s thoughts as he scratched his head. Harty and Esther also looked at this “big brother” with puzzled expressions on their faces.

However, oblivious to their bewildered looks, the one called “big brother” strode confidently to the carriage door and yanked it open forcefully with a vile smile on his face.

“Now! Come out willingly, Princess!”

When the door swung open, this “big brother” locked eyes with Dale inside.

In that instant, the one called “big brother” had a thought,

Why is the princess so large and black?

*******

TN: Lmao