I Became the Dark Knight in the Game - Chapter 91: The Trial (3)

The group gathered at early dawn.

As autumn approached, the days had noticeably shortened. And the city was still submerged in a dim shadow.

Dale, along with Harkin, Esther, and Harty, arrived at the designated meeting place.

The client and their party were already waiting there.

Upon spotting Dale’s group, the servant hired by Dale shouted,

“Ah! You’ve arrived. We’ve been waiting for you.”

The servant hurried over and pointed to a young man standing nearby.

“This gentleman here is our young master.”

He was a young nobleman. His blue eyes were sparkling with vitality and his light curly hair was neatly swept to the side.

His firmly closed lips gave him a somewhat stubborn look.

The young nobleman extended his hand to Dale.

“Pleased to meet you. I’ve heard much about your exploits.”

“Dale.”

“Ernst of the Thyssen family.”

Dale reached out and took his hand in return.

Feeling the firmness of the handshake and noticing the sword at the young man’s waist, Dale thought to himself,

He must be quite skilled.

He seemed to have undergone considerable training as a knight.

At that moment, Ernst spoke up.

“I should mention beforehand that I pride myself on my broad views.”

“?”

“So whether you are a savage and cruel heretic or a lowly mercenary, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I hope you’ll feel comfortable around me.”

“Hmm, I understand.”

Dale didn’t know what to say so he just nodded his head.

Did the servant say that he is a bit peculiar?

Just like the servant had mentioned, Ernst certainly seemed a bit different from the typical young nobles. Whether this was a good or bad difference remained to be seen.

Ernst then proceeded to greet Harkin as well.

“Pleased to meet you. As I mentioned before, I view everyone without prejudice, even if they’re lowly mercenaries.”

“Ah, right. Thank you.”

Harkin’s eyes twitched at the mention of “lowly mercenary” and he was quickly left behind as Ernst shifted his gaze to Esther for the last introduction.

But his eyes widened in surprise.

“Good heavens.”

“…What’s wrong?”

When Esther asked that, Ernst’s face turned red. He hurriedly straightened his clothes and lowered his voice deliberately.

“P-Pleased to meet you, Priestess. May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

Taken aback by the sudden shift to formal language directed solely at her, Esther tilted her head in confusion and replied,

“It’s Esther.”

“Goodness, even the name is beautiful.”

“… Huh?”

“I look forward to our time together, however short or long it may be.”

“Ah. Yes.”

Ernst offered his hand for a handshake, but Esther pretended not to see him and looked away. For some reason, she felt uncomfortable holding his hand.

Ernst held his hand out steadfastly as if waiting for Esther to do the same, but his servant quickly approached.

“Young master, we must be going. Any further delays could complicate our journey.”

“It can’t be helped.”

Ernst nodded his head and exclaimed.

“Let’s set off at once!”

The soldiers accompanying him responded in unison.

“Yes!”

They divided themselves into groups of five and boarded three carriages.

Dale and his party climbed into the second carriage, finding themselves in the company of Ernst and his servant.

The role of coachman was taken up by Harkin. The servant had offered to drive, but Harkin insisted stubbornly that he would do it.

He seemed somewhat reluctant to be in Ernst’s presence.

The carriage was reinforced with thick planks that seemed capable of easily deflecting arrows and it rattled forward as it went.

The walls of Irene and the slums quickly receded into the distance.

After they left the city behind and the carriage rolled onto the main road, the servant broke the silence.

“I’ll explain the plan once again, just in case we have differing understandings.”

After pausing and looking around, the servant continued.

“Our main objective is to resolve the chaos in the northwest. The northwest is currently facing two significant issues. One of them is the overflow of monsters.”

The winters in the north were harsh.

Surviving the winter in the northern regions meant constantly battling against death and nature itself.

This was a reality for beasts, humans, and monsters alike.

To endure the long, cold winter, it was important to stockpile food or fatten up in preparation for hibernation.

So when autumn arrived, monsters would descend from the mountains in search of food.

Every few years, the number of monsters coming down would become so great that it caused significant trouble.

“The issue this time is compounded by an additional problem: the rise of the undead. It’s not uncommon for the undead to rise naturally, but this time, the rate at which corpses rise is too fast and the range is too wide. The types of undead rising are also particularly unusual. In other words.”

“Someone is deliberately raising the undead?”

The servant nodded his head in affirmation.

“Our current theory is just that. The task bestowed upon us by His Majesty involves quelling the chaos in the northwest. Hence, if we can eliminate the source of the undead’s rising, we believe we can claim victory. As for the monsters, well, that’s always been an ongoing issue.”

Ernst nodded his head in satisfaction at the servant’s crisp explanation.

However, Dale raised a concern.

“Is that really okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“You must have seen it at the award ceremony. The nobles are forming alliances and moving together.”

There were dozens of soldiers included in their forces.

The 15 people here were certainly a considerable force, but they were clearly insufficient to win the trial on their own.

Dale had thought they might be planning to wait for the right moment to seize an advantage, but then he wondered…

“Do you really intend to win this trial?”

Following Dale’s question, the servant glanced subtly at Ernst for his reaction.

Ernst cleared his throat before responding.

“I have no interest in the position of commander of the imperial guards.”

“?”

“My journey to the northwest is motivated by the suffering of its people, not by personal ambitions for power. This is the duty I owe in return for the privileges I’ve enjoyed under the title of nobility.”

In essence, he was saying he had hired mercenaries and led his family’s soldiers out of pure benevolence.

Sometimes, a claim so outrageous can paradoxically inspire trust.

Dale looked into Ernst’s eyes.

They were confident eyes without the slightest wavering.

Could he possibly be sincere?

The servant beside him shook his head in disapproval. It seemed his thoughts diverged slightly from Ernst’s.

It seems I’m looking at a naive young noble after all.

And another naive soul. Esther exclaimed with a bright expression.

“What a wonderful idea! Surely, the goddess would rejoice in Sir Ernst’s actions!”

Erns’s cheeks were now tinged with red and he shyly turned his head away.

“Ahem, ahem. Such praise is truly embarrassing.”

As the two talked, Dale quietly asked the servant.

“Is this really alright? I hate to say it, but it feels like Ernst is… dreaming a bit too much.”

“Of course, it’s not alright. But we had no choice. Without us, he would have rushed off to the northwest on his own.”

The servant swallowed hard before continuing.

“Once we reach the northwest and he faces the harsh reality, perhaps his enthusiasm will cool down. Then, he might give up this hero act.”

Hero act.

Though a bit harsh, Dale found himself agreeing with the term.

This one might not last long.

Those who fight for money or profit were normal. At least they were grounded in reality.

But those who enter the fray for ideals often face a higher likelihood of death.

The servant said,

“We didn’t hire you for a hefty sum without reason. Should anything happen to me or the other soldiers, please ensure at all costs that the young master is returned safely to his family.”

Dale nodded his head in agreement.

“Understood. But should I deem the situation truly dangerous, you’ll need to follow my lead.”

“I’ll do my best to persuade the young master then. If necessary, I might even have to knock him out.”

Fortunately, the servant and Dale saw eye to eye on this point and they reached an agreement.

Since their immediate tasks were essentially the same, there was no need for further discussion.

Maybe this will all be over sooner than expected.

People of that sort tend to lose interest quickly. Once they realize reality isn’t as rosy as their ideals, they’ll likely turn tail and run.

Then, perhaps I can receive one more request.

Should the client pull out amidst the unresolved chaos in the northwest, Dale might find another client.

It was a no-lose situation for him.

After reaching an agreement, Dale took out a book from his bag.

It was a compilation of tales about heroes, more detailed and specific about each hero’s exploits compared to the general overview he had read previously.

Dale intended to start with the exploits of the character known as the “Mercenary King”.

Ernst who had been eagerly trying to continue his conversation with Esther noticed this.

“Wait, can you actually read?”

Ernst’s eyes wavered.

Dale asked,

“Is it that surprising?”

“No, it’s just… heretics, and especially dark knights, are said to be far removed from words and books…”

“Didn’t you say something about not having prejudices earlier?”

“Uh? Oh, right. Hahaha.”

Esther chimed in,

“Sir Dale is different from other heretics.”

For some reason, Esther looked quite proud of herself.

Ernst could only awkwardly scratch his head.

Ignoring the reactions of the two, Dale opened his book and began to focus intently.

Watching him, Esther pulled out an old bible and asked Ernst,

“Sir Ernst, don’t you like reading?”

“Ahem. Ahem. That’s not the case. I always carry a book with me wherever I go. Books are nourishment for the soul, after all!”

Ernst extended his hand to his servant.

“Give it here.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Just hand me a book I enjoy reading.”

The servant whispered back,

“What are you on about all of a sudden? You’ve only ever read knightly tales and novels in your life!”

“Just give me any book for now!”

Ignoring the two’s bickering, Dale continued to read the book.

He was planning to take it easy since they had at least a week’s journey to their destination in the northwestern region.

However, Dale’s reading was soon interrupted.

The carriage came to an abrupt halt.

“What’s the matter? Why have we stopped?”

Harkin said in response to the servant’s question.

“It seems we need to check this out ourselves.”

The group got out from the carriage.

And then Esther covered her mouth with both hands in shock.

“My…My goodness.”

Bodies were scattered haphazardly along the road.

At least ten people had died.

Two carriages lay wrecked, and blood was splattered everywhere.

Dale found a blood-soaked banner lying on the ground on one side.

This is…

It was the same emblem they had seen on a carriage they passed on the road yesterday.

Esther murmured,

“Could they have been attacked by bandits?”

Dale shook his head.

“No.”

There were few bodies hit by arrows and most had died from deadly sword wounds.

Each wound was clean. It seemed like the result of superb swordsmanship that was far too sophisticated for common thieves.

Harty who was standing nearby circled the bodies, then turned his head towards something and growled.

Seeing this, Dale also looked up and said,

“Everyone, get ready.”

Before long, the culprits behind this carnage emerged from the thicket.

Twenty well-armed knights and soldiers appeared.

They didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding as they confidently approached them while holding blood-stained swords.

Among them, one knight spotted Dale and his face lit up with recognition.

“Ah?”

It was, quite coincidentally, the same young knight who had picked a quarrel with Dale at the award ceremony.

The knight shouted with joy.

“It seems the gods favor me. They actually granted me another encounter with this insolent wretch!”

The other knights smiled viciously as if eager to join in, but the knight waved them off.

“This one, I can handle alone.”

Then he pulled out his sword and spoke to Dale.

“Let me make it clear, the only reason you weren’t slain last time was because of the knight commander’s intervention.”

Dale also drew his cursed sword and muttered.

“What a coincidence.”

His thoughts mirrored the young knight’s exactly.