123. Warmth (1)
After dancing with Lydia, he escaped safely from Jeokhwaru.
She offered to give me her carriage, but she politely declined, even for the sake of my home address.
“Ha….”
When I came out onto the street, the cool night air greeted me.
I walked away while reminiscing about what happened today.
‘It was definitely dangerous.’
Lydia sat seductively on the table and looked down at me.
As she thought of that sight, the corners of her mouth rose as she walked.
“….”
While passing through her back alley.
My eyes fell on the newspaper that had fallen on the floor.
「Your Majesty the Emperor participated in the noble council. “I appreciate your hard work so far.”
‘The atmosphere must have been bloody.’
Most of the people who attended this meeting were probably divided into two factions.
One is the conservative faction that supports the awakened emperor and princess.
And, as a reformist who clung to the crown prince when he fell.
However, the majority will be the latter.
Most of them have already succumbed to the crown prince’s immense power.
‘Of course, it would be nice if they could return to the emperor’s side….’
Of course it can’t be like that.
There is no way the fiery Conqueror would forgive those who have already betrayed him once.’
The nobles will depend on the crown prince even more than before.
As a result, the atmosphere between the two forces will become more heightened.
‘So, I guess His Majesty wants to get me too.’
Of course, no matter what orders he gives, I have no intention of leaving Subangsa.
Because I really did everything I could.
I also raised Irina’s knights.
Hakim, who was threatening Lydia, was also dealt with.
The curse on Leah has also been resolved….
‘Everyone will take care of it now.’
Thinking like that, I turned the pages of the newspaper.
And while I was walking while checking real estate information.
Suddenly, a shadow standing at the end of the alley caught my eye.
“….”
Dark night.
There was definitely no one in the back alley.
Originally, this is an old city center that is close to an abandoned city.
But.
“Bail Mikhail.”
The man standing far away pointed out my name and said.
“….”
Definitely from this distance, it would be difficult to recognize my face.
Still, the fact that he recognized me….
It means that he knew in advance that I would come this way.
“Who are you?”
When I asked, the shadow gave no answer.
It just slowly walks towards me.
―――.
The sound of clanking iron boots can be heard.
The moment I heard that sound, I knew.
That guy is a knight.
“It doesn’t matter who I am. All you have to do is follow.”
I stared at the knight wearing a black robe.
Then, he asked in a serious voice.
“What are you going to do if you don’t like it?”
The driver stopped walking after hearing my question.
Then, she lowered her gown to reveal her face.
“Whatever.”
Silver hair and cold white eyes.
And, the bloody black armor wrapped around the guy’s neck.
“For disobeying orders, I have no choice but to cut off my limbs and take him away.”
The Shadow of the Empire, the Black Knights.
‘He is the crown prince’s closest associate….’
The Black Knights are elite knights originally brought by Rosanna from her home country.
If the imperial knights were her pride, they did the dirty work in the shadows.
There is so little information known about their military power that it is hard to guess.
It must mean that he is that cruel and that he handles his work neatly.
“Looking at the look in your eyes, I think you sensed my affiliation.”
A man who appeared to be around the same age as me spoke in a low, murderous voice.
“So, follow me quietly.”
“….”
First of all, any trace of mana was completely erased.
And then, I silently followed him into an old abandoned building nearby.
The way in.
Suddenly, I felt a sign of presence behind me.
‘Is this guy’s colleague?’
Someone watching my back from the opposite alley.
However, like the Black Knights, it was not to the point where they completely hid their presence.
“Why are you not following me?”
I nodded at what the member said.
And then, I followed him into the closed botanical garden.
“….”
A place where unmanaged plants grow in bizarre ways.
I felt a strange soundproofing magic from those plants.
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“I brought you, senior.”
The guy who seemed quite capable lowered his head.
To the man standing in the middle of the botanical garden.
“Yes, good job.”
A man wearing black armor.
Purple eyes flashed within the black hair.
“Member of the Capital Defense Knights, 1st place in the 80th class, Bale Mikhail.”
He silently recited information about me.
“….”
“You’re asking if it’s true.”
The silver-haired man who brought me insisted.
“Yes, that’s right.”
When I answered, the black-haired man asked with sharp eyes.
“Can you guess why I called you?”
“No, I have no idea. “I don’t even know who you are in the first place.”
The man was silent for a moment at my dull answer.
“I am Gilbert of the Black Knights. “I’ve been investigating your movements for a very long time.”
“You mean me…? ?”
I frowned when I heard that they had been investigating me all this time.
Then, Gilbert raised the corner of his mouth with a grin.
“Yes, even though I received the top grade at the appointment ceremony, I went to the Defense Corps, the last place in the Order of Knights.”
As if he expected my reaction.
“There are so many suspicious things about you, including the fact that you went to such a place and didn’t show any desire for success.”
Luckily, the black knight only mentioned my past actions.
I answered his words calmly.
“Is not being able to achieve results due to my lack of ability a big enough sin to be summoned to the Black Knight?”
“Of course not. “Because we don’t even pay attention to such an insignificant group in the first place.”
The man took off her gown, which she wore like a cloak.
Thanks to this, the black armor tightly surrounding his body was revealed.
“The reason I investigated you was because you were a low-level defense engineer, and I happened to receive a lunch box from the princesses.”
Lunch box.
As expected, the incident that occurred directly with the princesses was the problem.
“What kind of relationship do you have with them? “Could it be an affair?”
A black knight who says something very big will happen.
If that were true, I would have already been killed by His Majesty the Emperor.
“Is that possible? “The princesses’ personalities are such that they won’t even pay attention to an insignificant man like me.”
She said with a sly smile.
Then, the Black Knight raised his fist.
“… !”
At the signal, the silver-haired knight who brought me moved.
He grabbed my arm and twisted it firmly.
“Wow… !”
“I’m not in the mood to joke around, so it would be better to tell the truth.”
I wanted to knock him down right away.
However, if I did that, the first empress would hear about me, so I held back for now.
“Yes, I can definitely feel the mana from you very faintly.”
The veteran black knight turned his back.
And then, he looked down at me pitifully and said,
“He’s clearly weak and at the level of a common defense engineer. But, that doesn’t matter.”
The black-haired man raised his gloved finger.
He then pointed at my face as if throwing a dagger.
“What’s important is why the princesses paid attention to you.”
“….”
If you tell the truth here, information about the union of princesses will be sent to Rosanna.
‘That should be prevented.’
I took a short, deep breath.
And then, he muttered with the most unfair and pitiful expression on his face.
“Choi, during my recent visit to the eastern part of the country, I assisted in the operation to arrest Mr. Hakim because he was nearby…. As a reward for her work, she only received a packed lunch.”
However, even after hearing my words, the Black Knight did not let down his guard.
“What about Irina?”
“The same goes for the second princess. I simply gave guidance sparring to the cadets who came with the rumor that they had beaten Richard….”
Gilbert was silent for a moment after hearing what I said.
Then, I raised my fist and signaled to the driver who had twisted my arm.
“Do you believe what he says?”
“I saw him cantering with the Verdant Knight cadets. “That must be true.”
My junior released me with a disapproving expression.
Thanks to you, I was finally able to relieve my throbbing shoulder.
“However, I have no intention of going over it easily just because of that.”
The man turned around without thinking.
And, she spoke in a cold voice.
“Bring him here, I will use the confession spell to find out his true purpose.”
Confession magic.
I felt a sense of crisis, perhaps because I felt the power of the magic tower lord recently.
“Speaking of confession magic, are you planning on going to the Magic Tower?”
I asked calmly.
Confession magic is only possible through strict procedures under the orders of the emperor.
“No, it is possible to ask the shamans to do it without going to the magic tower.”
“That would be illegal, but even if you were a black knight, would you still use it if you ignored the procedure?”
When I asked confidently, the veteran black knight stopped walking.
And, he spoke in a bloody voice.
“It doesn’t matter, all of this is on my own.”
The guy turned his head towards me.
“I have been watching you for a long time when everyone else ignored you.”
Then he glared at me with his bloody purple eyes.
“From dancing with Leah, who is known for being cold, to coming out of Jeokhwaru, Lydia’s secret office building today.”
I could feel a strange mana coming from his body.
“Moreover, ever since you appeared, things have started to go wrong with the crown prince’s cause.”
A unique black auror used only by the Black Knights.
I naturally frowned at that aura.
“So, I will reveal the truth myself.”
“….”
When I didn’t say anything, he raised the corner of his mouth.
“Don’t worry, as long as you don’t have anything to do with them, you’ll be fine.”
He turned his head as if he thought I was a caught fish.
“Even our Dark Knights don’t know about this anyway.”
No one knows.
After those words, I looked at Gilbert with black eyes.
“Is that really true?”
When I, who had been quiet up until now, asked again, Gilbert stopped walking.
“What?”
“It means that only you two know the facts of the investigation into me so far.”
The guy looked straight ahead and smiled.
“Okay, so you can follow me obediently.”
The Black Knight left those words behind and tried to walk again.
However, he frowned at the sudden strong mana he felt.
“… ?”
The veteran knight turned his head.
That moment.
“Kiel… ?”
His violet eyes, which had been fierce until now, dilated.
Kiel, the junior who easily defeated me just a little while ago.
Because his neck was twisted like the arm he was holding.
“So, if you guys die, no one will know what happened today?”
I broke the neck of the junior I caught.
Then, a golden auror began to surround his arms.
“As expected… “My insight was correct.”
The Black Knight’s lips twitched when he saw the Sword Master’s aura.
He seemed more surprised by my foreign power than his dead junior.
“Yes, the Black Knight is definitely different. “I have a good eye for attention.”
I praised his insight.
“So, for the sake of the empire, it would be better to get rid of you all.”
Then, he extended his hand towards the guy’s neck.
Like his junior whom he killed in one fell swoop.
“… !!”
The Black Knight instinctively took a step back.
At the same time, he drew his sword with skill and widened the distance between me.
However, I did not back down.
Rather, I grabbed his sword with my bare hands.
The moment when I was about to break it.
“This…” !”
Black aura spewed out from his sword and began to resist.
Black Auror.
The power of the Black Knight originally passed down from defected warlocks.
It is stronger than the Blue Aura, and when trained well, it can rival the Sword Master’s Golden Aura.
Thanks to this, his sword was able to counter me.
“Sword Master…. “How did you gain such power on the topic of defense articles?”
The guy asked with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
“I also gained the power from killing you guys in my past life.”
“Past life… ?”
Kaaang!!
By nature, black aurors have the property of becoming stronger by absorbing the power of the person they kill.
As if to represent this, his sword has also become stronger through countless killings.
However, I wasn’t scared at all.
In fact, he pushed the guy even harder.
Because….
Because in my past life, the people who rushed to kill Irina and me were the Black Knights.
“Once you reveal that you are the Black Knight, don’t think about returning alive.”
Chaae Aeng!!
“Because you guys are not worth living.”
They killed innocent servants and those who did not follow them.
The shadows of Rosanna, who loved the victims like crazy for killing them and absorbing their power.
As she thought about that group, the golden mana surrounding her arms became darker.
“hehehehe….”
The overwhelming difference in power caused him to breathe more and more heavily.
“… !!”
When I raised my sword, I used too much force to make it miss.
―――!!
When he pulled out a dagger from his chest, he struck it with the hilt and dropped it.
―――.
The last time he attempted a kick, he hit him with his elbow and broke it.
Thump….
The guy with his broken leg sat down on the floor.
As soon as his knees touched the ground, the sound of heavy blades was heard.
“You….”
A black knight who has become stronger through killing.
He was frightened by the clear difference in power.
“How did you acquire such power…?”
“It is the power of killing and absorbing opponents like you. “Why are you surprised again?”
“That power can kill almost hundreds of people…!”
I resolutely raised my sword.
And then, without hesitation, he swung towards the Black Knight’s neck.
For those guys, I didn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt when I cut them down.
“….”
Thump.
The Black Knight’s head was scattered on the floor of the botanical garden like a seed.
I watched it roll away.
To his credit, it’s a good thing he acted alone.
Because the Dark Knights do not inherently share each other’s missions.
If I clean up the traces of this guy, other members won’t be able to find out about me.
‘But….’
If other people start investigating the fact that I am as close to the princesses as I am now….
Something like this will happen again.
‘It would be better to keep a distance from them from now on.’
I retrieved their bodies with a bitter expression.
And then, I looked around to find a suitable place to bury him.
「――――――.」
On the way back to the villa.
I let out a tired breath.
“Ha….”
Their bodies were disposed of neatly.
However, there was still something left to do.
‘The shadow that was watching me earlier.’
When I was taken away by the Black Knight, someone who was watching from afar was on my mind.
‘By memorizing the form of mana, I will be able to know who someone is when I meet them at the imperial court.’
Thinking like that, I climbed the stairs of the villa.
For now, all I wanted to do was lay down my exhausted body on the sofa.
‘Oh, the sofa broke.’
I sighed, thinking about what happened in the morning.
A deep kiss with Leah, and even Lydia’s dance during the day.
So many things happened today.
I climbed all the stairs with my tired body.
And then, the moment you reach the hallway.
“… !”
I made eye contact with the woman standing in front of my house.
“Veil.”
Irina wearing a neat and white dress.
When she saw me, she looked very worried.
“It’s okay…” ?”
The look in his eyes as if he knew what happened to me today.
The princess looked at me and approached me with a sad expression.
“Dasajya told me. They say the black knights have come….”
The moment I saw her running towards me.
Suddenly, a scene from my past life comes to mind.
She staggered towards me as I fell.
“You’re not hurt…” ?”
The princess fell into my chest.
Then, I slowly touched the blood stains on my face with her poor fingers.
“Thank goodness. I’m so glad….”
When I saw her trembling emerald eyes.
Numerous emotions passed by.
Obviously, a little while ago, I decided to keep my distance from the princesses.
I saw Irana come to me because she was really worried about me….
The fatigue that had accumulated so far seemed to disappear like melting snow.
“I’m fine, princess.”
I held Irina, who was crying, in my arms.
The warmth she felt for the first time in a while made her feel like the fatigue she had ever felt was disappearing.