I Became the Dark Knight in the Game

Chapter 11: Mercenaries and the Dark Knight (6)

Dale looked back in surprise.

But there was only a silver ring floating in the air behind him.

He then scratched his helmet in confusion.

Did I hear it wrong? Was that the Goddess of Light just now?

He quickly dismissed the thought.

Even though a pact had been formed between the two deities, Dales body was infused with the power of the Goddess of the Night.

It seemed unlikely that the Goddess of Light would personally whisper words of gratitude to him.

After a brief wait, Esther returned and right by her side stood a priest with a stiff expression on his face.

As you requested, Ive brought Priest Pail

Maria!

Pail rushed over in a hurry. He buried his face in Marias chest.

Dale and Esther stepped aside to give him some space.

A moment later, a calmer Pail approached them.

He extended his hand to Dale.

Im Pail, currently serving as a cleric.

A cleric. Its a profession that requires at least grade 3 in the priest class.

Dale had assumed that since Maria was his lover, their abilities would be similar.

However, Pail seemed to be at a higher level than he expected. Dale could tell that just by looking into the depths of his eyes.

He took Pails hand in his own.

Im Dale.

Pail nodded his head and then he spoke with a wry smile.

Do you know, Sir Dale? Sir Dale is probably the first black knight to visit the church since the pact had been made.

I see.

It will certainly cause a huge stir for a while.

The church had allowed the entrance of a dark knight.

People would surely speculate about a change in the relationship between the two religious factions, which until now had been merely acting as superficial allies.

Dale, however, had little interest in such political matters.

Pail. I will convey Marias last words to you.

Havent you already conveyed her final words?

Step back, Esther. This is not for you to hear.

All right.

As Dale waved his hand dismissively, Esther retreated with a sullen look on her face.

Dale said after seeing that they were alone.

Pail. Maria said that she was especially grateful to you at the end.

She also requested that these words not be shared with others.

Thats very like Maria.

A bitter-sweet expression briefly crossed Pails face, but his sorrow didnt seem deep.

For those with strong faith, death was not an eternal farewell.

Pail bowed his head respectfully.

I saw Marias expression. She wore a smile of relief, free from any regrets. Surely, it was thanks to you, Sir Dale. Thank you for being there in her last moments. I will find a way to repay this kindness.

Dale responded calmly.

I have already received something from Maria. You neednt worry about it.

Still, I will repay you. Sir Dale has not only helped Maria but also everyone who loved her.

Dale nodded his head in understanding.

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There was no reason to turn down his offer to settle the debt.

Ah, I should ask about this too.

Seizing the opportunity, Dale showed Pail the ring Maria had given him.

Do you know what this ring is? It seems to be more than just an ordinary object.

This is

A spark of recognition lit up Pails eyes.

Its a Ring of Faith. A relic that can unlock a persons latent abilities once, but only if worn by someone with a pure heart and soul and if they wish strongly enough.

A pure soul?

That has nothing to do with a dark knight like me.

Essentially, this meant Dale had received an item he couldnt use.

Dale asked without realizing it.

How much do you think it would fetch if sold at the market?

What?

Pails eyes widened in astonishment.

A little farther away, Esther who returned looked at Dale as if he were piece of trash.

A flustered Pail spoke with a pitiful expression.

Please dont do that. If Maria entrusted this to Sir Dale, there must surely be a good reason.

I was just asking. Im not actually going to sell it. But I just wanted to know how much it might be worth

Lets leave the rest of this conversation for another time when we have the chance!

Esther stepped in and cut off Dales words.

It seems like your companion is waiting outside, so perhaps its time for you to go, isnt it?

Ah, right.

Leon should be waiting for him in the carriage.

After bidding farewell to Pail, Dale went out under Esthers guidance.

And just like when he arrived, peoples gazes were focused on him.

However, Dale walked on, undeterred and with bold strides. He had nothing to be ashamed of and thus, no reason not to walk proudly.

Dales appearance left a deep impression on the people.

The believers murmured among themselves in low voices, and rumors about the dark knight entering the temple of light quickly spread throughout the city.

Dales name began to spread across the city.

***

Did I make you wait for long?

Dale asked this to Leon, who was anxiously pacing around the carriage.

Leons head snapped around.

Ah! Sir Dale! Thank god!

Whats wrong?

Well, the soldiers from the church surrounded you earlier, Sir Dale. So I was worried something serious might happen, but it seems there was no trouble.

Yeah. Thats right. Lets get going.

Right away!

Leon climbed back into the coachmans seat and drove the carriage.

Their destination was the mercenary guild.

Soon after arriving at the guild office, the two unloaded the equipment of the deceased mercenaries onto the ground.

Garland, who came outside, looked puzzled.

This is

These are the belongings of the mercenaries who died during the request. Please deliver them to their families.

Oh. Of course.

Garland looked to be a bit surprised.

As per the rules of the Mercenary guild, taking the belongings of a fellow mercenary after a mission was subject to punishment.

At least the belongings of the deceased should be properly delivered; otherwise, what would become of the families that the dead mercenaries used to support?

However, this was a rule that was often not adhered to in reality.

If someone stole the equipment and then claimed, This was originally my gear, what could be done?

The original owner was already dead after all.

Yet Dale had brought back all the belongings of the deceased mercenaries.

Garland looked at Dale with interest.

This one is more decent than I thought

Garland called the guild staff and instructed them to move the equipment.

Dale spoke to Leon.

Ill handle the report. You go ahead and sell the other equipment.

Got it!

Oh, but before that

Dale picked up a warhammer from the carriage.

It was an item previously used by Miles and it was covered with blood.

Dale found himself liking this warhammer.

I prefer swords, but they break too easily. It would be a good idea to carry at least one blunt weapon.

Having secured the warhammer, Dale sent Leon away.

Leon nodded and then led the carriage out of the city.

It seemed that the receivers of stolen goods were located in the slums outside the city.

After sending off Leon, Dale went up to the second floor of the guild office with Garland.

In the office where they were alone, Dale explained the circumstances of the incident.

Garland who had recorded every detail of Dales report without missing anything opened his mouth to speak.

Now, lets review the incident report. In the first place, the fact that the mercenaries were killed by the variant Owlbear was a scheme concocted by Miles. In reality, a fight broke out between them and the villagers, resulting in the villagers deaths, and Miles judged it too difficult to continue as a mercenary. His final plan was to orchestrate this incident for a final big hit. Is that about it?

Dale asked in return.

Did you know this all along?

Huh?

Im saying whether you knew all along that Miles was up to no good? Was I put on this task to kill Miles? It seems there was such intention behind the order to retrieve the mercenary badges.

This time, Garland was the one taken aback.

You catch on quickly.

If you think about it carefully, I think its obvious.

How I wish there were more mercenaries like you who could grasp such obvious things.

Garland said with a bitter smile.

In my time here, Ive occasionally seen mercenaries who commit irreversible blunders.

The killing of civilians by mercenaries was one of the incidents the Guild reacted most sensitively to.

Such incidents always led to intense scrutiny from the royal court towards the guild.

The guild never forgives a mercenary who commits such acts. If they flee, we always send a pursuit team. The chase doesnt end until their deaths are confirmed.

Dale nodded his head in agreement.

Mercenaries feared being hunted by the guild more than anything else, since the guilds pursuit was relentless and merciless.

Garland tapped his forehead thoughtfully.

But sometimes, there are those who use their brains. Like Miles.

Use their brains?

Yes, manipulating evidence to cleverly escape the pursuit. For example, Miles used the lie of a variant owlbear to disrupt information. He claimed the villagers and mercenaries were all victims of the creature, which would eliminate the worry of being pursued.

Dale picked up the conversation.

So, Miles returned to the city not just to make a final big hit but also to buy time before the guild could send an investigation team?

You are right, Sir Dale.

In a world without CCTV or cameras, if someone was determined to manipulate evidence, they could easily hide the truth.

Had Dale not been there, Miles would have surely succeeded in his plan.

Garland let out a deep sigh.

Truthfully, I wasnt certain either. If there had been evidence, we could have definitely stopped him more decisively. It was just my intuition at play and I felt that something was off. But I tend to have good instincts.

So, thats why you involved me?

I thought that with Sir Dale around, he wouldnt dare pull any stunts. But it turned out like this.

Garland muttered bitterly.

This incident resulted in several deaths among the guilds mercenaries and the loss of one priestess from the church.

It was a painful loss.

Garland soon relaxed his expression and added.

Anyway, Sir Dale, you have completed the request admirably. Honestly, you exceeded my expectations. If other mercenaries could handle their tasks as neatly as you, our guild would have been much stronger.

So, Ive passed the entrance exam?

Passed? Of course, you have. Also

After a brief pause, Miles handed a thin iron plate to Dale.

Although Dale couldnt read the letters on the plate, he guessed it was his name.

An iron badge?

The world is in chaos, Sir Dale. And the guild desperately needs skilled mercenaries like you.

Can I skip the wooden plaque?

Such privileges are within the rights of a branch guild master.

Dale slipped the mercenary badge into his pocket. A single successful request had brought him great gains.

I hope you will continue to work hard for the guild. Of course, there wont be many requests available to you, Sir Dale. You havent yet earned the trust of our clients. Youll be doing the dirty and dangerous work others avoid.

That suits me just fine.

Danger often brings opportunity.

As Dale took down stronger foes and completed more missions, he would grow stronger and rise faster.

Garland smiled.

Thats refreshingly straightforward.

Is our conversation over?

Yes. You may go now. Do you have somewhere to be?

I need to visit the temple.

With that, Dale strode out of the office.

***

Garland went downstairs to finish his paperwork.

From registering Dales personal information to delivering the belongings to the bereaved families of the mercenaries who died this time.

There was a mountain of tasks to be handled.

At times like this, I miss my active duty days.

A receptionist approached and poured warm tea into Garlands cup while sneakily glancing at the report he was writing.

The receptionist was extremely curious about what would happen to that dark knight.

After sneaking a peek at the report, the receptionist reacted with surprise.

Oh my, an iron badge right after the entrance test? Is that even allowed?

Theres nothing wrong with it. I just have to write an extensive report to submit to the higher-ups. Besides, its not like there was no precedent for such a case.

As if she just remembered something, the receptionist clasped her hands and said,

Ah! Now that I think about it, the Mercenary King started with an iron badge too, ten years ago So, this is the first time since then?

Yes.

Hmm. Is he that trustworthy? I mean, he is a heretic, after all.

Well, I cant be certain about trust. We havent seen much of him. But this is my gut feeling

Garland spoke with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

He seems to have qualities on par with the Mercenary King, if not better.

It was a prediction based solely on intuition without any specific basis.

However, Garland was known for his good instincts.

**************

(TN. I dont think it was properly explained, but what Dale and Leon brought back to the guild was the equipment of the mercenaries that participated with him on the request. The ones meant to be sold by Leon are most likely the ones of Miles and his gang.)