Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: Penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Night Visitors Arrive Unannounced (2)
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The hottest topic buzzing through the subjugation force right now was undoubtedly the "Black Knight."
"He's wiping out hordes every night all by himself? You really think that's possible?"
"Maybe the survivors were so terrified they just dreamed it up?"
There were those who whispered doubts like this, refusing to believe.
"But thanks to him, we're rescuing survivors and the battles are getting easier."
"He might be a knight of justice who appeared to help us, right?"
Most people were praising the Black Knight and expressing their gratitude.
"He's twice the height of a human, and incredibly strong, they say."
"Actually, I heard he's not riding a horse—he's half-man, half-horse."
Since no one had seen me in the light, rumors like these were getting exaggerated.
"No, a survivor said he's an incredibly handsome young man."
"How could you tell in that pitch darkness?"
Of course, not all the rumors were overblown.
'As expected, this face shines even in the dark of night.'
I smirked while eating, ears open to the chatter.
"Isn't that a level only Captain Diego could achieve?"
"No, even Captain Diego couldn't pull that off."
"His speed is insane. They say he flashes from east to west in an instant."
Discussions about the Black Knight were lively even within the Ovest Knight Order.
As usual, we sat in a circle eating when,
"Young Master."
Conrad, sitting beside me, spoke quietly.
"May I ask you just one thing?"
"No. Eat your food."
Even at my curt refusal, Conrad persisted steadfastly.
"Please."
"......"
It had started again.
Conrad exploited the dissonant combination of his fierce face and the word "please" with ruthless efficiency.
'Isn't this combo a bit too much for a human?'
Hiding my shit-eating expression, I grumbled back.
"Ask."
"It's you, isn't it?"
"What is?"
Conrad lowered his voice further.
"That Black Knight. It's you, right, Young Master?"
"You seem like you need some treatment."
I replied without so much as twitching an eyebrow.
"Pardon?"
"Has your eyesight already gone bad?"
"Pardon? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
I pointed to my hair while he looked bewildered.
"What color is this?"
"......Blue."
"And this?"
I pointed to my eyes, and Conrad, grasping my intent, twisted his lips.
"......Purplish."
"Hmm. Seems to be working fine. And yet you think I'm the Black Knight?"
I stared at him pitifully.
"Maybe it's not your eyes that need treatment—perhaps your head."
"No, Young Master!"
Conrad thumped his chest in frustration.
"You don't have to hide it from me!"
He whispered fiercely, voice even lower.
"The time you secretly captured Kinus—I've kept that a secret all this while!"
"......"
"And above all, there's solid proof! Whenever you slip out of your tent at night, the next day we hear tales of the Black Knight's exploits!"
"Can't I even step out for a errand? Pure coincidence."
I replied indifferently, then shot him a cold glare.
"By the way, I said no one enters my tent."
"Ah, that."
Conrad cowered, tail between his legs.
"I just wanted to check if you were sleeping comfortably. I only peeked in......"
"Finish your meal. Cut the nonsense."
At my sharp rebuke, Conrad pouted and shoved his spoon in his mouth.
Pout? To a stranger, it would've looked terrifying enough to make their legs buckle.
'Black Knight, though.'
Wasn't that a bit too on-the-nose?
There had been value in leaving survivors behind. They were inflating my rumors so splendidly.
At this rate, by the time we reached Nord Territory, songs praising the Black Knight would ring out far and wide.
And a short while later, late evening.
I sat across from Mikel in his tent, sipping tea back and forth.
"So, how's the tea?"
Mikel smiled as he downed his cup.
'Ah, I want to go night hunting.'
After slicing monsters every night, my body felt not just refreshed but ready to fly.
While others dozed off on horseback from exhaustion, I buzzed around energetically, handling this and that.
Conrad would shake his head, looking fed up with me.
"It's tea made from white-tailed mint. The aroma is quite......"
I replied leisurely to Mikel, flashing a faint smile.
"......nostalgic."
"Right. When we first met, you were eating cake with this, weren't you?"
Mikel beamed fondly.
He seemed to regret not inviting me to his capital mansion, so he often called me to his tent like this.
The reasons varied.
Can't sleep? Want some healthy tea? Shall we speculate on monster habitats?
It wasn't so frequent as to annoy, so I played along moderately.
"I'm just dying to know who this Black Knight is."
Mikel tapped the map on the table.
It marked locations around our path where subjugations were complete.
Many were spots I'd cleared ahead.
"There aren't many knights in the Empire who could sweep through that many monsters alone."
"I'm curious too. Someone with that skill—I'd love to see it myself."
I played it cool, and Mikel's gaze lingered on me briefly before shifting away.
"He's quiet until our subjugation force moves, then appears. Too coincidental for chance, isn't it?"
"Indeed."
"And he always goes ahead as if he knows our route. Finding monster nests so well suggests deep knowledge and experience with them."
Mikel's eyes flicked to me repeatedly as he spoke. I calmly sipped my tea, pretending not to notice.
'Old man, fishing for info.'
It was a fairly reasonable deduction, but it wasn't time to affirm it yet.
"Above all, active only at night—makes you think he's in our subjugation force, doesn't it?"
Mikel's eyes sparkled as he fixed on me.
"What do you think, Young Lord Abel?"
"Well."
When he asked so directly, I couldn't dodge. I set down my teacup and spoke leisurely.
"Common sense says a human couldn't pull that off. Moving with the subjugation force by day, then separately at night to clear monsters?"
"Hmm, true."
"Or maybe he moves by day too, and we just haven't noticed."
"All witnesses say he appears at night."
Mikel stubbornly pushed his hypothesis.
"But no one in the force matches that description."
Black hair was a trait of the imperial family, after all. It only heightened the Black Knight's noble aura in the rumors.
"Couldn't they be mistaken? Fear in the dark night makes illusions common."
"The witnesses' accounts are consistent."
"......"
"Anyway, the key is he's helping us, not hindering."
I refilled Mikel's empty cup and added,
"He targets only monstrous non-humans. A righteous soul, no doubt."
It felt funny gilding my own lily.
"Unable to ignore Nord Territory's plight, he appeared."
I finished shamelessly, face unchanging.
"......You're right."
Mikel nodded, taking the teapot from me.
"To my knowledge, no such figure exists in Nord Territory. That's why I suspect he's in the force."
"......"
"I just want to meet him once."
Mikel refilled my empty cup too.
"Our paths seem aligned. On the way to Nord Territory, we might get lucky."
As I mentioned the slim chance, Mikel smiled faintly.
"Perhaps."
He cleared the map and leaned back comfortably.
"Let's move on. Spending such a night with Young Lord Abel without a drink is tragic."
"Endure a bit. No alcohol on the battlefield."
"I'll open the Coldeste upon returning to Nord Territory."
"Can outsiders join?"
I grinned and asked; Mikel shook his head vigorously.
"Planning to make me a laughingstock again?"
"What do you mean? I just gave my all in the match."
"No can do. With Young Lord Abel joining, first place is too obvious."
"Young and old must compete to know."
"Stirring me up again like that time with the sword?"
He laughed it off, referencing when I'd provoked him into a duel. He wasn't dwelling on the past.
Laughter warmed the tent's atmosphere.
Time with Mikel wasn't bad. His insight and vast experience made for enjoyable talk.
"By the way, Young Lord Abel."
Mikel, who had been smiling nonstop, broached.
"Yes."
"Any ideal type, perchance?"
I swallowed my tea slowly, expression neutral.
"Not sure why you're suddenly curious."
"You're at marriageable age, and a standout talent in the Empire. Got me wondering."
Mikel probed my face persistently.
"And you don't seem to have any close lady friends."
"......"
"So, what if... if you're amenable, my daughter Lea and... ahem."
Mikel coughed awkwardly, averting his gaze.
'Ah, so that's it?'
No wonder he'd been extra nice. He'd been scheming this.
The northern tiger Mikel was turning into the friendly neighbor uncle.
"I had no idea Lord Mikel thought of me that way."
I feigned surprise, and he looked back.
"Does our Lea not appeal?"
"Can't say yes or no—I've heard much but never met her."
Sensing my noncommittal face, Mikel's tone quickened with anxiety.
"I won't name names since comparisons are unfair, but our Lea has no shortcomings."
That unnamed someone was probably Carlo.
"—She's so lovely, even vassals swoon. Especially her eyes, just like mine—truly beautiful."
Mikel was already rambling Lea's praises in a Carlo-esque manner.
"From childhood, her learning was exceptional—one lesson, and she grasped ten."
"I see."
"Thanks to Lea, I had to stock the library monthly. And not just that—she's the second-best swordsman in our territory after me."
"Impressive."
Hearing what I already knew, yawns threatened. Lea's genius was hammered home repeatedly in the original work.
'A textbook 'my friend's kid'—daughter edition.'
Mikel's sparkling eyes suggested outright refusal might cause trouble.
'Is he saying my daughter isn't good enough?!'
While thinking that.
Enduring silently with nods showed no end in sight.
"I understand Miss Lea is an outstanding, excellent daughter. Surely many proposals come?"
My sharp jab made Mikel flinch and pause.
"True, but... Lea's tastes are a bit... high."