Ankoku Kishi Monogatari - Chapter 57.3

Chapter 57.3 : Lizardman 

Bouncing off of the seemingly endless walls that made up the expanse of the cavern, Zefa’s voice resounded in the ruins. It quickly ran from one end of the cave to the other, like a desperate victim, seeking a way out of the damning situation they found themselves in. Despite the strength in Zefa’s voice, the furrow of his brows and the cold sweat that lined his forehead betrayed his inner anxiety and fear borne upon the thought of the figure in black actually being the Dark Knight of Nargol. Like the leader of our company, I couldn’t help but try to convince myself that the situation would resolve itself and end well, ignoring the apprehensive tug originating at the base of my stomach. 

Novis was strong. Though he had a low compatibility against the cockatrice, as they were able to attack all of his weaknesses, he could defeat other demons of the same level with ease. I had witnessed it with my own eyes. He had subjugated a plethora of those demons as if it was a piece of cake, he hadn’t even broken a sweat back then for god’s sake! Panic took root in my mind, planting its seed and growing uncontrollably until it overshadowed every other thought that passed through my brain. Wiping my now clammy hands on the legs of my trousers discreetly, I ignored how they trembled relentlessly. Novis was treated like a child by that Dark Knight. Which only begged to raise the question…just how powerful was he? Just how terrible of a situation had we found ourselves in?! 

Could it be…was this Dark Knight figure as powerful as Reiji-sama? My knees almost gave out at the very inkling of that thought and the possibility that slowly dawned upon me afterwards- could the Dark Knight be more powerful than Reiji-sama? 

「What are you going to do then, hero of wind? Shall we escape from this place?」 

「As if I’m going to run with tail between my legs, hero of earth!! Nephim!!」 

「I understand!!（Water Splash）！！」 

Face creased in determination, Nephim extended his left hand out in front of him and cast his magic.
 

「HERE I GO!! O WIND, DANCE!!!」 

He drew arrows from his well stocked quiver and notched them in place. Zefa’s fingers tightened around the tense bowstring as he drew it back, preparing to attack. Eyes locked on his target, aim steady, he fired five arrows at once. The volley of arrows flew through the air in a deadly arc. As they drew closer towards the Dark Knight, the arrows soared through the air in a random orbit along with the water bubble shot by Nephim. Upon entering in close quarters with the Dark Knight, the arrows were incinerated. A wall of black flames arose and danced wildly, a menacing sort of madness to their movements. The arrows crumbled to ash before his feet. And the bubble suddenly turned around, headed straight towards Nephim. 

「《Counter Magic》！！！？」 

Madi exclaimed, voice increasingly inching higher in pitch due to her incredulity and fear. 

「WATCH OUT!!」 

Godan swept in front of Nephim and raised his shield in order to protect his comrade from the force of his own attack returned unto him. The bubble dissipated into tiny droplets that splashed off the surface of Godan’s gleaming, wet shield once it made contact with the protective surface. 

「Thank you so much, Godan, Hero of Earth」 

Throat bobbing nervously, Nephim thanked his compatriot, a gratefulness infused in every word of his sentence. 

「Don’t mind it.」 

Godan replied sullenly, voice somber as ever.
 

「Oi Zefa, what shall we do?? He’s far too strong for us!!!」 

Big sis Keyna screamed loudly. 

「No, not yet, Keyna!! We’re not…. Lo-GUH——-」 

Zefa clutched at his head before he managed to finish his sentence. And then, he slowly rose into the air as lifted by an invisible crane. 

「Impossible!!!《Magic Hand》!! Using that technique from that distance!?!」 

Madi screamed once again. 

《Magic Hand》 was a technique that created a transparent hand born into reality with the help of mana. 

An individual who was highly skilled with magic and had mastered great control over their abilities could use it to pick up an object which rested many yards away. It was a hugely helpful skill which extended one’s range and allowed them to grasp objects from afar. The most seasoned and experienced users who had attained complete control over the method could use it as if it was an extension of themselves, the movements would be as fluid and flawless as if it was just another limb. In fact, it was quite reminiscent of how a swordsman adapts total control of the sword, using it so naturally, as a supplementary part of their body. A veteran user could even use this technique to directly crush their opponent’s heart, so that the enemy would crumple to floor like a puppet whose strings had abruptly, all of a sudden, been cut. They would bleed from the inside, looking perfectly untouched on the surface excluding the glimmer of tears in their eyes which betrayed the pain they were actually experiencing. 

Although Madi could also use the same 《Magic Hand》 technique, the radius in which it proved effective was very small and thus her range was severely limited to those within her immediate proximity, leading to her only being able to utilize it when enemies had entered into close quarters with her. Also, she wasn’t skilled enough to use the skill to pick up objects that weighed more than her actual strength. Heavy objects were most definitely out of the question. Naturally, humans were included in the former category- even a baby weighed a considerable amount and fully grown adults were almost untouchable with her level of inexperience. 

However, it seemed as if that Dark Knight could have easily pulled that measly object out. 

It appeared as if the menacing Dark Knight had an unshakeable command over his magic and expertise regarding the technique, using the versatile and adaptable approach as an unavoidable, lethal course of attack. The strategy sowed plentiful seeds of fear deep into the pliant soil of our hearts. We could only watch as he, with his undeniable prowess, threw Zefa who was still struggling against his invisible restraints uselessly, back into the hard ground. 

「GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!」 

「RETREAT!!! EVERYONE, SAVE YOURSELVES!!! HIYAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!」 

Godan’s booming voice shook the air as his words resonated, breaking the eerie silence that had settled over us like a leaden blanket. His hammer, grasped within his right hand, struck the ground with a ferocity that rivaled the Thor, the Norse god of Thunder. His strength was as expected of his large and powerful frame, the ground where his hammer had pummeled the earth broke apart with a pained groan, raising dark, writhing clouds of dust that obscured everything I could see. 

It was possible that just as our vision was obscured, so would the Dark Knight’s. Under the shroud of dust, using it’s cover as a protective veil, Godan meant for us to escape away from this situation. We followed the instructions that he had barked out and hastily retreated from that awful place. I didn’t want to stay and linger there for even a second more than I had to. I didn’t know if the feeling that arose within me was cowardice or self-preservation…it was the least of my worries in such a dangerous and chaotic moment. 

Godan followed close on our heels, his muscular physique serving its purpose as he easily carried Zefa while running, hefting the leader of our now ruined mission over one of his broad shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Meanwhile, Novis was carried by Justy, her lithe frame deceiving her immense strength. The pair lagged near the tail of the group as we made a straight beeline to escape these cursed ruins. 

「Big sis Keyna!! Please carry Madi!!」 

「I understand.」 

The slowest amongst us, Madi was being carried by big sis Keyna.Bringing up the rear of the group, Madi was the slowest among us. Her delicate figure was quickly scooped up by Big sis Keyna upon the exclamation of my observations. The pair slowly picked up their pace. 

I was nearly there, I could see the tantalizing sight of the exit, the way out of this damn situation in which I should have never been involved in the first place. But, a finger’s stretch away from freedom, my escape was halted… 

THUNK. 

Suddenly, something struck the back of my head. 

「WHAT THE….」 

The object that had struck my head fell to the ground limply. It was a large, dull rock. It seems like I got hit by the one of the many stones that was scattered around when Godan assaulted the ground. My vision turned fuzzy, slowly fading to ink dark black, as despite my best efforts, I slipped to the unrelenting grasp of oblivion. 

=== 

◆Dark Knight Kuroki 

「Phew they finally left this place…」 

The freedom fighters had finally been vanquished from this place. Getting rid of their presence was akin to exterminating a couple of troublesome cockroaches, it wasn’t really a difficult task but it was annoying either way. 

In the first place, I have no intention to kill them and just repelling them.The goal that had fuelled all my actions until this point was never to kill them, it was simply to repel them away from this place. In the first place, my only intention was to get rid of them so that the lizardmen could continue on in peace. 

The dust swirled through the air like a skilled dancer until as if getting ready for the next act of the performance, it dissipated and my range of vision cleared up. 

「…EH!?」 

A certain thing caught my eyes.I was struck speechless by the sight that greeted me after the veil of dust finally lifted. I was arrested in place, the scene of a girl falling to the firm, unrelenting ground limply, unconscious caught my eyes. 

I rushed over to the place where the limp figure of the wounded girl lay. I hovered over the girl’s side, bending onto one knee and took a long look at that girl’s face. 

She was a beautiful girl. To be honest, she didn’t look like a freedom fighter at all.The girl was beautiful in an elegant manner, her features were fine and delicate- the slope of her cheekbones was a gentle curve and her hair flowed around her head like a halo, shiny as the high quality silk of one of the finest kimonos. To be completely honest, she didn’t seem like a freedom fighter from any angle. I suppose, her slight and waif-like figure belied the strength she undoubtedly possessed. 

If my memory served me correctly, Novis had called this girl by the name of Shizufae. 

.After that bulky figure of the Hero of Earth, known as Godan destroyed the ground, it seemed as if she accidentally got struck by one of the many spare rocks that was flung into the air as a result of his actions. 

I was completely clueless about how I should proceed. After all, I was severely lacking the required knowledge, having little to no experience with administering medical treatment. I gazed at the severe wound that spanned the length of her forehead, there was severe bleeding…this girl might actually be dead soon if I left her here, with that degree of injury left untreated, it was only a matter of time. 

「This is bad…」 

To make the matter worse, I couldn’t use healing magic. Perhaps, things might have been different if Kuna had been here with me, unfortunately, she wasn’t- I couldn’t rely on her advice and guidance this time. I looked over at the girl’s face which was steadily growing paler as time passed by. I couldn’t just leave her here. I had to do something, anything at all. 

Though Shirone seemed to be able to use a bit of healing magic, I had no idea what exactly the extent of her capabilities was, if her healing magic would even work or how much it would serve as help to heal this girl’s wound. I racked through all my options in my brain, aware that with every passing moment, her condition increasingly became worse and worse. 

「What should I do now…」 

Turning her into my familiar as I had done with Regena was the one case I absolutely wanted to avoid under any circumstances. I speedily filed it away in my mind as my very last resort. If possible, I would do as much as I could to ensure it wouldn’t come to that. 

「I guess I have no choice…I’ll have to ask her, won’t I? Good grief! She is the absolute last person in both worlds that I wanted to owe a debt of gratitude to…urgh.」 

By my reference to her, I was of course referring to the person from whom Kuna had originated. If she was the original version of Kuna, there was a possibility that she might be able to use healing magic more skillfully than even Kuna herself, at the very least, she would be as good or adequate. That would have to work for now. With this conviction in my head, mind made up, I carried Shizufae as I left that place. 

=== 

◆Sword’s Maiden Shirone 

「Shirone-sama!! Please save Shizufae!!」 

Novis who suddenly barged, broke the peaceful silence that had covered the expanse of the room like he had jumped on thin ice, the sheet collapsing beneath his chaotic and loud actions. He pleaded and begged me desperately while he looked at me in despair. His eyes glimmered with unshed tears and expectation as he looked upon me like I was his only hope. I suppose that I actually was. He wasn’t the only one. He was accompanied by the member’s who were a part of Shizufae’s party. In unison, they all bowed their heads to me in supplication. 

According to their explanation, it seems they went to exterminate the lizardmen around noon. According to the stumbled explanation which I had to coax out of Novis, it seemed as if they went on a mission to exterminate the lizardmen around noon today. I guess they were unfortunate to interrupt Kuroki’s meeting with the lizardmen and happen upon him. 

Well, to be exact, they seemed so very unlucky that they felt cursed. 

「Shizufae is one of our comrades…an important member of the party. However, our powers, even combined, aren’t enough strength to save…please…save her. P-please, I beg you Shirone-sama!」 

Novis uttered his statement with clenched teeth, trying and failing to cover up the anger and frustration etched into his heart. 

「Fine then. I’m gonna go pick her up now alright? I trust you know what to do after that, isn’t that right? You handle her afterwards, alright?」 

I spat out the sentence while shooting Novis a searing glare that had him ducking his head to avoid my piercing gaze. 

「Ah, I understand. I’ll go and begin apologizing to her properly after she’s recovered….」 

It was interesting to see that stubborn, insensitive, bullheaded Hero of Fire called Novis I had initially encountered become this meek, pitiful creature.It appeared as if Shizufae was an important person in his life, maybe someone close to his heart? 

If my assumptions were correct, this would cause his perception of the world to make a complete revolution on his axis. That’s why I wanted him to think carefully and reflect on both his actions and their inevitable consequences. Alright, I guess I still held a bit of a grudge. 

It seems like you really care about Shizufae, that she’s truly an important person in your life and close to your heart, it’s similar to how I care about Kuroki. He means a lot to me. That was the entire reason why I was so enraged when Novis had suddenly attacked Kuroki for such a silly and inconsequential reason. I could still remember the manner of his behavior during that time- he was like a wild, rabid animal at that moment, lacking any of the clarity and perception you would expect out of a person. 

I wanted him to reflect on that rude and reckless behaviour. 

「Good. You may return now. We’re going to start making preparations for her retrieval.」 

「Uhm…take…me…too, please.」 

「Rejected. You will just end up being a hindrance.」 

A dark gloom settled over Novis, visibly dejected when I curtly rejected his participation. 

「Alright, I understand…」 

The rest of the party dragged their feet, reluctant to leave, dejection etched deeply on their faces. The lehargy echoed in each of the member’s movements- it was clear that they were currently subject to a deep sense of guilt that weighed them down. Of course, realizing that they had left Shizufae behind, even accidentally, that they had failed to protect one of their own…well, that must certainly not be an easy burden to carry upon their conscience. 

「Aren’t they rather pitiful?」 

Surveying the sight before my eyes, I couldn’t help but agree. They were indeed pathetic. However, this was Novis’s punishment for punching Kuroki. They deserved at least this much. 

「No, I think they deserved at least this degree of punishment.」 

Kaya-san, from her place at my side, voiced out my thoughts perfectly. 

「So you think so, Kaya-san. Moreover, Kuroki brought someone back with him a while ago, right.」 

In actuality, the girl named Shizufae had already been saved. The wounded Freedom Fighter had been brought back by Kuroki hours ago, before Novis and the rest of his company could even make their request towards me. She was peacefully resting in a room hidden deep inside an obscure wing of this temple. Rena’s healing magic had truly worked wonders, the girl was almost completely healed. Thank goodness. I had no doubt in my mind that if her fate had been even slightly different, that Kuroki left her there…she would have died. We would have never made it in time to save her. Just look how much time they had wasted by delaying their request and dawdling. 

Anyway, Shizufae was safe and sound. That was why I was just pretending to make an effort to rescue Shizufae and prepare for such an excursion- it was hard not to betray my utter lack of surprise at their request, since I became informed of their foolish mission and its disastrous outcome beforehand. I wonder how they would react once it was revealed to them that the girl they wanted to save so badly had been rescued ages ago? That it was all a charade and she had been safe during this entire debacle? 

.In addition to the encounter with this foolish, motley group of heroes, it seemed that Kuroki had gained some useful information during his trip to the labyrinth. A clue regarding the best way to capture the labyrinth had been revealed, thanks to the cooperation of the colony of lizardmen who resided there. As expected of Kuroki. Excellent as usual. 

「Well then, time to take a stroll. We have to stay in character and  keep with our act.Don’t we, Kaya-san?」 

Upon proclaiming my thoughts to Kaya, I then promptly left the room. 

=== 

◆Valkyrie[War Maiden], Shizufae 

「Oh my…I see that you’ve finally woken up.」 

When I opened my eyes blearily, the world was unfocused and fuzzy, as if I was viewing it through fog ridden glasses. Shaking my head back and forth gently, my vision slowly cleared up. In my line of sight was an extremely gorgeous and beautiful woman. She seemed ethereal, almost reminiscent of the moon with her platinum blond hair and unblemished porcelain skin. She was most definitely one of the most stunning women I had ever seen, a transcendent beauty. Her radiance was almost unbelievable, the shock I felt seeing this goddess like woman far surpassed my shock during the instance when I had glimpsed the Black Haired Sage for the very first time. 

Who exactly was this beauty? 

「Uhm….who are you?」 

A gentle smile bloomed delicately like a fresh flower across the beauty’s face when I asked for her name. 

Despite also being a woman, I wasn’t immune to her charms- a hot red blush spread across my face uncontrollably. No doubt I looked very flushed, but it was a side effect of bearing witness to such a beautiful and bright smile. 

「Good job, human child. Allow me to adequately show my gratitude towards you.」 

「Gratitude?」 

「Yes, seeing him bowing his head to me make me feels so good.」 

The beauty was giggling merrily as she chirped on, oblivious or apathetic to my confusion. 

I had no idea what exactly her words meant though. No matter how much I tried to puzzle out their significance, they remained as cryptic as ever. 

「So, here’s a little grace for you.」 

The beauty extended her hand towards my forehead, the gentle weight of her fingertips was strangely reassuring and pleasant. As soon as she pressed all three fingers onto my forehead, I suddenly felt a rush of power surging into my body. 

「Hehehe. Well then, please take care of the resulting aftermath for me, apostle Leylia.」 

After throwing a glance behind her and stating her comment, the beauty gracefully rose from where she had been perched and tugged onto her hood until it hid her face completely. Her beauty was obscured in a mix of darkly cast shadows and pitch black wool. Upon her completing her action, I promptly recalled where I had seen her. She was the person who had come along with Shirone-san back when she had arrived here at the temple. 

「Shizufae-san!!!」 

After that hooded beauty left the room, Leylia-san quickly scurried to my side. It seemed that she had been in the room since the beginning, when I had woken up. I guess I was too occupied staring at that heavenly and alluring woman. Leylia came and sat on one side of the bed where I was lying down. Her behavior at the moment could certainly be described as abnormal and strange. 

「Leylia…-san?」 

「Shizufae-san! How envious!!! To think that you had the honor to be healed personally by that revered person!!!」 

Leylia-san gently took one of my hands within hers, a stark contrast to the frenzied fanaticism evident from the tone of her voice. It was unsettling to see the typically calm and composed Leylia-san lose her unflappable attitude. 

「What exactly happened to me,Leylia-san? How did I end up here? The last thing I remember…it was almost escaping with the rest of my company and a sharp pain flaring up on the back of my head.」 

「Shizufae-san…you were saved from the labyrinth and that Dark Knight just in the nick of time by Shirone-sama.」 

「Oh, is that so? Alright, I understand what happened now…」 

I made a mental note to thank Shirone-sama later. A wave of gratitude arose from within my chest. Although Shirone-sama undoubtedly had a bit of a temper, she was ultimately a good person. No hero could be a bad person after all. I chalked my first impression of Shirone-sama off to an anomalous blip in her behavior. 

「Even so, I’m so glad that you’re safe and sound. I was very worried about you.」 

Leylia-san lightly chuckled. 

「Come to think of it, who was that extremely beautiful person just now?」 

My curiosity bubbled up to the surface uncontrollably, like the effervescence in a freshly opened can of soda that had been shaken well. I was really quite curious about that person’s identity. Her beautiful and mysterious words, coupled with the reverential manner in which Leylia-san referred to her had all piqued my interest. 

「That perso— nay, that esteemed persona was the Goddess Rena-sama. She was the one who healed your wound…that’s why I’m really envious of you. It is an immense honor- you should be very grateful, Shizufae-san.」 

Leylia-san replied so while softly shaking her head back and forth. Her eyes were focused on the floor as she bit her lip, trying to conceal the envy that was painted across her face as clear as day. 

My eyes grew wide, no doubt I looked like I felt- a deer caught in the headlights. I felt like my world had stopped for a moment, as I tried desperately to comprehend and assimilate that ground-shaking piece of information. 

「No way….that person…is the Goddess-sama?」 

To say I was shocked by this sudden revelation was most definitely an understatement, if not the understatement of the year. No doubt, I was stupidly gaping, my mouth opening and closing wordlessly like a fish out of water. 

=== 

◆Dark Knight Kuroki 

「How did this happen to me?」 

Why the hell did I have to bow down before Rena, prostrating myself at her feet just to save the life of one freedom fighter girl?! Wasn’t that her job in the first place? Wasn’t it her duty as the Protector of Humans to care for them and heal one of the wounded humans she came across without manipulation, coercion or complaint?! And yet that scheming woman called Rena refused to do so. Selflessness and generosity, my ass! If the people who worshipped her so devotedly and faithfully knew of her true colors, they would pick up their pitchforks and begin a riot. 

Huh…God being the savior of humanity is simply just a pipe dream created by the human imagination to cope with the harsh realities of life. The Gods won’t save humans. In the first place, Gods are apathetic beings. I, who knew the events that had led to the creations of humans, was very aware of the fundamental fact that Gods didn’t exist for humans- humans exist for the Gods. That’s why, deep down,  I wasn’t surprised with Rena’s arrogance and apathy- there was nothing strange regarding Rena not saving a human even when they were on the verge of death. 

The face Rena made clearly screamed her disinterest. It was almost as if her expression clearly read  ‘If you really want to save Shizufae, why don’t you save her yourself?’. 

Thus, I was left with no choice. The only way forward which involved saving Shizufae’s life was bowing my head before Rena. The triumph that had spread across Rena’s beautiful face when she saw me bowing before her was etched into my mind…I couldn’t, I wouldn’t forget it under any circumstances. It was a sight that haunted and danced tauntingly across the dark of my eyes everytime I closed them. 

In the first place, why did I, a Dark Knight have to bow before a Goddess just to save one mere freedom fighter’s life?! 

.I could almost taste my rebellion on my tongue. I want so badly to retort that it was supposed to be the opposite, right? However, I had no choice but to swallow my retort unvoiced like bitter, disgusting medicine. 

「Good grief, just why in hell did I do that…」 

I couldn’t do anything but heave a sigh. What was done was done. Now Rena had another card to play against me. Shit.