The Death Knight Became an Escort Knight for the Saintess

21. Lady of the Death Knight

21.

“… I am Ezerniel Belcadros. Do you remember the name Belcardros, living death?”

It was a snowy night. It was a night where even the moonlight would be buried in snow that would freeze everything in the world, but it wasn’t hard to find him. There is only one living death who rides a headless horse with blood-red eyes glistening menacingly. The demons cautiously approached him as he gazed at the sky from the edge of the cliff.

Zerpied looked at the four demons approaching him. Composed of two pairs of men and women, they were all frozen in tension. He opened his mouth slowly.

“Of course I remember, Belcardros. A drow who has been given the title of Great Devil. He once made a pact with him. He wanted to suppress all races and become the ruler of the world with his people.”

Relief rises on the faces of the four demons. This time, the demons next to the woman started talking one after another.

“My name is Azel Travie. Living Death, do you remember the name Travie…… !”

“My name is Ethionor Drika… !”

“I am Leithia Raziel… !”

“I know, Travie, Raziel, Dreika. They were all generals under the command of Belcardros.”

The couple looked at each other and sighed in relief. Zerfied quietly heard them introduce themselves as the 6th or 7th generation of great devils and generals. Taking one look at their faces, he thought they were somehow similar to the ones he remembered.

“But what kind of business did the great devil and the descendants of his generals come to me?”

Ezernel brought up a business to him with a much brighter voice.

“Please stop going north. You are the living death. We know that other races are currently fighting against you. The entire continent fell into war as a result. I have no intention of criticizing or blaming you. In the past, thanks to you, we, Drow, were able to move closer to our dream of world domination. We have succeeded in making our status known. But up here is our home. Perhaps that will never happen, but I would like to receive a promise not to go north any further.”

Zerpied took another look at them slowly. It was also somewhat similar to the faces in my memory. As if facing an old memory, he quietly opened his mouth with a feeling that was incompatible with it. He had heard it before, so the answer was the same as before.

“Take cover.”

Of course, Ezernel, who was thinking of a promise not to do so, had to answer one beat late.

“…… Yes?”

“Stay away. It is impossible to stop marching north.”

But his words did not change.

“What is that now…… ?”

“Leave this place and take shelter elsewhere. I have no intention of attacking even those who have no will to oppose them.”

“Leave?!”

The last words were Azel’s. His eyes were shaking badly. Ethionor and Leytheia then opened their mouths.

“To where? Where are you talking?!”

“The northern part of the world is devastated by war, and a plague is seething in the southern part! But leave?! Abandoning this place where you have lived for hundreds of years?! Where and how are you going to live?”

“…… Avoid yourself.”

An empty laugh flowed from Asel’s mouth.

“… It’s like you don’t intend to keep us alive. I’m sure you know that going elsewhere is just suicidal. It’s been a long time since the other place has turned into a wasteland, to leave? Ha ha ha ha ha…… ! At least, trees that bear fruit and animals live here. Go somewhere else!!”

His eyes were bloodshot. So did Ethionor. Leytheia was biting his lip. He was biting so hard that his lips were white. Ezernel just stared blankly at Zerfied. It was hard for her to believe what her living death said.

“…… Are you kidding me?”

Ezernel asked helplessly. Zer Pied shook her head emphatically. The moment he saw the action, Ezernel thought he was in the air instead of on the ground. Seriously and calmly, Zerfied conveyed the same words to them as before. This time she tried to put firmness in her tone. It had to be made clear that this was the only escape route left to them.

“Stay away. At my speed, it will take five days to reach your place of residence. It will be three days at the earliest. So, get out of here as soon as possible. You who live here know geography better than I do.”

It will be more helpful for them to avoid the body if you give them a specific deadline. At least three days is a reasonable period of time to get out of here. Now he thought that the demons in front of him would share this information with his own people as they lived there.

Until I confirmed that they were just watching me without moving.

And Death Knight, who saw their expressions, had to feel embarrassed. One was glaring at her with her face distorted, one with a stunned expression, and two shaking like mad. One of them was biting his lip, and the other was clenching his wrist so much that the blood didn’t flow.

“… Why are you doing that? Didn’t you hear me? I’ll say it again. Please evacuate as soon as possible.”

“Why… Called… ?”

It was like a death sentence for them. The fact that there was only simple information to avoid the body came to an unavoidable reality as a specific deadline was set. They couldn’t run away from that cruel reality. Angel laughed madly. The man, who had been laughing with a chuckle, shouted harshly as he pointed at Zerfied with his index finger as if he were laughing.

“Why?! Why?! How is that different from telling us to go out and die! When our drow declared domination of the past world, how much I believed in you and followed you! Is this the only reward for that trust? You want me to go out and die?!”

Azel’s body started to become covered with demonic energy. Her eyes are bloodshot, and her muscles bulge. A red energy wriggled in the battle ax he pulled out from his back. Spreading his wings, he rushed towards Zerfied.

“You traitor!”

“Azel! For a moment… !”

Ezernel, who had been lost in his spell, finally realized the situation and reached out to him, but he had already left his seat.

Zerpied felt miserable. In the end, he had no choice but to treat this man the same way as the demons who had visited him before. There was no way. Those demons treated themselves the same way as that man. He swung the Partisan once. The slash roars with a grotesque sound and soars through the air. The cliff on the other side was hit by a slash, and screams vibrated in all directions.

-Koo Goo Goo!

The body, which had lost its head, fell to the ground as if staggering. The dismembered body wriggled eccentrically, as if thinking that the head was still there. It wasn’t clear whether Ethionor and Leytheia screamed because they saw the head being cut off or because they saw the strange wriggling body.

What is certain is that the moment they screamed, the two of them rushed at the Death Knight with bloodshot bodies. The two of them, almost to the limit of demonic energy, had a body that seemed to be bursting with blood. Once again, Zerfied felt miserable and had to repeat the previous action. He wielded the Partizan. The wind pressure from the slash made a mysterious sound.

-Key profit!

‘…… !’

The next moment, Zer Pied had to move his arm as if he was making a slash. It was because the descendants of Belcardros threw themselves between the two demons and the slash. It barely twisted, but the slash that had already begun to leave didn’t move that massive body much.

Jernel, unable to even cry, threw himself between Slasher and his comrades. He had to block It was a pointless act of suicide. Following Azell, the two couldn’t be sent like this. She closed her eyes as the sharp slash whizzed past her. Her left side was hot. Her lethargic body was pushed back all too easily.

She lifted her barely-closed eyelids in that dizzying feeling of floating thrown into the air. Her vision was blurry, but she could see the figures of a man and a woman wriggling strangely like Azel. In the end, she threw herself out to no avail. And she could see the Death Knight reaching out as she ran toward her.

She couldn’t stop laughing. After lightly slaughtering her own companion, she holds out her hand to herself.

She reached out her hand, but she didn’t grab the Death Knight’s hand. She lightly pushed away the hand she had reached out to save herself. Ezernel threw herself into the darkness of the cliff like that. In the darkness that enveloped her, she was finally able to let her cry out.

Tears wet Ezernel’s cheeks. Her body trembled helplessly as she was grabbed by the throat and lifted into the air by her living death. Overpowered, she could do nothing more. At best, she’ll just tease her limbs and slap them down.

“Why… Didn’t you kill me… ! Why did she deflect the attack… ! Why did you make me live…… !”

“……… We do not attack even those who have no intention of being hostile.”

The flame that flicked her tongue, almost devouring half of her body, slowly died down. As her willpower diminished, the Demon God’s flame naturally lost its power. She stretched out her axis and set her down on the floor of the common room.

The demons groaned and watched their leader. As long as her demigod was subdued, even if she rushed at her own, she would not be able to save her and would only die a meaningless death.

A word of self-help escaped her mouth.

“…… Will you kill Just as you killed my own people about 1,000 years ago, will my people now be trampled on like that? Because they attacked you now?”

As he lay on the ground casually, Ezernel laughed. Zer Pied, who was staring at that figure, opened his mouth. It was like a sigh.

“…… Ezerniel Belcardros. Your father-in-law was a man of honor. Just as Belkar Dros had his back on me, I could turn my back on him and wield his spear. Travie, Raziel, Dry Car… So did they.

They were by my side, and thanks to them, I was able to advance with only my front sight. So Ezerniel Belcardros. Just let us go Please help me to keep my honor with Belcardros.”

“… Honor? Kkeukkeuk… Ha ha ha… ! Honor? Do you dare to speak of honor? Talking about honor after so mercilessly cutting down us who came to live, begged not to go north, who just wanted to live? No, no… Why is a bastard who talks about honor in the first place here? A bastard who values honor so much, is killed by that proud chivalry. Why are you standing here with your legs outstretched?”

At those words, the body of the living death did not move as if it had hardened. He opened his mouth he was about to open wanted to open It was just a mindset. Why is he himself here? He did not dare to answer that. Instead, it was a soft voice that answered. Zer Pied barely heard the voice and turned his head in the direction he came from.

“Bullshit.”

The saintess spoke coldly with her clear voice. It was an unexpected voice, so Ezernel had to ask in a daze.

“What…… ?”

“I said it was bullshit. Did she go to live? You just wanted to live? Stop talking nonsense.”

“Ha… ! Is it wrong to just want to live?”

“Have you forgotten what you guys did in the past? Have you forgotten how Prime Evil Velkardros tried to shake off his tyranny across the world? Then what about them? What other races are up against you? Wouldn’t they want to live? Were those people just willing to throw away their lives because they were meaningless?

Through the knight, you stained the world with blood and tried to gain hegemony, and while you are proud of that fact, do you criticize the knight for taking the opposite position during the life-and-death war? It’s such an absurd duality. Even though I’m just a kid who hasn’t lived 1,000 years, I can say this for sure.

You have no right to dare criticize the knight.”

At those cold and sharp words, Ezernel burst into laughter. Ezernel, who let out a wry smile, asked Esilia. It was a word full of sarcasm.

“… What a wild year. You are a priest The priest wakes up the ridiculous undead and takes it with you. After all, isn’t it because you also have another purpose? Well, did he even want to recreate the Holy Empire that existed in the past? So, did you sign a contract to protect you until then? Taking that lump of iron with you as an example of how you reformed him?”

A trembling sound came from the saintess’s mouth. But it was a determined word.

“…… I want to live. That’s it…. That’s right, I’m a cleric, and waking up a knight in itself is an unfathomable sin. I can’t blame this person for entrusting myself to the knight. So, I can say for sure. I can’t blame you or me or the driver,”

“…… Under.”

Ezernel could not respond to the saintess’ words. That’s why she had to ask a fundamental question, not an answer.

“…… Why the hell did you come here?”

The saintess quietly pointed her finger to the necklace Ezernel was wearing. Ezernel wanted to make her laugh, but he had to hold back. If I laughed more here, the injured area seemed like it would tear.

“…… Was Taejo’s belongings the purpose?”

“I am not asking for free. I will heal everyone here. I will take it in return.”

“…… What nonsense are you talking about?”

The one who answered the saintess’s words was Kelcrod. He led his weary body and supported his head to his feet.

“All? How do you heal everyone? The kids on the floor are already dead. Plus healing hundreds of people at once? A sound that makes sense…….”

“No, I am not dead.”

Instead of continuing her words further, Celia emitted her divine power from her entire body. Brilliant golden light spread through the air like her snow falling. Kelkrod had never seen such a powerful divine power.

So, as if he had witnessed a miracle, he had to watch in a daze as the wounds of those scattered like corpses were attached, and their vitality was filled up again. It’s almost absurd. In the meantime, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut at the golden eyes that accurately missed the Death Knight.

Ezernel also had to feel the wonder beyond absurdity while watching the miracle. He could clearly feel the power resurging in his own body. Resisting her temptation to annihilate living death with this power, she slowly looked around. Her own people with similar faces were everywhere.

All of them had stupid expressions of surprise. And the look of exhaustion was evident on their faces. No wonder. Because divine power doesn’t even solve mental fatigue. And now, as head of the Drow, she had to make a decision. She leaned against Kelklord and spoke in a tired voice.

“…… Turn them both off Never come here again.”

A cheerful metallic sound fell through the air. As Zer Pied expected to receive, Celia had to rush past him and snatch the silver necklace that fell in front of her. Above her, the Death Knight’s voice was low. It was an unrefined voice.

“… Don’t let it go.”

–

It was already dark outside. Past the ancient temple carved out of majesty, past the frozen cliffs that had endured the harsh winds and sharpened themselves with bravery, the saintess and the Death Knight came into the forest of Lebaim, which conceals darkness. The Death Knight didn’t say anything until he entered the forest again. She looked at Eccilia anxiously at such an escort knight.

The saintess said to the Death Knight, who was watching the pale full moon while warming herself by a bonfire.

“… Still, I finally got one of the items that block the divine power.”

“… ….”

“… I… ?”

“…… Hmm? I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“… Are you okay?”

Zer Pied shook his head. However, the saintess felt that it was not an expression of negation. It was not an act of denial, but more like an action that seemed to ward off sleep and get rid of thoughts. The saintess asked the Death Knight in a worried voice.

“A knight?”

Zer Pied’s body trembled. It was a very small movement, but the saintess knew that he was trembling with anxiety. Because it was a movement I saw a lot. Healing the dying in the cathedral, I got tired of watching that kind of motion. The saintess drew close to her seated escort knight.

“Sir, you are really good… ….”

The saintess was speechless. She flinched, visibly more anxious than before. She was a saint, and at the same time, she seemed to be getting anxious herself.

“A knight? Why are you…….”

“Ecilia, please don’t call me that.”

Zerpied’s voice was trembling violently. It was a voice he had never heard before.

“Article… sir… ?”

“Don’t call me that.”

His voice cracked. After taking a few breaths, Zer Peed struggled to spit out his words.

“I can’t be called that. I’m not someone who dares to be called a title that is only allowed for those who make that honor their business….”

The saintess seemed to know what the Death Knight was talking about. He wasn’t talking about a knight as a simple occupation, but a knight used as a symbol for those who pursue honor. The knight that appears in legends or old stories. Every knight dreams of becoming such a knight. But I couldn’t figure out why he was talking about it now.

“Ezerniel is right. I would not dare to speak of honor. It would make no sense to discuss it with my own existence alone…….”

A bonfire roars. The dark shadow swallows the shape of the Death Knight, which is half submerged in darkness. Ecilia slowly brushed the Death Knight’s armor with her hand.

“What…… ?”

“Do you know how undead are created?”

Escelia was about to say that she knew about it. Even if she shuns it as long as she is a priest, since she is her main enemy, she should have known it to some extent. But the Death Knight did not hear her answer and told her. It was as if she was trying to make an excuse.

“If it’s an ordinary undead, the necromancer shares his own life and makes it dwell, then uses it as his subordinate. But for undead with egos like me, what is commonly called high-level undead, it’s a different story. In order for the ego to be maintained, the will of the target, not the magician, must be instilled. And in the process, the target must want it.”

Death Knight hid himself further into the darkness of the night. In her field of vision there was nothing but the blood-red eyes that shimmered in the gaps of her helm and the haphazardly placed feet. Ecilia muttered what she found out, sparsely.

“Then… When someone tries to turn you into an undead… Wanted it…… ?”

“Oh, worse than that. I made this myself, no one else.”

All I could see now was bloody eyes.

“You see? It is as if I have abandoned the chivalry of honoring myself and accepting the end with honor. I dare not be called that… You’ve been ignoring me for too long… I couldn’t bear to see that fact again, so I tried to ignore it… I am….”

It was hard to fully understand the contents of the self-deprecating words muttered behind the scenes. However, the saintess knew one thing. And it was an obvious fact. She thought that the fact that she was a saint and that the escort knights were not looking was just another obvious fact. She, the saint, put on her obstinate expression and approached her own escort knight.

“Knight.”

The bloody eyes flickered.

“Knight.”

“I…… !”

“Mr. Look at me.”

The Death Knight shuddered and met her eyes with the saintess.

“Look straight at me.”

Zerpied realized the meaning of those words. With a trembling gesture he lifted his armor from his own face. Ecilia matched those clear eyes with bloody eyes.

“Mr. Do you remember that I healed all the demons in the cavity? Even the demons defeated by the knight. As the knight knows, it’s impossible to bring him back to life when he’s already dead. But I was able to save them. The demons who received the knight’s attack with their whole body. There’s no way the knight who killed Tessien and Philed at once couldn’t kill them. You didn’t kill them on purpose, did you?”

Zerpied opened his mouth to say something. Ecilia did not allow an answer.

“Do you still remember the driver? I don’t know exactly what happened, but Ezernel didn’t attack the knight in the past. But she lost one of her eyes. Even though she didn’t attack.

So the knight could have killed everyone in her, including her, but he didn’t. Just silently accepting the attack. Because the driver knew. That she has gone mad for her revenge because of you, knight.”

Zer Pied blinked his eyes once….

Her own image is reflected in her deep blue eyes like the sea and red eyes that burn like the sun…….

“By the way, was this person so troubled by such a double accusation? He said Neither I nor that person are qualified to criticize the knight. All of them were helped by the driver. So, in the future. Please don’t be bothered by such ridiculous accusations, and only care about protecting me.”

The saintess smiled brightly. Her clouds lift and the full moon emerges. The graceful figure of her saintess is reflected in her moonlight.

“Because I am the knight’s lady.”

Death Knight stared blankly at her, then she let out a smirk and closed her eyes. Death Knight, who is comforted by her holy maiden, or even her Undead, is probably the only one like that.

And now she is now dazed, the viewer has become a saint. At the death knight’s laughter she had never seen before, she seemed to have forgotten to blink.

Zerpied slowly leaned against the back of the tree. With his eyes still closed, he exhaled and whispered.

“Thank you, Lady Esilia.”

The moonlight piles up on the pure white snow.