Ch. 10 Munchkin – Chapter 10
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 10
Before becoming a Death Knight, Darcan was the greatest knight in the kingdom.
No one could match his swordsmanship, and he was a symbol of terror to enemy forces.
But even he had one weakness.
He became endlessly lenient in front of cute girls.
Darcan would forget important missions while playing with girls he met in villages during wars and even leak confidential information to them.
Yet, because his swordsmanship was unmatched in the kingdom, no one made an issue of his weakness.
The war was going smoothly, and Darcan’s army advanced relentlessly to the gates of the enemy’s capital.
Only the final battle remained.
Victory seemed almost certain.
The enemy had completely lost their will to fight and didn’t even dare to step outside their castle.
In such a state, the enemy’s princess, Lilliana, was unexpectedly captured as a hostage.
Darcan’s army was in a festive mood.
Lilliana was the only princess of the enemy kingdom, at just ten years old.
She was adored by the entire enemy nation for her cute appearance, and rumors were rife that the king cherished her deeply.
With Lilliana as a hostage, victory was practically handed to them.
The commander of Darcan’s army, Marquis Hylder, immediately sent a letter to the enemy.
[If you want to save the princess, open the gates and surrender at once!]
While waiting for a reply, Darcan decided to meet Lilliana.
He was curious about her appearance.
What kind of looks could make her so beloved by the entire nation?
Lilliana was imprisoned in a makeshift cell, guarded heavily by soldiers.
But as Darcan approached, the soldiers saluted and made way for him.
No soldier had the guts to block Darcan, the kingdom’s greatest knight.
Thanks to that, Darcan entered the cell without any issues.
And the moment he finally faced Lilliana…
“!”
He was struck breathless.
Curly golden hair, large eyes, a petite nose…
Lilliana’s appearance was like an angel descended from heaven.
Lilliana looked at Darcan with a frightened expression.
Tears welled up in her large eyes, and her small lips trembled.
‘H-How can someone be this cute…!’
Darcan felt something ‘thud’ in his heart.
Lilliana spoke.
“Please… spare me….”
Her voice trembled pitifully.
The tears in her large eyes seemed ready to fall at any moment.
“Don’t hurt me….”
“I-I won’t hurt you….”
Darcan muttered, entranced.
“I’ll never hurt you… I won’t let anyone hurt you….”
“Really…?”
“Really….”
Lilliana’s eyes wavered.
“T-Then, can you swear to me?”
“…”
At that moment, Darcan briefly regained his senses.
Swear?
Swear to the enemy’s princess?
That was absurd. It was treason.
Lilliana took a step closer.
Thud-
“Swear to me… protect me… and then….”
Lilliana clasped her hands to her chest and spoke with a wistful expression.
“I’ll be very grateful to you…”
“…”
Darcan’s expression twisted.
Two emotions began to clash within him.
On one side was his sense of duty as a loyal knight of the kingdom.
On the other was the desire to protect this adorable being before him.
‘I-I am a knight of the kingdom. I can’t swear to the enemy’s princess…’
Thud-
Lilliana took another step closer and gently took Darcan’s hand.
“Swear to me…”
She whispered softly, blinking her eyes.
“…”
Darcan, who had been staring at Lilliana, let go of her hand with a stern expression.
Then he knelt on one knee and said,
“I swear, from now on, my sword is yours.”
Darcan finally pledged his oath.
It was the moment the tide turned.
Darcan then escaped with Lilliana.
In the process, he killed dozens of fellow knights and soldiers, but he managed to safely bring Lilliana to the gates of the enemy’s capital.
At the gates, Lilliana spoke.
“Thank you, Darcan. You saved me. But… will you be okay?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“You’ll die. For treason.”
“…I know.”
Darcan forced a smile.
After killing dozens of fellow knights and soldiers and helping a key hostage escape, Darcan’s fate was sealed.
No matter how exceptional his swordsmanship was, this was an unforgivable crime.
“…Do you regret it?”
Lilliana asked cautiously.
“Do you regret swearing loyalty to me and helping me escape?”
“I don’t regret it.”
Darcan was resolute.
“You are a lovely being that is worth much more than my life, Princess.”
“…”
A slow smile spread across Lilliana’s lips.
A smile so lovely it could melt Darcan’s heart.
Looking at that smile, Darcan thought,
‘I did the right thing.’
Just then, a loud noise came from behind.
“There he is! Catch him!”
“Darcan, you madman! What have you done!”
“Don’t let the princess go!”
Darcan’s army had caught up.
Lilliana looked frightened, and Darcan quickly said,
“Go inside, Princess. I’ll handle the rest.”
“D-Darcan…”
“Hurry. I’ll be fine.”
“Darcan… I’ll never forget you for the rest of my life…”
Lilliana spoke in a tearful voice and hurriedly stepped inside the castle gates.
Darcan smiled bitterly and drew his sword.
“Never forget me for the rest of my life…”
That was enough for him.
◈
“…”
After hearing Darcan’s story, Lucy stared blankly into the air.
Her mind was a mess.
What kind of story had she just listened to?
“So…”
Lucy quietly opened her mouth.
To summarize,
“You fell for the enemy princess, helped her escape, and were executed for it, becoming a Death Knight…”
“That’s correct.”
Darcan answered confidently.
“…”
For a moment, Lucy thought, ‘What kind of person even does that?’
Why is he so confident?
From the perspective of his allies, he’s a complete traitor.
Can I even trust someone like this?
Maybe it’s better to just summon Amon after all.
As Lucy was pondering, Darcan spoke.
“…There’s only one thing I desire.”
Clank-
Darcan knelt on one knee again.
“It’s you. Serving you as my master is the greatest honor for me. If I may be a little more greedy…”
Darcan spoke cautiously.
“If you could make a cute expression for me just once, my sword will be yours for life…”
Lucy turned away.
It wasn’t even worth listening to.
It really seemed better to just summon Amon.
“M-Master!”
Darcan hurriedly followed from behind.
“Please. I’ll dedicate my sword to you. Just one cute expression, please…”
The Death Knight was becoming increasingly pitiful.
Lucy frowned.
‘What kind of person even is this?’
“Ohh…!”
Darcan was delighted.
“Your expression right now is so cute! It’s the first time in a long time I’ve felt my heart race! But if I may be a little more greedy…”
“Do you want to go back to where you came from?”
“…I apologize.”
“If you spout nonsense one more time, I’ll send you back.”
“Understood.”
Darcan slowly lowered his head.
He looked somewhat pitiful.
“…After saving Princess Lilliana, my soul was cursed. That’s why I eventually became a Death Knight, but I don’t regret it. I believe I did the right thing…”
“Sigh.”
Lucy let out a deep sigh and asked Darcan,
“So, what do you want?”
“A c-cute expression. Just once, if I could see your cute expression just once, I would pledge my eternal loyalty to you…”
“How do I do it? A cute expression.”
Darcan’s blue eyes flickered and burned.
As if he was extremely excited.
“W-Well, puff out both cheeks with air…”
◈
Although he was a bit strange, Darcan’s skills were undoubtedly exceptional.
While picking fruits deep in the forest, Lucy had already been attacked by beasts three times, and each time, Darcan effortlessly dealt with them.
With just a single strike.
“Growl!”
Slash―!
Just now, when a giant wolf lunged at Lucy, Darcan moved at an astonishing speed and beheaded the wolf.
“…”
He was enthusiastic, but it also felt a bit excessive.
Even if it wasn’t a wolf, Darcan would swing his sword at the sight of a squirrel nearby.
“I will eliminate all threats. As long as I’m here, no being will dare approach you, Master.”
“…Thanks.”
“Not at all. Compared to what you’ve done for me, what I’m doing is nothing.”
“…”
Earlier, Lucy had finally given in to Darcan’s request.
She made a cute expression for him.
When Darcan saw Lucy’s expression, he clutched his chest and knelt as if he had been struck by a fatal blow.
“Hah, hah, hah, you’re so cute… Master, I feel like my heart is going to burst…!”
Lucy quickly returned to her usual expressionless face, and Darcan once again pledged his loyalty on the spot.
It was hard to trust someone who pledged loyalty multiple times a day, but Lucy decided to let it go.
‘I shouldn’t summon him again.’
Lucy thought that as she looked at the fruit in front of her.
It looked incredibly delicious.
She reached out to pick it.
At that moment, a strange energy suddenly filled the air.
The wind stopped, and the birds’ chirping disappeared.
It was as if the entire forest had fallen silent, frightened by something.
“?”
Lucy tilted her head.
The trees shook, and vibrations traveled through the ground beneath her feet.
Thud thud thud thud!
A massive figure was rapidly approaching, tearing through the forest.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
He’ll fit right in the Blue Archive community alright… just like the lewd saintess.Smh…
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