Ch.43Demon Knight Bernhagen (1)

It’s noisy.

That was my first thought upon entering the Central Guild. Najin, who had come to the Central Guild to take on a request as usual, tilted his head in confusion. The guild was unusually rowdy today.

“What’s happening?”

Najin asked a nearby adventurer.

He was someone Najin had met during the Dotchenberg Forest clearing operation not long ago. Though the man had been hostile toward Najin back then, that was no longer the case.

He had earned their recognition as a fellow professional.

Ever since that day when he fought the Blood Troll, and the rumors spread throughout the city, no one questioned Najin’s qualifications anymore. He had proven his abilities through results.

“Oh, it’s Ivan.”

As expected, the adventurer welcomed Najin.

After exchanging brief greetings, Najin pointed to where people were gathering and continued.

“Why is everyone gathered over there?”

“Ah, a big request came in from outside.”

“A big request?”

“Yeah. What was it again? Something about a criminal’s expected escape route passing near Cambria?”

The adventurer explained.

“Requests have been pouring in from the next head of House Schulhauser and nobles from neighboring territories… and the bounty is no joke.”

“What kind of request is it exactly?”

“That’s the problem. See all those guys gathering there? They rushed in for the bounty but shook their heads after seeing the details.”

He shrugged with a bitter smile.

“It’s a request we can’t handle. Even the ‘Knights of Atanga’ have issued a request… that says it all.”

…Knights of Atanga?

Najin narrowed his eyes. That name wasn’t something he could simply ignore. The Knights of Atanga—after escaping the underground city, the first thing Najin had researched was information about Atanga.

The knightly order Ivan had belonged to.

The place Ivan had always longed for.

A group formed by those who uphold honor and pride while following the ancient precepts of knighthood. The moment their name appeared, Najin could guess the content of this request. There was usually only one reason the Knights of Atanga would mobilize.

“…Is the wanted criminal a knight by any chance?”

“Yep. And his crimes are no joke. Go check it out yourself.”

Najin nodded and walked toward the crowd. There were request notices posted there—numerous requests from nobles, and among them, a request from the Knights of Atanga.

Mixing in with the adventurers, Najin checked the contents.

[Wanted – Bernhagen.]

It was a wanted poster. Below a sketch of his appearance were his crimes and special notes, densely written.

Former Knight Captain of House Schulhauser.

Armed with a sword.

A skilled fighter approaching Sword Seeker level.

Crimes – Murder of the head of House Schulhauser. Murder of servants, house soldiers, and knights belonging to House Schulhauser. Turned the mansion into a sea of blood in a single night before fleeing…

Even just this much showed how serious his crimes were, but the single line that followed made one forget all the previous crimes with its intensity.

[Special note: Believed to have contracted with a demon.]

A contract with a demon.

Demons were considered evil, vile beings and the natural enemies of humanity. Contracting with a demon was a serious crime under Imperial law, and demon contractors were to be killed immediately, no questions asked.

But… a knight contracting with a demon?

Now Najin understood why the Knights of Atanga had stepped in. This was equivalent to defiling knightly honor and trampling on their pride.

-A knight… contracting with a demon?

Merlin’s voice echoed in Najin’s ears, trembling with subtle anger.

-What kind of deranged bastard is this? A knight contracting with a demon? Joining hands with a demon? A knight? A KNIGHT…?

Merlin repeated the same words over and over.

As if she couldn’t believe it. Then she let out a shriek. Najin’s shoulders flinched.

-Knights are those who swear to slay demons!

-It’s been hundreds of years since countless knights slaughtered demons in the name of King Arthur, and now a knight makes a contract with a demon? What Camlann-damned…!

Merlin exhaled heavily, huffing and puffing.

Though the weight carried by the title of “knight” had changed from hundreds of years ago, there were still lines that shouldn’t be crossed. This was a situation Merlin simply couldn’t accept.

‘Please calm down first.’

-Hoo, hoooo…

At Najin’s urging, Merlin slowly regulated her breathing.

While Merlin was composing herself, Najin observed the atmosphere among the surrounding adventurers. As he had heard earlier, those who had gathered with eyes on the reward were now clicking their tongues after checking the request details.

A request they couldn’t handle.

A request they shouldn’t touch.

It wasn’t hard to guess why.

The target was a fighter approaching Sword Seeker level, and moreover, suspected of contracting with a demon. A request that most wouldn’t dare take on with ordinary skills.

“This would require at least a White Star rank…”

The adventurers muttered.

It was a reasonable opinion. To deal with someone of this caliber, the pinnacle of the adventurer city, a White Star rank, would need to step in.

But even they probably wouldn’t take it.

That’s what the adventurers thought.

This request was too dangerous, and nothing good would come from getting involved with demons. The demonic energy emitted by those associated with demons corrodes human minds. It gnaws at souls and sometimes manifests as curses.

And that wasn’t all.

Those associated with demons often wield mysterious dark arts—powers known as demonic authorities. In other words, unknown variables enter the battle.

High risk plus unpredictable variables.

Anyone who valued their life would be right to avoid this request. Of course, the request didn’t only involve elimination. Killing the knight who had contracted with a demon was the Knights of Atanga’s job. Most of the request involved investigation—buying time or finding traces.

‘But even that’s too dangerous, so they’re avoiding getting involved.’

Najin rubbed his chin as he read the mood among the adventurers. Najin didn’t yet have the sense of duty to slay demons, nor the responsibility as Arthur’s successor to punish a knight who had contracted with a demon.

He was just beginning his journey, too early to carry such heavy burdens.

But regardless of all that, Najin found this request intriguing. He was interested in the Knights of Atanga that Ivan had belonged to, and in the existence of demons.

‘Merlin.’

Najin murmured inwardly.

‘When I reach the pinnacle of Cambria… the next place I should go is the demon realm, right?’

The demon realm—the land of demons.

A place adjacent to the battlefield of stars, where Arthur had headed after leaving Cambria… the stage where Arthur had truly begun to be called a hero.

-That’s right.

‘And what I’ll face there will be demons.’

-That’s how it will be.

A moment of contemplation.

It didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.

‘It might be good to gain some experience in advance.’

Najin made his choice.

He took a big step forward. Merlin also affirmed Najin’s choice. With Merlin’s voice exclaiming “That’s it!” in the background, Najin pushed through the adventurers gathered in front of the bulletin board and stood at the very front.

“……”

All eyes turned to Najin.

With everyone’s attention on him, Najin reached out his hand—toward the request notice that everyone had been looking at but no one had dared to touch.

Then, with a rip.

Najin tore the request notice bearing the emblem of the Knights of Atanga from the bulletin board. The meaning of this action was clear: he would take on this request.

Watching Najin, someone let out a hollow laugh, someone muttered that he didn’t value his life, and someone else clicked their tongue. But none of them ridiculed him.

Snatching up a perilous request without hesitation.

It reminded them of their own past selves when they first set foot in Cambria, the City of Opportunity, overflowing with confidence and enthusiasm. It was truly the image of an adventurer—one who seeks adventure.

2.

“Aren’t you ashamed, Bernhagen!”

Someone shouted.

At the voice that dully resonated in his eardrums, Bernhagen slowly opened his eyes. Due to his contract with a demon, his vision was blurry, and only one eye could see properly.

The fusion wasn’t complete yet.

His darkening pupils were hazy. Bernhagen blinked several times as he looked ahead.

“They’ve sent quite a few.”

There were pursuers who had chased him.

Knights from neighboring territories who frequently interacted with House Schulhauser, and mercenaries. Bernhagen narrowed his eyes.

The emblem of Atanga was nowhere to be seen.

They must not have caught up yet. He had chosen an escape route furthest from the Knights of Atanga’s garrison. Bernhagen exhaled deeply.

“Ashamed? Why should I be ashamed?”

“You have betrayed the pride of knighthood.”

The knights pursuing him shouted. The mercenaries aimed bows and crossbows at Bernhagen, while the knights’ swords emitted sword energy. Facing the blue-glowing sword energy, Bernhagen let out a laugh.

Bang!

The knights charged forward, stomping the ground.

The mercenaries released their bowstrings and pulled their crossbow triggers. Sword strikes wrapped in sword energy and arrows from all directions. Bernhagen didn’t move an inch.

Thunk, an arrow pierced his body.

Slash, sword energy grazed Bernhagen’s skin.

But the moment they swung their swords, the knights realized something. Despite using sword energy, they couldn’t inflict fatal wounds on Bernhagen. The sword strikes were shallow. Why?

Because his body was no longer human.

Bernhagen’s body, becoming a demon’s vessel and gradually fusing with a demon, possessed resistance. After taking the sword with his body, Bernhagen’s mouth stretched into a grin. He grabbed the sword embedded in his shoulder with his bare hand.

“Honor, pride, and those damn precepts.”

The knight who had contracted with a demon sneered.

Crack! After shattering the sword with his bare hand, he reached out. He grabbed the face of the knight before him. There was no way a human head could withstand the grip strength that could shatter a sword.

The knight’s helmet crumpled.

Unable to bear the pain, the knight screamed.

The mercenaries shot arrows, and the gathered knights swung their swords, but Bernhagen paid them no mind and applied more strength to his hand.

Crunch!

The helmet crumpled. Yellow matter mixed with blood poured out from the gaps in the helmet. The screams ceased. The knights who witnessed their comrade’s head being crushed before their eyes widened their eyes.

He was much stronger than the reported information.

They realized that Bernhagen was no ordinary demon contractor. The rank of the demon he had contracted with must also have been misreported. In this increasingly dire situation, the knights gritted their teeth.

Some were enraged. Others felt fear.

But despite that, they were knights.

They hadn’t always lived upholding honor and pride, and sometimes they had lived dissolutely… but at the very least, they took pride in the fact that they were knights.

Unlike a knight who had contracted with a demon.

For them, running away was not an option. They charged with their swords drawn. They repeatedly slashed at the wounds left by their fallen comrade’s sword energy, widening them, and thrust their swords into those openings.

“Such stubborn creatures.”

Attacks bordering on obsession.

The mercenaries, realizing the situation had gone wrong, had fled long ago, but the knights continued swinging their swords until the end. Expressionlessly, Bernhagen crushed their heads, tore off their arms, and pierced their hearts.

There was no need to use a sword in any of this.

That fact filled Bernhagen with ecstasy.

Seven knights who could draw sword energy and ten well-trained mercenaries. Until recently, this would have been a difficult battle with slim chances of survival. But now?

He was overwhelming them without even drawing his sword.

Wasn’t he dominating everyone with just his bare hands?

“What does pride and honor give you? What do you gain by upholding them? They’re just empty, useless things…”

Immersed in ecstasy, Bernhagen muttered.

He looked at a knight whose arm had been torn off. Blood gushing out. A complexion turned pale from excessive bleeding. Yet the knight still gripped his sword.

The last remaining knight.

Stepping over the corpses of his comrades, he charged and thrust his sword deep into Bernhagen’s shoulder. The sword was deeply embedded in the wound that seven knights had persistently widened. However, this did not mean victory.

Bernhagen was fine.

Even this wound would heal after just one night.

He tore off the knight’s remaining arm. He extended his foot and shattered the knight’s knee. A knight who had lost both arms and collapsed. Bernhagen grabbed the knight’s hair and made eye contact with him.

“Why do you stubbornly cling to something that gives you nothing when you uphold it, you stubborn friend?”

Bernhagen sneered.

He expected the knight’s face to be filled with fear and despair, but the knight only grimaced in pain without despair. Through his groans, the knight mocked Bernhagen.

“Because it gives nothing.”

The knight’s mockery echoed through the bloody foam.

“That’s what makes it valuable. A demon contractor like you would never understand that.”

Those were the knight’s last words.

Crunch, the knight’s head burst. Shaking off the blood on his hand, Bernhagen kicked the knight’s corpse with a disinterested gaze.

“How boring.”

Bernhagen sighed as he pulled out the sword embedded in his shoulder. Sighing, he began walking. Bernhagen’s destination was the demon realm. He would need to move diligently until he reached there.

Ordinary pursuers were not frightening.

But the Knights of Atanga were.

They specialized in slaying demons. In his current incomplete fusion state, he couldn’t guarantee victory if he encountered them. Bernhagen hastened his steps.