Chapter 110: Knight of the Past

A Neko Cheonma showing off skills that barely justify being called a “Cheonma.”

Honestly, wouldn’t “Pepero Cheonma” suit it better?

But the atmosphere is so serious that I don’t dare point it out.

Anyway, both the Cheonma and the Orc seem to have gotten stronger.

The Cheonma leans more towards utility, but still.

The Orc’s power-up is undeniable.

A ground unit gaining anti-air capabilities?

That’s basically a hybrid Orc now.

“The army is almost completely wiped out.”

The Demon King’s resistance is putting up quite a fight, but it looks like we’ve almost won.

“So, what’s left now?”

“The only one remaining is the Black Knight. The strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings, the ultimate guardian who never leaves the Demon King’s side.”

Quite literally the embodiment of a “Black Knight.”

“So, the reason the war was in your favor was because the strongest Heavenly King only guarded the Demon King?”

Well, that wasn’t the only reason.

The Hero’s party was just that strong.

If anything, that so-called “great power” of his was wasted on his indecisiveness.

Blabbering about accepting even demons into the fold—slowing down the speedrun with that nonsense.

“But I cracked that guy’s skull open myself.”

“Then does ‘strongest’ even mean anything?”

Honestly, not really.

But taking him down wasn’t easy for me either.

I had to use holy water and completely disregard his so-called chivalry.

I mean, he was going to die anyway—why should I play fair?

“Who knows what he did before he became a Heavenly King, but he apparently has ‘chivalry.’”

“Thirty years of chivalry? Sounds like he’d get along with that guy.”

Thirty years of chivalry, huh.

That could actually work.

They might hit it off.

Wait, where did that guy go?

Now that I think about it, he had so little presence that I didn’t even notice.

“Wait, where is the ‘Thirty Years of Chivalry’ guy?”

“He followed us?”

The adult Pixie pointed somewhere, and I looked over—only to see a small boy with an incredibly sorrowful expression.

He was so tiny that I hadn’t even realized he was there.

As I stared at him, the knight clenched his fist.

“For the sake of protecting the Saintess!”

“Uh… well, I guess it can’t be helped. Wait, do you actually believe in our goddess?”

It feels weird to ask this, but considering our goddess’s image, she’s not exactly the kind of deity a knight would pledge loyalty to.

“Of course! If it means protecting the Saintess, I will gladly set myself ablaze! Serving the Goddess of Death is nothing in comparison!”

Is he seriously about to set himself on fire?

“Why me, though?”

“Protecting the woman one loves is a knight’s duty—”

Excuse me?

What’s this kid saying?

“My popularity is honestly kind of a curse.”

I swear, I want to chop his head off.

I get it—I know how men think.

If you don’t find this face attractive, you’re basically impotent.

The lustful stares I get on the street—I feel them all.

It’s something I’ve come to accept.

After all, I flaunt this body myself.

But even so, a little boy acting like this is just… unsettling.

“Yeah, no. Shōtas are seriously a no-go for me.”

“It’s fine! I only wish to stand by the Saintess’s side!”

Stand by my side?

For what?

Do I look like someone who even can be protected?

I was a little taken aback.

Where does a tiny brat get the nerve to talk about protecting someone?

Looks like I need to teach him a lesson.

“Aww, I’m jealous of you, Saintess. Shōtas are supposed to be good for nourishment, you know?”

Right on cue, the Succubus chimed in with unnecessary commentary.

“Pfft. Do you think I’m some nymphomaniac like Korea’s pride? I’m not even second-hand goods, thank you very much. I am a pure and untouched Saintess. If you like him so much, Succubus, why don’t you take him for nourishment?”

I am my own nourishment, thank you very much.

“Should I?”

“W-wait, Saintess! Please, have mercy! A holy knight shouldn’t—shouldn’t be with a Succubus!”

The knight flailed his arms desperately and clung to my foot.

Honestly, he was pretty pitiful.

From a human perspective, anyway.

His presence was so weak that no one even noticed him.

He was tiny, and his sheer desperation made him kind of pathetic.

But that’s from a human perspective.

I, on the other hand, am an angel.

How dare a mere knight act so familiar with an angel?

“Oh? So you’re looking down on pride of Korea just because she’s a Succubus?”

The K-Succubus, suddenly feeling prideful, started ripping into the shōta knight.

“That’s not what I meant—”

“Let’s see what our little grandson of a knight is packing, shall we?”

“Huh?!”

“I mean, if we’re all here, might as well check, right? Come on, aren’t you curious? Before we fight the Demon King, we should at least know what we’re working with. He’s been polishing his chivalry for thirty years. Factor in the rest of his lifespan, and he’s gotta be around fifty, right? And if you count his age on Earth, too—whoa. So tell me, how does someone that old end up looking like this? And then there’s the real question—don’t you want to know how big it is?”

Huh.

That actually makes sense.

“W-wait! Don’t touch me there!”

The Succubus openly started harassing the shōta knight.

Surprisingly, no one stepped in to stop it.

Ah, well, makes sense.

Honestly, we’re all curious.

Thirty years of chivalry, and yet that body?

How much could he be packing in that tiny frame?

“Wait, what the—?”

“What’s wrong?”

“This thing is huge. It’s a monster. Alright, after we take down the Demon King, I’m feasting on this.”

Uh… that’s kinda disturbing.

If it’s that big, even by the Succubus’s standards…

Just how massive is it in that tiny body?

“Oh. All that in that tiny frame?”

“Not quite as extreme as the orc that drives women crazy, but still beyond human level.”

That enormous thing on such a small body?

Honestly, I can’t even imagine it.

“So, Sir Knight. I’m sorry, but… you’re way too small.”

“But pixies are small too.”

“Pixies are adorable little girls.”

“Who said lit—mmph.”

I shoved a mint choco candy into the pixie’s mouth before she could argue further.

“Anyway, what kind of skills do you have, Sir Knight? I doubt your talent is just having a monstrous size like that orc.”

“I acquired a skill called ‘Holy Barrier.’”

“Holy Barrier?”

Hmm.

So he’s a tank?

But honestly…

I scanned the surroundings.

The pride of Korea, the K-Succubus, who could fixate anyone’s gaze.

An orc with a punch strong enough to rip through the air.

The “Pepero cheonma” Neko Cheonma.

A battle mage akin to Gungnir.

A pixie who could conquer the world if she got a little too excited.

Fish that could wipe out armies with sonic waves.

A dark elf slave who controlled spirits.

Uh… isn’t he kind of useless?

“Wait. The mermaid is a bit different.”

“You said she was the same as Fish No. 2 earlier.”

“She shoots Bubble Beams. It’s not as stylish as my sound waves.”

“Ugh, shut up. Even bubbles are better than your tone-deaf noise!”

Anyway, minor details aside.

Whether this dark knight and this paladin could fight each other didn’t matter for now.

The issue was that shield skill.

It’s not completely useless.

We can’t afford to be careless against the Demon King.

Even if the Four Heavenly Kings are weaklings, you know how it is in games.

Mid-bosses are pushovers, but the final boss is stupidly tough.

In situations like that, while DPS can at least protect themselves, supports are just sitting ducks.

“Well, let’s test that later. Anyway. Considering the mermaid’s abilities, it sounds amazing.

Good.

Sir Knight, then…

Protect the Succubus, the fish family, and our elf slave.”

That should be reasonable.

“I’ll protect the Saintess.”

“Ahem. How dare a mere knight talk back to an angel?”

Did the knight just talk back?

[There is a knight who protects the Demon King. The Black Knight, Lute.
Once a hero of ancient wars, he was betrayed and killed, but revived by the Demon King to serve him once more.]

That’s the general setting.

In short, he’s famous as hell.

Even though I cracked his skull open.

Just hearing his name used to make armies tremble.

“The Water King and the Angel are gone now.”

“”

Thanks to our returner friends, the Water King, that idiot Angel, and even their clones were wiped out in an instant.

Now, we just needed to take down this knight and head to the Demon King.

“Is that the dark knight you were talking about?”

Right on cue, the Cheonma pointed toward a dark presence in the distance.

A thick darkness.

Sitting cross-legged within it was a figure clad in sleek, heavy armor.

The jet-black armor, wrapped in ominous energy, covered him completely from his helmet to his feet.

Truly fitting for the title of “Black Knight.”

Yeah.

That’s him.

No doubt about it.

As we approached, the Black Knight rose from his seat and pulled out the greatsword embedded in the ground.

“I see. It’s you again.”

Again?

That’s rude.

Now it’s just an angel versus a mere black knight.

“It’s been a while, Black Knight.”

I decided to test him.

Was he a clone, or the real one?

Maybe he was the original.

I didn’t see anyone else around.

If that’s the case… then right now, he must be thinking—

“A rematch with a dishonorable wretch like you in a place like this… Where is the Hero? What are you doing here with these humans?”

Yep.

He’s exactly how I remember.

That’s the problem.

He’s just too… knightly.

I wouldn’t mind if he came at me more aggressively.

But no—he’s still clinging to his chivalry, his loyalty to the Demon King.

“Wow, the Saintess is getting roasted.”

“How did he even die?”

“Like I said, we cracked his skull. We used the Hero as bait.”

Yeah, I still remember it like yesterday.

– Let’s settle this fairly, Lute.

– Fine, Hero. You must defeat me to face the Demon King!

– Skull-crack!

– CRAAACK!

The Hero liked fair one-on-one duels.

So I made sure they got their duel.

And while Lute was focused on the Hero, I smacked him right on the head.

That threw him off balance, and the Hero’s sword sliced right through him.

Well, that was a fun memory.

But for now, I had to deal with him again.

Maybe I should taunt him first?

“Do we really need the Hero to take down the Demon King?”

The Black Knight’s killing intent surged.

A true elite among the Demon King’s guard.

“You dare insult the Demon King?!”

Insult?

You think this is an insult?