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Ajossi who was a death knight
221 ? The guy who was a death knight #1
Clank, clank, clank-.
In the darkness where the manticores had fled, the sound of metal and iron plates clashing was loud.
It did not seem to be a natural noise made by animals, and it was clear to anyone that it was the sound of artificial tools shaking back and forth.
Who on earth lives on this deserted valley cliff?
I thought about that for a moment.
Flash-.
The two bluish lights shining in the darkness looked like will-o’-the-wisps. It was a strange sight, but it was enough to wake up my frozen mind a little.
There was a dangerous guy there, even though I didn’t know what he was. That’s when I pulled out my club and took a stance like a seasoned prosecutor.
A torch in one hand, a weapon in the other. Pretty well balanced. But don’t even think about attacking me. If you do, I’ll have to kill you, Necromancer.
The voice coming from the darkness was quite thick and eerie. A voice that caressed my back with a cold hand.
It definitely had that sinister feel that the demons or the dead had.
I became even more nervous because his speech was more logical than I had expected.
It would have been normal to be more cautious in a place like this, even if it was not a monster that had lost its wits.
Clank, clank-.
The blue light grew closer and closer until I could clearly see the object with the torch I was holding.
The blue light that was revealed was the light of the eyes.
A halo of light between strange skulls.
A skeleton in rusty brass armor with glowing blue eyes appeared towards me. I could tell that this was the Death Knight I had heard rumors about.
Rather than feeling like a skeleton soldier, it would be better to call them a skeleton knight or a skeleton noble.
The skeleton noble suits the baron we met last time, so this guy is a skeleton knight.
Anyway, what was surprising was that it wasn’t the kind of stupid monster I had imagined, but a guy who spoke logically.
Are you the enemy?
Or do we not have to fight at all?
As I racked my brain to identify the phia, the skeleton knight in rusted brass armor ran his bony hands over the corpse of the manticore lying on the ground.
Manticore, you’re still a juvenile. But you’re still capable of taking this guy down. You’re quite the handy little bastard, Halfpenny.
That manticore was a juvenile.
And the half?
“Half a penny? Are you referring to me?”
Then who else would there be besides you? Actually, it seems like it would only be worth half a penny if you hit it well.
Perhaps because of the lack of warmth and body heat, the skeleton knight’s words and actions were somewhat cold.
However, it didn’t seem to be particularly hostile to me, and just grabbed the young manticore’s corpse by the tail and dragged it somewhere.
It’s not so much the feeling that they don’t intend to be hostile towards me, but rather the feeling that they don’t see me as an enemy.
In any case, it was fortunate for me that I didn’t have to deal with and defeat this skeleton knight.
This guy is the kind of guy who chases away all the young manticores that I thought I would have to use all my strength to take down, just with his spirit.
It was clear that he must be a very strong guy.
What are you doing? Follow me.
“Yes, yes…?”
I will sacrifice this guy you killed.
Offering?
Are you saying that you’re performing some kind of ritual?
I understood what he was saying, but I couldn’t understand why he had to do that or why I had to follow that skeleton knight.
If you stay here, the monsters that smelled blood might crawl up from deep underground. If you want to become the monsters’ food, stay there.
Now I understand.
This skeleton knight is more talented at teaching others than you might think.
Even so, I felt hesitant about following that strange undead guy.
Ugh… .
I reluctantly started walking, thinking I would be left alone here, as the wyvern I had just named Agumon began to walk behind the skeleton knight.
“Hey, Agumon, let’s go together-!”
* * *
How far into the cave did we follow the skeleton knight?
The burning torch went out, so I finally activated the “Shining Hand of Grace” and looked around.
All I could see were hard, cold stone walls, weird moss, some really scary spiders, lizards, and the like.
When you are walking downhill for a long time, going deep inside a cave, you may as well go downhill.
I had to reflect on my own choices, wondering if following this skeleton in was the right thing to do.
Are you going to eat me or something?
With that thought in mind, I boarded the gondola.
Woooooo-.
The gondola, suspended in the air by something like an old rope, was filled with me, the skeleton knight, Agumon, and the corpse of the young manticore.
If it had been an elevator, it wouldn’t have been strange for the garden lights to come on, but the skeleton knight didn’t even seem to care and slowly pulled the rope down.
Knock, knock.
An old, worn-out pulley and a rope that looked like it would snap at any moment.
And then I was a little scared, thinking that I might be screwed if I fell into the bottomless abyss.
Don’t look too deep into the abyss.
“yes…?”
If you pay attention to the abyss, Erebor also looks into you.
I don’t know what it means, but it seemed like it was telling me not to look down.
This reminds me of the time when I was climbing up to a high place for guerrilla training and the instructor told me not to look down.
Full, full-.
But when a really old gondola breaks or snaps, I’m afraid it’s really going to break, so I’m holding on to something.
Hwaaaaa-.
The light was getting brighter and the scenery was changing, and I was able to forget my fear for a moment.
In the deep darkness, there is a world full of strange blue light.
Blue mold and moss glow, and creatures that look like flying fish flutter through the air and glow.
Jellyfish, strange birds, and a cool breeze even wipe away the cold sweat running down my forehead.
The Valley of the Manticore. Also known as the Valley of Life. Many creatures live in this gigantic corpse.
“Are you talking about a corpse?”
The valley and cliffs we stand on are formed from a part of the corpse of the giant monster Typhon. Do you see that over there?
Where the skeleton knight pointed with his finger, there stood a gigantic pillar that stretched upwards in the darkness. To exaggerate a bit, it looked like a beam extending from the inside of a star to the ground.
That’s Typhon’s shin.
“Ow, sh-.”
I don’t know what it was, but it was a very strong and huge bone. It must have been hundreds of meters long. It’s really terrifying to think that such a creature was out there.
However, apart from such fear, the splendid scenery around us had some rather beautiful corners.
Even in harsh environments, living things survive and create their own ecosystems.
Adapt and evolve.
Just as I, who was dropped into this world, am somehow surviving, I am living according to my own circumstances.
Knock, knock.
As I was thinking about that, the gondola that was heading down stopped. In front of it was something like a steep path dug into the inside of the cliff.
It’s quite spacious.
Looking beyond, there was a hut covered in moss and coarse leather, with large pillars that looked like dinosaur bones.
Although he didn’t explain it to me, I could tell that the cabin was something like this skeleton knight’s hideout.
Slurp-.
A skeleton knight standing in front of his hideout, holding onto the tail of a manticore.
The guy said.
Necromancer. You may not understand, but life and the corpse are both things that must be respected.
Then they placed the manticore’s corpse on a strange altar-like thing and lit a fire.
Hwaruk-.
As the flames burned down, long-necked, crane-like birds flew in as if they had been waiting nearby and began to feast on the manticore’s corpse.
Ugh, ugh.
I couldn’t figure out where the respect was in that scene.
What’s more, the undead who are halfway through death are discussing respect for the corpse.
It also feels a little strange, as if the chicken restaurant mascot is a cutely drawn chicken.
I asked.
“Are you the famous named monster of this place, the Death Knight?”
Then, the skeleton knight, whose eyes had been glaring at the burning corpse, clenched his jaw. Was he laughing? I can’t tell because he has no expression.
Death Knight. Named monster. Is that what I’m called in the outside world? All I did was chase away a few of the little guys that came looking for me.
A skeleton knight clenching his fist into the air.
What is my name called outside?
“I, actually, don’t know.”
Is that so? Well, the name isn’t that important. When you die and disappear, you will eventually be forgotten by everyone. The tasks and the glory are just stories of the distant past.
Blink, blink.
As I watched the blue light illuminate, I could tell that the skeleton knight was lost in thought with his empty skull.
He’s a man now, wearing shabby, rusty armor, but was he a successful man when he was alive? A famous knight? A nobleman?
As I was thinking that, the Wyvern Agumon I had revived rubbed its head against the Skeleton Knight’s torso.
Swish, swish-.
That kid, he’s the bastard I saved, but somehow he seems to follow that skeleton knight better than I do. Is it because he feels a sense of kinship with me since he’s also a skeleton? If so, I can accept it.
This Bone Wyvern, you’re a clever undead. The necromancy you use seems a little different from what I’m used to.
“Does it feel different?”
The skeleton knight, who had been stroking the wyvern’s head as if he was taming a giant horse, continued speaking.
Rather than causing irrational chaos, it’s closer to giving life and creating something new.
“birth?”
This guy is not a dead person, but rather a living entity called a bone wyvern.
If it’s not undead, then it’s more like a creature that has the form of an undead? That’s roughly what I understood.
Sval, what is it?
I didn’t even know I had such abilities.
Judging from his reaction, he doesn’t seem to know much about his own power. Is it not an innate talent, but rather an acquired talent? An ability acquired through some kind of relic?
This guy has a good feel for things.
As I was thinking that, the skeleton knight stood up and said.
Well, that’s a good thing. Maybe you can do me a favor. If you do, I’ll coach you in your training in return.
“…Training? What kind of training?”
…like the other guys, didn’t you come to this body to ask for teachings?
“No.”
Then what on earth are you doing here? How did you get to this deep corner of the devil’s realm?
When I said I came to subdue the Death Knight, for some reason I felt like my bowl would be broken by that skeletal fist.
“I was just following the snake and there was a hole.”
Snake? You followed a snake all the way here? What nonsense are you talking about? This is an area that no one can find.
But really, I just followed Luna and the snake.
The skeleton knight mumbled, as if he couldn’t understand, and I did the same. It seemed like we were speaking the same language, but the conversation wasn’t continuing.
Well, whatever. If you help me, I will make you a warrior who cannot be defeated by anyone in the world. This is a rule I have set. Rules must be followed.
Anyway, this skeleton knight wanted me to help him, and in return, he wanted to train me.
Training? I’ve already been through so much with Hippolyta, and I never thought I’d be doing it again in this dark corner.
However, since this skeleton seemed quite confident in its own abilities, I was also a little curious about what kind of training it would give me.
“How can I help you?”
I’m growing flowers. I’d like you to help me sprout them. It won’t be easy. Follow me in. Leave the wyvern outside.
So the man led me into his hut. Inside the hut, there was nothing but an old pot, traces of a campfire, and an old leather bed.
Looking more closely inside, I saw a tiny flowerpot the size of a palm and some soil on the desk.
Judging by the vivid sense of life, we can tell that this skeleton knight has spent quite some time alone in this deep underground.
It feels like it’s been at least a year.
How can you live alone for so long? Is it because you are undead? Don’t you feel lonely? And why do you grow flowers?
As I was looking around with many question marks, I discovered a painting that looked like it was drawn with black charcoal on a leather canvas spread out in a corner.
It was a drawing that seemed to be of a woman with long hair. Before I could look at it in more detail, the skeleton knight covered the leather with another piece of cloth.
How about it, can you do it?
“Growing flowers? Just water them and wait, right?”
This flower is special. It can only shine if it is filled with the love of nymphs. If it does not have the love of nymphs, it must contain the magic of Ceres, or perhaps a life force of equal value. Perhaps it is possible for you, who uses strange necromancy.
It seems to be a rather special flower.
Does it have to have some kind of magical power?
But I didn’t know I could do that.
Telling the flower to wake up would be of no use.
So, I picked up a pitcher of water that I saw nearby and sprinkled some water on the flower pot.
You stupid child! What if I give you that much? It’s the river Styx! If you sow too much, the seed won’t be able to accept it and will die!
I thought I just sprinkled about a cupful, but the skeleton knight who was watching was startled and got angry.
There are only a few seeds left… .
How can you be angry when you told me to do whatever I wanted? You were just an uneducated undead bastard.
Still feeling quite embarrassed, I hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to do, and then I remembered the story about the nymph.
Soon, I took out the stamina elixir Luna had given me and sprinkled a few drops on the flower pot.
At that very moment.
Pass-.
A strange change took place in the flower pot, and a sprout grew through the coarse soil particles.
what.
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