How A Mythical Holy Knight Lives As A Villain (Novel) - Chapter 1
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Chapter 1
Trudging along.
His snow-white hair was stained with blood and flesh.
Trudging along.
His once beautiful sky-blue eyes were now empty.
Trudging along.
The knight in broken, dented armor continued walking.
“…”
A sea of blood and corpses.
Behind him lay mountains of demon corpses numbering in the tens of thousands.
“My Goddess…”
The knight muttered, swinging his sword.
Though it shattered completely leaving only the hilt.
Swoosh-!
The blade strike from the swung sword split space-time, cutting down all the hiding demons.
“Ah…! My Goddess.”
The knight’s name was Michael.
On the day his only dependable younger sibling was sold to a count’s family, he dreamed of the Goddess.
The next day, his abusive parents were found dead.
The boy took it as a divine message and left to become a holy knight.
A fateful choice.
“Ah…! My Goddess.”
When he subdued the bandits of the Trion Mountains with his bare hands, he called himself a holy knight.
When he quelled the corrupted Spirit King who burned Ailen Forest.
When he achieved what no one else could.
“Magnificent.”
People called him magnificent.
The Great Holy Knight, Michael.
When the berserk Dragon Lord sank the Eastern Continent.
“Self-proclaimed holy knight, do you truly believe a goddess exists?”
Michael mercilessly tore apart that mouth that blasphemed the Goddess.
After that, just when peace seemed to return to the continent, another trial arrived.
Those that appeared with the black gate were demons.
Whoosh.
Everything burned.
The nobles who should have protected the common folk fled to save themselves, and the abandoned people hanged themselves in fear of the approaching demons.
Kingdoms fell, and empires burned.
But while everyone fled, there was one who stood and raised his sword.
“Ah, my Goddess.”
It was Michael.
He faced the demons alone with his sword, and finally even defeated the Demon God Balrock.
“Noble.”
Everyone called him the Noble Paladin.
The new empire, Steel Travania.
Ironically, the emperor was Gabriel, Michael’s younger sibling who had been sold to the count’s family in childhood.
“Why do you give me such trials?”
And now, all of it burned.
Though he thought he had cut down all the demons.
Swish.
Michael stopped and looked ahead.
At the endless abyss, someone standing in the void smiled at him.
“Brother, you’ve finally come?”
His only remaining lost blood relative, his only light besides the Goddess.
“Gabriel…”
No.
“Balrock-!”
Demon God Balrock.
The being possessing Gabriel’s body spoke while stretching its mouth into a grin.
“Great Holy Knight, Noble Paladin, Champion of the Goddess…”
Michael swung his sword.
Swoosh!
Once again space-time split as bursting light bisected Balrock’s body.
It was the moment he cut down all the demons that had invaded the continent again.
“Do you really believe a goddess exists?”
The dying Balrock spoke.
“There is no goddess. Our existence is proof of that.”
“Shut your mouth…”
“The goddess does not exist, and demons are eternal.”
“Silence!”
Slash!
Another sword strike tore Balrock’s body to shreds.
-Holy knight who has lost everything, this is your defeat.
Balrock’s voice echoed in the void like words of curse.
Michael stood before the endless abyss, the gate to the demon realm.
Balrock was right.
The continent was annihilated, and everything burned.
But something still remained.
Whoosh.
Flames ignited in Michael’s empty sky-blue eyes.
“Not yet, not yet.”
The battle with demons was not over.
“My Goddess, do not forgive me.”
But Balrock was right.
Demons were eternal, reviving and returning no matter how many times they were killed.
Not knowing this fact led to the continent’s fall.
The only thing that could kill demons was.
“Everything is…”
A demon.
Swoosh!
Michael threw his body at its limit into the closing demon realm gate.
“For the Goddess.”
That day, Travania was annihilated, the demon realm gate vanished.
And Michael, Champion of the Goddess, ascended.
*
*
*
Michael’s consciousness slowly began returning.
‘I…’
Vaguely recalled the final moment.
‘Committed an unforgivable sin?’
Rage against demons, throwing himself into hell consumed by it.
But he had no regrets.
‘Everything is for the Goddess.’
Balrock was right.
Demons were blasphemy and denial of the Goddess’s existence itself.
Exterminating such demons.
‘That was the trial and purpose given to me.’
He realized the purpose he had long sought as a holy knight.
He would do anything for that purpose.
That was the path that he, Michael, the Goddess’s only champion, must take.
That’s when.
[…..]
A rumbling voice echoed in his mind.
‘Ah… Ah!’
Michael’s body trembled as if struck by lightning.
[Soul confirmed.]
The day of divine revelation when Michael vowed to become a holy knight.
[Descent proceeding.]
It was the Goddess’s voice he heard that day.
[Soul rank is exceptional.]
[No vessel exists matching the soul rank.]
[Reconstructing vessel.]
How long he had waited for this moment.
After the day of revelation, Michael had never heard the Goddess’s voice again.
[Reconstruction will take time.]
But the Goddess’s voice he hears now.
‘I was not wrong.’
The Goddess was proving that his resolve to exterminate demons was not wrong.
Michael’s consciousness slowly began to fade.
‘My Goddess.’
There was no more fear or regret.
‘Everything is for you.’
When Michael opened his eyes again.
“Waah! Waah!”
Michael was crying loudly.
“Congratulations. It’s a prince.”
An unfamiliar language he had never heard before.
[You have awakened as a Player.]
[Acquired job: Dark Knight]
[Acquired title: Zealot]
[Acquired stat: Faith]
[Karma points engraved in soul confirmed.]
He couldn’t easily understand what was happening.
But at the Goddess’s voice he seemed to hear after so long.
“Would you like to hold him?”
At the indescribably warm embrace.
[141,292 Karma points inherited.]
“Waah!”
Michael burst into tears without knowing why.
“Johan. My baby…”
*
*
*
Six years had already passed.
At first, it was just bewildering that he, who had been nearly forty, was now a newborn.
“My Goddess.”
But he soon accepted it.
It didn’t matter if there were thousands or tens of thousands of inexplicable things.
All of it was the Goddess’s will and trial.
‘Go-Johan.’
That was Michael’s new name.
Also, this world was different from Travania where Michael had existed.
‘Earth, Republic of Korea.’
A planet called Earth, a small country called Republic of Korea.
“Johan, let’s eat.”
And this beautiful woman who opened the door was his new mother.
“Yes, Mother.”
Michael, no, Johan said as he got up.
“…”
Johan’s mother, Shin Soo-kyung, had a bewildered expression.
“Y-yes…”
Johan was a child who couldn’t simply be described as special.
He was like that from birth.
Though he was clearly Shin Soo-kyung and Ko Jae-han’s child.
-Albinism.
With silver-white hair and sky-blue eyes.
Because of that, many people had unnecessary misunderstandings.
“Johan, my son.”
Shin Soo-kyung picked up Johan.
Though Johan showed signs of discomfort, he didn’t avoid her touch.
However it happened, she was the mother who gave birth to him through her pain.
“Thank you, Mother.”
“…How can you be so mature?”
Shin Soo-kyung said looking to the side.
“He’s not reading any strange books these days, right?”
“Since you told us not to… we’re only giving him children’s books.”
“…That’s good.”
Johan was carried in Shin Soo-kyung’s arms through the hallway.
“The mansion’s dignity grows by the day, Mother.”
His new home was incomparably more magnificent than the past.
From what he observed over 6 years, they were like the nobles of Travania.
-Shinsung Group.
Once called a chaebol.
-Shinsung Guild.
But now more fitting to be called a military clan.
One of Korea’s top 10 guilds, the Shinsung family.
“Our Johan has such good taste even at this young age? I wonder who he takes after.”
“I believe I take after Mother.”
“R-really?”
His unique way of speaking, special beyond just being mature.
“Oh, our cute Johan.”
But in the end, he was just Shin Soo-kyung’s child.
The dining table they arrived at was large enough for over twenty people to sit at once.
At the head of the table sat the pillar of the household and Saint Guild Master.
“You’re late.”
One of the first generation Players and a legend, Ko Jae-han.
“My apologies, Father.”
Johan said as he got down from Shin Soo-kyung’s arms and sat.
“A-apologies? What kind of word is that?”
Sitting next to Johan was his sister Ko Min-ji, five years older.
“Johan, you’re amazing. Already knowing words like ‘apologies’.”
Opposite was his eldest brother Ko Woo-jin, twelve years older.
“That… get him tested.”
Next to Woo-jin sat Ko Yoon-soo, seven years older.
Even after six years, Johan still felt uncomfortable in this setting.
‘Gabriel.’
Because it reminded him of his sibling who couldn’t stay with him until the end.
“I thought I said to be quiet at the dinner table.”
“Yes.”
“Sorry.”
As Shin Soo-kyung finally sat down, prepared dishes began being served one by one.
There was something many people misunderstood about the name Shinsung.
That it had religious meaning.
But the Shinsung family, including Ko Jae-han, were all non-religious.
New (新), Star (星).
Just that the youngest’s name was given by a Player friend of Shin Soo-kyung and Ko Jae-han.
As food was served, Johan naturally put his hands together and muttered.
“My Goddess.”
The Shinsung family watching this.
“Maybe… the name Johan was a mistake?”
Shin Soo-kyung whispered quietly to Ko Jae-han.