How A Mythical Holy Knight Lives As A Villain (Novel) - Chapter 9

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Chapter 9

[You have completed the atonement.]

[You have acquired a large amount of karma points.]

[The curse of sloth is activated.]

At the moment the goddess’s voice was heard, Go Johan staggered and lost his balance.

“Are you alright!” Lee Jae-kyung rushed to support Go Johan.

At that moment, whoosh! Go Johan’s clothes began to catch fire. Jae-kyung tried to put out the fire, but it was useless.

Grrr! As if drawing a pattern, the flames moved, and beneath them, Go Johan’s flesh was revealed. Blood was seeping out.

Only the area around one of Go Johan’s ribs was burning, and underneath, a tattoo-like pattern was drawn.

Go Johan’s closed eyes slowly opened. His half-lidded eyes held a languor never seen before.

“…I’m fine.” Even his voice sounded muffled, as if submerged in water.

“How can you be fine!” Jae-kyung exclaimed, but Go Johan got up as if he really was fine.

“I said I’m fine.” His voice seemed a bit better.

[Suppressing the curse through Faith stat.]

The goddess was protecting him.

[Suppressing the curse due to high karma points.]

Although alertness returned to his half-closed eyes, it wasn’t perfect.

“Haa.” Jae-kyung sighed in relief.

“What’s that pattern engraved on your rib?”

“……” Go Johan couldn’t answer easily. As this was his first experience with atonement, it seemed to be a change caused by it.

‘Is it a mark of the curse?’ He had thought it wasn’t a big deal.

“Don’t go to the public bath. It’ll cause an uproar. They’ll ask what an 8-year-old is doing with a tattoo.”

“…I guess so.”

“By the way….”

In front of Jae-kyung and Go Johan, a girl was sleeping soundly. Jae-kyung rubbed his head as if troubled.

“What should we do with her?”

Fortunately, her school uniform and…

“Yoon… Seung-ah?”

The name on her nametag made it seem not difficult to identify her.

“We should look for her as soon as we get out,” Go Johan said, thinking it was the only way, even though he wasn’t sure how to explain.

“She won’t have anywhere to return to,” Go Johan said in a languid voice.

“……?”

“She’s a child offered as a vessel for demons.”

And not just an ordinary vessel. Even before the demons had begun their activities. Moreover, the curse and sins he had atoned for from her were not ordinary.

Even though what was guarding her was just a minor demon.

“She’s a vessel for a great demon.”

In the end, she was a child meant to be used as a vessel for a great demon to manifest.

‘Shining talent, and something that can transcend humanity.’

Something hidden within her.

Go Johan had seen it before. Vessels before completion.

– Vessels to manifest demons of seven angles or more. Even incomplete, they were monsters that had given Go Johan, no, Michael, a hard time.

“What are you talking about?”

“She probably won’t even remember. Her very existence will have been erased.”

Go Johan said. “You don’t have to believe it if it’s hard to. Anyway….”

It’s a truth you’ll find out when we get out.

“Whew.” Jae-kyung sighed again as if troubled.

He knew that the Go Johan he had seen so far wasn’t the type to lie.

“Let’s get out for now,” Jae-kyung said, shivering.

“If we stay here any longer, I think we’ll really die.”

Even though they had dealt with the boss, it meant that the air itself in the Black Gate was hard to endure.

“And….” Jae-kyung said.

“You promised. To tell me when we get out.”

And so, the first Black Gate was closed.

* * *

Fortunately, time seemed to flow slowly inside the Black Gate. When they emerged from the Black Gate, it was still dark night, and no problems had occurred.

“Phew.” To Jae-kyung, what happened inside the Black Gate felt like a dream. Except for Yoon Seung-ah in front of him.

Thud. Go Johan collapsed onto a corner of the sofa as if exhausted. Jae-kyung also sat down on the floor.

“…Will you tell me the story?” Jae-kyung asked, his resolve seeming to waver at the sight of the tired-looking Go Johan.

“Do you really want to hear it?”

“……” Jae-kyung seemed to hesitate for a moment.

Honestly, he wanted to ask. Just what.

‘What are you, and what is that gate?’

He wanted to hear and understand all those stories. But for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out easily. It felt like some secret, something even he couldn’t handle, would swallow him up.

And.

Squeeze. Jae-kyung looked at Go Johan as if he had made up his mind about something.

“I’ll just ask this one thing.”

“Go ahead.” Go Johan nodded, indicating his agreement.

“Will there be more of those things in the future? And more children like her?”

“…There will be.”

“And you’ll continue….” Jae-kyung’s eyes trembled as he looked at Go Johan.

“To fight.”

The Black Gate was literally hell. The Hell Hound monster was so powerful that even Jae-kyung, a top-ranked player, couldn’t easily handle it, and Drows, the boss, was terror itself.

“Yes.” Go Johan answered without hesitation.

“Then….” Jae-kyung seemed to be considering something for a moment.

“Then that’s enough. I won’t ask anything else.”

“……?”

“Instead, I’ll fight too.”

His eyes no longer wavered.

“Whether those things are demons, or that… goddess or whatever.”

Having been with Go Johan for a long time, Jae-kyung knew that Go Johan occasionally cried out to a being called a goddess. Go Johan could have rebuked him for such blasphemous words, but he patiently waited for Jae-kyung to finish speaking.

“I don’t understand it all, just let me fight alongside you.”

“Why?” Go Johan asked.

“Because I said I would protect you.”

He seemed to think of the promise to protect Go Johan as a kind of mission.

“……” Go Johan closed his eyes for a moment.

‘I tried not to involve anyone.’

This was his holy war. Moreover, unlike in Travania where he was just a knight of the goddess, this was a muddy fight where he had to become a demon or a villain.

That’s why he had pushed away even those who had become his new family.

‘Perhaps I’ve been denying it.’

The fact that he had fallen and become something like a demon or a villain.

– Hypocrisy. It might have been hypocrisy to try so hard not to involve others.

The hypocrisy of trying to shoulder everything alone, as he did in Travania.

What had become of Travania as a result?

Swish. Go Johan opened his eyes again.

“It will be different from what you think,” Go Johan said.

“You shouldn’t think we’re on the good side just because we’re fighting demons.”

“……”

“I am a knight serving the goddess, but I will become even a demon to hunt evil species. Even so.”

His sky-blue eyes rippled as if cursed.

“Will you still join me?” Go Johan asked one last time.

“I never cared about that stuff anyway,” Jae-kyung said with a smile.

* * *

Jae-kyung left first because of Yoon Seung-ah, the child found in the boss room, and Go Johan returned home with the other bodyguards.

“Son! You’re back?” Soo-kyung Shin came out right away to greet Go Johan.

“Thanks to you.”

“Did you have fun? Why do you look so tired?”

“I guess I played too hard.”

Her face was haggard, as if she had stayed up all night worrying. Go Johan nodded with a pitiful smile.

“Go in and rest quickly!”

Soo-kyung Shin seemed to think it was fortunate enough that he had returned home safely.

Fortunately, no one seemed to know about the Black Gate incident.

And when night came.

“You’re here?” Go Johan greeted Jae-kyung.

“…It was true. I looked for Taeheung Middle School, but there was no information related to Yoon Seung-ah.”

Jae-kyung said. “There’s not even a single photo or document. This is….”

He seemed unable to comprehend it.

“I told you. That it would be like this.”

Great demons. Such beings were transcendent existences that could manipulate even reality.

Without such beings intervening, the door wouldn’t even open, let alone be possible to secure a vessel.

“……” Although Jae-kyung had made up his mind, he still seemed unable to hide his surprise.

“For now, I’ll be taking care of her, but….”

Although Jae-kyung would have to take care of Yoon Seung-ah for the time being, it wasn’t easy.

“Can’t adopt her. Can’t leave her with someone else.”

Jae-kyung looked troubled.

“Acquire a decent orphanage,” Go Johan said.

“An orphanage?”

“There will be more children like Yoon Seung-ah in the future.”

“…Ah!”

If so, they would need an institution to take in and raise the children. Moreover.

‘It might be quiet now, but.’

As children influenced by being vessels for demons, problems would occur not infrequently.

“That could work.” Jae-kyung smiled slyly as if he had thought of something.

“I’ve got a good idea.”

“And gather some trustworthy people.”

“Trustworthy people?” Jae-kyung’s face stiffened slightly.

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking of taking them there?”

Jae-kyung recalled the Black Gate they had just experienced.

“If necessary. Well, it probably won’t come to that.”

He had no intention of entrusting the Black Gate to ordinary players.

“Who will manage the orphanage?”

“…I guess you’re right. I’ll look into it.”

Jae-kyung nodded.

“Players, people closely related to the old man or those who can definitely keep their mouths shut, and lastly….” Go Johan said.

“People who have retired due to unfortunate accidents or whose lives have been ruined. People who would do anything if given another chance.”

Jae-kyung’s eyes deepened at Go Johan’s words. He understood the conditions Go Johan had mentioned.

“…With those conditions, I think we’ll have some options.”

Jae-kyung left the room after finishing his words. He would probably be busy for a while.

Go Johan lay on the bed.

‘Goddess.’

He prayed.

‘Please forgive me.’

From now on, he would truly become a demon. One who would use anything that could be used.