I Became the Dark Knight in the Game
Chapter 71: The Ritual (1)

The hunched-back man scratched his head and asked.

“Let me ask, how did you know the golem’s core was there?”

Dale replied nonchalantly,

“You mages have no creativity. You always hide the core in the same spot.”

“…That has nothing to do with creativity. Placing the golem’s core there is the most efficient and practical choice…”

“That’s exactly the lack of creativity I’m talking about.”

Dale cut off the hunched-back man sharply and the latter’s eyes flickered menacingly from behind his mask.

He then muttered,

“Fine, I admit it. You’re more skilled than I thought. Despite your brutish appearance, you’re quite cunning. That makes you all the more valuable. If I offer you to my master, he will surely be grateful and commend me.”

“Try it if you think you can.”

“I certainly will.”

The hunched-back man didn’t seem to care about the expenditure of his magical power as he immediately prepared for his next spell.

Dale was not one to stand idly by.

He slaughtered the obstructing demon worshippers and advanced relentlessly.

The hunched-back man who was moving on all fours like a beast used both his hands and feet as he spoke.

“What a fine day, isn’t it? The new moon, thick clouds, and fog all make up the perfect conditions for what we are meant to do.”

Dale thought as he swung his sword without stopping.

He talks a lot.

Like other mages he had encountered, this one seemed to enjoy rambling about things only he understood.

Instead of paying attention to such trivial matters, Dale focused all his energy on cutting down the demon worshippers who charged at him.

While not as troublesome as the hunched-back man, the spells used by these demon worshippers were still a nuisance.

They were not to be underestimated.

Whether the hunched-back man was aware of Dale’s struggle or not, he continued to mutter incessantly.

“We were almost ready. Just one piece was missing, and then you showed up… It almost feels like fate, doesn’t it?”

Instead of responding, Dale forcefully hurled the bisected body of a demon worshipper at him.

The hunched-back man dodged swiftly to the side yet his chatter didn’t cease.

“Fate has called, and I must answer! It’s not to my usual taste, but I’m willing to take this gamble.”

With those words, he produced a staff from seemingly nowhere.

Dale couldn’t just ignore that staff. Its appearance was familiar to him.

The relic staff that controls beasts.

It looked similar but the power emanating from it was significantly stronger.

Its great power could be felt even from a distance.

Pale who was holding off the other demon worshippers shouted out,

“Sir Dale!”

It was a cry that meant action was necessary. Dale nodded his head and, ignoring the other demon worshippers beside him, charged straight at the hunched-back man.

But the man was quicker.

He lifted the staff above his head and then… slammed it down towards the ground.

Crash!

The staff broke all too easily, scattering its fragments across the street. But what came next was truly astonishing.

The broken pieces of the staff sank into the ground as if submerging into water.

“With all the blood and death that have accumulated around here recently, such things are possible.”

The hunched-back man said as he stamped his left foot on the ground.

Suddenly, the road was etched with unknown symbols and geometric patterns.

The atmosphere shifted. The wind ceased, and the fog stirred violently.

This is not good.

Something was about to happen.

Dale’s plan to use Esther as bait to trace the demon worshippers had led him to this encounter with the hunched-back man, who seemed to have seen some kind of fate in it.

The plan the hunched-back man had been preparing for so long was now being set into motion.

Oooooo—

A sinister energy spread throughout the entire castle.

The low-lying fog took on a faint green color. Dale waved his hand to disperse the fog.

The fog contains magical power.

The fog wasn’t notably acidic or toxic.

Yet, that made it no less unsettling.

There must have been a reason for the fog to contain magical power.

The mystery soon unraveled.

The door of the mansion which stood like a sculpture on one side of the street burst open.

A family emerged from the mansion: three children, their parents, and what appeared to be their grandparents.

Esther cried out in alarm,

“What… It’s dangerous! Go back inside immediately!”

But the family paid her no heed.

They walked at a slow dragging pace and with vacant eyes as if they were no more alive than the dead.

The hunched-back man shouted,

“Come, follow me! I shall bestow upon you the honor of becoming part of something greater!”

And so, the family began to follow the hunched-back man.

The latter clapped his hands in a lively rhythm and danced down the street.

As the sound of his clapping echoed, the doors of houses swung open, and people who had been silently hiding inside walked out with dazed expressions on their faces.

However, not everyone was under the spell.

“Oh, father! Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Please, come to your senses!”

A middle-aged woman clutched at the waist of a wrinkled old man.

But the old man paid no heed to the woman and blindly made his way toward the hunched-back man.

The hunched-back man looked at the woman and exclaimed in admiration.

“Ah, quite a strong-willed one you are. Had you been younger, you would have made an excellent sacrifice… What a shame.”

“Huh?”

The hunched-back man reached out toward the woman’s forehead, intending to cast a spell and end her life.

The woman stared blankly at the hunched-back man.

Just as his hand was about to touch her forehead, a black mist engulfed the hunched-back man.

“Tch.”

Losing his sight, the hunched-back man hastily retreated. After all, he was a mage, not a warrior.

It’s troublesome when an unknown blade comes flying out of nowhere.

As the fog cleared, the bewildered woman was even more astonished to find a knight clad in black armor looking down at her.

“Pl-please… save…”

Dale ignored the woman and turned his gaze to the hunched-back man before speaking in an even more impassive voice.

“Is this what you’ve prepared? Bewitching all the townsfolk of the castle.”

“Of course, this is but the first step of the plan. I do hope you’ll continue to watch.”

With those words, the hunched-back man gave a mockingly polite bow before he dashed off through the streets.

The bewitched residents of the castle followed suit.

Dale clicked his tongue in disapproval.

Then, someone grasped Dale’s hand.

It was the middle-aged woman he had saved earlier.

“P-P-Please save my father. My husband is dead, and he’s all the family I have left. Please…”

Dale took in the desperate woman’s appearance in his eyes. He could sense the fear she still held towards him.

However, the man must have had special meaning to the woman to the point where she asked Dale for a favor.

She had courage.

Dale nodded his head.

“I’ll give it a try.”

The woman was too stunned to respond since she hardly expected a positive answer.

Dale raised his sword and looked ahead.

The number of demon worshippers blocking the way had significantly decreased, as most had followed the hunched-back man.

Pale and Esther moved to his side.

The former asked him,

“There is an unpleasant smell wafting through the city. We cannot let that demon worshipper escape; we can’t.”

“Yes, let’s give chase immediately.”

With that, Dale charged forward. He effortlessly crushed any demon worshippers in his path and started the chase after the hunched-back man.

The chase was not difficult.

The residents who had taken to the streets were moving in a long line and there was definitely the hunched-back man in the direction they were moving.

After running for some time, the group reached a spot where people stood in line and halted in their tracks.

In the end, they expected to find the hunched-back man… but he was nowhere to be seen.

The people had stopped at a strange hole.

It was an unnaturally large hole in the road. The space within the hole was oddly distorted, pitch black, with the bottom out of sight.

Yet the lined-up residents were fearlessly entering the hole one by one.

And when their bodies touched the hole, they were engulfed by the darkness and vanished.

There was no sign of the hunched-back man anywhere around.

“Wait! Everyone, stop! You shouldn’t enter there!”

“Come to your senses, all of you!”

Pale and Esther spread their arms wide while trying to prevent the people from entering the hole.

But the thoroughly bewitched residents struggled to enter, like a school of fish longing to return to their birthplace, blindly flinging themselves towards the hole.

Pale realized it was all futile, bit his lip, and examined the hole.

“When did this hole appear… A cellar? Or perhaps a storm drain?”

Could it be that the city’s underground structures had been taken over by demon worshippers? Just like what happened in the past with Hasina?

Pale urgently asked Dale.

“What shall we do? Given the commotion we’ve caused, Sir Talos and the Inquisitors must have noticed the anomaly by now. They’ll likely be on their way here soon. Should we wait for them?”

The big hole.

There was a smell more dangerous than anything Dale had ever smelled in that gaping hole and he had no idea what was lurking there.

It would definitely be a dangerous adventure for these three to enter a place like that.

Unlike the calm Pale, Esther expressed her anxiety.

“But if we wait here, what becomes of the townsfolk in the meantime?”

Pale’s response faltered.

“Well…”

He couldn’t say for sure, but the longer they delayed, the more likely it was that the number of victims would increase.

The two soon turned their attention to Dale.

“What do you think, Sir Dale?”

“……”

Dale quietly peered down into the hole. It was pitch black with an ominous odor wafting up.

He instinctively knew that a dangerous enemy lay in wait below.

Is he deliberately luring me inside?

The hunched-back man coveted Dale. He wanted to kill Dale and offer him up as a sacrifice.

Yet, even though he said that, he had left only this conspicuous hole before vanishing.

It seemed almost like a provocation.

As if daring Dale with a taunt, there was even a sense of mockery in being challenged to enter.

But Dale thought calmly.

The ritual has begun.

It was likely a ritual to resurrect the demon Ganiagos. The castle residents who were now walking as if in a trance were probably intended as sacrifices for this ritual.

The ritual is most vulnerable before it is completed.

It was similar to a mage’s spell.

Once a ritual is completed, it cannot be undone. The best course of action is to prevent its completion.

Rather than dealing with the resurrected Ganiagos, it was best to stop him before he resurrected.

The battle against time had begun.

It could be a trap.

Perhaps the hunched-back man had laid a trap to lure Dale in.

But on the other hand…

This might be my best chance to win. So.

Dale took a moment to survey his surroundings. Pale and Esther were desperately trying to prevent the bewitched residents from walking into the hole.

Indeed, he couldn’t just stand by and let this happen.

Dale broke his silence.

“I will go inside right now. I need to stop him.”

“……”

Pale and Esther nodded their heads in agreement with grim expressions.

“Then we will join you.”

“It’s going to be dangerous. You might even die.”

“It doesn’t matter. Our goddess did not teach us to flee in times like these.”

Esther affirmed her resolve.

“I won’t hold you back either.”

Dale nodded his head in acknowledgment.

The battle would be tough, but overcoming this fight would elevate Pale and Esther to greater heights.

The same went for Dale.

With their decision made, there was no reason to hesitate. The only thing left was to act.

Dale firmly wrapped his arms around the waists of Pale and Esther.

Esther asked with a puzzled look on her face.

“…. Sir Dale?”

“We’re going in now.”

Dale immediately picked them up and ran towards the hole.

Esther let out a startled scream after her body was lifted up, but Dale kept his gaze fixed on the hole regardless.

Eventually, they made contact with the strangely distorted space inside the hole and the three of them vanished completely.

It was quite some time later when the inquisitors and soldiers gathered at the scene after hearing the commotion.