Vol 1 Chapter 55

The moment the quest officially began, Kapros learned that there would be other users besides himself who would receive quests for the seven heroes. Moreover, two of them were already by his side. If that was the case, it would be helpful for the future to know about Lord Superior's companions as well.

"You mean the seven heroes?"

Hearing Kapros's question, Berman, who had been looking down with half-closed eyes, suddenly opened them wide again.

"Yes."

"Well, since that's the field I'm researching, I know a fair bit about it."

"Could you tell me about it?"

When Kapros asked, Berman shrugged, leaned back leisurely, and began to speak.

"Hmm... It's not difficult, so I'll tell you the story. Do you know who Lord Superior's best friend was?"

At his question, Kapros recalled the figures he had seen in the vision just moments ago. Even with a quick thought, the Dark Knight came to mind, but since Kapros hadn't told Berman about seeing Superior's memories, it would be better to answer that he didn't know here.

"I don't know."

"Hehe. That would be the Dark Knight. It's a fact known to all those interested in this legend. Like Lord Superior, the Dark Knight's real name is unknown. He's known by that title simply because that was his alias."

"I see..."

Come to think of it, their names never appeared in the vision either. Not that it mattered much...

"And then there's the Shine Knight, who was very close to the Dark Knight; the Holy Knight, who was said to be a priest of a now-forgotten god; the legendary Bloody Knight, who was like a red lion on the battlefield; the mysterious guardian of darkness about whom little is known, Shadow Knight; and Electric Knight, who was said to be as skilled with a bow as the legendary elves. These were Lord Superior's companions, as the story goes. And lastly... the most feared knight of the demon god, Lord Knight."

"Lord... Knight?"

Kapros felt his head starting to ache from all the unfamiliar names, but he voiced his question about the last, most unfamiliar name.

"Usually, he's called the Knight of the Demon God rather than Lord Knight, but his skills were said to be so great that he could face all the others except Superior alone. 'Lord' is a title given to those whose power is strong enough to be recorded in history. That's why Superior also has 'Lord' before his name, but unlike Superior, he's also called the betrayer of humanity, so people don't call him Lord Knight."

"Betrayer of humanity? What does that mean?"

"Well... There aren't any definitive records about this, so there are many speculative stories. There's a theory that the Knight of the Demon God, who possessed such tremendous power and led the slaughter of humans on behalf of the demon god, was actually human."

Kapros was bewildered by Berman's words, spoken in a voice lowered as if revealing a great secret. Was that really so shocking?

The Knight of the Demon God that Kapros had seen in Lord Superior's memories certainly looked human, although his face was covered by a helmet and only his dark eyes were visible.

"Is it a big deal that he was human?"

When Kapros asked, Berman nodded as if it were obvious.

"It's already known that humans are the only living beings in this world who indiscriminately slaughter their own kind, but what makes the Knight of the Demon God special lies in the structure of the demon god's army 500 years ago."

Berman glanced around slightly, and seeing that Kapros was listening attentively, continued with a pleased expression.

"At that time, there wasn't a single human in the demon god's army. Most were monsters and magical beasts, and while there were other races including dark elves and a dragon called the demon dragon, there wasn't a single human. Because they had killed them all. But, if the one who was like the supreme commander of that army was actually human. If that being, whom the proud dragon allowed to ride on its back and whom all sorts of other races followed without resistance, was really human! Can you believe that?"

"Ah..."

"If such a person was human, he would become both a killer of his own kind and a betrayer of humanity. As one who tried to kill all of his own kind except himself. Do you understand?"

"I see."

"If you study various circumstances, the possibility that he was human is quite high, so it's not entirely without persuasion."

Kapros once again recalled the image of the Knight of the Demon God he had seen.

A man with eyes that seemed to hate the entire world. How on earth did Superior and his companions defeat him? It was extremely intriguing.

"...And there's another interesting legend about him."

As if reading Kapros's curiosity, Berman spoke again. Kapros refocused on his words.

"The presence of the demon dragon was an enormous military asset for the demon god's army. It's said that just one could have devoured the entire world."

It didn't feel like an exaggeration. The intimidating presence of the demon dragon in Lord Superior's memory was overwhelming even from Kapros's third-person perspective. It seemed natural that the humans who had been resisting until then immediately lost their spirit upon seeing the black dragon.

"But you know, there's a saying that the demon dragon actually only followed the Knight of the Demon God, not the demon god. That there must have been some other reason for it to let an inferior being ride on its back. Well, knowing such things is useless, so just consider it entertaining trivia."

As it seemed the story was mostly over, Kapros stood up.

"Thank you for the story you shared today."

As Kapros bowed politely, Berman laughed heartily.

"I enjoyed it too. If you happen to have any more results from your journey, let me know."

"Yes."

After answering like that, Kapros suddenly remembered another important purpose for coming here and hesitantly opened his mouth.

"Ah, by the way..."

"Hmm?"

"Actually, I want to practice magic, but there doesn't seem to be a suitable place in this city. Is there perhaps an appropriate place? I only need a few days."

At this, Berman nodded readily.