Vol 2 Chapter 4

The Dark Knight, catching his breath while looking at Lord Superior, showed a relieved expression, but immediately stiffened upon seeing the Shadow Master who was examining the new uninvited guest with his arms crossed.

"...Sorry. There were too many monsters, I was late dealing with them."

"..."

It seemed as if he was about to say it's okay... when suddenly everything in front of him distorted. With the face of the Shadow Master, whose thoughts were unreadable, as the last thing he saw, his vision turned white once again. As everything around him disappeared and his gaze floated endlessly, he was soon thrown into the midst of a noisy battlefield. However, this time too, Kapros was seeing the world through Superior's eyes.

Half of the sky was black and evil. But the other half was red and holy. Beneath that sky was a massive black dragon that seemed to fill the entire earth, and on top of mountains of corpses and ruins, a battle of heroes was taking place.

"Superior!"

"Damn it... He's completely lost it. Someone go and bring him here!"

Despite the dangerous sounds of clashing weapons continuing around him, Superior didn't move. He just sat there blankly, then suddenly raised his hand weakly. The white hand was stained with blood, its original color nowhere to be seen. Beyond that hand, in the direction of his gaze, a man emitting a holy white aura was seen desperately blocking the sword of a knight exuding a black aura. The white armor he wore was also damaged in places and stained with blood, looking utterly miserable.

Kapros could vaguely see someone lying on Superior's lap, but strangely, his gaze wouldn't properly turn in that direction, making it difficult to identify who it was. For some reason, Superior kept looking blankly elsewhere and closing his eyes repeatedly, as if absolutely refusing to look down at his own lap.

How much time had passed like that? The sounds he had been hearing gradually became more desperate.

"Shine Knight can't hold out much longer!"

"No... Skaga is being pushed back by the demon god!"

Even at the screams of comrades he had fought alongside, Superior didn't turn his head. And finally, the knight in black armor, having succeeded in deceiving and pushing away the knight in white armor, rushed in front of Superior in an instant.

"Your hiding behind others ends now!"

"Superior!"

The gazes of the knight in black armor and Superior met. Superior stared blankly at the sword flying towards his neck, not trying to avoid it.

It was at that very moment.

From somewhere, a shadow with long silver hair appeared, blocking Superior's front.

With a cruel sound, blood splattered overhead, cutting across the body. In that instant, all sound disappeared. The man who had blocked Superior slowly fell to the side.

Thud. As an extremely slow and loud echo of a heavy vibration resonated, Shine Knight charged once again at the knight in black armor, dragging his wounded body.

"...Ah."

A meaningless groan poured out from Superior.

"Why, why..."

"...I once told you."

At that moment, a faint voice flowed from the fallen one. Superior moved his body as if crawling towards him, while hugging something lying on his lap.

"That nothing in this world remains unchanged..."

It was a calm voice, unlike someone facing imminent death. Tears fell beyond Superior's blurry vision.

"No, don't speak..."

"But you never betrayed your friends until the end... So I, too, just showed my loyalty... Now that I've done that, it's... enough..."

"I said, don't... speak..."

"Look at me... and the person lying in your arms properly. Don't turn away from our choices..."

At that moment, as if waiting for those words, the scenery distorted again.

It was the same place as the battlefield just moments ago, but there was one difference. It was the presence of the Dark Knight embracing Lord Superior's shoulders. Through his shattered breastplate, a sword like the one Yu-wan had was seen deeply embedded in his abdomen. As the Dark Knight brought his hand to Superior's face and his blood-stained lips moved to say something, Kapros's vision slid towards them as if flying.

"...This was all my choice."

As a scream like a wail rang out, the vision returned to the earlier situation where the Shadow Knight had fallen.

"I... don't regret it... He probably felt the same..."

And finally, the silver eyes blinked and showed a faint smile never seen before.

"How enjoyable..."

As soon as those words ended, the pupils in the silver eyes slowly unfocused. Superior watched the last smile disappear like a mirage through his tear-blurred vision. And for the first time since Kapros started viewing this memory, he looked down at his own lap, his knees trembling.

"Uwaaaaah..."

What he had been desperately trying not to look at while embracing was the face of the dead Dark Knight.

The sorrowful crying that had been ringing in his ears for a long time faded away, and Kapros's white vision returned to normal. Lucrecian, who had been watching him with interested eyes, waved his hand with a smile, and simultaneously, a familiar ding sound was heard.

Ding!

- You have completed Superior's Memory Quest 2 / 8.

No sooner had he finished reading the translucent notification than a new light burst forth from the ceiling.

"Is that a magic circle?"

Lucrecian muttered with interest. As he said, the new light flowing from the ceiling was drawing complex patterns and languages that looked like a magic circle. Kapros opened his mouth without hesitation and chanted a spell.

"Fly!"

Recalling the sensation of his body floating that he had experienced many times while viewing Superior's memories, Kapros lightly stamped his feet, and soon his feet slowly lifted off the ground. The magic circle was drawn centered around the light-emitting hole that had originally been in the ceiling. Kapros gently touched it with his fingertips. Simultaneously, with a whoosh sound, the light spread beautifully.

"Ah..."

Kapros read the words elegantly crafted by the particles of light in the air.