Dark Fantasy Paladin - Chapter 1

Dark Fantasy Paladin Chapter 1

prologue.

The inhabitants of this world believe that night comes when God closes his eyes.

This is because it is believed that devils and evildoers hide in the morning to avoid God’s gaze and then appear when the sun sets to harm people.

However, even in such darkness, there were those who spread noble light.

They were wearing platinum armor, acting on behalf of God’s judgment, and crying out for the destruction of evil.

One eye of God that brightens the night. This world calls them paladins.

Yoo Ji-tae became a paladin in the game.

Two years had already passed, but he was still an atheist.

Episode 1.

As dusk deepened, Aiden’s heart became more and more urgent.

I tried to urge the horse I was driving, but since it was going down a mountainside filled with trees, it couldn’t pick up any speed.

The 2.5m long lance that Aiden was carrying diagonally on his back was nothing more than an obstacle in this terrain.

‘It’s difficult when the sun goes down completely.’

The destination was Tedrang Village.

There was a high possibility that the demon they were chasing had hid there.

As expected, he would have been hiding in Tedrang for more than a week, but it was already time for the victims to come one after another.

I was somewhat annoyed by the situation where I couldn’t move quickly due to my impatient mindset.

The sun has already set, so it’s time for them to be active. Only then did the terraced vineyards at the entrance to the village begin to become visible.

From here on, there were no trees blocking Iden. He loosened the reins and rode the horse vigorously.

As the quiet village rang with the untimely sound of horses’ hooves, the residents who had been hiding came out one by one through the window frames.

They also knew what this sound meant.

A Holy Knight dispatched by the church. Or maybe a demon hunter came looking for gold coins in return.

This is because there are few beings other than them who can be so confident at night.

Most people wanted the former Paladin.

However, Aiden’s appearance in the eyes of the residents was not someone wearing platinum holy armor and emitting a halo.

He appeared as an invincible demon hunter wearing leather armor and a black cape.

Of course, the residents were in no position to risk anything, so they immediately came out to greet Aiden.

“Ah, are you a demon hunter? “I am Gambel, the chief of Tedrang.”

The village chief was a stooped old man. Aiden showed him the seal of the Varanches.

“no. “I am an apprentice knight belonging to the church.”

He was a novice who had just graduated from a monastery.

In fact, in the village, the person less trustworthy than the demon hunter was the apprentice knight. Because most of them lacked experience.

Very few people completed the training and received qualifications. The rest are killed or maimed during battle with demons.

The village chief’s expression became confused because he knew such physiology well as he had lived for so many years.

Aiden noticed the village chief’s mood, but spoke without paying any heed to it.

“The demon I was chasing escaped here. “It must have been about a week, and from the looks of it, it must have caused damage to the village as well.”

From the actions of the village chief who rushed out and the expressions of the residents visible from the windows, it was possible to infer that they were suffering serious damage.

“That’s right. How many women in the village have already died. A corpse with its entire body shriveled… Ugh. “I have never seen such a horrible sight before.”

The village chief shuddered as if he didn’t want to even imagine it.

“This is the guy I was looking for.”

Incubus. It was a dream demon that sucked a woman’s vagina until she died.

Time was getting closer and closer to midnight. It was about time for him to eat.

“Village chief, gather the young women of the village here right now.”

“If you say a young woman…”

“A woman who has started her period but has not had a coming-of-age ceremony.”

The village chief was skeptical of Aiden’s skills, but he felt a strange sense of trust in his appearance and calm manner of speaking.

“Oh, I understand.”

He hesitated for a moment and then gestured to the residents.

“Did you hear what I said about the article here? “Hurry and gather everyone!”

Following the village chief’s orders, several young men ran throughout the village and spread the word about the situation to each household.

It is a small village with about 100 households, so it won’t take that long.

Taking advantage of the waiting time, the village chief spoke to Aiden again.

“He’s a tough guy. In fact, not only the women but also several men who were looking for him have already been killed. If possible, contact the church and ask for an official Holy Knight…”

The meaning was to protect the village until the Holy Knight arrived. Don’t move hastily.

Of course, Iden had no intention of doing so.

This is because once you finish this job, your time as an apprentice knight will end.

Two years since I fell into this world. I finally got a chance to ride the main scenario, and I couldn’t give it up.

Aiden looked at the translucent hologram window that appeared before his eyes.

It was a character sheet that was directly borrowed from the status window or quest window in the game.

‘There’s still a long way to go.’

It was the result of two years of sweaty feet, but considering the latter half of the game, it was far short.

“That driver?”

“There is no time to wait. “It’s enough for me alone.”

As the village chief, I couldn’t tell if that confidence was courageous or not, but I couldn’t go against it.

No matter how much of an apprentice he was, as long as he had the word knight attached to him, he was a status that commoners could not compete against.

“······I understand.”

Iden, who resolutely dismissed the village chief’s opinion, got off his horse after seeing that the villagers were gathering one after another.

Although only the women of the village were summoned, quite a large crowd of people of all ages and genders gathered in front of the village chief’s house.

It was to look at articles published by the church.

Even the men who were said to be the biggest in the village were insignificant in front of Aiden.

There were no residents talking or making a fuss in the large crowd.

Everyone quietly waited for Aiden to open his mouth.

“Are these all the women gathered over there?”

About 30 young women were standing in a line.

“Yes, we invited every single person. “I’ll get better.”

The man who was moving the fastest answered.

Iden nodded and walked towards the group of women.

Everyone lowered their heads to avoid making eye contact with Aiden.

The reason why women behave this way is probably because the procedure by which a lord selects a princess is similar to this.

This was a completely different situation, but it was a reflex reaction.

“Lift your head and look into my eyes.”

The woman standing in front hesitated and made eye contact with Iden.

The girl’s pupils were trembling anxiously.

Iden gazed into those eyes, raised the tip of his index finger, and brought it between her eyebrows.

“I won’t hurt you. “There is no need to be anxious.”

At the same time, a pure white light burned at the tip of Aiden’s index finger.

Divine power. It was a power used by all paladins to fight against demons.

The purity of divine power was different for each user, and the training method was quite different for each user, but Aiden’s case was a little special.

system.

To be precise, the powers he set when creating the character were the basic foundation.

What Iden chose was ‘noble hypocrisy.’

By demonstrating good deeds, one gains the respect and envy of others and then replaces it with divine power.

If this world were a game, the conditions could be met with rough manipulation, but as it turned out, this was a stark reality.

We had to elicit awe from real people, not artificial intelligence NPCs.

If I had known that I would be possessed in the game, I wouldn’t have chosen that power.

no. I might not have even started this damn game in the first place.

In any case, the glow that bloomed from the tip of Aiden’s index finger was the fruit of his efforts over the past two years.

That bright light stole everyone’s attention.

Some people exclaimed, while others clasped their hands together and called out the name of God.

The fear had already disappeared from the pupils of the girl who was facing him.

‘First of all, not this child.’

The humans worked by Incubus show a rejection reaction to divine power.

Aiden passed by each person one by one, observing their reactions, and suddenly stopped in front of the girl with reddish-brown hair who was the fifteenth person to turn.

Because her body was shaking like an aspen.

“Ju Julie! what’s the matter?”

The woman’s father became thoughtful and looked at Aiden and his daughter in turn.

“She is a woman marked by the devil. “Hold your child from behind to prevent him from moving.”

It was common for commoners who were deluded by the devil to be burned to death.

This is because there was a high possibility of becoming a devil worshiper or member of the devil.

If the victim was a noble, they could be healed with expensive holy water or purified by a saint, but this was not the case for commoners.

Julie’s father cried out in despair.

“My daughter is not guilty. please. Sir, please have mercy… please have mercy!”

The expressions of the village chief and other residents also became gloomy.

But they were also facing reality. Following the village chief’s gesture, Julie was captured from behind.

Just as some young men were about to move to prepare firewood and molds, Aiden spoke.

“I don’t pick people up.”

The village chief looked somewhat puzzled.

“What…”

“I don’t need anything else, so just hold on tight so it doesn’t escape.”

Julie was gradually losing her temper. He screamed in anger and showed his hostility.

“Let go of this! Don’t touch my body! “My body belongs only to Sebas!”

It was the result of a clash between the demonic power planted by the devil and Aiden’s divine power.

‘As expected, I’m under the spell.’

If Iden had not been there, the woman would have probably gone to Incubus on her own and sacrificed herself.

That was the way the monster hunted humans.

Aiden immediately raised his divine power.

Because it was different from the treatment system the saint dealt with, the charm could not be completely removed, but it had a temporary effect.

The pure white brilliance began to push out the shadows that had stayed in Julie’s pupils, even if only for a moment.

Aiden did not miss that moment.

“Did you say your name was Julie?”

“Uh huh…”

Julie let out a painful moan and twisted her body around as if she was going to black out.

All the village residents had stiff, shocked faces.

“My sword cuts only heretics and demons. Trust me if you are not one of them. “I won’t hurt you.”

A warm light enveloped Julie. Aiden’s halo. Although he was not a formal paladin, the level of divine power he radiated was very high.

Even the village chief, who had doubted Aiden’s skills, was bowing his head in ecstasy.

“Eyes of God.”

Everyone was relieved, forgetting that it was night. Julie also slowly opened her mouth.

“······I am just that.”

“You are not at fault.”

“I’m sorry. “What am I…”

“The culprit of all this misfortune is the devil, so don’t blame yourself. “Can you just tell me the location of this guy named Sebas?”

There must be a place where we agreed to meet.

“Hey brewery. “He said he would wait for me at the brewery on the outskirts of town.”

done. Now that I knew its location, capturing it was only a matter of time.

‘This is the end of my apprenticeship ticket.’

The cult required the slaughter of 49 demons as qualification. Sebas was the end of the Holy Knight training.

When Iden removed the halo, Julie collapsed.

“Julie!”

Her father ran over to help his daughter and looked up at Iden.

“Chief Engineer, what will happen to my daughter now?”

“It has not been completely purified. “Let them drink this first.”

Iden took out a small glass bottle from his pocket and handed it to Julie’s father.

You might think it was holy water, but it was nothing more than a sleeping pill.

The cost of a bottle of holy water cannot be paid for by selling all the village’s assets. Of course, it was something that even Iden could not handle.

“You will wake up in 2 or 3 days. “By then, all the demonic energy in your body will have been purified.”

It was possible to heal a human addicted to demonic energy without the help of holy water or a saint.

The body of Magi. In other words, all you had to do was get rid of the demon that caused harm.

In some ways, burning people to death was the worst custom in the world.

Iden knew full well that it was bullshit.

“This precious thing… How on earth can a guy like me repay such a favor?”

Aiden did not bother to reveal that it was not holy water.

If the truth is told, the residents will not believe that Julie has been completely purified.

Even if she kills the demon, she might not be able to survive in the village. The residents might burn Julie at the stake out of anxiety.

Iden shook his head.

“It was my job to do.”

“I will pray to God for your well-being throughout your life.”

Iden scanned the messages that appeared before his eyes with bitter eyes.

Numbers such as nobility and sanctity were rising like a game.

As soon as Aiden got on the horse, the village chief came rushing towards him.

“I don’t know anything, Mr. Driver, so wouldn’t it be better to take a few men with you? The location of the brewery…”

“I can see it over there.”

There was a brewery in the direction that Aiden pointed with his fingertip. It was quite a distance away and it was nighttime so the shape could not be seen with the eyesight of an ordinary person, but it was clearly visible to Aiden.

I left the village chief, who hesitated as if he had anything left to say, and grabbed the reins.

“Do not doubt.”

Because I didn’t want to be interrupted from doing what I liked most in this world.

To kill the devil.

There was no greater entertainment than taking on the character of Iden and hunting down demons.

Iden rode the horse.