Chapter 139 – Dark Night Order
After finishing a sufficient ‘conversation’ with the guy in the golden armor, I was walking down the corridors of the Imperial Palace with my knights, pondering what to do next.
There was no need to stay in the palace any longer.
I would return to my room, pack my things, briefly meet Minerva, say goodbye to the knight commanders, and finally return to my territory, thus ending the long awaited audience with the Empress.
“I must have repaid the knight commanders enough by now.”
Aside from the fact that the former lord was associated with demons, I had also scared them enough with various threats, so for the time being, they would be filled with worry and cautious of their own shadows.
It’s not like I had said anything wrong. I had indeed received my share of the karmic debt for what I did to the Silver Dawn Knights.
“Um… Knight Commander, are you alright for a moment?”
I heard a voice calling me from behind. I stopped and turned my head. A female knight with blonde hair and blue eyes was cautiously approaching me.
It was Laksia. The same deputy commander who had pointed me out as her sparring partner in the training ground, only to be soundly thrashed with her broken sword and dragged away by her subordinates.
Honestly, I didn’t expect Laksia to be under my command. Despite the 50% chance, there was also a 50% chance that she wouldn’t be.
The way I made my choice was simple. I drew a line through the center while the Golden Dusk Knights were standing to meet the Empress and dropped a stick vertically onto the line to determine which way it would fall.
The stick fell to the left, and that was where Laksia stood.
She seemed quite surprised by the result at first, but later started glancing at me nervously. It seemed she was recalling our first encounter in the training ground. I had no intention of holding any grudges over that.
“Why the hesitation?” I said, trying to sound casual, but it felt a bit awkward.
“I was just wondering if you had any plans in mind. What do you intend to do next?”
“I’m going to think about it from now on.”
“……Excuse me?”
“I mean, I never imagined a situation like this would happen, how could I have made any plans? Preparation requires some degree of expectation, doesn’t it?”
“Maybe the Empress would split the Golden Dusk Knights in half and grant them to me, so I was wondering if I should think of plans in advance?” Anyone who thinks like that is either meticulous or just plain crazy.
Laksia seemed to understand about half of what I said but the other half left her puzzled, tilting her head as she opened her mouth again.
“I apologize, but may I ask you one more question?”
“There’s no need to apologize. Ask away. What is it?”
“I’d like to know what our affiliation will be. More precisely, the name of our order.”
‘The name, huh.’
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t decided on a name yet.
Fortunately, this was something I didn’t have to stress over. I could simply use the name that was given when the Empress merged the two orders into a new one in the game.
“I’ve got something in mind. Let’s hear it out and if you all like it, we can use it. Otherwise, feel free to change it.”
“What is it?”
Dozens of eyes and ears turned towards me.
“Dark Night Order.”
If one side symbolizes dusk, and the other symbolizes dawn, then combining the two should equate to the pitch-dark night in between. That was the Empress’s logic.
In English, it is “Dark Star-Night,” leading to comments about her possibly still having lingering middle school syndrome at her age. They said the armor looked sleek in pitch-black, but the name was an issue, or so the chatter went.
I personally didn’t care much about such things.
“It’s an ancient tradition, so what?”
There’s naming sense even among sacred spells or magic that make people doubt their own eyes.
For instance, “Raging Torrent of Mana” or “Judgment Blade that Punishes the World.” If you look at the names, the former is a spell, and the latter is a sacred spell.
Considering that such names appeared consistently in the Brightest Darkness series from the first installment, it seemed that the creators had a very firm preference, making it a disadvantage for anyone who paid attention to that.
Interestingly, the knights led by Laksia seemed to really like the name “Dark Night Order.” As soon as I mentioned it, cheers of “Oooh!” broke out from various places.
I wasn’t sure which aspect they liked, though.
“…This must be the spot.”
I stood exactly in front of the place Minerva had indicated. I then rummaged through my uniform’s pocket to pull out a small scroll. It was a scroll inscribed with a rather complex magic circle.
I had already commanded the knights to gather at the western garden of the Imperial Palace by evening to prepare their belongings. However, as the moment to leave the palace approached, they all looked a bit downcast.
Still, if there were no problems in between, they would undoubtedly be able to return to the palace within a few years. Or even sooner. After that, I might have to hand over the commander position to Iris or Lize.
I came here alone after sending them off.
“Is this how it works?”
As I infused the scroll with mana, the magic circle glowed blue and began to float up, sticking to the wall of the Mage Tower.
The spot where it stuck indented inward, revealing a space large enough for a person to enter. I stepped onto it, and the outer wall shifted aside to fill the vacant space.
The platform I stood on slowly began to rise. This was a magic Minerva told me to use whenever she might encounter me; it was obviously a small elevator.
The creator of this magic herself had yet to name it, claiming it still needed improvements. She suggested to just call it something like “send the platform to the wall.”
The platform with me on it soared straight to the top floor of the Mage Tower and stopped there. It was the place that held Minerva’s bedroom. The wall opposite the entrance I used opened sideways.
There was a door dividing Minerva’s bedroom from the corridor next to it. As soon as I stepped one foot inside, the zesty fruit scent blitzed through my nostrils. It was the scent of lemon.
But it wasn’t unpleasant at all. It was a pleasantly tart scent, like a lemon-scented air freshener.
‘If it’s a fruity scent…’
Every time that thought crossed my mind, there had been a common situation.
I grew slightly anxious. Shaking off the unease, I continued to step further in. The scent of lemon grew stronger as I entered the bedroom.
“Minerva?”
I cautiously called out her name and peeked around the wall. She had mentioned that if I used the magic she gave me to enter, I wouldn’t have to be mindful of anything.
Minerva was seated right in front of a massive desk pressed against the wall, diligently writing something on the scroll. She looked rather normal compared to what I expected.
If it weren’t for her outfit barely hanging on, that is.
The collar of her bathrobe barely covered her upper arm, revealing her alluringly shaped shoulders and slightly protruding shoulder blades.
Given the way her clothing was slipping, I could only imagine the front was in a similar situation.
“Here, this goes like this… the magic circle will be conceptualized separately…”
Minerva was focused on jotting down words with a fountain pen, paying no mind to the fact that her clothes were on the verge of slipping off. Meanwhile, the writing tool she used was still a fountain pen.
Since waiting around in this state would definitely not get her attention before her research concluded, I decided to step a little further in. I had a request, and I couldn’t just leave.
Perhaps she felt my presence, as her writing slowed slightly. Her voice, mixed with irritation, broke the silence.
“Who’s there? Didn’t I clearly say not to let anyone in for a while? Unless a dragon has reappeared, you’d better brace yourself for a huge scolding.”
“It’s me, Minerva.”
Upon hearing my voice, Minerva’s hand abruptly froze. After confirming it was indeed me, she shot up from her seat in an instant.
The bathrobe precariously hanging over her arm fell straight down. Her collarbone and chest, which were usually close to being obscured by her outfit, were now fully revealed without a single detail amended.
The barely fastened garment that had been holding on by a thread, thanks to Minerva’s sudden movement, came undone, swinging wide open.
The black bathrobe silently landed on the floor.
“Ah.”
An unidentified voice echoed through the bedroom. I instinctively glanced at Minerva’s uncovered body.
A hefty chest that promised substantial weight. A soft-looking abdomen and sides. Thighs that seemed like they would leave handprints if touched. Hips widely spread apart.
Lastly, under her completely drenched legs, a piece of black fabric… that was something I’d prefer to ignore.
Minerva froze in that state for a moment and then swiftly recovered her attire. The bathrobe that had slumped over the chair was put back on, and the unfastened waist string was tied back into place.
It took merely 1 second or even less for her to return to the Minerva I knew.
“Next time you want to see my body, you’d better say so in advance, kid. I need some preparation time too.”
“Excuse me?”
Did she just say something nonsensical?
“Nothing at all. I was originally just going to kick you out, but if you came looking for me, I should make some time to welcome you. So, what brings you here?”
I wanted to ask what she meant, but she was clearly in no mood to offer an explanation. Thus, I reluctantly returned to the original purpose of my visit.
“I came to ask you to lift the magic placed on the castle.”
“The castle’s magic? Ah, are you referring to the magic placed on the territory from that child? Of course, if it’s a request from the child, I’ll gladly grant it, but may I ask why?”
Minerva seemed to have changed the topic, as if she had been waiting to do so. This was either something she slipped out unconsciously or a hint she purposely dropped.
“It’s because the person who will be living in the castle has changed.”
The Silver Dawn Knights had managed to function quite well under the magic due to various special circumstances, but that was going to change now.
To prevent any anxiety for the knights that would be entering, we either needed to explain the nature of the magic or lift it, but the special nature of the magic posed a problem.
For the external view, it was a magic that the former lord mistook as a curse. Recognizing it wouldn’t bring any benefit, given that many knew its reality.
“I see. Understood.”
Minerva was now holding a silver staff. The tip of her staff lightly tapped against the bedroom floor. A blue mana burst forth from the tip.
A magic circle engraved between the shards of the staff glowed blue and then dissipated.
“It’s done.”
“Thank you, Minerva.”
“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for me. Instead, I should be thankful several times over. Are you about to leave now?”
“Yes. I should. The Empress also said it was alright for me to return.”
I bowed my head and turned my back. Just as I was about to exit Minerva’s bedroom, I suddenly felt an even stronger lemon scent mixed with the soft sensation of flesh behind me.
Arms wrapped around my shoulders and neck, both encased in the black bathrobe. The sensation behind me became even more pronounced.
“Before you go, wait a moment. Since you’ve seen Minerva Skeantia in the nude, you should pay the toll, right? Don’t worry. You only have to answer one question. Just to be sure, but…”
A soft sigh, mingled with warm breath, whispered in my ear.
“Do you happen to know where any other ancient scrolls are?”
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