Chapter 283 (1/2)

The Black Knight stood in front of Elarc’s crumbling main gate that had lost its shape.

When the people that were passing nearby spotted the Black Knight, they would wave their hands with smiling faces.

The gate was no longer fulfilling its defensive role, but this was a place that had a strong protection more than anywhere else. The solidest gate that the Black Knight, who no one knew where she came from, protected.

Then again, the person herself had no intention of protecting it. It’s just that she just happened to be here, and merely just happened to cut down those that tried to pass through this place with hostility.

She could leave this sort of place whenever she wanted.

「……」

Silently, the Black Knight looked up at the sky.

The first thing that she saw since she woke up, was this blue sky.

She saw the blue sky that she knew wouldn’t change at all right now as something very beautiful, felt anger at the Alva that dyed it black, and turned bloodlust towards the troops that scorched the sky with smoke and flames that covered the earth.

Destroying them, the blue sky that returned to normal, was still beautiful.

Today as well, she spent her time looking up at the sky like this. She didn’t have anything else to do.

No, there should have been something, but she was unable to remember what it was.

Even the feeling of impatience that she had at the beginning, it gradually faded.

She didn’t really get it, but there was only a sense of loss in her chest.

As for just what it was that she had lost, she didn’t even know what it was.

She would obtain a moment of exaltation if she were to fight, but what would remain after that was a lethargy that was worse than before the fight.

While she was like that, the Black Knight understood.

That she had nothing. She lost her meaning to live, therefore she was empty.

Thinking “in that case”, the Black Knight decided to stop in this town.

Since any place would be the same anyway no matter where she went, this place where the smell of war was strong might be better since she could obtain exaltation, even if that feeling was only temporary.

And speaking of smell, that group of two with that blond haired man and black haired woman that she met not long ago.

The two of them were completely different, but the both of them had nostalgic smells……she felt that they gave off that sort of presence.

She also felt that the man had a presence that pissed her off a bit, but she didn’t know why she felt like that.

Well, no matter what the reason was, it had nothing to do with the Black Knight who had lost her willpower.

「……Hey, did ya hear?」

「Yeah, the revival ritual, right?」

They were people of the town that had stopped nearby and had a whispered conversation.

The surroundings of the Black Knight, who had half turned into an ornament for the spot, had been used as a place to meet up, maybe because she gave them a sense of relief.

The Black Knight gave an ear to the conversation of those people of the town for some reason.

These past few days, she had been hearing nothing but rumors about the 「revival ritual」.

It seemed to be about a technique that could revive a life that had been lost, but if there were something like that, people that could die would surely vanish from this world. The Black Knight couldn’t decide on whether that would be good or not.

And then, in those rumors, it seemed that there was also some unnecessary information as well.

「Does that mean that Princess Narika has been acknowledged by the Gods?」

「Yeah, it’s that kinda story. I don’t know the truth to it though……」

「But wait a sec, didn’t Altluwand not acknowledge Princess Narika?」

The conversation between those people that continued to whisper, it concluded with the usual flow it went into.

「If there really is a revival ritual……」

「Yeah……」

There were several points and keywords to the conversations.

The revival ritual. And then, Altluwand.

If she remembered correctly, was Altluwand a sacred treasure that was enshrined somewhere in this country?

She had heard that it was the sacred treasure that the hero of this country, the one called the Great Sage Teria, had possessed.