Kuroki, the young man who became the Dark Knight

'Lord Dihardt, that is the magic of flight, sir.

　Lugas says to himself, floating puffily in the center of the room.
　It was early afternoon on the day after the battle with Rage. I was in a room in the Demon King's Castle taking a lecture on magic from Lugas.
　After the battle with Rage, Modes gave me a great deal of thanks.
　Now I am second only to Modes in Nargol.
　It's good to have him thank me, but I didn't want him to hug me and say, "Friend of my heart~".
　The matter of the reward was put on hold. If I were to leave, it's because there's no choice but to take the reward.
　According to Modes, the summoning technique doesn't allow you to return to the original world, but rather to go to a different world than the original one, or to become lost in time and space. For this reason, a separate magic called the return technique is necessary.
　Unfortunately, Modes was not familiar with such magic and could barely summon himself.
　Modes promised to find out how to return.
　Is there a way to return on Elyos' side?
　I doubt it myself.
　Modes says the chances of that are slim.
　I don't know where that confidence comes from, but it must be quite reliable information.
　However, if Modes is lying, that's a different story. The truth is that the art of return exists, and they are trying to prevent you from returning to fight the heroes, etc.
　But I don't think I'm lying. It's too roundabout, and most importantly, there are better lies to tell if you want them to fight a brave man.
　Besides, it seems that Modes is the type of person who expresses his thoughts with an attitude.
　I think so from the delirious attitude of Modes when he was talking to Mona.
　I'm not sure if Mauna is not a natural, but to be honest, there are times when she is annoyed by the two of them being a couple.
　If that's the case, why are they fighting each other?
　They were forced into this world, even though they had no way to get back.
　I think it was because Rage was confused by the goddess's lustre, but I don't know why the girls were fighting, except for Rage.
　I wanted to get some information on Rage and the others.
　By the way, I heard before noon that Rage survived the day.
　I was relieved to hear that. I knew that Rage would kill me, but I didn't intend to. I don't think Rage is so evil that he has to be killed.
　I'm relieved and I'm learning about Nargol, this world and magic from Lugas.
　Whatever you do, you need the information.
　This horned and pointy-eared old man in front of me was this Nargol's vizier and supreme wise man, I was told. Normally he would not be a teacher, but he has to do the governmental work of Nargol, but he seems to be treated very well himself when he puts it on as his teacher.
　And now he is being taught about magic.

It's a good thing that you're able to use flying magic without any problems. But be careful, while you are using the flying magic, you cannot use other magic and so on and are defenseless. You won't fall prey to the archers. ......

　As I float, I let out a small black flame with magic from my index finger.

'You need to be careful with ...... Uu, but that was a needless worry for Sir Dihardt, wasn't it?

　Lugas says as if he was gasping.
　It seems to be quite difficult to use two magic at the same time, judging by the way Lugas talks.

It's really an enigma for a human being in another world called the hero. Originally, even a single flying spell would have required a long training if it were a human being. ...... Since the brave's companions were also using the same high-level magic, Lord Dihardt must be the same.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as soon as you appear in this world.
　And it seems that I can also use the same high-level magic. When asked why they can use it, I don't know either.
　I stop using my flying magic and descend to the ground.

'And it's that black flame. Even in this world, only His Majesty and Lord Lanfeld should have been able to use it, but Lord Dihardt can. But it's interesting. Sir Dihardt can't use ordinary magic flames, but he can use the black flame ....... Originally, it should be the other way around.

　Lugus shook his head as if in disbelief.

''But it will be inconvenient if you can't use ordinary fire with your own magic power. So now let's try using the fire spirit.''

　Lugus says thoughtfully and mutters something. Then a book suddenly appears in Lugas's hand.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to use spirit magic this time. I'm sure you'll be aware that this is a completely different strain of magic than what we've seen so far.

　It reminds me of something I learned from Lugus a while ago.
　It seems that there are two main types of magic, either you use your own magic power to perform magic, or you borrow the power of something else that is not you. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　Spirit magic is a magic that communicates with invisible spirits with magic to get their wishes or requests heard. It's a good idea to have the ability to communicate with the magicians in order to use this spirit magic.
　It's not just a matter of how many times I've seen it, but also how many times I've seen it. I'm not sure if the reason I was able to converse with Modes, who originally didn't understand Japanese, is because I was unconsciously using this magical communication ability. The truth is, they weren't talking with words, but they were talking by activating their magic to trigger the speaking of words.
　This magic communication is easy for those who have the intelligence to speak, but it seems that to communicate with non-verbal spirits and demonic beasts, etc., a very high level of ability is needed to communicate with them, and even those who have high magical power can't use spirit magic unless they have a high level of communication ability through magic.

''Spirit of fire in the atmosphere, listen to my voice!

　Then Lugas holds up his index finger and the fire is lit there.
　He lets go of his finger. He lets go of his finger, but the small fire remains in the air.
　After about 10 lights, he stops, mutters again, and the fire goes out.

"Try again," he says.

　I muttered to myself, as did Lugus.

'Err ...... fire spirits in the atmosphere, listen to my voice!

　He holds up his index finger and mutters the same thing as Lugus. Then fire comes out of my own index finger and suddenly it leaves my finger and flits around the room.

'Whoa!'

　I rush to avoid it myself. The fire goes out against the wall as it rampages through the room and disappears.

'Excuse me, Mister Lugus!

　I bow to Lugas myself.

''Oh dear, it would have been dangerous if the room wasn't magically defended. It looks like you can't use spirit magic very well.

　Lugas says with interest.
　After that, I tried to control the fire spirit several times, but it didn't listen to me.
　Lugas says that some people can't use the fire spirits well, but some people can use the water spirits well, so he tries other spirits as well.
　However, I tried to use the water spirit and the wind spirit, but I couldn't control them, only flooding the room or scattering paper.
　It seems that the water spirits are useful to remember the water spirits, so I practiced to use the lower spirit Undine a bit, but I was quite tired. With this, it would be difficult to even summon a higher level spirit.
　It seemed to be unable to communicate well with spirits that could not speak with their own abilities.
　I recall that Sasaki Rino was using what seemed to be a high-level spirit of fire when she was fighting Rage.
　I'm sure she has a high level of magical communication skills.
　And even though it's impossible to communicate with spirits, I haven't tried communicating with a demonic beast that can't speak the same way. I'm going to try it next time.

''That's enough for today.

　Lugas closes the book and the book disappears from Lugas' hands.

'Um, Mister Lugus, ...... I have a question.'
What can I do for you?
'Does Lord Lugus unfold the book as he uses his magic earlier, or does it mean something?
Oh, I see you've been wondering about the grimoire.

　Lugus muttered something and the book suddenly appeared in his hand.
　I nodded to myself.

''Sir Dihardt, actually, this Lugus here can't use spirit magic by nature.
?

　I nod my head.

''Um, ...... it seems that Lord Lugus was using spirit magic just now.

　I question myself.
　Earlier, Lugus had mastered the use of spirit magic. Why would he say that he couldn't use it, etc.?

''That's because you had the help of this grimoire. It's a good thing that you're not the only one who can use the fire spirit in this grimoire, so you can use that spirit magic that you just used.
'Oh, then wouldn't you be able to use that grimoire yourself to use spirit magic?

　Honestly, if you have such a useful tool, you should have told me sooner.

Maybe I'll use it.
Oh, you're sure?

　I nodded at Lugas' words and borrowed the grimoire.
　You can also use the grimoire, but the grimoire doesn't respond to anything.

"The grimoire seemed to glow when Lugas-dono did it: ......
Fo-fo-fo-fo, that grimoire is a special creation, and it can only be used by me, its owner.

　Lugas says with a laugh.

'I see. ....... That's kind of a shame.'

　I say with a sullen smile.
　According to Lugas, Lugas has grimoires of all strains and is able to use healing and spirit magic that he would normally not be able to use. I'm sure you'll find that the number of magic you can use is even greater than that of Modes.
　The reason why Lugas did not participate in the fight against the heroes is because every time he uses a different line of magic, he has to change the grimoire, which takes more time than a person who can use that line of magic, and also because he uses nearly twice as much magic power as he would normally use to call up the grimoire. Yes.

"I personally envy Sir Dehardt who can use black flames. Even with the power of a grimoire, that black flame can't be used.

　Lugus says ruefully.
　Then Lugus mutters something about getting the book back from him. Then the book disappears from Lugus's hand.

'That power is useful too, isn't it? 'Was it a spell to call up or restore things that are far away, as I recall?'
'Oh, you mean object movement magic. If it's a special magic tool, it's surprisingly easy to use. For example, Lord Dihardt's magic sword.
Oh, really?

　I remember the magic sword given to me by Modes. Needless to say, it was the sword that cut down Rage.

'Just think of that sword and call it up.

　I hold up my hand and think of the magic sword.
　Come on!
　After a few seconds, there was a swing of a sword in his own hand.

'It seems that the demon sword has recognized you as its owner after all. You will find that these weapons and armor with special magical powers try to be on the side of their master. It's easy to summon them.

　I look at the magic sword. The demon sword with its black sword barrel and red pattern will give the viewer an evil impression.

It's called the black blood demon sword. Those who are cut by the sword will be infused with black power and their own magical power will be gradually eroded. The brave man who was cut down by the sword will have his magic power consumed, and he'll be on the verge of death by now.

　Lugus laughs happily.
　My own mind buzzes at his words.

'Um ....... I heard that the brave man survived .......
　At least that's what I've heard, I was relieved to hear that Rage was saved: .......

'For now, it looks like the saint's power is keeping her alive for now. But I don't know how long that will last either.

　Lugas says with a chuckle.
　Rage is an enemy to Lugus and his friends, and it must be hilarious because that enemy is dying.
　But I wasn't.
　It's not that I did it myself, but I never once wanted to kill Rage or anything like that.
　I don't like him very much, but Rage is not so bad that he has to be killed. Just because I don't like him doesn't mean I should hurt him.
　Honestly, it bothers me.
　I still wonder if I should go and check on him.
　In truth, I was not only concerned about Rage, but about them.
　Most of all, I'm also worried about how Shirone is doing.
　I didn't care when Shirone went missing in her original world.
　I've been wondering why he's in this world. I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on.
　I'm not going to be able to get rid of it.

I'm not going to be able to get to the bottom of it. I would like to discuss something with you.





Kuroki has an audience with the Demon King.

I see. I'm anxious to see the brave man. All right, I'll have them furnish you with the necessary equipment for your journey.

　Modes nodded.
　I'm relieved to hear that he understood.
　In the audience room of the demon king's castle, I appealed to Modes to let me go to check on the brave man.
　At first I thought he might say no, but Modes agreed to let me go. However, he didn't say why he was going to check on him, so maybe it's because Modes thought he was going to put a stop to the brave man.
　However, I was relieved to have Modes' help. After all, I don't know anything about this world. It would be the difference between having help and not having it.

''Lugus, you must provide Lord Dihardt with what he needs for his journey.

　Lugas comes forward at Modes' call.

''Yes, sir. 'Yes, I was consulted yesterday and I have already made preparations. Since Sir Dihardt may not know anything about the human realm, I will send him to you to guide you. Nat, come on out.

　At Lugas' voice, a small animal appears from underneath Lugas' feet.
　It's a squirrel or mouse-like animal with red fur. The small animal comes to your feet.

'How do you do, Master Dihardt, my name is Nat of the fire mouse tribe, Jans.

　A mouse named Nat greets the head with a bow.
　Normally, the rat speaks! I would be surprised to hear that, but I've already seen a lot of impossible creatures. I wouldn't be surprised.

'I'm Dehart. Nice to meet you, Nat.

　I return the greeting.
　Nat looks surprised when I say hello. Of course, he may not really be surprised because he has the face of a mouse.

...... No, don't rely on rumors, Yance. I've heard that you are even more frightening than that, Jans.

　Nat says and shakes his head, holding his hands up.
　I chuckle to myself when he tells me that he was thought to be the scary one.
　Apparently, I am feared by Modes' men.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of your time with the help of your friends.
　However, if we have to live here for a while, I don't think it's a good thing to be feared.
　I recall that even in my former world, I was told I was afraid of the look in my eyes, and I grew my bangs long enough to hide my eyes. I think it made me look a little kinder.
　But since it doesn't seem like people in this world are afraid of my appearance, I need to find another way.
　So what do we do?
　Maybe next time I'll say, "I'm not afraid - I'm not afraid!" and dance.
　Or something silly like that, Modes and the others gave me a quizzical look.

''That Sir Dihardt ......?''
'No, it's nothing. Thank you for being our guide.
Now then, I'll have them prepare something else for you that I think you'll need.

　We are briefed on all the magical tools that Lugus' men brought with them.
　A map of this world. A magical cloak with a hood that makes its presence disappear. A stone that magically makes a warrior. A stone that seals the magic of shifting. A stone that seals the magic of shifting. Jewelry and other items that might replace the currency of the human world.

And if you need anything else, I can get it for you.
No, I think this should be enough.

　I say thank you. In fact, I don't know anything about this world, so sometimes I don't even notice what I need.
'Lord Dihardt, outside of this Nargol is the domain of the gods of Elyos. If you think you are in danger, you will be turned right back with the Stone of Transition.

　Modes says.
　The magic of transmigration is the magic that sets the place you want to transmigrate to with magic and moves you there. The stone of transference is a magical tool that can be used only once, even by those who can't use that magic.

''Thank you,''

　I thank Modes for myself.
　You should be polite to those who care about you. This is common sense in every world.
　And then I left the audience room.




Dark Knight Kroki.

Where are we?

　It was dark and empty where they had moved with the magic of transference.

'This is one of the defence bases in the Acheron Mountains, Yance. If truth be told, there was a resident knight, and Yance couldn't afford to deploy a knight to this stronghold from Yance because there were a lot of people killed and wounded in the battle against the brave men. ......

　The nut on his own shoulder explained to me.
　The Acheron Mountains are the boundary line that separates the world of Nargol from the world of man.
　These mountains are guarded by the flying dragon riders of the Dark Knights to prevent invasion from the air. It seems to be one of the bases for their defense.
　It was here that I prepared for the journey and moved from the Demon King's castle at once with magic.
　Once you get down this mountain, you should be in the world of humans.

''It's funny, Yans, there should be a flying dragon rider waiting here to take you to the bottom of the mountain, and Yans is .......

　It would actually be faster to descend with flying magic, but since I was interested in flying dragons, I decided to get a flying dragon to send me there because I was interested in flying dragons.
　I hear something coming from outside the stone building.
　When I went outside, I saw a lizard-like creature with huge wings.
　It's a demon called a wyvern. On the back of the flying dragon was a dark knight.
　That dark knight lowered the flying dragon near the building and got off the flying dragon's back as well.

''It's nice to meet you, Lord Dihardt!　My name is Knight Gned!

　The dark knight takes off his helmet and bows to himself.
　He is a young man of the demon tribe who is in his late teens to early 20 years of age in human terms.
　I've heard about the demon race from Lugas.
　The demon race is the highest-ranking race in this Nargol. They look like brown-skinned humans, but they have two horns on their heads. They are excellent at magic and far superior to humans physically.
　But they are very few in number, less than one-twentieth as many as Nargol's largest race, the Orcs.
　But even so, the Dark Knights are the strongest in Nargol, consisting of demon warriors.
　I'm not sure if that dark knight Gunedo is nervous or not, but his face is stiff.

It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. You can't be so formal.

　Honestly, when you call me "Sir", it makes my back kind of itch. I'm not such a wicked person. If you're as old as you look, you shouldn't be so different from yourself, you should be more comfortable talking to me.
　But you notice that Sir Gned is shaking a little.
　Could it be that he is frightened?
　I'd be shocked if you did.

'No!　For you are second in rank to His Majesty here in Nargol!

　I honestly don't know if I'm nervous or afraid.
　But I don't think I can get him to talk to me comfortably.

'I will now take you back to the foot of the mountain!

　Gned said, and urged him to get on the back of the flying dragon and take a seat in the back.

''It's nice to meet you, Sir Gned: ......
Yes, sir!

　When he rides himself, Gned flies the flying dragon.
　When the flying dragon flaps its wings, you feel the wind.
　You can't help but ooh and aah at the sensation.
　It's a moderately good sensation.
　When the flying dragon flies through the air, the defense base becomes smaller in the blink of an eye.
　The sensation of flying in the sky was very good. I'd like to have a flying dragon for myself.
　However, the altitude suddenly dropped when it came to a certain point.

''What's going on, Sir Gunned?''

　It would be ruined if we had to fly low in the sky.

"We're going to fly low from here on out.

　What does he mean by surveillance?

''Master Dihardt. The area around here is already under the watchful eye of the Holy Knights of Elyos, and they will be watching you if you fly too high. If you fly too high, they'll spot you.

　Nat, who is in the pocket of my clothes, explains.
　According to Nat's explanation, the Holy Knights of Elyos are an elite unit made up of human heroes and angelic tribesmen who have sworn allegiance to the God King Odis. And since Elyos and Nargol are enemies, naturally, the holy knights consider the dark knights as enemies.
　The holy knights are said to have repeatedly invaded the airspace since the dark knights were destroyed by the rage and others. Therefore, they have to fly low to avoid being seen by them.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. It was dangerous even from the side.

''It seems that Sir Gned has not been a flying dragon rider for a very short time, so yangs .......

　The Dark Knights are currently short-handed. The skilled flying dragon riders are few and far between, and Gunned seems to have only been a flying dragon rider for a short time.

''However, if you fly poorly like this, the goblins around here might target you. ......
What, from a goblin?

　I've been taught about demons to some extent by Lugas when I take a lecture on magic. Goblins are ugly, green-bodied demons that average about 140 centimeters in height. According to Lugas' lectures, their heads are harder than steel and they are not good at music.
　But as long as goblins are called demons, aren't they under the control of Modes, the Demon King?
　When I mentioned the question to myself.

"The goblins around here are not under your control, Yance.

　According to Nat, Modes is sometimes called the ruler of demons, but it is only called that because he rules Nargol, where no people live and many demons live, and the demons outside Nargol are not under his control, and they don't listen to his orders.
　The goblins around here also do not listen to what Modes says. In fact, it is said that there are few demons that listen to Modes.
　To be honest, the title of Demon King is false.
　Although Modes has the power to dominate the demons of the world, it seems that Modes doesn't have much desire to dominate, and would never attack the human world from Nargol.
　Whenever a demon outside of Nargol attacks a human being, people seem to think that Modes has them attacked, but the truth is that this is not the case at all.
　In other words, if you leave Nargol, you are outside the Modes' control, so when problems arise, you have no choice but to solve them on your own.
　I am obi-sworded because it takes a long time to touch and call up the demon sword at my waist. There was a possibility that he might draw his sword against a demon on the road.
　When I was thinking about this, an arrow suddenly flew in from below.

"Go, goblins and yans!

　Nat lets out a panicked voice.
　I look and see short, green, human-like beings aiming at us with arrows.
　The flying dragon gets excited about being shot with an arrow and starts to flail about.
　In a hurry, I myself cling to the flying dragon.

''Calm down! Calm down!!!!

　Gned tries to calm the flying dragon down but is unsuccessful.
　Gunned rapidly raises his flying dragon to avoid the arrows.

''Whoa!''

　I cringe.
　I rise so quickly that the arrows can't reach me.

'Calm down! Calm down!

　Having escaped from the arrows somehow calms the flying dragon down.

''It looks like you're relieved now: ......

　To my relief, Gunned lets out a panicked voice.

'Ah!　We've found it!

　Gned looked in the direction Gned was pointing, and there were winged humans rapidly approaching. Their number was 10.
　The winged human was wearing golden armor and held a bow in his hand, pointing towards us.

''That's the holy knight of the angel tribe, Yansu!　Lord Gned, I'm running away, Yance!

　The angelic race is a race of winged humans living in Elyos.
　As a winged race, the angels do not use flying magic to fly, so they can use magic and swords while flying.
　Normally, they can't fight while using flying magic, so they would have to ride on flying dragons or flying creatures such as sky horses to be a match for them.
　Gnedo is also riding a flying dragon, but he's only one rider and Gnedo has only been riding a flying dragon for a short time. If they continue to fight, they will be shot down.
　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get my hands on it or not.
　I'm going to have to do something about it, so I'm going to cast a flying spell.

Sir?
''Sir Gned stay in control of the flying dragon. I'll take care of the rest.

　When he says that, he goes straight to the angels.
　The angels shoot arrows at me.
　That arrow looked very slow.

''Ha!

　I draw my sword and knock off the arrow.

''Nonsense!

　The cries of the angels.

'O black flame!

　I let out a huge mass of black flames in the air as I fly through the sky.

''Hellflame (Hellflame)!

　A mass of black fire spreads out and heads towards the angels.
　I don't mean to hit them. It's just a threat.
　However, the effect is so great that you can see your opponent panicking.

''That black flame is Lanfeld, run!

　The angels run away, mistaking their faces for Lanfeld's because they were wearing the hood of their cloaks, or maybe they didn't recognize their faces.
　I'm going to go back to Gunned's flying dragon and sit behind it.

It's a great ......

　I can hear Gned muttering.

'Sir Gned, the angels have been driven away. Please keep flying.

　I smile at Gunned.

'Rii-okay, again!

　Gned bites and salutes himself and sends the flying dragon flying.
　The flying dragon flies high and slashes the wind.
　It felt good.
　Flying with the magic of flight requires you to focus on the magic to some extent, and you can't enjoy the view. If you're going to fly in the sky, it would be better to ride on the back of something.
　If I came back, I thought, I'd like to have a flying dragon for myself.
　Eventually, I reached the edge of the Acheron Mountains.

'Thank you, Sir Gned.'

　I thanked Gunned as I was lowered to the ground by the flying dragon.

''I'm afraid so!

　Gned remained nervous from start to finish.
　But his demeanor seemed to have softened a bit since the first time it was there.

This is it for me, but I wish you well on the road!
"Thank you, Sir Gned.

　Gned said and sent his flying dragon flying.
　Now, it was a walk from here.
　According to Nat, Rage and the others are in a place called St. Renaria Republic.
　It is fast if you can get there with the magic of transfer, but since you can only move to the place you set up in advance, there is no way you can set it outside of Nargol, so of course you can't use it.
　It's a bit of distance to St. Renaria Republic, but it seems that I've become superhuman in this world and can move faster than the previous world. It's not going to take that long.

Then let's go, Nat.

　I have stepped out into the world of humanity.