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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Ethan slowly turned around.
He was out of breath, his body and mind exhausted.
The fallen knight was still clutching his halberd.
The battle had been decided the moment Ethan landed the decisive blow, no matter how strong the opponent.
‘He didn’t lose his pride, even in defeat.’
Ethan looked at the black knight’s armor.
The light in his eyes was fading.
Ethan offered a silent prayer.
The light vanished completely.
Silence fell over the clearing.
Tia was the first to break the silence.
“Ethan! Are you okay?”
“Ethan, are you alright?”
Sepia and Tia rushed over to Ethan’s side, their voices filled with concern.
Anya followed them.
Ethan had made every move count, like a chess player carefully planning his next strategy.
And he had emerged victorious.
He sheathed his sword.
His right hand, which had been gripping the sword tightly, trembled.
“Thanks. I’m fine. How about you?”
“We’re fine, thanks to you. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Sepia looked at him anxiously.
Ethan nodded.
Sepia forced a smile.
She had been worried.
She thought he was dead.
When she saw the black knight, she had assumed the worst.
There were so many things she wanted to say, but she couldn’t find the words.
“Let me see your hand. You walked through fire. Are you sure you’re not burned?”
Ethan had emerged from the flames like a hero returning from hell.
“I have high fire resistance, so I’m fine.”
Sepia examined his hand.
There were deep cuts, dried blood caked on his palm.
He had been channeling mana through his entire body, yet his hand was injured. It was a testament to the ferocity of their battle.
But other than that, he seemed unharmed.
Tia stared at Ethan, speechless.
Her cheeks were flushed, the adrenaline from the battle still coursing through her veins.
‘Ethan, you must have lost that first fight… There’s no way the black knight would have been able to attack us if you had defeated him…’
But it would be rude to ask him how he had survived.
She pieced together the events in her mind.
Ethan had been defeated by the black knight.
But the knight hadn’t killed him. He had turned and left.
And Ethan had been losing in the second fight as well.
‘Did you… get back on your feet even after being defeated?’
After recovering, he must have seen the ravens and rushed back to help them. And using his experience from the previous battle, he had managed to defeat the knight.
It was a plausible theory.
Although the premise, that Ethan had lost the first fight, was wrong.
“Were you the only ones here?”
Ethan’s question broke through Tia’s thoughts.
Arthur’s high luck stat had led him to Ethan.
And at the perfect time. It was too much of a coincidence.
“Arthur and Tesha were also here. They went to defeat the necromancer.”
“Really? Do you think they succeeded?”
The black knight had momentarily lost consciousness during the fight.
Ethan felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. He wanted to collapse, but he couldn’t.
He still had things to do.
‘With this level of necromancy… Gamigin…’
Only a powerful demon like Gamigin could control a death knight.
He had to prepare for the worst.
‘But the number of undead was surprisingly small for a demon of Gamigin’s rank.’
He doubted Gamigin would personally intervene to deal with a group of Hero Candidates.
It would be like burning down a house to get rid of a flea.
Ethan recalled the author’s words.
―Why don’t the Demon King and the high-ranking demon generals just show up and wipe them out? They’re just kids.
―The academy is stronger than you think. And the other demon generals are busy fighting other heroes.
So, it was unlikely that Gamigin herself had appeared.
“Ethan!”
Ethan turned to see Arthur grinning at him.
Tesha was standing behind him.
“We were worried when we heard you were fighting the death knight, but you’re alive!”
“Yeah, it was close.”
“We defeated the necromancer.”
Arthur handed Ethan the demon medal.
‘If Arthur was able to defeat the necromancer at this stage, it must have been Murmur.’
“Good work. By the way…”
Arthur looked at the fallen knight’s armor.
If they left it there, the demons might resurrect him again.
‘What should we do with the armor?’
A thought suddenly struck him.
“Arthur, did you get a skill orb?”
Arthur pulled out a skill orb and a red gem.
“These are what we got from defeating the demon.”
“Really…?”
The skill orb contained Necromancy.
And the red gem was, if Ethan remembered correctly, “Gamigin’s Ruby.”
‘Maybe…’
“Arthur, I need to talk to you.”
Ethan led Arthur away from the others.
He lowered his voice.
“You can see the properties of the skill orb and the artifact, right?”
Arthur had told him about his unique ability before.
And Ethan had seen Arthur identify the properties of items in the novel.
“Yeah, this skill orb contains Necromancy. And this red gem is a consumable item that enhances Necromancy.”
Ethan explained what had happened.
The knight’s identity, the two battles, the fact that the knight had been resurrected even after being defeated. Things he hadn’t told the others yet.
“So, you’re saying we can resurrect him again?”
“Maybe…”
But destroying the armor seemed disrespectful.
There was another option.
They could report the incident to the professors and let them decide what to do.
But he wasn’t sure what their decision would be.
They might order them to destroy the armor.
“So, shouldn’t we talk to his soul?”
“Resurrect him?”
Arthur hesitated.
It was a possibility, with the skill orb and Gamigin’s Ruby.
“Not completely. I read in a book that we can use this gem to communicate with his soul in a spiritual realm.”
“I see. That’s a good idea. But there’s a problem. I don’t have much mana left… Do you have enough?”
Arthur had used a lot of mana during the battle.
“Me? Yeah, I think I have enough.”
Ethan still had about 50% of his mana remaining.
Arthur smiled.
“Then… here. You talk to him. You’re the one who defeated him.”
“Arthur…”
“I received a skill orb from you last time. And I promised to repay you.”
Ethan accepted the red gem and the skill orb.
“Ethan, I know you can do it. You even defeated a knight in full armor. Go ahead. Talk to his soul.”
Arthur patted Ethan on the shoulder.
Ethan nodded.
“Thanks.”
He was genuinely grateful.
The skill orb obtained from Murmur was better than the one he had gotten from Zagan.
“Don’t mention it. I owe you a lot!”
Ethan looked down at the skill orb.
He quickly made up his mind.
He crushed the skill orb.
“Activate.”
A white light flowed into his body.
He instinctively knew that he had acquired the Necromancy skill.
Ethan slowly approached the fallen knight.
He picked up the red gem.
It was an artifact that wasn’t supposed to appear until much later in the story.
He took a deep breath.
And explained to his friends why he wanted to resurrect the knight.
He wasn’t sure what the professors would do if they reported the incident.
And he wanted to talk to the knight again.
“I’m going to talk to his soul. Any objections?”
No one objected.
Necromancy was taboo, but it wasn’t strictly forbidden. Of course, necromancers were rare, and dark magic was still shrouded in mystery.
Ethan looked down at the black knight.
“Awaken.”
The red gem in his hand glowed.
Ethan’s consciousness sank into darkness.
When he opened his eyes, he was standing in front of the black knight.
He couldn’t explain why he could see the knight so clearly in the darkness.
“…Ethan.”
“Yeah, it’s me. Lien.”
“I was worried it might be another demon.”
Ethan chuckled.
“I’ll get straight to the point. We’re not sure what to do with your armor. If we leave it here, the demons might resurrect you again.”
“You came to ask for my permission?”
“Yeah, it seemed like the right thing to do.”
Lien laughed heartily.
“Without my soul, it’s just a suit of armor. Do as you wish.”
“But it’s a dead man’s belongings…”
“There’s another option.”
“Another option…?”
Ethan frowned.
“Resurrect me. How about that? I will fight for you.”
“…Fight for me?”
Ethan had considered that option, but he thought Lien needed to rest.
He didn’t want to force a dead man’s soul to fight against its will.
“My place is on the battlefield. If you need me, I will fight again. Not for the empire… but for you. As your knight.”
“For me…”
“A hero recognizes a hero. Ethan, use me. It would be my honor to fight by your side.”
Ethan hesitated.
“You won’t regret it?”
“Don’t take my oath lightly.”
“I see… Okay.”
The red gem in Ethan’s hand glowed brightly.
“Rise.”
A blue light merged with the red gem.
The light enveloped Lien.
Cracks appeared on the gem, and it crumbled into dust, falling through Ethan’s fingers.
His consciousness returned.
Ethan slowly opened his eyes.
Clank.
The black knight stood before him.
They faced each other against the backdrop of the gray castle walls.
“My name is Lien Estar. I was a knight who protected the empire 300 years ago. And now… I am your knight.”
His voice was clear and strong, unlike the hollow echo from before.
He knelt before Ethan.
There was no trace of the menacing aura or the bloodlust that had emanated from him before.
He continued, his voice filled with reverence,
“I pledge my honor, my life, and my loyalty to you, Ethan. I will serve you until the day I die again, my lord.”
His declaration was noble, almost sacred.
Everyone held their breath, awestruck.
He did not fear death.
He protected the weak and served his lord.
Even though he was resurrected from the dead, Lien was a true knight.
A long silence followed.
No one dared to speak.
Only the tip of the halberd, held upright, glistened in the sunlight.
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Knight Lien Estar acquired!