Chapter 122
The Knight was made of shadow.
I smiled with satisfaction, looking at the Shadow Knights that had taken on a rather plausible form.
*I'll have to see how they perform in practice, but for now, they look quite convincing.*
I reached out and waved my hand, and the Shadow Knights began to move in perfect unison, as if each possessed its own will.
"...?"
*I had ordered them to move on their own, but I hadn't expected them to move so perfectly, which left me bewildered.*
*Why?*
My mind filled with questions, as I hadn't implemented any advanced techniques that would allow them to move independently. However, rescue operations were the priority, so I pushed aside my distracting thoughts and got to work.
*They're doing a good job, by the way.*
Although they moved independently, perhaps because they were Shadow Knights I had summoned, they moved in perfect coordination, as if connected as one. I watched them, marveling as if observing a finely tuned, intricate process.
Just then, Daisy, her belly swollen, rubbed her stomach and let out a burp.
"Peep."
I found Daisy's burp rather chick-like and watched her with interest. Just then, someone approached me to express their gratitude.
"Th-thank you for saving me."
It was a man whose face was horribly disfigured. It seemed he had accumulated countless scars from numerous battles, as his body, not just his face, was covered in them. Hearing his thanks, I pondered for a moment, then nodded and quickly moved past him.
*I can save them, but taking responsibility for them is another matter.*
It was a cold truth, but while I could help them once or twice, I couldn't be responsible for them forever. It would be better to cut ties from the start rather than give them false hope. Of course, it seemed best to provide at least some safety measures, so I decided to help them with the rescue operation and to continue helping them until they could return to a nearby village, while letting out a sigh.
*Well, I'm not some kind of protagonist.*
The Protagonist was Dale... or rather, someone like Desuni would typically be called a Hero or Protagonist in this context. I wasn't sure about Desuni, but Dale was the kind of Protagonist who embodied the praise of humanity and possessed a strong *Spirit of Sacrifice*... in short, a character straight out of a fairy tale. If I wasn't going to be a sacrificial lamb like Dale, then trying to take responsibility for it would be nothing more than shallow, pathetic pity, so it was better to cut it off from the beginning.
*So, I'll stop here.*
Just as I was thinking of going about my own business, the thought of what Desuni might be doing suddenly crossed my mind.
*What could he be up to?*
Although he was the Fake Dale and the Fake Hero, his body was, after all, the Protagonist's body, so it was highly likely he was accomplishing something. I didn't know exactly what he was doing, which sparked a slight curiosity.
*He's probably doing fine on his own.*
I had too many other things to worry about to concern myself with Desuni, so I decided to ignore it for now and focus on my own tasks.
*No matter what, if I fall, everyone else will fall too.*
In the original story, everything revolved around Dale, and he monopolized everything, so he was structured to bear all responsibility. However, since I transmigrated here, I had monopolized even the things that Dale should have originally taken. Thus, there was a need to bear that much burden and responsibility.
*Anyway, for now, let's just focus on the rescue operation.*
Thinking that they would eventually come on their own, I continued to create Shadow Knights.
* * *
After taking the rescued individuals to a safe place, I immediately headed to the Shadow City. Liana, looking astonished, spoke to me.
"... You've become incredibly strong."
It seemed Liana had seen everything I had done through her abilities. It felt a bit awkward to praise myself, so I just shrugged and gave a casual response. Liana shook her head at my reaction and said:
"Even an ordinary Dark Mage is quite strong. I never dreamed you'd so overwhelmingly defeat an Executive, let alone a High-ranking Executive like Illeon."
"Really?"
"Yes. That's why I'm saying... Lord Damian's abilities seem to have surpassed the Highest-grade Expert level."
The talk of surpassing the Highest-grade Expert level seemed to imply I was Master-grade. Considering the overwhelming pressure I felt when I saw the Paladin before, I was definitely not Master-grade yet.
*Well, to put it another way, it's probably more accurate to say I'm in the upper echelons of Highest-grade Experts.*
Considering that Liana, who was on the verge of becoming a Master, was at the very top, I was probably just below her... I realized that I was now in a state where I wouldn't be easily outmatched in terms of power.
*So that's how it is.*
Just as I was nodding, thinking that I could now carry out more serious acts of terror without worrying about being noticed, Shiren approached me, wrapped tightly in a blanket.
*A blanket?*
It didn't seem that cold, so I stared at her, wondering why, then posed a question to resolve an unresolved doubt.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah. What is it?"
"... Just a moment."
It seemed better to show her directly rather than explain it. I pointed to a Shadow Knight moving as if it had a will of its own and spoke.
"Even though I didn't do anything special, they move automatically like this. What do you think?"
At my question, Shiren walked up to the Shadow Knight, examined it from various angles, and then said, as if it were obvious.
"It seems like something other than just shadow got mixed in."
"Something else?"
"Yeah. Basically, Lord Damian's power structure involves 'Absorption' to increase his power, right? When you absorb, you don't just absorb power; you also absorb things like souls, so it's likely someone's soul is in there."
"... Souls, you say."
I didn't know if it was the souls of ordinary humans or the souls of the Knights I had captured in the Training Ground. I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy as I looked at the Knight.
*Creak.*
As I watched, wondering why a scraping sound like metal was coming from something made of shadow, Ruen, who had appeared at some point, stretched and came out.
"Hmph... You're here?"
It seemed Ruen was in charge of all the household chores, as she looked quite exhausted. It appeared she was accumulating fatigue, probably because the Shadow City was so vast with so much to manage, and she had to prepare all the food by herself.
*I should help her.*
However, since I was busy, rather than helping her directly... I looked at the Shadow Knight standing idly beside me and continued.
"From now on, you're the Cleaning Manager."
I handed the nearby cleaning tools to the Knight. The Knight took them and began to leave to clean, without any complaints. As I nodded with satisfaction, Ruen, looking flustered, spoke to me.
"... Wh-what is this?"
"It's a Knight made of shadow, and it has an autonomous movement function, so I'm going to have it do the cleaning from now on."
"What!?"
I expected her to be happy, but contrary to my expectations, Ruen looked flustered and said to me.
"Th-then... am I useless now?"
"...?"
A rather perplexing statement had been made, so I looked at Ruen, wondering how to respond. Ruen, with a visibly downcast expression, said to me.
"All I do is cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking. If cleaning is taken away... then I'll be useless...!"
This was a completely unexpected answer, and my thought process momentarily froze. Even Shiren, who usually kept Ruen in check, seemed to think this couldn't be overlooked, poking my waist and urging me to answer quickly. I hastily spoke to Ruen, who was genuinely whimpering in front of me.
"That's not true."
"But everyone else has important tasks, and I... I'm just useless."
Ruen's kindness seemed to make her feel pressured, reminding her of “everyone else being busy while she did nothing.” I quickly patted Ruen's back to comfort her. But Ruen seemed to have been struggling quite a bit, as she continued to whimper and say she wanted to work, even while I was comforting her.
*Work, huh...*
In truth, the tasks Ruen could handle were extremely limited, making it very difficult to assign her anything. First, her combat ability was weak, and unlike Liana, her escape skills were just average, so I couldn't easily send her out.
*Most of her abilities are focused on being a Saintess, which means Healing.*
It was unavoidable that Ruen didn't have much opportunity to shine, with no one getting hurt right now. As I was thinking it was truly awkward to ask her for anything, Ruen, looking crumpled, offered me an apology.
"... I'm sorry."
If we were to assign blame, my fault for leaving Ruen here neglected was greater, so I told her it was okay and tried to soothe her. Ruen, as if a good idea had struck her, subtly glanced at me and spoke.
"So, about that... could I decorate the Shadow Castle however I want?"
Hearing that, I silently looked at the Shadow Castle. Its exterior was lavishly decorated. But the interior had many empty spaces, so I thought it wouldn't be bad and nodded.
Ruen, as if plotting something, let out a *Hmph* and moved away from me. She then looked at the Shadow Knight and said.
"Just in case, I'm asking. If I shake a Shadow Knight, will it send a signal to Damian?"
"It would, wouldn't it...?"
"Good. Then, could I perhaps borrow some of the Shadows? I think I'll need them to move furniture."
It was a relief that she seemed to have found some motivation... but the thought, *Is this really okay?* crossed my mind.