History taught by the knight

“It all started way before our kind came to this kingdom,” he began. The bed was covered with plates filled full to the brim with snacks fetched over by a quizzical maid, who was suddenly fetched for food in the middle of the night. While we both ate, I listened and he narrated the history of this world. “When—”

“Is it before humans evolved from apes or way later when dinosaurs existed?” I asked.

He stared at me like I was stupid. “No. It was when we humans were still there, but the kingdom was yet to be discovered.”

“Oh, like Colombus.”

He shook his head, having no understanding of what I spoke and continued, “The kingdom was once just a land covered with thick forests, grassland, and tall mountains that shielded it from the world outside. They were so tall that the sun only shone on the kingdom for two hours before nighttime consumed it all in its darkness.”

“So, the only option to get inside the kingdom was to drill a hole through the mountains. How’d they do that?”

“Interrupt me once more and I’ll take the snacks back to my room and replace it with ten volumes on the history of this kingdom.”

I shut my mouth. It was better to listen than to read ten volumes on history.

“This land, unlike the other lands beyond its tall mountains, was enriched with mana. Every single fibre, particle, atoms even the air, soil and water were infused with mana properties. It was abundant and thriving. But the land was home to the vilest creatures, the demons. Nobody knows how they originated with in the kingdom or how they were born into this world. These vile creatures used the abundant mana to practice their dark magic—magic that defied all laws of the natural magic. They used their dark powers to lay waste on other lands and rob them all, making the humans an inferior being before them. At that time, none knew where they hid, for the mountains and the dangerous borders kept them safe.

“The humans cried and prayed to the gods above to end their misery in this dark world and to grant them the power to vanquish these demons. Only one divine being answered their prayers. Hannakeiuo, the Divinity of Light. She crafted three humans from her blood and asked of them to aide the humans into victory against the demons and vanquish the evil to the ends of the universe.

“These three children of Hannakeiuo were—Elezearis, Odeyani and Penuela. The three trained under the divine being and set out with an army of humans to vanquish the demons. A path was created by the Divinity of Earth under the mountains. At the break of dawn, the greatest of the wars broke out between the humans and demons, recorded as the fiercest battle between the evil and the good.

“Three days later, the demons were imprisoned in a world of the unknown and the humans rejoiced in the new found land rich in mana. This kingdom was named as Nazacket, after the legendary weapon of Elezearis that sealed the demons away.”

“Those are some seriously complicated names,” I interrupted. He didn’t seem pleased but I immediately asked, “So now where are the demons?”

“I just told you. They reside in another dimension. Smaller demons do emerge from the ground due to the corruption of the mana. But there’s nothing the Elezearis royal family wouldn’t do to end their existence. They have an army specifically made to vanquish these demons—the Agaris Squad.”

“Then what did those divine children even trap then?”

“The larger demons,” Daveen said, sipping on fruit juice, “The smaller demons are just what one would call critters; they are dumb and wreak havoc like babies do. But the larger demons who are imprisoned have the brains. They are cunning, evil, and sadistic. If evil was embodied as a creature, it would be them.”

So, I am not the only one who has killed a puppy.

“If these larger demons are released, it would be the end of the world. Though the offsprings of Hannankeiuo’s children carry their ancestors’ legacy, they lack the same furious passion and strong combat to battle out the larger demons. It was not an easy war nor was it one-sided. Penuela lost an arm and an eye after the fight while Odeyani had her legs bit off. Elezearis was blinded in both eyes and had lost the ability to hear.”

“Wait, the divine being’s children had children?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t they?”

“Aren’t they like divine beings?”

“According to the historical records, they are humans created just like the rest of us, but they have been blessed with Hannakeiuo’s blood which grants them the divine power. This power, as it has been passed by the Divinity of Light, eradicates all evil of darkness. Normal humans wouldn’t stand a chance against those demons and hence why they needed the Divinity’s children.”

“So now there’s no way for those larger demons to ever raid this kingdom. All we worry about are the smaller ones.”

Daveen didn’t agree, “From the last four years, there has been a group working in the shadows. This group practices the art of dark magic, the very magic that was once mastered by the demons. Since they are humans and not demons, their powers are limited, but have dire consequences. One such is their ability to open the gates to the demon world.”

“Holy shit.”

“Exactly,” he nodded, “However these gates they open are small. Thanks to the power of the weapon Nazacket, the whole gate cannot be opened. But the gates they open are large enough to bring out the middle demons, the ones who are a rank slightly above the smaller ones. The difference? The middle demons are stronger and they have animal instincts unlike those bugs. If the divine being’s children were at par with the larger demons, then the Agaris Squad where in par with the middle demons.”

“Do they know who’s the leader of the group or why exactly did they emerge?”

“They call themselves, Zenathians, named after the demon king Zenath. Not much is known of the members or who started it all first. Every dark magic user caught by Agaris squad and interrogated had no idea about the identity of the leader. Nobody had seen their face or heard their voice. So there’s no chance for the squad to catch the group and nip it at the bud if they have no clue as to who could the leader be.”

Daveen went back to snacking while I stared at the sky with a dead face. Why did I reincarnate in such a heavy action-based novel filled with demons and dark magic? A simple novel of simple royalty romance is what I wished for. But no! If you can’t have deadlines and assignments, then you get demons and death. How lovely!

Whoever wrote this novel I’ve reincarnated into, really loved complicated names because I don’t remember a single name. Ask me the name of the kingdom and I’ll just say Naz cause that’s all I remember.

“So, what’s the incident?” He choked on his Turkish delights (they looked like them). “I know you are trying to run away from that subject, but even if you die, I’m going to resurrect you and continue to ask till your soul erodes into nothingness.”

He cleared his throat, feeling some sort of discomfort in telling the incident which was now having me go insane. Seriously? How bad is this incident that it’s making this guy go absolutely bonkers over it? Did I kill something that wasn’t supposed to be killed? Are there worse things I have done than killing a puppy?

“Last winter’s hunt,” he started. Where did I hear this before? “The family was invited to the hunt and it was your father who represented the family since of course there is no heir. While the ladies stayed in tents sipping on hot coffees, teas, and sizzling brownies, it was the men who were hunting in the cold winter. How unfair.” He scoffed. “I wasn’t even offered a single piece of cake there. The men were smoking cigars and chewing on meat, but me! I wanted that goddamn cake that looked so soft when the ladies’ bit into it. The whole time my stomach cried and stabbed my heart, screaming for those delicacy, but what to do? Such was my status. So, what did I do, you ask? I went to the back of the tent and munched on ice, because wow! Ice does numb one’s brain and heart, just what I needed at that time.”

I smiled at this knight’s adorable tantrum. The pout on his lips and the scrunching of his eyebrows and the flaring of his nose. Right now, he looked like an angry kitten who hadn’t been fed for the past ten seconds. So adorable. I think I understand Rozalia’s taste. The quiet and serious looking ones with a sarcastic mouth who rarely show their expressive side which emerges only when it comes to things that they love. She really loved this man’s expressions. Now was I loving his expression or was it this body’s natural fondness to this man?

“Next time when we attend such social events, I’ll definitely smuggle you in some food.” I gave him a thumbs up.

“You always did it for me,” he said, as his expression went back to the neutral stance of dull eyes and a straight line for his mouth. “But during that time, you had disappeared. Lady Irina was still conversing with the ladies, but you were nowhere to be seen. The ladies said that you had left for some lady’s emergency so I said nothing.”

“Wouldn’t that mean I went to pee?”

“How am I supposed to know? You guys have way too many emergencies,” he shrugged before continuing, “I didn’t even question anymore because you never liked me meddling in your business so I just waited for you, while munching on snow. Anyways, in the middle of the hunt a gate had opened.”

“Oh no,” I gasped, “Who died?” Why did I even say that? Oh my gosh! Was Rozalia’s personality rubbing off on me?

“Three knights and a deer,” he said. Poor deer, “But the whole point was, they caught the person who opened the gate.”

“Damn! Who was it then?”

“It was you. You had opened the gate.”

I tilted my head to the side and said, “What the fuck did you say?”

“You had opened the gate,” he grimaced at my crude language, popping in the last of the cherries, “The Agaris squad had come over to deliver a message to the king from the prince, and at the same time they felt the gate’s opening. Everyone was evacuated and when they went to confront the person, it was you. You were standing next to the gate, laughing like a maniac, and saying the same thing over and over again, ‘I did it! I fucking did it!’ Apologies for my crude language. Or rather quoting your crude language.”

Now my death in this story is more than ever confirmed. Last thing I needed was to be affiliated with the dark magic and lo and behold, I opened a gate! And even yelled that I opened a gate so proudly.

“It was the ultimate shock for the marquess when he saw you. The Agaris squad knocked you out and had you imprisoned. Since the idea of a noble being involved in dark magic would bring a riot in the country especially from the commoners, the prince decided to let you go and have you imprisoned in your mansion under the eyes of your father. The prince covered the news by saying that the dark magic user was just a commoner who had wished to end all the nobles’ life who had gathered altogether at the hunt.

“He had sent a message last month stating that you are to repent for your sins before the divine being Hannakeiuo at her temple for two weeks. But of course, you refused and decided that you’d rather die than pray, in your words, ‘to the useless divine being’.”

I gasped. No one calls the greater beings useless, especially when they helped eradicate evil from the world. And also, because they are great beings who are hundreds of ranks above us. Not only am I in the crown princes to kill list, but even in the divine beings! Rozalia, Rozalia, Rozalia. Why O’ why must you ache my heart in such ways?!

“Like you heard in their conversation, the marquess wishes to send you to Goron Asylum because you refused both the prince and his orders.”

“He’s seriously sending me?! Ask him to cancel it!” Unlike Rozalia, I’d rather pray for two weeks before the divine being than be locked away in an asylum. Even a sane person is bound to go insane, and no way am I going to go insane! I want a beetroot farm before I die!

“Yeah, no can do,” he got up and stretched. Every single plate was empty and amongst the mess was a panicking me, “You’ll be leaving early morning—oops, that’s today morning at the rise of the sun.”

“Huh?!”