Chapter 79: Black Knight Aarg (1)

Let us speak of a young man.

As a child he had longed to be a knight.

To say more, he had longed for the holy knights who purified with the power of light the dark beasts that occasionally appeared—the Sacred.

They glittered and sparkled, were beautiful and dignified, and he came to think he wanted to become like that too.

It was the natural flow of a child longing for a hero.

——But when he grew, he understood whether he liked it or not.

Those with strong magical power of light were women—those who nurtured new life.

As a man he naturally possessed only average magical power of light, and from his innate temperament he also had no aptitude for the act of "fighting" that hurt both opponent and himself.

The man who had naturally longed to be a Sacred naturally lost to the wall called reality and discarded his ideal.

Though his dream was broken, he did not sulk and devoted himself to study for work suited to his aptitude; he came to think that at least he wanted to work at the side of the Sacred he had longed for.

——If it had only been that, it would have been a common story.

——The kind of thing he could laugh about when old, saying he used to think such blue things long ago.

But at the figure of his younger sister who "transformed and showed him," the still-young his heart creaked gichiri.

’Look, Onii-sama! When I transform, my hair becomes this bright red!’

’...Haha, it really is bright red. You received the power of the Flame Spirit, Grace.’

’Yes! Apparently I have quite a lot more magical power of light than others! The Spirit-sama took a liking to me and said if I don’t neglect effort I can become the next Sacred!’

’——...I see. Congratulations, Grace.’

But his blood relative, his younger sister, naturally possessed the power the young man had sought without end.

Of course there was jealousy.

Why my younger sister and not me.

But even so he could not do the shameless thing of taking it out on the younger sister he loved. Because there was also a self that felt happy seeing his younger sister rejoice.

Therefore he put a lid on the wrong emotion called jealousy, devoted himself to study, splendidly served at the castle—and saw that figure.

Glossy golden hair.

Facial features that while having a feminine figure still retained childishness.

And that person in a dress carrying the holy sword of light—Excalina—that washed away the image of "frail" head-on. Altina Sacred Calmate.

A beautiful, strong, younger princess.

He fell in love at first sight—and while smiling bitterly put a lid on that emotion.

There was no way the likes of him could match that person. He was driven by the impulse to approach and display pickup lines he had only read in books, but doing such a thing would only trouble her.

Therefore he threw himself into clerical work.

At least, within the range he could, he continued working hard to help her.

I want to walk beside her, I want to protect her—while smiling bitterly at himself who ended up thinking such things even though he was a man, yet his heart was calm.

Even if he could not put those feelings into words he was able to help the one he loved—and his younger sister who had obtained the title of Knight would protect the princess.

He made peace with his own heart that way and was convinced.

Swallowing jealousy and romantic feelings, thinking that in a few more years it would become a reminiscence.

————But that predicted future suddenly collapsed.

The sudden appearance of invaders from another world, and the betrayal of the princess’s younger sister Moldiana Calmate.

By that, the Sacred who were correct and strong—yet whose experience points against wicked schemes were remarkably low—collapsed.

Something like pollen filled the throne room, and something unidentifiable was implanted inside their bodies.

——You like the princess, don’t you?

——Isn’t this a good opportunity; usurp her.

——You already have the power for that.

——Let’s be honest with our own feelings.

And a voice rang, his own voice ringing from deep in his chest.

Steal what you want, grasp in those hands what you could not obtain, plunder.

It was a sweet temptation.

Obtain special power and obtain the princess.

If he could do such a thing, how wonderful would it be.

And so he would transform into a Usurpation Monster Villain—

(Don’t fuck with me, don’t fuck with me, don’t fuck with me...!)

—That should have been the future. He twisted it down with mental strength alone.

He resisted head-on the words that welled up from within himself.

I kept my distance because I thought of her, I did not stretch out my hand because I wanted her to become happy. And yet you’re telling me to destroy that with my own hands? There’s no way I could do such a shameless thing.

Therefore he did not lose to desire.

He endured, endured, endured—and suppressed the erosion of the Seed of Desire.

While knights, colleagues, one after another transformed into monsters called Monster Villains, the reason he—Aarg Wayne—kept a human form was that. Precisely because he desperately suppressed desire, he was able to remain standing as a person.

But sooner or later he too would fall into being a monster. He was certain of that.

But even so it was fine.

He was worried about the princess, but in this place was Sacred Knight—his proud younger sister.

If it was her, she would protect the princess—yes, he believed that.

’—I’m sorry, I’ll return immediately!’

And yet.

His younger sister, the Sacred he had believed would protect the princess, of all things prioritized a common fool like Aarg Wayne.

(—————Why)

He thought.

——Why do you save the likes of me.

——There are as many replacements for the likes of me as you want.

——That’s wrong, Sacred; it’s the princess’s crisis, you should discard the rest and protect her.

——That’s a knight’s, a Sacred’s duty.

——If it were me, I would have done that.

——I would not err like this younger sister.

The synergistic effect of jealousy and desire, and the strong heart that continued enduring even after others had fallen into being Monster Villains—ironically transformed him into a powerful Monster Villain.

Desire mixed with jealousy and longing blossomed.

——Yes. I wanted to become like this.

——Not my younger sister, I wanted to become a Sacred.

——And I wanted to protect the princess at her side.

——No, I will protect her.

——I will protect her with my own hands and serve her.

The Seed of Desire accurately read that desire and rearranged his body into the form of a black knight—a dark knight, a male Sacred.

Ideal Sacred, usurper, the magical power of darkness remade the simple young man.

The black knight—the young man who harbored the desire "I wanted to become a Sacred who protects the princess"—blossomed like this.

’Onii-sama, what’s wrong? It’s all right, immediately to the healing room—’

To the changed him, she who called out as if concerned was in the way, in the way in the way he could not stand it.

Therefore he pierced her.

From the back through the abdomen, with the sword he generated.

The blade easily pierced his younger sister—he was able to pierce with a blade a Sacred he originally should not have been able to defeat.

In that instant what rose in his heart was joy.

Yes, this is what I sought.

Power. Ability comparable to a Sacred.

If I have this—I can save the princess.