Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 69

Chapter 69

The corpse impaled on the skewer seemed to be screaming in agony.

“…….”

Paul almost screamed.

“Wh-what is that…!”

Rapilta quickly whispered into Paul’s ear.

“Run! I don’t know what that is, but it looks dangerous! I’ll count to three, and then we run without looking back!”

At those words, Paul nodded rapidly.

“One…!”

A small commotion arose among the territory residents gathered in the market.

“Two…!”

Jet-black armor. A helmet made of beast bones.

The black knights began to gather around the female knight, holding skewers.

“Three!”

The moment Rapilta, Albert, and Paul turned around, the black knights surrounded them, focusing on the female knight—or rather, on Rapilta, Albert, and Paul—completely blocking their escape route.

“…….”

Amidst the frozen trio, a clear female voice was heard.

“How fortunate! Everyone else avoided me when I asked for directions, but could you assist me for a moment?”

Paul, Rapilta, and Albert stared at the female knight with terrified expressions.

***

The chosen location was a cemetery.

The unidentified black knights were digging with shovels.

“…That’s not going to be our grave, is it?”

“…Let’s hope not.”

“…….”

The atmosphere, meant as a joke, turned chilling.

The three were watching the knights in eerily strange armor digging in the cemetery.

Behind them, they swallowed hard as they watched the female knight carefully removing corpses from the skewers one by one.

After watching for several hours, a graveyard was created.

“I’ll do the rest tomorrow. Sorry for bothering you when you’re busy.”

The Berserker warriors shook their heads at Cancun, who bowed her head in greeting.

“Well, we’ll always listen to the priestess’s words!”

“Still, half of it is left, so we’ll be working hard tomorrow too.”

They spoke in a friendly, uncle-like manner, unlike in official settings.

Cancun looked at the three (Rapilta’s group) and bowed her head in gratitude.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I found a place to bury them.”

“Ah, no problem. Yes! No problem at all!”

Rapilta said, stiff as a board.

‘What is that female knight…! She doesn’t even change her expression while taking corpses off skewers?!’

At that moment, Albert approached the female knight.

“Excuse me, Lady, we have urgent business to attend to, so we must be going.”

“Ah, I’m sorry! You must have been busy…. Thank you.”

Watching the female knight smile and greet them, Albert closed his mouth and quickly walked out of the cemetery, with Rapilta and Paul, who were watching carefully, following behind.

Once they were out of the cemetery, Albert spoke.

“…We’re entering the city right now.”

Paul and Rapilta tilted their heads.

Albert was showing a strange reaction.

“Rapilta, how many of those black-armored knights do you think you could handle?”

At Albert’s sudden question, Rapilta recalled the Berserker warriors and answered.

“If they’re just average knights, about fifteen? Well, if I unleash my true skills, maybe about twenty!”

“Twenty? Ha…. Pathetic.”

Albert glared at Rapilta and muttered.

“I think differently. If you, me, and Paul… were to fight them….”

Albert hesitated before speaking.

“About three.”

“What? Are you joking?”

“I’m serious. It’s based on my experience.”

“…….”

“Paul, prepare. We’re entering the city right now. Seeing those guys here… something must have happened.”

Paul nodded, sensing the strange atmosphere.

As Paul turned his gaze back towards the cemetery….

“……!”

Paul’s eyes widened.

On the wall of the cemetery, on top of a gargoyle statue, a man was squatting, looking down at them.

A crow mask that was nothing but ominous.

And within it, fierce but cold red eyes.

‘Hoon… Mr. Hoon?’

When Paul blinked, there was no one on the statue.

“An illusion…인가?” [인가? (inga?) is a Korean suffix used to indicate a question or doubt.]

“Paul! What are you doing! I said let’s go!”

At Albert’s angry voice, Paul nodded and followed behind him.

***

After the Berserker warriors left, Cancun, who remained in the cemetery, placed flowers on the roughly made wooden tombstone.

“…You’re kind.”

Cancun was startled and quickly turned around. Confirming that someone was right behind her, she quickly distanced herself.

“……!”

Cancun swallowed hard, sweating profusely.

Even the sound of her heartbeat, which would normally not have bothered her, was enough to make her nervous.

‘A woman? I didn’t sense any presence…!’

Cancun glared at the person who had spoken to her.

A woman with a slender figure.

A black and white dress, a black veil covering her face, and black and white hair parted to the left and right behind it.

“There’s no need to be so wary. I’ve only come to comfort the dead as well.”

Golden eyes, visible through the black veil, were looking at Cancun.

“Who…are you?”

The woman stood still for a moment at Cancun’s words.

“Who…could I be?”

And then came the question in return.

Cancun was at a loss for words at the woman’s question.

…What was she supposed to say when asked that?

“Ah, just a passing nun… perhaps?”

A passing nun?

But she was too ethereal to be called an ordinary nun.

If the other party had been aiming for her life, she would have lost it on the spot without even knowing how she died.

Cancun was wary of the woman, but the woman paid no attention to Cancun and prayed with her hands together, looking at the tomb and the tombstone on top of it.

The sight was so sacred that Cancun lost her strength.

‘Really a nun?’

The woman in front of her was mysterious to her.

‘Are the clerics of the continent so refined and dignified?’

Cancun slowly approached the woman.

However, she did not let her guard down. If the other party was a nun, she must belong to the Holy Order.

She might think of Cancun, a Nord, as a target of vigilance.

“You are….”

“The souls seem at peace.”

“Yes?”

“The souls that were wailing until just now seem to be happy and at peace now.”

“…….”

Happy…한다고? [한다고? (handago?) is a Korean phrase expressing disbelief or questioning.]

Cancun looked at the tombstone, but she couldn’t see anything in particular.

Perhaps, can this nun see something?

For example….

“Can you see…ghosts…or something like that?”

Cancun asked with shining eyes, but the woman chuckled and shook her head.

“No. I just…feel that way.”

She just feels that way? But didn’t she say she could see them earlier?

The woman’s gaze turned to the sword at Cancun’s waist.

“…That sword.”

“Yes?”

“Where did you get it?”

Cancun blinked and grabbed the hilt of her sword.

“I received it from someone a long time ago. Why do you ask…?”

“No. It just seems familiar for some reason.”

“…….”

The woman looked up at the sky.

The sun was setting, and the red sunset was illuminating the cemetery in red.

“Time has already passed like this. I’ll be going now.”

“Yes? Ah, yes. Then goodbye….”

Cancun bowed her head and looked at the woman walking away.

Something feels familiar.

Should I say it’s friendly?

Like….

‘It feels similar to Loki….’

Cancun looked at the place where the woman had disappeared, and she also moved her feet.

She had been here for too long. She was sure that if she was late, she would be scolded by Loki.

“I have to go quickly before I’m late.”

As she moved her feet and disappeared, movement occurred in the cemetery, where only silence remained.

Thud!

A hand pierced through the grave that Cancun had just made, and the dead with eyes stained with hatred rose up.

They looked around as if searching for something, then looked in the direction where the woman had disappeared.

It was felt. The master who summoned them….

The voice of the goddess of hell was heard.

They were not servants but slaves.

The wraiths of death.

They were the undead.

***

The woman in the veil walked step by step.

She passed the cemetery away from the Roden territory and headed to the forest on the outskirts of the territory.

When she stopped walking, people wearing masks walked out of the forest.

They were believers of the Black and White Church.

“Lady Helga, we are ready to leave.”

“Then let’s leave.”

“Where is our destination?”

“There is no destination. However….”

Helga trailed off. The believers were puzzled.

Their master was sending her gaze somewhere.

Accordingly, the believers also looked up at the large tree in the forest, following Helga’s gaze.

‘A crow?’

That was everyone’s thought. But it didn’t take long to realize that it wasn’t just a simple crow.

It’s not a crow. It’s a crow mask.

The crow man, Loki, was squatting on the tree, looking down at them and raising the corners of his mouth.

“…Found you.”

Finally, he had met the woman he was looking for.

Loki tried to calm his trembling body.

It was joy.

The joy that came from achieving his goal.

“Finally…!”

Before Loki could finish his words, two believers of the Black and White Church were already holding swords to his neck on either side.

“What are you?”

“If it weren’t for Lady Helga, we wouldn’t have noticed at all. He’s a dangerous guy.”

The two believers were sweating under their masks as if they were nervous.

Loki narrowed his eyes, looking at the blades of the believers on either side.

‘Their movements are fast. Are they on par with the Berserker warriors? Before that, are they alive? Or are they dead?’

They are definitely alive. But it feels like their lives have been forcibly extended.

Like puppets with self-awareness?

‘Is it Helga’s skill?’

Loki slowly stood up.

The believers, seeing him standing precariously on the branch, pressed their swords against his neck.

“Don’t move!”

“If you move without the goddess’s command… I will cut off your head!”

“Cut off?”

Loki raised the corners of his mouth and burst into laughter.

Cut off? By those who are neither human nor dead, but in an ambiguous boundary?

“Foolish.”

As Loki uttered a word, Helga hurriedly shouted.

“Evade!”

At their master’s command, the believers were startled and tried to retrieve their swords, but Loki’s hands were already grabbing the swords.

“Burn.”

Black flames rose from Loki’s fingertips.

The black flames that were spewing out relentlessly quickly melted the swords and tried to engulf the believers, but the believers barely managed to avoid them.

The melted swords fell onto the branch, setting fire to the tree Loki was standing on.

Without paying any attention to the burning tree, Loki looked down at Helga.

“…….”

Loki fell from the tree and stood right in front of Helga.

The believers on the ground drew their swords and aimed them at Loki’s neck, but Helga raised her hand to stop them.

“I’ve finally found you.”

“Me…?”

“Yes! I raised a force and built a nation to find you…!”

“…….”

“There’s no need to run away now. There’s no need to get involved with those who slander you as the goddess of plague or a demon. I will protect you no matter what.”

“…….”

“So come with me….”

Loki reached out his hand.

As Loki’s hand was about to touch her face, Helga opened her mouth.

“Who…are you?”

Loki’s hand stopped.

“What?”

“I asked who you are.”

Loki suddenly realized that he was wearing a crow mask.

However, nothing would change even if he took off the mask.

His current body is Loki’s avatar.

He didn’t have his original appearance.

“That’s right. You may not know me in this body.”

Loki looked at Helga and mentioned a name.

“Kim Hoon.”

“…….”

“That is my name-”

A flash passed by, and Loki pulled his body back.

But the reaction was slow.

Red blood spurted from his chest, and Loki felt ‘pain’ for the first time in a long time.

Loki looked at Helga.

She was already holding a crimson greatsword over 2m long in her hand.

“…I don’t know who you are.”

Respect disappeared.

“And I don’t know the name Kim Hoon either.”

Emitting murderous intent.

“But…I know this much.”

Helga threw off her veil.

A face with skin so white it was pale was distorted.

Black and white hair parted to the left and right fluttered, and beautiful but infinitely empty golden eyes coldly glared at Loki.

“You… are the enemy.”