The night was still long.
Clouds still darkened the sky, but the rain had passed.
Vashina reflected on what she had seen a few minutes ago—or what she thought she had seen.
Just a few steps away stood the person who, for four hundred years, had been the inspiration of many.
The Golden Knight, the pinnacle of swordsmanship, the Righteous Blade. He had as many names as feats, and so little had been written about this man.
Santos stood changing clothes, his bare torso well-defined and his arms firm. His skin was light, and in some places, pale. He lacked hair, yet his chiseled jaw and fine nose gave him a strangely attractive symmetry.
They had followed Santos into a part of the forest, where a backpack, a tent, and a swarm of dead tarantulas lay.
As he stuffed his armor and equipment —including his swords— into the backpack as if it had no bottom, he slowly pulled out a golden armor.
Vashina kept staring at Santos intently until he turned around.
— It's uncomfortable if everyone stares at me at once. —he said.
Cough
Everyone looked away.
Vashina turned toward Khan only to quickly snap her gaze back to Santos.
Khan, who had removed his helmet, now looked more terrifying than before.
Where once there had been a helmet with dark, hollow visors, there was now a skull. No breath, no sound, nothing. Only the unsettling silence and the deep shadow within his cranium.
Vashina was terrified. Since their first encounter with the creature, she had realized the vast gap between herself and the Reciardos. The shock was even greater when she heard that the thing was Khan—the Desolator.
"I read that the circle of Reciardos was quite diverse. But I never imagined even an Undead could be among them."
When she was thrown like trash to the ground, Vashina awoke just in time to witness a glimpse of the power held by two of the top ten of the Hundred. A sight that left a mark.
A simple clash caused a thunderous noise, a swing split a tree, and one skill felled several trees in the blink of an eye.
She tried to stand during the fight, only to be suppressed by Khan's crushing pressure.
— And to think it was him who kept us from fainting. —said Sojep.
— … —Vashina nodded.
When Santos encountered Khan, he ignored the five of them and exuded a pressure that nearly suffocated them. For his part, Khan kept them safe throughout the entire battle.
— Oh, I'm sorry about that. —Santos cut in— I got too excited when I saw Khan. I hope you understand, this whole situation feels surreal to me.
— …Idiot. —said Khan.
Santos put on his boots, and the group began preparing to leave.
They were heading north.
Some time later.
They continued northward.
No one spoke—only Santos occasionally asked Khan strange questions, to which Khan would respond with a nod or shake of the head.
Eventually, Sojep mustered the courage to speak, nudged by Julia.
Cough
— So, Sir Khan, if you don't mind… May I ask something?
— … —he nodded.
— Have you always been... an Undead?
— …No.
— Then, does it have anything to do with why you're here?
— Khan was already Undead when I met him. You mean before he became an adventurer.
— I see. —Sojep nodded— So, the church always knew your identity?
— …No.
— What? Why ask that? —asked Santos, confused.
— Well, the old church wasn't too friendly with non-human beings.
— Uh-huh. And?
— As far as I know, Khan was someone the church trusted deeply and someone who even... —Sojep hesitated, glancing at Khan and taking a breath— What I mean is, Khan is considered a knight to emulate by the church's paladins.
Santos and Khan, who were walking ahead, came to a sudden stop.
They glanced at each other, then looked at Sojep.
Santos's face twisted until he couldn't hold it anymore and burst into laughter.
— HAHAHA!
— W-What?
— …
All five had confused, puzzled expressions on their faces.
Khan simply stared at Sojep, but even Sojep realized that Khan's look was his way of laughing.
— This is something that really should be shared with everyone. Khan, the shining example of the holy church! HAHAHA! —After laughing to tears, Santos noticed everyone's serious faces— Oh... you're not joking?
— … —Sojep and Julia nodded solemnly.
— Khan is revered for defeating cults and corrupted beings in his time. —said Fredar.
— My father told me Khan once took down a cult that had influence in Fersian. —added Cuar.
— My eldest sister said he was close to Pope Birgioni. —Julia said.
— … —Santos looked at everyone, then turned to Khan, who nodded at him— Look, it's not to smear Khan's image or anything, but he had a reason to work with the church back then, and his relationship with Birgioni was purely professional. I guess at some point they started glorifying all of us.
Santos and Khan turned around and resumed walking. The group followed, now with even more questions in their minds.
Julia looked at Santos, then at Khan, realizing something.
— Sir Khan, even so, how did you meet Pope Birgioni?
— … —Khan tilted his skull in a sign of confusion.
— Ah, I see. —Sojep, catching on to the intent of the question, rephrased— She means, it wasn't possible to meet the Pope without revealing your identity.
— Wait, he's registered with the Adventurer's Guild. They also require identity verification. —this time, Vashina added.
— …Difficult.
Khan placed his hands on his chin, seemingly thinking about something.
Santos, still walking ahead, glanced back.
— Well, this is kind of obvious, but… Khan didn't become number ten for nothing. Before reaching where he is, he passed countless trials and tribulations. I asked him once why he chose such a steep path, and he just told me he wanted to prove that it was possible. Now I finally realize—among countless beings, Khan, the Undead...
The group saw Santos standing on a rock under the moonlight filtering through the clouds.
He looked down and said:
— He has become the Tenth of the Hundred.