Reverse Dungeon

From the beginning, Keith had been the man who told Ian he would kill him if they ever met again.

So why, exactly, was Ian supposed to save him?

And yet, when he saw Keith’s HP fall to 7% right in front of him, Ian’s blood ran cold.

What if he actually died?

That could not happen.

Why?

Because he was a five-star hero.

I’m losing my mind.

Ian was not the sort of person who could stand by and watch a rare hero like Keith die before his eyes.

He clutched his head.

Think. Think this through.

Going to save him meant risking his own life. For one thing, the man had already threatened to kill Ian the next time they met.

And if Keith was in such a dire situation that even he felt his life was in danger, then just how dangerous was it? Of course, Keith had been cursed and betrayed by the Vatican. He was at his weakest right now.

Maybe this is only the greatest crisis of his life because he let his guard down.

If that was the case, whoever was threatening Keith might not be such a big deal.

Maybe it was only the Vatican army.

Is that really “only”?

Still, even if it was not “only” anything, Ian had no choice. He had already decided to save this precious five-star hero.

“Lord Ian, everyone has gathered.”

“Good.”

Ian looked over the forces assembled before him and reconsidered.

Is this really the right call?

The force was not small. It was the best he could muster, and objectively speaking, it was excellent. The problem was that the lineup was poorly suited to dealing with Keith.

Sema was one thing, but Louise and Contacca were exactly the sort of people who could drive Keith into a frenzy just by existing in front of him.

If Keith decided to attack them instead of whatever was chasing him—if he decided to kill Ian after all—things would become extremely troublesome.

No. It won’t go that far.

Ian shook his head. No matter how fanatical Keith was, he could not be that insane. However, there was still a real possibility that Keith would reject help from Louise and Contacca even if it meant dying.

But was that Ian’s problem?

First, he would save Keith.

The rest could come later.

*****

Keith was a knight of God.

“Why does God not answer our prayers?”

Long ago, when a young choir boy had asked him that question, Keith had answered, “Because He is not a servant who exists to grant our wishes. We are His servants. Do not doubt Him. We must strive to carry out His will upon this earth.”

“But it hurts so much. It’s so sad. My heart feels bruised.”

The boy had recently lost his family. Keith understood his pain.

“I will pray to Him, so that your family may be happy.”

“I’ll pray too. Every day.”

The boy looked up at Keith with tears streaking his cheeks.

Then a holy knight’s lance pierced him through.

The boy who had once helped Keith escape was killed by a former comrade.

Oh, God.

Keith sought God more desperately than he ever had before.

Had he ever longed for His help like this, even when demons had ravaged his family and he had hidden alone?

No.

He had not.

Because back then, he had not believed in God.

People said Keith was beloved by God. His hair shone brighter than gold, his heavy brows and contemplative eyes gave his face a solemn depth, and the firm line of his jaw made him seem both grave and radiant. He looked, in every sense, like a knight of God. frёeωebɳovel.com

As he performed acts of mercy and justice under the Pope’s command, that sacred appearance only deepened the impression. Before long, people began calling him the Agent of God.

A true apostle, one who carried out God’s work with his own body.

Keith alone seemed repulsed by the title.

Though he had spoken otherwise to the choir boy, Keith understood the boy’s grief as deeply as he understood his resentment toward God.

No one had wandered this ruined world as long as Keith had.

To his eyes, the world was hell.

Even if God wanted humanity to save itself, surely He would not have created such a wretched hell.

A benevolent God would never do such a thing.

Then did that mean God was evil?

Or perhaps God did not exist at all.

If a good God truly existed, would He ever have allowed the world to become this horrific?

The doubt terrified Keith so much that he threw himself into penance to cast it away, continuing his acts of faith.

He must not doubt.

He was a child saved by God.

A child saved by God’s army.

Keith knew he could never be the Agent of God.

But neither was the Pope.

Even now, while children starved in the streets, the Pope dined with silver utensils and wrapped himself in luxurious white cloth.

Keith could not respect such a man.

And yet he was the Pope.

God’s chosen apostle.

Keith was obligated to respect him.

Obligated to obey him.

And this was the result.

The Vatican army was hunting him.

What Keith found strange, however, was that no matter where he fled, hordes of demons blocked his path.

As if they were driving him toward a single place, the Vatican army herded him from behind, and the farther Keith ran, the more he felt himself sinking into a mire.

A mire of demonic traps.

But how could that be?

The Pope, colluding with demons?

The Vatican, the land of God, already fallen into demonic hands?

Keith’s eyes were open, but he could no longer see what lay ahead. It felt as though the world itself were collapsing before him. He could not even tell where his horse was running anymore.

All he could hear was his own ragged breathing and the faint beat of his heart.

His head throbbed with fever.

Did God exist?

If God existed, was this His will?

Had He chosen to abandon Keith?

He must not doubt His existence.

To seek proof was the behavior of an unbeliever.

And yet, now more than ever, Keith wanted proof.

He desperately sought salvation.

From his God.

At that moment—

SWOOSH!

An arrow cut through the air.

It carried with it a clean, bright breath, and only then did Keith realize that dark magic had been crushing him, pinning his breath inside his lungs.

As relief washed through him, the arrow of purification struck the demon in the forehead.

KIEEEEK!

The demon, whose lower body belonged to a beast, collapsed on the spot.

Keith stared at his savior in awe.

The man holding the bow had black hair and black eyes. His youthful face looked almost innocent, but there was strength in his gaze. His skin was pale, his lips and cheeks flushed red, the bowstring drawn close against them.

Wind gathered around him.

Like a spirit of light, he stood wreathed in radiance, gathering that brilliance at the tip of his arrow.

The arrowhead turned white.

Then it shot forward like a ray of light.

SWISH—!

THUD! free𝑤ebnovel.com

The demon blocking Keith’s path fell, the arrow buried in its chest. Whether the wound itself was fatal no longer mattered. The powerful purifying energy swept through the demon and cleansed every trace of dark magic inside it.

With light at his back, the man reached out his hand.

He looked as though he were cloaked in radiance.

Keith could only stare.

“What are you doing? Come here!”

The man shouted impatiently, one hand still gripping the reins while the other seized Keith’s hand.

Without hesitation, Keith leaped onto the horse, every movement setting his body aflame with pain.

His chest pressed against the man’s back.

He could not tell whether his heart was hammering from agony or from something else entirely.

Keith took the reins in the man’s place.

“Stop! This is Vatican business!”

“Cut the crap! We’re withdrawing!”

The man gave the order to his group.

The horse screamed and reared, then wheeled around. With Keith pressed tightly against his back, the man twisted and loosed another arrow.

THUD!

SWISH—THUD!

Even in the chaos, Keith realized something.

The man was aiming only at the demons.

This man...

Keith recognized him at first sight.

It was the man from back then.

The one Keith had saved.

The one Keith had almost killed.

A fallen priest.

No.

A holy man.

An Agent of God.

He had appeared like a miracle at the very moment Keith longed for God most.

Keith remembered the first time he had seen him.

The youthful-faced man had been purifying the temple. When he found Keith in distress, his black eyes had widened in surprise and fixed on Keith, as though he were both astonished and delighted to see him there.

Keith had felt an inexplicable familiarity with him.

The man’s almost-smiling expression had made Keith feel glad before he even understood why.

As though he had finally met someone he had been waiting for all /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ along.