Shadow Lord and Phantom Demon Knight (Please Follow Up)

[Shadow Lord] and [Phantom Demon Knight] (Please follow up)

Formal Knights were immensely important to any noble force throughout the Kingdom.

The current Levi, even without a fief, could rely on his own strength to join another noble's territory, become their knight, and swear loyalty to them.

But Levi, who had already grown used to being a lord himself, naturally did not want to be someone else's servant. In his previous life, he had been a capitalist's dog for more than long enough.

In this life, he never wanted to live by someone else's mood the way he had in his previous one.

"Breaking through to knight deserves a celebration. No training today. I'll have the twin maids give me a massage tonight."

Under all kinds of pressure, Levi had been like a machine that never stopped, training madly, grinding himself down, forging iron, and earning money.

Though that was incredibly fulfilling, people were not machines, after all. They would always get tired.

Today, he felt it was time to let himself properly relax for a few days. For the next few days, he did not plan to practice the Breathing Technique either. He would just sleep, then train a little in the Golden Cross Slash.

A balance of work and rest was life.

Cultivation was not the goal. Longevity, freedom, and living unrestrained were the goal. Cultivation was only a tool.

That night, Levi soaked in the bathtub. After breaking through to Formal Knight, he had expelled a great many toxins. The twin maids stood to his left and right, massaging the muscles all over his body.

"Young Master, your body is too hard and rough. My hands hurt." Ariel pouted, accidentally revealing a glimpse of the scenery before her chest as she said in a sweet voice.

"If you're tired, rest for a while. Let your sister take over. The two of you can take turns." Levi closed his eyes, enjoying this rare life of ease.

Nothing happened that night. After Levi finished bathing, he returned to his bedroom to rest.

"I hope Knight Fred's trip goes smoothly."

Levi still worried about Knight Fred in his heart, though not because he was concerned about the goods worth several hundred Gold Coins.

Knight Fred was Levi's only family in this world. He did not want to lose him.

Just like that, Levi sank into deep sleep.

Under the Starry Night, all was silent.

In the dark night, a figure covered head to toe in black night clothes slipped into Blackwater Valley like a ghost. He arrived at the side of Black Serpent Castle, stood in the river valley, looked at the towering ancient castle built against the mountain, and muttered to himself.

"This castle's location is good. Easy to defend, hard to attack. Unfortunately, to me, it's just decoration."

"I waited seven days, and finally the Serpent Vulture Knight left."

"Heh, Baron Levi, I, the Phantom Demon Knight, will be taking your head without hesitation."

This man in night clothes wore simple leather armor, and his figure was extremely nimble. He was the Phantom Demon Knight, an emotionless killer from an assassin organization whose members were spread throughout the Kingdom: Voice of the Deathbird.

It was an organization similar to an assassins' guild. They were scattered across the country and obeyed the organization's five supreme leaders.

The assassination target could be a commoner or a noble. Even a Formal Knight or a member of the Royal Family, as long as you paid enough, some powerful killers would take action and complete the commission for you.

The Phantom Demon Knight was one such killer. He mainly handled assassination missions in the regions around Icewind City. Some time ago, he had received an assassination mission from a Major Client through the Broker. That Major Client had very high status. He did not even know who the Major Client was, but he did not care who it was either.

As long as the money was enough, even if it was a Formal Knight, the Phantom Demon Knight would find a way to kill him.

As a Wandering Knight, the Phantom Demon Knight had no worries holding him back. After killing someone, he would flee a thousand miles away. No one could catch him.

Since his debut, he had already completed many assassination missions perfectly.

The assassination list included one baron, three noble scions, the wife of one earl, and even two Formal Knights.

Therefore, he did not think assassinating Levi would be difficult. After all, Levi's prodigality and cowardice had some minor fame in certain circles familiar with the Black Serpent Knight.

However, a truly professional killer would go all out even when killing a hundred-year-old old woman.

So the Phantom Demon Knight was fully armed. Grappling hook, dagger, poison, quicklime—he had everything.

He carefully approached the castle. Below the castle, soldiers were patrolling.

Using the cover of night, he observed the surroundings for a while and decided to scale the wall with the fewest soldiers using his grappling hook. Then he would find Levi's bedroom, swiftly assassinate the sleeping Levi, and take Levi's head to collect the commission.

"A perfect plan." The Phantom Demon Knight sneered inwardly.

He found the wall with the weakest defenses. Beneath this high wall, there was only one drowsy soldier.

He slowly approached, relying on his footwork and agility to circle around behind the soldier.

"Shadow Lord above." The Phantom Demon Knight did not believe in the Heavenly Father, but in a very obscure deity, the Shadow Lord.

This god's authority was slaughter, deceit, and shadow. He was the object of worship for most killers and assassins, as well as a small number of conspirators and politicians.

Then, he dealt with the soldier cleanly and efficiently. The soldier was only an ordinary person. Though he had training, compared to a Formal Knight like the Phantom Demon Knight, he was far inferior.

The soldier's corpse quickly turned cold in this season when the north wind had arrived.

The Phantom Demon Knight ignored the corpse. In any case, before the sun rose tomorrow, he would have long since vanished into the wilderness.

He used the grappling hook to climb over the high wall, leaped down lightly, and landed perfectly. He elegantly patted the dust from his body, then raised his head.

Only to discover three enormous shadows curiously sizing him up.

These three shadows were none other than the Three Brothers: Little White, Little Grey, and Little Fatty.

Behind this high wall with the weakest defenses was the Three Brothers' Bear Pen! The Phantom Demon Knight had never imagined that one day, after sneaking into a castle, he would come face to face with three giant bears.

"Damn it. That cursed bitch Levi actually keeps bears inside the castle. Shadow Lord above, these aren't ordinary bears either, but Northern Giant Bears. Though they don't look fully grown yet."

The Phantom Demon Knight cried out inwardly.

The Three Brothers were also stunned. When the Phantom Demon Knight was outside, they had already smelled an unfamiliar scent approaching the castle.

Levi's training for them included making them familiar with the scents of every soldier and servant in the castle. That way, if any stranger approached, they could sense it at the first moment.

So the Phantom Demon Knight thought his infiltration was seamless, unaware that the Three Brothers had discovered him long ago.

And now, he had to face the attacks of a full three Northern Giant Bears. Although they were still children, this still made a Formal Knight like the Phantom Demon Knight feel a trace of tension.

"Damn it. After this mission is finished, I must demand more money!"