My Harem of Dangerous and Crazy Women as a Reincarnated Necromancer

Chapter 256: A New Player Logs In

The following morning, calm had returned to the village... or at least something resembling it.

The semi-humans who had survived the previous night’s slaughter, watching themselves be cut down one after another by that knight fallen from the sky, decided it wasn’t worth continuing.

They broke off the attack and fled back to the great forest, leaving behind the smoking ruins of what had once been a peaceful settlement.

The knight stood in the middle of the plaza, silently watching as the villagers, their faces marked by exhaustion and grief, gathered the corpses scattered everywhere.

They stacked them separately, in a heavy silence, broken only by the occasional stifled sob here and there.

’I still can’t believe I was reborn in another world...’ he thought inside his helmet. ’And not just that, but I did it as the character I abandoned years ago.’

It was hard to take in.

That heavy-armor character now serving as his body, he had created it years ago, back when he still had time to play.

But work had ended up eating away more and more of his hours, and little by little he’d set the game aside until he forgot about it completely.

And as if all that weren’t enough, there was one more detail that had him especially irritated.

There was no way to take off the damn armor...

He had spent the entire night trying, but hadn’t gotten anywhere at all.

He had pulled at the buckles, wrestled with the straps, searched for some kind of clasp or mechanism.

Nothing.

The armor simply wouldn’t budge, it was as if it had become part of his own body.

The only thing he had managed to move was the slit of the helm, that little visor he could raise and lower in front of his eyes.

The knight let out a long, weary sigh.

"I suppose at this point there’s no point denying reality any longer" he muttered to himself.

"Are you alright?"

But then that voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

The knight turned and found the golden-haired priestess looking at him with an expression of genuine concern.

In the light of day, without the rain or the glow of fire hiding her features, her beauty stood out far more.

"Is something troubling you, Sir Knight?" she pressed.

"I’m fine," he replied, trying to sound calm. "Why do you ask?"

"Well..." the priestess said with a small smile. "You’ve been standing there for quite a while now, silent, sighing rather heavily. It’s hard not to notice."

"It’s nothing," he replied with a shrug. "Just... just thinking about some things. A lot of things, actually."

The priestess watched him for a moment, and though it was clear she wanted to press further, she decided not to insist more than she should.

"Anyway," she said, clasping her hands. "Whatever it is that’s troubling you, I’m afraid it will have to wait a little. The envoys have just arrived."

"Envoys?"

"From the clergy and the Inquisition," the priestess explained with a smile. "They came the moment they heard about what happened last night. And they wish to speak with you in person, envoy of the goddess."

The knight let out an annoyed grunt.

"I already told you last night," he replied, somewhat irritated. "I don’t know who this goddess of yours is. I’ve never heard of her. And I’m definitely not anyone’s ’envoy.’ You’ve got the wrong person."

"Of course, of course," the priestess said, ignoring what he had just said. "You can explain that to them yourself. Now, come with me, please."

And without giving him time to protest, the priestess took him by the hand and began pulling him along with a determination surprising for someone her size.

He could have resisted.

After all, the strength he had shown the night before was more than enough to stay put no matter how hard she pulled.

But he decided not to, and simply let out another sigh as he allowed himself to be led along.

"This woman doesn’t listen to a word I say..." he muttered under his breath.

When they finally reached the spot where the members of the clergy and the Inquisition were waiting, the knight saw a group of men dressed in long white robes and gleaming silver armor.

Serious-looking men, the kind used to having others bow their heads before them.

But the moment the knight got close enough, something changed in their faces.

One of them, holding a kind of relic that gave off a faint glow, opened his eyes wide.

"It’s... it’s him," the man said, his voice trembling, looking at the relic and then at the knight. "The magical signature it’s identical... Identical to the one we recorded... There’s no doubt."

And then, one after another, all the envoys of the clergy and the Inquisition knelt before him.

"Oh, great envoy of the goddess..." proclaimed the one who seemed to be in command, head bowed and voice heavy with emotion. "You have truly descended into this world."

"What?"

"You have answered our prayers in our darkest hour, right when we needed you most... The prophecy was true."

"Hey, listen, wait a minute—" the knight started to say.

"We need you, oh great champion," the envoy continued, not listening, just like the priestess. "The enemies of humanity are stirring again. The forces of evil are gathering."

"...?"

"And only you, the chosen one of the goddess, can guide us through the darkness that approaches... You have come to lead us toward salvation, haven’t you?"

"Look, seriously, I think there’s a huge misunderstanding here," the knight insisted, raising his hands. "I’m not any chosen one and I don’t have the slightest idea what this—"

And then a screen appeared floating before his eyes.

By pure instinct, the knight looked up and studied the members of the clergy, the inquisitors, and the priestess.

None of them showed the slightest reaction, it was as if that screen simply didn’t exist.

’Wait a moment,’ he thought, his heart racing. ’This is... this is just like the game’s interface.’

The first screen displayed his stats.

[Player Profile]

Name: Dovah_SlayerXX_777

Level: 55/100

Class: Tank (Guardian)

[Current Equipment:]

Armor: Volcanic Obsidian Plate (Rank SSS)

Main Weapon: Skysplitter Halberd (Rank S)

Inventory: LOCKED

Experience needed to Level Up: LOCKED

The knight went over the information once more. It was all there, exactly as he remembered it.

However, it was that last part that ended up capturing all his attention.

’Locked?’ he thought, frowning inside the helmet. ’My inventory is locked? And I can’t level up? What does that mean?’

But before he could finish processing it, the first screen vanished and a second one took its place.

[Main Quest]

Name: Toward a New Golden Age

Description: An unprecedented enemy threatens the continent. The Emperor of Death, another reincarnated one, has already subjugated numerous kingdoms in the south and continues expanding his dominion. Strengthen humanity and stop his advance before it’s too late.

[Objective: Eliminate the reincarnated one known as "DarkLord69."]

[Reward]

Inventory Unlock.

Level-Up Ability Unlock.Equipment Removal Unlock.

The knight scanned the quest and, once finished, went back to the beginning to read it again, more slowly.

"...DarkLord69," he muttered aloud, an eyebrow raised beneath the helmet. "Seriously? That’s the name of the world’s great evil?... What a cringe."

The envoys, still kneeling and unable to see the screen, raised their eyes slightly, confused by his words.

But he barely paid them any attention, since his gaze had gone back to the line of rewards, and stayed fixed there.

Of the three, there was one that mattered far more to him than the other two combined.

’Equipment Removal Unlock...’ he read to himself.

After a single night trapped inside that metal shell, unable to take it off even to sleep, the mere idea of being free of it was infinitely more tempting than anything else.

That the fate of humanity depended on it was, if anything, a secondary detail.

The knight turned toward the priestess, who watched him with those eyes full of faith and hope.

Then he looked at the kneeling envoys, awaiting his words as if they would decide the fate of the world.

And finally he looked once more at the floating screen before it dissolved into the air.

’I suppose it’s not like I have that many other options...’ he thought with resignation.

The envoys lifted their gaze toward him, holding their breath.

"Alright... I’ll help you," he said with another resigned sigh.

The effect was immediate.

The envoy who seemed to be in command sprang to his feet, his face lit up with a mix of relief and euphoria, and the rest followed suit.

"I knew the goddess wouldn’t abandon us!" he exclaimed, eyes moist. "Thank you, oh great champion! You have no idea what your words mean for all of humanity!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say," the knight replied, gently pushing the inquisitor aside. "So... what am I supposed to do now?"

"The first thing will be to accompany us to the central headquarters of the Inquisition. There we can explain the situation and answer all your questions."

"...Ok."

The priestess, who had watched the entire exchange in silence, took a small step forward.

"I will go with you as well," she declared firmly, clasping her hands. "If you truly are the champion sent by the goddess, then it is my duty to accompany you and serve you on your path."

He looked at her for a moment and let out a sigh.

By this point he had already learned that arguing with this woman was a waste of time.

"Do whatever you want" he replied with indifference.

And so, with dawn lighting up the village, the knight set off for the capital.