Gallant POV (past)

The old man and I have been arguing over some stupid topic, yet I, as a perverted man who also cherishes and love women just like him, had to answer a very important question that determines a man's alignment. A very important question that anyone would ask to any pervert. Be it small, silent, open pervert...

Ass or tits? Boobs or butt?

Why are we arguing about this on our way back to the base?

Cause we fucking can. And it's between comrades. Brothers. There is no point in not being open about things and having idle chatter to strengthen our bonds. Dan always, ALWAYS, asks this question to every goddamn knight. He doesn't give two shits if he is supposed to be discrete or contained about it. He will speak his mind and openly reveal his pervertedness with no shame whatsoever. I feel like I sort of regret having him as my master, mentor, and comrade, but I know that he is an old man who dots over me in a way. He got my back, and I got his. We have slain countless enemies together. Could I ignore him? Certainly, but since it is just us, and I love women just like him, I responded to his answer.

I like boobs more than the butt, but he says otherwise.

If there have been anyone else, especially strangers or passing bystanders who caught wind of this goddamn conversation, they would certainly find it stupid and call us perverts. We have been walking back to our fort after eliminating some infested demon pawns in the local area. We could not find the actual demon who started the corruption or the cultist, but we have scared them off. Granted that the small village we protected is not under our control, we left a good impact on them. The Black Knights are not a notorious faction that is hellbent on world destruction and what not. I can't believe that people think that we are trying to destroy the world or trying to rule it with darkness. I doubt we can do that since we already have a decent amount of enemies. We are already content with what we have fought for, so there is no point in expanding. It has its pros and cons. But that's not important at the moment.

I'm still arguing with this old man about this topic. And we're stating reasons to our answers. It's silly and stupid. I let out a sigh, wishing that I could just get a girlfriend or something. This armor has locked me in it, so all of my sexual needs are contained. Which sucks. Majorly. Even Dan bitches about it along with some other knights since... yeah, we're cursed. Don't get me wrong, it's great to be in this armor and have a lot of your needs taken away from you, but there have been some things you'll start to miss. Tasting food, taking a bath, sleeping naked... and having sex. And other things. But the sex thing is pretty huge. Dan has been rambling for a while though. Explaining why the ass is so important on a female. I have blanked out a bit, refusing to accept his line of thinking. Mean, it's great, but I don't think its that great.

"... and that is why you should appreciate a woman's ass, my apprentice."

"For fuck sake, I ain't your apprentice. And secondly, just because it's-"

"Have you seen a naked woman before? I feel like you haven't." I just stare at the man, shaking my head.

"No. I haven't."

"WHAT?!" I want to glare at this idiot friend of mine. Wait, I am. What I really want is for him to see the seriousness of my face, but he can't see my goddamn face cause of the helmet.

"Think about it Dan. I'm still young. I barely had any sort of... intimate relationship with any girl before."

"And yet you say boobs are better. Man, you really need to stare at some naked woman. Hell, women! Of all types! We need to hit the brothel or something-"

"Sure, two knights walk into a brothel and can't get out of their armor. The moment we get into the bedroom and don't start stripping, they'll think we would try to rob them. Besides, what the hell are they going to do with us if we have our armor glued to us? Stroke our armor and give us nice compliments? Dude, if I go to a brothel, I want some goddamn service. Not some fanservice and cheap soft shit." Dan nods his head at my reply.

"You're right. But it wouldn't stop them from taking our money and stripping for us. Hell, I'll pay just so you can view a woman's naked body. Think about it. They get money for free just to pose in front of us. Win-win."

"You seriously want me to stare at a naked woman that badly?"

"Duh? I feel like you haven't taken this question seriously."

"Why should I even take this question seriously?"

"Because we're perverts."

"You're the open one."

"And everyone is still a pervert in due time and in their own way."

"You fucking retard." I let out a loud sigh, rubbing my head. Seriously, how did I get stuck to this old man? Before we can continue our argument, a sudden figure cross in front of us.

I swear, I think this old man is a magnet for trouble and weirdness. Although I feel like the divine beings wanted to make fun or our little conversation by delivering a naked woman in front of us. The two of us stopped in our tracks, looking at the naked woman. Well, we can tell that she's a vampire. And a strong one. Maybe a pureblood or something. We understand that certain vampires have their restrictions and perks. The sane, somewhat sane, depends on the being and their mindset, are able to withstand the sunlight. Purebloods, regular vampires, and lesser vampires are able to walk around without the need for shade. Anything else, it'll vary. Some cannot stand it or they'll burn the moment the sunlight touches them. Others can get a negative mood debuff for being in it for too long. But enough of that, Dan and I understood that this being has the noticeable traits of a vampire. Pale skin, red eyes, fangs, easy to piece together. Heck, the blood all over her naked skin also hint a few things. Well, in a way. There are marks where she has her own wounds and scars. Recent ones. Observing her body movements, we know that she has been on the run for a long time. She's out of breath. Her body takes in air rapidly, her body shaking madly as she stares at us. Obviously, we have seen our fair shares of monsters. We have slain vampires who have been dangerous and murderous in a lot of ways since we are immune to most of their mental attacks. Since we have a curse, they can't really curse us as much. Or effectively unless they're unique or a high-class vampire. Yet there's a vampire who is desperately trying to survive against...

"We got her, lads!" screamed a voice. Several figures pop out from the woods, charging towards the vampire. They ignored us, solely focused on the vampire they're hunting. There's a lot of hunters against this one vampire. I can sense at least thirty beings along with several animals. And their ranks are all over the place from thirteen to demigods. The vampire lets out a hiss, ready to engage them. I drew my blades out, ready to back Dan up.

Before the first vampire hunter reaches the woman...

Dan's spear flies through into his head. This stopped the momentum of the hunters, looking at us. Dan has drawn his sword, hacking three of them down before they attack us. A dog tries to lunge at Dan's back, but I toss my blade through its stomach. The moment my blade hits the ground, I instantly teleport to it, hacking three hunters down before they shift their killing intent towards us. I knew that this would happen the moment Dan saw this woman. He ALWAYS protects helpless females. Even if they're in the wrong. The only time he doesn't do this is when it involves our allies. He will never fight against fellow allies or fellow knights, but he'll try to reason with them. The man has a soft spot for girls. Stupid pervert.

"Kill those two!" The leader with decent armor over his body points at us, having a lot of the vampire hunters aim their guns at us. Even if they're above our ranks by a couple of levels, they should prepare themselves a bit more. They activate their [Demigod's Realm], trying to suppress us. Sadly, we are used to fighting in bad conditions. It is part of our training as a [Black Knight]. It still affects us, but it will not tamper with our sheer willpower to fight and survive. Also, for the leader to clearly give himself away, I toss my blade at the man. Without looking, I know that my blade has pierced through the man's chest. I did not teleport to that blade, evading several gunshots and tossing Dan's spear back at the old man. He cannot fight well without his spear. And I know that he can surely wipe the floor with these fools with it. I can hear a bunch of shouting and screams, telling us that we have to kill the vampire. I just shrug them off, knowing that if Dan wants to protect a woman, he won't have second doubts about it. There have been times when the woman would attack us, but the old man has his ways to make them feel guilty.

I can hear a sword whizz by me as it impales a hunter in the leg. The pain stops the female hunter, allowing me to headbutt the person. I pull the sword out of her leg, slashing off the arms of a man that tried to attack my back. Three hunters try to rush me, drawing out their melee weapons, but I can see them fall to the ground when Dan slice their legs off. I rush past the bodies, jumping towards Dan and spun myself around to slice apart the incoming dogs and arrows. The moment I touch the ground, bullets are zoning in on me. Dan covers me with his shield, deflecting the bullets. I slid past Dan's form to intercept a couple of hunters who tried to move in when Dan blocked the bullets. I hack off their legs, slashing through one of the hunter's chest. Our weapons can easily tear through their armor. They were not heavily armed, wearing light clothing for the travel or for the easy movements that they can enact. Most hunters wouldn't don heavy armor against a vampire unless it was some sort of confrontation or a showdown. Well, depends on the circumstances, but I digress. The old man tosses his spear again towards the pistol users. He only has one spear, so it would just kill one of them. I can feel a vampire hunter try to appear behind me, but Dan rams them with his shield. Even if it is just a shield, the sheer strength behind the move would crush their bones. If they wore armor, it could deafen the blow, Yet I can surely hear the cracking of bones as I hack down a woman who appeared behind the old man. I took the body and shielded it over us from a bullet. I take a pistol from the woman's body and fired a shot at a hunter. I toss the body towards a hunter who tries to charge us, taking a dagger and shoving it into the other hunter who tries to take me down. Dan fires a pistol as he chucks the flintlock pistol at a shooter. He rushes for his spear, watching several hunters try to stop him. I toss both swords at two flintlock musket users, charging after Dan. A hunter tries to unleash some magic at me, but I punch him in the face, gut, then, and elbowed him aside. I evade a swing from a hunter, grasping their arm and kneeing them in the gut. Loosening their grip, I take their weapon and brought their body in front of me. A sword pierces through the hunter, hearing a scream as I stabbed at the new hunter who tried to kill me. The remaining hunters charge at me, but Dan slashes them in two with one huge sweep of his spear. I toss the borrowed sword into a rifle user, looking at our mess. There are a lot of groans, hearing curses from the vampire hunters we took down.   

 "W-What the hell is wrong with you two?! That vampire is dangerous! Why did you stop us?!" a woman glares at us. I turn towards Dan, knowing that this was his will and doing. The only reason why I stepped in was that... he's my brother and comrade. He has saved me, so I will do what I can to help him as best as I can. He shakes his head, saying, "Because she's desperate. And she was in distress."

"That's it?!" the vampire hunter tries to stand up, but she falls back onto the ground. 

"Don't get me wrong, vampires are cursed beings and can be dangerous... But not all of them. Besides, we didn't kill most of your allies..." He glances around the mess we created. "Most. Be thankful that we spared you with this much mercy." As she tries to continue the conversation, the two of us just ignored her. We pick up our weapons and glance at the naked vampire. She seems utterly... baffled at our interference and action. I would be surprised as well, seeing that we just made a couple more enemies and for what? 

"So Dan, what were we talking about again." Eh?

I watch Dan walk away from the vampire and bloody mess, dragging me along. Now... this part confused me. I didn't ask him out loud, 'Why aren't you talking to the vampire?' There's a reason for his sudden action of walking away. Usually, after saving the girl, he would chat with them or we get attacked by them. During that time, Dan will somehow woo the girl we save and make them change their ways. 

But right now?

Dan is walking away. Why the bloody hell is he doing that? I took the cue to follow him, confused to why we didn't speak with the vampire. I wanted to ask, but Dan wants to redo his previous stupid question. And with a guest nearby...

"Eh... Which one?" I act clueless, praying that he didn't really want to start this discussion with a naked woman closeby.

"You know which one... Don't act like the idiot now." He says, puffing out his chest. 

"No, really... which one?"

"The boobs or butt one, you retard." 

"Ugh... I gave you my response-"

"... you got to be shitting me. Have you not- My man, let me go on about why an ass is better than tits." Oh great, he's repeating himself again. We walked further away from the place where we engaged those vampire hunters, not even bringing them up. I bear through, and mostly ignore, the lecture Dan was giving me, feeling a presence behind us. She kept a decent distance away from us, but the vampire is following us. I would point it out to Dan, but I think he's aware of it. I try to keep my eyes forward and not stare at the vampire, but she's... gorgeous.

She has long white hair, and her skin definitely made me think of a porcelain doll. Her height seems to be below me by a few inches, with her red eyes gleaming with... something. Regret? Doubt? Sorrow? Anger? I can see some genuine sadness from it, but... 

Okay me, don't look at her damn body...

Even if I got a glimpse of it.

No.

"Oi, Gallant, you listening?"

"Yes... You're saying that the lower body and the thickness of the body parts in question have plumpness that should not and cannot be ignored, which has its charm and superiority above the breasts. The ass can also be a nice juicy area to also stick your cock into and you can slyly grope the area compared to the breasts... But I find that to be slightly wrong, depending on the situation. You can fall on top of a girl and accidentally have a hand on their breasts. Or there could be a situation where you're both stuck in a closet and your hands could be tightly close to her breasts-"

"Man, the chances of your hands being up there would be a slim chance. Your hands might be closer to her ass more than anything else."

"Still, you can grope a girl's breasts slyly if done right."

"Not in public. Groping an ass wouldn't create many issues. Not only that, but you can also see the plumpness of a girl's thighs... Especially if you have some sort of kink with stockings."

"Look, I-"

"Can you two tell me why you saved me? Or helped me?" The vampire interrupted us, making Dan and I stop in place. Her voice sounds nice, but I can sense a hint of... doubt, confusion, and anger. I glance at her, cursing myself as I take in her naked form. I try to erase it from my head, but goddamn, she got a nice body. She has an hourglass figure with nicely shaped breasts. Her ass is a bit bigger than an average one- if I had such a comparison, but I think it's bigger than most with a slight tone body. I realize that her rank is above ours, raising a couple of questions to how some low-rank vampire hunters were winning against her. She should have been able to handle herself. I was going to answer her question, admiring her form, until Dan asks me.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" I answered this on reflex, cursing myself a bit. 

"Some voice... Anyways, I can't believe you're not seeing my way-"

"I am not... I just think that you're too much of the ass follower than an open-minded individual... Even though you're an open pervert." I turn to follow him, ignoring the vampire. If we can talk through our minds, I would bombard this old man to why he hasn't said anything to this vampire. We continue on our path back to our fort, leaving the forest area that was around us and took a path along the mountains. The vampire did not cover herself up, still following us. It has been twenty minutes since she asked her question, and we just ignored her. She didn't say anything else after her first question. I can, however, see her sadness becoming frustration and anger. Most likely, it was directed at us for ignoring her... and the stupid discussion Dan and I are having. Or Dan was pushing for.

"Unless you appreciate the ass more than tits, I will not end this damn discussion Gallant. Why don't you admit it, the ass is great."

"Every aspect of a woman is great, you idiot. Stop trying to make me into an ass worshipper or devout follower. I understand your points, but can't you just-"

"NO! You must become one of us!"

"For the love of-" Before I can say anything, the vampire instantly appears next to Dan and kick him to the ground.  It's about time she did something... although I have no clue if we can handle her. The moment she kicked Dan down, I was off of my feet, staring at the sky. 

"Whoa, some beauty certainly came out of nowhere, huh?" Dan teased, getting up as he somewhat evades a kick from the vampire, "Man... this vampire has a nice body."

"Oi, Dan, I think-" As I got up, the old man was flying towards me, knocking me back down on my feet. "Shit!"

"What the hell is wrong with you two?!" the vampire vents, "Why aren't you responding to me?! Why the hell did you save me?"

"Hey, you like what you see?" Dan gets off of me, helping me up, but he made sure I was looking at the vampire, "We're getting assaulted by some beauty. Do you think it's the gods playing with us? You know you said you haven't seen a naked woman so..."

"Shut up!" I found myself punching the old man... yet the vampire also punched him as well.

Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaat... she's close now. And I can't take my eyes off of her naked body. Blushing heavily, knowing that I am staring right at her, especially her breasts, she sweeps me off my feet. My mind went fuzzy for a bit as my head bounces off the ground. You know, this armor can really rattle my head in a way. Shaking my head a couple of times, I try to get up. The vampire stomps down on me, glaring at Dan. Correction, she holds him with one arm, staring at him. Well, us.

"Damn, you're getting stepped on. I'm a bit jealous."

"Can't you take this seriously?!" The vampire glares at us, wanting an answer, "Why the hell are you ignoring me?! And worse, why do you continue your stupid conversation about boobs or ass?!"

"Cause it's important." Dan answers that with a serious tone that got extinguished when the vampire tosses him onto the ground, "Ouch. Careful now. I'm old."

"Shut up, you pervert," I try to get up, unable to do so, "You started this shit."

"Bumping into a naked woman who obviously has a smoking hot body and beating the fuck out of us? Maybe." Even in this predicament, Dan can easily shrug this off. I am a bit amazed at how calm he is. I mean, there's a vampire that can easily tear us to shreds. There's a HUGE difference in her strength and ours. That still brings me back to my own curiosity and my question about why she was losing to those vampire hunters, but I think I can think up a few reasons to what might have happened. Regardless of that, we're stuck in this situation where this vampire is whooping our asses. With no clothes, no weapons, and using a fraction of her powers, this vampire might be a threat to us. "Besides, what do you think about her? She's a prime example of having a nice ass."

Oh god. Are we still doing this!?

"You're shitting me... right?" At this angle, I think I should certainly keep my head on the ground. I can see a lot more than I wanted with this vampire. I blinked a couple of times before I curse internally at the old man for persisting with his shenanigans. I will murder him later. She has no hair on her vagina, shaving it, as I can see her slightly thick legs leading up to her slightly above average looking ass. There is certainly a nice appeal to her lower body, but I still like seeing the breasts more-

Great, she's gonna kill me. She has a very violent glare as she applies more pressure onto me. I can feel my back crack a bit, helping me in a way but hurting me still. "Damn you, Dan..." 

"Stop looking at me, you perverts!"

"You're asking for the impossible now." Dan points out, "You're naked, you're manhandling us, and we can barely do much to stop you from your sudden rage. Besides, you haven't covered yourself ever since we helped you out. So it's your fault."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"I'm going to kill you first."

"He still has a point. You could have placed some clothes on while we were having our stupid argument. You had a lot of time to do so." I agreed with my master, feeling my pressure on my back, yet it wasn't that hard.

"Look... I just want answers to why two idiots would help me out."

"Because we can? Look, it's not that hard to figure out."   

"But I'm a vampire!"

"And? Sure, some naked vampire beauty should be killed on sight because of... what exactly? Crimes? Sins? Feasting on humans to live? Because of haters? Look, that young man you're stepping on, Gallant, would have just ignored the situation, but he knows that I would charge in to help any woman who seems to be in dire trouble-"

"Unless it's our guys chasing after the girl... But even then, you'll try to reason." I add.

"BUT I couldn't ignore it. It's not hard to figure out, lassie. We helped because we wanted to. Do you need to tell us why you were being chased? No. We do not need you to tell us your secrets or your sins. We did what we wanted to do, and you can continue living your own life. Sure, we didn't kill all of them and we made more enemies, but we do what we want to do. We are not tied down to become monsters. We have done our time being conquerors. We protect the people under us, and we help each other because there's not enough niceness in this forsaken world." 

"This world has no such mercy for an old man like you. One day, a girl will kill you." I let out a sigh, feeling a bit of pressure off of my back.

"That's it? You just wanted to help me?"

"If you weren't a chick, I would have ignored ya." Dan replies with a nod of his head.

"Not to contradict what Dan just said, you should be able to handle those vampire hunters. Why were you-"

"Oi, I thought I said we didn't need to know!" Dan glares at me, trying to wiggle out of the vampire's grip.

"Sure, you don't, but if she can handle us, two knights of our caliber, why the hell did you not kill them yourself-"

"Because I was tired of killing." The vampire answers this by dropping Dan and getting her foot off of me, "I have slain a lot of people. A lot of them."

"No more!" Dan stops the vampire before she says anything else. The old man picks me up and headbutts me. I land on my ass, cursing at the old man. "I told you not to ask, you idiot!"

"Says the man who purposely left me in the dark! And I know that you wanted me to sneak glances at this vampire! I knew that you had some alternative motive!"

"What you talking about?! I'm too old to scheme!"

"Fucking liar!" I elbow Dan in the gut before I give him my own headbutt. He takes it, shaking it off as he points at the vampire, "Just admit it, she has a nice ass and-" A sudden blast of energy sent the old man into the wall, seeing a crater form. I look at the vampire, seeing her cheeks being a bright rosy color.

"Just shut up about my naked figure. I thought you would have more control than that."

"I am... Just that this old man is... a pervert. Don't worry, he can take a beating. You're not the first woman he has saved. Especially if they're naked." I try to look straight at the vampire, but I had to look past her. Even if I am a young man, I need to control myself a bit before I end up like Dan. I got a feeling that Dan knew this in a way. He knew that this vampire was tired of killing people. He must have purposely done all of this just to see if he was right. Granted that we didn't expect her to follow us back to our outpost, the old man must have been aware of the situation. He just didn't tell me directly about it all. Once again, if we had telepathy, it would have been easier for me to play along. Thinking about it, we never asked for her name. "We never asked for your name. Who are you?" The vampire blinks a couple of times at me, realizing that as well.

"Ah, my name is Charlotte." She extends her hand out to me, "Is it okay if I... tag along?" I was a bit confused about the gesture since I didn't have the right to call it. Even if we, the Black Knights, try to be equal and ignore ranks, Dan is still the superior officer. He would have dictated the call. Unfortunately, he's in the wall right now, yet I know what he would say.

"You can do whatever you want Charlotte. Just know that you're not obligated to stay with us at all times. If there is a time where you just want to leave, just do so. You can join us or stay at one of our settlements. As Dan said, we're done with our conquest and decided to settle in. We are just maintaining the safety and peace of our citizens. We will not bother you about your past history as long as you do not give us any trouble. Even if someone or something were to chase after you, we'll help you if you're under our protection." Charlotte stares at me for a bit, surprised at my last statement.

"Even if they're in the right? Or even if you're defending a criminal?"

"Even then." Dan appears next to me, shaking off the rubble off his shoulders. "Yes, some people might abuse our help, but we do not go back on our words. People do change if they really want to. Those who don't tend to give up on their bad ways and change eventually. Guilt can really eat away at one's conscious." 

"A lot of women love Dan because of his stupidity. Despite his pervertedness." I jab at the man, hearing him scoff at my remark.

"At least I'm popular with the women and know what a naked woman looks like. Unlike someone-"

"Can't say that anymore." I laugh at him, "I lost my so-called naked virginity when we saved Charlotte."

"Heh... Still got a lot to learn kid." Dan jabs me in my arm, turning back towards the path, "Not that I don't mind staring at your naked form Charlotte, but do you need any clothes?"

"I can easily cover myself." Snapping her fingers, clothes manifest out of nowhere, covering most of her body. It was a tight red bodysuit covered in some unique scales. It reminds me of a reptile's skin, yet it seems... alive. Dan notices the small movement as well. He didn't say it out loud, but he did ask, "You know.. if you could do that, why didn't you cover yourself earlier?"

"When I was being chased, they had ways to track me down if I used a hint of blood, so I tried to avoid it. Secondly, after you saved me, wanted to see if you two would do anything. Especially with the conversation."

"Testing us? Heh. Like we stated, you can do what you want. If you were hoping for some steamy and hot sex, you bumped into the wrong people to try to do it with?" Dan laughs a bit at Charlotte's remark.

"Oh? You're married?" Charlotte gives a slight smile. Knowing her, she doesn't understand the concept or design behind our black armor. Heck, I don't know if she knows that we're cursed. The moment my eyes turn towards my master, I can feel an odd... gesture coming from the old man. He was frozen in place, staring at the sky. The awful silence also hints at his odd behavior. The man would usually be cheery, playful, or talkative by now, yet he did not answer Charlotte's question right away. Actually, I never bothered to ask Dan about his life. We have been brothers through blood and combat, but I never bothered- No, I never bugged him about his life. I never asked him about... what he was like before he donned on the cursed armor. The old man listened to my tale, and my aspirations to become like my father and his friends who fought back in the days when the Black Knights were becoming what they were now, but I never asked Dan why he donned on his armor and joined the Black Knights.

Yet as he said, people do not need to share everything if they are not willing to.

Charlotte stops smiling, frowning at Dan's gestures.

"Sorry. That was rude of me." Charlotte apologizes, "Didn't know-"

"Nah. It's fine." Dan waves it off. "I didn't feel like sharing as much since no one asked. I had a fine wife who married an idiot like me. The young lass rebelled against her noble lineage and ran away from home. She stumbled onto me, a man who was quite young, ambitious, and perverted. Let's just say that our first time together was... not pleasant." He laughs, reminiscing his past, "Yeah. We fought a lot... Heck, I was more of a bandit than what I am now, thinking about it. Didn't really do anything too forceful or gruesome to her. I kidnapped her, but I didn't do anything to her that would violate her. Or make her lose her virginity. Gave me a hard time though... Eventually, we ended up falling in love with each other."

Deciding to interrupt the man, I had to ask, "This was when you were with the Black Knights?"

"Yes. The Black Knights were trying to make a name for themselves and create their own faction. We recruited a lot of people, but it was still... a mess. We hired a lot of people who may or may not have had the same mindset as our Imperator. I, being the young man I was, was sort of a thug who was given a lot of power. I was a weird one who also took any chance with any woman who came my way. Good or bad. My wife was something else though. Then again, she was a noble from the enemies we were fighting. You see, what we have now as the Black Knights were not the same as what it was back then. We had no moral. We had no code. We did what we want. It got to the point where we would be killing each other every now and then. Especially when we have a position of power. I can't give you all the details of our ranks and military structure Charlotte, but I have, and still am, an important individual for the knights. Not that grand, but not that small. With that being said, the Black Knights in the past would try to usurp me in any way possible. Especially against the lands that I protect and those I care for. My wife and I had lived peacefully once we had gained our own lands and I became a significant figure for the Imperator. But there's always a price for having status and power." He pauses, staring at me.

"Gallant, you and the other younglings have it a lot better than the past. I am still glad and pissed at our Imperator. Know that I still serve him, but I cannot forgive him for what he has done to some of us old-timers. I get his reason, but I cannot forget nor forgive." He looks back at Charlotte, "The Imperator understood that the people we recruited needed to be cut down. We hired a huge chunk of people, but most were not trustworthy and would create issues for the future. Giving out titles and having purposely had his most trusted advisors and comrades fight for him, we killed those unwanted individuals. But at a cost. A lot of good people died... And I lost my wife during those times. Even if she was to let me fight by myself, she would forcibly fight by my side. When I, alone, fought against my opponents, she fought with me. I knew it was a bad idea, but I let her do it because... she's my wife. We did well until I let my guard down. I thought we killed our last opponent, but there were a few waiting for me to let my guard down. The moment they try to finish me off, my wife pushes me out of the way to save me." He pauses again, letting it sink in. I am a bit... daunted and shocked at this. Our leader did this? Charlotte was definitely upset at his story. Both of us are speechless to Dan's tale. After a minute or two passes, he goes on.

"When all of the unwanted knights have been finished, he wanted to gift the survivors, his trusted allies, the powerful armor we wear right now. There was more to just killing the unwanted knights within our faction. There's a special technique that our Imperator can do to craft our cursed armor... for a price. He didn't give us the details, but he decided that what we went through deserved a reward. We all accept his gift, but at the same time, most of us hated him for not being straightforward with us. He did not flinch or ran away from his misdoings, knowing that this would happen, yet he did it for the greater good. He was ready to be killed by us. Yet Nero and a handful of others convinced the majority not to kill him, and that things will change. To answer your question Charlotte, I had a wife."

"I-"

"Well, let's get going." Dan press onwards, leaving us behind. We didn't follow him right away. I just stood there... trying to understand what Dan just revealed. It clarifies a few things on my end to why Nero and some of the higher-ups would approach Dan every now and then, but I never bothered to ask why. I just assume that Dan had some importance because he was old. Or is he? Never asked his age... What I am trying to digest is the sheer fact that the Black Knights had a really tragic past. I don't know much about it since my dad never went into huge details about it. Actually, no one from the inner circle would even discuss anything about the past. This was my first time hearing about it. I can only look at Dan's back as he continues to walk forward. I can only sympathize with him for his loss though. However, I can tell that Charlotte must have her fair shares of... hardships. She was trembling in place, greatly troubled at Dan's story. The vampire was releasing an intense feeling of sadness and despair. Deciding to snap her out of it, I said, "Don't worry. He has been living for a long time. A very, very long time. If he was troubled by his past, he wouldn't be the cheery man that you saw earlier. He must have made peace with what has happened. Cheer up. And you don't have to share your own issues. We will not force you to say anything. If you want to live in peace, just do it. We'll protect ya."  

"But-"

"Trust us. And me." I pointed at the old man, "He's gonna leave us behind if we don't catch up. Well, specifically me since you're not officially with the Black Knights, but you can still tag along if you want to. Someone like you shouldn't mingle with weaklings, right?" As I march forward, I waved at her. I had no clue if she intends to follow us or not, but I decided to give a wave just in case. Catching up with the old man, he says, "Have you changed your mind yet?"

"About what?"

"How the ass is great-"

"No. I'll appreciate it a lot more, but I ain't converting that easily."  

"You make me sick," Dan says with disgust. "Young people these days." 

"Honestly, it'll depend on the girl." Charlotte says, "If you want to stare at a flat ass, then that's on you. Even if you're trying to convince Gallant to appreciate it, there's still a limit to what you can truly appreciate. You made nice visual statements, but you can't love all asses. From the point of your arguments, you were talking strictly on big round butts, but Gallant was thinking about all types." 

"See, someone gets my thinking." I nod at Charlotte.

"You're right. I was talking about big, round asses. But if you plan to use that method against me, then how about boobs? The flat chested ones? What about them? Heck, what happens if you find a girl who doesn't even have both?"

"Even that has its appeal. Dress them up like a man, they can certainly woo a lot more girls than you think. Depending on certain factors, but I had my fair shares of cute girls and sexy ones." Dan and I choke at her words. "What? I swing BOTH ways, you idiots. I doubt you can live up to my age... let alone gain the amount of experience I have. And guessing by how you're both cursed, I doubt you can receive any physical love."  Okay, other than the fact that this vampire is bisexual, how did she know about our-

"Is this a keen intuition from your natural abilities or a huge guess on your end?" Dan asks the question.

"The former. We have been cursed since our creation. All beings who have been created with a curse can easily tell if anyone is cursed or not. I can guess that the armor you lot have on is cursed because you are still humans." This is something we should keep in the back of our heads. That would explain why some vampires and werewolves seemed shocked at our appearance. 

"Didn't know that was a thing," I said, scratching the top of my helmet, "So what else can you see?"

"A lot of things, but I'm not gonna tell you everything now. What would happen if you two are lying about your kind behavior? Hmmmm."

"We just said we won't." Dan points out.

"You can't be too sure. Even if you don't, I need to be careful. You know how many people want me dead?"

"You know how many factions want us dead?" I countered, "But I don't blame ya for not telling everything. Trust is a two-way street and you barely know us. Give it time, you'll see that we're telling the truth." 

"HEY! Oh god, Gallant, don't tell me that idiot saved another damsel in distress." We arrived in front of our small outpost closeby. Nothing too fancy. It was a fort carved out from the side of the mountain having basic walls, buildings, and a gateway. Our fellow comrades are holed up in this area as a checkpoint and other things. I can see two guards outside of the fort, positioned at the gates. There are a couple more people on top of the walls, but they have regular armor. We tend to give out easy and decent jobs to the nearby villagers for assisting with guard duties. We don't force the people to join our armies. A regular Black Knight can take out an army or two by themselves if there is no warrior or mage at the rank of ten or higher. I just shake my head at the gate guard, letting out a huge sigh.

"Something like that. She was being chased, Dan steps in- the usually dealio."

"Ha, the old man hasn't changed... Although she can take care of herself, can't she?" Most of our knights understand that there is a huge difference in power if they can't feel or see anything from an individual. The Black Knights go through extensive basic training in warfare and combat. The first rule of our engagement is to gauge out what an individual is capable of with a quick glance. "Guessing the mission was a success?"

"No doubt about it. A few questions, but it's not our problem. We just happened to take down the main threat. If something pops up again, we'll deal with it in due time. Anything on your end?" 

"Nothing. Just standing here, looking pretty." Staring past me, he looks at Charlotte, "Be on your best behavior. Granted that we can't do much if you do release your powers, just know that there are other individuals who aren't related to us." 

"Noted." Charlotte nods her head. 

"A vampire this time around? I feel like you're going to pick up a lot of monster girls- No offense to you ma'am. We have seen this old man pick up a lot of girls of different races. Dryads, wisps, fairies, werewolves, Lycans, demihumans-"

"Yeah, yeah, lists all of the races I've picked up. Bite me. I'm just doing what I usually do. Are you gonna let us in or are you going to harass me?" Dan folds his arms.

"Ah. Sorry about that. Open up the doors. Its the pervert and Gallant."

"Hey! Use my name!"

"Everyone knows your infamous reputation. See." The wooden doors open up to reveal the interior of the fort. Shaking his head, Dan leads the way as I follow suit. Charlotte follows behind us, being wary of what lies inside. The moment we passed the gateway, a bunch of kids ambush Dan. I am a bit amazed at how these kids could easily take down a man in armor. Then again, there's A LOT of kids. Like, twenty kids. Charlotte, surprised by this, almost ran back through the doors. 

"We got you Dan!" one of the kids exclaim. The old man, have no clue if he's actually hurt or he was faking it, grunts underneath the many bodies on top of him. I could barely hear his grunt due to the number of kids trying to talk to Dan. Charlotte stares at the dogpile on top of Dan, asking me, "Who are these kids? Don't tell me he has a huge family?!" I cough at her remark, trying to contain my laughter.

"No, no, it's not like that. Let's just say that Dan has a way with the kids. These are kids from..." I try to keep it down, not wanting the kids to hear what I was about to say next. Leaning closer to Charlotte, who seems to be on guard still, whispered, "Their orphans. Some of the kids have been left on the streets while others lost their parents due to tragic accidents or affairs. Either way, we couldn't just leave them, so we take them in." 

"...that's a lot of kids. Don't they have any other family members to take them in?"

"We have found a couple. But these kids do not have anyone else. They're alone." Charlotte watches the kids play with Dan, bothering him with their stories of today and what they have done. I stood beside Charlotte, watching the scene as well. I'm used to this, but I can feel that this image is having an effect on the vampire. She has a gentle smile on her face, touched by it.

"At least they got you. It's sad that no one will actually help out these kids."

"There are such places. It's just that these kids were abandoned. Not only that, it depends on the nation, the area, the faction, their policies, and other factors that determine if the kids are or can enter the orphanage. Heck, most of these kids are from villages we visited or from villages who can't deal with them." I watch Dan rub the head of one of the younger boys, frowning underneath my helmet. Even if we're helping the undesirables, we cannot keep them under our wing for much longer. They must not join our ranks and deal with the uprising threat that is rising. 

"Dan would have been a great father." Charlotte whispers. My frown deepens at her statement. Yeah... I bet he would like that. I remember a weird conversation one time when we survived an encounter with a couple of Death Knights. It was a mess. Even with ten other Black Knights, we barely handled three Death Knights. We lost at least eight brothers in that engagement, Dan and I almost dying as well. After the encounter, Dan revealed a side that shocked me. He was ready to give up his life to make sure that I lived. He said that he had some deep regret and wished that he could have a son. He said that I fit the bill, and he'll do anything to make sure I'm still alive. Even if it costs him his life. That disturbed me greatly since Dan is an important man. A lot of people will be affected by his death. I, a young knight with no great reputation, shouldn't have such a great man guarding my back. Yet Dan always have my back whenever Death appears before me. I feel like we became an inseparable pair now, yet it won't be the same if one of us dies.

"He's a great man." I just said that, noticing a kid looking at us. He tilts his head, saying, "Who is she?" Having the other kids look at Charlotte, they awe at her. Some of the boys seem to blush at the sight of Charlotte, hiding behind Dan. 

"Isn't that cute. Some of the kids might have fallen in love with you." Looking at the vampire, I can see that she blushed at my statement. It turns into a fierce glare though, smacking my shoulder, "Hush."

"Ha." I walk away from Charlotte, chatting with the kids who approached me.

"She's a vampire, right?" One of the boys asked me.

"Yep. Red eyes, the fangs, not hard to mess." I replied.

"You saved her from some bad guys, right?" another kid asks.

"For sure." I answered.

"She's pretty." A girl said, unable to take her eyes off of Charlotte. 

"You kids should talk to her. Know her a bit more. I'm sure she'll answer your questions." Some of the kids rush over to her, bombarding her with questions. By the time I got next to Dan, I can see that a couple of kids were keeping their distance. It wasn't the same group of kids who looked at her with awe. It was the opposite emotion with mixed emotions. Some kids feared her, others hated her. I didn't want to say this to Charlotte, but some of these kids lost their families due to rogue vampires. Seeing this, Dan decides to scold the children. 

"Hey, Ryan. Come here." A young boy at the age of ten steps forward with his short blonde hair. His eyes are glued to Charlotte, hands curled into fists. Kneeling down to his level, Dan speaks in a gentle yet stern voice. "Ryan, look at me." Complying with Dan, he looks at him. "I know that you lost your parents due to a vampire, but you cannot hate all vampires for what one vampire did. The same goes for you all." He looks past Ryan for a bit to stare at the other kids. "Look, I am not going to tell you to forgive the vampires. You lost someone dear to you. But you cannot blindly hate all the vampires for it. I am not going to tell you to like this vampire and befriend her. It is your call, but I will not let your hatred consume you. It's a nasty thing to have. I lost someone close to me as well from people I trusted. Do I hate everyone because of that? No. Will I forgive the people who hurt me? No, yet I will not hate them for what they are. Charlotte is a vampire, yes, but she has not done anything to you kids. It's who they are that will determine everything and how it reflects off of you. Remember that. Do not let your own hatred consume you. Treat her like anyone else. If you don't want to talk to her, then don't. You don't have to. Keep your distance, but do not blindly hate due to what has happened to you. Everyone has their own pain. Sure, it varies to certain degrees, but the pain is still pain. No one wants that. No one wants to be hated unless they want it. I will be preoccupied, so she will be here to help if possible. She is not an enemy. If she does do something to you, I got your back." Getting back up, we stare at the incoming person coming our way. Seeing his presence, the kids start to make their way towards Charlotte, leaving the vampire to take care of them. 

Titan.

The prodigy of all the Black Knights and a possible candidate to take Nero's position. Everyone respected him due to his immense strength, leadership, charisma, and other snippets. Even I have to acknowledge his outstanding feats especially at his young age. He can go toe to toe with Zen and Golem if he goes all out. Hell, he could even take Nero head on. The vicious knight who can hold one greatsword in each hand and tear through mountains. I wonder how he became so strong. He's a nice guy, great with everyone, just that we had important business to discuss. Something that the kids shouldn't hear or listen to. 

"Everything went well?" Referring to our mission, we nod our heads.

"Nothing irregular. The attack on the village was done by someone that isn't a Death Knight. If it was a Death Knight staging it all, there would have been more destruction in the area. It must have been some novice who wanted to see if he could create some chaos or try out something. Either way, we took care of the lesser demons within the area and stopped most of the corruptions."

"And by we, mostly Dan. He still hasn't told me much about this corruption dealio." I add. Seriously, why hasn't anyone told me about this so-called corruption?

"In due time." Titan answers. He stares past us and looks at Charlotte. "Do you know who she is?"

"Other than the fact that she's a strong vampire we shouldn't mess with, not really. Why?" 

"It's nothing. I trust in your intuition, Dan." The old man nods at Titan, leaving me with a confused expression. Is there something that I should know? I never asked though.

"It seems like the Death Knights are lowering their raids for a bit. I have no clue why they're doing that, but I will take the chance to strengthen our forces."

"And by strengthen..."

"Just train the knights that we currently have. If they are willing to join us, so be it, but we have warned them about the impending doom and the notorious reputation of the Death Knights. We have little means to stop their true advance other than using our own techniques against them. If push comes to shove, we're fighting to the death." 

"Guessing that also means we're going to give up our lands and make sure that our people leave before the storm comes."

"Precisely." Titan turns to Dan, "There is no point in having a bunch of innocent people gets tangled up in this mess. The Imperator knows something, but he isn't revealing it to us. And I doubt that he'll tell Nero or me about why these Death Knights want us exterminated. Regardless of that, we're doing what we can to at least prepare for the worse." I can feel a slight dread wash over me, but I shake it off. I became a knight so I can do what I can for my family and the people who helped us in our time of need. This was why I became a Black Knight. As if he senses my dread, he asked Titan, "Is everyone going to be used for that final act? Isn't there another way?"

"I cannot answer that. You must talk to the Imperator about it. I can only ASSUME that we're fighting to the death. Even I will fight to the death, but we can have some peace for now. Enjoy it. If there is something that catches my attention, I will call for you two. Till later." Walking away from us, I silently watch Titan head back towards the main building within the fort. Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I turn towards Dan.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." 

"Old man, you're the one who needs assurance. Not me."

"Sure I do- shut up kiddo." Punching my shoulder, I just laugh at him.

"Since Titan doesn't need us, what do we now?" 

"What we usually do...Get a couple of quests, help the local area, spend some time with the other knights in this place, same old, same old."

"And Charlotte?" I motion my head at the vampire who was being swarmed. Dan looks in that direction, shrugging his shoulders. She is being swarmed by the kids, utterly flustered at the number of things they were saying to her. I couldn't help but let out a quick laugh at the sight. tt was rather cute.

"She can do whatever she wants. If she wants to follow us, I don't care. If she wants to stay here, she can. Not like we can force her."

"Gotcha. Guess I'll show her where her room is and such." I shrug my shoulders, getting a nod.

"Since you're at it, just warn her not to drink the blood out fo anyone here. It would be quite rude-"

"I don't think she'll do that."

"Still, just tell her. It's fine if she does it away from this place, but not here." 

"Alright. Well, let me talk to her then." From there on out, Dan and I separated from each other.

----------------------------------------

Gallant POV (present time. When entering Zezrious' gathering)

I can't help but hate the blasted person who shot down Dan. I seriously can't get my mind off of that. These feelings, everything that I have been keeping under lock, is slowly getting to me. And that's a bad thing. Seriously, it's bad. All of this has been triggered due to meeting with Charlotte again and seeing... her.

As we arrive at the party, I immediately notice a presence that grabbed my attention. This individual was hidden oh so well, but I remember the awful dread and this particular aura from the past. She was sitting at a table, her eyes locked onto Golem, Michael, Luke, and I. She did not send out an aura towards us, didn't give herself away, but I remember her. All of the Black Knights remembered the day when she appeared before us. I can see several other individuals near her. They did not wear their death armor, but they're eyes are locked onto us as well. Their presence at this party means that they are still hunting us. But what was getting to me was the sheer fact that they know who our next Imperator is. Their eyes landed on Aisha, the leader displaying a huge frown on her face. 

One of her knights was going to walk towards her. I was ready to move in to stop that knight, but the leader grabs the individual and shakes her head. I can't hear what they're saying, but I can guess that they won't do anything bad while they're at this gathering.

The question is, what will they do after this party? What will they scheme up? I can guess that they had more troops nearby, but I don't know if we, the four Black Knights here, can handle them.

I had so many mixed feelings racing through me. One of them was hatred. If they didn't do what they've done in the past, things would be different. I wanted to get my own revenge right here and now, but that would endanger a lot of people and Aisha. 

We can't let Aisha die.

"Gallant..." Her voice snaps me out of my hatred for a bit. She knows who I was staring at, looking right at them as well. Some of the knights around their leader jumped as Charlotte the Crimson Overlord walks over to me. "Know that you aren't alone in this. I won't let them hurt anyone of you."

"Tell that to them." I muttered, staring at them still, "They have killed countless people... They're not going to stop until we're dead. And I still don't know WHY they want us dead. All I know is that if they weren't around... if they left us alone or gave us some mercy back then, things would be a lot different."

"Yet it's not. Understand that you're under our protection and Len's. Heck, even Valarie."

"That won't stop them from attacking us. I know that they will." I just stare at their leader who remains in her seat, unfazed by Charlotte and me. She is a beauty with her own white hair, but I know that this leader will make a move on us in due time.

When?

No clue... But she'll attack us. And most likely, she'll try to kill Aisha without any hesitation. My eyes went back to her, staring right into her gaze. She seems so... dead, but it was the same when she introduced herself back then. She had this very dull look to her, showing no sympathy towards us. She mercilessly killed a lot of people. She ordered her knights to do what they want. Is she like Valarie? In a way, but no. She doesn't admit to the fact that they're nuts and honestly, Valarie punish those who do too much in her name. This leader doesn't punish her subordinates for going over the line. And I doubt that Valarie would have issue extermination orders against innocent civilians. Sure, capturing, which is not great still, but at least they're alive. What this leader did... No, she can order a genocide without any issues. 

"It's her, isn't it?" Luke and Michael came up beside Charlotte, looking at the Death Knight leader. They seem to resume their own activities, most of her knights going back to idle chatter amongst themselves. The leader is still staring at us, making idle gestures towards her knights. 

"What should we do?" Michael asked, worried a bit.

"She won't do anything while we're at this gathering. Heck, I don't think they'll make a move until after the Crusade. I got a feeling that they'll attack us when we try to leave Zezrious." I answer, unable to pry my eyes away from the leader.

"Why after? Couldn't they try to get her before-"

"It's due to the fact that if they reveal themselves, even a tiny bit, the forces of light might want them killed for... amassing a lot of souls under their belt. Pretty much, the Death Knights can be placed with the people they tend to hunt for like [Soul Snatchers].  Their death energy isn't something that the light side will approve of or accept." Charlotte explains.

"I got a feeling that they would still attack." Luke points out.

"I know that they will... But I got a feeling that General X's presence might have helped us in a way." Thinking about it, Valarie did use the Death Knights as tools for our act back then. As if she read my thoughts, I watch the leader stare at General X, glaring at her. This is the first time I saw a bit of rage on the leader. Some of her knights look at General X, glaring as well. Yep, I doubt that they'll forgive Valarie for using their knights and getting them all killed... And I don't think Valarie explained why she wanted to us those Death Knights as well. Either way, Valarie is definitely an ally to us.

"And if they approach Aisha?"

"I'll step in and deal with them," I said, showing no hesitation whatsoever. "We risked a lot to get her to become our Imperator. She cannot die."

"I will also be present when the time comes." Charlotte ads. "I won't let the Black Knights fall into total extinction."

"Right." The reason why I'm so edgy, so anxious, and scared is because of this woman. 

The leader of the Death Knights killed our last Imperator.

I will not let her harm Aisha as long as I live.