Re-written date: 7 / 2 / 2025
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Chapter 25: The Headless Knight's First Performance
At the gates of the town, a large crowd of adventurers stared in fear at the eerie figure in the distance. Everyone unconsciously swallowed hard.
"No way—! Is that really—?"
"Th-the Headless Knight?! What's he doing here?!"
"There were rumors that he appeared in the southern territory— Turns out they were true?!"
The moment panic began to spread like wildfire, Zat and the others—already hidden among the crowd—started reciting their lines exactly as rehearsed. After all, they knew Edward was still filming.
Meanwhile, atop a black steed, the headless knight cleared his throat. It was his first performance—and without the chance to redo a single take—so even he couldn't help but feel nervous. Still, he followed the script and projected his voice:
"I am the Headless Knight who recently moved into the nearby castle!"
"It really is the Headless Knight!!"
"What do we do?! I've never seen an undead before!"
"There's no Church in the South! Who's supposed to deal with this?!"
Compared to Edward and his cast, who knew this was all part of the show, the rest of the adventurers looked utterly lost in despair. After all, the Headless Knight was said to be a legendary monster—at least Level 6 or higher. In comparison, most of the adventurers gathered were Level 1 or 2 at best… basically free EXP.
Sensing the tension in the air rising too much, the Headless Knight paused for a beat, then launched into the iconic lines they had practiced countless times:
"Every single day!! Every. Single. Day. Without fail! Who's the idiot with a screw loose who keeps casting EXPLOSION at my castle?!"
As he shouted, magical lightning flashed behind him—part of the special effects Edward had arranged.
The entire square fell silent for a second… before erupting in chaos.
What happened next went almost exactly as Edward had planned.
The "extras"—the clueless adventurers—though visibly confused, instinctively played along. And thanks to the Headless Knight's prompting, it didn't take long for them to identify the one and only culprit capable of casting Explosion magic: Megumin.
Though her heart was pounding like a war drum, the crimson demon girl fell back into her usual, overly proud persona and traded banter with the knight in what could only be described as a chaotic battle of words.
Eventually, the Knight, clearly exasperated, huffed and shouted, "Fine! Whatever! I'm not here to mess with a bunch of nobodies! I'm going to stay in that castle for a while, so stop firing off Explosion spells at it, got it?!"
The castle he spoke of was real—an abandoned fortress Edward had bought using the last of the Durin Family's funds. It had been the setting for the Explosion montage they'd filmed earlier. That location alone had eaten a massive chunk of the budget.
In fact, Edward had wagered everything on this production. If anything went wrong and they couldn't recoup their losses, the Durin Family might very well go bankrupt on the spot.
. . . .
Back at the gates, Megumin stared at the Headless Knight coldly, replying flatly, "I refuse. For we of the Crimson Demons, casting a daily Explosion is a matter of life or death."
"…Huh? I've never heard of anything like that. Don't lie to me."
"It's true! If I don't release the magical energy, it builds up and makes my whole body itchy, then I writhe in agony and die."
Megumin was obviously making it up on the spot, but the poor Headless Knight didn't know that. Caught off guard, he stood frozen for a moment, looking utterly baffled.
Finally, he sighed. "I may serve under the Demon King now, but I was once a knight… I have no interest in bullying the weak."
But then, with a sudden shift in tone, he added ominously, "However… since you insist on being so aggressive…"
In an instant—before anyone, even Megumin, could react—an ominous black aura began to gather in the Headless Knight's gauntleted hand.
Witnessing the spectacle, some of the more "knowledgeable" adventurers gasped in shock.
"That's… Death's Declaration?! A forbidden death curse only the highest-ranked undead can use!"
"Isn't that a super-tier spell?! How can a Death Knight use it if they aren't a mage?!"
"Maybe his body's been soaked in death energy for so long he naturally awakened this terrifying ability…"
"Incredible… No wonder he's a monster who's survived for centuries…"
As the adventurers whispered and recoiled in fear, Edward, filming from a hidden corner, nearly choked holding back a laugh. He didn't even want to imagine what kind of faces these people would make if they knew the "Death's Declaration" was actually just a basic curse spell. Its only effect? Mild bad luck for a day. At worst, the target might slip on a banana peel or bite into glass shards hidden in their food.
But back to the scene.
Just as the Headless Knight's spellcasting reached its climax, the adventurers looked about ready to panic. Still, the knight was faster.
"I now bestow upon you the Death's Declaration! In one week… you shall perish!"
As the heavy words fell, Megumin stood dumbfounded. Before she could even respond, Darkness threw herself forward to shield her from the impending curse.
The black aura that enveloped Darkness made the surrounding adventurers freeze in their tracks, while she herself grimaced in visible pain.
Standing atop the small rise, the Headless Knight's voice rang out again, calm and cold:
"You adventurers sure have strong bonds with your companions. That only makes this more tragic. Listen well—this female knight will die one week from now. Despair, watching your cherished friend suffer in fear of death until the end!"
The moment he finished, Megumin's face turned pale.
In contrast, Darkness looked… delighted.
With a strange gleam in her eyes and a passionate shudder in her voice, she exclaimed:
"W-What did you just say?! You cursed me with death… and now, to lift that curse, I must obey your every command? Is— is that what this means?!"
"Eh?"
The Headless Knight blinked in confusion.
But Darkness wasn't done.
"Tch—! As if I'd surrender so easily— But what do I do now, Zat?! Look at that knight's lewd gaze behind his helmet! He's going to take me back to his castle and force me to play along with his twisted whims, isn't he?!"
In front of the entire crowd, she shamelessly shouted that last part, prompting the Headless Knight to mutter again in disbelief:
"...Eh? Eh?!"
"Even if you use my body however you please, don't think you can imprison my soul! A noble knight, held captive and ordered to obey outrageous commands by the Demon Lord's servant—Ahhh! What do I do?! This is so unexpected! I don't want to go! But I have to go! I'll resist… just enough to make it fun! So don't stop me! I'm going now!"
"EHHHHHHH?!"
"Wait! Don't go! You're going to traumatize the undead in that castle!"
As Darkness dramatically ran toward the Headless Knight, completely lost in her role, Edward, still filming from afar, wiped sweat from his brow.
"…Did I overdo the suggestion spell?"
He was starting to suspect his hypnosis had gone far beyond influencing subconscious behavior—this was like an entire personality transplant.
After all, the girl he'd interviewed had been quiet, graceful, and composed.
Now?
It was like something inside her had awakened, and it wasn't going back.