Are all Paladins necessarily good people? Not necessarily. Even among them, there are those who are less righteous.
But this wasn't the time for such thoughts. Cipher stared intently at the Black Knight before her. Clearly, Aria was no match for him in her current state. Should Cipher intervene and fight alongside Aria, or try to evacuate them all—Aria, Feidric, and herself?
Just as Cipher hesitated, Aria struggled to her feet in her arms. Her face grave, she fixed her gaze on the Black Knight and demanded, "Are you a Paladin?!"
After his initial strike, the Black Knight showed no intention of pressing his advantage. He stood motionless, his sword arm hanging limply at his side. In a hoarse voice, he rasped in response to Aria's question, "What does it matter? What concern is it of yours?"
Aria's face twisted in disbelief. "But how can this be? A Paladin attacking innocent people?!"
"Attacking innocent people?" The Black Knight paused, as if considering the accusation. "Ah, so those nobles issued a quest against me, did they? Is that what they told you?"
Then the Black Knight chuckled, a grating sound like rusty metal scraping together. For Cipher, whose hearing was particularly sensitive, it sent shivers down her spine.
The Black Knight declared, "I haven't killed a single innocent person. I'm merely exterminating the demons who bear the Braun name. That's all."
Aria looked genuinely puzzled. "Hunting down nobles? Why...?"
After all, the Braun Family were the City Lords of Stone Pine City, the local rulers. The Black Knight's actions were akin to hunting down the local police and mayor—something no sane person would do.
"Why...?" the Black Knight muttered softly. Slowly, with her left hand, which wasn't holding her sword, she removed her helmet, revealing an unnaturally pale female face.
The Black Knight was a woman! Cipher noticed a distinct scar on her throat, which likely explained her raspy, grating voice.
The Black Knight calmly stated, "I have a vendetta against those nobles. They destroyed everything I held dear. So I crawled back from hell to take my revenge. It's that simple."
Paladins weren't bound solely by the Oath of Devotion. By swearing other oaths, one could still become a Paladin. Without a doubt, this Black Knight had sworn the Oath of Vengeance.
The Black Knight's original name was Natalie Hoover. In this world, most commoners lacked surnames, so Natalie's surname indicated that her origins were anything but ordinary.
Her father was a baron, the lowest rank of nobility. He owned no land and wielded no real power, but he had amassed a modest fortune and ran a blacksmith shop in Stone Pine City, where he maintained close ties with the local townsfolk.
Five years ago, Viscount Braun, the newly appointed City Lord sent by the King, arrived and immediately announced a drastic tax increase. Natalie's father, deeply connected to the commoners, swiftly realized the dire consequences. If enacted, the law would condemn countless families to starvation. He promptly rallied the people to resist.
Thanks to his influence, the tax bill faced fierce opposition, its progress grinding to a halt several times.
Then, one fateful day, a group of black-clad assassins stormed Natalie's home, slaughtering everyone—her parents, her brother, her three household servants, and even Natalie herself, barely thirteen at the time. None survived.
Natalie's throat had been slashed—a wound that should have been fatal. Yet, perhaps a god pitied her wretched fate, or perhaps her luck was simply extraordinary. Instead of dying instantly, she clung to life for a little longer.
During that brief reprieve, she lay helplessly on the ground, forced to witness the slaughter of everyone she knew. Though the assassins were masked and heavily cloaked, she was no fool. She knew without a doubt that Viscount Braun had sent them.
In that moment, indescribable agony transformed into burning hatred. Though she could no longer speak, Natalie swore an oath in her heart:
"I will slaughter every noble bearing the Braun name. I will show them no mercy!"
"By any means necessary! If lies can lure demons from the shadows, I will wear a mask of deceit. If poison can end a tyrant's reign, I will gladly stain my hands."
"If my savagery matches the evil I eradicate, I will atone with my blood upon fulfilling my vengeance. But until then, even if it means becoming a demon incarnate, I will stop at nothing!"
In that moment, Natalie drew strength from her vow and became a Paladin, instantly gaining the common abilities of the class: Healing Light, Divine Smite, and Aura of Vengeance.
She magically healed the wound on her throat, but since she had only just acquired these powers and was still unskilled in their use, a prominent scar remained.
Natalie was only thirteen years old at the time. She secretly left Stone Pine City, armed with weapons and armor from her family's blacksmith shop, not resurfacing until recently to begin her plan for revenge.
If Aria's Divine Smite - Light was particularly effective against the undead and demons, Natalie's Divine Smite - Death was specifically designed to target the Braun family. The black magic within would relentlessly torment its victims until they died in agony.
Interestingly, Aria could break her oath and lose her powers by telling even a casual lie, but Natalie faced no such restriction. Whether she lied, poisoned someone, or even casually murdered an innocent bystander, her oath would remain intact. Of course, Natalie had no idle interest in harming ordinary people.
The only way Natalie could break her Oath of Vengeance was by intentionally sparing a member of the Braun family when she had the chance to kill them. Such mercy would cost her her powers.
Returning to the present, Natalie turned to Aria, Cipher, and Feidric, declaring, "Abandon those nobles' quests and leave this city. It won't be long before I storm Stone Pine City and slaughter them all—not a single one will survive!"
With that, Natalie sheathed her weapon, signaling her intention to end the fight.