The Holy Knight’s Dark Road: Volume 1

Book excerpt: The young Sain Forth has it made. As the famed Holy Knight, he enjoys the love of his people, the respect of his ruler, and the blessings of a literal goddess. Or, at least, he should enjoy them, but Sain’s aspirations lie elsewhere. His assistant, Melia, by his side, he sets sail for the academy of a foreign kingdom, only to be treated as a deviant by his peers. It’s his own fault, mind you—his stubborn insistence on wearing a custom, all-black uniform makes him stick out like a sore thumb. But he isn’t the only outcast at the academy. His classmate, Alicia—born into the Clan of Light yet unable to use anything but fire magic—faces a similar struggle, and so the two quickly become allies. However, when she proposes they go searching for a holy sword hidden deep within the academy’s dungeon, he hesitates—dungeons are dangerous, monster-ridden places, after all. Eventually he reconsiders, but on one condition: “I want a doom sword. Not a holy sword, okay? A doom sword.” And so, his friends in tow, Sain ventures forth into the perilous unknown, driven by his one true wish: To become the coolest, edgiest, and most awesome existence imaginable, the Dark Knight. There’s just one problem: He can’t use dark magic. Like, at all.