Chapter 52 : Chapter 52
Chapter 52
The gateway city of Serigel was in Tristan County.
The city of Lockfort was as well.
However, Romain was located in ‘Alstian County’, beyond Tristan County.
“It will be quite a long journey, Sir Reinhardt. If you are alright with it, our Order will prepare a carriage. It’s a distance that can only be reached by riding for ten days without rest.”
Bishop Dalton proposed.
To ride a horse directly, one had to take rests and inevitably camp along the way.
It was a proposal to save that time.
“I accept.”
“Yes, then we shall prepare it. Thank you for your permission. We will come to escort you when you are at the Knights' headquarters.”
Dalton returned with a look of great relief.
If I sat and waited like this, a carriage with a large Truma seal emblazoned on it would arrive.
And, Reinhardt was anxious.
‘This guy was a combatant too? No wonder the vibe was strange.’
Bishop Dalton was not just a gentle clergyman.
He always wore a wide priest’s robe, but now he was dressed in tight-fitting leather armor for ease of movement.
The physique revealed beneath it was considerable.
Belying his ever-smiling face, he was a man with a physique comparable to Reinhardt’s.
‘A typical holy warrior type. He’s a guy who can smash someone’s head in with a smile.’
Just looking at the mace he carried openly confirmed it.
It was more of a meat-tenderizing hammer than a mace.
‘Good physique, leather armor, and a gruesome mace. This is why they stamp a huge Sun God mark on all the Order's goods. Otherwise, people would think he’s a mercenary or a gangster, not a…….’
Moreover, his piety seemed to be very deep.
Even as he was leaving for a place where a plague had spread, he showed no fear at all.
On the contrary, he wore an expression of unwavering belief that he would solve the problem together with Reinhardt.
“Bitdori.”
“Ppit?”
“Did you like that guy just now?”
“Ppit! Ppiit!”
Bitdori’s reaction was passionate.
It seemed that it really liked the man named Dalton.
‘Well, they did have a similar feel.’
Bitdori and Dalton had a strangely overlapping feel.
I couldn’t explain the exact reason, but their fundamental characters seemed oddly similar.
“Could you wait outside and let me know when that friend arrives?”
“Ppit!”
“Not after he arrives, but when you see him coming this way, let me know then. A little early.
Understood?”
“Ppiiit!”
Bitdori shot out energetically.
‘Since I’ve been misunderstood anyway, I should play along.’
Reinhardt planned to go out at the exact timing of Dalton’s arrival.
While saying something like he felt he should.
Since Dalton thought of Reinhardt as something akin to an apostle of God, he intended to meet his expectations moderately.
‘That way, I can keep getting things like potions even after this is over.’
The more potions, the better.
Of course, they had an expiration date, but Reinhardt had a perfect means of preservation called the [Inventory].
“Then…….”
Click.
While waiting for Dalton, Reinhardt opened the community.
He checked the comments on the post he had written early on.
[Series Post) Looks like I’m getting dragged to Romain again]
[Got on the wrong side of a bishop from Truma…….]
[He thinks he received some kind of oracle because of Bitdori. The madness in his eyes is just…….]
…….
It was a post that roughly summarized the recent events.
A plague had spread in Romain, madness was reflected in Bishop Dalton's eyes, and there was a high probability that he would get entangled with the demon [Morganes].
ㄴAnonymous1: LMAO
ㄴAnonymous2: Hey why are you getting dragged away again lol
ㄴAnonymous3: Bitdori grinning is so fucking funny lmaooo
ㄴAnonymous4: lol tell the other staff to write better stories too
ㄴAnonymous3: fr lol tell them to get the details right like this lol
Dozens of comments were already posted.
It was a ridiculous amount to even compare with before, and the atmosphere was also much more favorable.
“But how come there are so few people who believe it’s real…….”
Reinhardt smacked his lips in disappointment.
The comments were mostly praising Reinhardt’s performance.
Saying this is how you do viral marketing.
Saying that compared to other staff, it was an advertisement that stood out exceptionally.
“Still, I have no choice but to keep pushing it.”
It was unfortunate, but there was no other way.
After all, besides the community, Reinhardt had no other channel to communicate with reality.
It was also the source of hope that someday, someone might step up to help him.
The community's atmosphere hadn't changed much yet.
The developer staff were still maintaining their concepts.
The staff member who became Irien had enrolled in the academy, and the staff member who became Evangeline had headed to the northern snowy mountains to obtain the title of Knight of Frost.
Whenever he saw such content, community users would mention Reinhardt, telling them to learn from him.
Along with comments like the pacing was too fast, or that it lacked realism.
“Should I be happy seeing this.”
It was a feeling that was hard to describe.
It felt good, yet at the same time, it was a depressing, sinking feeling.
After all, those staff members could enjoy the leisure of modern life after they clocked out.
“Ppit! Ppipit!”
Just then, Bitdori flew in hastily.
Seeing it speak with a mix of hand and foot gestures, it seemed Bishop Dalton was about to arrive.
Reinhardt, fully dressed, went out to the main gate of the knights' headquarters.
He stood there, waiting.
Soon, a carriage with the Truma emblem largely engraved on it approached.
“Sir Reinhardt? You’re already out here?”
“I just came out. It felt like I should.”
“I see!”
Bishop Dalton nodded his head deeply, as if he understood the situation.
“It seems Truma has guided you, Sir! Please, come aboard. We will escort you swiftly.”
***
Romain.
This city, belonging to Alstian County, was a region that could not be called a good place to live, not even as a joke.
From the mayor directly appointed by the Count to the low-level officials, everyone was extremely corrupt, and the criminal organizations backed by them ran rampant anywhere in the city.
“A knight is coming?”
The leader of Redfoot, Betty Pollard, raised one eyebrow and asked back.
Her alluring eyes curved upwards as if in interest.
“It’s a place called the Taton Knights of Serigel. They say his skills are formidable. A rumor has been circulating that he can compete with the knights of Paganoa.”
The white-haired old man spoke to his master in a soft voice.
Betty’s eyes curved even more.
As if it were pleasant just to imagine.
“It’s been a while since a knight has visited…….”
Betty gently swept her lower lip with her index finger. Her heart pounded at the news of the precious visitor.
“What should I do. Should I give him a little scare?”
“He is said to be a very upright knight.”
“Then he’ll break, won’t he?”
“He will not be afraid.”
Betty smiled, resting her chin on her hand.
“An upright and young knight. Then, Sanderson, once the knight arrives, could you get him a friend to watch him from the side? So that he doesn’t stray onto the wrong path.”
“I will do so, my lady.”
Betty decided to watch from a little closer.
It was because she was curious about what a creature like a knight could do here.
Seeing his pale face while infected with the plague would be enjoyable in its own way, and perhaps he might show an even more interesting side.
***
The journey with Bishop Dalton was a series of tortures.
“That is correct. According to the doctrine of Truma…….”
He constantly preached the doctrine of Truma to Reinhardt.
The sun illuminates the earth.
It pushes back the darkness and judges evil.
The clergy of Truma were the agents of the sun. They were the staves of God who preached the will of the sun on earth.
“……But you use a mace.”
“That is correct! The staff of God is merely a symbolic expression. In practicing our faith, each of us has adopted a different method, and in my case.”
Bishop Dalton smiled with utmost gentleness.
“I convey the will of Truma with this mace. But I will not use it unless it is necessary. It is because that will could be misinterpreted.”
He was saying he wouldn't even take it out unless the opponent was a demon.
In the first place, just carrying it around could intimidate the opponent.
“I have learned a lot.”
“There is no end to learning, Sir Reinhardt. I am truly grateful that you seem to be interested in our doctrine, so I was thinking of arranging a meeting upon our return to Serigel, what do you think?”
“If time permits, I will attend.”
“I suppose so. You must be busy practicing justice. By the way, do you know this fact? The words ‘practicing justice’ and ‘preaching the will of Truma’ are in fact not very different…….”
Reinhardt wanted to pierce his own eardrums with his index finger.
It was getting tiresome, but he forced himself to feign interest and listen attentively.
“Ppiiit. Ppii. Ppitppit.”
However, unlike Reinhardt, Bitdori seemed very interested in Dalton’s explanation.
Sometimes it would nod its head, sometimes it would respond with sounds, and it even clapped its short hands as if it liked it.
‘I’ll have to move separately once we arrive.’
He couldn't let Bitdori get any closer to Dalton.
Of course, the thought of not wanting to hear any more about the doctrine of Truma was also very strong.
“Therefore, we…….”
“Bishop Dalton.”
“Yes.”
“I think we have arrived. I can see the castle walls.”
“My, how has the time passed so quickly? The conversation with you, Sir, was so enjoyable that I failed to realize it. This too must be due to my lack of discipline.”
Dalton looked out the window, and only then could Reinhardt relax a bit and survey the atmosphere.
‘Even the gate has a gloomy atmosphere.’
Romain.
At the gate leading into the notorious city, soldiers with weary expressions were conducting simple inspections.
The city visible beyond it had an atmosphere reminiscent of a slum.
‘Was Romain always this grim?’
Of course, the difficulty of quests in Romain was quite high.
But the atmosphere and the difficulty were separate elements. Even with a high difficulty, the overall atmosphere of Romain had not been this dark.
‘In any case, the city is still functioning. They have the leeway to deploy soldiers for inspections.’
Reinhardt assessed the situation in his own way.
He had imagined a city completely paralyzed because a plague had spread, but it didn't seem to be that severe.
“Bitdori.”
“Ppit.”
Reinhardt covered his mouth with one hand and spoke in a very low voice.
“Go take a look around first.”
“Ppit!”
Bitdori shot out of the carriage window.
A flash of light left by Bitdori flickered beyond the city walls.
And.
“Bishop Dalton.”
“Yes, Sir Knight.”
“I will get off here.”
“Here? Is there a reason you must?”
He couldn't answer that it was because he didn't want to listen to the sermon, so Reinhardt came up with a suitable excuse.
“Whoever is behind this incident, they will be wary of the clergy, including you, Bishop. The party that came with a clergyman will also be a target of vigilance.”
“That is a valid point, but we have already informed them at the Order level that you, Sir Reinhardt, would be visiting.”
“There is no one who knows the face of Knight Reinhardt, is there?”
Bishop Dalton nodded his head.
“Yes, there probably isn't.”
“I will leave my armor and sword here. Please prepare a double, and inform the others as such.”
“But…….”
“Bishop. If I may be so bold, I believe Truma wishes for it to be so.”
Bishop Dalton’s mouth fell open.
His eyes widened, and soon they began to shine brightly.
It is the will of Truma.
With that one phrase, the persuasion was over.
“I understand, Sir Knight. Please carry out the will of Truma.”