Chapter 53 : Chapter 53
Chapter 53
“Please go on ahead. I will follow slowly.”
Reinhardt sent the Truma Order’s carriage ahead first.
He watched the inspection process from a distance.
Perhaps because of the openly displayed Truma emblem, the inspection was conducted only as a formality.
‘I don't know if the same standard will apply to me, but at least the inspection isn't that strict.’
Reinhardt changed into plain clothes.
He rubbed dirt on his originally clean clothes and stuck fallen leaves on them. He only stopped after he looked as if he had deliberately rolled on the ground once.
Jingle.
Next, he took out a few gold and silver coins from the [Inventory] and put them in his pocket.
With the thought of bribing his way out if a problem arose.
Reinhardt approached the gate.
A soldier with a tired expression beckoned him over with a gesture, as if annoyed.
“…A traveler?”
“Yes. I am a traveler.”
“You must not have heard the rumors. I’d advise you to turn back.”
“Is something wrong with the city?”
At the question that feigned ignorance, the soldier let out a deep sigh.
“A plague has spread. The only outsiders visiting Romain are the priests. Or merchants who have thrown their lives away. You don’t seem to belong to either of those categories.”
“I am studying medicine. If there are many sick people to treat, I think I could be of help.”
“Medicine? Did you come knowing the situation?”
“No. I simply followed the news that there are medicinal herbs that can only be found in this region. But obtaining medicinal herbs is ultimately for the purpose of treating the sick.”
The soldier exchanged some words with his colleague with a reluctant expression.
He looked skeptical, but in any case, he didn't seem to have any intention of conducting a very thorough inspection.
“If that’s what you think, you may enter. Still, I’ll have to check your bag. Open it.”
Reinhardt showed the contents of the leather bag he had brought.
Inside were only a few cheap potions he had packed earlier and a few common medicinal herbs.
“I’ll advise you one last time. I do not recommend entering the city. If you get infected with the plague, you won’t be able to leave this place for a while.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“You’re a stubborn one. Go on in. I hope you have some success.”
Reinhardt gave a slight bow and passed between the weary soldiers.
‘It’s definitely gloomy. The whole atmosphere is subdued.’
Romain, beyond the gate, was enveloped in a gloomy atmosphere as dreary as the overcast sky.
Passersby were few and far between.
All of them were wearing robes that covered even their faces.
It seemed they were trying to protect themselves even a little from the threat of the plague.
‘Good.’
In this kind of atmosphere, he wouldn’t attract attention even if he walked around looking suspicious.
Reinhardt took out the robe he had put in the [Inventory] and put it on.
He ended up covering his face, but here, that was actually the normal appearance.
“I’d like a decent room. I’ll be staying for quite a while.”
Soon, Reinhardt found a suitable inn.
The innkeeper was also in a robe.
“An outsider?”
“A marital spat.”
“1 gold per day. Breakfast is served around 7 every morning, so come down early if you want to eat.”
The innkeeper handed over the key with a voice that seemed to understand everything.
“You probably don’t have much energy, but don’t be too disheartened. Isn’t this a difficult time for everyone?”
“Thank you for the comfort.”
Reinhardt climbed the creaking stairs.
The inn room was modest.
Sitting for a moment on the old bed, Reinhardt waited for Bitdori.
‘It’ll find its way here.’
Bitdori had the ability to find Reinhardt.
That fact didn’t change even if he were holed up in a deep burrow.
And not long after.
“Ppit! Ppit!”
Bitdori’s cry came from outside the window.
When I looked, Bitdori was tapping on the closed window with its short arms.
Click-
As soon as he opened the window, it darted in and rubbed its body all over Reinhardt.
“Ppiiit! Ppiit!”
“Good work. Was there anything?”
“Ppiit! Ppi, ppiii. Ppiiit!”
Then, something like a puppet show unfolded.
Bitdori tried its best to convey what it had seen to Reinhardt, mixing in all sorts of gestures.
“Hmm…….”
It was difficult to understand perfectly, but that could be resolved through a few rounds of confirmation.
“There were a lot of bad guys.”
“Ppit.”
“There are bad guys around me too.”
“Ppit.”
“There are guys tailing me.”
“Ppit.”
“So that’s how it is.”
A tail was following him.
That’s what Bitdori was saying.
“And, there are a lot of people in pain. They’re sick. Right?”
“Ppit. Ppiii-.”
Bitdori continued its gestures.
The people infected with the plague were gathered in one place.
It seemed to mean there was a place to accommodate them near the Romain City Hall building.
‘More importantly, a tail. Have they already noticed? Or maybe they put surveillance on all outsiders.’
Redfoot.
Reinhardt knew well about Romain’s criminal organization.
You would naturally get entangled with them while proceeding with quests, and combat was also inevitable.
How efficiently that process was carried out affected the amount of reward one would receive later.
‘Redfoot is probably still the same. They said it’s an organization that’s been around for over 10 years.’
A time much earlier than the main story.
But the history of Redfoot was longer than that.
The group that had been pulling the strings behind the city of Romain for over a decade was Redfoot.
‘Their leader is Betty Pollard.’
He also remembered the leader.
When he played the game, she was a middle-aged woman in her 40s.
Now, a much younger Betty would be leading Redfoot.
‘Anyway, two things are important right now. The Executioner’s Magic Stone, and the Warlock of Morganes. I need to find a way to efficiently get both.’
I couldn’t give up on the Executioner’s Magic Stone.
There was equipment that could only be crafted with the Executioner’s Magic Stone, and if he could somehow obtain and process it, Reinhardt’s combat power would leap up.
Of course, the same went for the Warlock of Morganes.
Now that things had come this far, he had to make sure to catch them.
Both for the sake of [Justice] and for the reputation he would build as the Knight of the Far East.
“Bitdori. You said I have a tail, right? Are those people over here too?”
“Ppit? Ppii.”
Reinhardt pointed to the small window and asked.
Bitdori shook its head.
“Then I guess we’ll start by shaking off the tail.”
Click. Squeak-
When he opened the window, the sound of a rusty hinge echoed in the room.
Reinhardt peeked his head out and looked down.
It was an alley inside the main street, so it was dark and dirty.
“Why is it so narrow…….”
Reinhardt practically squeezed his body to get through the window.
His head spun for a moment because it was a three-story drop, but he jumped without hesitation.
Thud.
The impact wasn’t that great.
After all, Reinhardt was currently under the effect of a single stack of the [Justice] buff.
“[Inventory].”
Reinhardt took out the spare armor and sword he had kept safe in the [Inventory] and equipped them.
When he draped the robe over them, he looked like a person with an enormous physique.
“From a distance, I’ll look like a bad guy, right? If I’m wandering around a gloomy place like this alone.”
“Ppitppit. Ppii.”
“Very good.”
Reinhardt naturally blended into the environment.
He walked in a delinquent posture with his legs spread wide, his upper body slightly tilted forward, and he deliberately looked around left and right as if looking for a fight.
“……!”
Even when he occasionally encountered people, most of them would flinch and avoid him.
Reinhardt didn’t bother paying them any attention.
The person he was looking for was someone who would willingly throw their weight around even after seeing a big guy like him.
And then, one appeared.
“Hey you. Why are you walking like that? Are you sick or something? Since you’re about to die, are you going to grab someone to take with you?”
Reinhardt turned his gaze.
He looked at the woman with his head tilted down so his face wouldn’t be seen.
The other person was also wearing a robe, so nothing special was visible.
“The path is narrow. If you walk around like that, we have to move aside to get by. How about learning some consideration? You’re not the only one who’s depressed in this damn city.”
“Bitdori.”
Reinhardt muttered softly instead of answering.
“Take off the hood.”
Bitdori then followed Reinhardt’s instruction.
It took off the hood.
But it was Reinhardt’s hood, not the woman’s.
“…Oh? That’s not the face I was expecting?”
The woman tilted her head as if bewildered.
Reinhardt was just as bewildered.
When he looked at Bitdori with a dumbfounded expression, the creature, as if realizing its mistake, flew swiftly towards the woman.
“…Ah!”
This time, the woman’s hood was pulled off.
Messy white hair flowed down. Fierce eyes were revealed.
Her gaze towards Reinhardt was openly flustered.
“Aah! Pretend you didn't see! I'll pretend I didn't see either!”
She quickly pulled her fallen hood back on and tried to leave with quick steps.
“Halt.”
“Halt what!”
“Let’s have a talk.”
“I said get lost!”
Reinhardt knew her.
She was the woman who, in the main story, would tear down ‘Redfoot’ from the inside and then inherit the position of its leader.