Chapter 59 : Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Magic Stone.
A pure lump of mana.
Its value was difficult to convert into gold coins, and depending on how it was used, one could obtain power beyond human limits.
That was the extent of what Otis knew about the magic stone.
It was because Betty Pollard had bragged about it with the excited air of a child.
‘If I talk about this, I’ll die.’
Otis already knew instinctively.
The moment he mentioned the magic stone, his life would fall into ruin.
“……Sir Knight.”
“This is the last question. Think carefully before you answer.”
“I do not know. I don’t even know what that thing is.”
“I’m sure you do.”
“I really don’t know. I just heard that name for the first time from you, Sir Knight.”
Otis changed his attitude.
If before he was a model prisoner who cooperated actively, now he had to appear as an innocent citizen who had been framed.
It’s unfair.
I don’t know.
This was the stance Otis had to maintain until this conversation was over.
Shing.
Just then, the knight drew his sword.
He flinched a little at the cool blade, but even so, Otis’s stance could not change.
“You don’t seem to have any attachment to your life.”
“I really don’t know. I want to live, and therefore I am only being honest with you, Sir Knight.
If not, I would have at least pretended to know. I could have given you false information.”
“You really don’t know?”
“I really, don’t know at all. I am an executive of Redfoot, but that doesn’t mean I know everything!”
“For someone like that, you’ve spilled a lot of information.”
The scale of the organization called Redfoot.
Their main business.
The recent series of events, and Betty Pollard’s attitude towards them.
As the knight said, he had confessed a lot, but Otis had a reasonable excuse.
“I only know because it’s my job to handle it. Even I don’t know about the things Betty-nim, no, Betty Pollard does personally!”
“Hmm, so that’s how it is.”
“Sir Knight, I…….”
The moment he was spouting excuses with a pleading expression.
A faint sound reached Otis’s ears.
It was the sound of human footsteps.
No, to be precise, it was the sound of ‘people’s’ footsteps.
That wasn't all.
It was hard to make out properly, but he also heard something like the sound of someone’s conversation.
‘They’re here.’
It was clearly the reinforcement troops sent by Betty Pollard.
Otis desperately managed his expression.
‘I just need to hold on a little longer.’
He glanced at the knight, but he didn’t seem to have grasped the situation yet.
“Otis. My purpose in coming to Romain is not the plague. I have no interest in it. My real goal is to retrieve the magic stone that Betty Pollard possesses.”
“But Sir Knight, even if you say that, I really…….”
“Wait.”
Just then, the knight cut him off.
He closed his mouth for a moment and listened, then sent a cool gaze.
“Someone has come. Did you call them?”
“Yes? What are you talking about?”
“You’re quick. You shouldn’t have had a chance to call for support.”
“No, Sir Knight. I don’t know what you’re talking about…….”
“We’ll meet again. Otis.”
Without a moment to say anything, the knight quickly left.
Then, the outside of the mansion became noisy again.
“There he is! Get him!”
“Don’t let him get away!”
“He’s escaping! Spread out!”
For now, he had survived.
While feeling relieved at that fact, Otis could not erase the suspicion that was rising from deep within his heart.
‘A man who broke through the guards and subdued all the guys who were sitting around in the garden, is running away from just these guys…….’
Honestly, it was not convincing.
Wasn’t the knight’s skill he had seen at a level where he could have taken care of all the members who had just invaded and still have strength to spare?
‘No, this is no time for this.’
Otis forced himself to shake off the thoughts.
Now, the priority was to inform Betty Pollard of this fact as soon as possible.
***
A mansion in the central district of Romain.
In her own space, located on ‘Delua Street’ just like Otis’s residence, Betty Pollard smiled with an interested expression.
“Did the knight really say that?”
“Yes, Lady Betty. The knight knew about the magic stone. I swear I did not even mention it, and I answered his question by saying I didn’t even know of its existence.”
Otis said respectfully with his head to the floor.
“So the knight knew about the existence of the magic stone, huh? But how did he find out?
It’s only been a little while since I got my hands on it.”
“In my opinion, didn’t he say he had a close relationship with the Paganoa Knights?”
“Yes.”
“It was surely passed on from the Paganoa.”
“Then who told the Paganoa?”
“That…… I do not know.”
“It must be one of us, right?”
Otis swallowed hard.
It was an ambiguous question to either affirm or deny rashly.
Fortunately, Betty did not press further.
“I did think too many people knew. I’ll need to be a little careful. Sanderson!”
“Yes, my lady.”
It was Betty’s butler, Sanderson.
The old man dressed in a butler’s uniform was the only person Betty trusted.
On the outside, he looked like a gentle and quiet old man, but Otis had seen his true form.
The moment a dagger was in that wrinkled hand, it was safe to say that anyone around him was already a corpse.
Looking back, it was a gruesome experience. But that was only what one would experience when becoming Sanderson’s enemy…….
“Let’s take care of Otis.”
“Understood, my lady.”
Flinch.
Otis’s body stiffened.
At the same time as the sensation of all the blood draining from his body, he jerked his head up from the ground.
“L-Lady Betty! I…… Kuaaak!”
Crack! Crunch! Squeeze!
In an instant, all the joints in his body were twisted.
It felt as if lightning was striking inside his head from the pain that was beyond his limits.
He couldn't even scream properly.
His eyes rolled back, and foamy saliva bubbled and flowed from his mouth.
“Guh, uhh.”
Sanderson followed his master’s instructions without a change in expression.
Otis became as good as dead in an instant, and not long after, his breathing stopped completely.
“You’re getting the carpet dirty. Isn't there a cleaner way?”
“My apologies, my lady.”
“It’s fine. And I’m going to take care of a few more people. Sanderson, you roughly know the list, right?”
“Yes, my lady. Of course.”
The butler Sanderson answered, wiping his hands with a handkerchief.
Betty smiled and nodded her head.
“I’ll leave it to you. Clean this up a bit too.”
“I will have people come inside. I will handle the matter you have entrusted to me personally.”
A task entrusted to Sanderson is always completed.
Knowing that fact, Betty Pollard had the leisure to think.
‘Was I a little too complacent?’
The Executioner’s Magic Stone.
Its existence must never be known to the outside world.
That’s what she thought, but the information network of the Paganoa Knights had already reached Romain.
‘But why did they send a different knight…….’
Strangely, the knight who had visited Romain was a nameless knight from a remote eastern city.
Of course, his outward appearance was probably not everything.
The knight had subdued Otis, extracted information, and even knew that the ‘Executioner’s Magic Stone’ was in Betty’s possession.
After pondering, Betty got up from her seat.
‘I need to move the storage location.’
The Executioner’s Magic Stone.
It was an item received in exchange for handing over the citizens of Romain.
She had been keeping it in a secret place until she found a proper use for it, but it seemed the information had leaked.
‘There’s no harm in being thorough.’
Betty took out the magic stone from a hidden space.
She admired its brilliant blue light for a moment, then moved it to another safe.
And.
“Ppiiit…….”
Betty Pollard did not know that there was a gaze watching her.
***
If a ‘Sealing Stone’ was a concentration of demonic energy, a ‘Magic Stone’ was literally a pure lump of mana.
When certain conditions were met, the mana of nature would begin to gather at one point.
When that density rose above a certain level, it would take on a form similar to an ore.
In the world of Soul Calibur, there was no material as precious as a magic stone.
Once obtained, it could be used in various ways, such as crafting weapons, enhancing skills, or as an evolution material for summoned beasts.
‘It was practically like crafting equipment made of mana.’
And the Knight of Light, Reinhardt, could use a sword forged from a magic stone.
The Spirit of Light, the [Justice] buff, and the sword processed from the Executioner’s Magic Stone were Reinhardt’s three sacred treasures.
And.
Through Bitdori, Reinhardt had identified the location where the [Executioner’s Magic Stone] was hidden.
“Bitdori. Did you find it?”
“Ppit.”
The plan was a success.
Reinhardt had found Otis and emphasized to him that his real purpose was the magic stone.
Then, he had sent Bitdori to Betty Pollard.
So that he could witness her moving the magic stone with his own two eyes.
“Inside the mansion? Inside, and it means she hid the magic stone behind something. So there’s a wall…….”
Reinhardt focused on Bitdori’s gestures.
He tried to interpret the content that the creature was explaining with grunts.
“A painting hanging on the wall? It is a painting. So if you take off the frame, there’s a hidden space?”
“Ppiiit.”
“Very good. You did well.”
Reinhardt stroked Bitdori, who was rubbing its head against him. The creature made a whining sound as if it was in a good mood.
‘Anyway, the top priority is securing the magic stone. But if I just walk in through the front door, a Warlock or something will pop out and hold me back.’
Combat was not a problem.
The current Reinhardt was strong enough.
But the key was the magic stone.
‘If things get noisy, Betty will run off somewhere. She’ll just grab the magic stone and disappear.’
If the magic stone disappeared to another place, the situation would become complicated.
In addition to that.
‘If the Warlock of Morganes goes berserk, all the citizens could end up getting infected with the plague.’
At worst, it could turn the entire city into ruins.
No matter how important the magic stone was, he could not neglect such a situation.
After all, to the current Reinhardt, not only [Justice] but also his public image was important.
“It would be nice if there was a countermeasure against the Black Magic of the Morganes side.”
Reinhardt smacked his lips in disappointment.
When he was actively playing Soul Calibur, it was a problem he didn’t even need to think about.
At that time, the enemy he was facing as a player was a demon.
Warlocks were at the level of a passing skeleton soldier, a mob.
But now the situation was different.
Demons were enemies he barely dared to face, and Warlocks had become a problem that had to be approached with caution.
‘Even if I search the community, there probably won’t be anything to gain…….’
Reinhardt opened the community, clutching at straws.
Even though he had logged in after a few days, the atmosphere was similar to usual.
Meaning, well-written informational posts and meaningless nonsense were mixed in a moderate ratio.
[Search: Morganes]
Reinhardt checked the displayed results with a light heart.
[Morganes 2-try clear lol]
[Why is this plague so tricky? Do I need to stack resistance?]
[Warlock Series Post) They want me to get 300 souls to move on to the next stage T_T]
His gaze, which was scanning the posts, suddenly stopped.
“Huh?”
A post that looked strange at a glance caught his eye.