Chapter 65 : Chapter 65
Chapter 65
Albert waited for his guest with a wide smile on his face.
The young knight had commendably come to see him as soon as the job was done.
In fact, it was only natural.
Having wiped out a large criminal organization, wasn't it the proper course of action to report to the city's master?
“I have brought Sir Reinhardt, a knight of the Taton Knights.”
At that moment, the secretary opened the door with a knock.
At the sight of Reinhardt who was then revealed, Albert unknowingly rounded his lips in admiration.
‘Indeed…’
His appearance could only be described as knightly.
The dignity that naturally flowed from him was such that one would believe him even if he were a knight whose fame resounded throughout the continent.
“I am Knight Reinhardt.”
“Albert, the mayor of Romain. It is a great pleasure to meet you. The great evil that was hiding in the city's underbelly, you…”
Shink.
The speaking mayor’s jaw dropped. He stared wide-eyed at the scene that unfolded right before his nose.
His secretary's head was flying through the air.
Albert's eyes met his secretary's.
They were the eyes of someone with no thoughts, who didn't even know what had happened to him.
“Wha…”
“Quiet.”
Shink.
With a strange sound, this time the world spun round and round.
Albert felt so dizzy that he tried to squeeze his eyes shut. His eyelids wouldn't listen.
He could see a body, standing still and frozen. It was clearly the uniform Albert himself had worn this morning.
His thoughts went no further.
Thud. Roll, roll.
The mayor's head rolled on the floor, and Reinhardt looked around with a sunken gaze.
The masterless office was quiet.
There was no sign of anyone.
The only sound was the noise from the slightly open window.
[You have executed the corrupt official ‘Albert’.]
[The effect of ‘Justice’ has been enhanced by your righteous choice.]
*Stat increase per stack +3
Thud.
After checking the message, Reinhardt turned and closed the office door that had been left open.
Click, he engaged the lock.
Now, he wouldn't have to worry about guests for a while.
“You picked the wrong place to hide.”
Reinhardt said, as if muttering.
His gaze turned to the corner of the office.
Next to a bookshelf packed with thick books, Bitdori was making a confident expression.
“Why don’t you come out? You must have realized you've been caught by now.”
Swoosh.
Bitdori extended its short arm and pointed to the shadow under the bookshelf.
The meaning was clear.
“Do I have to poke a hole in your body for you to come out? You wouldn't want that to happen. The path to hell requires proper conduct, you know.”
The warlocks of Morganes use shadows as their hiding places.
In the game, they were no different from mob monsters, and their behavior patterns were standardized.
Shhhk.
Reinhardt flicked the blood off his sword and slowly approached the bookshelf Bitdori was pointing at.
The change happened at that moment.
FWOOOOSH!
Smoke that erupted explosively filled the mayor's office.
It was black and sticky.
It was as if an octopus in the sea had sprayed ink right in front of him.
“The humans of this city will pay the price for your arrogance!”
The warlock shouted as if in a last-ditch effort.
His rough, cracked voice had the power to make the listener frown.
Fwoooosh-
The smoke that had filled the mayor's office began to escape outside.
The obscured vision cleared.
It looked as if the warlock, turned to smoke, was escaping, but Reinhardt stood his ground and did not move a single step.
‘It won’t work.’
Morganes does not prefer direct combat.
They are different from Nepas.
And different from Agrio-s.
While the other two tried their best to give their enemies a one-way ticket to hell, Morganes was a demon who found it uncomfortable to even reveal itself to its enemies.
“Peep? Peep?”
Bitdori, too, was tilting its head, as if something was strange.
It seemed to not understand what on earth the warlock was thinking.
Reinhardt waited until all the smoke had cleared.
With his arms crossed, he stared at the shadow Bitdori had pointed at earlier.
“What are you doing there?”
The warlocks of Morganes were those who hid in the darkness and focused only on scattering demonic energy.
To spread the plague and use the resulting deaths as their nourishment.
“What are you doing? Not coming out?”
And they did not have the ability to turn their bodies into smoke.
It was just a trick to make it seem so.
Poof.
Only then did the warlock reveal itself from under the bookshelf's shadow in the corner of the office.
Its murky eyes were filled with hatred.
If one were to meet him in reality, it was a face one would be 100% sure belonged to a psychopath.
“How did you know?”
“How did I know what? All the Morganes guys are busy spraying ink and running away when they think they're in danger. But when you chase them, the main body isn't there. Why?
Because it never left its spot in the first place.”
“…”
“Then, when they think it’s gotten a little safer, they just run for it. While hidden in the shadows. Right?”
It was a common mishap in the game.
“I thought I had hunted diligently, but when I checked later, my experience points had barely risen. Do you know how annoyed I was back then?”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
Black demonic power shimmered around the warlock.
“It's because I don't have anyone to talk to about this. But what can't I say in front of a guy who's going to die anyway? Go spread the word in hell. That Knight Reinhardt is a poor modern man stuck in a game.”
Thud.
Saying so, Reinhardt leisurely approached the warlock.
The minions of Morganes are weak.
Most of them had combat power that was far inferior to that of an ordinary person.
“Look outside, knight.”
The warlock said then.
It was not the expression of a human on the verge of death.
It was the confidence of someone who had revealed a hidden card, but Reinhardt just chuckled.
“Look at what? I know exactly what it’ll look like.”
“Do you really think so? Hehehe. You would be wise to swing your sword carefully. The moment I die, they will go berserk.”
“That’s a very threatening warning.”
Reinhardt grinned and approached the window.
He looked down at the street. It was a quiet street with no passersby.
There, a twitch.
A corpse that had clearly fallen in battle was twitching and raising its body.
‘Undead transformation. It’s obvious.’
It was a skill that the plague demon Morganes would spray around whenever things got a little dangerous.
“That’s a lot for a gift.”
The undead, with murky gray-white eyes, began to search for the living.
Their movements were agile.
It was to the point where one might wonder if they were even superior to their physical abilities when they were alive.
The warlock approached Reinhardt's side.
As if knowing he wouldn't be attacked, he leisurely enjoyed the view outside the window with him.
“Death is always on my side.”
“Seems so.”
“I will give you a chance. Knight Reinhardt. If you guarantee my safety, I will hand over this city.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I will swear it, if you wish. In the name of the one I serve.”
The number of undead was gradually increasing.
The warlock was using the souls he had secured so far as material to increase the undead.
“Alright, I’ll consider it actively.”
“Wise. Then first…”
Stab.
A sword pierced the warlock's back. The blood-stained tip of the sword protruded from his chest.
Creaking, he turned his head.
A look of disbelief was directed at Reinhardt.
“Actively considering it means I won't accept. If you have a next life, be sure to remember that.”
“You, gurgle, their dea-th…”
“Hey kid, enunciate properly. So you're saying I'm the one making those people die?”
Reinhardt chuckled and turned the warlock's body around.
He, unable to resist due to the pain, obediently shifted his gaze.
“Groooowl!”
“Kuaaah!”
The undead were rampaging through the city.
But that was all. The warlock finally realized that something was wrong.
There were no civilians on the street.
Furthermore, there were no guards to be seen either.
However.
“The sun shall light up the darkness!”
“Protect the citizens! Fulfill your duty as the staff of God!”
“Give rest to the unholy!”
Priests, covered in holy light, were there.
Each holding a menacing weapon, they were fighting against the undead, disregarding their own lives.
The warlock was speechless. He could only stare at the unbelievable sight with his mouth shut.
“It's quiet now.”
Shink. Thud.
The warlock's head fell to the ground. It was the face of a man in despair.
***
The situation was quickly being brought under control.
Thanks to the swift movements of the priests, the damage to ordinary citizens was minor, and the horde of undead found their rest.
“Do not worry, Sir Reinhardt. We can handle the problem here.”
Bishop Dalton was actively taking the lead like a fish in water.
His heavy mace had no time for the blood to dry.
Since he was told to rest somewhere, Reinhardt gladly accepted the kindness.
‘Yes, it’s a priest’s area of expertise, after all.’
Divine power is a potent poison to the undead.
They would be able to finish it up quickly even without Reinhardt's help.
Reinhardt returned to the City Hall.
The masterless building was filled with people in a state of panic.
Reinhardt calmly headed to the mayor's office. In front of it, a few high-ranking officials were sitting down with vacant expressions.
“Wh-who…”
At that moment, an official spotted Reinhardt and scrambled to his feet.
“I am Reinhardt, a knight of Taton. I don’t know if you have already confirmed, but Mayor Albert has been executed as a sinner.”
“Ex-executed! What do you mean by that!”
“The numerous evil deeds he has committed are too many to be explained here.”
“What non…”
“Do you have business in the mayor's office? If not, step aside. I still have work to do.”
The officials’ legs gave out, and they moved aside.
Reinhardt went inside, closed the door, and even locked it.
‘Let’s see.’
The structure of the office was familiar.
It was only natural, as it was a place he had visited without fail every time he played the game.
Rattle.
Reinhardt opened a desk drawer, took out all its contents, and then carefully cut out the bottom panel.
‘I must keep this…’
Then, a hidden document was revealed.
It was a document that detailed all the evil deeds committed by Mayor Albert of Romain.
Originally, the quest would end with obtaining this document.
It meant he had secured the justification to present before Count Alstian.
But Reinhardt didn't stop there.
‘And there should be a few gems.’
The experience of a multi-playthrough player shone through.
Behind the picture frame.
The floorboards under the carpet.
A secret handle between thick books.
Reinhardt searched every nook and cranny of the mayor's office, collecting evidence of his evil deeds.
He also didn't forget to take the valuables from the mayor's personal safe and key crafting materials.
‘I think I’ve taken everything I needed to, right?’
Thud.
Reinhardt, who had been rummaging through the safe for a while, tidied up the place.
Taking any more than this would be greedy.
He had to leave just enough so that no one would be suspicious when they came to investigate.
BANG BANG-!
Just then, someone pounded on the door violently.
“Hey! Open the door!”
Reinhardt gladly complied.
He unlocked the lock and opened the door, to find a pale middle-aged man.
Judging by his attire and age, he seemed to be of a fairly high rank.
If he was high-ranking, he would know a lot, which meant he would have had a close relationship with the mayor.
“Wh-what is the meaning of this!”
“I am Reinhardt, a knight of Taton. What is your position?”
“Office Manager Teren! What is all this… H-heek!”
The man who identified himself as the office manager let out a deflating sound.
It was because he had seen the fallen corpse over Reinhardt's shoulder.
At that, Reinhardt placed a hand on Teren's shoulder and gently held him.
“You’ve come at a good time. Mayor Albert has been executed for his evil deeds, and we happen to need someone to fill the vacancy.”
“Wha…”
Reinhardt naturally pulled Teren, who was reflexively trying to back away, into the office.
“From now on, you, Teren, are the temporary mayor. Please sit there, in your seat. There is a lot of work to be done.”