I Became a Righteous Knight in a Game

Chapter 67

In this world, nobles enjoy immense authority.

Losing a single city is a matter they can laugh off.

Romain is no different.

To Count Alstian, how this city was run was not a very important matter.

As long as a reasonable amount of gold was consistently paid in taxes.

And as long as nothing was done to tarnish Count Alstian's honor, it didn't really matter who held the position of mayor.

“And so, Ganesha Edropin is… appointed as m-mayor?”

Ganesha's eyes went wide.

She reread the letter of appointment from Count Alstian in her hand.

The wording did not change.

Ganesha Edropin is appointed as the mayor of Romain.

She looked at the middle-aged man in front of her, her bewilderment clearly showing.

He was the man who said he had greatly helped Reinhardt in resolving this incident.

“You said your name was Teren?”

“Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“No! Not yet!”

“The Count has already appointed a new mayor with his legitimate authority. And that is you, Madam Mayor Ganesha.”

Teren, who had held the temporary mayorship, bowed his head respectfully.

“Of course.”

In that state, Teren continued.

“The situation would change if you were to relinquish your authority, Madam Mayor. In that case, we would have to find another suitable person.”

“Who would find them?”

“Of course, I would. If you relinquish your authority, I will be taking on the role of temporary mayor.”

The Count is not interested in Romain.

Ganesha had already felt that fact to her bones for a long time.

‘The moment I give up the mayorship, this man will recommend someone to his liking. He might even try to take the position himself.’

Ganesha had a rough idea of what kind of person Teren was.

He was not a very clean person.

He was far from trustworthy enough to entrust Romain to.

Then there was only one way to solve this situation.

“I'll take it. The mayorship.”

“You are already the mayor, Madam Mayor.”

First, accept the offer.

Sit in the mayor's office as the mayor of Romain and handle the duties.

And while doing so, find a successor.

Someone.

A talented person to whom she could entrust this city with peace of mind.

‘I can quit then.’

Thinking that way made her feel more at ease.

She thought of it not as sitting in a burdensome position, but as temporarily carrying someone else's burden.

“Then first, Teren?”

“Yes, Madam Mayor.”

“Bring me the work I need to do from now on. What is your position, Teren?”

“I am…”

“No, that's not it. You can serve as my secretary. Is that possible?”

“Of course, Madam Mayor.”

She needed some time to adapt.

The corrupt official Teren was the right person to help with that process.

To survive for a long time in such a position and get away with so much, one had to be fundamentally competent.

And.

Teren, who had briefly left the office, soon returned with a huge pile of documents awaiting approval.

“This is what you need to handle urgently today. It includes matters for dealing with the recent incident, documents related to the misdeeds of the former mayor, and also…”

Ganesha nodded with a dazed look on her face.

The duties of a mayor were not light.

Leading a city meant having to exercise decision-making power on countless issues all day long.

“Alright. I'll handle it.”

But Ganesha had the ability.

Mages are generally intelligent.

Also, she had spent a long time in the darkest part of this city and knew its twisted structure better than anyone else.

She examined the contents, stamped the documents, and set aside specific matters that required more consideration instead of making an immediate decision.

And so, for a long time.

Just as she was somehow getting used to the sudden change in situation.

“Madam Mayor, I think you need to check this matter first.”

Teren, who had been promoted to secretary, came with urgent business.

Ganesha's eyes twitched as she confirmed the contents.

“The remnants of Redfoot are showing signs of regrouping…”

“If you give the order, I will dispatch the guards.”

“No.”

“Is it alright to leave them be?”

“Yes. We'll handle it slowly. It's not an urgent problem.”

“Hmm, understood.”

Teren looked puzzled, but he soon complied and withdrew.

Making suggestions to a superior twice was against Teren's bureaucracy.

Ganesha watched Teren's back as he left the office.

Only after the heavy door closed with a click did she let out a long sigh.

‘Redfoot.’

Redfoot is regrouping.

They were like mold on bread.

No matter how hard you try to eradicate them, they are bound to sprout up the moment you let your guard down.

‘Ellie will be fine. She's a strong kid. Not just in spirit, but physically too.’

It wasn't that Ganesha was recklessly neglecting Redfoot.

In fact, if she followed her personal feelings, she wanted to mobilize all of Romain's forces to nip them in the bud.

But Redfoot must be revived.

They had to maintain their name, form a group, and be allowed to run rampant in the underbelly of Romain.

-Redfoot must continue to exist. Only then will you be able to keep the city's darkness in your sight.

Because Knight Reinhardt had explained it that way.

Because it was the advice given by a righteous and wise knight for the future of Romain.

***

At the time when Ganesha Edropin was adapting to her sudden rise in status.

Reinhardt, the knight of Taton, was facing the girl who followed Ganesha, Ellie.

“Sir Knight, are you serious about that?”

“I am serious.”

“I don't get it. Why does this city need Redfoot?”

Ellie had a look of incomprehension.

“Even if it's not you, someone will end up creating such a group. Someday, for sure.”

The content Reinhardt had suggested to her was simple.

Form a group similar to Redfoot.

Cooperate with Ganesha Edropin, who has become the mayor, under the table, and maintain a moderately chaotic state in the city.

“You mean someone else is targeting this city again?”

“No, Ellie. The surviving members of Redfoot are hiding all over this city. They will surely gather in one place someday.”

“But we have the guards. Can't we just lock them up? Now the doctor can give orders to the Captain of the Guard.”

“If the security maintained by the guards was absolute, it would have been impossible for you all to have survived without being caught until now.”

“That… I guess so. You're right, Sir Knight.”

If they were to hide deep in the slums, it would be nearly impossible to eradicate criminals no matter how many people were deployed.

In that case, it was better to gather them securely in one place.

Manage the members in cooperation with the mayor, and only deal with those who occasionally cross the line.

“But why me?”

“Because you are highly skilled and have a strong bond with Ganesha Edropin.”

“So there was a reasonable reason for everything.”

In any case, Ellie was clearly a talented girl.

She just couldn't match Reinhardt, but she had enough combat power to lead an organization like Redfoot.

“Alright. I'll do it. You've already talked to the doctor, right?”

“I have. Ganesha agreed as well.”

“Then there was nothing to worry about. If both you, Sir Knight, and the doctor are telling me to do it, I have to do it. I don't know if I can do it well, though. You'll give me a specific direction, right?”

Reinhardt nodded and presented a rough guideline.

Basically, actions like collecting protection money were possible, but the amount should not be too large, and violence should never be used against citizens under any circumstances... it was something like that.

Ellie, who had been listening for a while, tilted her head.

“Sir Knight. Do criminal organizations usually act so nicely? Aren't those actually good people? I've never seen a thug who actually protects you when you pay protection money.”

“That is why you are needed.”

“Uuuhm, so that's it? I get it. If it's like that, I think I can do it.”

Only then did Ellie seem to quite like the instructions she was given.

She had realized that although the name was Redfoot, its essence was completely different.

‘She’ll do fine on her own.’

Reinhardt was also confident.

Ganesha Edropin as the mayor of the city, and Ellie as the head of Redfoot.

That they could lead Romain on the right path by maintaining a proper balance.

The basis for his confidence was simple.

‘Because they were characters who played such roles in the original work. Both of them.’

Instead, in the original work, they had to go through a slightly more troublesome and tricky process.

It wasn't a sudden jump in status like now, but a way of moving forward by solving problems one by one.

‘Anyway, with this, I've basically skipped all the other annoying quests.’

Reinhardt remembered the questline of Romain.

If he had followed the flow of the original work, he would have had to carry out numerous tasks together until the city was completely stabilized, but now there was no need for that.

It was as if he had passed on all the subsequent processes to Ganesha Edropin.

And to Ellie.

Not only that.

The connection with Ganesha would surely be useful at some point in the future.

After all, she had become a high-ranking official leading a city.

‘This is how you build connections. Places like the Paganoa Knights, you can get close by fighting together, but with people like civil servants or nobles, there's no point of contact at all.’

Then Ellie asked.

“Sir Knight, then how long will you be staying here?”

“I will be returning soon. Within a few days.”

“That’s a real shame. I wish you’d come visit sometimes. The doctor said she wishes you would too. She told me not to tell you, Sir Knight. The others feel the same way.”

Romain Square.

In the place with the most foot traffic, a large poster was up.

The evil deeds of the previous mayor.

The evil deeds of Betty Pollard.

It was a large poster that truthfully described the achievements of the current mayor, Ganesha Edropin, who solved the problem, and the good deeds of Reinhardt, the knight of Taton.

Thanks to this, everyone in Romain knew the name Reinhardt.

For those who had lived in the pain of an incurable plague, Reinhardt had become a figure akin to a hero from a fairy tale.

It had even reached the point where his reputation was better than in Serigel.

“I might visit if there's something I need to do.”

“That stiff way of talking is still the same, huh? Not all knights are like that, right? You're the unusual one, Sir Knight, aren't you?”

“Perhaps.”

Of course, Reinhardt was on the unusual side.

“I don't know. There were many like me in the Paganoa Knights.”

Also, the Paganoa Knights were a group of only unusual people.

Unlike other general knight orders, it might have been natural since they were people who had gathered under the noble mission of solely for humanity.

“Can I come visit? After things settle down a bit. I've never been outside of Romain in my life.”

“There's no reason for me to stop you.”

“What about the doctor? Should we go together?”

“If the mayor leaves her post, there will be a vacuum in her duties, but…”

Reinhardt shrugged.

“It shouldn't be a problem if it's an official visit. If she's visiting as the mayor.”

In fact, it wasn't a bad proposal for him either.

After all, if he revealed his close relationship with the ‘Mayor of Romain’, the mayor of Serigel would also treat Reinhardt a little more cautiously.

“Boss! Where are you!”

Just then, someone shouted from outside in a rough voice.

Reinhardt chuckled, and Ellie's expression crumpled.

“I told you not to call me boss… I have to go. See you again! Sir Knight! Thank you so much! Really!”

Watching Ellie's back as she rushed off, Reinhardt nodded.

With this, Romain was completely sorted out.

‘With this, I can say the seeds have been sown.’

Ellie, the head of Redfoot.

Ganesha Edropin, the healing mage.

When the time came to face the demons, the two would be of great help to Reinhardt.

[List of protagonists revealed by Skylines.txt]

The basis was in the community.

Unlike the original work, in the expansion pack, they had enormous potential.