Chapter 71 : Chapter 71
Chapter 71
The Spirit of Light.
A mascot that was always with Knight Reinhardt, and a character that accounted for a significant portion of his combat power.
In the original work, the Spirit of Light had already completed its growth.
It was a humanoid spirit the size of a fist and possessed the same level of intelligence as a human, making smooth conversation possible.
Therefore, no one knew about the Spirit of Light's initial form.
Through what stages it grew, what it was like at first, and what the conditions for its growth were.
The expression ‘shrouded in a veil’ was perfectly fitting for the situation, but.
“So this is the Spirit of Light. I'm sure of it.”
Reinhardt had finally found a clue.
It was through [Aslan] in the community.
ㄴAslan: The order doesn't matter. The Spirit of Light can be awakened not only in our Truma Order but also in other orders.
ㄴAslan: Look for the trace of light. That's all I can tell you. I don't know the exact details, and even if I did, I can't go around carelessly spouting the order's secrets.
ㄴAnonymous14: The order’s secretsㅋㅋ What a load of crapㅋㅋㅋ
In the original work, Reinhardt had a close relationship with the Truma Order.
‘That’s why I deliberately went to the Lubra Order. A place that serves the God of the Moon, not the Sun God.’
But according to [Aslan], the Spirit of Light could be awakened in any of the major orders.
It meant it didn't matter if it was Truma, Lubra, or Famia.
‘And he said to look for the trace of light…….’
A trace of light.
Reinhardt had seen that expression before.
It was when he wore the ‘gifts of gratitude’ from the three major orders.
Reinhardt had discovered a Trace of a Radiant Light, and the achievement had soon led to Bitdori’s growth.
Communication had become possible, it had become smarter, and although it wasn’t certain, it seemed that Bitdori's combat power had also increased considerably compared to the beginning.
‘And when I catch a warlock, it grows further. Because the phrase ‘The Fading Light has regained its vigor’ would pop up now and then.’
When he defeated a warlock.
The message that appeared before Reinhardt was clearly affecting Bitdori.
The meaning, just by looking at the content, was obvious.
Bitdori, which had weakened for some reason, had regained at least a little of its power.
ㄴAslan: As for additional advice, I'll really only say this much. If you've executed warlocks from all three major demon factions, you've met the minimum conditions.
ㄴReinhardt: What conditions?
ㄴAslan: The conditions for the light to regain its lost power. That's all I can say.
ㄴAnonymous17: ㅋㅋNow the two of them are spouting crap together
ㄴAnonymous18: Frㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The conditions for the light to regain its power.
Those words meant that Bitdori might evolve soon.
“So that’s how it is. Is it some kind of achievement grind? Or maybe a function that only unlocks after defeating one warlock from each of the three major factions……”
In any case, Reinhardt had already fulfilled those conditions.
The fact that Bitdori's body had subtly grown larger was proof of that.
“It’ll be hard to see Dalton for a while, too.”
Reinhardt scratched his head and organized his thoughts.
There were three things he had to do now.
First, to find and contact the Aslan of this world.
Because he or she would have the potential of a protagonist.
Second was the task of processing the ‘Executioner’s Magic Stone.’
The blacksmiths who had made a name for themselves on the continent back when I played Soul Calibur quickly flashed through Reinhardt’s mind.
And the final task was to grow Bitdori.
In the last battle, the little one had clearly proven its worth.
There were more than a few situations that would have been difficult without Bitdori's help.
‘Anyway, Dalton has to come back. Whether it’s to find Aslan or to find clues to grow Bitdori. Both are issues that require getting involved with the high-ranking officials of the order.’
Bishop Dalton was currently away.
It was a natural course of action, having received an Oracle.
He might have already visited the headquarters of the Truma Order in the imperial capital by now.
And by the time he returned, I probably wouldn’t be able to call him a bishop anymore.
“He’ll be an archbishop at the very least.”
I didn’t know when that would be.
But Dalton would surely return to Serigel.
Because Truma had chosen Reinhardt. And if that fact was revealed, the order would willingly recommend his return to Serigel.
It was at that moment.
Flinch.
Bitdori, who had been sleeping soundly, woke up with a start, its eyes wide open.
It floated up into the air and began to fly around the room anxiously.
“Bitdori?”
“Ppiiiit……”
It was like watching an animal on high alert.
If it had fur, it would surely be standing on end.
“What’s wrong? Did something come? Is it a warlock?”
“Ppiii……”
“I won’t know unless you tell me.”
“Ppit? Ppiii……!”
Bitdori now looked as if it was ready to dash out the door at any moment.
‘I don’t know what it is.’
But it certainly couldn’t be a good thing.
Reinhardt quickly put on his armor and tied his scabbard to his waist.
He was ready to face whatever came out.
Soon, Reinhardt heard a knock at his ear.
The voice that followed was not that of an enemy.
“Sir Reinhardt. Are you in there?”
“I am. Sir Commander.”
The visitor was Ethan Taton.
Reinhardt checked his side, but Bitdori still hadn’t lowered its guard.
Click.
Without letting his guard down, Reinhardt opened the door.
“You called for me?”
“Ah, Sir Reinhardt! To be dressed like this even while resting in your quarters.”
After making a fuss with an impressed look, Ethan got to the point.
“A guest has come looking for you, Sir. They said they were from the Paganoa Knights.”
“A knight?”
“No, not a knight. Some kind of… person who manages information, they said. But the Personnel Officer came along to verify their identity. Miya Luxpenber, you remember her, right?”
Miya Luxpenber.
If so, it was certain that the unknown guest was truly affiliated with the Paganoa Knights.
However, the problem was.
“Ppiiiit……!”
The fact that Bitdori was still in a state of extreme alert.
As if it had come face to face with a warlock.
***
Paganoa was a knight order.
As its name suggested, the majority of its forces were composed of knights, and even on an imperial scale, all its members possessed outstanding skills.
But that didn’t mean everyone was a knight.
To support the knights’ activities, people who could demonstrate their skills in various fields were needed.
“It’s been so long! You remember me, right? It’s Miya. Miya Luxpenber.”
Personnel Officer Miya Luxpenber was as energetic as ever.
She offered a handshake as if she were simply delighted to see Reinhardt, and when Reinhardt took her hand, she smiled brightly with a happy expression.
“You haven’t changed. Really.”
“I only ever do what needs to be done.”
“Right? That’s right. Because that is the path Sir Reinhardt must walk. And this person is… hmm, it would be better to introduce them a little later.”
Next to Miya was someone wearing a hood pulled down.
Their build wasn’t very large.
They seemed to have a role supporting knights, like Miya Luxpenber, rather than being a combatant.
They headed to the commander’s office.
Knight Commander Ethan Taton personally guided Miya and then said with a broad smile.
“I shall leave you to it.”
“Huh? Aren’t we disturbing you too much every time we come? You have work to do too, Sir Commander!”
“I am fine. If the Knight Commander just sits here, the order cannot be run smoothly. Please don’t mind me and achieve what you came for.”
“But……”
“It is fine.”
Ethan said so and then glanced at Reinhardt.
For a moment, their eyes met, and within them was a firm trust in Reinhardt.
Ethan left, and the commander’s office door closed.
Miya opened her mouth as if she had been waiting.
“I heard the news. You did it again?”
“It was nothing remarkable.”
“I know well that you mean what you say, Sir. But! That was truly a remarkable achievement. A really, really remarkable achievement.”
Miya laughed cheerfully and rattled off compliments.
Empty compliments like how there weren’t many knights who could face warlocks, or how it was amazing that he minimized the damage in the process.
Reinhardt answered perfunctorily and then stared intently at Miya.
“Personnel Officer.”
“Oops, you don’t really like this kind of talk, do you, Sir? I understand. Hmm, let me introduce you. This is someone who works with me in the Paganoa Knights. Their name is Jenkins.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Sir Reinhardt.”
The man called Jenkins received the words with a smile.
He still hadn’t taken off his hood.
“Jenkins, you can take it off here. There’s no one watching. And Sir Reinhardt is someone you can trust.”
“Is that so? Well, if the Personnel Officer says so……”
Swish.
A face was revealed from under the hood.
Moderately long hair fell to his shoulders.
His expression was a smiling one.
His facial lines were slender and thin, and he was staring at Reinhardt with a smiling gaze.
‘Slit eyes.’
It was obvious he was a character with something to hide.
Although it had become reality, this was still a world within a game.
In creative works, a character with slit eyes was always hiding something.
“Now that you’ve met, and as Jenkins knows, this is Sir Reinhardt. You’ve heard a lot about him from Sir Fermil and Dame Evangeline, right?”
“I’ve heard so much that I feel as if we’ve performed missions together. It’s certainly our first time meeting today, but, well. I feel like I’ve already spent quite a long time with Sir Reinhardt.”
“That’s right, that’s right. We did talk about you a lot.”
Reinhardt didn’t join the conversation.
He just stared intently at Jenkins, acting the part of a steadfast and calm knight.
“Oh, Jenkins.”
“Yes, Miya. I believe we made a mistake. He’s not one to be fond of such pleasantries. But……”
Saying so, Jenkins offered a handshake.
“I’ve always wanted to shake your hand at least once. I won’t take up much of your time.”
“I am Knight Reinhardt.”
“I am Jenkins. You must be curious as to why we suddenly came to see you, right?”
“Yes.”
From that moment on, Miya subtly stepped back.
Of course, she didn’t actually move.
It meant that the initiative in the conversation had passed from Miya to Jenkins.
“Agrio-s, Nepas, Morganes. I’m sure Sir Reinhardt knows these names as well. Their very names reek of evil energy.”
“I heard they are demons.”
“Yes, Sir Reinhardt. And those demons are showing great interest in you.”
Pause.
Reinhardt tried hard to hide his emotional turmoil.
“In me?”
“Yes. It seems Sir Reinhardt’s devotion and courage have caught their attention.”
“It’s only natural for a knight……”
“Shall we look at this objectively? Excluding the Paganoa Knights, how many knights do you think can stand against a warlock alone?”
There would probably be almost none.
It was a story Reinhardt knew all too well.
It wasn't just a matter of swordsmanship skills; most probably didn't even know how to deal with a warlock.
‘It’s only possible because of my experience playing the game, the Justice skill, and having Bitdori with me.’
Having thought that far, Reinhardt shook his head.
“I do not know. It is a matter I have never considered.”
“Sir Reinhardt. If I may give you the answer.”
Jenkins’s smiling eyes narrowed even further.
“There are none. Outside of the Paganoa Knights, there is not a single knight who can stand against a demon. With the sole exception of Sir Reinhardt, who is sitting before me.”