Chapter 125 : Chapter 125
Chapter 125
“I have been waiting.”
Evangeline’s voice and the voice of something else overlapped.
THUD.
The sound of someone collapsing was heard from behind. Reinhardt didn’t look back. It was surely Fermil, collapsing in fear.
“What was this waiting for?”
“Reinhardt. Human Reinhardt. Knight Reinhardt.”
Evangeline laughed bizarrely. Again, two voices mixed together.
“I was impressed by your dual nature. So I wanted to ask. For what do you move?”
“To destroy the evil of this land.”
“I see. Is that so. Yes, one cannot be honest if their heart is not at ease.”
Evangeline casually lifted her right hand. From it, a pitch-black energy flowed out and engulfed the space behind Reinhardt.
THUD.
The sound of something falling was heard from behind.
Where he looked back, there was Fermil, unconscious with his tongue hanging out.
“I shall help you, child of man. You have piqued my interest. You are worthy of receiving my grace.”
Evangeline laughed again. The bizarre laugh contained a power that made the listener shrink back.
Reinhardt’s body was the same.
[Injustice has been detected.]
[Injustice has been--]
[Error671]
The surging anger was extinguished as if doused with cold water.
For the first time since falling into this world, Reinhardt regained complete control of his body.
‘Was this what it felt like?’
It felt as if he had been reborn.
Within Reinhardt’s chest, a faint anger had always been simmering.
He had always suppressed it desperately and skillfully. If he had followed his body’s desires, he would have been constantly searching for ‘villains’ and swinging his sword.
“My, there was one more.”
Evangeline raised her hand again.
Once again, black energy extended, and its target was Bitdori.
“Peep!”
Bitdori fell. It went limp with its short arms dangling.
“If they had died, there would be no conversation between us.”
“How could that be? I did not kill them. I did not kill them, indeed. I merely wish to have a, truthful, conversation, with you.”
Evangeline’s voice broke off intermittently.
Reinhardt first checked on the condition of Fermil and Bitdori.
Both were breathing. Fermil’s chest was rising and falling faintly, and Bitdori was also twitching.
“A truthful conversation.”
A conversation with a demon.
Normally, it was a moment that could not be established.
Because the character Reinhardt was supposed to have lost his reason and be swinging his sword by now.
But the opponent’s strength was beyond measure.
An enemy that should not appear in the story's progression had emerged.
An error had occurred, and Reinhardt nodded his head.
“Alright. Let’s talk. Agrio-s.”
What followed was laughter.
And a question.
“What are you?”
“A human. A human knight. If you want an accurate answer, you'll have to ask your questions clearly.”
“Child of man. You are….”
“My turn. If you answer my question, I will answer yours again. What do you want?”
Evangeline laughed again.
“Victory.”
“You’ll have to vow to answer only the truth first.”
“I vow.”
“Good. Victory over what?”
“It seems it is my turn to ask. Where did you come from?”
“Seoul. Victory over what do you want?”
“Over Truma. Where is this place called Seoul located?”
“The Republic of Korea. What exact bet did you make with Truma?”
The questions and answers flew back and forth in an instant.
And this next question was important.
What exact bet did you make with Truma?
To that, Evangeline paused for a moment before answering.
“Whether or not the human Reinhardt can be corrupted.”
Reinhardt let out a hollow breath.
Wasn’t this the timing for an answer about destroying the world or something?
“You’ve lost your mind.”
Han Yura’s guess had been spot on.
Agrio-s and Truma had made a bet. And the subject was Reinhardt.
But for the goal to be corrupting Reinhardt.
“Child of man, you are not a being of this world.”
“If that’s a question, you should finish your sentence properly.”
“Was my thought incorrect?”
“It is true.”
Evangeline laughed. This time, she held her stomach and laughed.
It was Reinhardt’s turn again.
“The condition for corruption?”
“For you to willingly cooperate with me.”
“Of your own free will, I presume. Otherwise, you would have made me into the same state as Evangeline. Using your power.”
“Is that also a question for me?”
“No, it’s not. That will never happen, Agrio-s. I will not be corrupted. I’m not in a position to be.”
“Is that so. That is, a regrettable answer.”
His words said it was regrettable, but the corners of his mouth were turned up.
It was impossible to tell if he was pleased with Reinhardt’s reaction, or if it was simply because he found it interesting.
“Shall we conclude this exchange here? It was an enjoyable time. However, I wish to inform you of this much. I have no intention of destroying your world.”
“Since you vowed, it must be the truth. Did you change your mind?”
This time, no answer returned.
Reinhardt instinctively realized that Agrio-s had left.
Focus returned to Evangeline’s eyes.
The cool air quickly warmed.
“…Sir Reinhardt?”
Evangeline had an expression of being unable to understand the situation.
Reinhardt had returned to being a knight.
The error message or whatever that had been clear before his eyes had disappeared.
“Dame Evangeline.”
Evangeline’s eyes trembled. She looked back and forth between the fallen Fermil and Reinhardt.
Reinhardt spoke in a knightly voice, as he always had.
“I have come to save you.”
***
Miya Luxpenber raised her voice.
“I told you, didn't I? That Reinhardt could do it! Let’s just look at the results. What would have happened if you had pushed ahead as you all said? Evangeline would be dead! And the guys who went to save her would have been badly hurt too!”
“I understand. I get it, so….”
“You really understand, right? If something similar happens again, then please, be wise, and I would be grateful if you would follow my advice!”
A senior knight of the Paganoa Knights nodded with a sour expression.
He was the one who had clashed with Miya Luxpenber over this incident.
He had pushed his arguments, saying that a human influenced by a demon could not return to their original state, or that they should execute Evangeline now to fulfill their duty as knights.
“Evangeline! Do you know how worried I was? I was really worried! Do you know how much trouble I went through to stop those stupid idiots from rushing out…!”
“I am sorry.”
“It’s not something to be sorry about! Not at all! It was a misfortune that happened while you were carrying out your mission! You’re not hurt anywhere, are you? Shall we try holding a sword? You’re still shining. You’re still shining so brilliantly!”
Miya was welcoming Evangeline’s return more than anyone.
She sees light.
For others, it might be different, but to Miya, Evangeline was one of the key talents of the knight order that should never be let go.
Because there weren't many people in Paganoa who shone so brightly.
“Fermil, you went through a lot too. There wasn't a battle, was there?”
“Reinhardt did it alone. I ended up fainting. I must have looked like a fool.”
“Reinhardt didn't seem to think so. Rest, rest. Yes. Let’s return as soon as you’ve recovered a bit. You two are banned from missions for a while.”
Miya showed consideration so that Fermil and Evangeline could rest.
She completely blocked other knights from approaching, and only after stationing trustworthy personnel at the entrance of the barracks to block it off did she regain her composure.
And the person she went to see was the knight Reinhardt.
The biggest contributor to this incident, and the person who, as always, had found the answer to a difficult problem.
He was also the talent who was cloaked in a more brilliant light than anyone Miya had ever seen.
“Sir Reinhardt! Thank you! Truly!”
“It was what I had to do. It wasn't very difficult.”
“There really wasn’t a battle, right?”
“There was not.”
“May I ask about the process? There’s my personal curiosity, but it’s also for the report to my superiors. If you just give me something plausible to say, I’ll pass it on like that.”
“We had a conversation.”
“A conversation?”
“I declared that if they did not release Dame Evangeline immediately, I would find and kill every warlock in this mountain range.”
“…Ah.”
For anyone else it might be a bluff, but if it was Reinhardt, he would have been serious.
He also had the skill and the will to do so.
Because no matter how long it took, Reinhardt was the type of man who would live in this mountain range if he had to.
“Thank you. Truly.”
“It was my natural duty as a knight. Dame Evangeline is also my comrade.”
“That’s what I really wanted to hear. How nice would it be if everyone thought like you, Sir Reinhardt?”
And then Miya paused for a moment.
She spoke again only after a thought had crossed her mind.
“Sir Reinhardt. If you have time, could you visit the knight order’s headquarters? Our commander would like to meet you.”
“I will schedule a time and visit. It is difficult right now.”
“I understand. I will relay that. And this is, truly, my last request.”
“It is possible.”
Even before Miya could ask, Reinhardt nodded his head.
Then he gripped his sword and took a stance. It was such a vibrant stance, as if facing an enemy, that it wouldn't have been strange if a battle were to break out right away.
Then, Miya saw.
“…Thank you.”
The light was still brilliant, but within it, it held a faint darkness.
Miya had seen someone similar to that before.
And at a very close distance.
***
‘Is he serious?’
Reinhardt’s mind was a mess.
He had met Agrio-s and had a conversation with him.
He had said he had no intention of destroying the world. Transcendent beings can never break a vow. So, there was no possibility that it was a lie.
‘He has no intention of destroying the world. He made a bet with Truma, and the victory condition for that bet is to corrupt the knight Reinhardt. Why did it change like that? Simply because I'm an interesting human?’
Of course, he wasn’t just at an interesting level.
Beings like Agrio-s look down on the world from the sky. It meant that they naturally knew to some extent what Reinhardt was usually like.
That precondition applied to Truma as well.
The knight Reinhardt is not a human of this world.
It was safe to assume that all the beings in the sky knew that.
‘In the original work, they were all busy fighting each other. Truma’s side took the side of humans, and Agrio-s’s side tried to eliminate all humans.’
Naturally, the victory condition of the game was to eliminate all demons.
To execute Nepas, Morganes, and Agrio-s.
To cut the breath of the Archdemons who ruled over them.
Then the world would regain peace, and after that, the ending where it would roll along happily enough was the ending of Soul Calibur.
‘The ending has changed. Even if I ask Han Yura’s side, the answer would be the same. It wasn't originally designed that way. That is a change that happened because of you.’
There was only one reason.
Reinhardt’s existence had twisted the axis of the story.
‘Wait a minute, then let’s say they made such a bet. What are the stakes of the bet? What does the winning side get from the losing side?’
That was the most important question.
What if Truma wins? What if Agrio-s wins?
What consequences would that bring to this world?
It was when Reinhardt had thought that far.
“Sir Reinhardt. Are you inside?”
The cautious voice belonged to Evangeline.
Reinhardt cut off his thoughts and answered.
“Yes, I am here.”