Chapter 127 : Chapter 127
Chapter 127
It was like a dance.
It was a series of gestures, and those gestures held meaning.
And Reinhardt was practically an expert at understanding the meaning of a dance.
“…Kill?”
Bitdori swiped its short arm across its own neck.
It held a more intuitive meaning than any other motion it had shown so far.
“Evangeline?”
That was what Bitdori said.
No, it was the will of Truma, borrowing Bitdori’s body.
“Evangeline has already been influenced by the demon. Therefore, Evangeline must be killed. That is the right thing to do.”
“Peep-.”
“Is that Truma’s will?”
“Peep.”
Enveloped in a halo, Bitdori affirmed with a short cry.
The creature now was an apostle of a god. A messenger delivering the god’s will to the humans on the ground.
Up in that sky.
From some unknown place, it meant that Truma was saying so.
-Kill Evangeline. It is regrettable, but unavoidable. You must follow my will.
It was as if he could hear that vigorous voice in his ears.
The voice of the sun god, full of confidence, who did not doubt that his opponent would follow his will.
“Truma. Are you listening?”
“Peep.”
Truma spoke through the spirit’s mouth.
I am listening to your voice.
Thus, the human Reinhardt conveyed his firm will.
“I cannot do that. Find another way.”
“Peep, peeep. Peep! Peeep!”
“I said no.”
He could not kill Evangeline.
No matter what happened, she was a person who must be protected.
Wasn’t that why he had rushed all the way here? Leaving the cozy Serigel, wasn't it to come to the far west of the Empire, a place he had vowed never to visit?
“Peeeeeeeep!”
Truma was enraged.
He seemed shocked by the fact that a mere human had defied him.
But Reinhardt did not care.
He was not an inhabitant of this world. It meant he was not a human who would be busy bowing his head and trembling at the voice of a god.
“Truma. I have already heard the story. Agrio-s made a bet with you, I hear.”
“…Peep?”
“For now, I am on your side. But if you continue to make unreasonable demands like this, I will need to reconsider. Is that what you want?”
“Peep, peeeeeeeep!”
“You must have a rough idea of what’s going on, don’t you? You must know as much as Agrio-s does, right?”
Reinhardt’s tone was gradually becoming disrespectful.
He had been polite until then, but a human’s attitude was bound to change depending on the surrounding situation.
“Let us act wisely. I don’t know why you want me to kill Evangeline, but if the reason is the demon, then find another way. A god should have means of that level. Am I not right?”
“…Peep.”
Truma became docile.
His attitude of pushing forward with anger was nowhere to be found, and it was clear to anyone that he was now cautiously observing Reinhardt’s reaction.
“As Agrio-s knows, and as you seem to know. I am not a resident of this neighborhood. I am not used to situations where someone pushes their authority on me. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Peep.”
“Likewise, I trust that such a thing will not happen. Like making me deal with troublesome things by ordering loyal subordinates like Dalton.”
“Peep.”
I will do so. I will not be a bother.
Reinhardt recalled the face of Truma grumbling with a sour expression.
He was likely in a similar state now.
Truma was a character who would never accept defeat.
His pride was like bamboo, a being who would foam at the mouth at the mere thought that he could lose.
“Come back when you have another solution. I am busy right now.”
NOD-
Truma affirmed, and then the halo around Bitdori flickered out.
Then, Bitdori raised both arms high. It was a cheer for anyone to see.
“Peep! Peeeep!”
“What’s this. Why are you so excited?”
“Peep, peep, peep! Peep, peep, peep!”
Bitdori could not contain its excitement.
It was even more excited than when it had beaten a powerful warlock.
‘Did he like seeing Truma flustered? What is it?’
Or.
‘Because he didn't want to harm Evangeline?’
Either way, it was a reaction that pleased Reinhardt.
Because it was proof that Bitdori was not a being subordinate to Truma.
‘I was worried he might throw a tantrum about having to listen to Truma. With this reaction, I don’t need to worry.’
In any case.
With this, Reinhardt had accurately grasped his own position.
Agrio-s tried to win him over, and Truma, upon hearing a single rebuke, left in a fluster.
He was not a shrimp caught in a whale fight.
Reinhardt was like a referee in a boxing ring. It meant he had the authority to make judgments and declare victory.
‘As long as I’m not careless, I think I can roll with this somehow.’
A snowball rolling in a snowy field gradually grows larger.
And Reinhardt knew how to roll a snowball.
It meant that based on his knowledge of the world, he was confident he could maintain a perfect balance between the two beings.
***
“Does that make any sense? The enemy retreated at the declaration that you would find and kill the warlock. We can say such things as much as we want!”
“But you did not.”
“Because it is a meaningless warning! There is no way the opponent would react!”
“But they did react, didn't they?”
“Personnel Officer Miya!”
“Please speak, Inquisitor Taibon. And do not shout.”
The camp of the Paganoa Knights was noisy.
It was due to the clash of opinions between Personnel Officer Miya Luxpenber and Inquisitor Taibon.
The authority Miya held was immense. Most members of Paganoa had to follow her words whether they liked it or not, but not everyone was like that.
Inquisitor Taibon was a prime example.
Starting as a servant of the knight order, he had devoted himself to the order as an inquisitor for 40 years.
He was a figure whose standing was not inferior to Miya Luxpenber’s.
“What is it you want to say? Do you mean we should have let Evangeline die? Or that we should kill her even now?”
“I can do whatever is necessary. If needed!”
“What is it that you want.”
“I need to hear why this situation occurred in the first place.”
“That is obviously because while carrying out a mission….”
“I am asking for the basis on which Paganoa had to seek help from an unknown knight from the outside!”
Inquisitor Taibon did not hide his anger.
He seemed to think that the honor of Paganoa had fallen to the ground.
They had asked for outside help, and with that, they had in effect proclaimed that Paganoa lacked the ability to solve the problem.
“You are not pleased with the result.”
“I am talking about the process, not the result. Do you still not understand?”
“What is important to me is the safety of our members. I could not let Evangeline die. Nor did I want to sacrifice other members.”
“What was the reason for calling that knight, the one named Reinhardt?”
“Because he would have a solution.”
“What was the basis for your confidence?”
“Do you not know what ability I possess, Inquisitor?”
Miya sees talent.
She was the only human who could glimpse that brilliant light.
“Then it means he is a talent that should have been recruited long ago.”
“He himself refused to join. And now we are in a situation where we must hold off on offering him membership. Are you really asking because you do not know?”
The demons were very interested in Reinhardt.
As attention was focused on the east, the mission in the Palma Mountains naturally became easier.
It was a fact known to any high-ranking official of the knight order. Miya knew, and so did Taibon.
“I cannot accept this.”
“What is it that you cannot accept?”
“The current situation. Is it not deplorable? We have had to send away many members until now. Because there was no way to save them.”
The momentum of Taibon, who had been consistently spewing anger, subsided.
A heavy burden was on his shoulders. The weight of memories accumulated over 40 years.
“There is no way to bring back a member whose mind has been broken. That was the established theory, and we, swallowing our tears, ended their fates with our own hands. Is that not so?”
“I agree.”
“With today’s event, all those deaths have been negated. A method that even an outside knight found, our Paganoa failed to find.”
For Taibon, it was a reality that was hard to accept.
So many stars had fallen. How many knights who had slain warlocks and demons had met such a futile end?
“…Why did you not ask for help before? I heard news long ago that you had traveled all the way to the east to meet that knight.”
“At that time, it was a situation where I could not ask for help.”
“Do you mean they were not as important as Evangeline?”
“No, it is not like that. I am saying that this case was special.”
Inquisitor Taibon gave a look of disbelief.
“An explanation is needed.”
“Because the demon was calling for Sir Reinhardt.”
And at the declaration that followed, Taibon’s eyes widened.
It was not a story that could be easily told. Nor was it something that could be fabricated on the spot.
Considering Miya Luxpenber’s position and abilities, this was.
“What does that….”
“If Reinhardt does not come, this young knight will be eternally bound here.”
“Are you saying the demon said so?”
“No.”
Miya shook her head.
“But there are various ways to convey one’s intentions. It was a judgment made after rational and logical deliberation and analysis. The demon is calling for Sir Reinhardt.”
“…”
“I have prepared a report, so you may read it if you wish. I have written it in such detail that anyone can understand. And if you wish for more.”
Miya shrugged her shoulders.
“I will arrange a meeting with Sir Reinhardt.”
“…Very well. Let us meet him.”
Reinhardt was resting in his barracks.
Fermil guarded the entrance to the barracks with a spear in hand. It was a stance that showed his determination not to let anyone disturb Reinhardt’s rest.
“Fermil. Sir Reinhardt is?”
“He should be resting, Personnel Officer.”
“Inquisitor Taibon wishes to meet him. Could you ask on his behalf?”
“Yes.”
Inquisitor Taibon found even this situation hard to understand.
“Do, do you mean we have to ask for his permission?”
“Is that not a matter of course? If it were not for Sir Reinhardt, Evangeline would not have been freed.”
“…But!”
Inquisitor Taibon’s protest could not continue.
Fermil, who had pushed aside the cloth at the barracks entrance, nodded his head.
“He will see you.”
“That’s a relief. Shall we go in? Inquisitor.”
Though he was quite displeased, Taibon entered the barracks for the time being.
There was a knight there.
A knight who showed not a hint of fatigue, as if he would willingly march to the battlefield if an order were given at any moment.
“I am Reinhardt of the Taton Knights.”
“I-I am Inquisitor Taibon.”
The problem was that the knight was enveloped in a halo.
It was a faint light, but its brightness was such that anyone could perceive it without difficulty.
And Taibon was not the only one who was surprised.
“…Huh? Sir Reinhardt? Did you perhaps attain some kind of enlightenment?”
Miya Luxpenber also seemed flustered.
And also.
“Sir Reinhardt, you’re glowing right now?”
“Excuse me?”
The knight in question, Reinhardt, was the same.