Chapter 17
The Spirit of Light finds demons.
Also, when facing demons, it was a being that showed exactly what superiority in affinity meant.
Lesser demons would become almost helpless just by facing the radiant light and would be busy crawling on the floor, and even the highest-ranking demons had to grit their teeth and endure the pain.
‘Bitdori is the Spirit of Light? No way. This thing?’
Reinhardt looked at Bitdori, who was leading the way, with anxious eyes. The little fellow was busy pulling Reinhardt with the sole intention of going somewhere.
‘Its appearance is different in the first place. The order it came from is different. And its intelligence level is also different.’
He tried to think rationally, but his anxiety remained.
‘But the characteristics are too similar.’
The Spirit of Light loathed demons and their associates.
It did not hide its anger, and sometimes it would even step forward to judge them itself.
Occasionally, by sensing the aura of a demon, it would help to subjugate their headquarters.
‘I have no choice but to see for myself.’
All the current Reinhardt could do was follow where the little fellow led. It didn't seem like a situation where it would listen to reason.
Refusing to go was not an option either.
Reinhardt had to confirm Bitdori's identity. Whether it was really the Spirit of Light, or another being that was just similar to it.
‘Let's just go. I'll know when I get there.’
As he walked confidently along the main road, something like cheers began to be heard from all sides.
Some citizens of Serigel were chanting Reinhardt's name.
“Knight Reinhardt!”
“Thank you! Sir Reinhardt!”
The expression ‘Minion of evil’ was also unfamiliar at this time.
Until the Archdemon's descent, to ordinary people, the word ‘demon’ was literally like a being from a myth.
Reinhardt had caught two such beings.
It was as if he had preemptively prevented a major accident that would surely have occurred soon.
“Sir Reinhardt, I know you're busy, but please listen to me for a moment! It's about a suspicious person among my neighbors….”
“He stays cooped up at home all day doing strange experiments, you know? The other day, well….”
So, problems arose along with it.
Some citizens approached him secretly and whispered secrets to Reinhardt.
Mostly, they were reports that there seemed to be a Minion of evil next door, or that they had seen a suspicious person on the street.
Reinhardt would freak out each time and shake his head.
“I am currently on a mission. If you report the matter to the Taton Knights, I will check it as soon as the mission is over.”
The moment this body judged that it was really suspicious, [Justice] would be applied.
To prevent such a mishap, Reinhardt cut them off and walked even faster.
How long had he walked following Bitdori?
At the destination he arrived at, Reinhardt wet his dry lips.
‘It's the City Hall.’
The Serigel City Hall building was in front of him.
Bitdori was still grunting and pulling Reinhardt, and by now, people were coming out of the City Hall one by one and murmuring something while looking at Reinhardt.
Most of it was in a good sense. Favorable expressions and voices were seen and heard from all sides.
“Peep! Peeep!”
“Here?”
“Peep!”
When he asked in a low voice, Bitdori answered vigorously.
No matter how he thought about it, it was clear that it understood Reinhardt's words.
‘Maybe it's not actually Black Magic? No matter how much those bastards have established themselves all over the Empire, there's no way they would set up shop so openly in a City Hall like this… no.’
Reinhardt, who was trying to deny reality, recalled a memory.
Even when the demon army covered the world, spies who sat in high positions were sometimes discovered.
There were definitely NPCs like the extra king of some country, or the extra noble of some noble family.
If so.
If that kind of deception was being applied here too.
Gulp.
Reinhardt swallowed dryly. A very dreadful thought was popping into his head.
‘Don't tell me the mayor is a warlock or something….’
Following that, he imagined himself destroying the City Hall.
And also the image of himself being dragged towards Paganoa for the merit of capturing a warlock hiding in the city.
It was at that moment.
Bitdori started acting as if it was sniffing the air.
Its nose was pointing exactly at the City Hall.
***
Serigel City Hall.
Weber had been working as a civil servant at the City Hall for the past decade.
His personal relationships were unremarkable, and his work performance was neither outstanding nor lacking.
His personality was also calm and quiet.
He had no particularly angular parts, so even if you were right next to him, it was hard to feel his presence. That was Weber.
‘What was it. At the end.’
Such a Weber's true identity was a warlock.
He was a rather high-ranking warlock of the Agrio-s school, and because he had stayed in this city for a long time, he had been entrusted with a very important mission.
‘Wasn't he a knight? No, that can't be right. Then why did he help us? I have no idea.’
Weber was deep in thought.
The cause was the knight Reinhardt, who had recently been the talk of Serigel.
A righteous and upright man, as if the word chivalry had been brought to life.
Thanks to recently capturing two Minions of evil, his value was skyrocketing.
‘Then should I think that someone else intervened? If a hypocrite from Paganoa got involved….’
He felt anxious.
The hypocrites of Paganoa. Those who loathed Black Magic possessed a power that was burdensome.
So much so that even a warlock of Weber's level would be able to do nothing but fall powerlessly if they faced them directly.
‘I can't understand. Damn it. What bastard cut the connection? There was surely no one around!’
When he had used a minion to contact Knight Reinhardt.
In the middle of the conversation, for some unknown reason, the connection was suddenly cut.
Someone had attacked the minion, but the knight had not even drawn his sword until then.
‘I'll have to lay low for a while… Why is it so noisy?’
Weber felt annoyed and got up from his seat to look across his desk.
For some reason, the people working at the City Hall were chattering loudly in the lobby.
“Kane. Is something wrong?”
“I don't know. Maybe a distinguished guest has arrived….”
His colleague tilted his head. The noise seemed to be getting closer.
“I should go out and see too.”
His colleague stood up from his seat.
Weber sighed inwardly in annoyance. He thought it was a pathetic sight to be swayed by something that had nothing to do with him.
And the noise got closer.
Weber ignored it and focused on his work.
He focused, but the noise continued to get closer.
Now he could even hear the voices of people chattering loudly.
“……Sir! We also…….”
“For what reason did you come to the City Hall…….”
“I see! To carry out a mission…….”
Weber furrowed his brow. He lifted his gaze from the document he was reading and looked towards the entrance.
And, he saw.
The sight of a familiar face walking in with an indifferent expression.
‘Knight Reinhardt.’
For a moment, his head started spinning.
Knight Reinhardt. His attitude towards Black Magic. The reason for visiting the City Hall, and what he should do now.
After a short and fierce deliberation, Weber made a rational judgment.
Reinhardt was only here at the City Hall to receive a reward for his achievements.
What he had to do was to sit here and hold out until the end as if he knew nothing…….
Thwack!
A shock wave hit him.
To Weber, it felt as if his vision had turned black for a moment. And when he opened his eyes, he was rolling on the floor.
“Cough….”
The shock was so great that he almost threw up everything he had eaten for lunch.
He couldn't understand the situation.
This was because the physical shock had made his head go blank.
And again.
Thwack!
A strong impact came from his head.
This time, Weber could feel his body fly up and then fall.
His body rolled over and over. Screams erupted from all sides.
Weber barely opened his eyes and met the face of the knight looking down at him.
‘Why…….’
The knight was not moving. But the impacts continued.
It felt as if some strong force was beating him up.
Thud.
The knight approached. It was time to choose.
Either resist now, or wait, entrusting his fate to a sliver of hope.
“I told you not to act up. I even gave you a kind warning.”
The knight whispered in his ear.
At the changed tone and voice from before, Weber made a decision.
Whooosh-
Crimson demonic energy leaked out from Weber's body.
The demonic energy lifted his fallen body.
His feet were not touching the ground. He was floating about an inch, looking down at the knight.
“You will regret this, Knight Reinhardt.”
A sound like scraping metal came out of Weber's mouth.
But the knight did not move.
Even though everyone around was screaming in shock, he just calmly looked at him.
“Are you a warlock?”
“That's right. I am a mage of Agrio-s and…….”
He stopped mid-sentence, and Weber narrowed his eyes.
For some reason, the atmosphere exuding from the knight seemed to have become even more gruesome than before.
“Then you must have tormented many innocent citizens. And you were planning to do so in the future.”
“For the greater cause, I am willing to… Hmm.”
His momentum grew stronger again.
At first, he seemed easy to deal with, but now the knight was exuding an atmosphere as if he was facing a hypocrite from Paganoa.
And in reality.
[Sudden Mission: Judgment]
*You have discovered a heinous warlock who has sacrificed innocent citizens. You feel extreme anger.
[Buff Applied: Justice x3]
[Basic stats increase by 84.]
Reinhardt had become stronger by exactly 84 stats.
It meant that his specs had become such that he could easily slice up an extra warlock.
***
On the main road to Serigel.
Evangeline, who was riding a horse, was clearly showing her displeasure in a situation she didn't like.
“Are there no exceptions?”
“None. The seed of the demon must have its roots pulled out. You already know this, don't you, Dame?”
“I know. I know, but his intentions were clearly good.”
“I understand he is a good and righteous man. But a minion, without even knowing it, ends up helping the demon's work.”
The man answering was an Inquisitor dispatched from Paganoa.
His eyes were very gentle, but his physique was considerable. It wouldn't be strange if he beat demons to death with his fists.
He had been active as an Inquisitor for twenty years.
He had identified numerous warlocks so far, and his judgment had never been wrong even once.
That's why Evangeline didn't like this situation.
‘No matter how good he is…….’
Reinhardt was a rare knight. A man for whom the expression 'a knightly knight' was not wasted.
But looking at the circumstances, it was clear that he had received the power of a warlock, and he just hadn't realized it himself.
“We have arrived. I hope we can righteously conclude this short journey.”
Inquisitor Bardo, unconcerned with Evangeline's reaction, took the lead and entered the gateway.
Looking at the hideous mace hanging from his waist, Evangeline squeezed her large eyes shut.