Chapter 21
It was a sunny spring day.
This place, too, had four seasons.
Reinhardt, who had drawn the curtains wide to check the weather, nodded his head in satisfaction.
“Hmm, perfect weather for a new start.”
Evangeline had left the Taton Knights, and Serigel was at peace.
Thanks to the execution of the warlock, the mayor and a few others had their feet to the fire, but that, too, was a matter of no concern to Reinhardt.
“Bbit?”
However, Bitdori was a very important matter.
As soon as Reinhardt woke up, the creature had rushed at him with all its might, rubbing its body all over his right hand.
For some reason, it seemed to be in a good mood.
Looking at the creature, Reinhardt felt troubled.
“It's not certain, but judging from the circumstances, it seems to be a light spirit…”
Of course, it wasn't one hundred percent certain.
It was just that the possibility was extremely high.
Just one thing.
The only difference from the light spirit in his memories was the fact that it hadn't fully grown yet.
'Even if it is a light spirit, it's in a less-developed state. If I raise it enough from here, it'll become the form I remember.'
And he had already figured out the clue to its growth.
[The Fading Light recovers its energy…….]
It was the message that had appeared along with the mission completion message when he executed the warlock Weber.
'It means Bitdori will grow every time I catch guys like that. Its abilities will be enhanced little by little, its intelligence will increase, and eventually, it will develop the personality I saw in the game.'
The light spirit was loyal only to Reinhardt.
The protagonist was no exception.
If it wasn't Reinhardt, it would often ignore them whenever they tried to talk to it, and it wouldn't even pretend to listen to any requests.
-Do not make Reinhardt do such things!
-I'll do it. Because it's Reinhardt's request.
-Why should I listen to your request? I'm busy, so don't talk to me.
The lines, which were close to favoritism, came back to him vividly.
The light spirit was a character who would console Reinhardt, saying it was okay even if he cut down an innocent citizen.
What if someone else had done that?
It would have surely made a face close to contempt.
“Bitdori.”
“Bbit?”
“There's no need for you to grow up completely, right? It might be more enjoyable to live like this. Right?”
“Bbibit! Bbit?”
“You think so too. Living like this isn't so bad. Isn't it great? Taking leisurely walks, eating delicious food… wait a minute, do you even eat? What should I give you?”
“Bbit!”
“I think spirits did eat something. They just never showed themselves eating in front of other characters.”
Watching the ever-bright Bitdori, Reinhardt scratched his chin.
It seemed he would have to buy something from the market and try feeding it.
If it was hungry, there would surely be some kind of reaction.
“Right, let's settle it like that. As long as I don't raise it fully, things won't follow the original story.”
The moment Bitdori formed a complete ego, Reinhardt's actions would also become uncomfortable.
He couldn't live every moment as a righteous knight.
For instance, even the moment he was lying defenseless on the bed like now was, in a way, an un-knightly act.
“Anyway…”
“Sir Reinhardt! Are you in there? Sir Reinhardt!”
Bang, bang, bang.
Someone was urgently knocking on his door.
The owner of the familiar voice was Ethan Taton.
“I am. I'll be out now.”
The reason was obvious. Reinhardt dressed appropriately and opened the door with an impassive expression.
“Sir Reinhardt, I heard the news. Dame Evangeline has returned to Paganoa. The conversation isn't over yet, is it? The discussion about you joining is still ongoing, right?”
“No, it is. It's over.”
“That can't be. There's no way you would give up on your dream so easily!”
“It is not my dream now.”
“No! It can't be! Why! Sir Reinhardt, this is truly an opportunity that any knight would seize with fire in their eyes. How could you make such an irresponsible decision… no, not irresponsible. Why did you give up on your future so lightly?”
“I have not given up on my future. I just judged that it was not the right situation for it.”
Ethan Taton was like a bomb with a lit fuse.
His face was crumpled as if he would burst into tears at any moment. His hands moved distractedly, representing his clueless state of mind.
He wiped his face and let out a sigh. He looked at Reinhardt's face, then sighed again.
“But there's still some room left, right? If you change your mind, or if Paganoa takes a more active approach, the conclusion could be different. Right?”
“I will not be changing my mind.”
“You never know, do you? You never know! Life is unpredictable. That's why it's life. Did you expect to be here at this very moment? No, you didn't. Think back 10 years ago.”
“That is true. You are right.”
“Right? It has to be. You're an open-minded person. Yes, there's room left. This conclusion can change at any time if things go a certain way. At any time. So…”
Ethan, who had been passionately spewing words, suddenly slumped his shoulders.
A much deeper sigh escaped from his lungs.
“But it's already over, isn't it? You've decided to stay here, Dame Evangeline has returned, and an opportunity like this won't come twice.”
“That is also something we do not know.”
“No, Sir Reinhardt. I'm finished. You're finished too. But you'll be happy. You are, after all, a person who can be called the epitome of a knight. Yes, that's right.”
It was clear that a real-time emotional change was occurring in Ethan's mind.
His emotions were proceeding in the order of denial, anger, bargaining, and depression.
If so, the next stage left was acceptance.
“Yes, Sir Reinhardt. I'll be in your care from now on. It's not like you're leaving for somewhere else, you're staying as a knight of Taton, aren't you? In that case, I should be grateful.”
“I will do what must be done, as always.”
“Thank you, Sir Reinhardt. Let's do our best together. Who knows, a similar opportunity might come again someday. I unintentionally made a scene, but you'll understand, won't you?”
“I understand.”
Ethan nodded with a complicated and subtle expression.
He then let out a deep sigh, lightly patted Reinhardt's shoulder as if in encouragement, and turned away feebly.
His slumped shoulders represented his feelings.
Of course, Reinhardt had no intention of comforting him.
'He won't bother me for a while.'
There was no need to think further about Ethan Taton.
Right now, Reinhardt had two much more important tasks at hand.
First, Bitdori.
'As for matters related to Bitdori, I should be able to grasp some things by visiting all the temples in Serigel.'
Just in time, large orders like Truma and Famia had been sending love calls one after another.
If he went around to each one and looked at the 'gifts,' he might be able to find some clues.
And the second was.
'I think he said there was something in Serigel that they could never give up. The warlock of Agrio-s.'
It was what the warlock from the Agrio-s faction had said.
He had said that in the city of Serigel, there was something they could never give up.
He didn't know what it was.
He had no guess either.
In any case, it was still a past point in the game's timeline, and the Agrio-s Reinhardt remembered was a demon with curved horns on its head.
'If that's still here, another warlock will come, won't they? He said it was something they could never give up.'
The development was obvious even without seeing it.
Warlocks don't easily give up on what they want.
'Then a warlock will sneak into Serigel, and Bitdori will get all angry again and go looking for the warlock.'
Then Reinhardt would also get entangled in it.
And since the situation was what it was, Paganoa would also dispatch personnel.
'Then I'll receive the justice buff, and with the Bitdori buff, I'll end up slicing and dicing the warlock.'
Not good. It was a development that was terrifying just to think about.
The love calls from Paganoa that would rush in afterward, as well as the situation of drawing attention from the maniacs who worship demons, was a flow that was truly unwelcome for the current Reinhardt.
Reinhardt sat still for a moment and thought.
He considered the possibilities and weighed the consequences of his actions.
'I have to find it. Me, first.'
The conclusion was simple.
It was time for preemptive action.
***
The warlocks of Soul Calibur are divided into numerous factions.
Among them, there are three major factions with particularly large influence, and one of them was Agrio-s of [Domination].
The other two were Nepas of [Destruction] and Morganes of [Plague].
Naturally, Agrio-s, Nepas, and Morganes were the names of the demons they worshipped.
In the era that served as the game's setting, all three demons had already descended.
But not now.
At least on the surface, the world was peaceful, citizens were engaged in their livelihoods, and the existence of demons had not been concretely revealed.
Except for a very small number.
Except for those who had a direct or indirect close relationship with demons.
“I am truly grateful that you have come to see me. I am Dalton, a bishop who serves the Sun God Truma.”
“I am Reinhardt, a knight of Taton.”
Just as the knights of Paganoa did, the high-ranking clergy of each order also had some knowledge of demons.
Furthermore, they also knew what kind of power their 'gifts' exerted on demons.
“The problem that Sir Reinhardt recently resolved was, I can only say, truly astonishing. I heard the gift from the Lubra Order was of great help to you?”
Dalton, the young bishop of the Truma Order, asked cautiously. Reinhardt affirmed without a second thought.
“That is true. It was of great help.”
“It is truly a shameful matter. Even though you took on such a heavy burden, we of Truma could not offer even the smallest help.”
“Do not mind it. It was my duty.”
Bishop Dalton's gaze was burdensome. He was making an expression as if he had encountered something truly respectable.
“Sir Reinhardt. Thanks to you, our order was able to have a time of poignant self-reflection. Not just upholding faith and spreading belief, we have numerous tasks…”
Dalton spewed words at a rapid pace as if giving a testimony.
It was an endless explanation of what a good opportunity Reinhardt had been for them, and how much they had developed spiritually through him.
Reinhardt wanted to cover his ears but listened with a serious expression.
Glancing at his shoulder, even Bitdori was busy dozing off at some point.
“……Thus, we have invited you to express our gratitude. We have already received more grace than we deserve, so all you have to do is accept our gift.”
And finally, the main point came out.
In the end, he wanted to give something, but he needed a pretext, so he had dragged on his words for so long.
Reinhardt gladly played along with him.
“Those were very gracious words. I am not in a position to join the order, but what you say, Bishop, certainly resonates with me.”
“To hear you say that, I could not be happier! Now, shall we go inside?”
Following Bishop Dalton inside, a space similar to what he had seen in the Lubra Order was revealed.
Various 'gifts' were displayed as if in a museum.
“Please look around at your leisure. I will wait outside.”
Thanks to Dalton even vacating the spot, Reinhardt was able to look at the items one by one at his leisure.
And a short while later.
After passing by a few accessories.
[Pendant Carved from the Sun]
*A symbol of the Sun God Truma.
*Meticulously crafted by a cleric who has achieved a high level of discipline.
*Anti-Magic Power +30
*Trace of a Radiant Light
Reinhardt was able to discover a very familiar phrase.