Chapter 36
Reinhardt was with Fermil.
Ethan Taton was greeting the guests at the entrance.
I was told that after some formal procedures, the two of them would meet the guests.
“Is there any change in the number of visitors?”
Reinhardt confirmed with Fermil.
It was a world where unexpected situations frequently occurred.
Only by identifying all the factors in advance could I prevent troublesome incidents before they happened.
“None. Inquisitor Bardo and the Personnel Officer, two of them. A few attendants to assist them will be coming along.”
“The Personnel Officer’s name?”
“She is Miya Luxpenber. She was the third daughter of the Luxpenber Ducal Family, but now she is a member of our knights.”
Reinhardt nodded.
Inquisitor Bardo was the man I had met before.
Considering his past behavior, he wouldn’t bother Reinhardt.
The problem was the Personnel Officer.
‘Miya Luxpenber.’
I remembered that name.
She wasn’t a companion of the protagonist, but she was a character who handled all tasks related to the members of the Paganoa Knights.
Naturally, she was also someone I had to see for a long time for various reasons when choosing a companion from Paganoa.
‘That one will be a bit of a nuisance. If her personality is as I remember.’
Miya Luxpenber was a bright character.
She had grown up without any deficiencies from birth, and even after joining the Paganoa Knights, she performed her duties without much hardship thanks to her innate talent.
As a result, when there was something she wanted, she pushed for it.
Her method was usually to present conditions that were difficult for the other party to refuse.
‘She was a character who always knew exactly what the other person wanted.’
It seemed easy at a glance, but it was the most difficult thing when dealing with people.
Because only by accurately seeing through the other person's situation, emotions, and all other factors could one precisely present ‘what they want’.
But it didn’t matter.
Reinhardt's outside and inside were different.
Miya Luxpenber, who would rush in based on appearances alone, would not be able to scratch Reinhardt’s itch.
“There they come.”
Just then, Fermil spoke.
Three people appeared amidst cheerful laughter.
Led by Ethan Taton, there were Inquisitor Bardo and Miya Luxpenber, following with bright smiles.
***
Procedures were important.
Especially for a place like the Paganoa Knights, formal procedures had to be carried out without fail, even if they were unrelated to the real purpose.
For that reason, only three people were sitting in Ethan Taton’s office.
The master of the space, Ethan Taton.
The Inquisitor of Paganoa, Bardo.
And a knight of Taton, Reinhardt.
Personnel Officer Miya and Fermil had temporarily left the room. It was to deliver official reports and discuss future plans.
“Sir Reinhardt. It is a great pleasure to meet you again. I heard that you once again did not spare yourself for the sake of Serigel.”
“It was simply what needed to be done.”
“Indeed, it is so. You are the same as ever, Sir. And you will continue to be.”
“I am trying to be.”
Bardo was busy nodding his head with a look of sheer admiration for Reinhardt.
It seemed he was very pleased with this time itself.
“Were there any particular problems living with Sir Fermil?”
“I received a lot of help.”
“It seems Sir Fermil thinks so as well. Just as Dame Evangeline felt. I am simply delighted that you seemed to have been a help to each other.”
The conversation was one-sided.
Bardo offered words of goodwill, and Reinhardt appropriately received them.
However, Knight Commander Ethan Taton was just sitting beside them, keeping his place.
‘He’s strange today.’
Reinhardt observed Ethan’s mood.
Normally, he was the type of person who would have already left the room, telling them to talk comfortably.
But today was different. It was clear he was listening intently, mulling over every word of the conversation. As if he were monitoring them.
‘It doesn’t seem like he has anything particular to say. Or is the Inquisitor hiding something?’
But Inquisitor Bardo was simply thrilled to have met Reinhardt again.
There was no sense of any hidden motive, nor did he seem to have anything specific to say.
At that, Reinhardt belatedly realized.
‘He’s concerned about the Personnel Officer. Miya Luxpenber.’
Ethan Taton’s position had changed.
Unlike in the past when he tried to sell Reinhardt off one way or another, he was now planning to expand the Taton Knights.
Naturally, Reinhardt’s existence was at the center of that plan.
The moment the Personnel Officer were to take him away, Ethan’s plan would completely go up in smoke.
‘I should probably reassure him a little. If I want to talk comfortably later.’
If Ethan was watching, I had to be careful with my words, if only for the sake of image management.
Reinhardt asked Bardo for his understanding.
“Inquisitor Bardo. Would it be all right if I stepped out for a moment?”
“Of course, it is. I shall wait here.”
Bardo nodded readily. Then, Reinhardt looked at Ethan.
“Commander.”
“Ah, yes.”
Reinhardt closed the door of the Commander’s office and came out.
He could feel a faint sense of anxiety from Ethan who followed him out.
At that, Reinhardt made it clear to him.
“I will not leave Taton.”
“……What are you talking about all of a sudden? I haven’t entertained such a thought for a moment.”
“I am speaking from the heart. There will be no occasion for me to leave this place. No condition is more important than my conviction.”
“That is……”
About to say something in reply, Ethan nodded his head.
“I know.”
“So you may be at ease. You shouldn’t have to postpone your work because of me, Commander.”
“Sir Reinhardt.”
“I am not leaving.”
“Of course, I believe you, Sir. It’s just that today is an important occasion, so I was sitting here as the commander……”
Ethan closed his mouth again. Reinhardt stared at him intently.
Eventually, Ethan let out a sigh-mixed reply.
“Alright. I understand. I will do so. I forgot for a moment who I was talking to. Of all people, it’s Sir Reinhardt.”
“What you are worried about will not happen.”
“I knew you would say that, Sir. And it will indeed be so. As you said, I will go attend to my backlogged work. If I had known it would be like this, I would have chosen a different venue.”
Since the meeting was set up in the Knight Commander’s office, the Commander himself had to work elsewhere.
Of course, that was something he could gladly endure.
Ethan looked at Reinhardt one last time and nodded.
Reinhardt nodded back in response.
“Still, I should say goodbye to Inquisitor Bardo…… No, that won’t be necessary. He didn’t seem to be paying any attention to me. I will be on my way now. Please speak well of me, Sir.”
Ethan trudged away.
If one were to just look at the scene, it was as if a subordinate knight was showing his Knight Commander the door, but neither of them cared about such a fact.
Naturally, Inquisitor Bardo had a similar reaction.
“Where did Sir Ethan go?”
“He left because of an important matter. He said to ask for your understanding, Inquisitor.”
“I, of course, understand. The position of a Knight Commander is bound to carry a heavy burden.”
Bardo expressed in a roundabout way that he had little interest in Ethan.
Reinhardt was the same, so the two conversed with comfortable faces.
And naturally, both of them were waiting for Miya Luxpenber to return.
***
“What do you mean by that, Fermil? That we shouldn’t bring Reinhardt.”
The Taton Knights.
In the place prepared for receiving guests, Miya Luxpenber asked with a look of utter incomprehension.
“It is as I said. Sir Reinhardt will not come to Paganoa. He would find such a suggestion itself uncomfortable.”
“But we can’t just give up. Have you already forgotten what situation we’re in?”
“No, I know very well. But whatever offer you make, Personnel Officer, it will be meaningless.”
Fermil’s attitude was firm.
And his atmosphere was different from when he was at the knights.
He had become a person who could think of others, not just himself.
“But you want him to, don’t you?”
“Pardon?”
“You want Reinhardt to come. Am I wrong?”
“That is……”
It was a fact that was clearly visible on the surface from the beginning.
Miya had noticed it long ago, ever since she read Fermil’s letter.
‘Admiration.’
Fermil admired Reinhardt.
It wasn’t that he looked up to his skills. Knights more skilled than Fermil could be found without difficulty in Paganoa.
However, Reinhardt was a point of aspiration as a knight.
I didn't know for sure, but it was clear that he was a person whose values could be greatly shaken just by spending time with him.
“It’s alright, Fermil. That’s something I have to solve. I have that duty. To bring in the talent needed for the Paganoa Knights, and to help them exert their abilities to the fullest. That’s my job, isn’t it?”
“I know. Personnel Officer, you……”
“I’m not trying to bring him by force. Nor is there a way to do so. But to persuade Reinhardt, there must be grounds. That child is worried about the safety of Serigel, right?”
“……Yes.”
“He doesn’t know what might happen to this city when he is away. He’s shouldering that kind of worry. Am I right?”
“That is my thought. I’m not certain.”
“It’s fine. That was very helpful. More importantly, could you show me? What kind of help you received from Reinhardt.”
Miya Luxpenber naturally moved on to the next request.
In fact, what Reinhardt wanted and what conditions should be presented for him were already all in her head.
What she wanted to confirm now was the result of Reinhardt’s influence on Fermil.
“Here?”
“Here.”
“……I understand.”
Fermil reluctantly nodded and rose from his seat. He picked up the spear that was propped up beside him and aimed it forward.
Miya watched the process without missing a detail.
She was not a knight, nor did she know much about a knight’s way of fighting.
However, one thing was certain.
‘He’s shining. Very brightly.’
She could see more accurately than anyone whether the path the man before her had chosen was right or not.
Fwip.
In an instant, the spear stabbed forward several times.
It was a movement that Miya’s eyes couldn’t even properly follow.
In the first place, she wasn’t even looking at the tip of the spear. Her gaze was directed at the knight, Fermil, not the spear.
‘How can this be…….’
Fermil was shining. It looked as if he was wearing a halo.
It was a phenomenon that only her eyes, and no one else’s, could see.
The Fermil she remembered was dull. Far from shining, a heavy shadow surrounded him.
She had made all sorts of efforts to solve the problem, but such attempts were always in vain.
But now.
‘Reinhardt.’
Just by spending a few days with Knight Reinhardt, Fermil had found the path he must take.