Chapter 37
The goal was simple.
To bring the Knight of Taton, Reinhardt, under the name of Paganoa.
Miya Luxpenber hardened her resolve.
It was a heart akin to that of a general preparing for war.
If a knight faced the enemy with sword and armor, she faced demons with the weapon of insight.
“Inquisitor? It seems it was a pleasant conversation. Your expression is incredibly bright, isn’t it?”
As soon as she arrived at the Knight Commander’s office, Miya found Inquisitor Bardo smiling brightly.
The sight of him, who was always blunt, revealing this much emotion was not a common one.
“It was truly enjoyable. I am certain you will feel the same, Miya. Sir Reinhardt has a talent for making his conversation partner happy. And Sir Fermil?”
“He’s waiting for you, Inquisitor. But I don’t see the Commander? Where did he go?”
“He said he had urgent business. I heard from Sir Reinhardt.”
“That’s unexpected……?”
Miya tilted her head.
For someone who had been so wary, he had left his seat all too easily.
‘Was I mistaken?’
She pondered for a moment, but it couldn’t be.
Miya’s insight had never produced a wrong answer.
“I must go to Sir Fermil. There is something to discuss. Let us meet again later, Sir Reinhardt.”
Inquisitor Bardo quickly took his leave.
The only person left was Reinhardt.
“Nice to meet you. We already exchanged greetings earlier, right?”
“Yes. Personnel Officer.”
Miya sat down facing Reinhardt with a good-natured smile. She naturally observed his expression, but no particular emotion was visible.
‘A straightforward, calm, and righteous knight.’
That was Miya’s first impression of Reinhardt.
But it was only his outward appearance.
Miya had indirectly heard glimpses of his true nature through Evangeline, Fermil, and Bardo.
“I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“It wasn’t anything that great.”
“Slaying the incarnated Agrio-s is not something just anyone can do. It’s not an easy task even for a knight of Paganoa.”
Miya naturally started the conversation. Planning to approach step by step, one at a time.
However.
“If you have nothing particular to say, may I leave? I haven't done my patrol yet.”
“……Pardon?”
“Do you have an important matter, that is, something you must tell me right here in this place?”
“I do! I do! It’s a very, very important matter.”
“Then I will listen. Please make it as brief as possible.”
Look at this kid. Miya thought so without realizing it.
The knight before her was a veritable iron wall.
He was the type to get up and leave at a moment’s notice unless it was a ‘really important’ matter, no matter what she said.
And when the opponent had this kind of personality, the course of action Miya took was fixed.
“Then I’ll be direct. Would you like to join Paganoa?”
“I will not.”
A sharp reply came back.
But as she had expected it, Miya was not daunted.
“You’re worried about Serigel, right?”
“Yes.”
“Paganoa will dispatch sufficient personnel. So that this city can be safely protected in case of an emergency. How about that?”
“I will not go.”
This time, she hadn't expected it.
“……Why?”
“I do not entrust my burdens to others.”
“Knights from Paganoa will come. Experienced and skilled.”
“That is not the important issue. This is something I must do.”
“Then……”
“Besides, don’t the knights of Paganoa have many duties to perform? Although I don’t know much, I have heard that each of them is in charge of very important tasks.”
“There are many, but……”
“But if you dispatch personnel to Serigel, a gap in forces will be created somewhere in the Empire. I do not have the ability to fill that void.”
It felt like the iron wall was growing two, three layers thicker.
Miya Luxpenber admitted it.
The young knight before her was a formidable opponent.
Just from the short exchange, she could keenly feel that he was a more difficult opponent than anyone she had ever met.
“Then how about I ask this way? I saw potential in you, Sir Reinhardt. And so did others besides me.”
“I do not follow uncertain possibilities.”
“I have an eye for talent.”
“I will be honest with you. I cannot believe your words, Personnel Officer. Even if it were true, this is my duty. I cannot entrust it to someone else.”
Wow.
Miya let out an exclamation of admiration without realizing it.
Reinhardt was the real deal.
A true knight.
Old-fashioned but honest, frustrating but straightforward.
‘There’s still a kid like this left?’
The world had changed long ago.
The chivalry of hundreds of years ago had been reduced to a joke, and it was a world where the faintly remaining remnants barely protected the identity of a knight.
Miya felt like she was looking at the past.
A long time ago.
It felt as if she had glimpsed an era where they held swords for honor, threw themselves into fire for the weak, and did not break their will even before a roaring dragon.
“You will never accept it, will you, Sir Reinhardt? No matter what I say?”
“Yes. May I go now?”
“Just a little more. Just a little. Would you consider accepting if the Knight Commander orders it? Or a royal command, or perhaps……”
“I will do what I must, in the place where I must be.”
Miya’s energy drained away.
It felt like talking to a wall would not be as hopeless as this.
It had been seven long years since she left her family at the age of 20 to work as Paganoa’s Personnel Officer.
For the first time, Miya Luxpenber acknowledged the possibility that she might be defeated.
“I get it. I get it. No, wait! Really, this is the last thing!”
Miya shot up and grabbed the knight who was about to leave.
There was no emotion in Reinhardt’s expression as he looked back.
It meant that he looked as if he had no thoughts at all, just like looking at a desk or a chair.
“Could you just hold the sword once? If you just grant me this one request, I won’t bother you anymore……”
“I did not feel bothered. Do I just need to hold the sword?”
“It would be great if you could draw it. Even better if you could move it slightly.”
“What do you mean by move it?”
“I mean show me the motion of cutting an enemy. Like this, in the air.”
Miya awkwardly demonstrated.
Reinhardt nodded and drew his sword.
Shing.
A cool sound pierced her ears.
Miya looked at Reinhardt with serious eyes.
She ignored the movement and tried hard to find the trace of light.
The sword moved. It cut through the air.
And.
‘……Huh?’
Miya saw the light.
Reinhardt’s light was bright enough to be counted on ten fingers even considering all her experience.
Each time the sword moved, the light grew stronger.
Miya watched the scene, mesmerized, and then flinched at the voice that followed.
“What is wrong?”
Reinhardt was looking at her.
The brilliant light was gradually fading.
His expression was so calm that Miya could only shake her head.
“No, no! It’s nothing at all! Then this is confirmed!”
“Pardon?”
“Sir Reinhardt is staying with the Taton Knights. No, I mean, you can do whatever you want! Anything!”
Reinhardt was already walking the right path.
He was following the path led by fate.
There was no room for Miya Luxpenber to intervene. On the contrary, if she did intervene, she might mess up the well-flowing stream of water.
“Then is it over?”
“Over! Completely over! I will never make such a suggestion again. Of course, you can come if you want to. The doors of Paganoa will always be open. You’ve worked hard! Thank you!”
Miya offered a handshake. As soon as Reinhardt accepted it, she left the Taton Knight Commander’s office without any lingering attachment.
Reinhardt was left alone.
Alone, he was looking at the door Miya had closed behind her with an ambiguous expression.
“This is troublesome.”
Reinhardt muttered in a low voice.
“This is really troublesome.”
He was not pleased with the conclusion of the conversation.
The fact that Miya Luxpenber had given up and left so meekly made Reinhardt feel a profound sense of crisis.
***
[Hey guys, Miya Luxpenber is that guide NPC, right?]
[Is it right to just do what she says for job class and item builds?]
ㄴAnonymous1: yeah
ㄴAnonymous1: if you’re a min-maxer, just doing what she says is the easiest
ㄴOriginal Poster: So she calculates stats and all that for you?
ㄴAnonymous1: she just tells you the most efficient build at the moment
ㄴOriginal Poster: Ah, thx thx
“Right, what I remember is correct.”
Reinhardt closed the community forum.
The post left by someone perfectly matched his memory.
Miya Luxpenber.
She was a helper NPC that the developers had put in for beginners or users who didn’t want to be stressed about character development.
She was a perfect helper who not only served as a combat power meter but also guided item builds and sometimes even analyzed the efficiency of the growth path.
Of course, she was a character one could only meet after unlocking the Paganoa Knights, but in any case, it meant that once unlocked, not only the protagonist character but also the companions could have a perfectly efficient setup.
She even analyzed the efficiency of party composition if several people visited her together.
For example, by pointing out a lack of tanks or dealers.
“Why aren’t you holding on.”
And the setting that supported such an ability was the innate ability Miya was born with.
-You are already shining. I don’t think I have any more advice to give you.
-How about choosing the path of magic rather than close-quarters combat? Huh?
-Sorry! The light is fainter than I expected. I don’t think you’re a mage! Want to try a bow?
It was a system where one could tell how well the setup was done by the degree of the halo.
It was a system that calculated not only the setup of equipment and skills but also whether the ongoing quest was appropriate.
“Why are you giving up already. You weren’t that kind of character.”
Miya Luxpenber had clearly left without a shred of lingering attachment.
It was obvious that she was satisfied with Reinhardt’s current state.
That meant that Reinhardt was on a very ‘correct’ path.
“This is really driving me crazy.”
“Ppi?”
“I’m going crazy, Bitdori.”
“Ppi? Ppi?”
Bitdori tilted its head with a cheerful expression as always.
About to explain something more to it, Reinhardt let out a deep sigh.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Miya shouldn’t have given up here.
She was a character who should have been persistent, visiting over and over again like Liu Bei who went to see Zhuge Liang.
“So you’re saying I’m on a very correct path. A heroic path that can wipe out all the demons.”
Should I just go to Paganoa instead?
Or should I leave Serigel?
Reinhardt rubbed his face and pondered.
But what about the foundation he had already built here, and even if he left this place, where would he go?
Click.
Reinhardt opened the community forum.
With a glimmer of hope, he wrote a post with the feeling of scratching a lottery ticket.
[Serial Post) Miya Luxpenber << Can she be wrong?]
[Lore-wise, that could be possible, right? She can’t be 100% accurate all the time, can she?]
ㄴAnonymous1: nah, she’s accurate
ㄴOriginal Poster: She could be wrong
ㄴAnonymous1: I’m telling you she’s accurate. It’s developer official
ㄴOriginal Poster: There could be a bug
ㄴAnonymous1: then you could get struck by lightning and die so just stay cooped up at home lol
ㄴOriginal Poster: Thanks for the concern
Reinhardt closed the community forum.
Closed it, and thought.
‘I need to find the protagonist.’
The true protagonist of the story.
The hero who would join forces with trustworthy companions and ultimately wipe out evil from this world.
‘Since it has come to this, I’ll go with twisting the story.’
The protagonist, who must be dormant somewhere, yet to sprout their talent, was desperately needed by Reinhardt now.