Chapter 40
Dirk was a native who had lived in the back alleys of Lockfort for 30 years.
Naturally, his connections were so wide that he knew the names of all the citizens living in the vicinity, and he had an accurate grasp of the leaders and members of the hooligan groups.
Thanks to this, Reinhardt was able to obtain high-quality information.
It was information that a non-local would not be able to find out accurately even if it took months.
“Excellent.”
“I still have much more to tell you! For example, the rules of the card game popular among Burden’s crew……”
“I don’t need that much. More importantly, is it okay to spill the beans like this?”
“Of course, it is. You may ask as many questions as you like.”
“It seems your relationship isn’t one where you have to maintain loyalty?”
“Loyalty? Goodness, we are absolutely not in that kind of relationship! We’re always just thinking about stabbing each other in the back.”
Dirk’s face, as he spoke passionately, was on the verge of showing indignation.
“I mean, isn’t it true? Those crews are parasites in the dark corners of the city, eating away at public order, and I……”
“You are different?”
“Is there any doubt? I am absolutely not one of those kinds!”
“How are you different?”
Reinhardt asked with a smirk.
Dirk’s expression became even more indignant.
“As you know, Sir Knight, nine out of ten people who come this deep into the back alleys are of that kind.”
“I suppose so.”
“So most of the ones who pay me tolls are also those kinds of people. I have never harmed the good citizens of Lockfort.”
“Isn’t it the same that you extort tolls even if the person is a lost citizen?”
“It is not extorting. Not at all. If a citizen of Lockfort gets lost. And they don't have the strength to protect themselves. If we assume that.”
Dirk was very serious as he explained.
“If they can get out of here for 5 silver, they would gladly accept the offer. Thinking they were lucky. In fact, in most such cases, they paid 7 silver and escaped this place with my escort.”
“So you did receive money in the end?”
“I received thanks as well. You wouldn’t know how grateful they all were, Sir Knight. Among the folks I helped, there’s a friend named Mack who runs a restaurant……”
Dirk reeled off a list of ‘witnesses’.
He said they were all people who had expressed their gratitude to him.
“Besides, when they clearly look clueless, I don’t act threateningly like before. I make the offer kindly. Do you want to get out? Then just pay 7 silver……”
Even to Reinhardt’s ears, it was extremely reasonable.
The amount of money Dirk was taking was suspiciously small considering the situation.
“It seems like an amount that would make it hard to even make ends meet.”
“Not really. The crews I mentioned earlier, right? Those guys never walk alone. Sometimes, ten of them swarm around. So, they pay once on their way here, and once on their way back. Just by taking that, isn’t that already 1 gold?”
“Interesting.”
Dirk had his own business philosophy.
The main targets of his toll collection were the hooligans of Lockfort’s back alleys.
What if a good citizen unintentionally wandered in here?
He would take a pittance and help them return home safely.
‘He’s truly conscientious.’
I didn't know why they paid tolls to Dirk.
But just from what he said, there was nothing in Dirk’s ‘business’ that could be faulted.
‘Bitdori also seems to have no particular feelings. And no special message is coming to mind.’
Then, at least by Reinhardt’s standards, he was not an evil person.
Although he intended to get help anyway, it meant there was no need to beat him up.
“Let’s go to your place. Lead the way.”
“Pardon?”
“Your place. I don’t like to repeat myself.”
“Ah, no, that’s not it. I mean, why are you insisting on going to our house……?”
“Because the conversation will be long.”
“Then there is a better place. There’s a restaurant I know near here!”
Dirk was flustered.
At that, Reinhardt raised an eyebrow.
“Was the story about your siblings a lie?”
“Absolutely not. It’s because I’m worried my siblings might get scared. It’s true.”
“On my honor as a knight, I will not harm your siblings. As long as they haven’t committed a crime.”
“They are different from me. They are very sound, sincere, and also…… kind. Yes, very kind.”
“Then there’s no need to worry.”
Even after that, Dirk hesitated for a moment longer.
Only when Reinhardt was about to show his displeasure did Dirk answer.
“Understood. I will take you. This way.”
***
In front of Dirk’s dwelling, set deep in the alley, Reinhardt asked with a dumbfounded expression.
“This is a house?”
“It’s a cozy house, indeed.”
It was closer to a shed than a house.
No, even a shed would be more comfortable than this.
Wasn’t this just a bunch of wooden planks roughly woven together?
“Actually, there’s something I need to save money for. I’m just grateful to my siblings for enduring it.”
“The option of raising the toll?”
“That’s not possible. A fight would break out if I did that.”
Dirk had clear standards.
Feeling interested in that, Reinhardt gestured with his chin.
“I’ll just greet your siblings. It doesn’t seem like a suitable environment for a conversation.”
“Understood. I’m home!”
Dirk announced his arrival inside first.
The sound of him saying he had stopped by for a moment and that a distinguished guest had come could be heard outside.
Then Dirk peeked his head out.
“Will you come in?”
“There’s no need to go inside. Just exchanging greetings is enough.”
In the first place, there wasn't enough space for five people to enter.
Reinhardt just poked his head through the wooden planks.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“Oh, oh!”
“Are you a real knight?”
An intense reaction erupted.
There were two younger brothers with an impression similar to Dirk, and one younger sister with a completely different impression.
“This is, uh, Sir Knight. What was your name?”
“Reinhardt of the Taton Knights.”
“Thank you. This is Sir Reinhardt, and this is.”
“I’m Luke!”
“I’m Hark, Sir Knight!”
“I’m Irien!”
Dirk’s siblings greeted him cheerfully in succession.
And Reinhardt momentarily froze.
“Wait, what was your name?”
“I’m Luke……”
“No, did you say Irien?”
“Yes! I’m! Irien!”
Unlike her menacing-looking older brothers, the girl, who looked to be about 8 or 9 years old, answered energetically.
Her expression was as bright as could be.
And her characteristic was her flaming red hair.
“Irien?”
“Ye-es! I am Irien!”
Reinhardt nodded and pulled his head out from between the planks.
Then he stared into the air and pondered.
‘Irien? That Irien?’
Irien was definitely a name in Reinhardt’s memory.
Not just himself, but anyone who had played Soul Calibur would surely know it.
‘Irien, the Sorceress of Hellfire?’
Because she was the name of the most troublesome mid-boss who, despite being human and not a demon, blocked the protagonist’s journey.
***
Reinhardt moved to a nearby restaurant with Dirk.
Dirk seemed unsettled. He must have sensed some anxiety from Reinhardt’s mood.
“Uh, Sir Knight?”
“Dirk. How old are your siblings?”
“Luke is twenty-one, Hark is seventeen, and Irien is nine.”
“There’s quite an age gap.”
“Well, actually, we’re not blood siblings.”
“I see. You weren’t blood siblings. What do your siblings do?”
“Luke is learning carpentry. Hark is learning to bake bread. And Irien is not yet of an age to work.”
That’s right.
At nine, she was at an age where she should be playing outside or learning something, far from working.
Reinhardt recalled the sharp voice from his memories.
-Burn!
-My hatred does not cool!
-I will burn everything! Even your hopes!
Irien, cloaked in flames with glowing red eyes, was the very epitome of madness.
The strategy to defeat her was also very tricky.
One had to be fully equipped with water-attribute gear, bring the Great Water Spirit, or sacrifice one or two companions as offerings to barely pass.
‘The possibility that the kid I just saw is the same person as that Irien is.’
The sorceress Irien was an enemy of humanity.
She was a great barrier that blocked the advance of humanity, a sorceress who made countless players smash their keyboards.
And also.
-Reinhardt! Knight Reinhardt!
-I hate you! It was you who fanned my flames!
-A human who joined hands with demons? To me, you were no different from a demon! O Knight of Hypocrisy, Reinhardt!
She was also a person who hated Reinhardt more than anyone else.
‘The reason why Irien hated Reinhardt was never properly revealed.’
I just thought that something must have happened in the lore.
Mainly because the clues provided by the game company were too few.
“Uh, Sir Knight?”
“Hmm.”
At Dirk’s call, Reinhardt broke off his thoughts.
And facing Dirk’s anxious expression, he realized.
‘Wait a minute. Could it be?’
A plausible hypothesis formed in his mind.
‘Did I kill Dirk? No, what if it wasn’t me, but the Reinhardt in the story killed Dirk? The situation was plausible enough.’
Reinhardt, when faced with evil, does not hold back.
To him, a thug who ‘extorts money’ would naturally be a target for judgment.
‘Even if he didn’t kill him, he could have thrown him in jail.’
Perhaps Luke and Hark were also caught up in it.
Being close siblings, they wouldn’t have let Dirk be dragged away meekly.
If so.
If Irien experienced such an event, and that’s why she hated Reinhardt.
“Dirk.”
“Yes.”
“I’m just asking, just in case, but didn’t your sister have a special talent?”
“A t-talent? I have absolutely, uh, nothing like that.”
Dirk was noticeably flustered.
This was as good as an affirmative answer.
“I am a knight, Dirk. I was born with a slightly more sensitive knight’s sense than ordinary people. I am skilled at glimpsing the talents of others.”
“I, uh, don’t quite understand what you’re talking about……”
Dirk kept making excuses. Reinhardt changed the direction of the conversation.
“Alright. Anyway, you said you needed to save money.”
“Yes? Yes. That’s right.”
“I heard your earnings are not small. Luke and Hark must also be earning money, so you could have moved to a new place whenever you wanted.”
“That is true.”
“It seems you need a very large sum of money. Isn’t that so?”
“Yes, honestly, it’s an amount that we don’t know when we’ll be able to save up.”
“What is the money for?”
“That is……”
The thread of conversation was cut again.
Only then could Reinhardt grasp the whole picture.
From why Dirk and his two brothers were saving money, to the path Irien took to become a sorceress who hated humans.
“Irien has a talent for magic. Doesn’t she?”
Hiiik.
Dirk turned pale and made a sound like air escaping from a balloon.
It was the most certain affirmative answer of all.