Chapter 41
[Serial Post) Found the kid Irien…….]
[Still very pure…….]
[I must send her to the academy, right? I must make her humanity’s savior, right?]
└Anonymous1: ㅋㅋNo way, you found Irien?
└Anonymous2: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Anonymous3: What’s with the suddennessㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Author: Irien doesn’t hate Reinhardt yet…….
└Anonymous2: But is that really Irien?
In the post Reinhardt registered, there was a still-bright Irien.
Except for her hair color, her appearance was such that one couldn't even guess she was the same person.
Irien at that time had literally been blinded by hatred.
Then, now.
Faced with this situation, what was it that Reinhardt had to do?
‘I must send her to the academy. And to the best one at that. A place that values talent over money.’
There were numerous magic academies scattered throughout the Empire.
A commonality was the fact that the tuition was outrageously expensive.
Also, each academy required extremely strict admission qualifications.
And among them, the Floran Imperial Academy was a place that required only ‘outstanding talent’ as its admission qualification.
‘If she’s really that Irien, she more than meets the qualifications.’
Reinhardt pushed all the questions from his mind.
Why, of all places, was that Irien here.
That wasn't the important issue. In any case, it had happened, and Reinhardt had to deal with it.
‘That’s how games are.’
Thinking so, Reinhardt opened his mouth.
“So, you’re saying Irien has a talent for magic.”
“……Yes, that’s probably it. No, I’m sure of it. The other day, as soon as she read the grimoire I got for her, something flashed from her hand.”
Dirk, as he spoke, resembled a criminal confessing obediently.
At first, he had tried his best to hide it, but he had succumbed to Reinhardt’s persistent questioning.
“How did you get the grimoire? It must have been quite expensive.”
“Actually, it was stolen goods. I bought stolen goods for a cheap price. At first, I didn’t even know it was a grimoire. They said it was a book with strange characters written in it, so I bought it for fun.”
“Turned out to be a grimoire. And I suppose Irien was the reason you found out.”
“That’s right.”
“Was it, by any chance, a grimoire that deals with fire?”
At the casually thrown question, Dirk’s eyes widened as he asked back.
“How did you…….”
“It was just a guess. Because magic that deals with fire is the most common.”
Just because one had a talent for magic didn’t mean they could handle all magic proficiently.
Each mage had their specialty, and in Irien’s case, it was fire.
She was particularly exceptional at large-scale area-of-effect magic like [Wide-Area Explosion], [Rain of Fire], and [Boiling Earth].
‘The number of users who were wiped out by that was not just one or two. It was a wide-area skill that would unconditionally wipe everyone out if not dealt with properly.’
If it was like that in the game, it was obvious what would happen if faced with it in reality.
Reinhardt came to a conclusion.
What he had to do in this situation was clear.
“Alright, Dirk. Let’s do this.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“I will sponsor Irien.”
“Wh-what? What do you mean all of a sudden?”
Dirk asked back, startled.
A faint wariness was cast over his face.
It was because the offer made so abruptly was too suspicious.
“No, sponsoring, you mean, like what the noble lords usually do……?”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking. First, take this.”
“Yes? Wh-what is this?”
Reinhardt handed over a leather pouch.
It was the jewel pouch he had received from Mayor Graham of Serigel as a ‘reward’.
“And this too.”
He then took out all the gold coins he had saved up from his life so far and handed them over.
Dirk, who received it with a reluctant expression, checked the contents.
His face turned pale in an instant.
“A-a-are these, I mean, real jewels?”
“They are jewels. You can probably handle selling them for their proper price. If you’re thinking of passing them to a fence, I can exchange them for gold coins for you instead.”
“No, that’s not it! It’s not that, I mean, are you really giving this to me? But why?”
“It’s for the tuition for the Floran Imperial Academy.”
Now Dirk’s mouth fell wide open.
Seeing the corners of his eyes tremble anxiously, it seemed he had many thoughts.
“……I can’t accept this. This is too much money. There’s no reason for a knight like you to give me such a large sum, is there?”
What was revealed next was a wariness he couldn’t hide.
It was a reaction born from his love for his sister and his experience of being pushed around by people so far.
“The later her admission is, the more your sister’s innate talent will fade. The talent for magic, you see, only shows its true worth when the body and mind are not yet complete.”
“I know. I’ve heard such stories, but……”
“So take it.”
“But, why on earth are you doing this for us?”
In the end, the reason was what was important.
A reason for Dirk to let go of his worries and obediently accept the favor.
‘So that he will feel grateful to me.’
Reinhardt did not want to incur Irien’s wrath.
Nor did he want her to become an enemy of humanity.
The best judgment he could make in the current situation was in a direction that would make Irien, who had finally blossomed her talent, feel that she was ‘indebted’ to Reinhardt.
“It is my duty as a knight loyal to the Empire, Dirk.”
“Duty, you say?”
“Your sister will one day become an outstanding mage. The more outstanding mages there are, the stronger the Empire’s power becomes. If that can be a reason, then that is the reason.”
“That kind of……”
Dirk didn’t know much about knights and mages.
No matter how much one talked about the Empire’s national power and whatnot, it wasn’t very important to people like Dirk.
But in any case, a reason was needed.
A reason for Dirk to trust the knight before him and willingly accept the favor.
“Are all knights usually like that?”
“Not everyone is. So, will you take it?”
The answer was already decided.
Dirk, after checking the contents of the pouch again, bowed his head deeply.
“……Thank you, Sir Knight.”
He still looked half-convinced.
But he wouldn't want to miss the opportunity for Irien to receive a proper education.
He must have also judged that someone like Reinhardt was a trustworthy enough person.
At that point, Reinhardt didn’t give Dirk time to think.
“Let’s hurry a bit. It would be good to get the preparations for the admission application done today.”
“A-admission? But the period for submitting applications must be fixed. This year’s has already passed, and it probably won’t be possible until next spring.”
“I can solve that problem.”
To be precise, it meant he knew someone who could solve it.
Unlike Reinhardt, who had straightforwardly swung his sword, a ‘friend’ who had focused on socializing with high-ranking officials was here in Lockfort with him.
***
Reinhardt rented a special room and arranged for Dirk to stay there with his siblings.
They had thrown away their old luggage, and since they only packed what was necessary, they had arrived with almost nothing but the clothes on their backs.
“Th-thank you so much, Sir Knight.”
“I am only doing my duty as a knight. You’ve kept it a secret from your siblings, right?”
“Yes, they have no idea. I just told them that you took pity on us, something like that.”
“Well done.”
Dirk was repeatedly expressing his gratitude to Reinhardt.
Even so, he would occasionally tilt his head as if the situation was strange, but in any case, he seemed to be obediently accepting the given situation.
‘What a relief that he’s not a villain.’
At that, Reinhardt felt a fresh sense of relief.
What if Dirk had been a cheap villain like the others.
And what if he had already been thrown in prison.
And if Irien had found out about that and become a villain who got angry just at the mention of the name Reinhardt.
“Ah, Dirk. Irien also wants to be admitted to the academy, right?”
“Of course! Though she doesn’t say it openly to us. Our Irien is a very thoughtful child.”
“I see. And the three of you saved up money for that Irien.”
“Yes, we tried to save up at least a year’s worth of tuition somehow. We heard that even if the second year would be difficult, if she could just get in and learn something, she could become a mage.”
“If she has the talent, she could get a scholarship too.”
“We had that hope too. And we still do. Honestly, I don’t know what you’ll think, but our Irien is a real genius. Even I, who knows nothing about magic, can see it!”
She was probably a genius.
To the extent that she would be counted on one hand even on an Empire-wide scale.
“I understand. First, so that Irien isn’t surprised…… No, wait a minute. Let me ask one more thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Is there anyone else who knows about Irien’s talent?”
According to the story, Irien had taken the hand of a demon.
That meant a demon had noticed Irien’s talent and had approached her first.
“No one. Absolutely no one. Only Hark, Luke, and I know.”
“No one knows, you say. Is there no possibility that someone might have spied on her? For instance, seeing Irien handle a small flame.”
“That, I honestly don’t know. One of the three of us was always by Irien’s side, though.”
It meant that it wasn’t at a level he could be sure of.
Having confirmed that much, Reinhardt sent Dirk up. Along with the words to take good care of Irien so she wouldn’t feel anxious.
‘There can be no variables.’
Irien absolutely had to be admitted to the academy in good health.
Only then would the ‘real protagonist’ have a slightly easier time in the process of dealing with demons in the future.
And the burden on himself would be reduced by that much.
Reinhardt sat on the first floor of the inn and waited for Fermil.
He checked the time and tapped his foot lightly in his impatience.
“Reinhardt? You’re back first today.”
And as soon as Fermil arrived.
Reinhardt, revealing his urgency without filter, pulled him over and sat him down.
“Fermil. Sit for a moment. I have an urgent favor to ask.”
“A favor? What kind of favor, no, Reinhardt?”
Fermil looked flustered.
He seemed to feel that this was uncharacteristic of Reinhardt.
“What on earth is going on? Don’t tell me you found something?”
“No. It’s unrelated to this mission. It’s a personal favor, but in a broader sense, it’s for the Empire too.”
“Is it the ‘thing that must be done’ that you always talk about?”
“That’s right.”
Only then did Fermil’s expression turn serious.
“First, tell me. I’ll help with whatever it is.”
“The Floran Imperial Academy, you know of it, right?”
“Of course. It would be rarer to find a citizen of the Empire who doesn’t know the name Floran.”
“There’s a little girl with a talent for magic. She has immense talent, but her circumstances don’t allow her to receive a proper education.”
“I see. So?”
“That child must be admitted within this year.”
Fermil’s expression became one of doubt.
“But they won’t be accepting any more new students this year.”
“That’s why I’m telling you.”
“What do you mean, that’s why. Even for me……”
“Because a knight of Paganoa like Fermil would have a way.”
However, this alone was not enough to persuade him.
To get Fermil’s active help, it was first necessary to show him a basis he could be sure of.
“Let’s go to the second floor.”
“The second floor? You’ve already brought her here?”
Reinhardt nodded.
“You too, Fermil, will come to think the same as me after you see it.”