Chapter 42
The little Irien was just happy.
There were many people around today. Not only her three older brothers, but even people she had never seen before were watching Irien’s talent show.
“If I do this! Fire comes out! It’s hot, so be careful!”
A flame flickered to life on her small palm.
The size of the flame grew and shrank repeatedly.
Its shape also kept changing.
From a round sphere to a triangle, and soon it took a form resembling a single flower.
“It’s magic! Thank you!”
Irien was imitating the speech of a street medicine peddler.
It was a sight she had seen by chance one day. They put on a clumsy performance, offered words of gratitude, and then sold medicine.
It had been such a fun performance that Irien had thought she’d like to try the medicine at least once.
“I-it’s over……!”
However, Irien realized something was strange.
Her brothers’ reactions were different from usual.
They didn’t clap, nor did they pat her on the head telling her she did well.
“As expected of our Irien!”
At least Dirk alone patted Irien’s head.
But it was awkward.
It didn't seem like he was genuinely proud.
“I don’t feel good.”
Irien’s face crumpled.
She didn’t want to use magic anymore.
The flow of mana scattered listlessly.
“I-Irien! No! You did really well! This brother was so moved again today, right. That’s why it was hard to react!”
“Is that so?”
“Of course!”
“What about brother Luke and brother Hark?”
“Us too! The flower I saw at the end, I think it was the first time I’ve seen it? Right? Did you study a new one?”
“I made a new one! I practiced hard to show it to my brothers!”
Only then did Irien feel a little better.
Her brothers’ heartfelt praise was the driving force that allowed her to study magic.
And.
Watching such an Irien, Fermil muttered.
“You were right.”
“Right?”
“This child is undoubtedly a genius. I’ll make contact right away. Fortunately, there’s someone among the faculty I was close to……”
Reinhardt is always right.
If he says it must be done, it must be done, and if he says to go, then one must go.
That belief became much firmer from this moment.
“A child like this, her very existence can be called a blessing to the Empire. If I explain it well, she could take the test within this week, perhaps even as early as tomorrow.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“I’ll go first. I need to send the letter right away.”
Fermil left the inn room with hurried steps.
This was a matter worth postponing the immediate mission for.
The Paganoa Knights, after all, were also loyal to the Empire.
‘This makes it certain.’
And Reinhardt, too, gained certainty.
Irien’s talent was real. If things had followed the official history, she would have one day become a great wall blocking humanity’s advance.
But Reinhardt had bent the determined flow.
If he could just get her admitted to the academy, Irien would one day become a reliable ally of humanity and stand against the demons.
‘I can probably say I’ve twisted the main story for sure with just this.’
This alone was an encouraging achievement.
It would be a much greater help to his survival than raising [Justice] by 1 or 2 points.
Irien started playing with the flame again.
Luke and Hark continuously exclaimed in admiration and clapped, and beside them was Bitdori, who couldn’t take its eyes off the flame as if it were fascinating.
“Dirk.”
Reinhardt called Dirk in a low voice.
As he quietly came out of the room, Dirk soon followed after him, glancing around.
“Sir Knight.”
“The fellow who just left is a knight from the Paganoa Knights. You’ve probably heard the name?”
“Paganoa? Ah, is that, that knight order that fights demons?”
“Yes.”
Dirk’s eyes widened.
“Then were you also such a person, Sir Knight?”
“I’m not. For certain reasons, I’m just carrying out a mission with him right now. In any case, what’s important now isn’t what we’re doing.”
“That’s right.”
“Irien will be able to take the entrance exam within this week. She will definitely pass, and after that, she will live in the dormitory. She will be staying in an environment where she can focus solely on learning magic.”
Dirk had an expression of being deeply moved.
“This is all thanks to your help, Sir Knight. I truly……”
“It means she will have to live separately from you.”
“Isn’t that a matter of course? We have no intention of being that greedy either.”
“You guys might be. Since you’re all grown up. But what about Irien?”
The current Irien was just a nine-year-old kid.
Dirk, Hark, and Luke were her family.
Although she had said she wanted to enter the academy, if she found out she had to live away from her family.
“She might have to leave as early as tomorrow.”
“I’ll talk to her. Irien is a smart kid, so she’ll understand. By any chance, does the Imperial Academy also have things like vacations?”
“Of course, it does. Also, if you go to visit, you can meet her anytime. As long as it’s not during lecture hours.”
Dirk nodded his head with a look of firm resolve.
“Yes, I will definitely……”
“Dirk! Where are you! Dirk!”
It was then.
Someone was looking for Dirk from the first floor of the inn.
Reinhardt’s and Dirk’s eyes met. Dirk seemed to have no idea, and Reinhardt gestured with his chin.
“That guy, who is he?”
“He’s one of Burden’s gang.”
“Go on. I’ll wait here.”
Nod.
Dirk went down the stairs with a composed look.
Reinhardt hid on the second-floor railing and only listened.
“Leor. What is it?”
“So you were here! Dirk! What made you leave your spot? What were you doing here?”
“None of your business, pal. Just tell me what’s up.”
“A dispute has arisen. With Louis’s guys.”
“A dispute?”
“The boss wants to see you. A situation that needs coordination. He’d like you to come by this evening if possible.”
The punk from Lockfort was clearly deferential in his attitude towards Dirk.
‘What kind of relationship is this?’
It was a sight that was hard for Reinhardt to understand.
Dirk was alone.
He had his brothers, but unlike Dirk, they all seemed to be working quite diligently.
If so, wouldn’t the side with more numbers usually be the one to swagger around?
“It’s difficult today. I have something to do.”
“What is it that you’re being so evasive? Is it something related to your siblings?”
“I think I told you. It’s none of your business.”
“Calm down. Calm down. I was just asking out of curiosity. Besides, the boss told me to relay this. If you solve this one issue, he’ll pay you 120 gold.”
“I’m busy today. I’ll make time tomorrow.”
“There is no tomorrow. If you don’t come today, the gold evaporates into thin air.”
“I don’t need it, so get lost.”
120 gold was an excessive amount for a ‘passage fee’.
The argument continued.
The punk named Leor seemed anxious. It seemed to be a situation where he absolutely needed Dirk’s help, as he did not give up easily.
It was at that moment.
“Piiiiiiit!”
Flash.
With a loud cry, a streak of light shot out from the room.
It was Bitdori.
The creature flew like an arrow to the first floor of the inn, scattering light in all directions.
‘Don’t tell me, again?’
The moment Reinhardt thought it, his concern hit the mark precisely.
“Aargh!”
A scream and a loud noise echoed through the inn.
He didn't know for sure, but it was clear that a few tables and chairs had been smashed.
“Wh-what! I didn’t hit him! I’m telling you I didn’t!”
Dirk’s excuse was filled with a sense of bewilderment.
Reinhardt was just as bewildered.
No matter how much Bitdori disliked punks, it had never shown such a violent reaction before…….
‘No.’
Reinhardt realized a step too late.
Bitdori only exerted its power when dealing with beings related to demons.
“Dirk-! Step back!”
Reinhardt shouted as he ran down the stairs.
He saw Dirk at a loss, and the innkeeper looking perplexed at Dirk and the fallen man.
“S-Sir Knight! It wasn’t me! It really wasn……”
“Get back!”
It was fortunate that it was a time with few people around.
“You there too!”
The innkeeper also fled into the kitchen, startled.
Reinhardt tensed up and glared at the fallen man.
In the meantime, Bitdori frantically waved its short arms, and the man just groaned, “Ugh, ugh,” and twitched.
“Sir Knight.”
“Dirk. What is your relationship with that fellow?”
“I-it’s not much of a relationship. As you saw earlier, if they ask for help, I go and help, I mean, I help them reconcile, I just……”
“And get paid for it?”
“Ye-yes. That’s right. That’s all.”
“Go up and stay by your siblings’ side. I’ll take care of things here.”
“Yes, sir!”
Dirk also hastily left the scene.
He might not know the details, but he seemed to have grasped that the situation was taking a strange turn.
‘They were after Irien.’
Reinhardt had already intuited it.
There must have been some kind of trigger, and because of it, Irien’s talent had been revealed to the world.
Perhaps they had been targeting her for a long time.
Thinking up to that point, Reinhardt grabbed Bitdori and stopped it.
“Pit!”
“Calm down.”
“Piiiii……”
Reinhardt checked the condition of the limp man.
He wasn’t dead, as he was still breathing.
‘But you never know. He might suddenly use an exploding scroll.’
Safety was the top priority.
He had to think of his own safety, of course, but also the safety of the genius mage Irien, whom he absolutely had to protect.
“Let’s move him outside.”
“Pit.”
It was time for Bitdori’s help.
The creature lifted the man into the air.
“……Wait a minute.”
“Pit?”
To Reinhardt’s eyes, it wasn’t strange, but to an outsider, it would be a bizarre sight.
“We need to change his posture a bit. Grab him by the back of the neck here, so at a glance it looks like he’s walking…… Right. Like that.”
Bitdori changed the man’s posture.
He was held upright by the back of his collar.
From a distance, it would look like he was being dragged along.
“And a robe over this. Good. That’s it.”
With a robe on, it looked quite natural.
“Let’s go. To a place with no people.”
“Pit.”
Bitdori led the way, dragging the man, while Reinhardt followed, maintaining a safe distance.
If anything happened, the spirit would never die or get hurt. It would just disappear for a certain period and then reappear.
“Lay him down here, and let’s start by checking his belongings.”
Only after reaching a deserted clearing did Reinhardt stop.
He had Bitdori search the fallen man’s body.
No magic scrolls. No signs of Black Magic either.
‘He’s just a simple minion. Or Bitdori was mistaken.’
There was also the possibility that he himself didn’t even know he was involved with such people.
“Hey.”
Slap! Slaaap!
Reinhardt repeatedly slapped the man’s cheek.
Soon, a groan that sounded like he was on the verge of death came out.
“Kugh.”
“You’re finally awake. Are you feeling a bit better?”
The man blinked his eyes. Then, a moment later, he grasped the situation, and his face turned pale.
“P-please spare me! I was just doing as I was told! I’ll tell you everything I know!”
“I don’t think you can.”
“Excuse me?”
“Go on, tell me. What do you know?”
“Ye-yes! I am……”
The man’s mouth clamped shut. His eyeballs were frantically rolling left and right as if he couldn’t understand why.
‘A constraint of silence.’
A minion of a demon did not have the right to speak freely.
Which meant, the punk currently at Reinhardt’s feet was working for a warlock.