Chapter 43
The most important thing to Reinhardt in this world was his own well-being.
Unless it was an unavoidable situation, he was not to get involved with warlocks.
Naturally, he had to stay even farther away from demons.
If a situation seemed to be turning suspicious, the best course of action was to pretend not to know and turn his head. That alone was enough for this straightforward body not to sense injustice.
But this time, the situation was different.
‘I can’t hand over Irien.’
He currently had two choices.
Pretend not to know and back out, sending Irien away.
Or take the risk and subjugate the warlock hiding in Lockfort.
‘It’s not even a question worth pondering.’
Reinhardt willingly chose to confront the warlock.
It was clearly far easier to slit the throat of an extra warlock than to deal with an enraged Irien who would one day come charging at him.
“Fermil!”
“I just got here. What happened?”
“I found a clue for the mission. I’ve tied him up nearby so he can’t escape. You guard this place. It seems like they’re after Irien.”
“Irien? I understand for now. I’ll guard this place.”
As soon as Fermil returned to the inn, Reinhardt informed him of the situation.
Fermil went to Irien without asking any further questions. The trust he had built up was paying off.
With this, Irien would not be in immediate danger. After all, Fermil was a Knight of Paganoa, and thanks to Reinhardt, he had grown one step further.
“Be careful, Reinhardt.”
“You too.”
Reinhardt headed back to the clearing where he had tied up the man.
As he hurried over, he saw the man writhing, trying to undo his bindings.
And with him was Bitdori, huffing and puffing as if its mood was soured.
“Just untying the ropes won’t be enough.”
“Ah, oh my! I’m sorry! I wasn’t trying to escape!”
“Bullshit.”
At that, the man’s eyes widened.
“Weren’t you a knight, sir?”
“Why. Because it’s not an expression a knight would use?”
“No, sir. It’s not that……”
“Shut up and only answer what you’re asked. Name?”
“It’s Hasla.”
“Dirk said it was Leor earlier.”
“……It’s Leor.”
“Bitdori.”
Reinhardt said with a dry expression.
Bitdori immediately slapped Leor’s cheek.
With a thwack, Leor’s head snapped to the side.
“Your boss’s name?”
“It’s Louis.”
The boss’s name came out smoothly.
It meant their boss was not the warlock.
“Did your boss recently start a business with someone he’d never met before?”
“That…… Mmph!”
Leor’s lips were sucked inward.
This was an affirmation.
His boss, Louis, had started a new venture with someone, and that someone had to be the warlock.
“Are the other gangs interested in your business?”
“O-other gangs? No, why is this word……”
“Burden and Moria’s side.”
“No, sir. Not at all.”
This had to be true as well.
The constraint of silence, if used in reverse, was a structure that could actually draw out the correct answer.
‘I have to wrap this up as quickly as possible.’
The conditions weren’t too bad.
Only one of the three criminal groups was involved, and a Knight of Paganoa, Fermil, was with him as a reliable ally.
On top of that, there was the existence of Bitdori, who could understand words.
“What was the reason for seeking out Dirk today?”
“Mmph……!”
“Were you usually very interested in Dirk?”
“No, why is this happening…… We weren’t. We only sought him out for help when we needed it.”
“You must have been interested in Dirk’s sister, then.”
“Mmph! Mmph mmph!”
This made it certain.
The extra warlock was targeting Irien.
He must have seen through her talent and was planning to gradually approach her.
“Is it Agrio-s?”
“Excuse me? Agri…… Could you say that again?”
“Never mind. Bitdori, knock him out.”
“I’m really sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re sayin—Ugh! Ack!”
Bitdori’s destructive power was as potent as ever.
Without untying the bonds, Reinhardt returned to the inn.
“You’re here. Would you care to explain the situation?”
“Someone came looking for Dirk. And I had to subdue him.”
“It must have been something that had to be done. As always. Continue.”
“The man is a warlock’s minion, and not from Agrio-s’s side. Their target is Irien.”
“Are you certain?”
“I’m certain.”
Fermil nodded. It was a look of trust that showed not even a speck of doubt.
“What are you planning to do now?”
“You should go and confirm it first. There’s a possibility I might have misjudged.”
“Alright. The location?”
“Go out and head right, and you’ll find a clearing. I’ve tied him up there. I’m not planning on handing him over to the guards just yet.”
“Understood. I’ll be back.”
Fermil left the inn.
Reinhardt went up to the second floor and threw open the door to Dirk’s room.
He saw Dirk with his thick fists clenched in tension.
“There’s no need to be so tense yet.”
“……It’s you, Sir Knight.”
“Outside for a moment.”
Reinhardt said so and observed Irien’s reaction.
Seeing her innocent eyes, it was clear she didn’t understand what was happening.
‘Good. I just need to send her off in this state.’
The stains of the world must not touch Irien.
He had to leave no room for her to become a villain.
“Dirk. What exactly is the relationship between you and the other punks?”
“If you mean the punks……”
“Burden, Louis, Moria.”
“It’s a kind of symbiotic relationship. I mediate between them, and they respect me.”
“The reason such a thing was possible?”
“Ever since I fought and won against ten of them.”
To think that wasn’t a joke.
Reinhardt let out a dry laugh and asked again.
“So they respect you?”
“Yes, you see, to those bastards, pride is something very important. Besides, they’ve arbitrarily decided that up to this point is their territory, and they’ve set it up that way.”
“I understand. So?”
“But that boundary is ambiguous. I mean, it’s true, isn’t it? The City Hall wouldn’t have given them permission to do so.”
“It’s a ridiculous affair.”
But he certainly understood how things worked.
Burden, Louis, and Moria were filming a low-budget version of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Dirk had positioned himself in the center, taking on the role of the domain’s boundary.
“And when they were being prideful with each other, you would have set the stage for them to reconcile moderately in the middle.”
“That’s right. It was exactly like that.”
“And while they were busy growling at each other, they would have protected your territory as a sign of ‘respect’.”
A rough estimate was formed.
What needed to be done had also become clear.
“Reinhardt. I’m back.”
Soon, Fermil returned.
His expression was serious, as if he had finished his confirmation.
“You were right again this time. I was able to find traces of them.”
It was as expected. That must have been why Bitdori had been so agitated.
“Tr-traces? What kind of people are you talking about?”
“Step aside for a moment.”
“……Yes, sir.”
After sending Dirk away, Reinhardt looked at Fermil.
“What’s its name?”
“We call it Nepas.”
Nepas of Destruction.
It was a name that belonged to the troublesome trio of mid-bosses, along with Agrio-s of Domination.
***
If the foundation of magic was the mana that constituted this world, then the foundation of Black Magic was the power of demons.
Warlocks make contracts with demons.
In exchange for acting as loyal minions of a demon, they receive a portion of the power that the demon possesses as a reward.
“That damn brat!”
As a result, they often became similar in personality to the demon they served.
The warlock Tiriel was also like that.
Ever since he made a contract with Nepas of [Destruction], his anger would soar to the top of his head even at the smallest variable.
“That damn braaaat!”
Tiriel looked around ferociously with bloodshot eyes.
The men surrounding him averted their gazes with fearful expressions.
It was because they knew all too well what would happen if their eyes met.
“Leor! Hasn’t Leor returned yet!”
“No, sir, not yet……”
“What are you doing! Get out there and find him now! If you don’t want to see your own head explode!”
The men rushed out in a horde.
Tiriel couldn’t control his surging anger. He let out ragged breaths and ground his teeth.
It was only because he was born with superhuman patience that he stopped at this level.
Other warlocks who served Nepas would often destroy the minions around them at the slightest provocation.
“Louis.”
“Ye-yes.”
“Explain.”
The man called Louis hurriedly came forward.
He was originally the leader of the group here. But now, with Tiriel’s help, he was waiting for a contract with a demon.
“There was another knight accompanying the Paganoa Knight, Fermil. He happened to make contact with Dirk, and in the process, seems to have noticed the kid’s talent.”
“So.”
“……Yes, so it seems he took her.”
“I’m asking what you’re going to do about it. Louis.”
Louis couldn’t answer and just fidgeted.
It was only natural.
From the moment a knight, and a Paganoa Knight at that, got involved, the situation had been completely twisted.
“Damn it, damn it……”
Tiriel kept biting his lower lip.
Blood burst forth, and a metallic taste spread in his mouth.
Then, the surging anger subsided a little. It was like a stimulant that awakened his mind.
‘If only I had found her a little sooner.’
It had been three days since he discovered the kid named Irien.
He had been passing through Dirk’s area when he happened to sense a wave of mana.
Mages were always precious.
Even with proper education, it took over a decade to be able to use magic at a general level.
But the kid was clearly handling fire.
A flame that was clearly summoned by magic, vibrant as if it were alive and moving.
‘I should have just killed them all and taken her.’
A belated regret washed over him.
The cause of his trouble was that, unlike his usual self, he had thought to approach her step by step.
The problem was that he had tried to solve things quietly by giving a decent amount of money and buying goodwill.
That kind of method was something only the morons who followed Agrio-s would do.
If one served Nepas, one should have naturally followed the logic of power.
‘It can’t be helped.’
Tiriel looked around and made a decision.
‘Even if I have to give up all the foundation I’ve built, I must bring that kid.’
Lockfort was originally Agrio-s’s territory.
But the warlock who had previously nested there had died, and Tiriel had swiftly snatched up the empty spot.
Nepas was pleased.
So much so that he had even given Tiriel a small gift, saying his influence had grown stronger.
‘If I just hand over that kid, he’ll give me a much bigger gift this time.’
Thinking that, his mood, which had hit rock bottom, improved a little.
There would be a way somehow.
Even if he lost all the minions he had tamed so far, as long as he could capture Irien, it was a profitable situation for Tiriel.
“L-Lord Tiriel!”
Just then, a minion rushed in with a pale face.
Tiriel shot a blazing glare at the minion.
“Listen carefully. If you’re making a fuss right now, I’ll blow your head clean off. You’d better choose your words carefully.”
“Ye-yes!”
“I’ll count to three. Three, two……”
“The Paganoa Knight is coming this way!”
Tiriel, who was about to release his magic, flinched.
“A Paganoa Knight? How does he know of my existence?”
“I-I don’t know. But he is definitely approaching the place where you are, Lord Tiriel.
However, he doesn’t seem to know the exact location, so his speed is not that fa—”
Click, Tiriel snapped his fingers.
Fwssh.
The reporting minion lost its head and collapsed.
“We’re leaving this place immediately. Louis, buy time with your men.”