Chapter 06
The Taton Knights.
The wealthiest knight order in Serigel, yet a group called by the derogatory name ‘Taton Mercenary Corps’ in the world.
Their martial prowess was in the lower-middle tier, but since it was a knight order, each member possessed at least minimal skills.
“The quality is too poor. This won't do.”
“Yes? Commander, what do you mean by that?”
“I’m saying I’m terminating the contract with your workshop. Because you failed to meet the conditions.”
Ethan Taton, a knight and businessman, drew a firm line.
In front of him, five suits of steel armor were lined up.
At first glance, they looked like sturdy, high-quality products, but Ethan Taton had an eye that could see through the value of manufactured goods.
It was a talent inherited from his ancestor, who was an outstanding blacksmith.
“We cannot accept this! You ordered sturdy armor, Commander, and we faithfully fulfilled it!”
“This armor breaks even if I swing a sword just a hundred times. Can you call such goods sturdy armor?”
“How can such a…….”
“Want to bet? If I fail, I will give you double the promised price. Instead, if I succeed, you pay me double the penalty.”
The workshop merchant's face turned red. Ethan waved his hand with an expression that there was nothing more to see.
“Take it and get lost.”
Ethan Taton shook his head side to side as he sent the merchant out.
‘I don't know what they take people for.’
He knew the fact that the Taton Knights were disparaged in the world.
The derogatory name Taton Mercenary Corps was also something he had heard countless times long ago.
Therefore, Ethan Taton did not spare investment.
Instead of the individual martial prowess of the knights falling short, he tried to bridge the gap with other knight orders with high-quality equipment.
‘A knight starves just the same if they have no money. Maintaining face comes after that.’
He accepted any job as long as it made money.
Even if it was a very dangerous and terrible job, he did not refuse.
Because if a knight order that lost honor lost money as well, what followed was already a predetermined procedure.
Bang.
At that moment, the door to the Commander’s office opened and a knight ran in.
If it was a matter worth running in without even knocking, it meant it was truly urgent.
“Excuse m…….”
“Report first. What happened.”
“Sir Reinhardt has returned. A problem occurred during the merchant escort he undertook, and as a result…….”
As expected.
As anticipated, terrifying content began to flow from the knight's mouth.
Ethan Taton’s head began to throb.
Habitually pressing his temples firmly, he listened to the report until the end.
“Sir Reinhardt killed the owner.”
“Yes.”
“The knight who took on the escort of the merchant group killed the owner.”
Does this even make sense.
At the pressure that felt like it was squeezing his head tightly, Ethan Taton swept his face with both hands.
Sitting like that for a long while, he muttered like a deflated balloon.
“He’s probably waiting saying he must meet me, no doubt.”
“That is correct.”
What kind of person was Knight Reinhardt.
With a personality like the very symbol of a knight, he was a person who practiced chivalry at every moment.
Even in this situation, it was clear that Reinhardt, far from being cowed, was waiting to deliver the news confidently.
“Can’t be helped.”
“Should I bring him in now?”
“No, have him wait outside for a moment.”
The reporting knight saluted and withdrew.
Flump.
Ethan collapsed into his chair weakly and let out a deep sigh.
His head, complicated with all sorts of business, felt rather cleared.
“Every time this happens, I want to fold the business and everything, but I can't do that.”
Running a knight order was a business with better earnings than expected.
But there were as many worries as the money earned.
“But I can't chase out the face of the Knight Order either.”
Reinhardt was a troublemaker.
He was a knight lacking nothing wherever he was put, but because of that, there were many parts that didn't fit with the Taton Knights' policies.
Despite that, the reason for not releasing him was literally because he was a real knight.
Because he was an existence akin to a figurehead who barely raised the value of the name Taton.
“Still, I can clean up this matter appropriately. If those guys have any shame, they won't be able to ask for a penalty fee.”
Matters related to slaves were felonies.
Also, Ethan Taton had not heard the fact that they were transporting slaves.
‘No wonder they called a large down payment. They probably intended to borrow Sir Reinhardt’s face. To evade inspection.’
Thinking about it again, the situation wasn't only that bad.
The Knight Order has no responsibility.
Although he would express regret morally, it was a situation where it was rather possible for this side to question the merchant group's responsibility.
Scritch. Scratch.
Ethan took out letter paper from the drawer and filled the content densely with a fountain pen.
Adding complex rhetoric to every sentence, and finally stamping the Knight Commander’s seal.
“Sir Heron!”
“Did you call.”
The knight guarding the door entered at the summons. Ethan handed him the sealed letter.
“Deliver this to the Rom Merchant Owner.”
“Do you have any additional words to convey?”
“He will understand if you just hand him the letter. And call Sir Reinhardt. With the news that I am waiting happily.”
***
The Taton Knights Headquarters was a much larger area than Reinhardt had thought.
There were so many buildings that it was confusing whether this was a knight order or an academy, and the scenery was also on the beautiful side.
‘It’s a materialistic place for a knight order.’
Reinhardt looked around tactfully, cramming information into his head.
Taton Knights.
It was a place that looked wealthy at a glance.
Just the number of employees active everywhere was not one or two, and all of them were wearing bright expressions.
Then, whenever their eyes met Reinhardt’s, for some reason they trembled and smiled even more brightly.
“Good work.”
“No, Sir Knight! I am only faithfully performing the work I’ve been assigned!”
“…… Is that so?”
“It is! I will work my hardest with an even more positive mind!”
It was a strangely excessive reaction, but Reinhardt didn't bother to think deeply about it.
‘He must have been that kind of guy originally. Reinhardt.’
People of principle generally had a way of giving headaches to those around them.
‘Anyway, it does seem like a workplace with high job satisfaction. For knights, and for general employees.’
Furthermore, not a single thing in the interior design was decorated carelessly. He didn't know for sure, but it was clear that quite expensive materials and manpower were used to decorate it.
‘It might be a better starting point than I thought. If push comes to shove, staying here moderately wouldn't be bad.’
The more he looked around here and there moderately, the more certain he became that it would be okay.
Meaning it looked like a group that wasn't dangerous, had generous pay, and had its own flexibility.
Then, pause.
Reinhardt suddenly gained a realization.
‘Wait a moment.’
He had been so distracted, and because of that, there was a fact he hadn't thought of.
“Interface.”
Reinhardt muttered in a low voice.
A familiar, oh so familiar hologram window popped up in front of his eyes.
In a form completely identical to what he saw over the monitor in reality.
Which means.
‘There was definitely a function to take screenshots too…… It’s there. It’s right here. Why didn't I see this?’
Reinhardt smirked in disbelief.
Bottom of the interface.
Beside buttons including ‘Community’ or ‘Status Window’, a button in the ‘shape of a camera’ was definitely sitting there blatantly.
Reinhardt lightly touched the button.
Click-
Along with the familiar sound, the following message was also as Reinhardt expected.
[Image has been saved.]
‘This works.’
Saved images could be checked in a folder.
Reinhardt checked the image that captured the full view of the Taton Knights as is.
In addition to that, even the appearance of Reinhardt himself standing blankly in the middle of the image.
‘If I upload even this, the reaction would be quite fun. Even if it is an anonymous community.’
It was the moment Reinhardt thought up to there.
“Sir Reinhardt.”
A heavy voice called Reinhardt. It wasn't the voice of the knight guarding the main gate earlier.
In the place he turned to, there was a solidly built knight.
It was a face he was seeing for the first time, and naturally, he didn't know the name either.
Decisively, the relationship between the opponent and Reinhardt himself wasn't precise.
‘When you don't know well, keeping your mouth shut is best.’
Reinhardt didn't open his mouth rashly.
It was to see the opponent's reaction first and act accordingly.
“The Commander is looking for you. He seemed greatly satisfied with the news you conveyed, Sir.”
“He was satisfied?”
“That is correct. He said he would wait happily.”
The opponent conveyed the news with a humble attitude. He seemed to be Reinhardt’s junior.
‘Is the Knight Commander a crazy guy too?’
Apart from that, it was baffling news for Reinhardt.
To say he would wait happily even though I caused such a huge accident.
‘Or maybe he’s being sarcastic. If so, it makes sense, but looking at this reaction, it doesn't seem like that either.’
The knight in front of him clearly respected Reinhardt too. It was a sparkling gaze that didn't match his bulk.
Click-
Leaving a photo of evidence, Reinhardt nodded.
“Thanks. I will go see him now.”
***
‘Like Reinhardt. Like an honest and righteous knight.’
To adapt to this world and survive.
For Reinhardt, the most important issue above all was the fact that he must always ‘be knightly’.
‘I must not show even a slight gap. Reducing words if possible, and when unavoidable, recalling the image seen in the game.’
When a close acquaintance changed, humans used to feel a sense of incongruity from even very trivial clues.
Tone, behavior, expression, atmosphere, and values and beliefs revealed implicitly.
If even one of those went wrong, suspicion would begin to pile up in the heart.
That meant a crisis soon.
It meant that the moment the first button was buttoned wrong, a path of thorns would unfold in the days ahead.
“It is Reinhardt.”
Knock knock.
Reinhardt suppressed his tension and knocked lightly on the door.
“Come in.”
Permission was granted.
He turned the knob and pushed the door open.
In the space that unfolded, a middle-aged man was sitting at a desk staring intently at Reinhardt.
‘Knight Commander Ethan Taton.’
He didn't know exactly what kind of person Ethan Taton was.
No matter how long one enjoyed the game, it was impossible to know everything about extras.
“I heard there was a disturbance?”
“Yes.”
Reinhardt kept his mouth shut tight. He only faced the opponent with a composed gaze.
He must not show any sign of being cowed.
He had to act as if he had merely done what had to be done, calmly.
“I want to hear a little detail. What happened to the Vermon Mercenary Corps? And the Rom Caravan owner?”
“I executed them all as sinners.”
“Executed? All of them?”
“No. Some innocent ones returned with me. I intend to testify to their innocence.”
Ethan Taton narrowed his brow as if he found it hard to believe. Is he planning to get angry, or…….
At the moment Reinhardt was tense like that.
“Without external help, you mean you did such a thing alone, Sir? I heard there was a bandit attack too? Did you clean up even those?”
Ethan Taton’s mouth began to hang by his ears.
It was a somewhat dubious reaction.
It didn't seem like he liked the righteous appearance or liked it for such reasons.
‘Was he really a crazy guy.’
Maybe it really might be so. Ethan Taton might also be a nutjob equivalent to Reinhardt.
He thought so, but the words that followed were of a kind completely outside Reinhardt’s expectations.
“Just when did you raise your skills like that? Now you can really achieve your dream, Sir! You can become a member of the Paganoa Knights!”
“Yes?”
Reinhardt ended up asking back without realizing it.
Paganoa Knights.
That meant entering the mainstream soon.
It meant the Knight of Light, Reinhardt, would run furiously towards predetermined death.
“Did I say that?”
Reinhardt asked again, and Ethan Taton nodded vigorously in affirmation.
“You always said so, Sir! That realizing justice under the name of Paganoa someday is your dream.”