***
Kim Hana was conducting an interview with a blonde man, her expression filled with tension.
Gracia.
He was the man revered by all Dimension Warriors! The martial prowess he had displayed in the United States transcended imagination. He was truly worthy of being called the strongest man.
However, during the interview, he suddenly began to bring up someone else.
"…Phantom. If he is indeed Korean as the rumors say, I would like to meet him. We could make an excellent duo. I can provide him with information regarding a great deal of 'benefits.'"
"Who is Phantom?"
"He is one of the eight heroes who fought the Demon King alongside my 'Descended Form' in another dimension. He is also called Wilhelm. We must join forces once again here on Earth."
"He sounds like an incredible person as well."
"He is. And this is off the record, but I have something I would like to ask you personally, Reporter Kim Hana."
Kim Hana signaled to those around her, and the cameras were turned off. Off the record. It meant the secret would be guaranteed. Gracia then spoke with a face more serious than any he had shown before.
"What is your relationship with the owner of the 'Hydragon'? Do you know where he is?"
Gulp!
Under Gracia’s piercing gaze, Kim Hana swallowed hard, her nerves on edge.
✺✺✺
The Garden of Knights.
It was a city that every person had to pass through to become a regular knight of the Valan Kingdom. It was a place where small lakes made of marble and statues of honorable knights resided. Its beautiful and steadfast appearance was romantic in its own right.
"…It seems a memorial service is in progress."
Regardless of the aesthetics, the atmosphere of the city was gloomy. A large stone monument was embedded in the center of the square. Names were written on the monument, and rows of memorial flowers were lined up beneath it. They were all the names of knights who had sacrificed themselves during the Great Expedition.
'The knights were all annihilated.'
The 500 knights were all individuals who knew courage and honor. They did not fear fighting and dying against the demons on the front lines of the Demon Realm. Although Wilhelm’s charisma was overwhelming, it would have been impossible if their own dispositions hadn't been that way.
However, those who had courageously stepped forward were all dead. In the end, I faced the Demon King alone, and I, too, met the same end as the knights.
"Do you happen to recognize any of the names?"
"……No."
A name I recognized on the monument? There were none. There was no way I would have memorized the names of countless knights one by one. To me, it had merely been a game. Aside from the important named NPCs, I didn't know them. Among the names carved on this monument, there wasn't a single one I recognized.
Not a single one.
"Wilhelm! You wicked bastard! Give me back my son, give me back my son!"
Turning my head at the sound of the voice, I saw an old woman beating her chest not far away.
"Sion, didn't you say you would return! Didn't you say not to worry! How could I... how could I let you... Gasp!"
The old woman suddenly clutched the back of her neck and collapsed. Before I knew it, my body had rushed forward to support the falling woman's back.
"Star-Awakened?!"
Hudson’s eyes went round at the sudden action. Isabella also looked quite flustered. I lifted the old woman onto my back and spoke to them.
"……Let’s go to the relief center."
✺✺✺
The relief center, operated by clerics, served as a hospital treating the common people. The relief center in the 'Garden of Knights' was operated by the 'Order of the Goddess,' which held the greatest influence on the continent. However...
"I'm dying, I'm dying!"
"Uaaah!"
...As one could see, it was overflowing with patients. There wasn't a single healthy person inside or outside the building. It was proof of a lack of both manpower and supplies. Hudson examined the situation, his expression hardening as he spoke.
"Wouldn't it be better if I treated them?"
"It’s useless."
Protection of Water was a skill that treated external illnesses. It could not treat an illness of the heart. However, if it were the master of the relief center, the story would be different.
"Hey."
A man wearing a habit with two lines drawn on the shoulder—the symbol of the Order of the Goddess. When I spoke to the man, who appeared to be a sub-deacon below the rank of priest, he replied while breaking into a cold sweat.
"If you are a patient, please wait in line. I'm sorry!"
"Is Priest Andrew inside?"
"He is, but... Ah! I told you not to touch that!"
"This is an urgent patient."
"…Still, you must wait in line. Or you can donate 50 gold!"
They were taking money? Although the relief center was said to be operated by the Order of the Goddess, the reality was that it ran on the city's donations. Depending on the size of the city, the size of the relief center was bound to vary. This 'Garden of Knights' was one of the top three largest cities among the 13 metropolises of the Valan Kingdom.
It meant the operation of the relief center shouldn't be so difficult that they had to demand money from patients.
'Even the donations to be sent to the relief center have dried up. The city's finances must be bankrupt.'
And now they were openly demanding donations. Fifty gold, at that. It meant the city's finances were so ruined that even support for the relief center was impossible. The relief center was forced to fend for itself. In the Golden City, Arcana, hundreds of gold could be squandered in a day, but generally, 50 gold was equivalent to a month's salary for a commoner.
'They don't even have time to wash their habits…….'
I looked at the sub-deacons who were hurriedly moving around checking patients. Without exception, they all had dark circles under their eyes, and their clothes were caked with grime. They looked as if they hadn't been able to wash properly, with significant grease on their faces and hair. They were too busy to sleep or wash. It meant there was no one to rotate with.
"If you aren't going to donate, then wait!"
The sub-deacons didn't pay any attention to this side at all.
Clatter!
The sub-deacon’s eyes grew so wide they looked ready to pop out as he turned his head at the sudden sound.
"Gah!"
Gold was spilling onto the floor. An incredible, uncountable amount of gold. I pointed to a gold bar worth 10,000 gold and spoke.
"Will ten of these big ones do?"
"W-we will serve you with the utmost kindness, Brother!!"
✺✺✺
A man with a long white beard and deep wrinkles on his face. Priest Andrew placed his hand on the old woman’s chest. A blue light poured out, and the old woman’s stiff complexion began to relax little by little.
"W-Why is Lord Andrew...?"
The old woman opened her eyes and spoke in a daze as she saw Andrew. Andrew gave a kind smile.
"These people brought you here after you collapsed, Sister Mei. It would have been a very serious matter if it had been even a little later."
"I am sorry. I have caused a nuisance..."
The old woman called Mei bowed her head toward me. Andrew then put on a rebuking expression.
"Did you go there again?"
"…What else can I do when it keeps weighing on my mind?"
"What about the workshop? Do you not have clothes that must be delivered by this winter?"
"Well, I just couldn't focus on the work."
"Still, you must do it. No, this won't do. I shall have to go every day to check on the progress."
"I-If Lord Andrew does that, the people of the city will throw stones at me. You must be busy with the work here at the relief center... Please, do not do that."
"Then will you work hard so that I do not have to go and check?"
"Yes……."
When Mei agreed, Andrew nodded. It was as expected. The only relief center in this city. Andrew, its master, was naturally in a close relationship with the citizens.
'He used to be the one who mainly gave quests to increase Honor.'
Andrew gave many of the quests for what was known as 'Honor Grinding.' Therefore, when raising a character of a class where Honor was important, one inevitably had to pass through Andrew. Naturally, I knew very well what kind of existence Andrew was in this city.
"Thank you, truly……."
She expressed her gratitude to me once more. I shook my head. After she left, only Andrew and I remained in the room.
"……."
A quiet stillness. A heavy silence passed between the two of us. It was Andrew who spoke first.
"Sister Mei’s only son went missing not long ago. He participated in the Great Expedition. Since then, she has lived with a persistent illness caused by grief. She says she should have stopped him, but she couldn't."
"……So it seemed."
"Her son, Sion, admired the Knight King. He was full of enthusiasm, saying he would drive out the Demon King alongside the Knight King. And he did not return. Not even his corpse. Whether he is dead or alive... that hope, which is infinitely close to zero, has made the Sister like that."
"In truth, he is likely dead," Andrew continued bitterly. "Is it only Sister Mei? Many people have lost family and friends. Lord Serengeti, the only one who returned alive, remains tightly silent..."
"Why are you telling me such stories?"
"Because I felt you needed to hear them."
Andrew let out a deep sigh. He was a sage. One of the few sages recognized as a true priest. He had guessed the reason just by looking into my eyes. Despite the fact that there should be no agitation in my emotions due to the Heart of the Iron-Blooded Lord.
"There must be a reason you donated as much as 100,000 gold. So, for what reason have you come to find this old man?"
With 100,000 gold, the relief center could breathe again. It was an amount that would allow them to accept patients for at least a year without worrying about money. it was like rain in a drought. However, nothing in the world was free.
'If he asks for something strange, I’ll have to refuse, even if it’s a shame.'
He was desperate for money, but he wouldn't sell his soul for it. The money was only necessary for the patients. It was to serve the citizens. If I made a request where the priorities were reversed, he would have no choice but to refuse, however regrettable it might be.
'Occasionally, there are merchants who approach me asking for an indulgence.'
It was likely a case like that, with a high probability. A priest of the Order of the Goddess could issue three indulgences in their lifetime. And Priest Andrew had only issued one indulgence so far.
'He only ever gave an indulgence to him.'
He had given a single indulgence to only one person: the Knight King Wilhelm. That was why merchants who believed they could buy an indulgence if they gave a large sum of money occasionally approached him.
"I have already achieved my purpose."
Priest Andrew’s brow furrowed in an instant. Achieved his purpose? Was an indulgence not the purpose? Could it be that treating Sister Mei was the true purpose?
"……What do you mean, you have achieved your purpose?"
I smiled as I looked at the bewildered Andrew. At that moment...
"Out of the way!"
"Move!"
The outside suddenly became noisy. The sound of iron stepping on and scraping the floor. The group that appeared with a considerable sense of weight was, as expected, knights.
"Andrew! The Lord wishes to see the guest inside!"
As they tried to open the door and enter, Isabella and Hudson were blocking them. A sharp confrontation.
"What... is this...?"
Andrew was flustered. But it was only natural. I had anticipated their visit. Marquis Weiser, the Lord of the Garden of Knights, would be very desperate for money right now. He would be curious about who the person was that had freely given a massive sum of 100,000 gold to the relief center. Since I had spilled the money on the floor for everyone to see, it would have reached the Marquis’s ears in an instant. This was much more effective than handing over the money personally.
"It was good to see you again, Priest Andrew."
I slowly stood up from my seat, opened the door, and headed outside.
"Again……?"
Leaving behind Priest Andrew, who threw a complex gaze my way.
✺✺✺
The House of Marquis Weiser.
I entered the grand mansion of antique appearance under the guidance of the knights. After arriving at the reception room, I sat at an antique-style table. Refreshments and tea were placed on the table. It was a setting for entertaining a guest, no matter who looked at it.
'His appearance doesn't seem like much.'
Marquis Weiser took note of the three people he had invited. Especially the man sitting in the middle. He heard the man had freely given 100,000 gold to the relief center.
'Is he a traveling merchant? It doesn't seem like he brought supplies. He could be a young master from a wealthy family traveling here and there.'
In any case, it seemed certain that he had a lot of money. The equipment worn by the woman and man accompanying him were considerably expensive items. Marquis Weiser wore a smile.
"I am sorry for inviting you in this manner so suddenly. I apologize."
A man of plump build, Marquis Weiser. The master of this city, an existence that countless knights had admired in the past. But now, he was just a fat pig. Upon seeing him, Hudson began to tremble crazily. He gripped both hands under the table and tried his best not to let it show.
"It is a small token, but I have prepared this as a gesture of apology."
However, Marquis Weiser did not recognize Hudson. Had he been completely uninterested from the beginning? Regardless, it didn't matter.
Slurp!
I lifted my cup and spoke with the black tea in my mouth.
"Let’s get straight to the point."
"……Straight to the point?"
Marquis Weiser’s brow furrowed in an instant.
'...Is he insane?'
A punk who looked incredibly young was speaking informally. And he dared to do so in front of a Marquis. He had brought him in out of curiosity, but Marquis Weiser was the master of this city. He could make a few people like those in front of him disappear with a single gesture.
'If he's a nobody, I’ll teach him a lesson.'
Even if he left alive, he wouldn't be able to walk out on his own two feet. Marquis Weiser stared at the man with a look that said he would hear just how great he was.
"I have come to collect a debt, Marquis Weiser."
"……A debt?"
Marquis Weiser’s mouth suddenly felt bitter. There were many places where he owed debts.
'Tsk, a mistake.'
He thought the man was a good guest, but it seemed he had been sent to press for a debt. Since the knights would have blocked him from the entrance if he had tried to enter through the front gate from the start, he must have piqued the Marquis's curiosity in this manner. Entering without thinking was a blunder.
However, Marquis Weiser soon realized it wasn't a problem of that dimension.
"The Knight King Wilhelm."
Why that name suddenly? While everyone was wondering, for a moment...
Thud.
...I slowly, and leisurely, interlaced my fingers, leaned my body back, and put my feet up on the table. It was an action where not a trace of etiquette could be found.
"……!"
In an instant, the atmosphere froze.
Shring!
The knights waiting at the door drew their swords. Marquis Weiser’s face also crumpled in anger. Putting his feet on the table? Daring to do so in front of him? He was only going to teach him a lesson, but this wouldn't do. He had to kill him.
Marquis Weiser raised his right hand. The moment he lowered it, the knights would rush in and cut off the head of that ill-mannered punk. For a guy like that to mention the Knight King and claim he was collecting a debt was something even a passing dog would laugh at. Just as Marquis Weiser was about to slowly lower his hand—
"I am his successor."
…………………………What?