Chapter 46: Chapter 39: Standing Where the Light Shines, Reinhardt

The moment a Knight of the Radiant Empire awakens their Power, they become a de facto member of the Extraordinary Tier and enjoy the privileges of the Empire.

However, for a Free Knight to hold a position in the Empire—even in an unofficial, mercenary corps—they still need to go through a tedious review and reporting process.

A file must be submitted to the Arbitration Court, which, after verification, forwards it to the National Church Court. Within a week, a local Judge will personally review the application to determine if the Knight has consorted with Abyssal Demons and is loyal to the Empire.

Reinhardt’s review had concluded last month.

This secret police force of the Imperial State Church, controlled only by His Majesty the Emperor, had even unearthed the incident from when he was six: his town had been subjected to a Mage’s sacrificial ritual, and they had confirmed he was the sole survivor.

The Blood Corps’ headquarters is in the Radiant World, but its main area of activity is concentrated on Grillers. The outskirts of Infinitis are home to the corps’ largest branch in Lanshi Province.

It is composed of seventy Official Knights and is called the Iron Blood Battle Group. Organized into fourteen five-man squads, its members are formidable. The captain of Reinhardt’s Ninth Squad is Dietlinde, a Five-star Military Rank Knight and one of the three strongest fighters in the Battle Group!

Of course, besides the Ninth Squad happening to be short-staffed, Reinhardt’s assignment had everything to do with that rascal, Commander Fei Ning!

If regulations didn’t forbid it, Fei Ning would have tied Reinhardt up and thrown him into Dietlinde’s bed long ago!

As for the reason, that was a long story.

The commander, Earth Knight Fei Ning, was once one of Sedon’s subordinates. He left the Seventh Group Army over some past incident and joined the Blood Corps.

Although Reinhardt had a letter of recommendation handwritten by Sedon himself, Fei Ning was known for his impartiality. This Knight, with his gleaming bald head and ferocious expression, constantly spouted platitudes about the supreme interests of the Empire.

All of the corps’ affairs had to strictly adhere to the Empire’s laws and procedures.

Dim light slanted through the window, glinting off Fei Ning’s dark red armor. It looked as if it were cast from fresh blood as he knelt on one knee.

An Imperial State Church Priest stood holding the Great Unity Scripture, a white sash emblazoned with the golden sun of the National Church draped across his chest.

This was the only chapel in the Blood Corps’ encampment. Its facilities were spartan, but its loyalty was absolute.

Reinhardt knelt on one knee before the Radiant Holy Image of the Founding Emperor as the Priest recited from the scripture. The Priest’s voice was deep as he intoned, "...Free Knight Reinhardt, your loyalty has been tested. From this day forward, you shall fight for the Empire, and the Empire shall be proud of you."

Though a Priest of the Imperial State Church, his physique was no less impressive than a Knight’s. The aura of his Power was faint but perceptible. He stood two meters tall, was built like an ox, and his long hair was impeccably groomed.

After the oath was complete, the Priest handed Reinhardt a document stamped with the official seal of the National Church Court. "Welcome to the Empire, young Knight."

’But is this country truly worthy of my loyalty?’ Reinhardt had his own answer. Kneeling before the Priest was merely the official procedure for registration.

Unless he wanted his name added to a special list kept by the National Church Judges, it was best not to show any sign of resistance under a National Church Priest’s watch.

Even though Reinhardt had never had any real contact with the Judges, everyone in the Empire—from the High Table Great Nobles to the lowliest laborers—paled at the very mention of this Gestapo, or Jinyi Guard-style, secret police. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The Imperial State Church Knight Order, which Robbie Hiling had joined, was an organization on par with the Judges. In the event of a large-scale rebellion or a Mage’s sacrificial ritual that the Judges couldn’t handle covertly, the National Church Knight Order would mobilize in full force to suppress anything that defied the laws of the Empire.

His new comrades in the Iron Blood Battle Group only knew he was a young Knight who had joined with a recommendation from Sedon. They had no way of knowing what had truly happened at Frostfire Fortress—the darkness and filth that lay beneath the glorious sacrifices.

This was the deepest secret buried in Reinhardt’s heart. Even though he had left the Seventh Group Army, the events of autumn 1438 still haunted him like a nightmare.

If he weren’t determined to find out what truly happened in the autumn of 1438, Reinhardt would never have taken the letter of recommendation from that bastard Sedon, let alone knelt and sworn loyalty to the Empire.

He knew Sedon was just a glove for a truly powerful figure in the Imperial City, but that didn’t excuse the bastard’s actions.

He stepped out of the chapel.

Reinhardt opened the copy of the vetting file the Priest had given him. Large sections of his personal record had been completely redacted, including his station before joining the Blood Corps, his previous Knight Order, and his personal connections.

If this file fell into the wrong hands, anyone reading it would only learn that he had awakened his Knight Power in 1442, had once served in the Northeast Region of Lanshi Province on Grillers World, and held a Two-star Military Rank.

Everything that happened at Frostfire Fortress, along with the sacrifices of Vice Commander Erich and the other Knights, had been utterly buried beneath the Northern Icefield, never again to see the light of day.

Fei Ning glanced at the redactions on the file. He slung an arm over Reinhardt’s shoulder, flashing a brilliant, toothy grin.

"Since you came recommended by Commander Sedon, you don’t have to worry about this stuff. No one in the corps besides me knows where you used to serve, and I didn’t tell Dietlinde when she asked, either.

"As of today, you’re an official member of the corps."

Even on a rainy day, Fei Ning’s head was still gleaming. His smile was relaxed and easy, but inwardly, his heart sank.