The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World-Chapter 578- The Identity of the Invader (3)
"The attack on the city Lirae and Cecilia were in was no coincidence. The chamberlain had cut the defense budget, transferred most of the guards of the city to a different location under a false pretense, and used the timing when the Kingdom of Rune was incredibly unstable. He weakened the city’s defenses"...
"Cecilia was never their target, she was collateral. Caught in the middle of something far bigger".
Hearing this, Lirae couldn’t help but drop her head, her nails digging into her palms.
"Who was orchestrating all this? Who is this Giacomo?"Elina questioned.
Be it her or Zerina, both of them were beginning to realize that the matter was far more complex than what it appeared on the surface.
They had both seen their commander reacting strongly at the mention of this name. The same could be said for King Jerrel.
Reinhardt slowed his steps and closed his eyes, recalling any information and memories associated with this name that the previous Reinhardt had.
"Sir Giacomo is a renowned knight who carved his name into history through countless campaigns against demon incursions. His countless stories of valor and expeditions against the demons made him a living legend"...
"Long before I rose to prominence, Sir Giacomo was already famous. Bards were already singing his praises."
Zerina and Elina opened their eyes wide. It seemed like they had realized.
"He was a knight who had stepped into the realm of heroes more than fifteen years ago. That’s right, he is a Level 10 knight."
This!!
The revelation was like thunder out of the blue.
A Level 10 hero? What kind of concept was that? 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
Level 10, a mythical realm and an unattainable dream for almost all of the beings of this world.
It was a realm so distinguished and powerful that only some exceptional few who had achieved great merits were able to reach.
Level 10 meant the peak of humanity, a power that even the demons greatly feared. Even if one searched through the entire history of Solaris, there were no more than twenty people who had ever managed to reach that level.
In fact, one did not need to look far. Just consider the Kingdom of Rune for example. Ever since their founding, there had been no shortage of talented knights.
Yet even after that, none of them ever managed to reach that distinguished level.
Jerrel the Emerald Knight was close, but that’s all. He was still a Level 9 knight.
From this, one could understand how honored and abysmally tough reaching Level 10 was.
Beings who stood at the threshold of divinity, whose presence alone could alter the fate of nations. Therefore, it was no wonder that Zerina and Elina were stunned by the revelation.
That said, the tide of surprises did not end there. Reinhardt’s tone became a notch heavier as he continued.
"The fact ’that person’ is involved is already shocking. However, what makes this incident truly troublesome is the entity behind him."
Zerina and Elina exchanged puzzled glances.
"Sir Giacomo will not act independently. A knight of his caliber never does, especially not when commanding an entire knight order. If he moved, it meant someone above him had given the command."
In this world, only a head of state, or a monarch so to speak, has the authority to command a Hero.
That is to say...
"Sir Giacomo was acting on the orders of his kingdom. Among the Seven Kingdoms, the Kingdom of Lunaris operates under a unique hierarchy. Their Level 10s are not called Heroes but rather Paragons"...
The term comes from the belief of the people of Lunaris that if ’Demon Blood’ is purple and ’Human Blood’ is red, then Paragons who have bathed in the violet blood of nightmares to transcend their human limits must have ’Magenta’ colored blood.
"Anyways, if Sir Giacomo is acting, then it is highly likely that the Kingdom of Lunaris itself is involved."
Reinhardt slowly finished his explanation.
A suffocating silence followed. The two finally understood why this matter was so troublesome.
Why back in the Royal Library, King Jerrel’s expression had darkened.
Why the Seven Kingdoms Council had to be convened.
The realization settled like frost over their hearts. The very fact that the Kingdom of Lunaris was involved completely changed the nature of everything.
This was no longer a mission of rescuing a single missing elf, but a grand political machination.
Storming the den of criminals or even raiding a demon nest would be much more straightforward compared to this.
After all, the Kingdom of Lunaris was not just any nation but one of the Seven Great Kingdoms, pillars holding back the apocalypse.
Furthermore, they had Three Paragons protecting their borders just like the Three Heroes of Solaris.
Military wise, with its heavy industrial focus, it was even more powerful than Solaris.
If he stormed his way into Lunaris, even if he succeeded, the aftermath would be catastrophic.
Ignoring the reputation of the Temple of Light, which would be stained beyond repair, his actions would cause the fragile diplomatic equilibrium of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance to shatter.
And once that balance collapsed, the Forces of Darkness lurking beyond the borders, at the depths of the Tainted Lands, would surge forward.
The Heavenly Kings wouldn’t let go of this opportunity to completely conquer humanity and the lands of Valdonia.
What would follow would be a war on an unprecedented scale, ones which has only been recorded in the ancient texts.
Days turning into night and land running with pitch black tar.
It would spell the extinction of life, and humanity would witness a calamity even more horrifying than the Black Tide.
Countless cities would be erased, and civilization reduced to ashes.
Of course, this was a scenario without him.
However, before the World Tree could be revived, before the foundations of the world itself could be repaired, Reinhardt didn’t want the battlefield to reach humanity’s last remaining strongholds.
Having learned the severity of the situation, the two women had nothing to say. No, more like they couldn’t say anything.
Just when it seemed like the conversation ran to its end, came a timid voice from the corner.
"Umm... d-does that mean Cecilia can’t be saved?"
It was Lirae. Her small hands were balled into fists, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, struggling desperately not to cry.
She wasn’t foolish. From their words, she understood the gravity of things and that Cecilia was embroiled in a matter far bigger than their lives.
Still, understanding was one thing and accepting another. Knowing that her big sister-like existence, Cecilia, was suffering in some corner of the world, she couldn’t just do nothing.
Reinhardt glanced at the girl, trying to cling to any hope she could find, and gently ruffled her hair.
Maybe he found the sight of an elf bottling her big eyes from tearing funny and cute, he couldn’t help but mess her hair.
The gesture startled the girl, who looked at him, blinking her cute eyes.
"Don’t worry, since I’ve given you my word, I will save her. No matter what."
He extended his thumb and made a nice guy pose.
"If push comes to shove, I’ll just infiltrate into the Kingdom of Lunaris myself."
Breaking into Lunaris and retrieving a single High Elf girl posed no problem for him.
Lirae stared at him, stunned. While Zerina and Elina stiffened. Even the shadow underneath him quivered.
They all knew the implication too well.
Reinhardt was not the type of man who could sneak in without getting noticed. With his 6-foot-3 frame, molten gold-like hair, overwhelming charisma, and divine armor, he was like a second sun.
Forget about sneaking in; it would be a miracle if he didn’t draw any attention.
A knight meant to draw the enemy towards him in the battlefield with his overwhelming presence was not meant for such kind of jobs. It was like putting the cart before the horse.
"Master, please reconsider. It would be much better if I..." Karina’s voice came from his shadow.
"No, the Kingdom of Lunaris is not an easy opponent. If your stealth is revealed, you will die if you are fortunate or get sent to the Hollow Earth if unlucky."
Reinhardt quickly shot down Karina’s suggestion. In any case, him saying all that was as a last resort type of scenario.
"I believe Her Majesty will be able to resolve this matter through proper channels. We have the proof of Lunaris’s underhanded actions. When the Seven Kingdoms’ summit is convened, they will have to answer"...
"If diplomacy can retrieve Cecilia without destabilizing the world, then that is the path we will take."
Saying that, he placed a gentle hand atop Lirae’s head. It was a promise, one that was meant to be kept.
.
After a little walk around the city, Reinhardt and his group returned to their accommodation under the crimson glow of dusk.
After returning, he gathered everyone and calmly announced his decision.
"We will remain in Rune for a while longer."
