The Strongest Man, Gracia
Kim Hana conducted the interview with a tense expression, facing the blond man before her.
Gracia.
The man every Dimension Warrior revered! The feats of strength he had displayed in America defied imagination. He was more than worthy of being called the strongest man alive.
Yet midway through the interview, he suddenly brought up someone else.
“……Phantom. If he truly is Korean as the rumors claim, I would like to meet him. We could make an excellent team. I have a great deal of information on certain ‘interests’ I could share with him.”
“Who is this Phantom?”
“One of the eight heroes who fought the Demon King alongside my avatar in another dimension. He is also known as Wilhelm. We must join forces once more here on Earth.”
“He sounds like quite the remarkable figure as well.”
“Indeed. And this is off the record, but there is one personal question I would like to ask you, Reporter Kim Hana.”
At Kim Hana’s signal, the camera was switched off. Off the record meant the promise of secrecy.
Gracia’s face grew uncharacteristically grave.
“What is your relationship with the owner of Hydragon? Do you know where he is?”
Gulp.
Under Gracia’s piercing gaze, Kim Hana swallowed hard, tension written across her face.
*
Knight’s Garden.
The city every aspiring knight of the Balan Kingdom had to pass through. Marble lakes and statues of honorable knights stood throughout, their beautiful and dignified appearance radiating romance all on their own.
“……It seems a memorial service is underway.”
Yet the city’s atmosphere remained heavy and somber. In the central plaza stood a massive stone monument engraved with names, flowers of remembrance lined up beneath it. Every name belonged to a knight who had fallen during the Great Expedition.
‘The knights were all annihilated.’
Five hundred knights—every one of them had possessed courage and honor. They had fought the demon race on the front lines of the Demon Realm without fear. Wilhelm’s charisma had been overwhelming, but their own nature had made such devotion possible. Still, those who had charged forward bravely had all perished. In the end, I alone had faced the Demon King, and I too had met the same end as the knights.
“Do any of the names look familiar, sir?”
“……No.”
Familiar names on the monument? None. I had never memorized every knight’s name one by one. This had merely been a game to me. Aside from a few major named NPCs, I knew nothing. Not a single name on that stone meant anything to me.
Not one.
“Wilhelm! You bastard! Give me back my son! Give me back my son!”
At the sound of the voice, I turned to see an old woman pounding her chest nearby.
“Sion said he would come back! He told me not to worry! How could you…… how could I…… urgh!”
She clutched the back of her neck and collapsed.
My body moved before I realized it, catching the fallen woman.
“Saint Whisperer?!”
Hudson’s eyes widened at the sudden action. Isabella looked equally startled.
Hoisting the old woman onto my back, I spoke to them.
“……We’re going to the relief center.”
*
The relief center run by the priests served as a hospital for the common people. The one here in Knight’s Garden was operated by the Goddess Church, the most influential faith on the continent. Yet……
“I’m dying, I’m dying!”
“Aaaagh!”
……As expected, patients overflowed the building. Not a single healthy person could be seen inside or out. It was clear proof that both staff and supplies were desperately short.
Hudson surveyed the scene, his expression hardening.
“Would it not be better if I treated her?”
“It would be useless.”
The Water Guardian skill could heal physical ailments, but it could do nothing for illnesses of the heart. The owner of this relief center, however, was a different story.
“Hey.”
I addressed a man in a robe marked with the number two—the symbol of the Goddess Church. He appeared to be a deacon, one rank below a priest.
The man broke 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 case.”
“……Even so, you must wait in line. Or donate fifty gold!”
They were charging money? The relief center was supposedly run by the Goddess Church, but in reality it depended on the city’s donations. The scale of the center changed with the size of the city. Knight’s Garden was among the top three of Balan Kingdom’s thirteen major cities. That meant the center should not have been so strapped for funds that it had to demand payment from patients.
‘They cannot even send donation money to the relief center. The city’s finances must be in ruins.’
Now they were openly soliciting donations—fifty gold at that. Fifty gold was roughly a commoner’s monthly wage. In Golden City Arcana, hundreds of gold could vanish in a single day, but here it was a significant sum.
‘They do not even have time to wash their robes……’
I glanced around at the deacons checking on patients. Every one of them had dark circles under their eyes, and their robes were stained with sweat and grime. Their faces and hair were oily from lack of washing. They had no time to sleep or bathe—there were simply not enough people for shifts.
“If you are not donating, then wait!”
The deacons paid us no further attention.
Clatter!
At the sudden sound, the deacon’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
“Gah!”
Gold spilled across the floor—an enormous, countless amount. I pointed to one of the gold bars worth ten thousand gold and said, “Will ten large ones do?”
“W-We will serve you with the utmost care, brother!!”
*
The man had a long white beard and a face creased with wrinkles—Priest Andrew. He placed his hand on the old woman’s chest. Blue light poured forth, and her rigid complexion gradually softened.
“F-Father Andrew……?”
The old woman opened her eyes and stared at him in confusion.
Andrew smiled gently. “These people brought Sister Mei, who had collapsed. A little later and it would have been very serious.”
“I’m sorry. I caused everyone trouble……”
The old woman called Mei bowed her head toward me. Andrew’s expression turned reproachful.
“You went there again, did you not?”
“……What else can I do when it keeps weighing on my mind?”
“What about the foundation? You still have clothes to deliver before winter.”
“I just…… cannot bring myself to work.”
“You must. No, this will not do. I will have to check on your progress every day.”
“If Father Andrew comes, the people of the city will throw stones at me. You are already busy enough with the relief center…… Please, do not do that.”
“Then will you work diligently so that I do not have to go check?”
“Y-Yes……”
Once Mei agreed, Andrew nodded. It was exactly as I had expected. Andrew, the sole owner of this city’s only relief center, naturally maintained close ties with the citizens. He had often given out the so-called “honor quests.” Anyone raising a character that valued honor had no choice but to go through Andrew. I knew all too well what kind of existence he 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 heavy silence hung between us.
Andrew spoke first. “Sister Mei’s only son went missing recently. He participated in the Great Expedition. Ever since, she has been plagued by a sickness of the heart. I should have stopped him, but she blames herself for failing to do so.”
“……So it seemed.”
“Her son, Sion, admired the Knight King. He was burning with zeal to drive out the Demon King alongside him. And he never returned. Not even a body. Whether he is dead or alive…… that sliver of hope, so close to zero, has reduced her to this state.”
In truth, he is probably dead, Andrew added bitterly.
“She is not the only one. Many have lost family and friends. The only survivor, Lady Serenghetti, remains tight-lipped……”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I thought you needed to hear it.”
Andrew let out a long sigh. He was a sage—one of the few true wise men recognized as a priest. He had guessed the reason simply by looking into my eyes. Even with an unshakable heart of steel, my emotions should have shown no disturbance.
“You must have had a reason for donating a hundred thousand gold. So, what brings you to this old man?”
A hundred thousand gold would give the relief center breathing room. Enough to treat patients for at least a year without worrying about money. It was like rain in a drought. But nothing in this world was free.
‘If he asks for something strange, I will have to refuse, no matter how much I need the money.’
I needed the funds only for the patients, only to serve the citizens. If the request crossed that line, I would refuse despite the need.
‘Merchants sometimes approach asking for indulgences.’
Chances were high that this was the case. A priest of the Goddess Church could issue only three indulgences in a lifetime. Priest Andrew had issued only one so far.
‘He gave an indulgence only to him.’
Only one person had ever received one from Andrew: Knight King Wilhelm. That was why merchants who believed they could buy an indulgence with a large sum occasionally approached him.
“I have already achieved my purpose.”
Andrew’s brow furrowed. His purpose had already been achieved? Was it not the indulgence he wanted? Could treating Sister Mei truly have been his real goal?
“……What do you mean you have achieved your purpose?”
While Andrew stood flustered, I smiled. At that moment—
“Move aside!”
“Out of the way!”
The outside grew noisy. The sound of steel scraping against the floor followed. A group of knights appeared, their presence heavy. Isabella and Hudson blocked the door as the knights tried to enter, creating a tense standoff.
“What…… is this……”
Andrew looked bewildered. But it was only natural. I had anticipated their visit. The lord of Knight’s Garden, Waiser Marquis, would be desperate for money right now. He would want to know who had so casually donated a hundred thousand gold to the relief center. Since I had spilled the money where everyone could see, word would have reached the marquis in an instant. This method was far more effective than handing it over directly.
“It was good to see you again, Priest Andrew.”
I rose slowly and opened the door, stepping outside.
“Again……?”
Leaving the complex gaze of Priest Andrew behind me, I walked out.
*
Waiser Marquis’s estate.
Escorted by the knights, I entered the stately mansion. After being led to the reception room, I took a seat at an antique table. A teacup sat upon it—clearly a seat prepared for guests.
‘His appearance is rather unremarkable.’
Waiser Marquis studied the three people he had summoned, his gaze lingering especially on the man in the center—the one who had donated a hundred thousand gold to the relief center.
‘A wandering merchant? He does not seem to be carrying goods. Perhaps a wealthy young master traveling about.’
Regardless, the man clearly had money. The equipment worn by the woman and man accompanying him was of considerable value.
Waiser Marquis smiled.
“I apologize for the sudden invitation. Please accept my apologies.”
The plump man—Waiser Marquis, lord of this city and once the object of every knight’s admiration—was now nothing more than a fattened pig.
At the sight of him, Hudson began trembling uncontrollably, gripping both hands beneath the table in an effort to hide it.
“As a small token of apology, I have prepared something.”
Yet Waiser Marquis did not recognize Hudson. He had shown no interest from the start. It did not matter.
Slurp.
I lifted the cup, held the black tea in my mouth, and spoke.
“Let us get straight to the point.”
“……The point?”
Waiser Marquis’s brow furrowed. ‘……Is he insane?’ The boy, who looked far too young, was speaking informally—right in front of a marquis, no less. He had invited them out of curiosity, but Waiser Marquis was still the lord of this city. With a single gesture, he could make these few people disappear. ‘If he turns out to be worthless, I will teach him a lesson.’ Even if he left alive, he would not walk out on his own two feet. The marquis glared at the man, his eyes saying he wanted to see just how capable this fellow really was.
“I have come to collect a debt, Waiser Marquis.”
“……A debt?”
Waiser Marquis’s mouth turned bitter. He owed debts to many. ‘Tsk, a mistake.’ He had thought this would be a good guest, but it seemed they had been sent to demand repayment. If they had entered through the main gate, the knights would have stopped them at the entrance. That was why they had stirred his curiosity in this manner. Bringing them inside so readily had been a blunder. But soon Waiser Marquis realized the matter was not on that level.
“Knight King Wilhelm.”
Why that name all of a sudden? While everyone looked puzzled—
Thud.
……I slowly, leisurely interlaced my fingers, leaned back, and propped my feet up on the table. It was an act utterly devoid of manners.
“……!”
In an instant, the atmosphere froze. Shing! The knights waiting by the door drew their swords. Waiser Marquis’s face twisted in fury. Feet on the table? Right in front of him? He had only intended to teach the man a lesson, but now he had decided—kill him. Waiser Marquis raised his right hand. The moment he lowered it, the knights would charge and sever the insolent fellow’s head. The very idea of such a man claiming to be Wilhelm’s successor and demanding a debt from him was laughable enough to make a passing dog chuckle. Just as Waiser Marquis began to lower his hand—
“I am his successor.”
……………………What?