Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Knight Brigade Expansion (1)
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“Reincarnating through the power of a demon sword... Truly, all sorts of things happen in this world.”
After leaving Roedenburg, I explained to Dietrich the circumstances of how I had come back to life.
It was quite an absurd tale, but fortunately, Dietrich believed me.
He had always been the type to believe anything I said.
“So, is Igzard inside you right now, my lord?”
“Yeah, though I’m not exactly sure where inside me.”
“Could I speak with Igzard?”
“Well... Hey, is there any way?”
When I called out to Igzard, a curt reply came back.
[I am currently dwelling within you. In this state, I can only speak with you.]
“So, only with me, huh...”
[If there were a physical sword at the level of the ‘Igzard’ I once inhabited, I could transfer my full essence into it. Then, whoever picks it up could converse with me.]
“Hmm...”
In any case, it seemed impossible for anyone else to talk to Igzard in the current situation.
“So, you’re now part of the Holy Knight Order, my lord.”
“That’s right. I, who was once an archbishop of the Dialogue Church, am now a Grade 1 knight of the Holy Knight Order.”
“That’s excellent.”
“What’s excellent about it?”
“We must use the Holy Knight Order to bring down the Dialogue Church.”
Dietrich said it with a perfectly calm expression.
“The Dialogue Church that betrayed you, my lord... Especially Archbishop Aquilastr and Archbishop Gateus—they must pay. And the most efficient way is to utilize the Holy Knight Order.”
“......”
“My lord, let’s seize the Holy Knight Order from within. Then use it to crush the Dialogue Church.”
“You have no lingering attachments to the Dialogue Church, do you?”
“Of course not. They’re the ones who betrayed you.”
“Yeah, got it.”
I had no lingering attachments to the Dialogue Church either.
Since they had wronged me, I figured revenge was in order, but that was it.
“But Dietrich, it won’t be that easy.”
“Didn’t you say you’re the grandson of Ianus Aleyas? That’s a perfect position.”
“For now, I’m still young and don’t have much standing. Ianus’s children are keeping me in check.”
“Sershes Aleyas, Helena Aleyas, and Est Aleyas, right?”
“Est seemed favorable toward me, but I can’t read her true intentions.”
“Est... She was no pushover. From what I remember, among Ianus’s children, Est Aleyas and Kurt Aleyas were the strongest opponents.”
“Kurt’s my father, though.”
“Oh, should I call him Lord Kurt then?”
“Nah. Call him whatever.”
My cousins weren’t that threatening.
But Sershes, Helena, and Est held both skill and power, so I had to be wary of them.
They might even come for my life.
“For now, I’m building up achievements by leading one knight brigade in the Independent Knight Brigade.”
“My lord, can you really infiltrate the core of the Holy Knight Order’s power from the Independent Knight Brigade? I hear it’s on the fringes.”
“You’re right. But since I can lead a knight brigade and move freely, it’s easier to rack up merits.”
“Ah, I see.”
Fortunately, the brigade leader, Bernhard, seemed competent... The Independent Knight Brigade’s status would rise as well.
“The fact that I could come meet you like this is because I’m with the Independent Knight Brigade. If I were in the Assault Knight Brigade or Judgment Knight Brigade, it would’ve been much harder.”
“When you put it that way, it’s fortunate you’re there, my lord.”
“Yeah. Oh, and...”
I decided to ask something I’d been curious about for a while.
“Dietrich, what happened to the others after crossing the Winter Mountains without you?”
“We all scattered while shaking off the pursuers. I don’t know what became of them after that.”
“I heard none were captured.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief.”
“Hmm... So you don’t know either.”
It would’ve been great if Dietrich knew the others’ whereabouts... But it seemed I’d have to put off searching for them.
“Then you wouldn’t know about the ones who stayed in the Dialogue Church either.”
“......I only know that they surrendered to Archbishop Gateus.”
Dietrich ground his teeth.
“I can’t forgive those bastards.”
“Enough. They probably had their reasons.”
“If I meet them on the battlefield later, I’ll kill them with my own hands.”
“If they’re still under Gateus, you’d have to storm the main headquarters to see them.”
Gateus, the confidant of Supreme Archbishop Aquilastr, rarely ventured outside.
Even if a full-scale war broke out between the Holy Knight Order and the Dialogue Church, he wouldn’t show himself unless the Holy Knights stormed the main headquarters.
“In the end, we have to wipe out the Dialogue Church.”
Dietrich burned with fighting spirit.
“Very well. Until the day you seize the Holy Knight Order and crush the Dialogue Church, this Dietrich will stake his life to aid you.”
“It’s good to see your enthusiasm, but hide yourself most of the time.”
“Pardon?”
“Your disguise isn’t perfect. It might fool the markets of Roedenburg, but in the Holy Knight Order, someone could see through it.”
“You’re... right.”
“And there’ll be people who remember you... If word gets out that Dietrich of the Dialogue Church has appeared, it’ll cause an uproar.”
“Then it’d trouble you too, my lord, so I should stay hidden as much as possible.”
Dietrich nodded as if convinced.
“I’ll stay near you while concealing my presence, my lord. If I focus solely on stealth, it’ll be hard to detect me.”
“Good, but be careful. Someone like Helena might spot you.”
Helena’s combat prowess was lower than her siblings’, but her ability to detect hidden enemies and such support skills were exceptional.
Even if the 9th-circle mage Dietrich focused only on stealth, Helena would notice if she looked closely.
“Understood. I’ll become your shadow and shatter my bones for you.”
“I’m counting on you, Dietrich.”
My right-hand man from over a decade ago.
Having him by my side would be more reassuring than anything.
* * *
I swiftly moved with Dietrich in tow.
Fortunately, I rendezvoused with Edwin and Lieselotte midway.
“My lord, those two children are your current subordinates?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“You, who once commanded countless battle priests as an archbishop of the Dialogue Church... To think you’re down to just two kids... It’s too pitiful.”
“Don’t say that. They’re promising talents with bright futures.”
I chatted with the hidden Dietrich using code, but he didn’t seem to trust Edwin or Lieselotte much.
Well, compared to my old subordinates, Edwin and Lieselotte were still green... But they were promising rookies just starting to grow, so it wasn’t fair to compare.
“You’re finally back, Sion Aleyas.”
“I apologize for not returning sooner, Brigade Leader.”
Upon entering the Independent Knight Brigade grounds, I met Bernhard, who had come out to greet us in advance.
“Your exploits in the Hermel region were truly impressive. Even the Knight Order Leader praised you.”
“It was only possible thanks to my subordinates’ help. Grade 1 Knight Sena Aleyas assisted as well.”
“Excessive humility is a flaw, Sion Aleyas.”
Bernhard smiled mildly and patted my shoulder.
“Come inside with me. There’s something special I need to discuss.”
“Understood.”
I followed Bernhard with Edwin and Lieselotte.
Then, in the hallway, we ran into a red-haired man.
“Hey there, if it isn’t the young master of the 13th Unit!”
The one greeting me in the conference room was Garf, the captain of the 11th Unit.
The guy who tried to bully me at the inauguration and got counterattacked.
“I heard you captured a Dialogue Church bishop on your first mission?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“You rascal, as expected of the knight I had my eye on!”
Garf laughed and slapped my back.
He seemed to hold no grudges, just as Bernhard said.
“Good work, 13th Captain.”
“1st Captain.”
Next to speak to me was Leadcamp, captain of the 1st Unit.
A 7th-circle, 7-star knight with the most mana among the Independent Knight Brigade captains I’d met.
“To be honest, I was a bit worried. I feared sending inexperienced kids to such a harsh place.”
Leadcamp stroked his goatee with a calm voice.
“But it seems my worries were unfounded. The brigade leader’s judgment was correct.”
“Hey, I believed in him from the start. You’re the only one who was worried, 1st Captain.”
“The guy who rolled around the training grounds after losing to the 13th Captain sure talks a lot.”
“Ah, why bring that up now?!”
Bernhard chuckled as he watched Leadcamp and Garf banter.
“If you have time to chat, submit the next quarter’s training plans for your knight brigades. Especially you, Garf—you always get called out by Gustav for skimpy reports.”
“Ugh... Advisor Gustav is too nitpicky.”
“It’s because you’re too sloppy. See you later.”
Bernhard led us into the brigade leader’s office.
“Once again, the Knight Order Leader greatly praised your 13th Unit. Thanks to that, the Independent Knight Brigade’s standing has improved a lot.”
“That’s fortunate.”
“I’ve been working to elevate the Independent Knight Brigade’s status all this time.”
Bernhard said calmly from his chair.
“It’s been over a decade since the all-out war with the Dialogue Church ended. The Assault Knight Brigade hasn’t seen proper combat in ages, and the Judgment Knight Brigade only handles minor skirmishes now and then.”
“......”
“In times like these, the Independent Knight Brigade’s role in responding to incidents across the regions is more crucial... That’s what I believe.”
Bernhard had a point.
The Holy Knight Order’s two elite mainstay units—the Assault Knight Brigade led the vanguard in large-scale wars, and the Judgment Knight Brigade repelled Dialogue Church incursions. They had little to do in these times.
“Local security is handled by regional knight orders, but blind spots like the Hermel region definitely exist. Incidents beyond local knights’ capabilities can occur, so the Independent Knight Brigade’s ability to deploy swiftly anywhere is vital.”
“I agree.”
“Thank you for that. I’ve been conveying these views through various channels to the upper echelons, but honestly, progress was slow until now. But this time... Your achievements have brought major advancements.”
“I don’t think I did anything that grand.”
“You’re the youngest of the Aleyas family. That carries significant symbolism.”
“......”
As I fell silent, Bernhard chuckled.
“Sorry. From my position, I have no choice but to make full use of you.”
“No need to apologize.”
I’d vaguely sensed it, but he was a man with strong ambitions.
“But regardless of being Aleyas or not, I truly believe you’re the talent who can greatly grow the Independent Knight Brigade going forward.”
With that, Bernhard opened a desk drawer.
“So, I’ve decided to give you more backing.”
“Backing...?”
“This is a list of knights we can currently pull into the Independent Knight Brigade.”
Bernhard handed me a thick stack of documents.
“You have two subordinates in the 13th Unit now, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll increase it to twenty.”
Twenty?
Excluding me, we’d been a tiny unit of just two... Expanding tenfold all at once?
“Review it and pick the knights you like. Once the 13th Unit is fully staffed... I plan to assign you unsolved missions.”
“Unsolved missions...?”
“Tasks the Holy Knight Order has left pending due to various circumstances.”
Unsolved missions.
They sounded like high-difficulty problems.
“Imagine it, Sion Aleyas.”
“......”
“You, gaining acclaim by resolving one by one the issues the Holy Knight Order deemed ‘impossible’ and abandoned.”
Bernhard’s voice was serious, laced with fervor.
“I’ll pave the way for you to become the Holy Knight Order’s greatest holy knight.”