Ch.200Radiance of Fury (3)

“Right. So you did get rid of the screw?”

“Oh yeah! Completely destroyed it! And I collected all the fragments just in case!”

“Good work. Usually, they keep spare parts for the engine room, but not for the screw.”

Engine room parts are inside the ship, but propulsion mechanisms like the screw are on the outside, submerged underwater.

That’s why they’re less likely to be hit by gunfire, and since they’re heavy steel masses rotating at tremendous speeds, even underwater monsters tend to avoid approaching the stern. For this reason, ships typically don’t carry spare screws.

Well, coastal patrol boats might carry spare parts since they often get tangled in nets, but this time we disabled not just the screw but the entire drive system, so they won’t be able to move for at least a month.

“You didn’t leave any traces, right?”

“Of course not. Those elf girls did a really thorough job.”

“Hmph. Erasing traces is basic hunting knowledge. Unless they’re elves themselves, humans will have a hard time finding anything.”

“Then that’s perfect.”

Taking full advantage of our multi-racial party’s strengths, we rendered the warships of Avalencia and Ferington useless.

Now all that remained was for the departed inspectors and diplomats to arrive with their investigation team.

And I wanted to add one more faction to this mix.

“Now I need to visit the Relief Knights.”

“Just you and Raisha going?”

“No. General Bellington will come too. I’d like to take all of you, but… as you know, they’re in a foul mood right now. If we all went, they might get suspicious. Since I’m a wandering knight, there shouldn’t be any issue with me seeking support from a knight order branch.”

“That makes sense. But the airship is being modified right now. How are you planning to get there?”

“I’ll use teleportation magic. I heard the magic circles in military buildings are still active. Since we’re on the same side now, I’ve already gotten permission to use them.”

I grinned as I picked up Raisha in my arms.

I wasn’t sure if the Relief Knights would accept my proposal, but the chances were quite high.

Generally, the Relief Knights had an image of being “on the side of justice,” and this was a major incident that could temporarily shield them from the criticism they often received for being puppets of the powerful.

Would those who had sworn eternal holy war against all evil in this world simply ignore a case where two nations were essentially raping another?

And though I don’t mean to boast… within the Relief Knights, I was a living saint who had performed miracles. That’s why I was allowed to carry holy relics.

A serious matter that demanded the attention of those on the side of justice, combined with a request from a living saint himself… these two factors together could potentially turn even the most composed knights into rabid dogs.

“Well, I’ll be off then.”

“Right. Come back with good news.”

I mounted Bruiser and headed to the location I had been tipped about earlier.

There, General Bellington was waiting in his formal attire, and I joined him, carrying my wife in my arms as we stepped into the magic circle.

*

“Hmm…”

As the bright light faded, I looked around and could tell this was one of the many branches of the Relief Knights.

In front of me stood a civilian official in plain clothes, and beside him were attendants holding spears, standing at attention.

“Welcome to Branch 1923 of the Relief Knights. Please state your identity and business.”

“I am Victor Walker, a Sun Knight serving Nariakira Saburo, the Sun of Humanity. This is my wife, Raisha Walker. And this is General Bellington Cheshire of Zirconia.”

General Bellington raised his hat in greeting, and the official bowed his head, showing appropriate respect to a foreign general.

“The sovereignty of Zirconia, a member state of the Coastal Alliance, is being seriously violated, and I wish to borrow the strength of the Relief Knights to resolve this. May I meet with the branch commander?”

“…Sovereignty violation… Please wait a moment.”

He asked for our patience and used his ear-mounted communication device to contact someone.

Click!

The sound of the radio connecting was heard, and then he addressed us.

“Yes, Lieutenant. It’s me. Sir Victor Walker, a wandering knight, says he needs the Relief Knights’ support.”

—-

“No, it’s not such a trivial matter. He says Zirconia’s sovereignty is being violated. General Bellington Cheshire of Zirconia is also present.”

—-

“Yes. Understood… Yes. I’ll send them right away.”

Click!

As the radio disconnected, the official turned to us and said:

“The Lieutenant has granted permission for you to meet the branch commander. Please follow me.”

“Hmm.”

I exchanged glances with Major General Bellington as we moved.

To ease my tension during the walk, I carried my wife in my arms and kneaded her cheeks. After squeezing her soft cheeks 4,524 times, we finally met the branch commander.

Beside him were several knights whose cloaks were adorned with numerous medals and decorations, suggesting they were high-ranking knights who had achieved great feats.

“Please sit. It’s an honor to meet a general from Zirconia.”

“I appreciate your consideration, Commander.”

I remained silent as I took my seat, allowing the Major General and the branch commander to converse.

I could have spoken, but the authority of a national general was on par with that of a branch commander, so it was right for the Major General to take the lead in this room.

“I’ve heard the outline already, but we need the strength of your knights to stop the pack of wolves trying to steal our nation’s wealth.”

“Rats, you say? I’ve heard what happened in Zirconia. But it seems there’s more to it.”

“Well…”

Major General Bellington broke into a cold sweat as he explained in detail everything that had happened in Zirconia to the branch commander.

As the story unfolded, the branch commander’s expression changed moment by moment, and the faces of the high-ranking knights present also grew increasingly grim.

“…Therefore, I officially request support from the Relief Knights on behalf of the Zirconian government.”

“…The Relief Knights formally accept the request for support from the Zirconian government. If we could eat our meals after witnessing such injustice, we would not be knights. Isn’t that right?”

“””That’s right!”””

Voices filled with aura resonated throughout the room.

The power of their solemn declaration was so overwhelming that my heart nearly stopped, and Major General Bellington looked at me with a face full of relief.

“You. You said you were a Sun Knight?”

“Yes. Do you know my name?”

“Victor Walker. I’ve already received reports from other branches. I heard you carry a holy relic… but I don’t see it.”

Silently, I drew my greatsword and handed it to the branch commander.

Drawing a sword in front of a superior might be considered disrespectful… but this was the office of a Relief Knights branch commander.

If they had wanted to stop my action, my limbs would have been severed before I even started.

“Hmm… I see. So you melted down two blades and reforged them into a greatsword.”

“This isn’t a magical engraving… this engraving was… created by a transcendent being with their own power.”

“Surely by the Sun. I don’t sense the power of the Four Great Gods.”

“Then you haven’t exactly damaged a holy relic. That’s fine.”

The branch commander returned the greatsword to me, and after I sheathed the Purifier, he spoke again.

“Normally, knights should not involve themselves in politics… but this situation must be an exception. Soon, an investigation team and support units will be dispatched in the name of the Relief Knights to improve the situation.”

“Thank you.”

“Raise your head, young knight. Despite your young age, you’ve acted calmly. Especially using citizens to secure evidence and blocking the enemy’s movement—that’s a strategy even adult knights might not easily devise. Without that, the Relief Knights could not have intervened.”

“Are there precedents for such interventions?”

“Precedents abound. But favorable outcomes are rare. However, with such excellent groundwork, isn’t it worth trying? If there are forces that try to stop the Relief Knights from helping suffering people, we’ll simply crush them.”

The branch commander smiled faintly as he patted my shoulder.

But I knew.

Among everyone gathered here, excluding my companions, there wasn’t a single person weaker than me.

Against the branch commander, I wouldn’t last even one exchange before being cut in half, and against the high-ranking knights, at best I might inflict a scratch on their cheek before being beaten to a pulp.

This organization of knights with such overwhelming power had promised before me to come to Zirconia to realize justice.

“Whether it’s the Sun and Moon, or the Four Great Gods, universal human justice dictates that one should not steal from others and should respect what belongs to others. Those who violate this universality need correction.”

I couldn’t help but tremble at those words, chilled to the bone.

The declaration of the strong to enlighten the weak was always terrifying to hear.