As I rode back in the carriage, I was deep in thought.
How do I catch Super Harpas?
I can’t just use cheat codes like in a game, can I?
What cards do I have up my sleeve?
Sadly, I can’t make use of the students.
First of all, they’re not ready for the battlefield yet; it would be way too dangerous. Plus, as a student, I had no justification to take them along.
In other words, taking them with me was a huge risk for almost zero return. If I managed to bring them back alive, I could offer them some real combat experience, but they’re still just kids. I couldn’t take them along, and the chance of them dying is pretty high.
To be brutally honest, I wouldn’t even bet that the most developed among them, Lewis, could survive even a day, or maybe half a day, on the battlefield.
So, the students definitely couldn’t participate in this war. Maybe by this time next year, I could start thinking about taking them along.
I didn’t have many options, and I chose one among them.
“Hey, Merlin. What brings you here?”
“I was reminiscing about the old days. You know, back when I was wildly reckless.”
“Grandpa, who’s this old man?”
“He’s a friend of your grandpa, Amy.”
Honey was practically dripping from my eyes. I sighed at the extreme temperature difference between seeing Principal Merlin and his granddaughter. Can I recruit him? He seems to think of me as nothing more than an annoying guest.
I thought it was someone I should recruit first, so I came with Principal Merlin, but it feels like he would never come along no matter what.
“Friend? I know that! It’s Merry, right?”
“That’s right.”
He definitely wouldn’t come just to see his granddaughter. I sighed inwardly at this tough second recruitment.
My plan to recruit powerful NPCs scattered all over and put them to work in the Harpas War hit a wall right from the start. Well, not right from the start. At least I succeeded in recruiting Principal Merlin.
“I’m already as old as I can be.”
“Unfortunately, isn’t it a bit risky to leave things to the youngsters?”
“The Imperial Knights are strong. They won’t fall to some petty demons.”
Seriously, when Harpas shows up, they’ll get owned.
Even if your knight commander is tough, he’s just a mid-boss level compared to what they can handle. Harpas is a mid-boss too, but the original story barely lets him win thanks to every kind of protagonist buff.
…I want to say this honestly, but I’ll probably be treated as a lunatic, so I kept my mouth shut and watched the verbal sparring between Principal Merlin and Kalintz, the former Imperial Knights commander.
“The situation is quite grim.”
“What can we do? We’re old folks nearing the end of our days.”
“You know the state of the Empire, don’t you?”
“…”
“Grandpa, what do you mean by that?”
“Amy. Could you go inside for a moment?”
“Okay?”
“I need to discuss something with my friend, just for a minute. Emma, take Amy to her room.”
“Understood, Miss Amy.”
“I’m leaving! See you!”
The girl named Amy disappeared towards the garden. She’s probably heading back to her room, right? With the servants around, she shouldn’t have any trouble getting lost.
So, is it time for the real verbal boxing match?
Now that just the three of us were left, I stepped forward. Even if I talk like an old man in the back room, looking into those sharp eyes makes me realize how ridiculous that is.
If that’s an old man in the back room, then Principal Merlin must be a senile old fool too.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Johann Quartz. I serve as the Saint’s knight.”
“Not a swordsman, I see. And… did you receive a divine blessing?”
An old man with sharp, inquisitive eyes regarded me with curiosity, just like an expert from a martial arts novel. To speak of a divine blessing is something even the Emperor can’t easily receive, so it might be intriguing after all.
“Right you are.”
“I don’t see the habits one should have if they were a swordsman.”
“I’m not a swordsman.”
“Hmm…”
“A rather promising young man, indeed. The prosthetic arm on your left is his work.”
“Oh?”
Upon hearing that I was the prosthetic creator, his reaction was slightly more favorable. But that was about it. Kalintz quickly turned his gaze away from me and spoke to Principal Merlin.
“Quite an interesting story, but it’s not enough to drag this old man out.”
“Ho ho.”
“You might think so, but it’s hard to look at this war with optimism. The Empire will not be able to stop Harpas’s advance.”
“The Empire is strong. What does a simple knight know to make such a definite claim?”
As expected, Kalintz, who had a strong pride in the Imperial Knights, immediately rebutted my statement.
“I anticipated this reaction.
“Harpas has become stronger than ever. He’s even capable of defeating a Phoenix by his own power.”
“…!”
Though I’ve never actually seen a Phoenix, I knew enough about it that the mere mention astonished Kalintz.
Originally, Harpas could never win against a Phoenix in a direct confrontation, no matter how many times he came back to life.
His inherent combat prowess was weak, and the fact that demons have a difficult time exerting their powers in this world added to the problem.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard the news since it’s been a while since you retired, but the influence of the Halphas Cult is stronger than ever. The first defensive line in the west of the Empire has collapsed, and they’re barely holding on at the second line.”
In other words, we couldn’t guarantee victory even if the main force moved.
Kalintz sighed deeply, pondering my words. He likely understood the severity of what I said. It wasn’t until he finished whatever tea he had that he finally spoke back to me with a self-deprecating voice.
“…What can a mere knight do, after all?”
“I aim to suppress Harpas at this opportunity. Would you join me as part of the suppression force?”
“There are plenty of better talents than me. As you can see, I’m just an old man waiting for death. Besides, my right arm is in this condition.”
Kalintz raised his silver prosthetic arm.
It wasn’t meant for combat; it was for daily living. I wondered where the outer shell went, but that didn’t matter. I focused on the materials that I told Sif to buy as much as possible in the black market, and I replied while hoping they would arrive soon.
“I’ll make it easier for you to wield than in your prime.”
“…There’s no way you can make something this complicated in such a short time.”
“It’s possible. But I’ll need help.”
I remembered that this house had some good materials in the storage. I opened my mouth to Kalintz, who looked at me with curious eyes.
“First…”
——————
“That’s unbelievable.”
“How so?”
“Are you perhaps a dwarf?”
“Have you ever seen a dwarf this tall?”
“Ha. With this skill, the royal family would probably seek you out. It’s not every day you find a blacksmith who can skillfully handle mithril.”
Watching Kalintz’s impressed face, I couldn’t help but hide my satisfaction.
Honestly, if I had meticulously crafted a mithril prosthetic arm for half a day, it better satisfy me. That much energy would hold easily, even with tons of aura pumped into it.
I stared at the old man, who was worth a crazy amount for a prosthetic arm that could be worth the price of a solid arm.
The old man was infusing aura into his sword like a child with a new toy.
Whoa, it seems to be at least three meters long! Truly, the person who held the title of the Imperial’s strongest knight is on another level. Just effortlessly drawing like that, if he set his mind to it, he could literally slice through the walls with a single blow.
“Given that I received such a present, it wouldn’t be right to act oblivious. I’m not sure how much I can help, but I’ll join you.”
“Thank you.”
Having successfully recruited the former strongest knight of the Empire, I immediately thought of my next target.
Once I recruit that guy, it would be best to leave for the west straight away.
“Principal Merlin, do you know where the martial artist Geren is?”
“You’re calling that muscle-brained fool?”
Oh. Thinking back, I hadn’t been on good terms with Principal Merlin. It’s quite tough to get along between a clueless, muscle-headed fighter and a rational, composed wizard.
“It’s not a time for selecting people.”
“Hmm… As the leader, I won’t oppose you. If it’s him, he’d be at Durantz Mountain in the East.”
“Could you open a portal for me?”
“Ho ho, Kalintz. This is how I’ve been living lately.”
“That’s surprisingly cheerful for someone your age.”
“You reminded me of my youth.”
“Back when I was recklessly gallivanting around?”
“Still, those days brought excitement every day.”
He’s completely lost in nostalgia. I stuffed the remaining mithril into my pouch and said,
“We’re short on time, so let’s head out immediately.”
“Goodness, you’re working me to the bone for an old man…”
———————————
“What?! You’re calling me for the third time for something so fun?! Show me the way immediately! Hahaha!”
…Did I call him for no reason?
Anyway, as that battle-crazed old man eagerly followed, I looked around at this geriatric party with an average age of about seventy.
“Before we leave, I’d like to swing by the Academy. I have one last thing to do.”
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.