Chapter 15. Rinne Rondvel (1)
There were many words to describe the character Rinne Rondvel.
But if I had to choose just one, it would be this:
Enchanting Beauty.
Rinne's appearance was exceptional.
Her presence alone captivated men effortlessly.
Thanks to her personality that followed the protagonist, 'Hayden Reich', who represented the player, she consistently ranked high in popularity polls aimed at players.
Her actual appearance was quite impressive.
If I hadn't been Yulian, I might have tried to get close to her immediately.
But I couldn't.
I was the student at odds with my master.
Naturally, there couldn't be a friendly relationship with her, who followed Hayden Reich.
Anyway, the reason she appeared was easy to predict.
The sword sheath in my hand belonged to 'Hayden Reich'.
The visitor of the secretary's office must have been 'Hayden Reich'.
"No need for formalities. Please return the master's sword."
As expected.
Rinne gestured for me to return the sword with a disgruntled expression.
"It seems the master has visited the royal palace?"
"What does that have to do with you?"
"I was just asking, Rinne. Sir Hayden is my mentor too, after all."
I returned the sword sheath to Rinne.
I had no intention of keeping it, only checking it out of curiosity.
Afterward, I sat down and waited to be called.
'It stings.'
The gaze directed at me from the opposite end was intensely piercing.
Though appearing indifferent with arms crossed and looking elsewhere, I could occasionally feel a tentative glance in my direction.
She might pretend otherwise, but it would certainly be bothering her.
'Given her personality and the context, it can't be helped.'
Rinne took immense pride in being Hayden Reich's pupil.
For her, Hayden Reich was everything.
Yet, Yulian was defiantly rejecting Hayden's philosophies and teachings, despite being his disciple.
'At least, unlike with Aileen, she knows the situation.'
Through the 'Color of Negativity', Rinne's emotion revealed a red hue signifying 'anger'.
Facing emotions other than fear for the first time was not unsettling.
Knowing the situation and the blatant emotions, in some ways, provided comfort.
After all, I was well aware of the limits of her behavior and attitudes stemming from those emotions.
'She won't act unless I cross the line first.'
Currently, the most troublesome individuals were the ones who might ambush me at any moment.
In that regard, Rinne wasn't exactly someone to be wary of.
Indeed, while she often showed hostility towards me, she was essentially just a barking dog on a leash.
The leash, of course, was Hayden Reich.
As long as she was by his side, Rinne couldn't touch me even if she disliked me.
'Because Hayden Reich wouldn't want that.'
Though she was depicted to surpass Yulian one day, she was currently nothing more than a novice.
"Miss Rinne Rondvel, Sir Hayden Reich is calling for you."
The Secretariat’s staff ended the one-sided hostility in silence.
Rinne hugged the sword sheath and rose from her seat.
Her eagerness to leave the place as if she couldn't stand another second was apparent.
"I'll be leaving first, Sir Yulian. Let's never meet again."
Rinne bid farewell in the same spiteful tone she first used.
"Don't be so cold. We share the same master, don't we, miss Rinne?"
To my reply, Rinne glared icily.
It seemed my acting as Yulian had been convincing.
Without another word, she exited the waiting room.
***
The reason for the personal call from the Imperial Secretary was as I had anticipated.
In addition to reporting on the mission, it was also about personally assessing me.
Perhaps due to this, the mission reporting was glossed over, ending with questions about my health and injuries.
After completing my tasks, I left the royal palace and headed towards the capital.
'It's a good time to complete it.'
It was a prime opportunity to perfect the still-incomplete 'Moonlit Sword'.
With my weapon consistently falling short until now, it was necessary to get it tailored this time.
Using gemstones to engrave mana veins on the blade was the most effective method at this point.
Of course, not just any gemstone would do.
As I had previously confirmed, I needed a moonstone that best suited me.
According to what I knew, moonstones were handled by jewel merchants. Asking around there should help me acquire one.
'It's bustling.'
The Adratan Empire had a considerable population that was among the highest on the continent, making the capital teeming with people.
It was not easy to locate one's destination in such a crowd.
'Thankfully, I have a map.'
I took out the map provided by a servant, checked it, and continued walking.
The self-assertive Yulian had an interest in jewels as much as craftsmanship.
As he frequently patronized a certain jewelry store, I was able to receive a map indicating its location from a servant.
"Sir Yulian, it's been a while! How is your health?"
A middle-aged man wearing a monocle greeted me warmly as I entered the jewelry store.
Judging by his reaction, I was definitely a regular.
"I would like to purchase a moonstone."
"A moonstone, you say?"
"Yes."
The jewelry store owner grimaced.
"Well... we don't handle moonstones here."
"Is that so?"
That's unfortunate.
But I understood.
In this world, moonstones were challenging to acquire, yet there was little demand for them.
"That's a shame."
I sighed with a hint of wistfulness, and the store owner broke out in a nervous smile, sweating slightly.
A 'purple haze' wavered above his head.
"Still, if it's a request from Sir Yulian, I'll do my utmost to procure one."
"Do you think it's possible?"
"Yes... it will be difficult, but I'll see what I can do."
Sometimes infamy had its benefits.
In any case, it was good news.
Frankly, if I set off to find it myself, it'd be an arduous journey.
Having completed my business there, I returned to my office.
"What is all this?"
Documents piled high on my desk.
There were not only the work documents I needed to process but also personal documents brought from the mansion.
These included bills for management and registration fees for some obscure art association, among others.
'What sort of art association is this...'
I threw the unnecessary documents into the trash.
Around that time, razroot knocked and entered.
"Sir Yulian! C-Commander Ordwin is calling you!"
Ordwin?
I didn't know why, but upon answering I would soon head to the commander's office.
"Yulian, it's a mission."
Already? How long has it even been since I got back?
When I asked her what it was about, she said there was information about a demon appearing in the capital's slums.
Orders were issued to investigate.
I sensed something odd at that moment.
"Is there any reason for us to care about those lowly poor folks?"
I deliberately asked with a vitriolic tone.
Since when did the royal palace care about that area?
A demon appearance is problematic, but that doesn't mean it's causing immediate trouble. An investigation might just end in suspicion.
Especially since the location was a slum.
A place the royal palace never concerned itself with.
They'd only act once an actual demon appeared.
"I found it strange too, so I asked around. The royal palace doesn't concern itself with the slums."
Ordwin seemed to have had similar thoughts and had already inquired.
The slums were remnants caused by the Empire's military annexation of other countries.
The eastern slum had formed as those who did not adhere to the Empire's mainstream culture or religion, sometimes even differing in race, were denied entry into the capital (帝都) and gathered there.
"If the royal palace extends a hand to the slums, many would be opposed. It seems they have no plans to alter that stance anyway."
"So, why now?"
"Sir Hayden Reich apparently requested assistance. He asked for a royal representative to ascertain the truth behind the demon sighting."
Ugh.
Upon hearing the protagonist's name, I internally sighed.
Interacting with him at this stage wasn't beneficial.
Without being a complete Yulian yet, instantly getting involved with the protagonist led to more drawbacks than advantages. Plus, the contextually poor relationship didn't help.
'But rejecting it completely isn't an option either.'
It wasn't a good look to decline formally issued assignments.
In any case, Yulian wouldn't have cared about the protagonist's involvement.
"Drawing attention with knights is too risky, so they decided just to send one from the 'Blind Eyes'. It's unlikely Sir Hayden himself will come."
"Is it not the master himself who's coming?"
"Probably, yes. According to information from the secretariat, that seems to be the case."
Her words provided a small relief.
But someone else was coming?
Our protagonist wasn't one to organize and move with subordinates.
So, then...
'Is it for Rinne to gain some experience?'
That must be it.
After parting with Yulian, he appointed Rinne as his protégé and put all his efforts into her development.
Her words during our farewell echoed in my mind.
― I'll be leaving first, Sir Yulian. Let's never meet again."
Saying such things, yet here we meet again.
***
"It seems I remember saying let's never meet again."
Rinne Rondvel spoke with obvious annoyance.
Her expression was almost certainly distorted.
"Does life ever go as one wishes?"
"I don't want to hear it. You're not needed for this patrol mission. You don't have to follow. No, don't follow."
"It's a task the master personally requested. Are you telling me to ignore that?"
"Th-that..."
Her previously brusque demeanor softened a bit.
Once I mentioned the protagonist, she couldn't muster a word.
It was genuinely a magical word.
I left the quieted Rinne behind and rechecked the mission order contents.
The location was the slums, and we were to investigate due to a suspicion of a demon appearance. It was the same content I had heard before.
"But why is it just the two of us? If it's a demon subjugation mission, shouldn't soldiers be accompanying us?"
"To be precise, it's an investigation, not subjugation. Perhaps they want to avoid unnecessary commotion."
"..."
Suddenly, she went silent, and I turned my head.
The Rinne I knew wouldn't leave it at that.
"I never imagined you could speak so rationally."
"..."
Was my reputation that far gone?
Just how recklessly had I acted for such a reaction to a mere reasonable statement...
Sighing slightly, I started walking, and Rinne, with a dissatisfied look, followed behind.
'In any case, I hope this mission ends solely with an investigation.'
I had yet to fully reclaim my strength.
Though the situation mirrored the previous escort mission, with the protagonist's disciple Rinne at odds with me, it required even more caution this time.
Honestly, my hope was to avoid a 'subjugation' scenario.
Whish──!
While checking directions on the mission order, Rinne began to pass me, taking the lead. She seemed to aim for the right upon seeing the sign ahead.
"Miss Rinne."
"What?"
"That's not the right way. Slums, with their haphazard illegal construction, have tangled paths. If you trust signs, you'll end up lost."
She paused and looked at me intently.
She was clearly skeptical.
I smiled to foster trust, which I quickly realized was a mistake.
"Then why is there a sign? At the very least, it'd be more accurate than what Sir Yulian claims, considering you're not from here."
In the face of the villain's smile, Rinne's hostility festered even more.
"You want to surpass the master's reputation, and that's why you agreed to participate in this mission, right? Wanting to boast about crushing the current Sword Saint's protégé."
"..."
"You should know the difference between personal and professional matters. How can you mix personal bias into work?"
With that, Rinne resumed her steps.
Just who mixed personal bias into work first?
There was plenty to say, but I decided to let it go.
It's not like she'd believe me even if I explained.
In any case, left was the right way.
This eastern slum area was a proverbial wall of lament for anyone who played 〈Let's Kill the Demon King Now〉.
The maze-like intertwining paths had frustrated many players, causing them to abandon the area.
Of course, having played through numerous cycles, it was a place I knew like the back of my hand.
'In Hayden Reich's perspective, it was charming.'
Whatever was said, she had adorable ears that would perk up and attentively jot down stories.
Though now in my perspective, she's an insufferable presence that interrupts everything I say.
Watching Rinne move farther, I ran a hand through my hair.
And I leisurely followed in her steps, walking behind her.
Clacky's Corner:
I was wrong, apparently he already is Hayden's student, but he is at odds with Hayden.
Interesting. I hope author-nim shed light upon us on what happened.