While playing the game, you encounter various NPCs in different places.
They sometimes become enemies, sometimes cooperate, and sometimes give quests and offer rewards.
The individual narratives of various NPCs gave users a different kind of fun.
Among them, there were some memorable NPCs, and Rommel is one that was quite talked about among users.
The Wandering Knight Rommel was an NPC who always wore armor, never showing his face.
Though he wasn't particularly stylish due to his somewhat clumsy-looking armor design, he was quite popular because of his characteristically bold and cheerful personality.
He is one of the few wandering knight NPCs in the game and even gives weapons and armor that are good for casual use as gifts to knight users.
This armor's performance was better than expected, so he was treated like a big brother figure among users.
'That Rommel's armor is over there.'
Osian approached the armor and carefully lifted the rusted helmet.There was no way he wouldn't recognize this uniquely designed helmet.
A monster revealed itself among the debris. In the gloomy space, it stared at Osian with brightly glowing eyes.
Regardless, Osian gazed blankly at the helmet, lost in reminiscence.
-Hmm? Who might you be? Ho ho, pleased to meet you. I am Rommel. A knight carrying out the mission of benefiting the world.
Rommel's hearty voice echoed in his ears.
It wasn't like text or a recorded voice actor, but as if he was directly hearing it from meeting him back then.
The experience held by his body mixed with the game's memories, making the situation from back then even more vivid.
Osian wasn't particularly surprised by this fact. He just closed his eyes and naturally recalled his memories with him.
-Oh oh. Well, would you look at this? You're a knight just like me. What a coincidence. Since we met by chance, I'll give you this.
The image of Rommel showing kindness without any wariness even to strangers he's meeting for the first time, readily handing over armor and weapons.
-This belonged to an old friend of mine. But since it lost its owner, it would be better to give it to someone worthy. Of course, I don't expect anything in return. Just buy me a delicious drink sometime later.
Rommel said that and left. That was the first meeting between the playable character and him.
Afterwards, Rommel could be encountered in various places.
True to his title as a wandering knight, he could be found getting involved in incidents here and there or encountered in specific places, and each time he would welcome Osian with a kind smile.
-Oh oh. It's you. You look more like a proper knight than before. What brings you here? Me? I'm pondering something right now. There's someone guarding the entrance to that castle, and they won't easily let anyone pass. Hmm. I wonder how I should persuade them.
That quest was simple. Just defeat the guard protecting the castle, that's all.
-To think you'd solve this so easily! You are truly an example of knighthood!
Then when you enter the castle, you can see vampires inhabiting it.
Osian hunted vampires together with Rommel, and was able to drive his sword into the heart of the Blood Vampire.
-This will reduce evil in the world. The world will be more peaceful than before.
Rommel leaves those words and departs somewhere with a farewell saying let's meet again.
The connection with Rommel continued after that.
He showed him a side path to climb up when he was wondering how to scale an endlessly steep ice wall.
He pulled out Rommel's cape when his armor got stuck in a narrow crevice in the rocky mountain area.
He received thanks after working together to defend against a horde of monsters attacking a village.
As you enjoy adventures and push through the main story like that, a fixed quest appears that you do together with Rommel.
-Actually, the owner of that armor I gave you was alive. He was my friend, and I thought he had died, but that wasn't the case. Ah, of course, I don't intend to take back the armor and sword I already gave you. I just couldn't hide this fact from you who have journeyed with me.
What did he say back then?
No, he couldn't say anything to begin with. He was unusually quiet, and just listened to what others said.
-My friend whom I thought dead was actually kidnapped by evil black magicians. And they're very dangerous ones at that. I've finally found out where they're staying, and I plan to go punish that evil.
The final journey for revenge for his friend.
That was the end of the narrative held by the knight called Rommel in this game.
-What do you say? Will you join me in serving justice?
This is where the paths diverge. If you accept Rommel's request, you storm the black magicians' stronghold together with him.
If you break through the undead and monsters swarming there and defeat the black magicians, Rommel's quest ends.
Of course, the end of that story wasn't so hopeful.
Because the mid-boss monster encountered while breaking through to defeat the black magicians turns out to be Rommel's friend who had become an experimental subject of the black magicians.
-I see. So my friend ended up leaving like that. I couldn't save him. No, don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. Everything was, simply due to my inadequacy.
So Rommel makes a small grave for his friend's corpse, then suddenly departs somewhere.
After that, he can't be seen anywhere in the field and not even news of him can be heard.
'Conversely, if you don't accept the quest, Rommel heads to the black magicians' stronghold alone to save his friend.'
When you go to the black magicians' stronghold later, you can see that place has been turned into half ruins with traces of countless battles.
Countless undead, experimental subjects, and black magicians' corpses.
And Rommel's figure, standing dead in the center of it all.
If you refuse the quest, Rommel meets a heroic end fighting alone against the group of black magicians.
'So I changed direction.'
In the 99th playthrough, Osian refused Rommel's quest.
But instead, he raided the black magicians' base before Rommel.
There, he greatly reduced the number of enemies Rommel would have to deal with, leaving only the experimental subject who could be Rommel's friend and some black magicians.
To kill all the black magicians, Rommel's friend would have to die. Since that couldn't happen, he instead laid the groundwork for Rommel to defeat them more easily.
Of course, he didn't know how much impact this could have.
Since it was a game with system-given choices, there was a high possibility Rommel would meet the same end.
Yet he did this troublesome task because it was Osian's small self-satisfaction hoping that somehow Rommel would save his friend.
"That's definitely how it was."
Rommel's helmet is here.
The masked man who said he was a knight and the monster residing here.
"I see."
Osian took his eyes off the helmet and looked at the monster as he spoke.
"Rommel. So that was your true identity."
The monster made no response to Osian's words. Instead, unlike usual, its slightly softened eyes were fixed on the helmet in Osian's hand.
This wasn't an action taken because it recognized it was once a noble knight.
It just instinctively felt that the helmet had some connection to itself.
But it was just like when you wake up from a dream and can't remember what you dreamed about - just that level of déjà vu.
Like bubbles that easily dissipate.
Just such a trivial emotion.
-Aaaaaaargh!!!
Therefore, the monster once again roared as led by its violent nature.
Osian watched the monster's appearance with a gaze that was more pitiful than fearful.
"If we go together the friend dies, and if I let him go alone he ends up meeting death. So this was the choice that was made."
The friend lived, but conversely, Rommel became a monster twisted by the black magicians' power.
Now he understood why the masked man said to leave the monster alone.
He couldn't bring himself to kill the friend who had saved him because he wanted him to live even in monster form, he left him here quietly, even though he could have exterminated him if he wanted to.
-Please help us.
Now he understood the meaning of those words.
"Very well."
Osian stored Rommel's helmet in the bracelet space and raised his starlight.
Starlight Sword.
Silk Nebula.
Starlight Armor.
As if driving away the ominousness of the dark space, Osian became one with the light.
It was truly like seeing a single streak of starlight that had been hanging in the sky suddenly fall and stand firmly on the ground.
"I don't know your face. I didn't talk with you much and only listened to your one-sided words. If I had to say, there wasn't a single element that could make us close."
The monster unconsciously flinched at Osian's starlight burning more brilliantly than before.
"But we were knights. People who wielded swords for our respective beliefs. So Rommel, I will give you peace here and now. That is the highest courtesy I can show you."
Osian held his sword vertically and saluted with a knight's courtesy.
"Moreover, because you would have made the same choice as me."
Light surged forth.
At the same time, Osian's figure disappeared from his spot. White stardust sparkled in the air along the trajectory he had passed.
The monster's gaze moved busily trying to track Osian. But by the time it saw that trajectory, Osian was already gone from that spot.
The monster felt a burning pain in its leg and fell to one knee.
Osian's starlight sword had completely split the muscle and cut through to the bone.
Though the leg wasn't completely severed, this was the first time the muscle fibers that had perfectly blocked external impacts until now had been cut.
The monster instinctively raised its left arm. Light surged up in that spot and cut the monster's arm.
-Kwagagak!
The black tentacles concentrated in the arm collided with the starlight and created a bizarre friction sound.
But most tentacles couldn't withstand it and were cut off, rolling on the floor. Blood sprayed as the monster's wound opened.
-Aaaaaaargh!
The monster swung its right arm wide while screaming. The shockwave that burst out explosively swirled around like a storm.
But Osian wasn't in it.
Having already pulled back his body, Osian approached the monstrous Rommel again while taking his stance.
Light danced.
The beautiful white light trajectory drawn in the air created a picture as gracefully as a brush stroke.
Under Osian's relentless attacks that didn't give room to breathe, the monster had to endlessly retreat while shrinking its body.
-Chwaaaak!
Seeming to think this wouldn't do, the monster spewed tentacles from its whole body.
The black tentacles shot out in all directions like sea urchin spines, breaking the surrounding structures and floor.
However, Osian quickly navigated through the gaps in that mass of black light.
Cut tentacles writhed and collapsed along the path where Osian had passed.
───!!
A white line was drawn in the air.
Following that trajectory, a large wound appeared on the monster's chest.
Black tentacles writhed and regenerated even before blood could spray from the gaping wound, but the speed was considerably slower than before.
The monster reflexively swung its right arm.
Having read the trajectory, Osian dodged the monster's arm with minimal movement, then moved as if sticking to the floor and dug into its body.
The monster immediately tried to open its mouth wide to roar. It was that attack with physical force. But Osian swinging his sword was faster.
Along with a slicing sound, a sword wound was carved from the monster's chest up along its shoulder blade.
Part of the horn grown on the monster's head was cleanly cut off along the trajectory.
-Tuung!
The monster desperately stretched out its left arm, but Osian swung his shield to knock the left arm outward.
Toward that wide open body, Osian's sword strikes poured down mercilessly.
-Chwararak!
Tentacles that broke through the monster's skin clumped together like armor to protect the body.
Osian swung his sword again and again and again as if that didn't matter.
Each time starlight flashed masses of black tentacles fell and rolled on the floor.
The tentacles couldn't withstand under the starlight that burned everything between.
-Aaaaaaargh!
Finally unable to endure, the monster fell backward and collided with the debris pile.
-Bang! Kwarururu!
The debris collapsed with a rumble and pressed down on the monster's body.
Osian quietly watched that sight.
"Resistance will only bring pain. Humbly accept your end. This is the maximum mercy I can give you."
The monster crushed under the debris showed no response.
Those dazed emerald eyes were fixed not on accepting death, but beyond the collapsed debris, on the rusted armor.
That symbol which he once wore in the distant past when he was an honorable knight.
Was it because of the battle with starlight?
Or because the tentacles possessing his body had decreased?
The monster gazing at the armor slowly pushed away the debris and raised its body.
"You still intend to fight."
Osian was about to swing his sword but briefly paused.
Something about the monster's bearing was different from usual.
The monster didn't scream. Instead it stretched out its left arm and slowly picked up one of the debris that had been pressing down on its body.
A blade over 5 meters long was pulled out from among the creaking scrap metal pile.
The monster looked down at its massive right arm, then stretched it toward the sky.
Something wriggled and moved inside the right arm, then white bone protruded long through the palm.
-Ppuddeuk! Ppudeuk!
Through the gaps in the split palm, parts of tentacles mixed with blood flowed out and rolled on the floor like worms.
But the monster paid no attention to that and grasped the long sharp bone it had pulled out.
A bone blade in the right arm.
A scrap metal blade in the left arm.
The monster that had only used tentacles and physical attacks until now took hold of two weapons and then took a stance, clearly a stance like that of a human handling swords.
-Hwareuk!
At the same time, starlight rose from the blades grasped in both hands.
The monster's emerald eyes burned white.
Seeing the two brilliantly shining blades of starlight, Osian recalled Knight Rommel's title.
The Knight of Twin Stars, Rommel.
He who had been worn away by time, revealed himself once again.