Osian imagined the man named Deliphiros.
Since he didn't know much about him, most of it was just speculation.
He was a human who had risen to the position of mayor in Tirna and he received fanatical support from the majority of humans.
Just from that, he must be a very skilled individual. Having such a person as the city's mayor would be nothing short of a blessing for Tirna.
'But that doesn't always work out well.'
Deliphiros was wary of Aspirex.
From what Amenora said, it seemed beyond wariness—it was hatred.
It couldn't be helped. While human leaders kept changing, Aspirex had maintained his position as mayor from the city's founding until now.
Even though he made great contributions to creating the city, for Deliphiros, who was human, that was just a thing of the past.
People live in the present and they can't help but look toward the future.From Deliphiros' perspective, Aspirex must appear as a blemish on this city.
He's a remnant of the past in a city moving toward the future.
Even knowing that Aspirex dedicates himself to the city and works for it, that thought wouldn't change.
'Well, when the mayor is elected through a republican system with voting, yet part of the mayoral office is held like a king, it's bound to be uncomfortable.'
Even kings step down and hand over their positions when they grow old, but Aspirex had none of that.
From Deliphiros' perspective, there couldn't be a more absolute power than this.
"So it's difficult to act because of his check on power."
"Aspirex is capable. He used his innate intelligence to diligently learn for hundreds of years. That's why he was able to establish Tirna and become the mayor."
Osian recalled Aspirex.
His robustness came from being born as a rock dragon, but the intelligence in his unfathomable eyes was certainly not something that could be gained easily.
"Aspirex also knows well about politics and dynamics. He knows that he shouldn't act recklessly or behave imprudently because the world has changed but Deliphiros is no pushover either. He's more capable than any mayor elected so far."
Deliphiros was said to know his limits.
No matter how smart he was, he would inevitably fall short compared to Aspirex, who accomplished everything by himself.
"So he created allies. Or rather, greatly expanded them."
Yes. The reason humans have survived since ancient times lies in cooperation.
Humans don't have inborn physical abilities like beastkin. They don't have the affinity with nature like elves or the sturdy bodies and metallurgy skills of dwarves but they have a desire more intense than anything else.
Those who ignited their inner flames gathered those torches from their hearts to build a massive civilization, and united with collective strength.
That was the most terrifying aspect of humans.
'Sometimes they fight among themselves because they can't handle that overflowing ambition.'
But if there was an external enemy that needed to be overthrown, that was when people truly united.
And humans could become more ruthless than anyone else when it came to their enemies.
"Especially, forming a close alliance with the military was significant. If you ask which faction holds the greatest power in Tirna, it would undoubtedly be the military."
"So that's why Aspirex can't move carelessly."
"It would have been difficult if he were alone. The balance is maintained thanks to his close alliance with another mayor."
It was strange that Aspirex, who had reigned as mayor for a long time, was being pushed back by a recently elected human mayor.
"It's a difference in mindset."
Aspirex purely serves the city. That could be called a noble cause, but there was no malice in it, like making his own race prosper or bringing others down but Deliphiros was different.
Why are humans human? Why were they able to build the largest and most massive force in this world?
They had malice.
That difference created the current situation.
"I'm sorry. I don't think I can be of much help."
"No. Don't worry about it."
"I feel uncomfortable about it. That I can't do much for a benefactor of my race. If I could, I'd like to give you the highest authority in this city."
That was somewhat tempting even to Osian but at the same time, it didn't feel right.
Whatever authority he'd have, he wouldn't be able to use it properly, and the moment he grabbed it, it was clear that flies would annoyingly swarm around him.
'I didn't fight for such a grand cause in the first place.'
He only got this far because he accepted Lucent's request and tried to solve the Saint Tree incident.
But it was also true that he played a big role in that fight, so he decided not to be modest.
"Support from the city's side is difficult. Aspirex will probably do his best within what he can do. But since I've come all this way, I can't just do nothing for you."
Seeing her confident smile, Osian sensed that there was something.
Indeed, Amenora handed Osian something that matched her smile.
Using what appeared to be a spatial item similar to Osian's bracelet, an object appeared on her outstretched hands.
An object, or should I say a substance?
It was a crystal orb of beautiful form.
Inside the crystal orb, a mixture of white and sky-blue energy was swirling, shining brilliantly.
Osian unconsciously looked at the crystal orb and, sensing the power inside, asked.
"Could this be...?"
"Yes, it is."
Amenora answered with a clear smile.
"It's part of the power you left in the world."
"......"
Osian silently gazed at the crystal orb. The large crystal orb, barely held with both hands, was probably an artifact created through some magical process.
What was gently wriggling inside was clearly the power of a knight.
That color and distinctive energy was definitely Starlight.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to gather more, but this was my limit."
Amenora apologized as if blaming herself for her inadequacy, but Osian didn't mind at all.
If anything, he was impressed.
'The Starlight power contained in this is quite substantial despite its appearance.'
Osian had gathered the powers of Starlight, Moonlight, and Sun Ring so far but that didn't mean it was the end. It was just the beginning of opening characteristics and allocating nodes.
Each characteristic gains points to further open nodes, and when reaching the end, it demonstrates even stronger power.
With this much Starlight, it looked like he could allocate nearly half the nodes in the Starlight tree.
When playing the game, Osian used various knight characteristics interchangeably, but his foundation was ultimately Starlight.
Even in the 99th playthrough, he defeated enemies with the power of Starlight.
Osian accepted the crystal orb from Amenora.
"Thank you."
At that one word of praise, Amenora's briefly downcast face brightened up.
"Really?! I thought it was insufficient."
"Yes. Gathering this much power must have required considerable effort. Don't blame yourself."
"But it's still lacking compared to the real power you possess."
"That may be true. But I can just gather it again if needed."
Of course, there would be those who took that power without permission.
The [White House] was a prime example. Those who created experimental subjects based on Moonlight power couldn't have failed to create others.
"I'd like to find and deliver other powers to you, but it's not easy now. As you know, after you appeared in this world, your power also began responding to it."
Osian listened attentively to Amenora.
During his absence, few in this world knew of his traces so gathering information was important.
"Until then, your power was in a sort of dormant state. It existed but didn't function properly as power. There were exceptions, but that was mostly the case."
"So it's different now. My powers activated as I awakened?"
"Yes. Because of that, even for me, gathering that power is not easy."
It's not difficult to capture a wild beast while it's sleeping, but once it wakes up, things change.
It would be impossible to carefully contain it in an artifact and hand it over like now.
"This is sufficient. I'll handle the rest myself."
"If I let it go like this, my pride won't allow it. So I'll personally check where your power is. I may not be able to hand it over directly, but I can at least inform you."
"Alright. I'll remember."
Amenora wanted to stay longer, but realizing the situation wouldn't allow it, she sighed with regret.
"I should get going now. I have work to do, not as much as Aspirex, but still. Actually, it's risky for me to be away like this."
"Then it can't be helped."
"If you want to find me, come to [The Heavenly Bell's Sound]."
The Heavenly Bell's Sound.
He had heard about it from Gaien. It was said to be an organization of those who gathered to overcome their limits through training.
He had heard that their intention resembled the ascenders, but who would have thought Amenora would be connected to them.
"I'll do that."
Though intrigued, Osian also had other matters to resolve for now.
*
When Osian returned to the office, he was greeted by Loraine with a gloomy face.
"...Oh. You're back?"
Loraine had collapsed with her head on the table, sprawled out listlessly.
She didn't seem particularly happy about Osian's return, probably because she was certain he would return without issues.
"What's going on here?"
Osian asked Diolan, who was seated on the side.
"Ah. Compensation came in with the recovered money, but it seems the amount was less than her investment."
Come to think of it, didn't the board members say that the principal couldn't be guaranteed due to the money already spent and the damages from this incident?
"It's better than losing everything. Originally, you might have lost it all."
"But still! But still!"
Loraine raised her head to object, but realizing she had nothing to say, she buried her head on the table again.
"I'll never invest in stocks again."
That wasn't something for someone to say after being warned so much.
Or rather, it was fortunate that she learned this lesson the hard way. Losing money was unfortunate, but what could be done? It should be considered a price for a life lesson.
"More importantly, are you alright?"
Osian laughed at Diolan's question.
"You're asking pretty quickly."
"Well, I didn't really think anything would happen to you."
"No need to worry. It's all been resolved well."
"Oh, what? You're back?"
Just then, Edgar entered the tavern. Ena was with him, possibly having gone shopping together.
When Osian gave a questioning look about why they were together, Edgar avoided his gaze and Ena answered instead.
"I promised to make delicious desserts in return for helping with the shopping."
Judging by Edgar's reaction, it seemed true.
Well, Ena's cooking skills were excellent, so it was understandable that Edgar, who liked sweet things, would act that way.
"By the way, what happened to Lucent?"
"Talk about good timing. He'll be here soon."
Just as Edgar finished speaking, with a jingling sound, Lucent entered the tavern.
He was with Ronan, and his expression looked more refreshed than before.
"Oh!"
Lucent noticed Osian and immediately approached him, bowing his head.
"Thank you so much! If it weren't for you, Osian, I don't know what would have happened to me! I'd like to express my gratitude once again!"
"This is suddenly a bit burdensome. It was just because of the request."
"But you went this far with the request. Besides, you faced dangerous situations."
Since Lucent was near the scene at the time, he would know about the attack of Mother Goose in District 34.
Fortunately, Lucent was able to escape to a safe place, but he knew many others weren't so lucky and died.
"More importantly, has everything been resolved well?"
"Yes. Thanks to Ronan here. I couldn't escape the interrogation, but Ronan helped me."
It seemed Lucent, like Osian, had been through some complex situations.
"Hehe. You don't need to praise me so much. I was just there as a proxy guardian."
It made sense that Ronan would step up like this.
Lucent was their client, and there was a need to ensure he didn't suffer any harm.
Others could have stepped in, but Ronan did so because the situation required diplomatic resolution.
"And I didn't really do much. The interrogation of Lucent was just a formality. It seems all the discussions have already concluded well."
"N-no, it wasn't like that. If Ronan hadn't helped me, I would have been immediately imprisoned as an accomplice."
It might sound like an exaggeration, but Lucent was serious.
He couldn't deny that he wasn't unrelated to the Saint Tree incident.
He did his best to reveal the truth, but not everyone would view him favorably.
Perhaps some wanted to deal with Lucent as well.
Having one more scapegoat would help calm people's anger a little more.
That's where Ronan stepped in. He probably anticipated such a situation and intervened on Lucent's behalf.
"But really, I didn't do much. I just had a good conversation with the interrogator."
"How did you do that?"
Ena couldn't contain her curiosity and asked.
"It was nothing special. I just responded with a sincere smile to ensure our true feelings were communicated."
A sincere smile, huh.
Somehow, it didn't sound particularly pleasant.