Amenora said that the lineage of knights was cut off due to some external factor. Osian had been bothered by the fact that while other professions still remained, only knights had become obsolete and disappeared with the flow of time.
It's true that the process of becoming a knight is very challenging at the beginning, and there are cases where effort doesn't pay off.
But despite that, there have always been those who challenge themselves and hone their skills regardless of the era.
'In Asmer's case, he said he trained alone in the steep mountains with his grandfather.'
That grandfather who taught Asmer starlight must have had sufficient skill. With that, he could have lived with recognition in society, but he didn't.
'It's because he knew it was dangerous. Possessing the power of a knight means you could become a target of other external beings.'
And this suspicion became a certainty after facing the Red Eternity.
Yes. There are those who deliberately try to eradicate knights secretly operating in this world.
'And that wouldn't be limited to the Red Eternity alone.'
Amenora nodded with a more serious expression."This is dangerous. To think that an outer god is involved."
"Perhaps this is an especially opportune time in the current era."
After the gods that existed on earth disappeared, their place was filled by humans. And the fact that there were more humans also meant that the foundation for faith had grown. After all, the power of faith could be drawn from humans.
For outer gods who had to live in hiding, there couldn't be a better opportunity than now.
'Of course, existing religions don't completely decline. Rather, they've become stronger than before.'
Just looking at the Petra Papacy, it wields enormous influence in countries other than Tirna. Naturally, this was because people believed in the existence of [Illua], the god of light and benevolence.
Looking at the entire continent, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the power of the Petra Order was even greater than in the past.
'But Illua doesn't protect this world from foreign gods.'
Ironically, what prevented the invasion of foreign gods were the divine beings who exist directly at the boundary and exert influence.
Most might find this puzzling. Shouldn't a god like Illua rather be the one to prevent the invasion of foreign gods?
That's because divine beings in this world exist in two forms.
The first is the divine being that directly exerts influence on the lower world. They are gods with physical bodies. As such, they directly wield strong power, but at the same time, they also embody the risk of death.
The concept of death might not seem fitting for a god, but from the moment they possess a physical body, they also embrace the concept of death.
In other words, they are in a state of a double-edged sword, with increased risk in proportion to their strong power. Therefore, such gods were called Living Gods.
And most of these Living Gods were boss monsters in the game that had to be defeated according to the story. So the reason gods don't exist now is because Osian in his prime killed them all.
The second case is like Illua, the god of light. They don't have physical bodies and don't directly intervene in the lower world. As exalted celestial beings, instead of exerting power on the lower world, they bestow divinity upon those beings of faith who believe in them.
Therefore, they are established as a kind of 'concept' that exists yet doesn't exist.
'The gods that remain now are closer to a kind of program.'
As long as faith exists, they are immortal. There's no way to kill them unless faith is completely extinguished. That's why they can't directly protect this world from the existence of foreign gods. Humans must fight directly with the power of faith bestowed upon them.
But the Red Eternity, cunningly, never revealed itself even at such opportune moments. Rather, it dug more secretly into the world, expanding its influence for a long time.
The result is what we see now. The upper echelons of Tirna city have fallen under its influence.
'Over the ages, cutting off the lineage of knights, and even having followers research and experiment with the power of knights that have awakened again.'
Among the countless dangers in this world, Red Eternity was the top priority that had to be cut off. So from the moment he heard Grace's story, Osian was already prepared to fight it.
But in this process, Osian had another concern. It was that he couldn't disregard other external beings.
"Amenora. Can you use your authority to weed out all those malicious individuals?"
"I'll try my best since it's Osian's request, but I think it might be difficult."
Osian wasn't particularly disappointed by Amenora's response. If Amenora, who would attempt to make tofu from red beans if asked, said such a thing, it must truly be impossible.
"If you wish, I could step in directly and deal with them."
"Stop it. If you do that, you'll end up getting beaten instead."
Doing such a thing in Tirna without justification would actually backfire. Moreover, the followers of the Red Eternity were all seated in high positions in the city.
Expelling them could evolve into a political issue, bringing great confusion to the city.
'And this confusion could give rise to another massive problem.'
This matter had to be handled quietly. And there was also a need for justification. For instance, if definitive evidence emerged that they were following the Red Eternity, then they could be swept away for the public good.
"Still, I'll do my best to help within my limits."
"Then there's one thing you can do for me."
"What is it?"
"To catch a tiger, you must enter the tiger's den directly."
The next day Osian, who came to work at Violet Fox, observed the knights.
"The successor has arrived!"
"The weather is wonderful today! Hahaha!"
Those who accepted Osian's suggestion to experience real combat have been spending more time outside than in the physical training room lately.
They've been resolving various requests with their perfected physical strength. Of course, the process might not be as refined and smart as Osian thought, but the results were good, so he couldn't particularly point out any flaws.
'But is it really necessary to go in armor and then take it off to fight?'
Or is it? If one thinks of it as a form of training, perhaps it's not that wrong? Since this was something even Osian, a knight, couldn't easily judge, he decided to let it slide without pointing it out.
"Yes. Everyone's working hard. Keep up the good work."
Above all, he couldn't say anything critical to such happy and passionate knights. They are people who pursue romance and strive for it, which is rare in this era. Therefore, they should be cherished like family.
"However, don't take on tasks that are too burdensome. While knights take on dangerous tasks, don't hesitate to seek help from comrades when available. I'm always behind you."
The Starlight Knights, moved by these words, shed tears and applauded in delight.
Ena, who had just finished preparing a meal, showed a subtle expression upon seeing this.
"Are you running for office or something?"
"No, I'm not."
"If not that, are you starting a religion?"
"That's not it either."
From Ena's perspective, she couldn't help but feel this way because the attitude the Starlight Knights showed towards Osian was even more fervent than priests towards their deity.
At least when priests in ceremonial attire offer prayers, it is visually convincing and solemn.
But the Starlight Knights are muscular men. Moreover, they didn't even try to hide it, so just gathering in one place exerted significant visual pressure.
Additionally, lately, they've been shouting "Muscle! Muscle!" whenever they go out, making Ena genuinely concerned about whether something was wrong with their brains.
"Honestly, I hate to say this, but it's like a cult."
"..."
Osian had nothing to say when the word "cult" came from a witch's mouth.
Anyway, the Starlight Knights went out today as well to experience real combat. Osian was about to tell them to stop shouting "muscle" in unison, but refrained. He couldn't bring himself to say anything because they looked so happy.
"Hehe. Isn't it splendid? Successor."
Asmer, who should have been the one to stop them, was instead feeling proud of them. Thinking that his influence might not be small, Osian inwardly sighed.
"Yes. More importantly, is your training going well?"
"Yes. I've almost mastered the Twin Star Sword. It's all thanks to you, Successor."
"Not because of me. It's because of your own efforts."
"Ah, Successor. Besides, I've been meaning to tell you something lately..."
Asmer, who trailed off for a moment, quickly changed the subject.
"No, it's nothing. I'll tell you separately when I'm more certain."
"...Alright. I understand."
Osian wasn't sure what Asmer was trying to say, but judging by his not-so-serious expression, it probably wasn't a bad issue.
As he entered Violet Fox, as always, he saw Loraine and Diolan idly spending time inside.
"Oh, you're here?"
"Good morning."
Matching their greetings, Osian returned the greeting appropriately. Then Diolan looked at Osian with a puzzled face.
"Hmm? You look quite serious today. Do you have an important request?"
Perhaps it's because he's a cat, Diolan had a keen sense.
"Yes. A client will be coming soon. I'd appreciate it if you didn't overreact."
To Osian's nearly cautionary statement, Loraine snorted.
"Come on. Who'd be surprised by a client? Don't underestimate the people here. I'm confident I wouldn't be surprised even if the mayor came!"
As Osian was about to nod at Loraine's boast, he sensed something at the entrance.
With a tinkling sound, the bell on the door rang, signaling a guest's arrival.
"Oh my. Unlike what I saw from the outside, the interior is quite nice."
Grace Seeker, swaying her black hair as she entered, exclaimed in admiration at the interior of the pub. Simultaneously, Loraine and Diolan recognized her and their eyes widened.
"Hey hey hey! Wait wait wait! This, this is not right!"
Loraine hurriedly approached Osian and whispered quietly so that only he could hear.
"Are you kidding me? Grace Seeker? You're accepting the leader of red-wanted terrorists as a client? Do you have a grudge against this city or something? Like, do you want to burn it all down?"
"I thought you said you wouldn't be surprised even if the mayor came."
"This is worse than the mayor!"
Loraine, whose voice had unintentionally risen, quickly glanced at Grace. Grace, on the other hand, was just smiling and watching the scene.
Not knowing what was going on in her mind, Loraine couldn't help but feel even tenser.
"But more importantly, how did you come to know someone like her?"
"You could say it's a bond formed while cutting off the arm of their youngest member."
"This is driving me crazy."
Why would Grace come here to request a mission after Osian cut off her subordinate's arm? Moreover, looking at their relationship, they didn't seem to be at odds with each other.
Cut off the arm of the youngest and still act like this? Maybe cutting off the arm actually proved his skills and earned her trust? Loraine gave up trying to understand. Trying to comprehend a red-wanted terrorist was a problem from the start.
"Don't worry. She won't cause any problems here."
"...Sigh. I don't know. I'm sure you know what you're doing."
Loraine sat down with a sigh. Diolan, who had raised his hair, soon regained his composure and went back to his business. What was he doing? Just staring out the window absentmindedly like a cat.
"Let's go upstairs. I need to introduce you to the mediator."
Grace followed Osian's guide to the second floor.
"Showing such a mild reaction even after seeing me it’s surprising."
Grace recalled Loraine and Diolan she had met on the first floor.
"That's quite an intense reaction."
"They didn't point guns at me to kill me immediately or to get the bounty, did they?"
Apparently, that was the basic treatment Grace usually received.
"Maybe it's because only unique people gather here."
"Including you? There's a point."
Osian couldn't even deny that. He stood in front of Ronan's room and lightly knocked on the door.
"Ronan. It's me. I've brought a client."
"Ah, please come in."
Inside, Ronan was leisurely reading a newspaper and drinking tea. His eyes narrowed towards Osian and then towards Grace who followed.
"Well, well."
Ronan carefully put down his teacup and neatly folded the newspaper. Then, he interlaced his fingers and placed them on the desk, composing himself.
"My, you've brought a surprising guest. I thought my heart would drop."