Chapter 31: Knight Commander (2)

Knight Commander.

He was one of the so-called named users of the Anonymous Bulletin Board, and according to an indirect mention by Newdeulbak77 whom I had seen at some point, he was a very dangerous person.

In the first place, the fact that he had been active without any issues until now while confidently hinting at his identity on the Anonymous Bulletin Board, a place rife with all sorts of incidents and accidents to the point where there were ominous rumors of newbie hunters, meant that he was that skilled.

That wasn’t the only basis for my reasoning.

‘Considering the information that the Knight Commander usually talks about and his other words and actions… it would be right to see him as at least level 6 or higher.’

This was just the minimum estimate; if Knight Commander was as I thought, there was a high possibility he was a powerhouse of level 7 or higher.

Leading one of the knight orders within the Empire meant as much.

‘Moreover, if he was leading one of the Three Divine Beasts Knights among them, he would be someone who surpasses even that imagination.’

The Three Divine Beasts Knights.

It referred to the three knight orders that represented the current Empire, which rose to prominence while the entire continent’s military power was greatly diminished due to the war with the Destruction Dragon, with each order taking the unicorn, griffin, and kraken as their symbols.

From what I’d briefly heard on the Anonymous Bulletin Board, their average level was said to be quite high, considering that the power level of the entire continent had been greatly reduced after the appearance of the Destruction Dragon…….

‘That’s not what’s important right now.’

For now, the point was that Knight Commander was looking for me.

Pretending not to know and ignoring him wouldn’t be a bad method, but there was a possibility that Knight Commander would take it as a slight, and above all, it was also true that my curiosity was piqued.

Just why was a person of that caliber specifically looking for me?

I was quite curious about that.

-Dragon Slayer: What is it?

First, I replied to the post written by the Knight Commander as politely as possible.

Because if I got on his bad side for no reason, there was no telling what kind of retaliation would come my way.

Normally, the fist is close and the law is far, but now, even the law was very likely to be on his side.

It meant that there was no harm in being cautious, even if my identity wasn’t currently exposed.

└Knight Commander: Ah, you’re here. I have something to ask, can you answer?

└Dragon Slayer: I will answer to the best of my knowledge.

Knight Commander’s reply came quickly. As a secret comment, of course.

└Knight Commander: Good good, I like how straightforward you are. Then I’ll just ask one thing.

└Knight Commander: Do you happen to know anything about why the Destruction Dragon disappeared?

If it had been the me of the past, my heart would have sunk the moment I saw that comment.

However, the spirit of the Postponer of Ruin did not allow me any agitation, and with a mind as calm as a clear mirror, I slowly fell into thought.

‘As I thought, the Destruction Dragon is considered to have simply disappeared.’

It was nothing new, but Destruction Dragon Tiamat had fallen into eternal sleep at the end of the final battle with me.

But for some reason, no one in this world knew that fact, and the same went for the users on the Anonymous Bulletin Board.

If even someone like Knight Commander knew it that way, it would not be an exaggeration to say that there was virtually no one who knew the truth about the Destruction Dragon besides me.

‘But there’s no need to tell the truth.’

I was the only one who knew the truth about the Destruction Dragon.

In a situation where I didn’t know how this information would be used in the future, carelessly leaking it was not a very wise decision.

Because the existence known as the Destruction Dragon had left a great scar on this world in many ways.

└Dragon Slayer: I’m sorry, but I also don’t know anything regarding the Destruction Dragon.

└Knight Commander: I see… Thanks for answering.

└Knight Commander: Post a junk item on the auction house and I’ll bid on it.

└Dragon Slayer: No, since I couldn’t give you an answer, the information fee is fine.

└Knight Commander: Hmm… is that so? Then I’ll ask another question. Do you have any information on the mutants?

Mutants…….

I didn’t know much about this either, but answering was not that difficult.

After all, the information I knew about the mutants was something a person like Knight Commander would obviously already know, so it wasn’t really a secret.

└Dragon Slayer: I only know the commonly known information. That they have appeared recently and possess the demonic attribute. And that the demonic attribute is because of the fragment the mutants possess.

So, just this much was good.

└Knight Commander: Hmm… it’s information I already know, but thanks for answering anyway. A promise is a promise, so I’ll reward you. Post an item on the auction house and reply with a comment right away.

└Dragon Slayer: Yes. I’ll post a wooden spoon and let you know.

└Knight Commander: Roger.

Contrary to my many concerns, Knight Commander’s business ended there.

In a way, you could call it an anticlimactic ending, but in this damn world where your head could fly off at any moment, anticlimactic was a good thing.

Because if it was a thrilling event with my life on the line, the events happening at Winter Castle were more than enough.

‘Then…….’

I immediately posted a suitable wooden spoon on the auction house.

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[Ongoing Auction List]

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──────────

[Auction Item]

◆Wooden Spoon

[Bid List]

◆15 Gold (15 Imperial Gold Coins)

◆-

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Knight Commander paid the information fee through the auction house as promised.

But…….

‘Hmm.’

To be honest, I thought there might be something special since it was a reward from someone like Knight Commander, but there was nothing of the sort.

How should I put it… should I say he paid exactly the value of the information fee I provided?

It was true that I was satisfied enough with this, but at the same time, I wasn’t.

You might wonder what that means, but what could I do when that’s how it actually was.

‘Still, I should consider myself lucky that it ended without any incident.’

Though whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, I would have to wait and see.

***

It was probably from that day.

That I started paying much more attention to Knight Commander’s posts than usual.

I had always paid quite a bit of attention to the posts of users called named, but among them, I started paying even more attention to Knight Commander.

There was nothing holding me back.

Because with all the members of the 4th Special Task Force except me being in the medical unit and even Edric not showing up, I was practically enjoying free time.

-Knight Commander: These brats really don’t listen. They’re at it again with the factional strife, what a fucking mess.

-Knight Commander: Should I just fucking kill them all.

-Knight Commander: They only listen if I beat it into them.

As I already knew, Knight Commander wielded a not-insignificant influence, known and unknown, on the Anonymous Bulletin Board.

Of course, it wasn’t like he openly had any power or authority, but should I say he implicitly exuded that kind of atmosphere?

In fact, the reactions of the users on the Anonymous Bulletin Board also showed that they were clearly conscious of Knight Commander.

-Anonymous55: Guys, lay low. The Commander is pissed right now.

-Gusada: Hey, but where did that kid who was acting up last time go? Did he get offended?

-Anonymous675: He’s probably lying low. If he gets caught acting up again, he could really get his head chopped off.

It was then.

-Knight Commander: Is Dragon Slayer here right now.

Knight Commander was looking for me again.

└Dragon Slayer: What is it?

└Knight Commander: Ah, you’re here. Just in time, I have something to ask, k?

└Dragon Slayer: Yes. Go ahead.

The wait was quite long.

As if he was contemplating something.

I couldn’t tell what kind of question would make Knight Commander hesitate, but that was something I would soon find out.

And finally, Knight Commander’s reply was posted.

└Knight Commander: Do you happen to know anything about the Twilight Troupe?

The moment I saw the name Twilight Troupe, I could understand why Knight Commander had hesitated so much.

Twilight Troupe.

Among the many enigmatic factions within the Hall of Subjugation, they were a group particularly shrouded in secrecy, and even I, who knew almost everything within the World of Justice, had extremely limited information about them.

But for Knight Commander to ask about the Twilight Troupe……. Just from this, I could figure out one thing.

‘Does this mean the Twilight Troupe maintained its existence even through the war with the Destruction Dragon?’

It’s nothing new, but the countless factions that had previously existed in the World of Justice suffered irreparable damage due to the war with the Destruction Dragon.

The Hall of Subjugation was one of them, and it was known to have suffered damage close to annihilation.

Nevertheless, the fact that Knight Commander was searching for information about the Twilight Troupe at this point in time was an indirect way of saying that the Twilight Troupe currently exists.

‘I need to look into this more.’

The reason I was trying to find out about the Twilight Troupe was simple.

Because the true identity of the Twilight Troupe was none other than the traitors of humanity who had betrayed mankind and sided with the Destruction Dragon during the war.

「“Now, let us sing of ruin. O dragon of destined destruction!”」

「“Its name is doom, destruction, and the decreed end. Cease your useless struggles, you insignificant mortals.”」

Although this happened right as the war with the Destruction Dragon ended, so the fact was not known to the outside world, as someone who had directly confronted the Twilight Troupe, I knew that fact all too well.

Therefore, I was thinking of providing Knight Commander with some information about the Twilight Troupe.

To find out why Knight Commander was looking into the Twilight Troupe right now.

└Dragon Slayer: I know them as one of the minor factions within the Hall of Subjugation. They are composed of extremists even within the Hall of Subjugation, where all sorts of ideologies are rampant, and I’ve heard they are ostracized beings even within the Hall of Subjugation.

This was the extent of the information I could give Knight Commander without causing any major problems.

If I revealed more than this, I wouldn’t know what kind of situation might occur, and there was also the possibility of my identity being exposed.

The reply came quickly.

└Knight Commander: Hmm… as expected.

└Knight Commander: Thanks for the answer. Information fee the same way?

└Dragon Slayer: Yes. I’ll post a wooden spoon and let you know.

From here on was important.

I wrote the comment as carefully as possible.

└Dragon Slayer: Ah, and if it’s not too much trouble, may I ask why you were asking about the Twilight Troupe?

A slight silence flowed.

Of course, it wasn’t like there was an actual silence, but at least that’s how I felt.

And not long after, a new comment was posted.

└Knight Commander: The Twilight Troupe has recently started to become active. I don’t know their objective, but I’m keeping an eye on them.

Just that much information.

But to me, it was incredibly valuable information.

Because with just those words, I found out not only that the Twilight Troupe exists now but also that they are moving with some kind of objective.

Twilight Troupe.

The followers of the Destruction Dragon who betrayed humanity.

I didn’t know for what purpose the Twilight Troupe had started to move, but for some reason, I had a feeling that it was related to the secret of this world.

‘I’ll have to look into it someday.’

What the Twilight Troupe’s objective is.

What the Ascension Stone Fragment is.

What the secret of this world is.

And… what the way to return to the original world is.

└Dragon Slayer: I see. Thank you for your answer. I’ve posted the wooden spoon on the auction house.

└Knight Commander: Roger.

I immediately checked the auction house.

──────────

[Ongoing Auction List]

──────────

──────────

[Auction Item]

◆Wooden Spoon

[Bid List]

◆200 Gold (200 Imperial Gold Coins)

◆-

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Knight Commander bid on the item as promised, paying the information fee for this time’s information as well.

The amount was a whopping 200 Gold.

In an instant, an enormous sum of money that I had never held before came into my hands.

‘It was a decent deal.’

In fact, this transaction was nothing but profit for me.

I obtained information that Knight Commander possessed, and in addition to that, I received a large sum of 200 Gold just for cross-verifying information that he likely already had.

Soon, thanks to this, I became able to bid on one of the items I had been watching at the auction house.

‘With this amount, combined with the money I’ve saved up so far, I should be able to buy it.’

That item, which I could only watch from afar until now.

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[Ongoing Auction List]

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[Auction Number]

◆No.321

[Auction Item]

◆Salamander’s Fang

[Minimum Bid Amount]

◆210 Gold

[Current Bid List]

◆-

◆-

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