The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World Chapter 578- The Identity of the Invader (3)

"The assault on the city where Lirae and Cecilia resided was far from random. The chamberlain slashed the defense budget, shifted most city guards to another spot with a deceptive excuse, and timed it perfectly amid the Kingdom of Rune's extreme instability. He had deliberately crippled the city’s defenses"...

"Cecilia was never their main objective; she was merely caught in the crossfire of something vastly larger".

At these words, Lirae bowed her head unavoidably, her nails piercing into her palms.

"Who’s behind all of this? Who exactly is this Giacomo?" Elina demanded.

Whether Zerina or herself, both were starting to grasp that the situation ran far deeper than its surface suggested.

They had witnessed their commander’s intense reaction to that name, just as King Jerrel had shown.

Reinhardt halted his pace and shut his eyes, dredging up every scrap of knowledge and recollection tied to that name from the original Reinhardt’s mind.

"Sir Giacomo stands as a legendary knight, etched into history via endless battles against demon invasions. His epic tales of bravery and demon-hunting quests turned him into a breathing legend"...

"Well before my own fame grew, Sir Giacomo was already renowned. Bards sang his glories far and wide."

Zerina and Elina widened their eyes in shock. It hit them then.

"Over fifteen years past, he ascended to the heroic domain. Indeed, he’s a Level 10 knight."

This!!

The disclosure struck like lightning from clear skies.

A Level 10 hero? What sort of notion was that?

Level 10 marked a legendary domain, a distant aspiration for nearly every creature in this realm.

Such a lofty and mighty stage was reserved solely for rare prodigies who amassed monumental achievements.

Reaching Level 10 signified humanity’s zenith, a strength that demons dreaded immensely. Scanning all of Solaris’s chronicles revealed fewer than twenty souls who attained it.

No need to delve deep—just look at the Kingdom of Rune. Since its inception, knights of genius abounded.

Still, not a single one breached that exalted threshold.

Jerrel the Emerald Knight neared it, yet remained at Level 9.

This illustrated the immense prestige and sheer difficulty of hitting Level 10.

Entities teetering on godhood’s edge, their mere existence capable of swaying kingdoms’ destinies. Thus, Zerina and Elina’s astonishment was utterly understandable.

Yet the shocks kept rolling. Reinhardt’s voice grew graver as he pressed on.

"’That person’s’ involvement alone is staggering. But the real headache stems from the power backing him."

Zerina and Elina traded confused looks.

"Sir Giacomo doesn’t operate solo. A knight of his stature never would, least of all leading a full knight order. His moves signal orders from a superior."

In this realm, solely a nation’s ruler—a monarch—held sway to direct a Hero.

Meaning...

"Sir Giacomo followed his kingdom’s directives. Of the Seven Kingdoms, the Kingdom of Lunaris boasts a distinct structure. Their Level 10s aren’t termed Heroes, but Paragons"...

The name stems from Lunaris folk’s creed: if ’Demon Blood’ flows purple and ’Human Blood’ red, Paragons immersed in nightmare’s violet essence to surpass mortal bounds possess ’Magenta’ blood.

"In short, if Sir Giacomo stirs, the Kingdom of Lunaris likely pulls the strings."

Reinhardt wrapped up his account deliberately.

A heavy hush descended. Now they fathomed the ordeal’s gravity.

Why King Jerrel’s face soured in the Royal Library.

Why summoning the Seven Kingdoms Council proved essential.

The truth chilled their cores. Lunaris’s hand transformed the entire affair.

Gone was the simple quest to snatch back one lost elf; now it loomed as colossal intrigue.

Breaching bandit lairs or demon hives seemed far simpler by contrast.

After all, Lunaris ranked among the Seven Great Kingdoms, bulwarks against doom.

Moreover, it guarded Three Paragons, mirroring Solaris’s Three Heroes.

Militarily, its industrial might outstripped even Solaris.

Charging into Lunaris might triumph, but the fallout would devastate.

Beyond tarnishing the Temple of Light’s honor irreparably, it would demolish the Seven Kingdoms Alliance’s delicate peace.

Should that harmony crumble, Darkness’s hordes from the Tainted Lands’ abyss would invade.

The Heavenly Kings would seize the chance to overrun humanity and Valdonia’s domains.

An apocalyptic war would erupt, rivaling only ancient annals.

Skies blackening by day, earth drowned in inky sludge.

It heralded life’s doom, humanity facing horror eclipsing the Black Tide.

Myriads of cities razed, society scorched to cinders.

Naturally, absent his intervention.

Yet until the World Tree revived and the world’s core mended, Reinhardt refused to let battle engulf mankind’s final bastions.

Grasping the peril’s depth, the women fell mute. Or rather, words failed them.

As talk appeared exhausted, a hesitant voice piped from the shadows.

"Umm... d-does that mean we can’t rescue Cecilia?"

Lirae spoke. Tiny fists clenched tight, eyes brimming yet holding back sobs fiercely.

She wasn’t naive. Their discourse revealed the stakes, Cecilia trapped in a vortex dwarfing their existences.

But comprehension differed from surrender. With her sister-figure Cecilia tormented afar, inaction was impossible.

Reinhardt eyed the desperate girl clutching at hope, then softly tousled her hair.

Perhaps the elf’s valiant effort to stem her tears struck him as endearing, prompting the playful ruffle.

The motion jolted her; she gazed up, batting adorable eyes.

"Rest easy—I vowed it, so I’ll free her. Whatever it takes."

He hooked his thumb outward in a trusty pledge.

"Worst case, I’ll slip into the Kingdom of Lunaris alone."

Extracting one High Elf from Lunaris posed no challenge for him.

Lirae gaped in awe. Zerina and Elina tensed rigidly. Even his shadow trembled.

All grasped the ramifications perfectly.

Reinhardt wasn’t built for covert ops. His towering 6-foot-3 build, fiery golden locks, magnetic aura, and godly plate turned him into a blazing star.

Stealth? He’d ignite alarms instantly.

A battlefield beacon drawing foes with sheer dominance ill-suited such stealthy tasks—like inverting the natural order.

"Master, rethink this. Let me handle it..." Karina urged from the shadow.

"No—Lunaris is no pushover. Exposure means death at best, or exile to the Hollow Earth at worst."

Reinhardt dismissed Karina’s offer outright. Besides, such extremes were final options.

"I trust Her Majesty can settle this diplomatically. We hold evidence of Lunaris’s schemes. At the Seven Kingdoms summit, they’ll face scrutiny"...

"If talks reclaim Cecilia sans world-shaking chaos, that’s our route."

With that, he rested a kind palm on Lirae’s crown—a binding oath.

.

Strolling the city briefly under dusk’s bloody hue, Reinhardt’s party headed back to their lodging.

Once settled, he assembled the group and stated his call coolly.

"We stay in Rune a bit longer."