The good thing about Mahito, despite his sadistic streak, was that he didn't leave bodies behind. We left the alley like nothing happened and roamed around to see if there was anything interesting, and especially to find a source of income.
You would think that a place like this would have an adventuring guild or something, but there really isn't. The closest thing to it is mercenaries who clear out some mabeasts or provide protection for clients during journeys or something. The only problem is that no one in their right mind would hire me since I don't even look the part. I can't even pretend that Mahito is a Great Spirit since he is just naturally invisible, and also, being an outlier might bring some unnecessaryattention.
I had a habit of thinking deeply whenever I could, but I liked doing it; it acted like a fast-forward for me whenever I had nothing else to do. So now that being 'Adventurers' was clearly out of the picture, I needed to find a source of income that should preferably be related to fighting. I couldn't read or write the language, and could only somehow understand it when people spoke. And it was also necessary because I needed to be able to defend myself as well in the future.
"Hey, Mahito, can you teach me how to control Cursed Energy?" I whispered to him, if others still heard me, then fuck it, I don't care anymore.
"Hmm? Even if I did teach you, it wouldn't be much help for you. With how slowly you recover your Cursed Energy, maybe you could fight once a day, but that's it." He poured down the sad reality of my situation instantly, and he wasn't even done. "Not only that, you're gonna need that Cursed Energy to summon more guys, right? Just focus on summoning while we do the heavy lifting~"
Mahito was probably trying to comfort me about my powerlessness, but it just sounded weird coming from him.
He does make a good point... Maybe I should just focus on summoning more, and later on, I could try practising Cursed Energy utilisation. Maybe there's a way to increase my generation artificially, or I could also just use ranged magic weapons. If in the future I had that one staff that had the Divine Protection of guaranteeing a hit on its target, I could just get that instead.
"Do you think I can also summon Cursed Tools from my techni-" I was about to ask Mahito when I suddenly remembered that Cursed Tools also exist in his universe, but before I could ask him... Almost like divine fate... I bumped into the red-headed favourite son of heaven himself, Reinhardt.
"My apologies, but I have been informed that you are continuously rambling to yourself, and it is making the people uncomfortable. However, I can see who you're talking to, and I've never witnessed something like this before." Reinhard spoke with his perfect posture, tone and attitude. He clearly meant no harm and was just trying to warn me.
"Yeah, I kinda expected the famous Sword Saint would be able to see my Spirit. My name is Luke, nice to see the legend in person." I said bashfully, not shocked that he could see Mahito. Reinhard definitely was NOT a normal human.
This might be a bit problematic... I deliberately had to say Spirit, his Divine Protection of Wind Reading could catch me if I said anything else. But it's not like I'm lying, I just left out the 'Cursed' part of his nature...
"I assure you, I am not as great as you expect. And also, your Spirit is naturally very impressive to have such qualities. To be able to maintain a physical form and also be invisible to the normal individual is no small feat." He explained calmly, and I could understand his fascination.
Contrary to popular belief, Great Spirits aren't the only spirits that can have a physical form. It's just very mana-intensive to remain in that form for so long.
He might have noticed I left out a detail, but clearly, he's not trying to pry since I don't exactly look like a malicious person right now. Although he is deliberately ignoring Mahito's negative energy because he thinks he's my spirit and therefore is under control. DAMN, why does he have to be so overpowered...
"Thanks, I get that a lot. I guess I just have an affinity for spirits, huh? By the way, Reinhard, are there any criminal groups nearby right now that are being left unattended? I need some quick money, and my spirit has been demanding to have the taste of a fight recently..." I glanced at Mahito, and he stuck his tongue out at me for putting the blame on him, but it's not like he didn't want it either.
Chuckling, Reinhard took out a pouch of coins and tried to hand it to me. "Your relationship with your Spirit is certainly strong. But not to worry, you can simply have this instead." He could sense that Mahito was considerably strong, and also that there was no stretch of malice coming from Luke, so he didn't mind helping a potential ally.
I can't believe someone could be this kind, just helping a random person like this. While I would love to shamelessly take the money, making a good impression should be more important. I also still need a source of income. Maybe I could ask him if I could become a knight since he knows I have a Spirit...
"I appreciate your kindness, Reinhard, but I can't just take this for free. I would rather find an actual job. So, could you help me become a knight or guard or anything else like that?" I wasn't that tight on money right now, but I badly needed some connections and stability, and the first step is to get a job.
"That's very chivalrous of you, Luke. And concerning your request, there will always be room available in the knights for a capable individual like you. However, I would need to first see your combat ability in person before I can send in a letter of recommendation. Please, follow me." He smiled politely and started leading me towards what looked to be the local garrison.
Hmmm, though it looks like he's doing it purely for the benefit of strengthening the knights, I bet he's also doing this so he can keep an eye on me. For someone of his level, his detection skills definitely wouldn't be able to ignore how much negativity is stored inside Mahito...
"We are going to the local garrison, where you will take a small initiation test to see if you are capable of becoming a knight. If you can pass, you will be promoted to an acting knight. And then, depending on your merits or duration, you can become a full knight or even an imperial knight in the future." He explained as he led me inside the garrison and to the officer in charge of this station.
I bowed slightly in respect and introduced myself to show that I wasn't completely clueless about etiquette, unlike a certain someone. The officer in charge was a burly man in his late 40s, with a stern-looking face and clearly someone who took his job very seriously. A truly respectable person.
The officer and Reinhard shared their short pleasantries before Reinhard revealed his purpose of bringing me here. "Sir Hans, I have brought in a young and talented individual who wishes to become a knight and share his strength to contribute to the safety of Lugunica." Despite holding a far superior position than the officer, Reinhard still spoke to him with respect.
Hans looked at me, and it was very obvious he was trying to appraise my worth, with his years of experience, trying to see what was so special about me that Reinhard himself came to recommend me. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see why. I had a slim build and possessed no signs of training or magical knowledge.
"Reinhard, with all due respect, are you sure this child is as capable as you say? I see no signs of combat experience in him." He spoke out his doubts clearly.
"Sir Hans, I don't blame you for your doubts. I myself have no combat ability, but I possess a high spirit affinity, as well as a physically manifested Spirit." I could see his eyes slightly sharpen at my words, doubting me but also hoping that I was telling the truth.
Spirits in this world were classified into four stages:
Lesser Spirits, Quasi Spirits, Spirits and finally, Great Spirits.
From what he could tell, he thought I had a manifested Spirit. Despite being weaker than Great Spirits, their power was no joke. There's a reason that the saying, "If you encounter a Spirit user, just lie down and give your wallet if you don't want to die", exists.
"I can confirm his words, Sir Hans. And not only that, his spirit is particularly remarkable. Not only does he have a large enough mana pool that he can maintain a physical form casually, but also a unique constitution that makes it invisible to people with low spirit affinities." As expected of Reinhard, he explained how certain people in this world could see Cursed Spirits. Good to know.
I glanced at Mahito beside me, who surprisingly hadn't said or acted out at all ever since we started walking to the garrison. I couldn't help but feel that even he could sense how powerful Reinhard was and was trying to stay low-key. Or maybe just understood our situation and was staying tame.
"If what you are saying is true, then you will be a valuable addition to the knights. However, I still need to confirm your registration for the standard test. But not to worry, with your ability, it will not be difficult." He took out a piece of paper and stamped his personal mark on it before handing it to me.
"Take this and head to the courtyard. Hand it over to the instructor, and he'll tell you what to do next. Reinhard, go with him to ensure that the process goes over smoothly." He dismissed us and resumed his work, going over files and requests.
"Damn Reinhard, having you around makes everything easy." I playfully bumped his shoulder, momentarily surprising him as barely any people treated him like this. Poor Reinhard.
"You think of me too highly, Luke, but thank you. Now, to give you some information about the test. All you have to do is fight the instructor, and if he is satisfied with your performance, you will be made into a knight. Usually, I would tell you his strategy and skills, but I'm confident you will pass easily." His tone was a lot more casual than before; clearly, he was becoming more comfortable with me.
I appreciated his friendliness. Considering how much suffering he has and is still going through, making his life a bit more enjoyable is something I would gladly make an effort towards.
Arriving at the courtyard where you could see many knights training and sparring, Reinhard led me to the instructor and explained my situation. The instructor looked to be even older than Hans, probably a knight in his younger days, but now retired due to old age, so he was teaching the next generation.
We exchanged the basic introductions, and both of us went to the sparring ground where we faced each other. We both had wooden swords while Reinhard and some other knights were watching from the sidelines.
"He looks like a literal child", "With a build like that, how is he supposed to fight?" "Is he actually serious about becoming a knight?" Multiple knights spoke out about their doubts about me, while I could see Reinhard patiently trying to defend me.
I turned over to Mahito and spoke seriously to him, making it clear that this was an important moment and he couldn't screw this up. "Mahito, I swear to god, if you even think about transfiguring him..." Before I could continue speaking, he covered his ears and started making random noises to block out my voice. He might be one of the biggest ragebaiters in the series.
"Do you really think so low of me? Don't worry, I'll just punch him really hard in the face and knock him out~" He grinned and waved his hands, trying to assure me that he would behave.
"I will evaluate your performance based on the results of this spar. We will only fight with the intent to slightly harm, so no serious injuries. I understand that you are a spirit user, so I will not severely judge your own physical capabilities. Now start!" The instructor spoke with a clear and loud tone, his expression stern and serious, but I feel like I could see some fear in his face...
He knew he had little chance against a strong spirit user, especially one of the kind that Reinhard told him. That is the reason why he specified the 'No serious injuries' part. Maybe if I reach him quickly enough, his spirit wouldn't be able to respond in time. With that thought, he readied his stance and charged forward... only to be thrown back hard with considerable force towards the fence...
Not having moved from my place at all, I glanced at Mahito, who had simply elongated his arms and punched him in the face casually. He had a stupid childish smile on his face, like he actually did something impressive. I could also hear, pardon, NOT hear anything from the surrounding knights. They had all been silenced as they watched what happened. Their instructor had charged forward and suddenly been knocked back hard by an invisible attack. Whereas Reinhard acted completely normal, already expecting what had happened.
"So... I passed, right?" I asked awkwardly towards the instructor on the ground, who was bordering on passing out. His endurance is actually pretty good...