Chapter 4: Chapter 4

“Rinaldo, my eternal rival. I challenge you to a fight!”

Turning to the new arrival, Rinaldo saw a man in a black costume with a black flowing cape approach him. The man had a scar on his face and was wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

The hat, as well as the rest of the costume, made it look like he had just been to a masquerade ball. Indeed, the man was carrying a mask in his hand. Rinaldo looked at the mask, and then at the man's face, and then at the mask again.

Rinaldo shook his head. “I'm sorry, but I don't have time for this. Maybe some other time.”

He didn't know how the man could ignore the rising killing intent emitted by the nearest maid. It was an impressive feat for someone with no formal training.

The maid turned around, her eyes boring into the man's back. Her eyes were blood red, and anger twisted her face. Somehow, the man remained unaware of the danger he was in.

“Ah, but there is no time like the present, my eternal rival.”

Olivia looked worried. “You know this person?”

“Ricardo? Unfortunately, yes. He's a pain in the neck.”

The man, Ricardo, came from the same hometown as Rinaldo, eager to join the Luminous Knights. However, it was not meant to be. Because of a clerical error, the administration accepted rinaldo instead.

Ricardo thought the knights didn't deem him good enough. He swore to hone his skills as a swordsman until the day he could defeat Rinaldo. That day would be the day the knights would recognise his talents and let him join.

Little did he know, Orlando would be glad to welcome him as a comrade had he asked. He didn't need to prove himself anymore, since his stunt as the masked vigilante had intrigued the captain.

Rinaldo knew his captain didn't kick his rival out of his office because he wanted to see the moonlight gentleman in action.

“A pain in the neck? How very original. I am insulted.” The man chuckled. “But I prefer to think of myself as a thorn in your side.”

Ricardo drew his sword and assumed a fighting stance. He lunged at Rinaldo, and he parried his attack with relative ease.

Rinaldo had reacted by instinct, drawing his sword the moment he saw the other man's attack. By the time the attack landed, he was already in a defensive stance, sword at the ready.

Their swords clashed, again and again, the sound ringing out in the air. The two fought fiercely, neither gaining an advantage. Rinaldo redoubled his efforts, and the tide of the battle turned. He forced Ricardo back, and he got tired.

Rinaldo taunted the man who was gasping for breath. “You're not as good as you used to be.”

“I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve.”

He leapt at Rinaldo, and Rinaldo sidestepped him. Rinaldo dodged Ricardo's next attack and then countered with a strike of his own. The man's sword went flying, and he staggered back, clutching his arm in pain.

Rinaldo had disarmed him. He held his sword to the man's throat. “Do you yield?”

“I yield.”

Rinaldo helped him to his feet and sheathed his sword. The sun was setting by the time they finished their fight, casting a beautiful orange hue in the sky. It was the end of the day, and the sun was slowly sinking down to the horizon. The clouds were lit up in a pinkish tone, and the birds were chirping in the trees.

“You have bested me again. You are a great warrior.”

Rinaldo looked at his rival and put a hand on his shoulder. “You'll be a great warrior too, Ricardo. I have no doubt about that.”

He watched Ricardo go off into the distance and sighed. It was true—he was a great warrior. But he was tiring of all this fighting. Maybe it was time to retire and live a peaceful life.

But then he thought about all the people who depended on him. He couldn't just abandon the Luminous Knights. He was their lieutenant, and he had to protect them.

Perhaps one day, he could retire, but not now. Not yet. He had to keep going. He had to keep doing this. It was his job. It was his duty. He was the best at what he did, and he knew it. To think that it all started with a mistake…

“Are we done here? We're going to have to go now.”

Olivia's words didn't sound forceful, but they certainly seemed abrupt. It gave the impression that she was in a bit of a hurry to get going.

The maid from earlier was talking with Orlando in an unknown language. Even if Rinaldo could understand what they were saying, he knew he would be in trouble if they found out he eavesdropped on their conversation.

“Kion ni faru pri la fenestra, majstro?”

“Gis ni povos ricevi sorcitan anstatauajon de sinjorina Ragnell, lasu din esti.”

Just because Rinaldo couldn't comprehend the content of their conversation didn't mean he wouldn't notice when Orlando mentioned his mother by name. It was a good thing he didn't eavesdrop on them. A wise man once said ignorance was bliss.

“Yes, I think we're done here. Do you know where the anywhere door is?”

“I do. Let me lead the way.”

And lead the way Olivia did, leading Rinaldo into a series of twists and turns on the staircase that led to the second floor. They found themselves in a large room with columns in the middle of the floor. A row of dull grey corridors extended away from the centre of the room.

A few steps up the steps revealed a doorway with no light visible through it. Continuing the room, they came to another small room and another doorway. Opening the door revealed yet another hall with more grey-white walls and two passages leading away from it.

Rinaldo followed Olivia as she headed toward a wooden door on the opposite side of the room. “Are you sure this is the right place?”

“Of course. Now we only need to find the device.”

“Easier said than done.”

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The thing about ancient technology was that they were easy to miss when not turned on. Every device Rinaldo had seen before was about the size of a palm, and one could carry them anywhere inside one's pocket.

Each item would look like a block of metal. But once activated, they could draw natural energy from their surroundings to perform their function. To Rinaldo's surprise, it wasn't hard to spot them. The problem was that there were so many of them littering the room.

“How are we supposed to find the right one?”

“Well…” Olivia picked up one device and looked at it up close. “These things are attuned to a specific frequency. So, we just need to find one that's attuned to the frequency of the device we're looking for.”

“And how do we do that?”

“Trial and error, I guess.”

Rinaldo sighed. This was going to take forever. He and Olivia spent the next few hours going through every device in the room, but they still couldn't find the right one.

Rinaldo sat on the floor with his back against the wall. “Maybe we're not looking in the right place.”

“No.” Olivia's brow furrowed in concentration. “The device is definitely here. We just need to find the right one.”

“But there are so many of them. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

“Don't worry. We'll find it.”

Suddenly, Rinaldo heard a beeping sound. It was coming from one device on a table. Rinaldo got up and walked over to the table. He picked up the device and looked at it. It was a small black box with a button on the front. Rinaldo pressed the button, and then, as if by a miracle, the walls blinked and flashed.

The colours were so bright and vibrant that they almost hurt Rinaldo's eyes. He had to squint to see what was happening. The walls were melting away, revealing a beautiful garden on the other side. Rinaldo gasped in amazement. He had seen nothing like it before.

He took a step forward, and then another, until he was standing in the middle of the garden. Rinaldo felt like he was in a dream. He turned around and saw that the room he had been in was gone. In its place was a beautiful waterfall.

Rinaldo walked over to the waterfall and put his hand in the water. It was cool and refreshing. Rinaldo was in shock. He didn't know what to do. He just stood there, staring at the scenery. Then he heard someone behind him.

“I see you've found my little secret.”

Rinaldo turned around and saw a gentleman with an elegant top hat walking toward him. His stylish tie matched the waistcoat, which stood out with yellow and green stripes that matched his frock coat.

“You are the Count of St. Germain, I presume?”

“Indeed. Welcome to Viennetta's Mage's Guild.” The man's expression was amiable. “You must be Rinaldo, son of Raymond. And this young lady here is—”

Olivia greeted the man with a curtsy that was as shallow as it was mocking. “I am Olivia, of the Luminous Knights. Charmed.”

The Count raised an eyebrow at Olivia's interruption, but didn't complain. He just turned to regard her, as if waiting for her to say something else, but she didn't. She looked back at him, her expression expectant.

“Olivia, isn't it? Is there something else you wanted to say?”

“No, nothing.”

The Count shrugged and turned his attention back to the other guests. “If you say so.”

Olivia watched him for a moment, then turned and walked away. She sensed he was watching her, but she didn't look back. However, she was wrong. It wasn't the Count who watched her. It was Rinaldo.

Rinaldo's gaze followed Olivia's as she walked across the garden. He considered following her, wondering what was wrong with her. Before he could do so, the Count offered to shake his hand.

He accepted it out of courtesy, only to feel a mild surge of electricity pass through his body.

The Count released his gloved hand, and he felt normal again. It was a surprise, but not an unpleasant one.

“What was that?”

“My latest invention, a glove that creates electric currents.” The Count smiled. “I'm still working out the kinks, but I think it has potential.”

“How does it work?”

The Count explained the science behind his invention. It worked by harnessing the power of static electricity.

The Count made the gloves of a material that was an excellent conductor of electricity. When one rubbed their hands together, the friction between the gloves and one's skin created an electrical charge. The gloves would then store the charge.

It was apparent that the Count was excited about his invention, as he was already planning to mass-produce the gloves and sell them to the public.

“It has many applications. I'm sure you can think of some.”

“Impressive. I can see why you are one of the most popular inventors in the world.”

“I'd like to take all the credits, but it wouldn't be possible without my assistant.” The Count gestured toward said assistant who had just joined them. She was a young woman who looked like a doll, with impassive, big blue eyes and long dark hair that hung down around her shoulders.

“This is my assistant, Katarina. Katarina, say hi.”

However, before Katarina could say something, she made the mistake of looking straight into Rinaldo's eyes and froze on the spot.

“… Critical error… the core system 'Katarina' has been terminated… rebooting…”