Chapter 2 : Phoenix Knights

"What is your name?" The knight looked at me from behind his iron helmet.
His voice was low and hoarse, quite masculine. I calmly answered him honestly.
"My name is Amertia."
Am I not still myself in this world? That god sent me to this world using my own body.
[Your body and system compatibility is 100%]
[Based on data analysis, you are 100% the woman destined for this world]
Oh, I see.
So, like a Heroine?
No wonder this system is called the Heroine System.
"How old are you?" the knight continued. I noticed he had different features from the other knights. His armor had a golden motif on the forehead. Its shape was like a burning red flame.
"I am 30 years old."
He didn't answer me for a moment.
"..." The atmosphere between us became stagnant.
He seemed suspicious of me.
Was he surprised by my age???
I am indeed old.
[To be honest, you look like you're 18 years old.]
'Sometimes some people aren't destined to age easily.'
[Then why did your parents raise you as a male?]
Because of an obsession that never let go of the word 'heir.'
A word that was etched into my bones. Even though I rejected it, the path to leadership remained my destiny without me realizing it.
[You did it unconsciously?]
Because of habit, since childhood I was accustomed to it. Even when I wanted to stop, this body already reacted naturally.
Mindset, reflexes, habits.
Everything was formed thanks to years of hard training.
I stared at the knight emotionlessly. I couldn't read any expression behind that iron helmet at all.
"Who are you here with?"
"Alone."
"Why did you enter the Eldebaran Empire without permission? State your reason."
I looked at my surroundings, assessing the situation. It seemed the others had been taken out.
Only I remained.
Heh.
"Did I enter the empire? I remember being told I was found at the Border."
The system couldn't possibly lie, could it?
[You are technically correct; you haven't truly entered Eldebaran territory, because the entrance itself is restricted by magic. Indeed, immigrants break in, and the magic will detect their presence. One could say this magic identifies whether residents entering or leaving are part of Eldebaran.]
Like a public identification tool?
[You could say that. Eldegar is synonymous with light and purity magic, while Eldebaran leans more towards ancient magic. The average Eldebaran resident comes from pure ancient blood, marked by red blood that is green in color.]
Green? Wow.
I was truly surprised. Once again, the fact that I was in another world opened my eyes.
Meanwhile, the knight in front of me stayed silent, staring at me in disbelief at the answer I had just thrown out.
He opened his mouth. "You were found unconscious at the border. Without an identity, where are you from?"
Well, that's something I can't answer.
[You can tell the truth.]
Only a crazy person would believe I'm from another world.
[At least you're honest?]
"... I am from outside," I said calmly, testing the waters. Waiting for his reaction to my words.
"... Outside?"
"The outside world."
"..." The knight raised a hand to his head, as if he thought I was neurotic. He seemed to want to scratch his head to relieve stress.
[Heh.]
You find this funny?
[Yes.]
I slowly and carefully observed the knight. His body was straight, his posture flawless. His iron boots were at least 3 cm high, so his actual height should be 187 cm. My gaze fell on the sword emblem at the knight's waist.
A Phoenix.
The immortal bird.
Is it okay if I ask him about that god issue?
[No harm in trying, right?]
I waited for the knight to speak. But it seemed he had no intention of opening his mouth.
Isn't this the silent treatment meant to intimidate the opponent?
intimidation silence technique.
A technique I usually used to pressure my subordinates. I never thought someone else would use it back on me.
Woah.
It felt cool.
Even though I wasn't pressured under that gaze.
"... Do you know about the missing god?"
The knight didn't speak at all. No answer. He didn't budge.
"..."
Now that I think about it, my question was stupid, wasn't it? How could a human know about a missing god?
[...]
The system didn't respond.
The atmosphere stagnated.
Until suddenly, this knight choked me and pinned me against the wall!
Damn it!
I couldn't react when the oxygen supply to my throat was cut off. The pain in my neck was clear.
I couldn't read his expression, but from the grip on my neck, I knew this bastard was angry.
"Who are you? How do you know about the disappearing god?"
I just arrived, almost got stabbed to death, and now I'm going to be choked to death?
Are you kidding me?
Although I wanted to answer honestly, my first reaction wasn't to defend myself, but to sneer mockingly at someone who acted on their emotions without thinking logically.
"What do you think?"
The grip cut off my breathing.
"Ack!"
Damn it, if I let this continue, I might really die here.
'Useless system, do something!'
[Sorry, based on analysis, the system still has 10 minutes to activate self-protection.]
Damn it. Do I have to die first?!
"Tell me, are you a spy from Eldegar? Has that foolish holy empire finally realized the god has left the world?"
What?
"... Tell me."
I struggled to open my mouth. Noticing my difficulty speaking, the knight loosened his grip.
"I'm not a spy... I don't even know anything about the Eldegar Empire."
The knight stared at me for a moment. I stared back at him, unflinching at the grip on my neck that could kill me at any moment.
"Forget it. There's no point in killing you. Basically, the world can't hide anything."
I was surprised when he released me. The oxygen rushing back into my lungs made me cough hard.
"You still have to answer me. How do you know about the missing god?"
I regulated my breathing. My hands were cold and sweaty.
'If I die...'
[You won't die, Host. The system has revival equipment. You will keep coming back from death, because in this world, you basically shouldn't "die" before completing your mission.]
Is this a new torture method?
I touched my aching neck and looked at the knight in front of me.
But the figure behind him caught my attention. The old woman who had spoken to me earlier was sneaking up with a glowing blue knife behind him!
Her movements were fast.
'Swoosh!'
I pushed the knight aside.
"Look out!"
The old woman didn't expect me to find her. She looked at me in disbelief.
"How could you find my disguise?! Disappearing ancient magic is not easy to find!"
The knight with the Phoenix motif quickly called his troops.
"Spy found!!!! Call a mage! She's using an illusion of disappearance!"
His voice was loud.
The old woman with the knife stared deeply at me. Ah, my bad, her assassination plan failed.
But I have to admit her plan was a bit... Lame.
My eyes and the old woman's eyes met. She moved to attack me. Her movements were truly trained.
I dodged her.
Without a weapon, the only thing I could do was dodge, waiting for the troops to arrive.
"Who are you?!" The knife darted. I grabbed her wrist. Why did it feel a bit thin and soft?
Her skin was different.
"Who do you think I am?" I smiled sweetly. Accustomed to provoking people with my attitude.
The old woman looked angry and began to attack wildly.
Ah... She has an impulsive attitude. Not like someone who has understood the petty nature of humans for years.
Inexperienced.
I could see a slender silhouette and red lips from the old woman in front of me. She looked angry. Was this a shapeshifting sigil?
My eyes couldn't lie.
"You're actually quite young, aren't you?"
The woman's body froze.
Bingo.
The knight who had previously called his troops surrounded both of us.
"Surrender yourself, before we force you."
The old woman looked at me with burning eyes.
I saw a small pearl-sized object fall to the floor from her hand.
I had a bad feeling.
The old woman smiled and opened her mouth.
"¢£₹...."
I felt like I had to shut her mouth before she could speak. I moved quickly and punched her in the face!
'Thwack!'
The sound of flesh being hit was loud.
'Crash!'
The disappearing magic broke! Everyone could finally see the old woman's true form.
The knights surrounding us couldn't react.
"Damn— you!"
I punched her once more and snatched the knife from her hand, throwing it far away.
"It's all because of you! Bastard! All my plans failed!! Aaaaaaahhhh!!!! I'll kill you!"
Like someone possessed, the old woman's form changed into a young woman with lavender hair and brilliant golden eyes. She moved as if she wanted to devour me.
"That's... an Eldegar! Capture her!"
The knight's troops pushed me aside and captured the woman.
I picked up the small pearl from the floor and unconsciously asked,
"What is this?"
"That's a bomb," the Phoenix knight answered me earlier.
"You don't know this? Even commoners know how dangerous this bomb is. When the spell is activated, even legendary mages can't minimize the destruction from its explosion."
"A rare bomb, the pearl of destruction."
I froze and quickly placed the object into the Phoenix knight's hand and stepped back.
"That woman dropped it."
The Phoenix knight laughed.
"I know. Thank you for saving me earlier. Without you, I would surely have been injured."
[Ding! Mission complete!]
[Kill the empire's spy! Protect the Eldebaran Empire General!]
[Mission Reward: 5x gems, 1x normal potion, 1000 exp]
[Rewards received!]
I ignored the system notification. Because my attention was completely focused on the Phoenix knight.
"You believe I'm not a spy?"
"Yes. I believe you're from another world. Because in this world. No one can punch a mage in the face so easily."
I laughed.
"I saw her casting a strange spell after dropping that pearl. So I thought I really had to punch her."
The knight was surprised.
"You... punched her while she was casting a destructive spell?"
Why was he surprised?
The knight stared at me for a moment before sighing.
"... Welcome to the ancient Eldebaran Empire."
"And as an apology, I will help you get used to this empire.. First of all, since you helped me catch a fugitive, I'll let you rest."
I followed him out of the dungeon. Truly, I was very tired.
But the sight outside genuinely shocked me.
Flying horse carriages, glowing flowers, giant butterflies, human-eared beasts, and magic everywhere.
Like a child, I couldn't stop looking left and right with bright eyes.
Wow.