How to Live as a Knight After the Ending

Chapter 200: Flood recovery (3)

Despite Osian’s cold rejection, Lorraine did not have a hurt expression.

This was because the words she just spoke were merely words that burst out from being unable to contain her joy, so she did not attach much meaning to them.

Lorraine checked all the guns with great delight.

“Is this really all for me?”

“Yes. Consider it a gift. I don’t care what you do with it, whether you modify it or not.”

“Yay!”

Lorraine packed the guns tightly and ran up to the second floor.

Looking at how well she carries the guns despite their weight being heavier than expected, it seemed her injuries had completely healed.

After Lorraine left, Ronan, who had been watching the situation from the kitchen, came out.

“Hehe. I’m glad she looks happy. More importantly, those weapons look like they belong to the paladins. Won’t there be potential issues later?”

“There won’t be. The original owner is dead. The Order won’t say anything about it either.”

“Well, if you’re worried about appearances, modifying and repainting might work.”

Lorraine will handle things appropriately if she has any thoughts, so there was no need to worry.

“More importantly, will you be okay? Flood recovery work is considered quite difficult even within Tirna.”

“They showed sincerity when requesting the commission. How could I refuse?”

“Hehe. If it were Osian, refusing wouldn’t have been strange.”

“Well, that’s true. But a city official came directly to request it, so I thought it would be appropriate to accept for the sake of the relations.”

Refusing would create awkward relations, but accepting would seem to motivate the other side to provide various conveniences.

Strictly speaking, it was a transaction with no disadvantages.

Of course, this would depend on how difficult the flood recovery work actually is.

“Osian is gradually entering the stage of becoming famous. I didn’t expect a mid-level city official to come and deliver this message.”

“Well, that’s part of it, but perhaps the previous incident is related.”

In the 29th district, Alensia recognized Osian.

She was the one who had seen Osian wearing Starlight Armor to save Princess Orlea, so there was no need to hide or conceal his identity.

Knowing this, Alensia deliberately pretended not to know.

Though she could have brazenly left using her not recognizing him as an excuse, Osian didn’t want to do that.

“How were the previous flood recoveries?”

“Generally similar. There were always casualties.”

Ronan’s voice was so calm, it sounded as if he was talking about a neighborhood dog dying of old age.

Casualties during flood recovery?

Catching the question in Osian’s gaze, Ronan continued his explanation.

“Although it’s called flood recovery, most are going to handle problems that have occurred underground.”

“I see.”

Damages on the surface would be organized or cleared by city officials and contracted laborers.

The real work is in the underground waterways.

Tirna’s underground waterways boast massive size and scale. They are designed to withstand massive water discharge, but the rainy season is not so easy to handle.

The vast amount of water pouring down was enough to paralyze even the massive facility and disrupt the city’s overall functioning.

The robust sewage system breaking down made repairs essential to prepare for next year.

Moreover, this year the rain was exceptionally heavy, causing more damage than the previous year.

“Tirna’s crime rate skyrockets after the rainy season ends. During this time, guards are busy rebuilding the city, creating many gaps in security.”

“Seems like gangs are actively moving.”

“Are gangs the only ones? Terrorists and rebels, illegal and black magic users, heretics and fanatics. Additionally, many refugees are entering the city.”

With all sorts of people gathering and causing problems, chaos was inevitable.

If even one high-tier powerhouse were mixed in, the damage would be indescribable.

It would seem much more peaceful if just mediocre people gathered for a strike protest.

“Aren’t they hiring more people?”

“Due to the temporary situation, hiring would be a waste of labor costs and budget.”

“How very Tirna-like.”

This disaster was occurring because they were cutting corners by not hiring new people to save budget.

That’s why it’s said that fixers, mercenaries, and contract workers are thriving during this period.

Though it’s a dangerous job, since it’s an official commission from the city, there was no worry about not getting paid.

“It’ll probably be a chaotic time for a while. Things will be exploding and breaking out everywhere.”

The occurrence of such incidents also varied significantly by district.

Districts 10-20 had fewer such cases, but from District 30 onwards, the crime rate sharply increased.

“Whatever happens, we can’t let our guard down.”

Osian said this after drinking the remaining iced coffee and placing the empty glass on the table.

“Ena. Can you give me one more?”

“No way!”

Ena’s voice of dissatisfaction came from inside the kitchen.

Looking at Ronan with a face of not understanding, Ronan just shrugged with his usual smile.

“Oh. I respect personal preferences.”

*

As Alensia had said, it didn’t take long for someone from Tirna city to come looking for him.

“Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Adella, an 8th-grade city official of Tirna.”

Standing before Osian was a woman in her mid-20s with a navy blue bob cut.

She had a cold-looking face with rimless glasses and a wrinkle-free, neat uniform.

This alone was enough to understand her personality.

“Osian.”

“Yes. I’ve already heard about you. Time is short, so I’ll go straight to the point.”

She doesn’t seem interested in small talk.

Adella handed over some pre-prepared documents to Osian.

“You will be in charge of special processing for this flood recovery operation. The details are written inside, but I’ll briefly explain just in case.”

“I’m listening.”

“As I said, you’ll be in charge of special processing.”

“Special processing. What exactly do I need to process?”

“Simply put, you’ll be eliminating elements that pose a danger to the city.”

Osian scanned the first page of the documents and nodded.

“Looks like they’ve prepared something I’m good at.”

“Special processing roles are only given to superhuman-grade individuals recognized for their abilities by the city. And their number is not large.”

“So, where and who am I supposed to eliminate?”

“Identifying dangerous elements is originally the job of the city’s guards. You and other assigned personnel are like insurance for potential situations, so you don’t necessarily need to take the lead. You can check the details on the fourth page.”

As Adella said, the fourth page detailed what needed to be done.

Osian’s eyes quickly scanned the contents.

“Helping repair workers at the underground sewage treatment plant.”

“This is different from a simple escort mission. The underground is especially where many criminals hide, making it the most dangerous place.”

“Yes. I already know that.”

Osian’s response was surprisingly light, as if he was already aware.

Adella slightly furrowed her brows.

Most people, when faced with such a commission, would either look for ways to back out or try to show off unnecessarily.

But Osian was neither.

He was excessively calm. It felt like he hadn’t properly recognized the severity of the situation.

‘I heard he’s a rising star fixer watched by the city.’

This was a mystery to her since there were no clearly organized records of what commissions Osian had successfully completed.

As an 8th-grade city official, she couldn’t know everything.

The commission where he brought Ena, his fight with Martinez the Purification Judge in between, were not included.

Moreover, the incident where he helped Princess Orlea and almost prevented a war was also information blocked by the district administration at the time.

The same went for the Goldiron family incident, the incident in District 45, and the case in the 29th district.

However, excluding those, Osian had quite a few successfully completed external commissions, more than enough to be called a rising star.

Naturally, Adella thought Osian was receiving more attention than he deserved without having done much.

‘Is it because of his looks?’

She wondered if there might be something behind Osian.

From his birth, he looked somewhat noble. If she had met him without hearing he was a fixer, she might have believed he was a high-ranking aristocrat.

So Adella could draw her own, somewhat rational inference.

‘Well, seems like a rich family’s son doing a hobby.’

Adella was convinced Osian was from a wealthy family.

In fact, such cases were not uncommon.

Young, ignorant people starting work as vigilantes or fixers in the name of pursuing freedom and romance was more frequent than one might think.

But since they lacked skills, most of their reputation was built on money and connections.

So when seeing so-called rising stars, they were mostly just mannequins created to forcibly utilize an image.

Adella thought Osian was of this type.

‘Whatever. There are more reliable people anyway.’

Adella decided to disregard Osian. His looks were fine, but without skill, there was no need to pay attention.

“You’re the last one, Osian. Will you head out right now?”

“I will.”

Osian walked following Adella.

Adella felt dissatisfied while walking. Osian’s outfit looked too casual.

Over his regular clothing, he wore a luxurious coat, with just one strange sword hanging at his waist.

‘Does he think he’s going out to play?’

At the very least, he should have brought numerous weapons to match the occasion.

She knew, of course, that many weapons don’t necessarily represent one’s skills.

Even so, she thought one sword was taking it too far.

‘Forget it. I’m a government official. Getting into an argument would only tire me out.’

Adella was only an 8th-grade city official.

Being an 8th-grade city official in Tirna at such a young age was quite impressive, but ‘quite impressive’ was still insufficient in this city.

The two arrived at the scene and joined the people already waiting.

Repair workers prepared to descend into the underground waterways were gathered, and on the other side, several guards and hired personnel were ready to escort them.

The hired personnel were mostly people who had proven their skills in the industry, creating a distinctive atmosphere.

Seeing them, Adella felt her slight unease about Osian dissipate.

Some of the people waiting at the scene who recognized Osian began whispering among themselves.

Osian, unbothered, stood quietly to one side with his arms crossed.

“Quiet down, everyone.”

Adella, who had changed into work clothes, cut off the chatter and went straight to the point.

“Today we’ll be checking the valves and sewage facilities from section 34 to 39 in the underground waterways. If something happens inside, we don’t know how much time might be delayed, so if you want to finish today, please follow instructions and move in coordination.”

Adella’s voice was official and rigid.

Then someone raised their hand and asked a question.

“Are you coming down too, miss?”

The one who asked, looking at Adella’s outfit, was a middle-aged man who appeared to be older.

His body was muscular like someone who had eaten from a knife’s edge, but more notable was the faint blue magic rising over his skin.

“Isn’t that Hammond of the Blue Eyebrows?”

“A high-level mana user is coming. I can’t tell if that’s reassuring or indicates how dangerous the job is.”

For Osian, this was the first time seeing this person, but from the conversation, he seemed to be somewhat famous.

“Yes. As a manager, I’m also descending. So don’t get distracted or do anything unnecessary. Following my instructions will make the work proceed quickly.”

“Hmm. Well, I’ll do that. But be careful on-site. Tirna’s underground is an extremely dangerous place.”

Adella didn’t even listen to Hammond’s warning with the edge of her ear. Hammond also didn’t seem to expect her to listen carefully.

This was just a simple check. It was a roundabout way of saying that an office worker like her doesn’t know the site, so she shouldn’t talk too much.

“We’re going down.”

The lead repair worker opened the door to the stairs leading to the underground waterways.

Inside, dim gas lamps were lit, creating an even more desolate atmosphere.

People began descending the stairs, with Osian following behind.

It felt like entering the mouth of a massive beast.