Tollivar Stout... He was a knight among knights, unsung hero among knights, whose ideals shaped the then young Reinhardt and made him the knight that he is right now.

In a way, the latter could be said to be his master and benefactor. Yes, Reinhardt expected to see his friend; however, the one lying on the bed, seemingly on his deathbed, looked nothing like the old friend he remembered.

The mountain of a man had changed into a skeletal figure, so thin and skinny that one cannot even distinguish him from a corpse.

"Hammer of Resolve, Tollivar Stout… my friend," Reinahrdt called out and sat on a dusty chair next to the bed. Seconds passed by, and after a while, the lips of the man moved, his throat quenched.

"Haha… It's been a long time since anybody called me by my class name. Who are you?" the man looked at him with his blurry eyes that had sunk into their sockets.

"It is I, Reinhardt, the young knight you saved".

The old man in the bed looked lost. It couldn't be helped after all, it was a long time, and given how old Tollivar was right now, it wouldn't be surprising if he had already lost some of his memories.

"Ahh, I remember now, you are that brat, one of the survivors of the incident they now call the Rainy Day. Haha, look how much you have changed. I can't believe you are the same little brat who wallowed in despair after wandering in this village long ago".

The man still remembered. His eyes, which looked dead up until now, finally began shining with a faint light. Probably because he hadn't laughed or talked this much in a long while, he started coughing violently.

"Sir Tollivar, you don't have to get up".

"What are you saying, brat. You came to visit my house. How can I continue to sleep with a guest over?" The man, even while all bones and one step into the grave, propped his body up.

"So, how come you are here to visit me? Don't tell me you fell into despair again. Did I not hammer that shit out of you?"

Reinhardt smiled at the stoic personality of the man and explained.

"Hoh, so that brat who always talked big is now marrying, huh. How time flies."

If it were any other man in the kingdom of Aetherion, they wouldn't dare call the Dark Knight a brat, or for that matter, the Divine Paladin the same. However, Tollivar was much older than all of them.

Considering his age, he might even be a generation older than his father. To him, forget about Reinhardt and Vaerion; even their fathers are just brats in his eyes.

Cough… Cough…

"Well, it's a good thing that the younger generations are flourishing. Now I can die in peace". As Tollivar said that, he realised the knight's face looked a little grim.

"What's wrong?".

Reinhardt thought for a second before revealing everything that he discovered.

"An Ouroboros mark! This is a serious matter!!" Finally, the gravity of the situation also dawned on Tollivar, who couldn't help but also make a grim face.

"You said this priest arrived two months ago?"

That's what the children told him.

"Hmm, it coincides with the time I fell ill".

It was no wonder that the village fell under the temptation of a demon. If Tollivar was still active, the demon wouldn't have been able to take over the village.

"To think that such an abhorrent demonic ritual is held in such a sacred place like the church. This matter needs to be investigated. Do you know why that priest is doing this and what the ritual is for?"

Even though he hadn't met this priest, with the [Eyes of Divine Clarity], everything became clear to him.

"Their motive is to summon a demon. The blood, the sacrifice, everything is for creating a high grade summoning circle".

The gravity of the situation intensified further. If a high grade summoning circle were allowed to be unleashed, who knows what kind of terrifying demon would answer the call? Forget about the village, which would already be dead by then; this entire region of the kingdom of Aetherion would be doomed if that happens.

"I understand the situation now." While coughing, the Tollivar got out of his bed. "If the Ourboros curse mark has been gathering energy for more than two months as you say, then even a high ranking knight has a chance of dying from the curse. You should get out of the village".

"What about you?"

"After staying so long here, I have become rather fond of this village. I cannot allow some unknown demon to wreck this beautiful place," Saying that, he reached for his hammer.

The man did not seem like he was in any condition to be moving around, much less swing that huge hammer with his dired up body. And so Reinahrdt thought.

However, the moment when Tollivar grabbed his hammer, an incredible thing happened. With that scrawny, almost mummified body, he lifted the giant hammer, which should be more than ten times his weight or even more, effortlessly.

Not only that, he even grabbed his gauntlet and gears. The man looked all ready to fight. Seeing this, Reinhardt couldn't help but speak.

"Sir Tollivar, there is no need for you to pick up your hammer for the likes of some demon. Allow me to resolve the issue of the village".

"Heh, brat, from your words, it seems like you sure have become quite an amazing figure. However, you should still never underestimate a demon. Besides, you still have a bright future ahead, don't throw it here"...

"The Oroboros mark is in its final stage. Once the serpent swallows more than half of its tail, it would release all the curse it had been gathering by taking away all the injuries, bad luck, and pain of the villagers. Even if you are a high ranking knight, there is a chance that you might die".

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