Chapter 288

Chapter 288
## Chapter 288

White Knight (3)

—

In contemporary times, digital networks served as the ultimate barometer for reading the public’s pulse.

This was particularly true within South Korea, a nation where cellular devices were nearly ubiquitous.

Citizens meticulously cataloged daily occurrences, broadcasting media in real time and circulating fresh updates across diverse virtual spaces and social media networks.

Throughout the preceding twenty-four hours, a solitary subject had completely monopolized these digital conversations.

The enigmatic champion known as the “White Knight,” famous for materializing and vanishing like a gust of wind, had made his return.

Given that he already commanded global fascination, his abrupt reemergence and erratic movements naturally generated an even greater frenzy of curiosity.

-Is this actually happening? He vanished for so long, and now he’s out here doing charity work at medical centers?

-He dropped by multiple locations, didn’t he? I thought divine casters had a strict threshold for utilizing sacred energy.

A few skeptics surfaced, voicing suspicions regarding the validity of these updates, but an avalanche of verifiable material swiftly silenced the doubters.

Snapshots, video recordings, surveillance clips…

Spanning from low-resolution captures to tight close-ups, undeniable validation of his presence saturated the web.

-Holy cow; it’s actually legitimate?

-Where is he located this very second? My mom is critically ill, please drop the coordinates!ㅠㅠ

└Missed your window. He already departed.

-Why does every single piece of footage look so grainy?

└For real. It feels authentic, but you can barely make out any features.

The public response was predictably frenetic.

Yet, amid the wave of exhilaration, a collective grievance emerged. Aside from distant security feeds, the vast majority of consumer-recorded media was unstable and poorly focused.

-Can somebody please stabilize their device?!

-lol they pressed record and then just aimed the lens straight at the linoleum lol.

-I clicked on this out of sheer curiosity, and now I have even more questions than before.

In fairness, such results were entirely justifiable.

The primary eyewitnesses consisted of ailing individuals, their relatives, or medical employees.

Plunged into such a tumultuous environment, with divine energies radiating and supernatural restorations occurring right before their eyes, who could possibly maintain the composure to steady a smartphone, adjust the lenses, and capture a flawless recording?

This was doubly true given the awe-inspiring ambiance, where the staggering presence of the holy warrior made it difficult for onlookers to even take a step.

The bulk of the clips were merely accidental captures by individuals who happened to be recording unrelated events.

However,

A singular video file, recorded amidst the frantic environment, finally made its way to an online forum, sending the entire digital space into absolute hysteria.

-Oh my god, he is stunning.

-Wow… how does someone look that flawless even through a pixelated lens? It’s like a built-in glamour effect.

-We have a new visual icon following Phantom oppa♥

└Now I’m starting to suspect the Hahoe Mask individual is secretly a model too. Hahoe Mask, show your face already~!

-Is he of foreign descent? His features seem Asian, but… perhaps of mixed heritage?

The footage captured his initial manifestation at the pediatric facility, freezing on the exact frame where he unmasked.

His platinum locks, amber eyes, and celestial countenance instantly enraptured the online audience.

Furthermore, the brief sequence displaying him softly stroking a youngster’s head gained immense traction.

Supporter communities dedicated exclusively to his fandom began proliferating across the internet like flora after a heavy downpour.

Concurrently, the statements he uttered during that encounter began making the rounds online.

-What was that faith tradition he spoke of? Auterica? Never encountered that term before.

-Pledging myself to Auterica, Day 1. The tenets are a mystery to me, but I’ll start reciting some invocations.

-I feel like that title rings a bell somewhere…

Because Auterica was an extensively fresh discovery among outer realms, the general populace remained largely ignorant of it.

Nevertheless, this occurred within South Korea, a society celebrated for its lightning-fast tracking of data.

Inquisitive minds rapidly extracted details and distributed them across public feeds.

-Auterica corresponds to an external realm recently cataloged by the Returnee Association. (Link)

└Oh, is that so? Then what is his tie to that place?

└Go research it yourself.

└Too much effort. Summarize it for me.

-Whoa, why is everyone losing their minds? Auterica? That’s where I used to live.

As the topic crested in popularity, an actual displaced citizen from Auterica finally stepped forward, volunteering authentic background details.

Information regarding external worlds was not restricted, making it a frequent subject of debate among displaced individuals.

-Spill the details. What’s the scoop?

-Do you recognize the White Knight? An individual operating at that tier must be a household name over there. I’m dying to know.

-There is a dominant theological group in Auterica called the Main God Church… Hold on, is the White Knight genuinely affiliated with them?

Paradoxically, the displaced individuals from Auterica found themselves utterly bewildered by the unfolding events.

-Hold on… This can’t be… That makes zero sense… Why? By what means? Is this authentic? No, but really…

└Is this guy suffering a medical emergency?

└Share what you know already!

└Disregard this post, he’s just provoking people for attention.

After all, the specific figure taking shape in their minds…

-There is precisely one individual who matches that profile. Granted, I never crossed paths with him directly. I was merely a low-ranking nobody. But that’s the Champion, correct? Shouldn’t he be commanding the battlefronts in Auterica? Did the conflict conclude?

└???

└What gibberish is he spouting?

└This is an entirely unique brand of fabrication. Let’s drop this before it spirals completely out of control.

…was an individual who logically should not be present on Earth.

Consequently, that profound bewilderment quickly bled from digital domains into the physical realm.

—

A nondescript administrative room.

“Therefore, Player Kang, what you are asserting is…”

Yet, the figures gathered within were anything but ordinary.

“That the entity known as the White Knight is highly likely to be the Saint of Auterica?”

An investigator representing the Supernatural Management Bureau, the state organ tasked with overseeing awakened personnel.

A delegate from the Korean Returnee Association, the body committed to protecting the interests of displaced citizens.

A holy caster from Pantheon, the cross-dimensional sacred coalition, dispatched with the mandate to enlist the White Knight.

Seated before this trio was a visibly anxious man, straining to provide adequate responses to their inquiries.

“Y-yes, that is precise. He occupied… an incredibly exalted status. Heinrich Saint Landguard. Even an individual like myself, who possessed no direct ties to his circle, can vividly recall his complete title.”

“I see…”

The interrogators traded meaningful looks, their countenances turning deeply analytical.

While the total volume of displaced individuals from Auterica remained low, exactly four had formalized their status within South Korea.

The individual presently sitting before them constituted one of those four.

“Can you state with absolute certainty that he corresponds to the figure captured in this media?”

The Bureau official adjusted a digital display, prompting a recording detailing the White Knight’s recent exploits to begin rendering on the glass.

“To be perfectly candid, I cannot verify it flawlessly… As previously stated, I never shared an audience with him. I operated as a minor asset in an isolated frontier territory. Crossing paths with an entity of the Saint’s stature is virtually impossible unless one commands immense fortune or an elite rank.”

“…Understood.”

“However, I strongly suspect it is him. The Saint and Saintess of Auterica are universally recognized by their platinum tresses and amber eyes. Furthermore, Heinrich functioned as a holy warrior, meaning… that blade is almost certainly a sacred relic.”

The evidence heavily implied that the White Knight was indeed Heinrich Saint Landguard, the celebrated Champion and Saint of Auterica.

Even so, every person occupying the room, including the displaced witness summoned for consultation, harbored an underlying sensation of discomfort.

“Has the Association intercepted any intelligence from Auterica? Any reports regarding the abrupt vanishing of the Saint, or something of that nature?”

“…Nothing has surfaced as of yet, though I shall initiate a secondary inquiry immediately.”

In truth, they felt minimal investment regarding the internal politics of alternative worlds.

An array of realms had previously collapsed into oblivion, transitioning into “sealed dimensions” after enduring world-ending disasters.

Nevertheless, for the factions invested in bringing the White Knight into their fold, the ambiguous context of his arrival felt deeply unsettling.

As the consultation progressed, Kang Tae-san, the apprentice investigator who had tagged along with his superior, remained propped against a wall, a look of distress shadowing his features.

He retained a deep sense of obligation toward the White Knight, who had delivered him, his elderly relative, and his companion from harm. He took no pleasure in the wild theories proliferating across the web.

‘What power do I even hold? I am merely an insignificant low-tier agent.’

He let out a silent, weary breath, subsequently retrieving his cellular device to scan the public message boards.

The digital spaces had stabilized somewhat relative to the chaotic peak of the prior evening, yet the White Knight remained the undisputed focal point of discussion.

“Wait?”

Suddenly,

He detected a massive, spontaneous spike in data usage and knitted his brows.

“…Senior! You need to observe this immediately…!”

Grasping the gravity of the unfolding situation, a sharp exclamation escaped his lips.

Simultaneously,

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Chime—!

An overlapping symphony of alert tones reverberated throughout the workspace as mobile devices and adjacent hardware began vibrating and chirping in unison.

It was the unmistakable harbinger of a monumental development.

—

I weighed my upcoming options.

What would be the most strategic method to unveil Heinrich’s background?

In order to throw the specialized tracking teams off the scent and completely absolve his primary physical form of suspicion, Heinrich needed to execute a highly public disclosure.

Yet, multiple avenues existed to achieve this, and selecting the optimal path was of paramount importance.

‘I could instruct him to function covertly, mimicking the pattern used with Hans, thereby manipulating my timeline protection… or fashion an entirely fabricated persona, similar to Heinz, and make a show of assisting the state investigators.’

Regrettably, both strategies carried distinct disadvantages.

Furthermore, now that the insidious Heaven’s Turn Society had entered the equation, a far more assertive stance was required.

Thus, he formulated a definitive plan.

‘I will simply lay bare the entire reality.’

The reality that he was the consecrated Saint of Auterica.

Naturally, he could not lay bare the unvarnished truth. Certain strategic modifications to the narrative were mandatory.

Provided that the true identity of his primary physical form remained safely obscured, the minor structural details were inconsequential.

Still, if an even more advantageous method presented itself…

“S-so, White Knight-sir… that is to say…”

“Heinrich Saint Landguard.”

“Y-yes, quite so, Heinrich Saint Landguard-sir, what you are implying is…”

…He would readily seize it.

He recognized that this specific scenario could be leveraged to bolster his position.

Within contemporary civilization, commanding widespread public focus and societal backing constituted a tangible variant of authority and leverage.

He was fully capable of exploiting this dynamic to guide the unfolding events to his advantage.

There was absolutely no justification to pass up such an asset.

“Correct, I originate from the realm you designate as… Auterica. To articulate it with greater precision…”

Heinrich, maintaining an unwavering, serene gaze upon the trembling media representative operating the recording equipment, offered a benevolent smile.

“…I do not claim Earth as my native home. I am… a citizen of another world.”

He delivered the staggering revelation with utter nonchalance, as though it were a mundane detail.

“I have manifested here to purge wickedness, executing the mandates of the Creator. This applies across all existing planes, Auterica included.”

It was perfectly acceptable.

He possessed extensive expertise in fabricating narratives.

Besides, the statement was not an outright falsehood.

‘Let us observe how humanity processes this information.’

A radiant, magnificent sacred radiance erupted outward from Heinrich, completely saturating the interior of the room.