Joint Combat Practice 2 (10)
The next saint, Adele Seris.
The name was circulated among the high-ranking priests of Seonghwangdo.
A talented person who will fill the position of the next saint, which was left vacant for a long time after the death of the previous saint Elnir. Her reputation was already so high that no one dared to lower her name.
The qualification of a saint, who receives the protection of Telos from the pinnacle of sainthood, is not given to just anyone. It was essential for her to be as pure and beautiful as a piece of drawing paper while also flowing with noble grace, and she had to be born with enormous spiritual power and be able to accept the protection of the Holy Law without difficulty.
Adele… His divine power was so great that rumors began to spread that he might be the reincarnation of Telos.
There were even rumors going around that the mysterious sacred magic that twisted divine power and used it as if it were magical power was at a level that could surpass the realm of Aspect magic.
No matter what anyone says, the foresight of pulling the timeline and peeking into the future was a miracle that twisted providence.
With her long light yellow hair, she always smiles softly and exudes elegance as she plays the lute. Even though she is wearing a burnt blouse and shabby skirt from rolling around on the floor of the slums, Adele has a divine aura that cannot be described in words.
However, even she is not without flaws.
The fact that he comes from a humble orphanage in the commercial city of Oldeck, and that he possesses tremendous divine power to the extent of predicting the future, but is unable to control it on his own.
Those things sometimes held her back. However, no matter how many of her shortcomings were taken into account, there was no one more suitable than her to take over the vacant position of saint.
In the end, Adele was baptized as a saint and was granted the protection of the Holy Law, and was on the verge of becoming the next saint.
With the consent of the Holy Emperor and the Archbishop, and with the support of the bishops, only the final stigmata baptism remains.
A ritual in which one pricks one’s finger with a dagger and drops the blood into the holy water under the noon light in the square in front of the Holy Emperor’s Temple.
Having already completed all preparations to become a saint, it was a ceremony to reveal her face to the public and announce it to the world.
– ‘… … .’
A day before the baptism of the stigmata, Adele sat alone on top of the spire of the Holy City, looking at the night sky, and gently closed her eyes.
From the orphanage in Oldek to the top of Holy Emperor Capital. It was an incredible rise in status in just a few months. Although the speed was not something she could get used to, Adele still had the sense to live with the flow of the world.
However, after receiving the baptism of the saint, I felt a stronger divine power coursing through my body than usual… Sometimes I see a new future.
Feeling like a faint twig of the future that had been elusive had finally arrived in her hands, Adele immediately opened her eyes and concentrated.
What is blooming above the night sky has never been seen since some time ago… It was Adele’s own future.
-bang!
―Cudangtang!
The next morning, the door to the archbishop’s office opened violently.
The priest rushed in and delivered the report to the archbishop in an urgent voice.
Verdio, who was already an archbishop at the time, narrowed his eyebrows as if embarrassed when he heard those words.
― ‘――――! ―――!’
Everything had already been planned. After today’s stigmata baptism, the birth of a new saint is announced to the public, and the existence of the next saint, known only to the clergy of the Holy Emperor, is finally revealed to the world.
However, Adele Seris, who had been designated as the next saint… The day before, she gave up on becoming a saint.
There was a lot of commotion. Conflicts arose several times, but in the end, Adele did not become a saint of the Holy Emperor.
His enormous spiritual power is recognized as a religious cult, and he is given the position of caretaker of the torch at the top of the Holy Emperor’s Tower… The work itself was not much to do.
In the end, the girl ended up living as a quiet poet, sitting on top of the Seonghwangdo Temple and singing while playing the lute.
So, the position of the saint remained vacant for a long time.
Rumors that the next saint may be born are slowly fading away… It was dismissed as just a rumor.
It’s just that at the top of the spire of Seonghwangdo Island, there exists a romantic singer reciting a charming and elegant song… Only dispiriting rumors circulated among the lower-ranking priests.
It’s been 5 years since that happened.
This was the time it took for Saint Clarice, revered by all believers, to be canonized.
A divine power so great that it is believed to have monopolized God’s love. The ability to adapt to holy magic that allows one to casually accept the protection of holy magic. And from his innate personality to his mysterious and sacred appearance.
Sitting at the top of the spire, looking at Clarice receiving the stigmata baptism in the square in front of the Holy Palace… Adele put down his lute next to her.
The high noon sky. A huge number of believers cheered and blessed the birth of the saint.
If a god up in the sky were to look down on the human world, would it look like this?
Thinking of such fleeting thoughts, Adele looked down at Clarice with sad eyes.
* * *
“I didn’t know you had such a desire to show off, Senior Ed.”
It seemed like something was thrown out loud.
The location was a carriage storage area at the beginning of Maxes Bridge. Most carriages passing through the Maxes Bridge stopped here, so it was in fact considered a meeting place among merchants.
Naturally, it was within the territory of the Elte Company, so when Lortel entered the storage room, all the employees opened their eyes wide and lowered their heads.
“what… In one day… “If anyone saw me, they would think I was under hypnosis.”
“as it were… “It’s a bit long.”
Lortel and I were consciously not looking back.
Behind it, there was a glass window blocking the entrance to the storage room, and on the other side was the saintess Clarice, glued to the window, looking inside with eyes full of moisture.
Behind them, there are two guard knights who are hesitantly looking as if they are embarrassed, and behind them, there are a lot of passers-by who are looking at why the noble and dignified saintess is stuck to the window in such an unsightly manner.
Even after leaving the nail salon with Lortel, Clarisse was always clinging to me, so I couldn’t help but get a lot of attention wherever I went.
If I tried to move away or increase the distance, he would start crying and grab my arm, so there was nothing I could do.
If you go into the carriage storage like this, you can’t help but look excitedly rather than collect information, so I decided to leave the saintess in the carriage for now… Outside the window, he was crying like a lost puppy, so everything was a mess.
Lortel took a deep breath and went to the counter and quietly called the owner.
The owner, who bowed with his back bent like a sickle, answered while looking at Lortel’s eyes for fear of offending him. When Lortel said something, he ran behind the counter in a cold sweat.
Lortel came back, grabbed my arm, made me sit on the waiting chair in the corner of the storage room, and sat down next to me.
“First of all, you said it was urgent, so I agreed to go with you. Was there a good reason why I gave up on the last sparring of the joint combat training and rushed here…? ?”
He said he moved it the way he wanted, so now he wants to explain.
I sat hunched over and sighed. It was unclear where to start explaining, and more than anything, if you glance up, you can see Clarice’s face stomping her feet outside the window.
“I think I need to consider the importance of the reason in order to calculate how much I will charge. I always maintain a cooperative attitude towards Ed, but… “You know very well that my price is not that cheap, right?”
“okay… know well.”
Lortel was smiling, but there was a strange feeling of anger mixed in. Her face, with its criss-crossed veins sticking out, is not consciously looking at the glass window.
“I know very well how attractive you are. However, I don’t quite understand how the saintly woman who used to walk around the professor’s building with a noble appearance until yesterday changed overnight to look like a sunflower in the middle of the day.”
“Well, it has to be that way. “Actually, I don’t understand it either.”
Time spins and spins, but we cannot remember it all. So, from my perspective, it is difficult to know where to start explaining.
“What’s certain is… “It means there isn’t a lot of time to spare.”
“yes?”
“You will find out sooner or later, but please tell me in advance and do everything.”
He had already gone to Maxes Bridge led by Clarisse’s hand, rested at the entrance plaza, returned to the student center, met Lortel, and dragged Lortel to the carriage house.
The route alone was a lot of time wasted. The time allowed was only a short time before the joint combat training ended, so soon this peaceful period would end.
Just as Lortel was about to ask what that meant, the owner of the counter came running out in a huff and looked for Lortel.
Information on sightings scattered around the wagon storage area was gathered together in an instant.
Most of the coachmen and retailers in the area passed through this warehouse, so they were able to get the news right away.
Lortel stood up again and approached the owner.
The owner explained something intensely and handed several notes to Lortel. When Lortel lightly expressed his gratitude, the owner waved his hand and greeted Lortel politely.
Lortel came back and spoke to me as I sat quietly.
“The entire sighting information was gathered in an instant. Well, this entrance storage area also acts as a kind of school gate. “This is information that was quickly gathered from the shelter in the back.”
“Sit here for now, Lortel.”
“… “Didn’t you say you didn’t have time?”
“That’s right, that’s why.”
“… yes?”
Lortel seemed to be planning to negotiate with me using the information he had in hand. It seemed like I was in quite a hurry, so I guess I thought I could charge a high price for it. It is an accurate judgment.
However, rather than asking for anything right away, I made Lortel sit next to me.
“You said you were waiting for the final sparring. But quite a bit of time has passed since we got out of the nail tube and here, so the joint combat training will end soon.”
“hmm… “Yes, I guess so?”
“Then you will find out soon enough.”
“You know… What… ?”
I sat down with my hands clasped together and quickly poured out the story.
“Lortel. “You don’t panic no matter what situation you encounter, and your ability to always understand the situation rationally and act is outstanding.”
“… “Why are you saying such strange things?”
“just… In times like these, your temperament shines. So, whatever happens… “I hope you will never be embarrassed and just believe what I say.”
Lortel sat next to me and quietly looked at my face. I thought he would make a fuss right away asking for the information he was holding in his hand, but he seemed to feel uncomfortable as he was clenching his hand tightly without any reaction.
“We shouldn’t stay like this, let’s go out first…” .”
“No, it’s better to stay inside the building for now.”
yes?
Before Lortel could answer… .
A thunderous roar was heard from outside.
Before I could really figure out what happened… A world-shattering tremor hits Aken Island.
It happened so quickly.
People inside the storage facility collapse from the shaking, and wings that cover the sky fall over Aken Island.
―Kagan! Kang! Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga!
The window was broken, and documents on the table flew around the lobby. The tables in the bar where customers were sitting and the bookshelf filled with books collapsed.
I heard Clarice’s story roughly. I don’t know how many times it has been repeated, but at the end of the joint combat training, the Holy Lance Dragon Velbroke descended on Aken Island, devastated half of the living quarters with a single kick, and committed massacre by shooting scales.
―Cugung! Googoo googung!
Lortel’s pupils trembled slightly. The moment I looked around, I grabbed Lortel’s arm and quickly hugged him.
“W-what…” !”
I rolled on the floor side by side with Lortel.
“radish… Son… ! suddenly!”
―Pabababababak!
Before Lortel could respond, hundreds of pieces of scale flew through the outer wall of the storage building.
I had completely wrapped Lortel’s body and crushed it, rolling it under the stone table.
―Whaaaaaa!!
―Kwagagagagagagak!!
‘The protection of the storm’ blooms around my body. The strong wind blocks the scales from rushing towards me… It was not possible to completely block all the scales. The Protection of the Storm is a skill that is activated all the time, but of course its power is weaker compared to when Merilda is fully manifested.
“Ugh, ugh!”
From my perspective, it was difficult to predict how powerful Bellbroke’s wide-area attack would be over the bachelor. I thought I would be able to block it well in this state, but Velbroke’s scales continued to fly at intervals and pierced my body.
Because I consciously crouched down, I almost missed the vital spot. There was a burning sensation around my shoulders and thighs, but it wasn’t so much that I couldn’t move my body.
Finally, I slowly got up. And when I look at the crowd around me… Half of them died instantly, and half were rolling around on the floor with serious wounds.
All kinds of groans filled the storage lobby.
Just like that, I slowly turned my gaze to Lortel under my arms.
Drops of blood dripped down Lortel’s cheeks. Fortunately, it wasn’t Lortel’s blood.
“Wow… Phew… shit… still… I avoided all the vital points… .”
Lortel’s pupils trembled as he was met with dripping blood. The sight of me stumbling and looking down at Lortel may have been indescribable, but it was a miracle that I escaped with such injuries.
The exterior wall of the storage room, neatly finished with marble, was quite strong and blocked about half of the scale attacks, and the stone table we rolled under was also a high-quality product, so it held up for a bit.
Thanks to that… I was able to neatly avoid Velbroke’s first attack. No, it wasn’t actually neat.
“Eh, de… Seniors… .”
Lortel looked up, gasping for breath. Lortel’s breathing began to fluctuate along with his chest heaving up and down, as if hyperventilating occurred momentarily.
I stood up, staggering, and then grabbed Lortel’s hand and pulled him up.
Lortel stood up, unable to withstand the strength of his body suddenly rising… He looked at the corpses lying around and his eyes trembled again.
―Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Seongchangryong’s roar split the sky again. I was also out of breath due to the rapidly changing situation, but I forced myself to hold on to my senses and placed my hands on Lortel’s shoulders.
“so… .”
Meanwhile, Lortel was holding the memos he had received tightly in one hand.
“… How much… ?”
Lortel looked at my shoulder, which had a large cut, and then quickly squeezed the wound to prevent any more blood from flowing out. When I let out a groan of pain, he looked embarrassed again, but quickly put it together.
It is not strange for anyone to panic and drop their body.
However, even in the meantime, Lortel held on tightly and spoke.
“Compared to the price of my life… “You probably have quite a bit of change left over.”
His voice trembles slightly, but just maintaining this level of reason is no longer human mental power.
“I have some change.”
“is it so. It’s quite a profitable business. Do you have time to explain the whole story?”
“Unfortunately, there is none. As you can see.”
The shadow cast through the broken window belongs to Velbroke, the Holy Spear Dragon that covers Aken Island.
The sight of him looking down at the bachelor while letting out a horrifying scream only feels awe, not fear.
Lortel unfolded the blood-stained note and placed it in my hand.
“There are 13 sightings. Most of them seem to come from magic goods dealers. From the looks of it, the Emperor and the Archbishop appear to have been wearing protective gear for concealment and leading a detachment through remote streets. It is said that most of the other attendants headed straight to the Trix building. “It may not be much because the information was gathered in a hurry, but it mostly points to one place.”
“Where are you… ?”
“The Bachelor’s Cathedral inside the faculty building. “Among the students and faculty, there is a place prepared for Telos Church believers.”
“I’m going there… Is there really a need to hide your movements? ?”
“I guess I did it because there was a need.”
The cathedral of the Telos Church, located inside the academic building, is located in the corner of the academic building. It is larger than expected, as there are quite a few Telos believers among the students and faculty.
Since the emperor and the archbishop came to the academy, it is not unusual for them to visit the cathedral located inside the academy.
However, he tried to secretly enter with only the special unit. In particular, it is strange that as soon as I arrived at Aken Island, I put aside all other plans and went to the cathedral first.
Lortel held my wound tightly, suppressed the trembling of his voice, and looked straight into my eyes.
“Let’s go out first.”
* * *
Clarice was pulling on the door to the storage room that was half broken and wouldn’t open.
Let’s take a look around… It was full of people who were already covered in blood. Thanks to the protection of the Holy Law, Clarice herself was safe, but he was unable to protect the lives of the two knights who tried to protect her.
“Ugh… Ugh… !”
Clarisse tried to pull the storage door open with a half-crying face, but it was too much for her limited strength. In the end, the moment I tried to destroy it by mobilizing holy magic…
-bang!
The door was shattered and thrown away by the strong magical power coming from inside.
The one who walked out from there was Lortel, who was supporting Ed.
“Ed… Seniors… ! no… no… !”
Clarisse swallowed another sigh. The death of Ed, whom she had watched dozens of times, remains like a trauma to her, and the sight of him bleeding out gives her goosebumps all over again.
Ed just raised his head and nodded that it was okay. However, despite Ed’s reaction, Clarisse just ran towards him and swiped his face.
“Senior Ed… Senior Ed… .”
Without even paying attention to Lortel, Clarisse traces Ed’s body and looks at his injuries. She rubbed her eyes as if she were going to cry at any moment.
“One horse can still barely move. The wound is severe, but… I guess I can go all the way to the professor building. “That’s a good thing.”
Lortel trembled for a moment as he looked at the Holy Spear Dragon covering the sky, but soon gritted his teeth and maintained his composure again. Although he was said to maintain his senses in any situation, he couldn’t help but feel dizzy when the situation turned so urgently.
“Release the horse. “I have to ride that.”
Ignoring the saintess who was making a fuss and looking at Ed, Lortel did as Ed said and quickly loosened the reins attached to the carriage and pulled the horse.
Then, he took out the saddle from the wagon cargo compartment, placed it on the horse’s back, and quickly tied the fixing frame and leather straps.
“No matter how much of a saddle you have… It is difficult to ride with more than two people. “One of the three has to stay.”
“The saintess and I have to go. Let me explain… It’s long… .”
At those words, Lortel opened his eyes wide and looked at Clarice and Ed alternately. Ed is covering his wounds and clutching his horse’s saddle, and Clarisse is clinging to Ed and shedding tears.
And in the sky, the Seongchangryong roars as if it will destroy the world at any moment. It was a series of dizzying situations, but Lortel finished organizing his thoughts by sighing.
“Get on quickly, saintess.”
“Ah, ah… .”
Ed quickly grabbed the reins of the horse and mounted her, followed by Lortel pushing the saintly woman up and riding her.
After picking them up, I looked up and saw that they looked like a man and a woman running away from love… Lortel felt her stomach burn.
“I’m sure Ed has thoughts, too. “The situation is moving so quickly and there seems to be no time left, so I will completely trust senior Ed.”
Lortel suddenly said this and grabbed one side of the horse’s saddle tightly.
“Thank you, Lortel. “I’ll definitely pay this debt back later.”
“No, you have to pay now.”
Lortel put one foot on the saddle and pulled up, pulling his body forward, then grabbed Ed’s chest as he sat on the horse and pulled his upper body down.
And then he kissed me deeply… He jumps down the horse again.
“Eh… Eh… ??”
Clarice, seeing that scene, blushed completely and covered her mouth tightly… I was just moaning as if I was embarrassed.
“The second one is me too, Senior Ed.”
It was something he did in an instant, as if he was asking Clarisse to watch it.
“Well, we have to get insurance here too.”
Then, he put down his saddle and smiled seductively at Clarice.
“Saint. There is a law called mourning for everything in this world, so if you carelessly stick to a product that someone else has marked… “Things get complicated.”
From the naive Clarice’s point of view, she couldn’t refute anything and had no choice but to just stare at her parents.
Ed also looked at Lortel with his eyes wide open, probably quite embarrassed… Lortel smiled his charming smile and slapped his horse’s bottom.
One o’clock was a busy time. Before I could reply, the horse ran away screaming.
Watching the horses galloping away like that, Lortel quietly turned around and looked up at the sky.
“okay… Unless I’m confused… The century of disaster caused by Seongchangryong’s rampage must have ended three hundred years ago… .”
Majesty radiates from its gigantic appearance. Looking at that scene, Lortel smiled awkwardly.
Those who laugh in the face of crisis are those who ultimately win. I hope the adage holds true this time too… I was sincerely hoping.
