novelraw Chapter 48 : Chapter 48
Chapter 48 : Chapter 48
Chapter 48: O Prayer, Do Not Reach (4)
Raphael’s eyebrows furrowed.
‘A mysterious masked man?’
What on earth was that supposed to mean?
Staring at Abel who had arrived before him, Raphael wondered. Did he think he could hide his identity with a mask? No way. Sword Saints were the Pope's close associates. They were individuals who traversed the entire world while disguising their identities. There was no way a great person like Abel would try to hide his status with such a method.
Then what could his intention be?
Raphael thought for a very brief moment, then,
“Professor Argento, you are truly magnificent!”
He concluded that it didn't matter either way.
Even if he hid his face with a jester's mask, the fact that he was a Sword Saint was not denied.
“I, Raphael de Arcturus……, I have been wanting to have a conversation with you.”
Raphael grasped Abel's left hand.
He held it tightly, his eyes sparkling.
“But whenever I face you, I get so nervous……, and it's no wonder……, because you are such a great person……”
“I am a mysterious masked man……”
“Don't say that!”
Raphael shook his head.
A frivolous dampness was mixed in his voice.
“How can such a plank cover your radiance!”
What an unpleasant man.
Abel thought, frowning. The sweat beads that had formed in Raphael's hand were sticky. At this, Abel's left hand slipped. Raphael didn't care. He grabbed Abel's arm.
“……It’s hard.”
Raphael said with a hint of a smile.
“Truly sturdy muscles, Professor Argento.”
“I am not Abel Argento. I am a mysterious masked man.”
“That doesn't matter. This hand that has touched you……, I will not wash it until I die.”
“Please wash it. It will not be good for your health.”
“Of course not. Your blessings will seep into every line of my palm. May I enjoy your muscles a little more?”
“……No.”
Abel put strength into his right hand.
The hilt of his beloved sword stood upright. An off-white aura formed on the dull blade. Abel swung his sword diagonally through the empty air. At a glance, it was nothing more than a light arm movement, but,
──K-wham, he went.
A sword wind swept across the stone floor of the prayer room. Raphael's silhouette was revealed beyond the thick cloud of dust. The sprawled Raphael's eyes were wide open. A single sword strike had left a deep mark on the stone floor, and Abel, brushing off his left arm, approached Raphael.
“Listen to me carefully, Professor Arcturus.”
Abel grabbed Raphael by the collar.
He pulled him forcefully to meet his gaze.
“I am not Abel Argento. I am a mysterious masked man.”
“B-but……”
Raphael's eyes tilted toward the stone floor.
He saw the trace of the sword strike that had dug into the floor material. Without a doubt, it was the result of an aura. He had just swung his sword as if to chase away a fly, yet a deep crack spread like the nail of a Main God had scraped it. What an overwhelmingly powerful conviction. A smile spread across Raphael's lips.
‘Beautiful. Absurdly beautiful. And yet, why…….’
Is my body trembling so much?
Raphael looked directly into Abel's gaze. A deep, blackish-blue gaze, like a mire, devoid of any gleam, was flashing. A murderous intent extended from it. Raphael finally sensed it. The admiration he felt for the faith was only for a moment; Raphael's instincts began to tremble, soaked in fear.
“Do you finally understand what I mean?”
Abel let go of Raphael's collar.
Slump, he went. Raphael's body collapsed onto the stone floor.
“I am threatening you.”
Abel's beloved sword was cast over Raphael.
Its life as a sword had long since ended. The worn blade looked not like a cold weapon but like a human spine.
“You did not meet Abel Argento today. You just ran into a mysterious masked man. Do you understand?”
“……I-I understand.”
Raphael answered without knowing why.
He lifted his upper body and looked up at Abel.
“I'm glad we could communicate.”
Abel's body bent down.
Abel knelt down on one knee.
He stared at Raphael, resting his blade on the stone floor.
“I will ask you two things, Professor Arcturus.”
First, what did you do to my disciple?
Abel asked so.
“Monika Lohengrin is my top disciple. Her body was not in good condition. Did you inflict corporal punishment on her?”
“I merely taught her the proper way to pray!”
Raphael's voice rose.
“Pain follows learning! Isn't that what training is all about? Injuries follow while training in swordsmanship, so why would it be different for prayer? I taught prayer through self-harm, and this is a form of penance in its own right!”
“I see.”
Abel nodded his head.
There was no lie in Raphael's words. All training was bound to wear down the mind and body. The process of sitting at a desk and studying was also like that. Ironically, even prayer through self-harm had its effects. Pain was the most primitive sensation, and the pure emotion it induced was a good material to reach the Pantheon.
“They say the ancient believers practiced self-harm to contact the Pantheon.”
Abel said with a sigh.
“Not to mention immersing themselves in waterfalls……”
Abel's hand rummaged through Raphael's trouser leg.
He soon grabbed his right ankle.
“I heard that the penance of whipping each other was popular.”
“That is correct, Argento……”
“Who is that? I am a mysterious masked man.”
“T-that's right, mysterious masked man. Although an inferior commoner……”
“Not a commoner, it would be Monika Lohengrin.”
“……I apologize. I forgot her name.”
Damn it. What kind of situation is this?
Raphael stared at Abel, gritting his teeth. While the dusk shadow was cast in the prayer room, Abel's blackish-blue eyes exuded an indifferent aura. Raphael trembled with a sharp anxiety. He desperately moved his mouth to argue.
“I know that Monika Lohengrin was born with aura. Her divine power will also be outstanding. But that child doesn't know how to pray.”
Do you understand?
She cannot resonate with the Main Gods.
That is why she cannot read the scriptures.
She doesn't know how to be grateful, she doesn't know how to have expectations, she doesn't know how to solidify her convictions.
Raphael said so.
“That's exactly why! Your top disciple needs pain. The heart to be grateful for what she has, the heart to desperately expect something, the heart to be certain of the Main Gods' existence……, all of it must be honed through penance!”
Answer me.
Do you think I'm wrong?
To such a question from Raphael,
“I respect it.”
Abel neither affirmed nor denied it.
“But Professor Arcturus, please take this to heart. The pain that follows learning is……”
He just applied pressure.
To the hand that was wrapped around Raphael's ankle.
“Something the learner must choose.”
──Crack!
The sound of bones twisting echoed.
“Kuaaaaaah!”
Raphael let out a scream. He flailed his body and scraped the stone floor with his fingernails. His fractured ankle was twisted at an angle. As if in response, a halo of light enveloped the altar. Abel stood up. After brushing his hair back while looking at the sparkling altar, he walked toward Raphael who was crawling on the stone floor.
“Don't make a fuss.”
Again, Abel rummaged through Raphael's trouser leg.
This time, he grabbed his left ankle.
“You know how to use recovery magic, don't you? Treatment won't be difficult.”
“Not yet.”
Cast it after I leave.
Abel whispered so.
“Why on earth are you doing this, Professor Argento!”
Raphael's shout echoed in the prayer room.
“Is it because I harmed your top disciple? Then I will apologize! I just thought it was a necessary education. So now, please stop……”
“As I've said repeatedly, I am not Abel Argento, and my questions are not over.”
So, for the second one, he said.
Abel posed a question to Raphael.
“I heard that the Arcturus family is a branch of the Saint-Pierre family. I understand that you have a good relationship. But I found it strange. During the Mirror War, the Saint-Pierre family supported the 2nd Prince's ascension. The Arcturus family, following the Pope's will, wished for the current emperor's ascension.”
As you know, the 2nd Prince and the current emperor were clear adversaries.
They were the largest factions that constituted the Mirror War.
There are many records of them engaging in all-out war. The members of the Arcturus family and the Saint-Pierre family must have faced each other on the battlefield.
“……That's why I became curious. Why is the relationship being maintained? They must have fought on the battlefield until just a decade ago.”
Ah, so that's what it was.
Is that why he came to me?
Raphael thought, shivering with rage. Abel Argento, that man was a Sword Saint before he was a professor. In the first place, his obtaining the position of a professor at CIAR must have been the Pope's intention. To personally inspect the best educational institution in the Empire. It was obvious that he had become a professor because he had been given such a mission.
‘It seems His Holiness has grown suspicious of the Saint-Pierre family…….’
The Saint-Pierre family was one of the few clans that had survived despite following the 2nd Prince. Their relationship with the Arcturus family, which had been dedicated to the clergy for generations, would be suspicious. That is why Raphael smiled. He thought it was an unparalleled honor.
‘His Holiness the Pope has been watching us.’
It didn't matter if that gaze was cold.
What was the problem? He just had to warm it up with a fervent heart.
“Professor Argento……”
Thus, Raphael opened his mouth.
“No, mysterious masked man. I understand your suspicion. But I assure you. Not only the Arcturus family, but also the Saint-Pierre family have no intention of going against His Holiness's will.”
There is no such thing as chance in this world.
All things are woven by necessity.
The Saint-Pierre family supported the 2nd Prince for technological freedom, and the Arcturus family supported the current emperor according to the Pope's will.
Some members of the families died on the battlefield. Members of the Saint-Pierre family killed members of the Arcturus family, and members of the Arcturus family killed members of the Saint-Pierre family. But there was no resentment exchanged. Consolation was also unnecessary.
“……It must have been fate.”
Raphael asserted.
Life flows according to the providence set by the Main Gods.
The dead were destined to die, and the survivors were destined to survive. Even if the members of the Saint-Pierre family had been executed after the Mirror War, the Arcturus family would never have grieved or sharpened the blade of revenge.
“Do you understand what I mean? We are simply content with the life that the Main Gods have arranged. A deep faith resides in the Saint-Pierre family and the Arcturus family.”
“A positive attitude toward life.”
It was meant sarcastically.
To Abel, the will of the Main Gods was not important.
Their interests just happened to align, but if it was right to be hostile, he could turn his back at any time. The value of faith plummets the more blind it is. A bale of straw to rest one's heart on for a night was enough. Although he had forgotten the sensation of leaning his heart on faith, Abel believed it without a doubt.
“That is correct! I, Raphael de Arcturus. Have not a single trace of impurity.”
Raphael, who did not know this, smiled.
“Every year, we pray! The Saint-Pierre family and the Arcturus family gather in one place and hold a banquet for the Main Gods! To vow to cherish this beautiful world!”
“It must be a meaningful occasion.”
……A banquet.
Abel nodded his head.
Fanaticism is not achieved alone. It is because they have formed a group that they cannot stop. The annual banquet of the Saint-Pierre and Arcturus families. He judged that it would be necessary to look into it and held his breath.
“Thank you for your answer, Professor Arcturus. I understand your intentions well.”
“T-that's a relief!”
Raphael puffed out his chest.
A complete sense of relief had set in.
“I, Raphael de Arcturus. Have not harbored a single fault when it comes to faith. Is that not so?”
“I will neither affirm nor deny it. But I will respect it.”
So, Professor Arcturus, he said.
Abel whispered, putting strength into his hand.
“Consider this also as fate.”
──Crack!
In the middle of the dim prayer room,
Raphael's left ankle was violently twisted.
* * *
“──Here I come!”
The sand of the training ground soared. The night landscape was covered in a blurry dust. Monika cut through it and ran. Beyond the blade of the great sword extending toward the front, Abel stood, gripping his beloved sword.
‘Her spirit is good.’
Abel thought, staring at Monika.
According to the report from Fabien, Monika had been training since early dawn.
Even so, she was a body that had no connection with the sword. She was just getting used to aura and adding sturdiness to her body, and struggling to catch up with her peers based on effort……,
‘There is still a clumsy point.’
──Clang!
Abel thought, parrying Monika's great sword.
“Don't be so honest with your attacks.”
Swoosh, he went.
Abel's body rotated smoothly.
“The more intoxicated you are with power, the more disadvantageous the battle becomes.”
Abel's blackish-blue eyes were cast over Monika. After deflecting the weight of the great sword by tilting his blade, he drew a semicircle and dug into Monika.
“Do you understand, Monika. Your attacks are too polite.”
Monika’s pupils dilated.
He’s really a monster. Realizing this, she quickly retreated.
Abel was bare-handed. He wasn't using aura, nor was he employing any magical power. He was simply nullifying the force behind the great sword through footwork.
Rustle, he went.
With the sound of stepping on a blanket,
“Don't be swayed by the sword's territory.”
A faint wind swept across Monika's skin.
Along with it, Abel, who had pursued her, swung his beloved sword, and,
“The one who wields the sword is you. You must not be wielded by the sword. Think about your body while moving the sword.”
Monika bit her lower lip and extended her prosthetic arm.
Thud, he went. Abel's blade was blocked by the prosthetic arm. A faint vibration was transmitted to Abel. Monika's mind, however, was shaking as if the ground were collapsing. What should I do now? After desperately contemplating and gripping the hilt of the great sword,
‘I have to charge.’
Monika's right foot dug into Abel.
Not to cut with the sword. To clash with her body.
Monika concluded so.
‘To do that, what should I do?’
First, disturb his vision.
The great sword that had been stuck in the dirt revealed its blade. The strands of aura wrapping around the blade. Monika extended it with all her might. The trajectory of the sword strikes, which rushed mercilessly, was clear even in the middle of the night.
Thud! Thud!
A deafening sound like striking a lump of iron.
Abel parried without hesitation. He silently absorbed the weight of the great sword, which was close to 90kg.
‘Now!’
Monika released the strength from her hand.
The masterless great sword was thrown toward Abel, and,
‘Was it a bait?’
Abel thought, ducking his head.
Monika was sliding her body. She had concentrated the momentum from swinging the great sword into her lower body and thrown herself to close the distance.
‘Not bad.’
Monika grabbed Abel's ankle. After pulling him with all her might to break his posture, she extended her prosthetic arm, her amber eyes shining.
Clink, he went.
A blade shot out from the prosthetic arm.
“I praise you.”
Stomp, he went.
Abel's foot stomped on it.
“An efficient judgment. Your weapon is not just the great sword. The prosthetic arm is also one of your armaments.”
Let’s call it a day.
Abel extended his hand as he said so.
“……Haa.”
Monika let out a sigh.
She lay face down on the ground for a while, then grabbed Abel's hand and got up. Even though they had sparred all evening, Abel's breathing was steady. How much training would it take to become like that? Monika clicked her tongue. She was completely fed up with her flawless teacher's skill.
“Teacher, you don't seem human.”
“No, I am human.”
“Who doesn't know that? It's a metaphor, a metaphor.”
Monika brushed the dust off her training clothes. She didn't feel frustrated. Swinging a sword based on a desire to win, that's as foolish as Senior Demian. Monika was thinking so.
“Monika.”
Abel sheathed his beloved sword.
“Are you hurt? I can use recovery magic if you need it.”
“I'm fine. My body just aches a little.”
Ugh, she went.
Monika stretched.
Sparring with Abel was truly difficult. Unlike the 「Basics of Imperial Swordsmanship」 class, they used real swords, and because she poured out her aura without hesitation, the fatigue on her body was considerable. But she had gotten used to it at some point. She even felt a sense of relief from the throbbing pain.
Because it felt like she was improving.
“Good.”
Abel nodded his head.
“Then I'd like to talk about what happened during the day.”
“During the day?”
Monika picked up the great sword that had fallen to the ground.
After storing it in her pocket plain, she looked back at Abel.
“You were hurt during the day, weren't you?”
“Ah, that……”
Monika scratched her cheek.
“You don't need to worry about it. It was nothing.”
“Do you dislike me worrying?”
“You know that's not what I mean.”
It really was nothing. That’s all.
Monika said, walking toward the water fountain.
“Then practice lying from now on.”
Abel followed behind Monika.
“Deceive me with a flawless lie. That way, I think I'll be able to worry less.”
“I'm not good at lying. Not as bad as you, Teacher, though.”
“I have practiced consistently. Now I've become quite skilled. I told a flawless bluff today as well.”
“Oh my, did you? That sounds very much like a lie.”
Squeak, he went.
The sound of turning the faucet.
A stream of water began to pour out. Monika quenched her thirst and then washed her face. The current of water slid toward the drain. She opened her mouth after watching it.
“Professor Arcturus forced me to pray while self-harming, and I followed his words. It seemed like he wanted me to hesitate and be afraid. So I didn't hesitate, and I wasn't afraid. I thought I could win that way.”
That’s all. It’s nothing, right?
Monika whispered so.
“Why did you try not to tell me?”
“Because I thought you would do anything, Teacher. You would have canceled the supplementary classes with Professor Arcturus and taught me yourself or entrusted it to another professor. I didn't want you to do that. Not for you, Teacher, but for myself.”
Monika looked back at Abel.
Abel stood with a silent expression.
“My status is not high, and my body is not sound. That means there are many who would look down on me. I will encounter them countless times as I live. Sometimes, I will have to cooperate with them against my will, and there will be times when I have to bow my head. I can't ask for your help every time that happens. I have to endure it myself.”
No, I must fight.
Even if it's impossible to aim a sword, with my heart……
I thought I had to confront them through my heart.
I was not abused by Professor Arcturus. I fought with him, and I don't think I lost. He was surprised when I slammed my forehead down myself, as if to show him. That was enough.
It was nothing to me. I will continue to think so.
Am I wrong, Teacher Abel?
To such a question from Monika,
“……I respect it.”
Abel could neither affirm nor deny.
“I understand your intentions well. You plan to continue the supplementary classes with Professor Arcturus.”
“Of course.”
Monika shrugged her shoulders.
“I won't run away. Let's see who wins. I'm going to put that man in his place.”
“I hope you do.”
But Monika,
Promise me one thing.
Abel whispered so.
“You must not remain injured. If you get hurt for any reason, come to me. Until you can use recovery magic yourself.”
“That’s……”
“A teacher exists to be used by their disciple.”
Abel wore a faint smile.
“A teacher who is not used by their disciple is a failure as an educator. I don't want to be a failed teacher. Use me a little. If you do, I will respect your wishes.”
“……Understood.”
I guess I can't win against him.
Thinking so, Monika let out a sigh.
A soft breath scattered into the night air.
“Then let's go back.”
Abel said, turning his back.
“What will you do? Don't train too late.”
“I will review today's training before I go. Don't worry. I have secured enough sleeping time.”
“You're so bad at lying.”
Abel took a step.
The autumn wind shook Abel's silver hair.
A lie……. Monika pursed her lips with her arms crossed. She felt a little wronged. No matter how bad she was at lying, when it came to being inexperienced, could she be as bad as Teacher Abel? Thinking so, she posed a question.
“Teacher Abel, why were you late today?”
The promised time for training was six o'clock…….
You arrived only at seven o'clock.
Did you have some urgent business?
To such a question from Monika,
“Raphael de Arcturus……”
Abel replied, looking back at Monika.
“……I became friends with Professor Arcturus and searched for fairies.”
See. It's really terrible, isn't it?
Monika thought with a smile.
Without knowing Monika's inner thoughts, Abel turned his back. Abel's figure melted into the dark night, and,
‘Did he know everything?’
Thump, he went.
Monika thought, kicking the sand.
‘About what happened to me with Professor Arcturus…….’
Did Mr. Fabien report it?
Probably. Monika nodded her head.
She didn't know what Abel had said to Raphael, or what force he had used, but Monika had no intention of avoiding classes with Professor Raphael. That too would be part of her training.
‘Prayer…….’
Thus, Monika clasped her hands.
The hand made of flesh and the hand made of a monster's corpse intertwined. After interlocking her ten fingers, she bowed her head and closed her eyes.
‘Why do I have to pray?’
Monika thought she didn't know for sure.
Was divine magic the price for confiding in the Main Gods? Was magic bestowed because one wished for something, demanded something, and offered something? Was it obtaining magic in exchange for offering one's heart?
Then it seemed closer to a transaction. What did the Main Gods think of the wishes, demands, and offerings of their believers? Did something like a mere heart seem like magic to the Main Gods? Is that why they bestow magic?
‘I hope it reaches.’
I hope my prayer reaches.
Because when the heart becomes weak, one comes to wish for magic.
‘I hope it doesn't reach.’
I hope my prayer never reaches.
Because a strong heart will be more precious than a sliver of magic.
‘O prayer, reach.’
No, it's not.
O prayer, do not reach.
Just as Monika thought so and opened her eyes,
<……Ah.>
Something appeared before her eyes.
Not of this world.
Monika sensed it instinctively. A dark silhouette was gliding beside Monika. Judging by its form, it seemed to be a woman. The fog that wrapped around the woman's naked body was like a tattered piece of clothing, and the faintly revealed face was left with only the traces of a skeleton.
<……It's not you.>
She couldn't move. It wasn't that her body was paralyzed. Even the cool wind had stopped without a trace. As if the empty air itself had frozen.
Only the smell fluctuated. A mixture of a sweet fragrance and the stench of filth churned in Monika's nose. And so, it was strange. The scent of a living creature, and the stench of a decaying beast. Could they be mixed together? It was impossible. Nevertheless, the woman was both alive and dead at the same time.
<──It's not you!>
A grotesque scream pierced Monika's ears.
The woman disappeared in an instant. Fragments of black fog fluttered, and a wind that blew from somewhere shook Monika's hair. Monika collapsed like a blade of grass pushed by a strong wind.
‘That just now was…….’
……what on earth was that?
Monika thought with wide-open eyes.
An evil spirit? No way. Monika shook her head. Evil spirits only appear in places full of corpses. Only a soul that has not undergone a proper funeral turns into an evil spirit. There was no way such a being would be wandering around CIAR.
Above all, Monika was sensing it. That a sliver of conviction was taking root in her mind. And so, she asked herself.
‘……Mother?’
Why on earth would such a thought come to mind?