novelraw Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Chapter 16: The Mad Believers Have Come Knocking!
The Church library was quiet and deserted. Lilu sat beside the wooden table near the entrance, rapidly flipping through the thick book in her hands. Most of these books were hand-copied manuscripts—the parchment pages had already yellowed with age, clearly precious documents that had existed for who knew how many centuries. They were protected, however, by mysterious runes inscribed on the inside of their covers, ensuring they would not gradually decay.
Setting down the sixteenth book, Lilu stretched lazily. With a flicker of intent, she opened her Status Screen.
Name: Lilu
Race: Elf Race
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Class: Holy Maiden (Novice)
Skills: Healing Arts (Intermediate), Purification Arts (Intermediate), Pharmacology (Beginner), Alchemy (Beginner), Light Magic (Intermediate) New!
Talents: Undying Body, Beloved by All, Rapid Learning
Title: Church Believer (Common)
A new skill had appeared in the Skills column—Light Magic. She hadn't actually expected she could learn magic simply by reading books. She tried reciting a few common incantations, and the Holy Power within her surged into motion instantly, with not even the faintest lag—a ball of light bloomed from her palm. With a flicker of intent, it went out.
"Phew—let me try that method."
Taking a deep breath, Lilu projected the incantation she had just recited into her mind. The orb of light appeared in an instant, and it was far more radiant than the last one. Lilu casually tossed it out through the window and watched it vanish into the sky at tremendous speed. Good—the control felt completely natural! The rust-spotted metal bars cast a lattice of shadows across Lilu's face. They reminded her of a birdcage, and she suddenly found herself envying that orb of light that had flown away free—she too yearned to spread her wings and soar.
It was a pity that Lilu's strength was nowhere near sufficient. She did not yet have the power to break free from her shackles. From her interactions over these past few days, she had already realized that Serina was absolutely not genuinely kind to her—the feeling she gave Lilu was exactly like someone she had despised long ago. Though that person's face had blurred with time, she still remembered every scheme and tactic they had used against her, and the terrible wounds they had left.
Serina carried the exact same air as that person—profoundly selfish, ruthless, and calculating.
"My whole life…… I've been walking on thin ice……"
Letting out a small, quiet sigh, Lilu leaned back in her chair. Her long hair fell naturally downward. She stared blankly up at the ceiling, and whether it was because the Rapid Learning Talent had consumed too much of her mental energy or not, she was suddenly struck by a wave of drowsiness.
It would be so nice if I had a phone to play with right now—huh? What's a phone? Forget it, it doesn't matter……
The memories from Earth were slowly slipping away—but Lilu remained completely unaware of it.
After dozing with her head on the table for a while, Lilu straightened up from between the pile of books and gave a long, luxurious stretch. The Divine Crest hanging at her chest clinked with a crisp, clear sound, reflecting sacred light in the rays of the setting sun. Glancing at the fiery evening clouds outside the window, Lilu gave a start.
"Whoa! How long did I sleep?"
She snapped awake in an instant, rubbed her eyes, and hurriedly began tidying up the table.
Lilu rose on tiptoe to put the thick hand-copied books back one after another—but just as she placed the very last one, her toes suddenly slipped. In the moment she lost her balance, she saw the thick, heavy book come crashing down toward her head.
Lilu: Huh? Am I about to die again?
But the pain never came. A powerful large hand steadied Lilu from behind, while another hand caught the book firmly—the sharp, metal-edged corner stopping only a few centimeters from her eyes.
"Thank you so much," Lilu quickly straightened up, "thank you very much, I was wondering—"
A heavy shadow fell over her. Lilu looked up and found herself gazing at the man before her. He wore solid silver armor beneath a Battle Robe, and a face that looked as though it had been carved by axe and blade was concealed beneath a hood. Lilu went pale with fright. Could this person possibly be Altaïr? The Altaïr himself! Who not only had the Leap of Faith, but also a razor-sharp hidden blade.
I'm finished—an Assassin has come for me! Could it be that everyone outside has already……
Just as Lilu's thoughts were spiraling into wild speculation, the tall armored man casually placed the book back on the shelf, then bowed his head toward her.
"My name is Molay—affiliated with the Templar Knights," his voice rang out like a great bell, "might you be Lady Holy Maiden?"
Lilu: Oh? He's one of ours—it's fine, it's fine.
"I believe so……" Lilu produced her Class Card. "Please, look at my Class Card."
Molay reached out and took the Class Card. When he saw the words Holy Maiden written on it, the faintest frown crossed his brow.
"Very well. Prove it to me."
"May I ask—how would I go about proving it?"
"Use your blood to call forth a Divine Miracle!"
"Huh?"
Blood? Her blood? And call forth a Divine Miracle on top of that? This person was completely out of his mind, wasn't he? Lilu spun around and bolted—but before she'd taken two steps, a hand seized her by the scruff of her neck and hoisted her up like a little cat. Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps reached them from outside the library. Serina came rushing in at the head of a group of Church clergy and nuns, and the moment she saw Lilu already taken captive, her heart plunged.
"Lord Molay," she said urgently, "Lady Holy Maiden is still only at the Novice stage—Level 21. She is simply not ready for your test!"
"If she is genuine, the Goddess will naturally watch over her," Molay's voice was cold. "Otherwise…… the Sacred Sword will cut down all that is evil."
Serina clenched her fist. There was simply no reasoning with this man! She hadn't anticipated that the Central Sanctuary would send this one of all people—the only things in his head were the Goddess and destroying the Goddess's enemies. Even among the Templar Knights, where extremists were practically the norm, he stood out as one of the most formidable troublemakers.
Why! Just why is this happening! Serina's nails dug into her palm. She had worked so unimaginably hard—had even climbed to heights she once hadn't dared to dream of—and yet this man was about to tear it all down!
"Go," she ordered her subordinates, "send for the Hero!"
"Yes, Your Eminence!"
One of the Temple Acolytes immediately sprinted out of the Church, while Serina could only watch as Molay slung Lilu over his shoulder and tossed her onto the Training Grounds in the rear courtyard.
Lilu landed flat on her rear end. She stood up, clutching her backside, and found Molay slowly drawing the Two-handed Sword from his back. Beneath the dusky evening sky, the sharp blade gleamed with a cold, wintry light. Shadow hid Molay's face beneath his hood, and an air of lethal intent rolled off him in waves. Lilu's pupils contracted slightly, her small frame trembling uncontrollably as death drew near. She wanted to say something—but her voice seemed to seize up entirely, and not a sound would come out.
"Come then," Molay advanced with sword in hand. "Show me your power!"
"Um……" Lilu hurriedly began to explain, "I'm not very good at combat—ah—!"
The sword pierced clean through her chest. Staring at the blade that had run through her body, Lilu was confused for a fleeting moment—having grown up on Earth, she could never quite bring herself to believe someone would so readily take a life—but the searing agony shattered every last illusion she had. Blurgh—Lilu vomited up a gush of blood. As the blade was slowly drawn back out from her body, Lilu collapsed to the ground, life draining from her steadily.
Ah…… dying again…… damn it.
Fred's smile rose in her mind. He extended a hand to her. Fred, bathed in Holy Light, looked so beautiful—Lilu reached out and took his hand without a moment's hesitation. Ahh…… why is it Fred I'm dreaming of in my last moments? Have I truly taken on his shape? Lilu's soul drifted out from her body. A halo appeared above her head, a pair of adorable little wings sprouted from her back, and she readied herself to fly toward the heavenly realm. And then the Goddess's foot came down and kicked her back—thud—straight back into her own body.
From the perspective of those watching, all they saw was a ray of divine light descending from the clouds, enveloping the young girl who lay in a pool of blood—and then the blood that had flowed out of her began flying back into the wound in a deeply unsettling fashion. As the wound closed completely, Lilu's eyes flew open with a sharp, gasping breath.
"Goddess, you—"
The moment she realized she was being watched by a crowd of Church members, she swallowed the rest of the profanity back down. Cursing the Goddess right in front of the Goddess's own faithful seemed like a sure way to get beaten to death! So…… perhaps it was better not to curse. Even though Lilu had the Undying Body—she was still afraid of pain!