novelraw Chapter 135 : Chapter 135
Chapter 135 : Chapter 135
135
I headed to the Academy with Hati.
His physique was so huge, and in his hand was a menacing mace.
The mace was covered in blood and stains of unknown origin, which served as a very effective show of force.
No one dared to approach the two of us.
Whenever someone mustered up the courage and tried to approach, Hati would coat his weapon in aura.
At the force of the mace slicing through the air with a WHOOSH, people screamed HIIK and backed away.
"What happened to the second demon?"
"Killed it. Actually, the demon itself wasn't difficult. That mage teacher had already beaten it up tremendously."
Hati calmly recounted his fight.
It was a raw story without a single exaggeration.
According to him, the second demon had suffered quite significant injuries.
Its overall form was like a golem, but traces of being torn apart by bare hands remained here and there on its smooth surface area.
It seemed they were Yuria's traces.
With the Spear God, Hati, and even the mercenary corps.
Numerous warriors clung to it, so they could dismantle the demon quickly.
The problem was what happened next, he said.
Targeting the Fantasy, the Spear God began to run wild.
"Is the Spear God strong enough to handle the Firestorm Mercenary Corps alone?"
"Not really. It was just a matter of compatibility."
From the start of the fight with the demon, the Spear God cleverly set the battle location.
At first thought, using a long spear in a narrow canyon area seems disadvantageous.
However, the Spear God deliberately lured the demon to a place suitable for operating his spear, and as soon as he dealt with the demon, he settled there and wielded his spear.
A space perfect for wielding a spear.
In other words, it meant an area extremely difficult to dodge a spear.
"To be honest, it was a bit dangerous. Because we all almost died a violent death there."
"To that extent..."
"Old Man Spear God, the longer the fight went on, watching what we did, he jumped up to the Adept level in an instant. A genius, really."
A genius.
Surely the Spear God must have possessed outstanding talent.
But I didn't think it was just that.
The Spear God I saw was a hard worker who trained his body to the limit.
Perhaps what he lacked was an opportunity to utilize his body in a new way?
In such a situation, after wandering through the Empire's training grounds, Runner and Adept-level teaching materials appear as sparring partners?
For him, that canyon must have been a much better training ground than the Empire's training grounds.
"That's when we met the Saintess."
"Did she chase after the demon?"
"That's not it. As I said back then, the current Holy Kingdom had no time to worry about demons. They had no energy left as they were searching through God's words and records regarding what demons are and how to deal with them."
"Then why?"
"Yuria. She was designated as the next Saintess."
Yuria?
I stopped walking and stared blankly at Hati.
"Didn't that not happen in the previous history?"
"It didn't. She just became the Saintess after Ganemia died."
I recalled the history of the Holy Kingdom I learned at the Academy.
Usually, a Saintess is designated by God immediately upon the death of the previous Saintess.
However, there are special cases.
Precisely like now, where one is designated even though the Saintess is still alive.
"I can see why they came."
There is only one instance where such a case occurs.
It was when the holy power of the cleric designated as the successor was stronger than the current Saintess.
Yuria's holy power had surpassed Ganemia's.
I asked as I resumed walking.
"Isn't Miss Ganemia a Saintess powerful enough to be called legendary?"
"That's right. Yuria definitely had strong holy power, but it was just average for a Saintess. She was no match for Ganemia."
"But can one... suddenly become that strong?"
"I don't know."
Far away, Akarind Academy (or rather, the ruins that used to be it) came into view.
And there, five griffons were sitting and resting with their wings folded.
One was Ganemia's griffon I had seen before.
And the other four must be the Inquisitors' griffons.
Fitting the name of Inquisitor, all griffons were armored in pitch-black armor.
Even every single feather on their wings was dyed black, giving off a considerable sense of intimidation.
"It seems we weren't the only ones who didn't know. The Holy Kingdom was also bewildered because there was no case like this. So they came to investigate as well."
"I see... But why did they help you, Mr. Hati?"
"Old Man Spear God has a prickly personality, so he's on the blacklist in the Holy Kingdom too. If his spear skills were just a little lacking, he would have been hunted as a heretic already."
I recalled the Spear God's personality.
It made perfect sense.
"Then what about the Fantasy?"
"Kehehe. As I said earlier. The Holy Kingdom only knows what a demon is and how to deal with it. So when we chased Old Man Spear God, I quickly grabbed it."
Hati giggled mischievously.
Talking with him, I suddenly remembered one thing I had been missing.
"A Fantasy must have come out from the third demon as well."
"Haven't you seen it yet? Then probably Big Sister or Grandma Ulf is doing the appraisal work."
"Appraisal, do you mean checking the ability of the Fantasy?"
"That's right. That Fantasy, isn't it a Fantasy that has never appeared in this world yet? So work is needed to infuse mana and other things to find out what effects it has. Some Fantasies even drive their owners crazy."
"It will be safe, right?"
"Don't worry. My Big Sister is a bit unreliable, but the old hag is an expert in this kind of work. She'll let you know the results within a week."
When we arrived at the infirmary, a familiar face greeted me.
"Long time no see."
The current Saintess, Ganemia.
She was standing with her hand lightly placed on the unconscious Yuria's body.
From her arm, a violet aura deeper than Yuria's billowed like flames.
It seemed she was healing Yuria through holy power.
"You've come a long way."
"Because a revelation came down. This place... is a bit noisier than the last time I came."
Ganemia gently placed her other hand on her cheek and looked at me.
"For having trusted you with a student, isn't the educational environment too wretched?"
I spoke confidently to her.
"That's why I did my best so Yuria could become the next Saintess."
"Can that be called the Academy's effort?"
"I don't intend to blindly exaggerate our efforts either. I'm just speaking based on the results."
Consultations with parents were eighty percent about momentum.
If pushed back here, I would end up only repeating stories like 'I'm sorry' and 'I'll do better' while bowing and scraping.
Ganemia stared at me intently, then let out a sigh.
"I mentioned this last time too. I will take Yuria."
"That is..."
"This time, it's not because I have complaints about Akarind Academy or because of my arbitrary decision. According to regulations, and for Yuria's sake as well, Yuria must return to the Holy Kingdom unconditionally."
Ganemia declared strongly as if there was no room for disagreement.
If it's a regulation, is it perhaps an issue related to the Saintess?
"A Saintess isn't finished just by being appointed. While learning various ways to utilize divine power, she must also learn how to communicate more deeply with God."
"By ways, you mean?"
"The holy power utilization methods up to High Priestess are somewhat, hmm, barbaric. It's merely accepting the holy power existing everywhere in the world into the body and using it to heal people or strengthen one's own body."
Having seen Yuria's combat style a few times, it was easy to understand.
By the way, is it okay for the Holy Kingdom to call their own combat style barbaric?
It seems somewhat disrespectful.
"However, a Saintess is different. For instance, something like this is possible."
The Saintess's hand fluttered once.
And instantly, the surrounding air felt not just refreshing but holy.
This is?
"You said a demon appeared. Demons from hell emit evil energy knowingly or unknowingly. I purified the residual demonic energy and laid down holy power."
"Was there demonic energy remaining? I didn't feel it at all."
"Your body became intoxicated by the stimulation given by the powerful demonic energy. If you continue to emit aura in this state, you will accept mana mixed with demonic energy, and ultimately, demonic energy might fill your brain fluid."
"...That's horrible."
"Besides that, there are many ways to utilize holy power. It will be of great help to Yuria."
At that moment, Hati sidled up to me and whispered in my ear.
It was a small voice barely audible even with a body that learned aura.
'Big Bro. It would be better to send her for this. In the past life, Yuria didn't know how to use all those things.'
Didn't he say Yuria received the Saintess position right after the Saintess was attacked in the past?
Moreover, that attack was due to a demon named Sacer, who brought the Holy Kingdom to ruin.
It seemed quite a lot of knowledge was lost due to that incident.
That meant, for Yuria to maximize her abilities, it was right to return to the Holy Kingdom now.
It worked out well.
I was just wondering if I should send Yuria back to the Holy Kingdom to stabilize her.
"Once Yuria wakes up, we will listen to her intention and decide. I will review it positively."
Ganemia seemed pleased with my attitude.
"Good. The Holy Kingdom expresses deep gratitude for the Academy's goodwill. As you said, Teacher, we cannot ignore the Academy's contribution to Yuria being designated as the next Saintess. Is there anything you need?"
"Student Yuria was taking responsibility for the injured at the Academy. As you can see, the situation is not favorable, and since there are students currently suffering from severe injuries, I ask you to dispatch healing personnel."
"Personnel, that works out well. I want to send about four exchange students to the Academy. They are people who possess healing powers and also have outstanding combat abilities."
If it's four people, don't tell me.
"Do you mean the Inquisitors?"
"Yes, that's right."
One of the Inquisitors standing behind Ganemia walked out.
The black helmet was a form that covered thickly up to the neck so that no skin was exposed at all.
He was wearing black full plate mail, but perhaps due to various magical effects applied, no weight was felt even with small movements.
He slowly took off his helmet.
What came out from inside was a young man who looked only about 16 years old.
His jawline was slender, his eyes were kind, and his overall impression was faint.
His features themselves were of a handsome man with an androgynous feel, but his impression was so faint that one might pass by without recognizing him on the street.
He was a student who didn't look like an Inquisitor no matter where you looked.
"I am Serris."
Only the Adam's apple protruding from his neck and the husky baritone voice unique to puberty allowed one to guess that Serris was a man.
"You must know what it means for Inquisitors to be stationed here."
"You must think that since a demon appeared, there were evil deeds in Akarind Academy."
"Well, originally it was so."
Ganemia did not deny it.
"I don't want to doubt a place that even produced a Saintess candidate. If it were truly an evil place, such a miracle wouldn't happen."
She didn't affirm it either.
"I just became purely curious. What kind of education does this place provide that even when a demon appears, it is quickly dealt with, sword aura is created, and even a Saintess candidate is produced."
Suspending judgment.
"So I'm thinking of entrusting students to you again."
While pondering what conclusion to reach.
She stared at me intently and smiled brightly.
"Please take good care of them."