章 33: Chapter 33: Training (1)
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As a gathering place for the privileged in the continent, the three academies always had a high influx of people.
Thanks to this, the post towns on the way to the Golden Triangle were always full of bustle and life.
Even the luxury accommodation where the Holy Land's Saintess stayed wasn't free from the surrounding noise.
"…"
The Saintess, Lucia, rose from the bed with an exhale.
Her two-tone hair, a mix of gold and white, slid smoothly over her pristine white robe.
As she breathed out, a cloud of cigarette smoke rose into the air.
A Saintess and a cigarette. It was a bizarre combination that would shock devout believers. However, she didn't seem to care and even took out a new one.
"Could you please close the window?"
"Eung? Ah, was I interrupting?"
The boy who was sitting near the window turned his head towards her in response.
It was a young man in his late teens, clad in full body armor.
"I'm sorry. I was just watching the people. This city is lively, and it makes me feel good."
"The sound is fine, but the light is annoying."
"Does the modern-day Saintess find the light bothersome?"
"Just a personal habit. I've spent most of my life in a dark chapel."
"Don't suddenly delve into such dark topics. You're making me want to hit you."
"…You are, in name, my escort knight. Please choose your words wisely."
It was a very disrespectful tone for speaking to the continent's Saintess, but Lucia showed no particular reaction other than that.
Considering this man's personality, he wouldn't do such a thing even if he died and came back to life.
"You're not even afraid anymore. You were so nervous when we first met."
"I would rather believe that the Emperor is a saintly man than you hitting women, Valkasus."
The boy chuckled as he closed the window.
"I must say, we have become too close."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, a little too much for a devil worshiper and a Saintess, no?"
Lucia raised her head and looked at the other person.
"…"
As soon as she did, she felt a suffocating pressure enveloping her entire body, causing her to grit her teeth.
Since the window had just been closed, the room was now completely dark, and she couldn't see the boy's expression.
However, his distorted form was clearly evident.
Incomprehensible, repulsive, disgusting, and horrifying.
While it might be invisible in the light, the boy would reveal his true nature the moment darkness fell.
A grotesque, distorted creature that had endured countless years.
Even she, who had one of the most sacred powers in the church, could barely maintain her composure when facing this grotesque existence, let alone subdue it.
"…Don't worry."
She smiled wryly at the sight.
"You guys might be better than the human holding my leash."
Indeed, it was.
Since receiving the shackles of being a Saintess of the Holy Land, Luciahad never once regretted having ties with these humans.
Compared to the demons disguised in human skin, the devil worshipers were far better.
"Thank you for that."
The boy responded with a smirk, yawning as he spoke.
"But in the end, you also have a purpose for cooperating with us, don't you? What was it again? You mentioned something about searching for someone?"
"Yes."
Lucia nodded slightly.
"…Someone precious to me is in Elfante."
In a voice full of determination, she continued.
"There is something I must do."
"Is that so? Someone precious to you..."
The boy nodded in response.
A faint glimmer flickered within the darkness.
"I had those things once, too."
What followed was the voice of someone buried in the depths of past memories.
Simultaneously, a rotten energy began to surge from the boy's body.
Corruption overflowed.
Lucia took a deep breath without realizing it.
It felt as though her body would break into pieces just by being near it.
"…"
"There was a time like that. Like the humans outside the window right now; lively, laughing, chatting, and loving each other. The joys of ordinary people. The heartwarming and positive days."
A breath filled with the energy of the dead dispersed into the air.
The miasma mixed in was dizzying.
It was flowing out.
The dead's mistakenly-held obsession, the greed of the perished, oozed out like a sticky residue clinging to the floor, slowly creeping forth.
And above it.
A melancholic voice.
"…Then my kingdom, where the hell is it now?"
"…Ah, keuheuk…!"
"Oh, dear."
The boy smiled.
At the same time, the flowing energy suddenly disappeared. Luciafell on the floor while gasping for breath.
She was sweating all over her body.
'I thought I was going to die…!'
Despite being a Saintess, facing the opponent who only revealed a hint of their energy put her in a life-threatening situation.
This boy was a monster at that level of stature.
"I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
"…I'm fine, as you can see…!"
"Well, I sincerely apologize. I sometimes forget how fragile of a creature humans are. I tend to get worked up without realizing it when discussing serious matters."
"…Aren't you the one who said something dark?"
"Uh, didn't I apologize already?"
Scratching his head, the boy stood up and opened the window again.
Then, as soon as the sun came in, his face regained its human form.
As the boy wore a cheerful smile that complemented his sharp features, he immediately got hit by a remark.
"I just asked you to close it."
"You're being loud. Why don't you take the opportunity to pray while basking in the sunlight? Considering your usual conduct, you should be more faithful to your role as a Saintess."
"…"
"Hell, I will even join you. I memorize prayers better than you, wouldn't you agree?"
"…"
Lucia's eyes narrowed after hearing a suggestion that shouldn't come from a devil worshiper. Seeing this, Valkasus chuckled and changed the subject.
"Anyway, I, like you, have something to accomplish in this Academy."
Having said that, the boy looked at the building nestled in the horizon, Elfante Academy.
It was a place full of vitality. Just what he needed to achieve his goal.
"Until then, let's take good care of each other, understand?"
"…"
Lucialet out another wry smile.
If even a single person knew this fact, the entire continent would be completely turned upside down.
A devil worshiper and a Saintess collaborating together was simply outrageous.
"…Yes."
However.
"Let's do our best, Valkasus."
This was her answer.
●
My Dear Son,
It's almost summer. I heard that summer around there is especially hot, so I sent a freeze stone and some fruits produced in the territory to add to your diet. Share it with your friends.
. .. ...
I heard that around this time of year, Elfante holds a visitation event. Unfortunately, it will be a harvest season soon, this it will be difficult for me to attend.
So I will send Butler Herman in my stead. He can accompany you to the official events and be there if you need anything.
Don't worry about the estate; it's peaceful. You've always been a clever child, so we're not overly worried.
That's all for now.
P.S. If you happen to have a close female friend, bring her over during your vacation and introduce her. Isn't it time for this old man to see his grandchild's face?
Sincerely, Armin Campbell.
"…"
I folded the letter with a dull expression while holding a bunch of grapes.
Yes, grapes. They were from our territory, and their quality was excellent.
However, I feel so depressed right now.
'A close female friend.'
Knowing his personality, it was probably just a joke.
Well, I could think of a few names that I could take with me.
Like Eleanor, or maybe Iliya.
But if I were to bring either of them to the estate during the vacation, well.
"…"
I didn't even want to imagine it. Who knew what kind of disaster they would bring?
The problem was, considering my current situation, the likelihood of it ending with just these two was extremely low.
'Please save humanity.'
I sighed, recalling the mission Atalante entrusted to me not long ago.
And that was to seduce all of the devil vessel candidates.
"…"
I massaged my throbbing head.
The Headmistress called it a request, when in fact, there was never an option to decline.
If it was inevitable that I would get entangled with the devil vessels one way or another, and they would become obsessed with me, there would be no way I would be able to survive other than making them favorable toward me.
'I'm sorry, Father.'
The promise I made when I first set out, to never attract attention, was becoming increasingly impossible to keep as time passed.
'…I don't know.'
Well, the more I brood about this, the more complicated it would get.
So right now, let's just focus on solving what was in front of us one by one.
< Gift-Related Character Alert >
♥ Eleanor Elinalise La Tristan[ Love Level 1 ][ Exclusive Quest Curse Inheritance has been created! ][ Exclusive Quest-related Event will occur in D-7 ]
▼ Gideon Galestead La Tristan[ Curiosity Level 1 ][ Exclusive Quest Curse Inheritance has been created! ][ Exclusive Quest-related Event will occur in D-7 ]
Starting with this.
[ Main Quest ]
〖 Chapter 2: Boy King of the Ruined Kingdom 〗
[ Related Event will occur soon! ]
I had been waiting for this.
'…Surely, a week from now.'
As mentioned in the letter, there was an event that always happened in Elfante around this time of year.
It was a class observation event with the house representatives of the students.
Simply judging by the name, it wasn't really a big deal. However, if it was a place where a lot of privileged people gathered, such an event was bound to get twisted from all the varying interests that clashed.
Their presence was to intimidate, not be intimidated. And the more privileged they were, the more they cared not to be looked down upon.
Now, the event had been blown out of proportion with considerably increased significance. So much so that people, who didn't even understand why they were there, sometimes appeared.
And since Eleanor and Gideon's Exclusive Quests were created at the same time, well...
It was pretty obvious how things would unfold.
'…I will finally see his face.'
Gideon Galestead La Tristan.
Originally, there wouldn't even be a chance to make contact with such a person.
Because in most of the main scenarios, he was already dead by the time we encountered him.
"…"
Ah, but that didn't mean that Eleanor was going to slit his throat.
While she did dislike him, she wouldn't commit patricide.
However, it was true that their relationship was complicated.
Gideon... for certain reasons, had been cold towards Eleanor ever since she was a child. And Eleanor, influenced by that, also hadn't been particularly fond of him, either.
Rooted from a certain event involving Eleanor's mother, their relationship completely shifted.
But in all the storylines, the trigger for the complete collapse of Eleanor's mental state and awakening as the Grey Devil's vessel always started with Gideon's death. So it wasn't like they were blood enemies.
Remembering what happened, I couldn't hold in my sigh.
Right, so I knew all this.
'What's certain is that…'
If I ever come face to face with this person, there would definitely be something to "take away" there.
It would be of great help in confronting the main antagonist of Chapter 2, the Boy King.
"…"
It might be rude to think of the Empire's strongest knight like that, but it couldn't be helped.
I couldn't afford to just passively let time flow, especially with the situation I was in right now and not knowing when I might die.
It was even more dangerous from Chapter 2 onwards.
The Chosen Ones.
Executives of the devil worshippers, the main villains of the scenario.
They started appearing prominently in Chapter 2, and the Boy King was one of them.
They possess power that far surpasses that of the Purifier who had consumed the Devil's Essence, reducing him to a speck of dust.
"…"
In the first place, it wasn't a boss battle designed to be won through conventional means.
If you think about what kind of character the Boy King was, it becomes even more apparent.
'So, that's that.'
In the end, solving it would start with Gideon's event that was just around the corner.
If I could exactly get what I needed, the progress would be much smoother.
'For now, he's classified as a villain.'
Considering the way his character was set up and how he was portrayed in the scenario, it did align to some extent.
With his background, how one treated him was the key.
Now, what did this mean?
'I don't know the extent of how Fatal Charm will affect him.'
My gift became stronger the more extremely aligned to evil the other person was. In that case, it was uncertain to what extent it would be effective with someone like Gideon, who was hard to read.
'And, well…'
I had a plan.
So that I have a backup to still get the thing I needed even if I couldn't rely on Fatal Charm.
However, in order to do that, I had to improve.
[ Status Info ]
[ Dowd Campbell ]
Strength: FAgility: FEndurance: FLuck: FPower: F
[ Mastery Info ]
[ Attribute: Tristan Style Swordsmanship ] [Grade: Basic ]
[ Current Proficiency: 58% ]
[ Master sword technique of the Tristan Duke Family. ]
[ ■ Can exert a certain level of power regardless of weapon. ]
[ Attribute: Breathing Technique — Duckweed ] [ Basic ]
[ Current Proficiency: 67% ]
[ ■ A breathing method that dramatically increases the body's endurance and strength when trained for a long time. It has a high compatibility with the Tristan Style Swordsmanship. ]
I had to train this.
In my plan, there was only one way to establish a direct connection with Gideon, and that was through swordsmanship.
I didn't need to suddenly display a genius-like talent. Just demonstrating a reasonable proficiency in Tristan Style Swordsmanship should suffice.
The problem was that I had to achieve it without using Desperation. That meant that I needed to have my stats and attribute level at a certain point to accomplish it.
'…Let's find a way.'
Fortunately, there were people around me whom I could rely on at times like this.
●
"You want me to teach you swordsmanship?"
Eleanor asked with wide eyes.
This was the response I received when I asked on our way out of the classroom after class.
'…But how long is she going to take classes with the freshmen?'
As soon as Eleanor fully recovered from her injuries, the first thing she did was to cut into my class.
Even if she was the Student Council President, shouldn't it be time for her to return to her original classes?
Wasn't this breaking the rules?
"Eung. There is no such thing."
"…"
"I think we'll probably take classes together until you graduate, so you don't need to worry about that part."
Was this what a Student Council President should say?
Eleanor then nodded as she puffed her chest out like she was proud of what she said.
Her face was still expressionless.
"…"
But wasn't that an abuse of power?
What are you so proud of?
"Anyway, I'd like to ask for some guidance on swordsmanship."
"By the way, didn't you say that you wanted to study Theology? You'll soon start your major classes, so why invest time in something like this?"
"I don't intend on doing it for that long. For now, I need to achieve results in a short period of time, and you're the one I trust the most in that regard."
Whatever the case might be, she had to be the first person to be considered in this field.
She was the most familiar with it, and there was no doubt about her swordsmanship skills.
Above all, there was no better teacher in learning Tristan Style Swordsmanship than her.
So I asked again, and Eleanor's eyes widened as she looked at me for a moment.
Then, she suddenly turned her back to me.
"…What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, I'm just in a good mood knowing that you trust me."
"If you're in a good mood, then why are you turning your back to me?"
"Hmm, I've practiced smiling for situations like this. Just wait and see."
"…"
After fidgeting for a while, Eleanor finally looked back at me.
Her eyebrows were slightly raised more than normal.
"…How is it?"
"…"
'So, are you going to teach me swordsmanship or not?'
'You still haven't given me an answer.'
"Ora, quite the interesting topic you got over there."
Hearing the newcomer's voice, Eleanor's smile immediately crumpled.
"…It's none of your business. Step aside."
"Ehei, is learning swordsmanship limited to one teacher?"
Iliya replied with a smile, which made Eleanor's eyebrows grow fiercer.
"…Dowd asked me, not you. This is unrelated to you—"
"Oh, but before entering the Academy, I had good experience as a swordsmanship instructor. Lady Tristan probably hasn't taught anyone before, right?"
"…"
Despite her menacing demeanor, it seemed that Eleanor's personality was still the same. She didn't lie about teaching someone just to counter Iliya and simply stayed silent.
She was quite stubborn in peculiar ways.
I smiled and suggested to Iliya.
"How about we learn together? I think that Eleanor can provide us with some good insights."
Well, this was the truth.
As far as skill was concerned, there was still a clear gap between the two. If Eleanor were to teach her, Iliya would have a lot to learn.
Anyway, considering the scenario, Iliya's growth was essential. In that sense, this was a good opportunity to foster her development.
"…"
Iliya pouted at my words, while Eleanor's expression relaxed.
"Um, is that so?"
However, Iliya grinned as if she remembered something.
"Then she'll be the lone instructor, while we learn together?"
Hearing this, Eleanor's expression darkened again.
"…"
'Don't fall for these childish provocations. Please.'
"…Since you insist, be an instructor yourself, then."
Saying so with a sigh, Eleanor's expression relaxed again.
But as soon as she heard that, Iliya grinned.
As if this was what she had been aiming for all along.
"Oh, is that so? It's a competition then?"
"What?"
"Me or the Lady, who is the better teacher?"
"…"
Why did it have to be a competition?
As I squinted at that thought, Iliya continued.
"Naturally, whoever is better should be the one regularly teaching in the future, don't you think so?"
"…"
What was she talking about now?
I didn't say anything.
"…Haa."
Eleanor laughed as she brushed her hair.
"Looks like the fledgling freshman has a big ambition. Are you challenging me now?"
"Oh, but I don't think the Lady would be good at teaching?"
"Can you take responsibility for that statement?"
'No.'
'Hello, I'm here too.'
'Hey!'
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