198-192 Hostile

Using the magic circle from when we came to Nerdal, we transferred to the magic circle next to the Pope at the church headquarters... or so it was supposed to be.

But when we waited for the light to subside and opened our eyes, for some reason it was not the room where the magic circle was, but an arena-like place.

Why was he able to recognize it as a training ground, even at night?　That was because a large number of knights with bonfires greeted me.

''Well isn't this the big training ground?　.... but is the atmosphere bad because of the rumors?　Or.....

All of them were armed, although they had not drawn their swords, but they were armed.

And although it was slight, I also noticed that there was a hint of hostility.

''What do we do now?''

With this many, it's going to be hard to escape without attacking...

I don't think that's necessary.

The two of them also felt a strange atmosphere, and depending on my instructions, they seemed to be ready for a battle.

Then the knights arrived, led by a woman.

''Good evening, Lumina-san and the War Maiden Holy Knights. You have not yet left for the Duchy of Blange, have you?

Good evening, Luciel. We have a more important mission. We couldn't act fast enough.

While Lumina-san and I are conversing, I get a puzzled feeling from the girls.

It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're thinking about because you can no longer use the holy attribute magic.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it's not an easy to understand hostility.

''So what is this grand welcome?''

"I don't know if you are aware of this, but there are rumors circulating in the street against Mr. Luciel after his return from Nerdal.

I see. So this formation is a siege to get me?

I thought I was speaking calmly, but as expected, I hadn't thought about this situation, so I felt like going on a rampage.

Nadia and Lydia heard Lumina-san's conversation and their anger leaked out in surprise.

''Oh. If only my suspicions were cleared, there would be no problem.......do you know what the current situation is?''

''Well, sort of. So, since you were punished by God and you're no longer a healer, you can no longer use holy attribute magic?

Then I felt the hostility from the people around me grew stronger, but I didn't understand why I had to take this kind of punishment at all.

Lumina-san seems to be having a very hard time saying it, but she must have bought into this role.

From earlier on, only one person is looking at me with worried eyes.

If it wasn't for Lumina-san, I would have done my best to blow this unreasonableness out of the water.

''Ah, that's why an order of restraint has been issued for the crime of tarnishing this Healer's Guild headquarters, St. Schuler's Church...''

Ms. Lumina announced it with her eyes closed.

Her voice without inflection seemed to represent Lumina-san's feelings.

''I see. But the Pope-sama, who knows my situation, has often allowed you to issue orders for restraint.''

'It's not the Pope's order, the Society has an executive branch, and in this case the order is coming from there.

They don't know that the head of the church will capture an S-class healer........then the pope is just a decoration.

Maybe it's this kind of background that made me seek power a hundred years ago.

Nevertheless, it doesn't matter at this point what that executive branch is for.

They only celebrate people and then cut them off the moment the wind changes..............................I have a feeling that the best thing to do here is to crush them for the sake of future peace.

Couldn't Pope-sama put pressure on us?

'I see. So you turned to the position of eliminating me instead of protecting me. And I knew you went to Nerdal and were absent... but making up false accusations makes even an S-level healer a target for capture.

I laughed.

Looking at me like that, Lumina-san tells me pleadingly.

''........If you say you're falsely accused, can you prove it right here?

Proof? I don't mind. Are there any injuries?

If Master and Lionel and the others come out with this, I'm confident that they will indeed go out of control.

Praying that such a worst future wouldn't come, I replied to Lumina-san.

''........You can trust me, right?''

With a somewhat mysterious look on her face, Lumina reminded me that.

Yes. I'm not good at telling lies.''

Satisfied with my answer, Lumina-san smiled.

But when I felt that smile, as if she had made up her mind to do something, I suddenly had a bad feeling about it, and that was the next moment.

Lumina-san drew her sword, and fresh blood pooled.

What Lumina slashed was, as expected, her left arm.

"Extra Heel!

My mind went blank with panic, and I found myself running up to Lumina-san and activating an extra heel.

I'm sure this is what I call a spinal reflex.

When I finished chanting the magic, a popping sound broke out around me.

Lumina-san must have believed that I could use holy attribute magic and thought that I could cut it off and still be able to combine with it.

However, it exceeded my expectations, and when the light stopped, I noticed that my arms were regenerating, and the knights around me, including Lumina-san, froze. I don't know if it was because they really used holy attribute magic or because it was a recovery magic on par with lore, but they must be the ones who believed the rumors.

I was greatly shocked to see several of the faces inside, some of whom I had trained with, mixed in.

But first, I decided to deal with the fact that I had slapped Lumina's cheek in a momentum-sapping manner.

'You're an idiot!　What if it leaves a scar?

Her head was supposed to be calm, but for some reason she was scolding him.

Lumina-san scowled and then opened her mouth to laugh, as if she was being punished for her actions.

''I'm sorry. But this was the quickest way to convince the knights who were trying to capture Luciel-kun. I didn't think they'd ever find out that your recovery skills had improved, though.

I know how Lumina-san felt........then I shouted here, so that the knights here could hear my true feelings too.

''I don't know about that!　I don't need or want any trust or credibility to be destroyed by a mere rumor!　I will pursue the issue of responsibility for those who ordered their capture in such a high-handed manner, and if that doesn't happen, I will resign from the Healer's Guild and become an adventurer. You will take responsibility for your own actions.

I tell her and start walking towards the doorway.

'Lumina-san, don't be too reckless,'

"Mr. Luciel.

I whispered to her as I walked past Lumina-san so that only she could hear me.

I knew exactly what she was doing to save me, and I was happy to see her actions, but she cut off my arm, and it was indeed a donkey.

The surrounding knights were all shushed and made way, but finally, Catherine-san pulled out her sword and stood in the way.

''Catherine-san, would you please step aside?''

I can't do that because I've got orders.

Why didn't this man stop it?　You know that if you capture me, you will be innocent.

Or has the Pope entrusted you with a new message?　But I can't unravel the fact that he's pulling out his sword.　

''........Catherine, you know all about this, don't you?

Yes. That's why I'll let you capture him. Because based on the fact that I can use holy attribute magic, I can't have you stop the healers.

Do you just want to fight or do you have an agenda?　I can't always read this guy, but why do I feel no hostility when he's currently pointing his sword at me?　

The Pope has a lot of trust in me, and next to the Pope, Lumina-san, and everyone else in Yenis, I have a lot of trust in him too.

I was just getting frustrated, and I decided that if I was going to interfere, I would have to do everything in my power to get them to deal with me, and I decided to provoke them.

'What?　Does that sound ridiculous?

I felt a blue streak on my forehead, but I didn't care and continued.

''Well it's a pain in the ass, so I won't treat you.

Who am I talking to now?　I think you need a little moxibustion. Come on over from wherever you are.

It'll be over in a second if you don't get serious, okay?

That's a lot of stuff to say.

The moment Catherine said that, I took out my illusionary sword and increased my magic power at once.

Thinking that it was the first time since my masters that I had fought against someone else, I muttered softly.

''Holy Dragon, protect this body, Thunder Dragon, leave everything behind.''

At that moment, I felt that the sounds around me had disappeared.

It's true that Catherine-san would be strong as a knight.

But she's not harder than Lionel, and she's not overwhelmingly aggressive. She's not slower than her master, and her techniques aren't as diverse.

And it's not as much pressure as Ssanryu, nor does it have magic like Orford-san.

If I knew that much, I wouldn't have felt any fear.

Catherine was surprised by my shining, but she couldn't catch my speed as I moved with all my might, or maybe she had gaps.

That's why I tried to flick the sword I was holding at the ready, but to my surprise, the moment Catherine's sword and the Illusionary Sword made contact, Catherine's sword blade was slashed without any sensation.

I wasn't sure if it would hit or not, because if it didn't, I might call it a rematch, but this time I decided to kick the whole shield away as hard as I could.

Catherine-san was blown away, with a shocked expression pasted on her face.

I felt the sound return when I remotely activated my middle heel and then unlocked the dragon's magic after I thought it might be tasteless as expected due to the too-quick ending.

What was waiting, however, was a different silence than before.

It seemed like I could hear the sound of anyone's breath being taken away.

None of the members of the knights probably hadn't even imagined that Catherine-san would lose.　They all froze with stunned expressions on their faces.

Nadia and Lydia were surprised, but they immediately noticed my gaze and nodded.

I didn't expect this to be settled so quickly, but it seems that the benefits of leveling up and the power of the dragon were still immense.

Even so, since their own head was defeated, I hope they'll show enough spirit to come at me angrily.

If there's even a little bit of that, it can be saved, but is this knightly order really going to be okay?　

Or is it because my rank is higher than theirs?

If we're going to rebuild this, we're going to have to get Lionel and his mentor to come in.

With that thought in mind, he takes a glance at the knight-errant and opens his mouth.

''I'm still working out to death on this one. So?　If any of you still have a complaint about this, let's hear it. Only those who are prepared to be made to drink the undiluted liquid of Object X, the lament of the gods created by the wise men....

I was being polite in my tone, but since I provoked them, I expected some of them to call me, but no one showed any pretense of calling me.

On the contrary, when I looked at the knights, none of them tried to make eye contact with me.

No, only Lumina-san was looking at us with the same worried expression, but she did not open her mouth.

''Since there doesn't seem to be anything in it then, I have to report back to the Pope, so I'll have to excuse myself.

With that announcement, they leave the training grounds.

Right after closing the door, Nadia and Lydia come asking questions.

''Luciel-sama, why did you behave in the way you did earlier?''

'I thought so too. I'm sure they won't like you that way.

'If they don't like me for this, I don't blame them. Even if you can't use your magic anymore, there will still be people who care about you and encourage you. You'll just have to live with those people.

I said to myself and laughed, feeling a little sad.

Then the two of them didn't touch the subject further, and asked me a question about the battle we just had.

''Luciel-sama, how is an attack like that possible?''

I didn't see it at all.

Thus, before visiting the Pope's room, Nadia and Lydia repeated their questions about my new powers.